Let me be honest with you.

When I first heard about “passive income,” I thought it was just another online buzzword. You know… the kind that promises you’ll make money while sitting on a beach doing absolutely nothing.

That’s not reality.

What I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) is this: passive income is real but it requires upfront work, consistency, and smart choices.

Before we dive in, let’s clear something up.

Passive income is money you earn without trading time for every pound or dollar.

But – and this is important -it usually requires:

• Time upfront
• Skill-building
• Or money investment

I like to think of it like planting seeds.

You don’t get fruit immediately. But once it grows, it keeps producing.

1. Start a Blog (Step-by-Step Beginner Blueprint)

When I started my first blog, I had no idea what I was doing.

I thought you needed to be a great writer or some kind of expert. You don’t.

What actually matters is solving problems people are already searching for.

According to recent guides, successful blogs are built on consistent content, SEO, and monetization layers like ads and affiliate links.

It’s very easy to start your own blog. First, choose a niche that people already spend money in. Good beginner niches include:

• Personal finance
• Fitness
• Travel
• Career advice

Once you’ve picked your niche, set up your website. The easiest way is using WordPress. You’ll need:

• A domain name (yourwebsite.com)
• Hosting (like Bluehost or SiteGround)

After that, your main focus is content.

Start by writing helpful articles that answer specific questions. For example:

• “How to save money fast”
• “Best budgeting apps for beginners”

These are the types of searches that bring traffic. You can use a software like SEMrush to find profitable keywords that are low in competition and have high search intent.

Once you start getting visitors, you can monetize your blog through:

• Affiliate marketing
• Ads (like Google AdSense)
• Selling your own products

Most blogs take 3–6 months to gain traction, but once they do, they become highly scalable. It may take a few months for you to rank on search engines but you can make thousands of dollars per month once you start ranking for the right keywords.

2. Sell Digital Products (One of the Fastest Ways to Start)

This is honestly one of the most underrated passive income ideas for beginners.

You don’t need inventory, shipping, or a warehouse.

You create something once and sell it over and over again.

Digital products are powerful because they have zero marginal cost, meaning you can sell unlimited copies without extra expense.

Start with research.

Go on platforms like Etsy or Gumroad and search for your niche. Look for products that have lots of reviews and solve a clear problem and are simple. Look for reviews that are negative on other digital products and see if you can improve on that.

Once you find a proven idea, create your version.

You don’t need advanced skills. Tools like Canva are enough to create:

• Budget planners
• Checklists
• Templates
• Ebooks

Next, upload your product to a platform like Gumroad or Etsy.

Then comes the most important part: traffic.

Promote your product using:

• TikTok
• Pinterest
• Blog content

When promoting your product you don’t want to do blatant promoting rather make useful content around your product and then promote your product or include it in the content.

For example if you have a fitness digital product to help people lose weight. You might create a video for TikTok that has 3 exercises to help you lose weight. At the end of the video you can promote your product as a quicker way to lose weight.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the most scalable passive income models out there.

You promote products… and earn a commission when someone buys.

The best part?

You don’t need to create your own product.

Start by choosing a niche you actually understand.

This is critical. If you pick something just for money, you’ll burn out quickly.

Next, join affiliate programs. Popular options include:

• Amazon Associates
• Software tools (like SaaS products)
• Online course platforms

Once approved, you’ll get a unique tracking link.

From there, your job is simple:

Create content that helps people, and naturally include your links. Now you can do affiliate marketing on your own blog or website or even social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram.

For example you can create:

• Product reviews
• Tutorials
• “Best tools” articles

According to expert guides, success comes from building trust first, then recommending products that genuinely help your audience.

The potential for affiliate marketing can be high. At the start it may take some time to build up but after a few months you can expect to start making good money from your efforts if done properly.

4. Use an Automated Google Sheets Financial Tracker

This is where things get really interesting, especially for your blog.

Instead of relying only on affiliate income, you can create your own product ecosystem.

That’s exactly what I did when I started using a Google Sheets financial tracker.

At first, I just wanted something simple to track my money.

But then I realized something:

Most people don’t want complicated apps. They want something easy, visual, and customizable.

That’s why spreadsheet-based trackers are becoming so popular.

Start by identifying the problem.

Most beginners struggle with:

• Tracking spending
• Understanding where money goes
• Staying consistent

Your tracker should solve these clearly.

Next, build your spreadsheet.

Use Google Sheets to create:

• Income and expense tracker
• Monthly dashboard
• Category breakdown charts
• Savings tracker

Once built, automate it with formulas so users don’t have to do manual calculations.

Then package it as a product.

You can sell it via:

• Your blog
• Gumroad
• Shopify

Finally, promote it through your content.

For example:

• Blog posts about budgeting
• YouTube tutorials
• Social media tips

Unlike apps, this is:

• A one-time purchase
• Fully customizable
• Beginner-friendly

And most importantly, you own the product.

5. Dividend Stocks (Step-by-Step Beginner Investing)

This is one of the most “true” passive income methods.

Once you invest, you get paid regularly.

But it requires patience.

First, open an investment account (ISA in the UK is ideal for tax benefits). You can use different platforms like Trading 212, eToro or Robinhood (US only).

Then research dividend-paying companies or ETFs.

Focus on:

• Stable companies
• Consistent dividend history

Once you invest, reinvest your dividends to compound your returns.

This is where the real growth happens.

Passive income from investments depends on capital, time, and reinvestment strategy. It does take some research and educating yourself on investing. So you will want to get books and read articles about investing. A good point to start is Investopedia.

6. Real Estate Crowdfunding

Property used to feel out of reach as you needed a lot of money to start investing in real estate. But now, platforms allow you to invest small amounts into property portfolios.

First, sign up for a crowdfunding platform like Fundrise or Arrived.

Next, browse available properties or funds.

Each investment will show:

• Expected returns
• Risk level
• Investment period

Start small, then scale as you learn.

This method allows you to earn rental income without managing tenants or property with average returns of 6-12% annually.

7. Print-on-Demand

This is one of the easiest ways to start an online business without any upfront costs. I remember thinking you needed to hold stock or deal with shipping.

You don’t.

With print-on-demand, you simply create designs and the platform handles everything else.

Start by choosing a niche. The more specific, the better. For example:

• Gym motivation
• Pet lovers
• Funny quotes

Then create simple designs using tools like Canva. You don’t need to be a professional designer – simple text-based designs often perform best.

Next, upload your designs to platforms like:

• Redbubble
• Teespring
• Printify (connected to Shopify)

Once uploaded, your products (t-shirts, mugs, hoodies) are automatically listed for sale.

Every time someone buys, the platform prints and ships the product, and you earn a profit. The hardest part is probably the marketing and spreading awareness of your products. You can use social media and create content around your products or even use paid ads platforms like Facebook Ads.

Once you have a solid base of customers you can expect to make up to £5,000 per month, although it does take hard work to get there.

8. YouTube Automation Channels

This is one of the most misunderstood passive income ideas.

You don’t need to show your face. You don’t need expensive equipment.

I tested this myself—and the key is consistency, not perfection.

To get started you will want to pick a niche that gets views consistently:

• Finance
• Motivation
• Facts or education

Then create simple videos using:

• Stock footage
• AI voiceovers using ElevenLabs or your own voice
• Basic editing tools like CapCut

Upload consistently – at least 2–3 videos per week.

Once your channel hits:

• 1,000 subscribers
• 4,000 watch hours

You can monetize with ads.

9. Sell Stock Photos or Videos

If you already take photos on your phone, you’re sitting on an opportunity.

I didn’t realize this at first, but businesses constantly need images for marketing.

That’s where stock platforms come in.

Start by identifying what sells with popular categories like lifestyle shots and travel images.

Then upload your photos to platforms like:

• Shutterstock
• Adobe Stock
• iStock

There are many different websites you can use to sell your photos online with some paying up to $650. Each time someone downloads your image, you earn a royalty.

The key is volume. The more high-quality images you upload, the more you earn over time.

10. High-Yield Savings Accounts

This is where I tell most beginners to start. It’s not flashy. But it builds the habit of earning money from your money.

Compare savings accounts with competitive interest rates then you can open an account online—it usually takes less than 10 minutes.

Deposit your money and set up automatic transfers so you consistently grow your balance with some banks paying between 4-5% interest.

That’s it.

No learning curve. No risk (within insured limits).

11. Rent Out Assets You Already Own

This is one of those ideas that made me think, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” Most people already own assets they’re not fully using.Start by identifying underused assets:

• Spare room
• Car
• Equipment

Then list them on platforms like:

• Airbnb (for rooms)
• Turo (for cars)

Make sure your listing is clear, includes photos, and highlights value.

Once set up, bookings can become semi-passive.

12. Create an Online Course

This is one of the highest leverage income streams.

You teach something once and then get paid repeatedly. You don’t need to be an expert. Just one step ahead of beginners.

Plan your course by breaking it into small lessons. Record videos using your phone or laptop. Keep it simple and clear.

Upload your course to platforms like:

• Teachable
• Udemy

Then promote it through content (blog, social media, YouTube).

13. Build a Niche Website

This is like blogging, but more strategic.

Instead of writing about everything, you focus on one niche.

I’ve seen niche sites outperform general blogs because they attract highly targeted traffic.

Step-by-step: How to start

Choose a niche with clear buying intent. For example:

• Fitness equipment
• Budgeting tools
• Tech products

Create SEO-focused articles targeting specific keywords.

For example:

• “Best budget running shoes”
• “Best financial trackers for beginners”

Monetize with:

• Affiliate links
• Ads

Over time, your content builds authority and traffic grows.

14. License Your Work

This is a hidden gem for creatives.

You create something once—and get paid every time it’s used.

Identify what you can create:

• Music
• Designs
• Code

Then upload your work to licensing platforms.

For example:

• AudioJungle (music)
• Creative Market (designs)

Each time someone purchases a license, you earn money.

The more assets you create, the more you earn over time.

15. Freelance Writer

I didn’t expect freelance writing to become a form of passive income, but over time, it can.

At first, it’s very active. You’re trading time for money.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

Once you build relationships, retain clients, and even repurpose your work into digital products or blog content, it starts to become semi-passive and highly scalable.

And for beginners? It’s one of the easiest ways to start earning online with zero upfront investment.

The first step is choosing a niche.

You don’t have to overthink this, but it helps to focus on areas like:

• Personal finance
• Health and fitness
• SaaS or tech
• Career advice

These niches pay well because businesses in these industries make money – and they’re willing to pay writers.

Once you’ve picked a niche, create a simple portfolio.

You don’t need a fancy website. Just write 2–3 sample articles using Google Docs or publish them on a free platform like Medium.

This gives you something to show potential clients.

Next, start finding work.

The easiest way to begin is through platforms like:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• PeoplePerHour

Apply to jobs daily. At first, it’s a numbers game.

You might get rejected. That’s normal.

But once you land your first client, everything gets easier.

From there, focus on delivering great work and building long-term relationships.

This is where freelance writing starts to shift from active to semi-passive—because repeat clients mean consistent income without constantly searching for new work.

The Truth About Passive Income (From Experience)

I’ve tried multiple passive income streams.

Some failed. Some worked.

The biggest lesson?

Passive income is not about doing nothing. It’s about building something once… that keeps paying you later. And once you get that first stream working, everything changes.

