Making money as a teenager can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. There are a ton of great online side hustles for teenagers to take advantage of and earn money.
Maybe you’re not able to leave your home for some reason or you don’t have access to a car. These are normal difficulties teenagers face when looking at options to earn money. That means you have to turn to online side hustles instead to make money.
Online side hustles are great because you don’t need anything but a laptop or mobile device and an internet connection to earn money. But figuring out the best online side hustles that actually pay teenagers money for their work is the real goal.
Here are the best online side hustles for teenagers.
- Online surveys on MTurk
- Writing on Textbroker
- Writing on Medium
- Affiliate marketing
- Gig work on Fiverr
- Self-publishing a book
- Starting a blog
- Building a YouTube channel
Online surveys on Amazon MTurk
Taking online surveys on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is the best online side hustle for teenagers. It’s the best because of how easy it is. All you have to do is sign up and start taking surveys. There are no wrong answers because they are asking for your opinion.
MTurk is mindless work that doesn’t require any experience or education for teens to make money. Surveys come in all kinds, from political questions to marketing tools.
Also, MTurk can be completed from a computer or a smartphone. There is no app but to log onto MTurk, all you need to do is type in the URL and it’s compatible for smartphones.
Without a doubt, MTurk is the best online side hustle for teenagers, stay-at-home parents and anyone else who needs a little extra money.
Writing on Textbroker
Teenagers can make money writing online by using Textbroker as a side hustle. Textbroker is a content writing platform that connects clients with writers. The content doesn’t have to be professionally written, but just good enough to get the point across.
Users likely will not make a full-time living on Textbroker, but most writers can make a couple hundred dollars every month from it.
Writing on Textbroker is easy, but the pay isn’t as great as it could be. It’s a great place to start, but teens who want to make money from writing online should see some of the side hustles listed later in this article.
Writing on Medium
Medium is another writing platform teenagers can use as a side hustle. Once teens sign up for Medium, they can immediately start publishing content and earning followers.
The platform pays per the number of membership views your story gets. So the more views you’re able to attract to your articles, the more you earn. Some writers make a living on Medium, but it’s uncommon for most.
The best way to earn more money on Medium is to gain more followers by publishing more content.
Affiliate marketing
If you have a social media account or can drive traffic online via a blog or YouTube channel, affiliate marketing is right for you as a teenager. It’s easy and simple. All you have to do is sign up for an affiliate network like Amazon Associates and start using affiliate links.
Once your traffic picks up on these links, you’ll start making commissions for the sales you generate.
Most teenagers will be using social media platforms like Instagram or Twitter for their affiliate marketing. If you don’t have social media, this side hustle might not be for you.
Gig work on Fiverr
Fiverr is a great platform for online gig workers to provide services for money. These services can range from a number of different things. Maybe a client needs a virtual assistant or a blog article written. Teens who possess these skills can earn money on Fiverr.
Many graphic designers make a living on Fiverr by simply creating book covers or small graphics. Teenagers who are good at graphic design can start listing their services on Fiverr and earning money this way too.
Self-publish a book
Self-publishing a book might sound difficult, but it’s a perfect online side hustle for teenagers. It can be done cheaply and scaled up to earn more money over time.
Teenagers who are writers can write a book themselves and publish it on Amazon KDP for free. From there, Amazon will distribute the book and pay the author royalties.
However, teens can also write a low content book (journal, coloring book, etc.) and earn money self-publishing those kinds of books as well.
Here is a side hustle book teens can read to help them start making money online:
Start a blog
Blogs are great online channels for teens to start earning money. It costs a little money to get started but they can be a great return on investment if the writer continuously publishes content.
Monetizing a blog can be done in several ways. From affiliate links to running ads, teenagers can make money from a blog if they can drive enough traffic.
Traffic can be obtained by using social media as a generator or by ranking high on Google with search engine optimization (SEO).
Blogs take time to earn money but work as a great online side hustle for teenagers because they can become extremely profitable.
Build a YouTube channel
Everyone these days wants to build a YouTube channel as a side hustle or full-time job. But teenagers are the most likely candidates to succeed at it. YouTube is a great online side hustle for teenagers because most have smartphones with cameras and are tech-savvy.
The best way for a teen, or anyone, to become successful on YouTube is by consistently posting videos and choosing a niche. It could be a lifestyle niche or about a topic you’re interested in.
It might take time, but after 6-12 months of consistently publishing, your YouTube account will likely have enough traffic to start monetizing.
Conclusion
These are the best online side hustles for teenagers to make money from. All of them are legitimate methods that will actually pay money.
If you’re looking for other ways to earn money, check out this list of the best side hustles for teens to make money in general. It’s not just about online side hustles.