Common doubt of the majority of young people is how to make money online as a teen. This question is quite good because the Internet really gives you a lot of opportunities. However, it is not easy to decide what actually you want to do.
Online jobs are there to improve your working experience. First of all, you will be able to see how it looks to really work for money. That is the best possible introduction to the business world you could get.
Some parents still compare online businesses with playing games. They think those jobs or businesses are not serious enough. Still, those that are able to adapt to the new way of working also want to find out how can teens make money online.
This article is for both, parents and teens. Parents need to understand that traveling to work slowly becomes history. You can now do everything from your room. The only thing you need to have is a good internet connection.
The important thing you need to know is that not every opportunity is equally good. When you type on Google “How to make money online as a teen” you will get a million results. So, which pieces of information are the best?
That’s why we are here. The online jobs are not magical. Without hard work and full dedication, you won’t be able to make earnings.
So, let’s see how to actually make money as a teen. Also, we are going to find out which things this way of working requires.
- Freelancing
The type of youngsters that want to discover how to make money online as a teen usually starts with freelancing. Entrepreneurs mostly start with their ideas to make money in high-school. Leaving a school or college represents a big risk for them. Because of that, they don’t have enough time to work full-time jobs.
Freelancing is one of the best ways how can teens make money online while going to school. This method is also good for parents that want to make some extra income. It allows you to determine the working hours and working place on your own.
In other words, you can work before and after you go to college/school. You can work from home or from the nearest coffee shop. No one is going to control you and give you orders. The point is to accomplish all the tasks you get in the best possible way.
So, how to make money online as a teen freelancer?
It’s not possible to do that if you don’t possess some skill that you could offer. Freelance platforms are full of graphic designers, writers, web developers, video editors etc. Which one are you going to choose? That depends on what you love to do.
Don’t waste your time looking for the most uncompetitive field of business. Absolutely, each one has at least 100 freelancers from your town. We won’t even talk about the rest of the world.
Focus your energy on improving your knowledge and abilities. Majority of useful things for freelancing you won’t be able to learn in school. That’s why you need to open 2 tabs in your browser, one for Google and one for YouTube. Both websites are great tools for gaining knowledge and improving skills. Step-by-step, you will be able to deliver more quality work.
Where to look for freelance jobs?
The answer to this question is – ALL OVER THE INTERNET.
This is probably too general for an answer, but that doesn’t mean it is not correct. Anyway, there are several freelance platforms that could help you find clients in the beginning.
Upwork is the most popular freelance platform. Most importantly, it is the safest one. There you can find clients from all over the globe looking for various types of services. In our opinion, this is the platform everyone who wants to discover how to actually make money online should visit right away.
Besides Upwork, there are other platforms such as Fiverr, PeoplePerHour, Freelancer and many more. Some of them maybe won’t bring you a fortune, but it represents a good introduction to the freelance world.
- Drop Shipping/E-commerce
This part is for those that are even more ambitious. These two “industries” are good answers for those who want to find out how to make money online as a teen. Let’s explain one by one.
E-commerce is a way of earning where you are actually in touch with the products. You need to have a place where you will store them. Also, you will have to find a way to deliver them to the buyer. You can conclude that this is a quite complicated process.
When we talk about drop shipping, things are a bit easier. That is why the majority of teens decide to try out this way of earning.
The first thing you need to do is to visit websites like AliExpress, eBay, Amazon etc. There you will find the products you could potentially sell. Check the reviews of the potential supplier and see if he really is reliable for cooperation.
Next thing you need to do is to make your webshop. One of the platforms you can consider to use is Shopify. Of course, there are people who use WordPress with various plugins that allow them to make an attractive shop.
Now, here comes the most interesting part. You won’t need to buy the products that you sell or to have a warehouse. Your only task is to promote them in the best possible way over the Internet. When the potential customer orders the product, you will order it from your supplier. Ask for the address of the buyer and send it there.
How to make money online as a teen drop shipper?
Without a proper calculation, you won’t be able to make a profit. If the supplier is selling the product for $3, you need to sell it at least for $10. Be aware that your costs are not only $3. Calculate how much you will need to spend on advertising. The cheapest way to do that is by running Facebook or Instagram ads.