Final Thoughts

If you’re just starting out, don’t overcomplicate this.

Focus on consistency.

Because over time, these small systems turn into real income streams that work for you, even when you’re not working.

FAQ: Passive Income Ideas for Beginners

What is the best passive income idea for beginners?

Digital products, blogging, and affiliate marketing are some of the best beginner-friendly options because they require little upfront investment.

Can you really make passive income with no money?

Yes, but it requires time and effort upfront. Options like blogging, YouTube, and digital products are great starting points.

How long does it take to make passive income?

Typically 3–12 months for most online income streams, depending on consistency and strategy.

Is passive income really passive?

Not entirely. Most streams require setup work, but once established, they require much less effort to maintain.

Author Bio

Bilquis Ramzan is the co-founder of Get Money Saving, a personal finance blog all about making money, side hustles, investing, saving money and budgeting.

The post Passive Income Ideas for Beginners: The Complete Guide to Earning Money While You Sleep appeared first on Katherine McLee.

In this post we are going to talk about how you can get paid to post links online.

If you’ve ever seen people talk about getting paid to post links online and wondered how the heck that actually works (and if it’s even possible), then the good news is that it’s definitely doable, and is actually much simpler than it sounds.

You don’t need a huge audience to begin, or a complicated business setup, or years of experience, to get started. Many people begin earning money online simply by recommending tools, products, or services they already use and sharing your special link to those things.

People are always looking to buy things. If you are promoting the things they want, and you provide your own link, if they buy via you (at no extra cost to them), you earn a commission.

When someone clicks your link and decides to buy, you can earn a small (or not so small) commission. Over time it can become a really effective way to make money online.

Getting paid via those links is known as affiliate marketing. And it’s one of the most beginner-friendly and simplest ways to get started in making money online because you don’t need to create your own products, manage customer support, or deal with any inventory. You are just the link between a product and someone looking to buy. You’re simply connecting people with things that might help them or that they are already looking for lol.

In this post we will go over how getting paid to post links actually works, how you make real money, how beginners usually get started, and some of the different ways you can begin doing the same.

Let’s get into how to get paid to post links online, even as a beginner.

What Does “Getting Paid to Post Links” Actually Mean?

When people talk about getting paid to post links online, they’re usually talking about affiliate marketing. Which is exactly what we are talking about here.

Affiliate marketing is one of those things that sounds more complicated than it actually is lol. Sounds too good to be true if you will, but it’s not at all.

While it’s not “easy” in that it’s not a get rich quick scheme, it’s definitely really simple to get into and to do. 

As I mentioned, affiliate marketing is when a company gives you a unique link to their product or service, and if someone clicks it and ends up buying, you earn a commission.

Each company will have their own commission and payout structure so it’s always worth checking those out beforehand. But the overall premise is the same. (One company may offer 2% commission and have a $30 payout threshold, the next may offer 60% and have no threshold etc.)

You pick a product/service, get your own link for it, share it, someone clicks it and buys said product or service and you get paid.

(The reason I had said it wasn’t “easy” was that affiliate marketing is a numbers game. The idea and setup is really simple, but you need eyes on your content/links to be able to get people to click through and buy. That is the trickier part.)

If you are wanting more information on getting started with affiliate marketing, you can have a read of these posts here:

How To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000

The Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners (That Actually Convert!)

It’s not about randomly throwing links around the internet and hoping for the best lol. It’s about recommending related things in a way that actually makes sense to your audience.

That might look like mentioning a tool in a blog post that you use all the time, linking to something useful on Pinterest, sharing outfit details on your Social stories or dropping a recommendation into your email newsletter etc etc.

Then if someone wants that product, clicks your link and decides to buy it? You get paid. Ta dahh!

It’s one of those online income strategies that sounds almost too simple at first lol. But once you understand how it works, it makes a lot of sense. And it can grow into a really nice income stream over time.

When well executed and with a relevant and engaged audience, the idea is just to build the amount of eyeballs on your content/links. It’s a numbers game at the end of the day. The more eyes you have on your content, the higher the chance of people purchasing what it is you’re sharing.

How Affiliate Links Work

This is a huge part which is so simple yet seems to get over-complicated a lot.

You will see descriptions such as “affiliate links are special tracking links provided by companies through their affiliate programs”.

But to anyone new to online marketing, that sounds vague and confusing lol.

To simplify… when you are an affiliate for a company you will get access to your affiliate links. 

While some require links to be requested/built (don’t worry about those yet), most of them have one big button that says “Get Link” or something there abouts. And that’s the link you share. That’s it.

As an example of a couple of mine and how simple it is, this is HostGator through the Impact dashboard:

and Mailerlite directly:

Each link contains a unique identifier that tells the company the referral/sale came from you.

You will nearly always have to apply to be a part of a companies affiliate program but some have less requirements than others in terms of traffic or audience location etc.

Here’s how the process usually works:

1. You apply to join an affiliate program

2. You get accepted
   
3. You receive a unique affiliate link
   
4. You share that link in your content (check the rules for that program as to where you are and aren’t allowed to promote links)
   
5. Someone clicks the link
   
6. If they make a purchase within the cookie period for that program, you earn a commission
   

It means you can earn money simply by recommending products or tools that you genuinely find helpful and are already using.

As you get more into it you can think more about building links, and specialised tracking links etc, but initially, those base links are all you need.

Where You Can Post Links to Make Money

One quick note first here as this is important. You must ALWAYS disclose when something is an affiliate link. Whether that’s in a blog post, Instagram story, Pinterest pin etc. The disclosure has to be visible too, not hidden or out of sight. I won’t mention it through every point below but trust that it still stands for all of them lol.

The nice thing about affiliate marketing and only having to worry about sharing links or ads (if you choose) is that you have a variety of places to post about and share them.

As mentioned earlier, just be aware some programs don’t allow posting of links in certain places. Be cautious and check the rules for that program to make sure you are following the rules.

Examples of this would be Amazon not allowing any affiliate links in private Facebook groups or linked from Pinterest pins directly etc. A pin linking to a blog post which has those same links in is totally fine though!

Just something to be aware of, but there are multiple places you can share your links once you know which ones are allowed where.

Some of the most common include:

Blog Posts

This is a huge one, as you can put your affiliate links into your blog posts in a natural and helpful way, and then you share the blog post link, not the direct affiliate link. This way you can share your blog post wherever you link – just be mindful of always having that disclaimer visible at the top.

So many bloggers include affiliate links inside their content. This could be in helpful posts, reviews, tutorials or tools pages.

For example:

• tool recommendations
• product reviews
• step-by-step guides
• comparison posts

This is one of the most popular ways to earn affiliate income via a blog because blog posts can bring traffic for years.

People can be searching for reviews or tutorials years down the line so could come across your posts at any point.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a huge way to drive traffic to blog posts that contain affiliate links.

Just note that Pinterest doesn’t prefer you to link out to affiliate links directly, to the point is sometimes blocks them.

Amazon as mentioned does not allow you to link out to your affiliate links directly in standard pins (you can via Ad pins from memory but I find it safer not to lol).

What you absolutely can do though is add those links to a blog post or other form of content and then link that back to the pinterest pin.

Pinterest has a huge amount of daily users and the beauty of Pinterest is that it’s a search engine as opposed to a social media. This means people go onto the website or app looking for inspiration for specific things. 

Those things could well be what you’re offering!

Email Newsletters

If you have your own email list (highly recommended), then you can share your links in those emails too – again program and rules permitting.

Make sure any links are well disclosed too.

The other way to share your products or links through emails you are sending to your list is to not link directly to your affiliate offer in the email, but to send a helpful email, linking to a blog post/piece of content, that has the links embedded. 

Your email list especially is people who have signed up to your email list because they are interested in what you are talking about. This means they are the most likely to want your recommendations.

This doesn’t mean be pushy or salesy or you will lose trust. 

But because email subscribers already trust your content, they’re often more likely to click and explore your (honest!) recommendations.

Social Media

This is quite obvious but mentioning it to keep the list more accurate lol.

Affiliate links can also be shared on your social media platforms, carefully lol.

This might include:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Facebook groups

It can get a little tricker with social media as each affiliate program and each social platform can have different rules and requirements.

Things to remember are that you can’t link directly on Instgram or Tiktok (Instagram stories are good as long as it’s well disclosed), but you can use a LinkTree instead to house all your links.

As I touched on earlier, you aren’t allowed to post any Amazon affiliate links in a private facebook group etc. 

Either keeping it to insta stories, putting them in your LinkTree or linking back to a post with the links in keeps you above board.

Just check each affiliate program and the social media platform you want to use and it will keep you right.

Do You Need a Blog to Get Paid to Post Links?

Nope. You can technically start affiliate marketing without a blog.

You can begin by sharing your new affiliate links through your social media platforms, pinterest pins or even email newsletters if you have a list of email subscribers.

However as I mentioned earlier, having a blog can make affiliate marketing a lot easier in the long run for a few reasons.

A YouTube channel is also an amazing way where you can share content that can be found for years to come. 

Here are just a few of the reasons:

• Blog posts have the potential to rank in Google. This then means that people can discover your content when they’re actively searching for something related to what you’re recommending so your posts can pop up for people years after you wrote them.

• Pinterest can be fussy about pins linking directly to affiliate links. Linking your pins to your blog post links gets around this and can actually work out a lot more effective. As doing it this way sends readers directly to your blog posts, it helps more people find your content without you needing to constantly share links everywhere.

• Having a blog or a place where you can share all of your content (such as YouTube) gives you a hub where all of your recommendations live in one place. Instead of your links disappearing in social media posts or stories after a short period of time, your blog/channel acts like a list for your content where your audience can easily find things you’ve shared or search for specific topics.

How Beginners Start Getting Paid to Post Links

If you’re completely new to all this, the process of getting started is actually really straight forward.

1. Choose a niche

Start by focusing on a topic you enjoy talking about or have experience with.

You don’t have to be super specific, but it’s not likely someone is going to buy a lawnmower from someone who usually shares content around fitness tips lol. This just helps your audience to know what you’re about and know what they can trust your recommendations in.

This could be:

• Blogging
• Fitness
• Travel
• Beauty
• Productivity
• Online business

Etc etc.

Choosing a clear niche just helps you build that trust and attract the right audience which is important in helping be the bridge between products they may want, and them buying them so you get commission.

2. Join affiliate programs

Once you know your niche, you can join affiliate programs that match your content.

You can look for brands themselves or specific products.

Many companies offer affiliate programs for:

• Courses
• Physical Products
• Digital Services
• Digital Products

You can choose as many as you like of course, but the thinner you spread yourself the less attention each link will get which makes it a bit trickier.

Start with a couple and then you can always add more in later.

3. Focus on creating genuinely helpful content

The best kind of affiliate content isn’t about throwing links everywhere and hoping for the best lol. It’s honestly just about being helpful and sharing the things you use or believe in.

Have a think about the kind of things you would/do actually search for yourself. This could be needing to know how to do something, which option of a product is best for your reader between different options or brands, or whether something is actually worth the cost.

For you that could look something like:

• a reel showing how you use something
• a blog post comparing a couple of options
• a video sharing something that worked well for you
• or just recommending something you genuinely like

When your content genuinely helps someone, they’re naturally more likely to trust what you’re saying as it’s genuine. That’s what leads to clicks and sales without it feeling forced on either side!

