10 future-proof strategies on how to make money online in 2024 and going forward.

At this stage, in 2024, it’s pretty common knowledge that you can make money online. Or, I should rather say, it’s common knowledge that some people make money online, but how do you get a piece of this pie for yourself?

The following list highlights 24 future-proof strategies on how to make money online in 2024 and going forward, 10 will be discussed in detail while you anticipate info on others.

To help you identify the right strategy for you, we’ve rated each one by the following factors:

• Investment needed (rated low 🟢 – medium 🟡 – high 🟠)
• Skill to enter (rated low 🟢 – medium 🟡 – high 🟠)
• Income type (active ⚡ or passive ⌛)

Read on to find your perfect strategy to make money online in 2024.

How to make money online: 24 ideas to get you started

Now that we’ve introduced the idea of future-proof money-making opportunities, let’s look at 4 excellent alternatives. The one that’s the best fit for you will depend on the time you have to invest and the skills you have to offer, but they all present excellent opportunities to make extra income.

1. Become a paid transcriber

Transcription jobs are becoming a popular way to make money online. If you’ve got the writing skills and you’re hoping to work from home, you can receive regular payouts by creating transcriptions of interviews, focus groups, lectures, podcasts, and more.

There are plenty of websites that enable you to work as a freelance transcriber, including Rev and TranscribeMe. Typically, you’ll need to go through an approval process.

For instance, Rev asks you to submit a quiz and a transcript to demonstrate your writing ability and your understanding of the platform’s styling rules.

You can work as little or as much as you like. Plus, you’re able to pick and choose projects that interest you most.

TranscribeMe pays between $15 and $22 per hour for audio transcriptions, but “special teams” (which transcribe medical or specialty content) can earn over $70 per hour. You’ll be paid weekly via PayPal, which makes it an easy and convenient way to make money online.

2. Edit people’s podcasts

Podcasts have gone from a quirky thing for the tech-savvy to a mainstream thing worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Literally! Spotify spent over $100 million just to get the Joe Rogan Experience and they also acquired Gimlet, a popular podcast studio, for over $200 million.

That money has led to a lot of people wanting to launch their podcasts. However, most people don’t have the skills to edit their audio. A fairly common complaint from podcast listeners is that sound quality leaves much to be desired.

That’s where you come in. You’ll take a podcast host’s raw audio, and you’ll polish it into a diamond-worthy product that won’t get them angry comments from their listeners. No more sound-quality complaints with you steering the quality-control ship. The result will be happier listeners, which means a happier podcast host. You can bet that the host will be more than willing to continue to pay you to keep his or her listeners happy.

3. Participate in mock trials as a juror

Imagine getting paid to provide your opinion and offer feedback.

While you may be familiar with focus groups, you might not know that you can make money online as a mock juror. This means you’ll review cases to offer data-driven recommendations to legal professionals.

You can find opportunities to participate in mock trials on sites like OnlineVerdict and Jury Solutions. Naturally, you’ll have to meet certain criteria to be considered as a juror. For instance, Jury Solutions draws candidates from the correct jurisdiction and screens for disqualifying biases.

However, with OnlineVerdict, all you have to do is fill out a short form to be submitted to the database. Then, when a case is posted in your area, you’ll be asked if you wish to participate. Rates vary across the board, but OnlineVerdict’s typical pay ranges between $30 and $350.

Mock trials are super convenient and slot right in with your existing responsibilities and commitments. You can work remotely or in person, watch presentations over Zoom, and provide feedback on your iPad.

4. Become a virtual assistant

People are always looking for a little help. And since the world’s gone global, you can be that helper no matter where in the world your clients are. That means you can make money from home, or really, you can make money from anywhere. And as a virtual assistant, you can help out with pretty much…anything.

You could help your clients find guest post opportunities, organize their schedule, perform some occasional data entry… anything. You can use platforms like Upwork to find clients. Or, you can create your website and market your services that way. With a relatively low barrier to entry, it’s one of the easiest ways to make money online.

