By no means am I a side hustle gatekeeper. I feel like I’m actually quite the opposite. The moment I found a new side hustle, I’m spewing it all over the internet. Today’s side hustle is no different. I stumbled upon it, can’t do it because I don’t have the talent, but I’m here to share it.
The reason why I haven’t decided to take this side hustle and run is because it requires skill with Adobe Photoshop or graphic design, which I have none of.
It’s a Reddit side hustle with a lot of potential, same-day payouts, and flying under the radar. We compiled the statistics to back up our information as well. Freelance graphic designers can take this unique route to earning money compared to Fiverr or other platforms that are unfavorable.
If you’re good at photoshopping photos or graphic design, here’s how I’d use it to make some extra money.
Table of Contents
1) Make a Reddit account
The first step is to create an account on Reddit.
Reddit is my favorite way to use social media as it’s a cluster of long-winded, wordy posts and opinions. A perfect breeding ground for money-making ideas and depression.
2) Create a tip jar
After you finish setting up a Reddit account, the next step is to create a tip jar of some kind. This can come in a variety of ways, but for this side hustle, the most common tip jars I found were:
- PayPal
- Buy Me A Coffee
- Cashapp
The kind of tip jar you create really won’t affect how this side hustle works, but it will impact how you’re paid. So if one of those three payment methods are more beneficial to you, use that one.
The main objective during this step is to make an easy donation for people to quickly send you money.
3) Join r/PhotoshopRequest
Here’s where the side hustle comes into play for my photoshopped and graphic designers. Also, here’s a link to the subreddit.
This subreddit is filled daily with Photoshop requests (in case you couldn’t already tell from of the subreddit).
Basically, every day I see people post images of all kinds and request Photoshop work. Sometimes it’s a request like a background change and other times, it’s a simple color correction or enhancement.
Reddit users will pay you to correct their images with Photoshop.
How does r/PhotoshopRequest work?
When you see a post in this subreddit with a request, it’ll also have the original image that needs to be altered.
Next, you have to quickly alter the image based on the post’s desired specifics and re-upload it to the post’s comment section with a watermark so the original poster doesn’t take it for free.
If the original poster likes your edit the best, they pay you for the full edited image without the watermark.
Getting picked to be paid will depend on:
- How well you follow the instructions in the request.
- How quickly you uploaded your edited version in the comment section.
That’s it. Sometimes requesters pay more than one Photoshop because they like both.
Graphic designers will sit on this subreddit all day and watch photoshop requests come in that they can then pick off and easily complete. Keep reading to find out the best times each day to check this subreddit.
How much can you earn Photoshopping pictures?
Tip amounts all depend on the request. The post usually describes what the requester is willing to pay before any work is done.
Some requests state they’re willing to tip $5 or $10. Others that require more work tip $20 or $30.
But if you’re able to complete five $10 requests in a day, that’s $50 in your pocket tomorrow. It’s fast cash.
What I’ve noticed some graphic designers do is pick and choose the higher-paying requests that seem to require more work. These designers are relying on the fact that they can complete a bigger request quickly and well.
How do I know this works?
Here are some statistics to back up my claims. By using two platforms to analyze this subreddit, I found some interesting statistics.
The first platform, Social Rise, analyzed the PhotoshopRequest subreddit for the most popular times users are online.
According to this screenshot, the best times to post a request are between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. It actually lists specific times each day that have the best chances of getting a viral post.
Using this information, we can deduce these are the busiest times in this subreddit and the best times for finding new requests to work on.
I used another platform, Subredditstats, to cross-reference daily posting data.
The subreddit receives an average of 226 posts per day. Every post in this subreddit is a Photoshop request. You can do the math, but that’s a lot of requests each day.
Additionally, there are only 497 comments each day. Meaning each post averages a little more than 2 comments with answers. Obviously, some posts get dozens of answers and some only get a few, but it really shows the opportunity and potential of this side hustle.
This last screenshot really got me drooling as someone who likes money.
This is a screenshot of this specific subreddit’s popularity. As you can see, it has skyrocketed in the last few years. That means the subreddit is seeing more Photoshop requests than ever before.
Have I convinced you to learn graphic design yet?
Conclusion
If you’re into Photoshop or graphic design but can’t seem to get rolling on Fiverr or other freelance platforms, you might have to start thinking outside of the box. Here’s your chance.
It seems like there’s a lot of potential for new freelance graphic designers to start making a name for themselves in this subreddit. Also, you’d be helping everyday people by enhancing their photos.
In my opinion, it’s worth a shot.