How Much Money Can You Make Posting Links Online?

Ahhh the piece of string question lol.

There honestly is no exact answer, but there’s things that can improve your chances of earning a lot.

Affiliate income can vary widely. It really does depend on a number of factors, such as:

• How much traffic/how big your audience is
• What your niche is
• Affiliate program commission rates
• The type of products you promote

The option is there for people to earn a small side income, while for  others they can build full-time businesses purely through affiliate marketing.

Often people start by making their first few sales here and there before gradually increasing their income as their content grows.

Because your online content can continue bringing traffic over a long time, affiliate marketing often becomes more powerful the longer you do it. This is especially true for anyone with a blog or YouTube channel as people will be searching for reviews/tutorials/information on specific things for years to come.

FAQs About Getting Paid to Post Links Online

Can you really get paid just for posting links?

Yes, but as this post explains, this works through affiliate marketing. Companies provide special tracking links that allow them to see when a sale comes from your specific recommendation. If someone clicks your link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.

It’s not about posting random links everywhere and expecting to earn a fortune. It works best when you share links to things your audience are/would be interested in. 

Do you need a large audience to make money posting links?

Nope. While a larger audience can increase your earnings (as mentioned, it’s all a numbers game), many beginners start making affiliate sales with even small amounts of traffic.

What matters most is that you are sharing your links with people who are already interested in the topic you’re talking about.

If one person liked what they saw and wanted to buy it so did so, then that sale is yours. Whether you had just that 1 person see your content, or 100 people.

The amount of people seeing your content isn’t the deciding factor, but it can help the odds of those sales.

For example, a product recommendation of something relevant to you/your content can often perform a lot better than simply posting links without context lol.

How do beginners find affiliate programs?

So many companies and brands have affiliate programs now, so finding one (or a few) you like, shouldn’t be too hard.

The simplest way is to search on Google for “[company name] affiliate program”. For example “Amazon affiliate program”. You will be amazed just how many companies have them.

There are also lots of affiliate networks that have multiple programs in one place (often called a marketplace), making it easier to discover opportunities that match your niche.

Impact is one of my favourite ones.

With Impact for example, brands have their affiliate links via Impact, so they all have their own commission amounts, but they are all on the same dashboard making it a lot simpler to keep track. Especially when you have a good few products you are sharing.

How long does it take to make money posting links?

This can vary depending on how much content you create, how warm your audience is, how people discover your links and the cost of what it is you’re promoting.

Some people make their first affiliate sale fairly quickly, while others take longer as they build up content and traffic.

For example if you already have a larger following and do a lot of fashion content and then you share an affiliate link in your Instagram story to something you wore that was really affordable, chances are you will get a lot of sales fairly quickly.

On the flip side if you are brand new with no audience and are promoting services for $2,000 each, it may take a while longer lol.

As mentioned earlier though, you just need the right people at the right time. One of your first people may be someone who is looking for the exact thing you are sharing, and may buy it straight away.

You may average at 1 person in every 100 buys your shared product (very rough example). They could be reader number 15, 41, 84, or even number 1 or 100. The commission is the same, just the timeline is very different.

A note for bloggers specifically, one of the nice things about blog content is that it can keep bringing visitors in long after you hit publish. As your number of posts grows, many people find their affiliate income starts to grow with it. People can be searching Google for something specific, find your article (that had been written 2 years ago) and end up buying through you. This is when it starts to become more passive.

Final Thoughts on How to Get Paid to Post Links Online

Getting paid to post links online might sound complicated at first, but in reality it’s simply about recommending helpful products and earning a commission when people purchase through your links.

With the right content and a little consistency, affiliate marketing can become a flexible way to earn income online.

Many people start with just a few blog posts or recommendations and gradually build from there.

If you’re interested in earning money online, learning how affiliate links work is a great place to begin.

Speak soon!

Katherine

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In this post we are going to go over the best affiliate programs for beginners that actually convert.

If you’ve been on my blog before you will know how much I love and talk about affiliate marketing.

But just in case you are new, I’m going to go over the best way to get started with affiliate marketing to make money online.

If you’re new to making money online in general, affiliate marketing is one of the easiest, fastest, and most beginner-friendly ways to start earning.

The trick is finding the affiliate programs that are right for you.

This doesn’t just mean the ones that either have high commission rates, have fun products or the ones you have seen other people talking about.

There is a list of things I would always recommend you look for when looking to join an affiliate program. 

I would always recommend you choose programs with products you like/know, with a brand you trust, has a good commission rate, a good conversion rate, a long cookie period and has good customer service. 

You can also always make sure the brand offers good marketing material but if it’s something you are keen to promote, you can work around this.

There are exceptions to the list for some of the things mentioned, but we will go over that in this post. 

Choosing the wrong programs is often why many people give up before they ever see their first sale.

I’m writing this post to help change that so you can make money online with affiliate marketing!

I’ve put together a list of some of the best, highest-converting affiliate programs for beginners.

These are all programs that are easy to join, simple to promote, and proven to convert well even if you have low traffic or are just getting started!

By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly which programs to join that are right for you. Along with how to promote them, and how to make your first affiliate income.

Let’s get into the best affiliate marketing programs for beginners that actually convert.

What Makes an Affiliate Program “Beginner-Friendly”?

Before we get into the list of affiliate marketing programs, it’s important to understand what it is that makes a program suitable for beginners. As not all of them are – for a range of reasons. 

Not all affiliate programs are created equal. So here’s what to look for when looking for a beginner friendly program:

1. Easy or No Application Process (this matters most!)

When you’re just starting out, you don’t need long approval forms or “minimum audience” requirements. (Or if they do, they are very small.)

Programs that accept beginners immediately (or within minutes) let you get started in promoting your link right away instead of waiting weeks to hear back if you have been accepted or not.

Once you are making money from a couple of the “easy” ones and as your audience grows, you can then start applying to the others that can take some time to get approved. 

2. Low Payout Threshold

This is something we rarely think of until afterwards lol. But a low payout threshold is honestly so much better when you are first getting started.

If a program only pays out after $100+ or $500+ etc it can take forever to see your first payment. Especially if you get $8 per sale as an example.

A lower threshold (like around $20) helps you stay motivated and actually see results early on and get the cash a lot sooner.

3. High-demand, Popular Products

Your clicks will convert best when the products already have demand.

You shouldn’t need to “convince” people or sound too salesy. They should already want what you’re recommending! (Or at least heard of the concept of it if you are introducing something new).

Digital tools, Shopify/Online Stores, hosting, email providers, legal template bundles, and everyday items tend to convert incredibly well as people are already looking for/needing these.

4. High-Trust Brands

People buy from brands they recognise, trust and feel comfortable with.
Established companies = higher click-through rates and therefore higher conversions. 

When you recommend familiar names, your audience doesn’t need convincing as they already trust the company. (Think Amazon, Sephora, Mailerlite etc).

You can focus on the benefits of the exact product or service you are promoting, as you don’t need to convince anyone of the reliability of that brand.

5. Recurring Commissions

Recurring commissions is the dream scenario lol. It works the same as when people buy a single product or service. The difference is that instead of a one off payment, you get paid every month that user stays subscribed.

This is how beginners start building their income without constantly chasing/needing new sales.

If you’re new to affiliate marketing, it really helps to understand how it all works before choosing programs. I’ve broken this down step-by-step in Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000, and if you want a broader overview of how affiliate marketing actually makes money long-term, How To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing walks you through the full picture.

The Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners (That Actually Convert!)

Now to the actual list… 

These affiliate programs are beginner friendly, easy to promote, and known for converting well. These programs are aimed more at products/services in blogging, online business, digital products, and content creation niches etc.

1. Amazon Associates

Why it converts:

Amazon is one of the easiest affiliate programs for beginners because everyone already knows, trusts, and uses it. At the very least they have heard of it!

It’s super easy to get accepted into. You just need your own website/where you will be promoting your links and they will check it.

Amazon’s huge product range means you can link to almost anything. This could be blogging tools, home office items, books, planners, décor, literally whatever your niche covers lol. 

Plus with the Amazon affiliate program, when someone clicks your link, if they then bought 5 unrelated things, as long as it’s within 24hrs, you will get commission on those too! So as much as the commission percentage isn’t huge, it can add up lol.

This is often the first program people join with the variety of products on there. The only thing to note is that amazon requires you to make 3 affiliate sales within 180 days and if this doesn’t happen you have to re-apply. So it may be worth waiting until you have a few readers before applying, but you can always reapply if needed!

Beginner benefits:

Easy to get started

Amazon is one of the most accessible affiliate programs for beginners. It has a simple sign-up process and anyone with a website can join! Just remember that 3 sale minimum before applying.

A really easy way to start with physical products

Amazon lets you promote everyday items that people already buy. This makes it feel more natural than software or services when you’re just starting out.

People trust Amazon

Amazon is already familiar to most people, which can make affiliate links feel natural within your niche/content rather than disruptive or forced as it’s a site people recognise.

Good for getting comfortable with affiliate links

It’s often one of the first programs people use, simply because it’s simple to join, no audience threshold and it helps you understand how affiliate links work in real content before branching out elsewhere!

The payout threshold (as of now) is only $20 too which is amazing.

This means you only need to make $20 in comissions before seeing the money in your account!

2. Perfecting Blogging Course Affiliate Program

Why it converts:

Beginner bloggers want step-by-step guidance, and a high-quality(!!!) blogging course removes the overwhelm instantly as it walks them through the info they actually want and need.

Courses convert really well because people want results fast. This means they’re willing to invest when something feels good value, clear, simple, and beginner-friendly.

This is especially true when you’ve personally taken the course and can speak from experience as I do all the time with the blogging course I swear by lol.

To check that course out, you can find all the information here!

If you have taken a different course that you love, check if they have an affiliate program as a lot of online tools do! 

Beginner benefits:

You can earn real commissions without needing thousands of views

Blogging courses often have higher payouts per sale, which means you don’t need huge traffic numbers to see good results. Even a small, engaged audience can be enough to generate commissions even early on.

Courses solve a clear problem

This means that they naturally convert as people are already looking for the information. When someone is searching for a blogging course, they’re usually stuck or looking for a recommendation. The nice thing is that if someone is looking for a course, you’re just pointing them toward a recommendation they are already looking for! Win-win.

You don’t need to be an expert

You’re just sharing tools that genuinely helped you
You’re not teaching the course yourself lol. You’re simply recommending something that helped you and your own progress. This means it’s authentic and achievable, rather than putting pressure on you to create your own course.

One review post can earn commissions for months or years

Course review posts (for high-quality courses!) tend to be good evergreen content. This means that once they’re published and getting traffic (from Google or Pinterest etc), they can continue bringing in traffic and so affiliate income, long after the initial work post was published.

People who look for courses are serious about their blog

People buy courses when they are already motivated to invest in themselves and their blog or business.
Unlike more random type purchases, course buyers are usually serious about learning and actually using the information. That mindset makes them more likely to commit and follow through if they like the sound of the one you are promoting.

Fewer clicks are needed to reach your first payout

This is because the commission per sale is higher!

This will vary course to course depending which platform they are on, but from experience for example, basically every commission I make from this course here (it sells well because I took it and love it lol) means I get the payment in real money, really quickly.