5. Join a paid focus group

If you want to get paid for your feedback but don’t want to work exclusively in mock trials, you can make money online through focus groups. This may involve taking part in product tests, online surveys, interviews, and more.

This can be an exciting venture since you might discover new products before anybody else. Additionally, you’ll have the chance to influence global companies like Skyscanner, Dropbox, and Nestle.

If you’re interested in joining a panel, you can explore opportunities on Resolution Research. All you have to do is provide a personal profile. When you find a paid study that matches your demographics, you’ll need to answer some screening questions to qualify.

Alternatively, you can create a tester account on websites like PingPong, where you’ll earn $15 for 30 minutes (paid via PayPal or Transferwise). In some cases, you might be able to make over $200.

6. Start your blog

Blogging ain’t exactly a unique idea to make money online in 2024. But it’s something that has worked in the past, works in the present, and will keep working in the future.

You can blog about almost anything you’re passionate about (as long as other people are passionate about it, too). There are also tons of ways to make money blogging. For example, you can use affiliate marketing, partner with brands, display ads, and lots more.

Starting a blog that makes real money takes a lot of time and effort. While not one of the easiest ways to make money online, if you’re willing to put in the work, it’s still a top contender for the best way to make money on the internet in 2024 and beyond.

👉 How to start a blog site with WordPress

7. Start professionally proofreading

Do you often find yourself spotting errors in written materials? If the answer is “yes”, you can start making money online by proofreading content like essays, blog posts, web copy, and more.

This is a great option if you’re looking for a flexible way to make money. You can work around your existing schedule, picking and choosing the projects that you want to complete.

Better yet, you don’t need to be an expert wordsmith. You can just do an online proofreading course like Knowadays’ Becoming a Proofreader. It only costs $399 and you can study at your own pace with no deadlines or time limits.

Since Knowadays is partnered with Proofed, you’re guaranteed paid work upon completion of the course. Plus, if you want to advertise your services on freelancer sites like Upwork, you can demonstrate your ability with a CPD-accredited certificate.

8. Offer on-demand, one-on-one courses

Online courses are all the rage, but what about an organized website where merchants (or teachers) sell their services to explain tasks? This could be as in-depth as a developer teaching one or two, or dozens of students about a coding language. It could also be something as quick and simple as repairing a leaky faucet.

YouTube and online courses already exist, but the vision for this is a little different. This would be a marketplace where users could schedule or lock-in instant video training. Instructors would receive a notification any time that someone pinged them for their expertise. They’d log in and solve the problem or share their knowledge. This would be a great way to earn money online.

In the meantime, you could also apply with some established tutoring companies to make extra money that way. For example, Varsity Tutors or Wyzant are both popular choices.

9. Rent yourself out as “the-face-of-the-firm”

From voiceover actors to SEO experts, talent and business expertise are for sale all over the internet. Yet, there could be a market for small and medium-sized businesses that need a “face for their company”.

An ideal candidate for this would be tech-savvy, good in front of a camera, and willing to handle every aspect of a brand’s public messaging and advertising. They would make blog content, YouTube videos, promotional videos, and more. The huge benefit of having it be only one dedicated individual is that it would maintain brand continuity and brand identification with the company’s audience.

If you already like being in front of a camera, are somewhat creative, and know how to use modern editing tools of various kinds, then this is a perfect way to make extra money. Depending on the circumstances, you could even turn it into a full-time job.

10. Dropship products from local stores

The drop shipping game comes with some inherent risks, namely questionable shipping times and equally questionable quality of products. Most of the goods that are procured by drop shippers to sell to Western consumers are produced in either China or India.

There’s a decent chance that we’ll eventually see a marketplace or online hub for local businesses to connect with drop-shippers, who will act as middle-men online retailers. They will work on marketing and distribution, while the retail store will ship any sales from those stores directly to customers.

Even if an online hub like that doesn’t exist yet, you could still try to do some on-the-ground work, and approach retailers yourself. Explain what you can offer from your side and what you’re looking for from them, and perhaps you can work out something mutually profitable for both sides.