If you ask yourself “why would someone buy it for the higher price?”, there is no reason to worry. People are lazy, they don’t like to research a lot. When you find a way to convince them your product is valuable, they won’t try to explore if the product is cheap or expensive.
Note: This only sounds easy in theory. Just like for any business, you need to have a good business and financial plan. Making millions over the night via drop shipping or e-commerce is not possible. Be patient and clever.
- Blogging
Being a blogger is one more amazing way how can teens make money online. It is especially a good opportunity for those that like to write. Anyway, you need to know that there are thousands of blogs in almost every niche. That means you need to be creative enough to attract people to visit your blog.
How to make money online as a teen blogger?
There are a few different ways of how blogging can bring you profit:
• Ads
• Promotion of your services
• Sponsors
Ads
We have several different ways of making money with advertising on our blog. For example, you can make an AdSense account and add it to your website. The algorithm will decide which ads each visitor will see. However, this won’t bring you a large amount of money, and that is why you should also check other possibilities.
We won’t explain each method, so we suggest you do your own research. The ways of making money on your blog are: Pay per click advertising, sell your own advertising, and CPM ad networks (the most desirable). These are possibly the top 3 things you could investigate.
Promotion of your services
In case you are a really good writer, this is a good way to promote yourself. Show the creativity in your texts. Convince potential customers that you know how to keep the reader’s attention. Those two things are important for every startup, and for sure sooner or later someone will hire you.
Sponsors
Traffic on your blog is the factor that attracts potential sponsors. Of course, the sponsors are going to be from other businesses from your industry. Let’s imagine that you run a blog about fitness. You provide your audience with tips on how to lose kilograms or improve their body.
Logically, you won’t be contacted by startups from IT industries. That is the main reason why you can’t cover every single topic on your blog. Choose your micro niche at the beginning of your blogging career. Only that will potentially bring you sponsors. More importantly, it will determine your target audience.
- Vlogging
Okay, in case you are not a good writer, it is not the end of the world. One more way to make money online is VLOGGING. More precisely, you can become a Youtuber.
Finding a Youtuber in every country in the world is not a difficult task. Almost everyone has the opportunity to publish videos on Youtube. For that, you only need to 2 things:
• A good front camera on your phone
• A good Wi-Fi connection
The technical side of this way of earning is not demanding. But those two things won’t make you a successful vlogger right away. Logically, the first thing you need to have is creativity. Similar to blogging, in almost every field you can find at least 10 vloggers. That also means that you need to be unique.
Once again, there are several different ways that could bring you profit via vlogging:
• Ads
• Sponsors
Ads
When we talk about ads, how much you will earn depends on how engaging your channel is. A large number of people buy views and likes. Fake things won’t bring you success, you need to find a way to naturally attract people.
In the beginning, you will have a small number of subscribers and views. Be patient, but at the same time, try to be as active as possible. That means you should publish at least one video per day.
Sponsors
Promoting through videos is even better than promoting through textual content. It has better results. Small and medium-sized businesses are aware of that. That’s why we can find many brands in the videos of various Youtubers.
Just like we previously said, startups from industry related to your topics will contact you. Before everything, determine which topic is going to be the main one you will talk about. After that, it will be easier to divide it into several different subtopics.
Conclusion
The tips from the list will give you an idea of how to actually make money online. Each way already helped many teenagers to make their first dollar. Be sure that you will be able to do the same.
The important thing for you is to pick the right avenue. Don’t choose, for example, drop shipping just because it is profitable. There is also no reason to try to copy your favorite Youtuber. Avoid copying the content of other writers/bloggers.
Finally, you need to always be serious. Any decision you make requires time, hard work, creativity, and motivation. If you don’t feel happy while working online, that is not the job you were looking for.
Remember, you want to avoid regular “9-5” job. If you pick the wrong way of making money online, you won’t do anything useful. Even worse, you will become demotivated and you will convince yourself online businesses are not for you.
In the end, don’t expect to make fortune for the next month, two, or year. Don’t believe in stories that there is a Youtuber or freelancer that became rich for 6 months. Those stories are nothing more than scams.
So, what do you think? Is it better to spend your time on the Internet chatting with friends on Facebook? Or maybe taking selfies for Instagram? Of course, the answer is no. Every part of the online world can bring some value to your life. It is your option to use it or not.
Are you going to use it?