This was a big one for me when I started out. Higher commissions mean you don’t need dozens or hundreds of sales to hit a payout threshold. This can make courses especially appealing if you are newer and are still building traffic but want to see your sales turn into real money sooner lol.

As mentioned above, I have a detailed full review of this blogging course if you want to see everything it includes and why it helped me so much. If you want to see if it’s right for you, you can find that post here.

3. Shopify

Why it converts:

Shopify is so so beginner-friendly and removes all the techy/coding stress from selling products. Whether someone wants to sell digital products, physical items, or start a full shop, Shopify is the easiest way to get going.

As there’s a huge demand for ecommerce right now, Shopify tends to convert fast for creators in the money-making niche.

It’s simple to use, affordable and is a brand everyone knows and trusts. This is important as it makes for a perfect affiliate program.

The payout time is a bit longer with Shopify. This is because they offer a free trial and 3 months at just $1 a month so you get paid after this timeframe if your customer then goes straight into the paid plan.

Beginner benefits:

Anyone can set up a store in a few clicks

Shopify removes a lot of the technical faff that stops people from getting started in the first place. Because it’s genuinely easy to set up, more people follow through rather than giving up halfway, which helps conversions.

The free trial and the trial period are SO GOOD

As of now, Shopify is offering a free trial for a few days and 3 months for $1 a month. This offer means people are more keen to try it as they have so long to do so to see if it’s right for them. Having such a good initial offer makes a big difference. People feel more comfortable trying Shopify when they know they have time to try it properly before committing. 

Clean, stress-free dashboard

This matters (probably more than you realise) because online tools that feel simpler tend to be easier for people to stick with. When someone clicks through and isn’t immediately overwhelmed, they’re more likely to have a go and really see if it’s right for them, instead of just closing the tab lol.

Works for both digital and physical products

Shopify isn’t limited to one type of business which is a huge plus. It works just as well for digital products such as planners or printables as it does for physical products like stationery, mugs or handmade items! This means that anyone can use Shopify, no matter what it is they want to sell.

Pinterest loves Shopify

Shopify stores are designed to help people clearly go from browsing what they want, to buying said product. This makes them a good fit for promoting to your Pinterest traffic. Instead of sending your audience to pages that aren’t built for selling things from pinterest, linking to a proper storefront creates a better experience for people coming from your pins directly.

If you want a full breakdown of how Shopify works and why I recommend it for beginners (and for everyone!!) I wrote a complete post about it here.

4. MailerLite

Why it converts:

Beginners know they need an email list, but most email platforms feel overwhelming and expensive. Often this is the case lol.

The beauty of MailerLite is that it’s simple, beginner-friendly, and has a really good free plan. This makes it the perfect starter point into email marketing for anyone who wants to utilise it.

I started with a different platform, found it confusing, went for the free plan on mailerlite, loved it from the start, still use it now, and only upgraded in my own time when I needed to!

Anything with a trustworthy brand that solves a problem and offers a free trial or free plan is always a good idea!

MailerLite is such a huge and well-respected name in the email marketing space. And people looking at email marketing platforms (even the free plans) are serious about their online business.

Beginner benefits:

Start for free 

This is huge as your audience can build their email list without ANY upfront cost. No free trial, a straight up free plan for up to 500 subscribers!The free plan makes it much easier for anyone to join because there’s no worry about being locked in to any subscription cost. It allows anyone to start building their email list straight away. 

Drag-and-drop everything

This was a huge factor for me when I was initially choosing an email provider. No design skills, no coding, no stress!
Everything in MailerLite is super clear and visual and drag-and-drop lol. This makes it easy to play around with and use. Emails, forms, and even full landing pages can all be set up without needing to code anything! This is reassuring for people who feel intimidated by email marketing to begin with.

Automations that don’t feel scary

Automations (the emails you set up that go out automatically) are presented in a reallly simple-to-follow set up. Things like welcome emails, freebie emails, follow-ups, and other sequences can be set up without needing to understand complicated sequences or funnels. This makes email marketing feel far more approachable!

If you want a low-key example of this, this freebie triggers a simple automated email so you can see how it works. Plus you’ll get the freebie to keep lol.

Ideal for growing an audience from day one

MailerLite works really well whether someone has zero subscribers or is starting to grow more. There is the free plan and then various other levels. It’s simple enough to start with, but then also flexible enough for people to continue using as their numbers grow, which makes it a great long-term option.

5. HostGator

Why it converts:

Every new blogger who wants their own blog needs hosting. There’s no way around it.

Choosing hosting is tricky as from the outset, a lot of them look the same. That does not mean they are all created equal.

A hosting company that is affordable, has good and reliable customer service (like 24/7 live chat), and does what you need it to is important and will save you a lot of stress down the line.

I’ve used HostGator for YEARS for multiple sites, and still use them to this day. 

HostGator converts well because it’s affordable, beginner-friendly, and has amazing customer service.

When you explain it in a simple, non-intimidating way, beginners are much more likely to sign up using your link because they trust your recommendation. This is especially important if you have real experience of the product.

Beginner benefits:

Hosting is something every blogger needs

Any blogger who isn’t just a hobby blogger needs hosting. Every website needs it, regardless of niche, which is why it fits in so naturally when you’re already chatting about your site, the tools you use, or how everything’s set up. People want recommendations. If you use a quality hosting provider you enjoy such as Hostgator or any other with a good affiliate program, promote it!

Affordable pricing makes it an easy choice

One of the reasons HostGator works well is that the entry-level plans are affordable. It doesn’t feel like a huge financial purchase, which helps people feel more comfortable getting started rather than putting it off.

It fits naturally as a resource link

Hosting doesn’t need a big explanation or a dedicated blog post. If you already use it yourself (which we are assuming you do lol), it’s easy to include as a simple resource link. This could be in things like a tools and resources page or even a casual “what I use” link. Of course it could be just answering a comment question too! This way it’s truthful and helpful but without it feeling forced.

It’s a well-known, trusted option

HostGator is a familiar name when it comes to high-quality but affordable hosting. This is not only amazing for you, but it then helps remove initial hesitation from others about who to use for their own site. When your readers recognise the name something AND have your own experience/recommendation, they’re more likely to feel comfortable choosing them as their own hosting provider.

It can work even with smaller audiences

Hosting is often one of the first things people sort when they’re setting up a site, for obvious reasons. So it really doesn’t rely on needing huge traffic or overly- complicated funnels to earn commission from it. If you’re already using it and loving it and then sharing your experience, that’s all people need to know.

Of course you can promote your own hosting company if you chose one other than HostGator. Make sure you do trust and love your hosting provider, that they are a good recommendation and that they have a good affiliate program. If all is good then go for it!

I only promote HostGator personally as I have been with them for well over 10 years across multiple sites and they are still really affordable, so helpful if you ever have issues and they have done me well this far!

6. Legal Pages Bundle

Why it converts:

Legal templates are one of those things bloggers often panic about because they know they need them but have no idea where to start lol.

As a blogger you will know that you have to have all of your legal pages and up and live on your blog. We also all know that free templates are free for a reason and don’t cut it in terms of being actually covered lol.

Promoting something you already use is key.  

For me I use this exact blogging bundle as it’s written by a Lawyer, specifically for bloggers. It was a one time purchase for all the page templates. The templates took 10 minutes to edit to my specific circumstances and website, and then they were live – done!

Bloggers (especially newer ones) will want a direct link to the exact legal templates/pages you use as it’s not something anyone wants to get wrong.

A done-for-you legal bundle removes all the stress instantly of knowing exactly which pages they need and exactly where to get them. 

If you have the same bundle I have (I know a lot will do as it’s such good value and means you are covered in like 10 mins flat), you can of course promote that as they have a really good affiliate program too that you can join once you have the bundle yourself.

The starter bundle is perfect for newer/smaller businesses!

If you got your legal pages from a different Lawyer/source, they may have an affiliate program too. This is always worth a look as like mentioned above, things like legal pages are something people want the EXACT link to, so they don’t get it wrong!

Beginner benefits:

Every website needs them

Legal pages are something every website needs, but most beginners either don’t know where to start or where to get them. This then makes this a very natural and helpful affiliate recommendation for a bundle or pages you are already using.

Easy to include naturally

Perfect fit for blog content no matter your niche. It’s easy to include in posts like how to start a blog or if your niche isn’t blog related, it’s perfect in your “tools and resources” page, making it beginner-friendly, easy and natural to promote.

Saves time and stress

Explaining that this as a done-for-you solution (rather than figuring it out themselves) makes it feel like a relief purchase, because it is! Legal pages are not something to guess at, so having that direct link makes it easier for everyone.

Doesn’t matter your niche

New bloggers (sensibly!!) often want to “do things properly” from the start. And they need legal pages. This then makes legal page bundles especially relevant for you to promote even early on with smaller traffic levels.

7. Blog Theme

Why it converts:

A blog theme is one of those upgrades where people can instantly see the difference. A cleaner layout, better spacing, nicer fonts and suddenly the site just feels more professional. And readers pick up on that straight away!

A lot of new bloggers don’t rush into buying a theme. They’ll often start on a free one (I think we all did!) then reach a point where something just feels… not quite what they are after aesthetics wise.

It could be that their blog doesn’t look how they imagined or maybe feels cluttered, or they’re just ready for it to look and perform better. That’s usually when a theme recommendation lands at the perfect time, and is why it feels helpful, not pushy as it’s them who is looking for a new theme that they like the look of.

The fact they can see your theme live means they can literally see it in action. Seeing a theme on a real blog helps people picture their own site looking that way too. If it’s what they are looking for, it’s another win-win!

One of the other reasons that themes convert well is that they’re (usually) a one-off purchase but makes a huge difference to the whole feel of the website!

The theme I use on my blog is this one here, and I’ve loved it and used it for years now. Plus their affiliate program is great. 

That said, themes are very much a personal preference so what works for one blog won’t necessarily be right for another. If you love yours and it offers a good affiliate program like my preferred theme does then you can promote that instead!

(As a quick example of what I mean by a “great” affiliate program, this theme’s affiliate program offers 70% commission lol. There is a $100 payout threshold but with 70% that can add up fast, plus it’s paid monthly!)

Beginner benefits:

Everyone needs a theme

Themes work well to promote/recommend because they’re one of those things that just makes sense to mention. Anyone who has a website has one, no matter what niche they’re in lol so it doesn’t feel weirdly specific or like you’re forcing it into content. You’re just recommending something you already use and love.

There’s also not much explaining needed.

Most people will already know what a theme is. Plus if they’re on your site reading your post, they can literally see the result and aesthetic for themselves, which makes it feel more like “oh, that’s how they got their site to look like that” rather than you trying to talk them into anything.

Affordable, one off purchase

A big reason is that themes are (usually) a one-off purchase. Some aren’t but most of the time themes are a one off payment and then free updates for life just as this one is. That means there’s no monthly payment, no ongoing commitment, it’s just a straightforward one-off decision.

It can be recommended naturally

And the best part is you can mention a theme in a really natural. It fits into any niche when you’re talking about things like your website setup, the tools/resources you use, how you run things behind the scenes, or even just when someone asks what theme you’re using because they like the look of your site.

