4 ways to make money online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I was recently laid off too.
You heard that right. I’m in the same boat as you; I worked as a Marketing Designer for an e-commerce company and as soon as the shit hit the fan with this virus, I — along with many other coworkers — were laid off in rapid succession. These are tough times, and we need to learn how to adapt; especially if we want to provide for our ourselves and our families. Here are some of the things that I’m currently doing in order to build a stream of income online while stuck at home.
1. Sell images on stock photography sites.
Stock photography sites are very popular among photographers that want to have the option of selling some of their photos that they themselves don’t really utilize for their own purposes. I, personally, have been going through my own library of images that have never made it onto my site or anywhere else, and that’s just collecting digital dust in my hard drive; these are the images that I choose to sell through these stock image sites for others to use.
2. Start a blog.
As you can already tell, I have this current platform to write on (as well as my own photography site’s blog). It’s not the fastest way to start making money, but it can definitely have somewhat of a snowball effect once you do start to profit off of your posts. The biggest advice I can give here is to blog about something that you are truly passionate about. Even if you are doing this for money, don’t make that to be the only motivation, as it can get pretty discouraging when you’ve written your 20th article with no results to show. If it’s at least about a subject you love to talk about, then that passion alone can motivate you overcome the obstacles of the early stages of building your blog presence.
3. Become a freelance designer.
Happen to have some experience with Photoshop, InDesign and/or Illustrator? Use it to your advantage and join sites where you can utilize your skills to sell your services. If you’re not well-versed in these skills, take some time out of your day to learn or refine your skills by watching tutorials online or taking an online course; most of which are usually very affordable.
4. Start vlogging or live-streaming.
Have a passion like gaming, cooking, baking, writing, etc? Chances are, you’re not alone. And there are an abundance of people waiting for someone like you to start vlogging and/or live-streaming to connect with. It can also be a great way to really get out of your comfort zone and to improve your communication skills, as it’s a bit different when you’re technically just talking to yourself physically, but mentally knowing that there’s an audience that you can’t see.
Final thoughts
Firstly, stay safe. I mean this in every way possible; not just from COVID-19. Yes, wash your hands, stay indoors, and help spread the word to your loved ones. However, stay safe in regards to your mental state as well. These are trying times, and jumping into any one of these endeavors in the list can really be draining; especially if your main goal is to make money. I will not downplay this fact: it’s not an easy or fast road to make money through these projects. So with that, there can be a lot of moments of disappointment or times where your motivation is at an all time low. However, I urge you to take care of your mental state and push through the hard times and see it to the end. All of these successful bloggers, Youtubers, etc. have come this far because of their perseverance. The craziest part is that you and I can too. Good luck!