If you’re curious about the theme I use on this blog (and have done for years now as I still love it lol) it’s this one here. Super customisable, fast and affordable with free updates!

Quick Tips for Getting Your First Affiliate Sale Fast

Promote things you actually use

Promoting products you already use, trust and love will make things so much easier. If you promote products you are unfamiliar with, people can tell. If you stick to what you know – especially initially – you will find getting your first sales so much easier.

Add links high up in your blog posts

While spamming links is never the answer, having your links obvious and visible is important. Keeping your links higher up within your blog posts will help your readers to know where to go to purchase whichever products you’re promoting.

Mention your links in multiple places

You have to be a little careful as some affiliate programs don’t allow affiliate links to be promoted in certain places. For example some don’t allow affiliate links in private Facebook groups or directly from Pinterest Pins. 

Keep the rules of your chosen programs in mind, but you can share them across public platforms – with your disclaimers clearly noted. 

Within blog posts is one of the most popular ways but you can also share on socials, through email marketing and even in video descriptions etc.

Keep your Tools page updated

Every blog should have a tools and resources page. While it’s not compulsory, it definitely helps your readers to find the tools and products you use and recommend. They could be interested in your blog theme, who you use for hosting, email marketing etc. Having all your top tools in one place with your affiliate links in is a win-win for everyone.

Add new content consistently

Adding new content consistently is really important as it keeps your blog/socials up to date. It also helps your current and any new readers aware that your blog and/or social accounts are still active. Most readers/viewers prefer someone active and present. This means if they have any questions, or have issues with any of the links, they know they can reach out and hopefully receive an answer.

New content also keeps your socials and/or blog in search and keeps you in the algorithm which is such an important way to be found.

Conclusion – The Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners (That Actually Convert!) 

Affiliate marketing is one of the fastest and most accessible ways for beginners to start earning money online. And choosing the right programs makes all the difference.

All of the programs chosen for this list convert well because they’re well trusted names, beginner-friendly, and easy to promote (naturally) through your blog content, Pinterest, email marketing, and digital product posts etc.

Start with just a few programs, weave them into your content, and focus on being genuinely helpful. Also don’t forget to add your disclaimers! Your first commissions may well come sooner than you think. And once they do, the momentum builds quickly and you can start branching out to even more programs.

If you are looking for more information on Affiliate marketing, you can check out these posts here:

→ How To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing

→ Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000

Speak soon!

Katherine

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In this post I am going to explain how you can make money online with PLR content in 2026

Selling digital products is a staple to making money online.

Anyone who has ever looked into selling digital products online will have seen how many different ways there are to do it.

It’s simple to do, you create products once and can sell over and over as many times as you like. The beauty of it is that aside from website or listing fees (depending on where you list them), you then keep the entire sale price every single time!

This makes digital products different from physical products as with digital, there are no ongoing product/stock costs, no shipping or packaging costs and no space needed to hold stock.

Because of this, selling digital products online can be passive income as there is very little you need to do once someone buys one of your products. This is unless someone has a query/question but the more descriptive the descriptions the less of these you will have too. 

Digital products are a lot simpler to sell than physical products, plus once uploaded they can sell over and over – even while you’re asleep or doing other things!

The bit that trips people up or stops them starting is that they don’t know how to create their own digital products. That or they don’t have the time! Both are completely valid (and real) reasons not to create your own products.

This is where PLR content/products come in.

PLR content (Private Label Rights) might just be the thing that is about to change the game for you and allow you to get started.

Let’s get into how PLR Content Can Help You Make More Money Online in 2026!

As with the past few years, 2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for digital products. And the people who learn how to use PLR products to sell online are going to see serious results! In part due to how fast you can get things ready and live to sell.

PLR lets you start now. It’s stops the feeling of not knowing where to start or what to do. You can skip that mind blank struggle feeling of not knowing what to do. It lets you create something valuable in a fraction of the time. You can build a real income stream instead of putting things off and being stuck in planning mode. 

In this post, we’ll cover:

• What PLR is and Why Everyone is Talking About it
• The Biggest Benefits of Using PLR Content to Make Money Online
• 7 Ways to Make Money with PLR Content
• How to Customize PLR So It Feels 100% Original
• Where to Find High-Quality PLR Content That Converts
• Realistic Income Potential from PLR in 2026
• Common PLR Mistakes to Avoid

What Is PLR Content (and Why Everyone’s Talking About It in 2026)

PLR is shorthand for Private Label Rights. This basically means done-for-you content that you can buy, edit, and sell as your own.

Quick note: Not all content comes with PLR. You need to make sure you specifically buy products with PLR if you intend to sell them.

You can find PLR eBooks, planners, digital templates, social media packs, email sequences, blog posts etc. If you can think of a product you want, you can probably find it with PLR.

Once you’ve bought it, you have the right to rebrand, edit, and resell it however you like. You then sell as your own and each sale is completely your own.

And in 2026, it’s honestly bigger than ever. This is because people are busier than ever! We are in a world now where speed now beats perfection.

That’s not to say you should post up rubbish or not put effort in lol. It’s more about the fact that when you buy PLR products to sell, you are buying products that are ALREADY high quality. (Assuming you buy decent products from a good source.)

The beauty of PLR products is that you can go from idea to product in days, not months.

Examples of PLR products you can grab, edit and upload today are this Manifestation Planner I have up:

And I also have this high-value (not overwhelming) large PLR bundle of content creation ebooks, photos and reels.

The Biggest Benefits of Using PLR Content to Make Money Online

1. You save time. This one is huge for anyone who’s busy. Instead of spending 30 hours writing or designing your own products, you start with a completed product or products and simply personalise/rebrand it.

2. You can launch products faster. Due to the fact that it is a lot faster to use PLR products, it lets you buy, edit, rebrand and get up for sale so so much faster than creating your own products from scratch.

3. You can scale multiple income streams. As the products are “one and done” in terms of buying once, editing and then listing as your own. You can sell planners, bundles, templates, or mini-courses across Etsy, Shopify, or your own website!

Quick note: If you use this link here, Shopify will give you a FREE trial AND 3 months at just $1 a month which is such an amazing (super cheap) way to get started!

4. You never run out of content. This one is HUGE. The beauty of PLR products is that it can be repurposed for blog posts, freebies, tripwires, emails, or social content. You don’t even need to know exactly what you initially are looking for. An idea can lead you to a range of PLR products which you can then choose from, and completely customise to suit your brand.

5. It’s low-risk, high-return. Once you’ve paid for the license, everything you earn is pure profit (minus listing fees etc). But there is no charge for stock, packing or any shipping costs etc

7 Ways to Make Money with PLR Content

I mentioned earlier that there is a range of ways you can use PLR products.

Here are a few of the more common ways you can sell a PLR product you have bought and rebranded:

1. Turn it into a paid eBook or digital download/guide. Buy your chosen PLR product or bundle, rebrand it, edit it, and sell it on your blog, Shopify or Etsy store.

2. Create mini-courses or workshops. Use PLR slides or scripts to build your first course fast with your own information and spin on it added in.

3. Sell bundles. You can sell each product separately of course! But another option is to combine different PLR products into one bundle. You could combine workbooks, checklists, ebooks or templates into one high-value bundle.

4. Build your email list. You can use a PLR product to offer a freebie that links to your tripwire product.

(This link is to my active freebie/tripwire automation so you can see it in action!)

It’s the perfect way to grow your email list as you offer something of value and in return they give you their email address. (Some PLR products don’t allow you to give them as free products, so check what you are/aren’t allowed for each one.) This way when someone downloads your free product (that you bought and edited, (didn’t have to create from scratch).

Quick note: Mailerlite is such an easy email marketing platform and they have a completely free plan!

5. Create affiliate marketing content. Use PLR blog posts or email sequences to promote your affiliate links. This one is trickier as you can’t use other’s written content word for word. You can use guidelines for content though, or can use pre-written marketing material with your own edits/spin on it.

6. Rebrand for your niche. PLR products is one of the quickest ways to help you rebrand if you are looking to change branding or niche. Grabbing ready made products and editing them to add your own style, examples, and branding to make it unique can help your new brand/niche get off the ground without having to create dozens of new products/downloads yourself.

7. Sell on autopilot. List products on Shopify or Etsy and let the system make sales at any time. As they are all digital downloads, you aren’t required to be present for packing, shipping labels or shipping itself. It will all be set up so that anyone who buys one of your products will get an instant download straight to their inbox. Answering any questions/queries is one of the only things you would need to be “active” for.

How to Customize PLR So It Feels 100% Original

The most important part to making PLR profitable is customization. You want it to look, read, and feel like you.

Don’t buy PLR products and try to resell those exact products as your own. It’s not allowed and doesn’t work anyway!

The whole point of PLR products is that it gives you a done-for-you full template/example that you edit and rebrand to make your own.

The good thing is that the product is already done for you, all you need to do is edit it to make it yours!

You can do this by:

Changing the colours, fonts, and layout.
Rewrite headlines and some text in your voice.
Add your own name, personal stories or examples.
Include your own branding, bonuses, or affiliate links (sometimes affiliate links will already be in from the person you bought it from so remember to swap these out to your own).
Add your own social media/website links.
Swap out images for your own that match your vibe/brand.
Combine several PLR items into a new, unique bundle for even more value.

Editing an already complete product is SO much faster than creating from scratch. This is especially true if you use Canva as you can change one colour to your own/different colour with just one click!

Where to Find High-Quality PLR Content That Converts

Not all PLR is created equal. Cheap bundles often look outdated or are sold thousands of times meaning it will take WORK to make them stand out. Potentially more work than just making your own from scratch.

The other downside to the mega bundles for a super cheap price is that they can be tricky to navigate and find what you want to use.

This is just added stress. Plus if you don’t end up using any of those templates as they were cheaply made or full of errors or too chaotic to work out, you will have lost the cost of that bundle. No matter how “cheap” it looks.

The best option is to get modern, clean, professional PLR with clear usage rights.

Buying a single PLR product is how a lot of people started. This helps you really see exactly what you’re getting and isn’t as overwhelming just working on one product.

If you want the variety or aren’t 100% sure what you want, then absolutely go for a bundle. If you are looking for more overall value for money or want a range of products to choose from then grab a PLR bundle. Just be strategic about it.

Quality over quantity! This will just help streamline your own editing and uploading efforts.

Look for:

• Editable Canva or Word formats – makes it super easy to edit
  
• Up-to-date information (in the listing, as you edit the product anyway)
  
• Visually appealing layouts (saves having to overhaul the entire products)
  
• Clear, resellable terms – super important with PLR
  

Try:

• My favourite bundle I sell: This one here. (It’s often on sale too!)
  
• This Manifestation Planner I have live is perfect if you want a single product to start with for a really affordable price
  
• PLR.me or buyqualityplr for more niche bundles
  

Realistic Income Potential from PLR in 2026

The earning potential for PLR products is huge. While selling PLR products isn’t a “get rich quick” scheme, it is seriously scalable.

This is because you pay the purchase price one time. You make your rebrand and all your edits, and you list it for sale.

Then you can list them anywhere you like!

You can sell them on Etsy, Shopify, via Stripe, or on your own website. Or do a mix which is my preferred way to market them!

If you sell just:

• 20 copies at $15 = $300
  
• 100 copies at $15 = $1,500
  
• Add in more products and it compounds really fast.
  

Once your PLR products are live, they can sell over and over again without you touching them. This is how people make money, even while asleep!

Common PLR Mistakes to Avoid

There are of course a few common mistakes people make.

The main ones to avoid are:

Using the product as-is without editing it.

Duplicate content doesn’t do well. It needs to look and feel like your own product. You are buying a done-for-you template. An example would be if you bought this planner, you would change the font, the colouring, the cover page and put your own name/branding on it.

Doesn’t need a mega overhaul, but it needs to look and feel like YOURS.

Buying from low-quality or unclear sources.

Making sure you have that PLR license is the most important thing. It needs to state it really clearly that the product you are looking for comes with PLR. 

The tricky thing with buying really cheap/low quality products is that you may find that the format isn’t quite right so you have to spend hours resetting little lines into place to make it look decent.

You may find there are missing numbers, wrong days on a calendar page (for example two Sundays but no Tuesday…) or it’s full of typos etc. 

High quality, with clear PLR is 100% the best option.

Ignoring your niche. 

Don’t grab something that looks cool but isn’t related to what your content is about. No matter how tempting! Always choose PLR that fits your audience.

Quick note, if you want to buy those cool products and have a completely separate Etsy or Shopify store that isn’t linked back to your content then absolutely do that! You will just need to promote/market it differently.

Forgetting to market your products once they’re done.

This is something we all do lol. You buy your high-quality PLR product bundle, spend time getting items rebranded and fitting to your own brand, you get them listed and live on your Shopify or Etsy store, and then you move onto the next…. People can’t buy products they don’t know are there lol.

Tell people about them. Market them however suits you and your content!

The more you get up and live, the bigger store you have, the more options people will have to see and purchase your products.

Final Thoughts On How PLR Content Can Help You Make More Money Online in 2026

PLR isn’t about taking shortcuts, it’s about speeding up the process and removing a lot of the overwhelm. Using PLR is about being smart with your time and energy. You’re not cutting corners; you’re just working smarter.

2026 is the year to stop overthinking and start selling.

Done is better than perfect!

There’s honestly no reason to wait months to launch your first product when PLR gives you the option to start today.

Grab a product or bundle, set up an Etsy store or a Shopify store (Shopify is currently giving a free trial AND 3 months at just $1 a month), edit your products and get them live and you’re done!

So whether you want to:

• Grow your passive income
  
• Build a product shop

or

• Create a side hustle from home…
  

PLR is your fastest route there.

Start small, choose a platform, rebrand with your own touch, and get your first products up for sale ASAP. Because the faster you take action and start, the faster the money follows! 

Let me know which PLR products you get!

Related posts you can read next:

47 Ways To Make $100 In A Day

25 Ways To Make $600 Quickly

Full Infomational Post on Shopify

Speak soon!

Katherine

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The post Making Money Online With PLR Content In 2026 appeared first on Katherine McLee.

In this post we are going to go over 25 ways to make $600 quickly in 2026.

So if you’re in need of some fast ways to make some money, you’re in the right place.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or already have a blog, social media following, or email list in place, there are so many ways to hit that $600 mark faster than you think.

Some of the money making ways in this list will work better/quicker if you have a bit of a base to build on. As mentioned above this may be a blog, an email list, a social media following or having skills in a certain area that you can utilize.

Don’t worry if you are starting from scratch though! There are options for everyone, including those who are starting from zero. 

Read the list carefully and choose the ones that suit your situation and starting point best!

Even for the options that can require a little bit of a background, you don’t need years of experience or anything fancy. It’s just that in some situations, a bit of a head start will help you get to that $600 quicker.

The main thing you need (over anything else) is determination, a willingness to get started and a little patience!

Let’s get into the 25 ways to make $600 quickly in 2026. 

Scalable Digital Income Streams

1. Promote Affiliate Links Through a Blog

If you already have a blog, one of the quickest ways to start making money is by adding affiliate links to the posts you’ve already published. 

You don’t have to wait months to build up your traffic from zero either. You can check which of your posts are getting the most views already, and then add in honest product recommendations naturally!

As an example, if you have, say a productivity blog, you can link to tools, planners, or courses that you love/have used and that align with your content.

The key is linking to things you have faith in, that your audience will be interested in.

Affiliate commissions can add up quicker than you expect! Sometimes just one well-placed link in a popular post can earn $600+ if the post ranks well or goes viral on Pinterest.

If you already have a blog, this is an amazing way to make money if you already have an audience!

I have a full post on Affiliate Marketing here if you need more info! 

2. Offer Freelance Writing Services

Freelance writing is one of the fastest ways to earn money online. 

Businesses, bloggers, and brands are constantly looking for content writers. Many will happily pay new writers if you can show them a few strong samples or work similar to what they would be looking for.

You can start by writing 2–3 articles to use as a mini portfolio. Then you can pitch yourself to small blogs or business owners within your niche.

Once you get your first client you can start seeing cash quicker than you may expect. Just a few paid articles can get you to $600 fairly quickly as it can all add up – depending on your rates of course.

3. Sell Digital Products on Etsy

The quickest way to make $600 with digital proIf you already have some digital products already made that you can list and sell. This could be any sort of digital product such as planners, printables, checklists, or templates.

The second quickest way is to buy products that are already done-for-you where you can buy them, edit/rebrand them to make them your own, and then sell them!

Products such as this bundle or this planner are the perfect way to get ready-made products for you to sell on as they come with MRR/PLR. 

(You can’t just buy anything and sell it on unless it has MRR/PLR.)

If you have some pre-made or already done-for-you products such as the ones listed above, listing them on Etsy is a fab way to bring in passive income.

The beauty of Etsy is that it has its own audience, and has built-in traffic searching for products like yours.

Even if you only get a handful of sales each day, your income can snowball fast. And if one of your listings gains traction, hitting $600 can happen within a few weeks, especially for higher priced products or bundles.

4. Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant

Pinterest Virtual Assistants are in huge demand right now. The amazing thing with this option is that it’s a service you can start offering fast if you’ve already learned how to design pins, know about Pinterest keyword research, and have grown your own account.

Many bloggers and small business/shop owners want someone to design pins, write pin titles and descriptions, and schedule them so they have multiple pins going out daily.

Rates for Pinterest VAs often start at $300–$500 per client per month! (You may start a bit lower until you have a portfolio behind you, but you can absolutely negotiate based on your experience and the size of account you are taking on.)

This means that you only need one or two clients to hit your $600 target!

If you enjoy design and are good with keywords and SEO, this can be an incredibly fun way to make money quickly using the skills you already have!

5. Do Affiliate Marketing on Social Media

Similar to #1 we are talking about affiliate marketing again, but this time with Social Media. 

If you have any kind of social media following – even a small one – affiliate marketing can help you reach $600 without needing your own products.

You will need to find products that allow you to link directly to them and not via blog posts, but there are more out there than you probably realise!

How this works is that you share helpful, engaging content that features products you genuinely love, and add your affiliate links to your posts, stories, or bio via a LinkTree or other link sharing site.

Then if just one of your reels or pins goes viral, the commissions can add up fast! The best part is you don’t need to wait months to monetise your content. Once approved for your chosen affiliate products/platforms, you can start earning from your next post. Then if people click and buy, you get paid!

6. Launch a Low-Ticket Tripwire Product

If you already have an email list or blog getting traffic, adding a low-ticket product (like a $7–$15 digital download) as a tripwire can help you make $600 fast.

You integrate this as part of an email funnel.

How this works is that your tripwire product appears immediately after someone signs up for your freebie.

Someone puts their email in to be able to get your freebie, then when that happens, the tripwire offer appears next. Often as a special offer or a much lower price offer to make it amazing value. 

With a high quality Email Provider (I use and love Mailerlite. It’s so easy to use, even if you’re a beginner) this can all happen automatically for you. This means you only need to set up your freebie – tripwire – automation, one time. 

This benefits both you and the reader as it’s a sale for you but also amazing value for them. This is especially good if your freebie is very similar in nature as they are then offered a low-priced product that feels like a no-brainer straight after the free one.

Because the price is really low, conversion rates are much higher than normal shop listings. This means that the income from it can add up quickly as your traffic and email list grows.

You only need to sell around 55 copies of an $11 product to make $600!

This is completely possible with a solid freebie funnel driving sign-ups!

Want to see exactly how this looks in action? Here’s a real example from my own setup live at the moment! This freebie below leads into a tripwire page that then offers a 60-70% discounted tripwire product, only for those who have got the freebie first!

The trick is a high quality freebie linking straight to a BIG discount on the following product.

7. Offer Social Media Management

Social Media is big business these days. Being a manager for someone’s social media accounts can in turn, be big business for you. If you enjoy creating content, keeping things organised and keeping to a content calendar, social media management can be a brilliant way to earn $600.

Many businesses don’t have time to post regularly or engage with their audience. Or not as often as they would ideally like. So they hire someone to handle it all for them. That’s where you come in.

You could create content calendars, schedule posts, reply to comments, and track performance analytics. Clients often pay $300–$600+ per month depending on your experience and past clients. This means that just one or two clients could hit your $600 goal quicker than you expect.

It’s especially ideal if you already manage your own social media or have done for someone else, and can show results as proof of your skills.

8. Create and Sell PLR Content

I touched on this in #3 but wanted to expand more as it’s one of my favourite ways to make an income online. PLR (Private Label Rights) content is pre-made content that you can buy and rebrand as your own and then sell.

The other side of this is to create the digital products initially, that others can sell on as their own. 

Because it’s already made, it’s a fast way to make money if you’ve already got content or designs created.

You can buy products (with PLR) or make your own and sell with PLR and either way you make 100% profit each time.

This could be a planner like this Manifestation Planner, or a PLR Bundle with a huge amount of value that you can sell as a full bundle, or split and sell as loads of individual products. 

This bundle for example has 16 ebooks, 400 reels and 600 photos. All with PLR.

There are a lot of options out there for PLR content whether buying or making your own to sell. You could sell planners, workbooks, social media captions, images or digital product templates.

Because you only have to create it once and can sell it to unlimited buyers, it can scale really quickly. Even just 20 sales at $30 would get you to $600!

This is perfect for bloggers, creators, or anyone sitting on older content that could be turned into something new.

It’s also a really quick way to start earning passive income from Etsy or Shopify!

If you want full control over your own website then Shopify is absolutely the way to go. Shopify. You can get a free trial and your first 3 months for just $1/£1 a month through my link which is honestly one of the best deals I’ve ever seen for a pro-level platform. 3 months at that price!!

I have a post dedicated to all the ins-and-outs of Shopify if you want more info to know if it’s the right choice for you! You can find that post here!

9. Sell Pinterest Pin Design Services

If you love design and know how to make really eye-catching pins, this can be a quick option for you to bring in fast cash.

Bloggers, business owners and Etsy sellers constantly need new pins. Because pins take time to make as Pinterest prefers fresh pins over re-used content, many are happy to outsource the work to save themselves time.

You can offer custom-designed pin bundles, pin templates, board covers or even full Pinterest makeovers. Canva makes it really simple to create professional looking designs, and you could earn $50–$100+ per order. With just a few happy clients, you can easily hit $600 while building yourself a really aesthetic portfolio that brings even more work your way.

10. Monetize a Small Niche Instagram Account

If you already have an Instagram account with a bit of a  following (or can post consistently for a few weeks to build one in a specific niche), you can start making money through it fairly quickly through affiliate links or your own digital products.

This one will work best if your account is in a clear, fairly specific niche. This could be something like productivity, books, travel, or a specific hobby. Focus on posting reels and stories that solve problems and entertain your audience.

You can of course make a lot of money from large Instagram accounts, but those aren’t realistic in how you can make $600 quickly. As the larger the account and the more broad the niche, the longer it will take.

Once you’ve got good engagement on your account, you can earn money through affiliate links in your bio or stories, sponsored posts, and digital downloads. If a few posts go viral, $600 can come surprisingly fast.

Flexible Online Work

11. Test Websites or Apps

Testing websites and apps is one of the simplest ways to make extra money online. With user testing, companies pay you for your feedback on how user-friendly their websites or apps are.

Once you sign up for a user testing site, you’ll then be sent tasks to complete. This is usually things like trying out a website or app. It could be while recording your screen and/or giving your thoughts and feedback out loud.

Each task is often only 10–20 minutes long. Some may be more, some less, and they often pay around $10–$20 for your feedback.

Sometimes they are looking for users in specific demographics/locations so have a look around to find the ones that suit you best.

The nice thing with testing websites and apps is that it’s quick, beginner-friendly, and you can often get accepted and complete your first paid task the same day you sign up! This then makes it perfect when you need to make money fast.

Side note: Some take a while before you are approved, so shop around if you need to be accepted and test right away!

12. Sell Unused Items Online

This is one most of us have done! By far one of the quickest and easiest ways to make yourself $600 is to sell things you no longer want or use. 

Have a declutter (even go room to room and declutter your whole space), and go through your home and gather clothes, books, home decor, tech gadgets, kitchen gear, or anything else that’s still in good/like new condition.

You can then take good photos of the items and then list them on sites like Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, or eBay. Most platforms now let you upload listings straight from your phone with just a few photos and a short but accurate description.

You can often get sales within hours if it’s a new item or a good bargain, and because these are items you already own, every dollar is pure profit.

This method is especially great if you want a way to make money quickly but where you are in complete control and can dip in and out when suits. You can even have things listed and selling while you’re working on a longer-term income stream in the background! 

13. Become a Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistants (known as VAs), offer remote, admin type support to busy business owners! This could be for a brand, a blogger, an influencer or anyone else needing help managing tasks online.

Becoming a VA is a really flexible, fast-paying way to reach $600 without needing any special qualifications. Experience with Social Media and other online tasks is often all that is required which opens it up as an option to anyone who is interested in becoming a VA.

The types of tasks you could expect to do as a VA for someone could include things like replying to emails, organising files, scheduling appointments, managing social media content, or basic bookkeeping!

You will find that a good amount of entrepreneurs/bloggers prefer hiring beginners at lower hourly rates. This then makes this a great entry point for anyone getting into the VA space.

You can start with just one client and gradually add more as you gain experience and confidence in the VA world. Money wise, VA rates often start at $15–$25 an hour. This means you only need 25–40 hours of work to hit $600! The hours can be spread out however works best for you and your clients too.

Payments to you will also be made a lot sooner than some of the other options on this list so it’s one to keep in mind!

14. Offer Proofreading or Editing

Proofreading or editing is perfect if you have a strong eye for detail, especially with grammar/language. As an income source, proofreading/editing can help you hit that $600 goal quickly with literally just a few projects.

Bloggers, authors, students etc all need help checking over their work to catch errors. We all make them! This means there is always a demand for someone to proofread and edit. You can find jobs on freelance platforms such as Fiverr, or you offer your services directly to small businesses through messages and emails.

The work is often fairly straightforward and flexible so you can fit it around your other tasks/around general life!

It does depend on the task but many proofreading/editing (text) jobs pay $30–$50 (or more) each. This means you only need a few jobs to reach your income goal – whatever number you are aiming for!

Bonus tip: if you are a fast reader but while keeping focus and having a good attention to detail, you can get through proofreading tasks a lot quicker than you may think!

15. Sell Canva or Other Digital Templates

If you’re really creative and love designing things online, making digital templates is a creative way to earn money online. You can create various templates, media kits, content calendars, pinterest pin templates or plannner pages using Canva, then sell them on platforms like Etsy, Shopify or your own blog if you have one.

Depending on your experience and preferences you can create products more visual like Canva Pinterest Pin Templates, or more text based such as planners or spreadsheets. 

The amazing thing about digital templates (digital products in general) can be listed once and sold over and over again! This means you get the full sale price every time, whether you sell it once or 100 times. Plus you don’t have to hold any stock or worry about posting any products out.

Because of this, your income can add up really fast even with low product prices. Pricing them at $10–$20 each means you only need around 30–60 sales to hit $600. On the flip side if you sell bundles for $100, you only need to sell 6! This is totally possible if you promote your listings on Pinterest or Instagram.

If you like the idea of selling digital products online but don’t want to create your own, PLR products (ones you buy that you can edit and sell on as your own) are 100% the way to go. You buy products with PLR/MRR, then edit, rebrand and sell on, for 100% profit. 

For ideas of the types of PLR (also known as done-for-you) products you can sell, look at this planner and this content e-book/content bundle. 

Offline & Hybrid Ideas

16. Pet Sitting or Dog Walking

If you love animals then pet sitting or dog walking can be one of the quickest ways to reach $600.

Pet owners are often in need of reliable people to look after their pets while they are working, for a day or for longer stints such as if they are away on vacations. You would most likely be paid per walk or visit (can work up to block bookings if this suits you/them), and many are looking for someone they can rely on/trust on a regular basis. This makes it the perfect quick income stream if you have the time and flexibility to fit in with someone else’s work/life schedule!

You don’t need special qualifications to get started! Although of course experience with the animals you are wanting to look after is an important factor. At the end of the day though you just need to be reliable, friendly, and have a genuine love and understanding of animals.

Advertising for your services can be done locally, on social media, or pet care platforms. Also people who are in need of a pet sitter may also put a post on social media asking for someone to look after their pet so joining local Facebook groups may be the perfect way to find clients.

You would only need a few regular bookings each week for the income to add up fast, and because payment is usually made in cash there and then, or paid to you instantly online/via apps, you don’t have to wait weeks to get paid!

It’s wise to look into insurance for pet sitting/dog walking so definitely worth thinking about before jumping in.

17. Babysitting or Childcare

As with pet sitting, babysitting is another simple, fast-paying side hustle that works perfectly around other commitments.

Many parents will happily pay a really good amount an hour for a responsible, trustsworthy babysitter. Often babysitters are most required for evenings and weekends so it can be easy to fit around your daily life. Childcare may be more daytime so you would need to work out what suited you best!

To start you can just let friends, family, and neighbours know you’re available! You could also join local childcare platforms in your local area. Often people will only use people they already know/trust but no harm in putting yourself out there if you don’t know anyone in your personal life with children. 

Babysitting especially is really flexible/easy to fit into your own life, easy to start, and even just a few evenings of babysitting could bring in the full $600 you’re aiming for! That makes it one of the quickest ways to earn cash locally.

Exactly the same as pet sitting, you would only need a few regular bookings each week for the income to add up fast, and because payment is usually made in cash there and then, or paid to you instantly online/via apps, you don’t have to wait weeks to get paid! Plus it’s always wise to look into insurance.

18. House Sitting

House sitting is exactly as it sounds. It involves looking after someone’s home while they’re away. Either for single days or for while they are away for longer periods! Tasks you would do would be things such as watering plants, collecting mail, or caring for pets.

It’s usually a low-effort income source (depending on pets of course), and it can pay surprisingly well for the amount of time required from you.

Sometimes the house sitting jobs are local and paid per visit, while others may include free accommodation (if you’re open to staying elsewhere for a few days). You can choose the jobs you feel comfortable doing, or are able to do if you have your own commitments at home!

Longer stays/staying overnight will of course pay more. Whereas if it’s a quick water the plants and feed the fish job, you can take on a couple at a time if you have the time and resources to do so!

You would only need a few short-term bookings at $100–$200 each could easily get you to your $600 goal.

19. Offer Local Cleaning or Organising Services

If you find cleaning, organising or decluttering therapeutic, offering cleaning or decluttering services is a great way to earn money! Especially since many people are happy to pay $100+ for help with a one-off project.

People often get overwhelmed with clutter or things not having a proper home making the place feel disorganised and messy. It’s common for them to pay someone to come in and help to take the stress and overwhelm away from them!

This could be anything from deep cleaning kitchens and bathrooms to organising wardrobes or garages.

The start-up costs are low as you just need basic supplies. (Depending on if you are offering basic decluttering or a full clean etc.) And the work can be scheduled whenever suits you and them. Because these are one-off jobs, you can often get paid on the day, which makes it ideal when you need cash quickly.

Even three to six local clients could get you to $600 in under a month!

As with a few of the others mentioned, it would again be wise to look into insurance for this one.

20. Host a Garage Sale or Car Boot Sale

If you want fast money in just a weekend, a garage or car boot sale can be perfect.

This is ideal if you need some money quickly but you are just wanting more of a one time thing.

The idea is that you go through your home and gather up anything you no longer want that’s in good condition. This could be clothes, books, toys, home decor, small furniture etc. Then you take it all and set up a stall with the items on display for people to buy.

You can also sell items on Facebook Marketplace or eBay if items are worth more, didn’t sell at your stall, or do it all online if you prefer not to do it in person!

Because you’re selling things you already own, every sale is pure profit! It’s common to make a few hundred dollars in just a single day if you price items fairly, display them well and get good interest.

You may need to check regulations in your area as to where you can sell items.

Creative & Fun Ideas

21. Selling Handmade Items on Etsy

Etsy is fab if you’re more creative! If you want a more hands-on or crafty option for making some money online, selling handmade items like stickers, charms, bookmarks or ornaments can be a fun way to make yourself $600. While it can take time to build up a full shop with lots of products, you can start really fast if you already have finished products ready to list.

Etsy is its own marketplace. This means it has a huge built-in audience who are already searching for handmade goods. This means that if one of your items does well, you could see sales coming in within a few days.

This is also true if you are selling in a very specific niche. This is because people may be searching for items in that niche directly, and maybe don’t have the same amount of options. This means your products won’t get buried to the same extent as products in a much broader niche. 

You can also promote your listings on Pinterest and Instagram to speed things up! Depending on your pricepoint, you could get to your $600 goal surprisingly fast!

22. Sell Print-on-Demand Products

Another option to make money online an online store such as Etsy or Shopify is to sell print-on-demand products. 

Selling print-on-demand (POD) products is a great way to earn income without worrying about inventory, packaging, or shipping yourself. 

How it works is you design items like t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, or notebooks using platforms such as Canva, then sell them through Etsy or Shopify, via a print-on-demand service such as Printify.

Once you create your designs, you upload them to Printify where the mock up items are shown. You can then use these mock ups in your Etsy/Shopify store so customers can see the finished product! When someone orders through your Shopify or Etsy store, the order goes via Printify and they then take care of everything when a customer orders including creation and shipping etc.

You then get paid by the customer for the full product amount, minus the base cost of the product by your Print-on-demand platform.

You don’t need to overcomplicate things as platforms like Shopify make it insanely easy to sell your products online. And the best part? You can start with a free trial and then just £1/month for your first 3 months here!

Because the products are printed and shipped on demand, you can focus on creating beautiful, on-trend designs and growing your store through Pinterest, Instagram, and SEO. The best part of POD products is that your designs can keep earning for you long after you’ve created them.

You can also offer as many sizes/colours/options as your POD platform offers, so customers can always find exactly what they want!

You can get started for FREE on Printify here!

23. Start a YouTube Channel (With Existing Content)

Starting a brand-new YouTube channel from zero can take time so isn’t really ideal for this list to make $600 quickly. BUT if you already have content planned, videos filmed, or can already edit videos to a high level, uploading those videos consistently can get you earning fairly fast.

Now YouTube does have eligibility criteria for becoming monetized for adverts. As of right now the criteria is you need 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch time hours. But if you’re not near this yet don’t worry as you can still do Affiliate Marketing!

Even small channels can earn $600 from a mix of affiliate links in the descriptions, digital product sales, and then ad revenue once you’re monetised!

The important thing is to really focus on searchable content in a specific niche that solves problems or teaches something valuable! These tend to get views faster as there’s less overall content in very specific niches. This means that if one video goes viral, you could reach your $600 target in just days from affiliate sales.

You may even get monetized quicker than you expect. That would mean you would earn from views as well as affiliate sales!

24. Join Paid Market Research Studies

Paid research studies and focus groups are one of the fastest ways to earn larger chunks of money in just an hour or two.

Many will pay $50–$100+ for your time and can be done online at home or in person. You just sign up, answer a few screener questions, and if you match what they’re looking for, you’ll get invited to participate in that study.

Payment may vary depending on the company, but are usually sent within days via PayPal/an online app or even gift cards.

If you apply to as many as possible, you could hit $600 with just a handful of studies, making this a super time-efficient way to earn!

The one thing to note here is that it may not be as instant as you are hoping for if there are no studies available to join at that exact moment. Definitely worth keeping an eye out for though for when they do pop up!

25. Offer Simple Tech Setup Services

The last option on this list of 25 ways to make $600 quickly in 2026 is to offer a service such as a simple tech setup service!

So many more people need this service than you likely realize!

Many small business owners, creators or people in general can struggle with tech related tasks. This could be anything from setting up their website, Canva account, Pinterest account or email platforms such as Mailerlite. So many are happy to pay someone to do it for them so they don’t have to worry or stress about it.

If you’re confident with technology (at least to a solid base level), you can offer simple “done-for-you” setup packages and promote them locally or online. If this doesn’t suit you can of course offer single set up services, these will just be priced a lot lower of course.

The nice thing is that it’s beginner-friendly, can be done remotely, and just a few clients could get you to your $600 target almost instantly!

And that’s it, 25 simple ways to make $600 quickly in 2025!

As you can see from all of the options above, your $600 income is closer than you think!

Some of these ideas can get you money within days. Others may have a longer payout time so it is just something to keep in mind when choosing which options are best for you.

As mentioned earlier, if you already have a blog, email list or social media account then things can grow a lot quicker, but it’s certainly not a requirement.

The fab things that whatever your starting point, making $600 quickly is 100% possible.

And the beauty is that once you’ve done it once, you can repeat it again and again.

The most important tip (albeit the hardest one) is just to start.

Choose one or two of these ideas that jump out to you the most, and you can get started today.

The fastest way to reach $600 isn’t by doing everything at once as you will spread yourself too thin which isn’t the goal here.

We have all been there, but to make money quickly, you need more focus on your strategy rather than trying a load of different ideas.

This means ideally not to pick 14 of the ideas to have a go at at once lol. What you need to do is to go all-in on something that excites you, and give it your full focus until you see the money!

If none of these options jumped out at you, or you want a list of 47 ways to make money, check out this post here!

Want to Skip the Slow Start?

It can take a good amount of  time to figure out what works best for you.

You want something that works, but that you also enjoy!

I know that trying out new ways to make money can feel really daunting as to where to start, so if you’d rather skip all that trial-and-error and give yourself a well deserved head start, I’ve put together my favourite tools and resources to help you start making money online.

These tools are super beginner-friendly and there’s something for everyone, no matter what money-making option you choose to go for! 

They will help so much so you can start creating income streams that actually work, without wasting months guessing what to do next. 

Check out my go-to blogging + income resources here

If you are interested in blogging specifically, you will love this post I wrote on the tools you really need as a blogger. (It’s not a long list!)

Speak soon!

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The post 25 Ways To Make $600 Quickly in 2026 appeared first on Katherine McLee.

In this post I am going to give you 11 Powerful Affirmations for Success & Abundance.

If you are reading this post I will assume you are looking for some ways to enhance your life, in whatever ways that may be. Success and abundance doesn’t just mean money or income, it can mean so many different things to different people. 

This means that even though we are talking about “success and abundance”, what that looks like for you, may be very different to what it looks like for someone else.

These affirmations will work for anyone.

If you find one that isn’t quite right, you can absolutely modify it to suit your own wants and needs.

Your goals and dream life are personal to you. This means your affirmations should be personal to you also. These are some amazing ideas to use if you are new to affirmations, or as a base if you want to change them to suit your needs.

Success and abundance aren’t just about endless hustle or perfect strategy. They come from the energy you show up with every single day. In all areas of life you want to change. And one of the quickest ways to shift that energy? Saying powerful affirmations.

(If you’re new to affirmations then this all may sound a little odd but stay with me…)

So what even are affirmations? 

Affirmations are powerful little personal statements that help you rewire your thoughts, self-belief, and help to align your mindset with the life you’re creating.

Usually the recommendation is to say them aloud, but reading them can also work amazingly well.

They might seem simple (because they are lol), but they can spark some fairly major changes.

This is because your mind is always listening to what you tell it. Good or bad.

When you repeat affirmations consistently, they start to adjust your thoughts but in a positive way. They can also help your emotions, and inspire the actions that you need/want to take to reallly create the real changes that you are wanting.

No matter whether you’re wanting to build a business, get your dream career or want to grow into a more confident version of yourself, affirmations are a bit of a secret weapon when it comes to mindset.

In this post, you’ll find 11 powerful affirmations that can help you attract success and abundance into your life, along with how to actually use them so they work for you.

Why Affirmations Work

Affirmations aren’t just nice words that you say to yourself. They actually really help to rewire your subconscious mind.

How this works is that every time you repeat a positive statement, you’re strengthening a new thought pattern.  It also means you are weakening the old, limiting thoughts and patterns.

Saying affirmations works because our brains learn through repetition. Good or bad! Whatever you feed your brain is what it starts to believe.

According to Forbes, shifting your beliefs around financial success is one of the biggest mindset blocks entrepreneurs need to overcome.

When you focus more consistently on positive thoughts and beliefs, your brain starts to see them as what is true! This then helps to naturally shape your actions, decisions, and energy to match these new thought patterns.

This is exactly how affirmations shift your focus from fear and doubt to confidence and possibility. And that energetic shift is what creates real results that you can physically feel. 

When it comes to wanting to make big changes in your life, whether it be success and abundance, changes to your body, or improving other areas of your life, mindset is the first thing that needs to change or you will have a massively hard time getting there.

Affirmations help to get your brain to focus in on the positive mindset needed to reach those goals.

That is the basis of the importance of affirmations. 

How to Use Affirmations

Before we get into the affirmations, there’s something to remember….

Just reading affirmations once and hoping for a huge change won’t do much.

Affirmations themselves are an amazing tool, but that’s when used properly.

The real magic happens when you:

• Repeat them daily. Do this however works best for you! For some ideas, you could say them out loud each morning, read them to yourself during the day, or write them in your journal every night.
  
• Feel the words. Don’t just recite them. Imagine what it would feel like if they were already true. The feeling is the important part here.
  
• Say them alongside the complementing actions. Affirmations are the things that can help to shift your mindset, but it’s the actual actions that bring results. The two work best together!
  
• Be consistent. This is the hardest part! It’s the daily repetition of the affirmations that means the most to you that rewires your thoughts over time, building that belief in yourself and your vision.
  

The point of repeating affirmations is that your subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between what’s physically real and what is a belief you’ve chosen.

This means you can merge a truth and a belief you’ve chosen that you’ve repeated often enough that your mind starts to believe it.

The more you affirm your wants and your success, the more your mind will look for ways to make it real. 

Let’s get into these 11 affirmations. 

Remember you can modify, change and use these as you need!

11 Powerful Affirmations for Success & Abundance

Each one of these affirmations below is designed to help you feel more confidence, wealth, and alignment to your life and vision.

Say them enough times to really let yourself believe them.

It will probably feel really weird when you first do it, but with a few repetitions you should start to feel it!

Pick and choose the affirmations from this list below and modify them to suit yourself and wants if needed.

1. I am open to receiving unlimited success and abundance

2. Opportunities flow to me effortlessly and in perfect timing

3. I am worthy of the wealth, success, and freedom I desire

4. Every action I take moves me closer to my dreams

5. Money flows to me easily from multiple sources

6. I create my own success story, one aligned step at a time

7. I attract the right people, ideas, and opportunities to grow my income

8. I am deeply grateful for the abundance that surrounds me

9. My success is inevitable and already on its way

10. I choose to believe in my limitless potential

11. I am becoming more confident, capable, and successful every single day

How to Make Affirmations Part of Your Daily Routine

The more easily your affirmations fit into your routine, the more likely you’ll stick with them. Which is the important part lol.

Here are some super easy ways to make them part of your day:

• Write your top 3 affirmations on sticky notes and place them where you’ll see them often.
  
• Record yourself saying your affirmations and play them while you walk, journal, or get ready in the morning.
  
• Add affirmations to your phone’s home screen or as daily alarms with motivational reminders.
  
• Stacking them with habits you already do is amazing if you’re forgetful or find it hard to find the time to add in new habits. Try saying them while making coffee or brushing your teeth.
  

Over time and with some practice, these daily affirmation moments will completely shift your mindset and energy.

It won’t feel like much is happening until you realise you start looking forward to them as your mind knows they feel good!

Use these affirmations (or your versions of them) daily to keep your mindset focused on success and abundance. And watch how quickly everything starts shifting for you!

Your Success Is Already On Its Way

Affirmations are more than just nice/positive words.

While they can feel good, they can also do a lot of good.

They’re one of the tools to help you build belief, attract opportunities, and stay aligned with the version of you who already has everything you desire.

Don’t let the feeling of “that would never work” stop you from trying something that’s quick, free and easy, and might just change your life.

Say them with conviction! Feel them in your bones. And most of all, move and take inspired action as if they’re all already true.

Success and abundance are not distant dreams. No matter what they look like for you. If you want them then they’re your destiny, and they’re closer than you think. 

Every affirmation you speak or write down is like planting a seed in your subconscious mind. It won’t bloom overnight, but with consistency, patience and daily nurturing, those seeds will grow into a completely new reality for you.

If you’re also working on improving your money mindset affirmations, here are some really simple ways to make $600 quickly even as a beginner. Perfect if you’re manifesting more financial abundance this year!

The version of you who already has the success, wealth, peace, and abundance you dream of? She isn’t a distant fantasy. She’s you. Just a few steps, a few shifts, and a few bold choices/decisions away.

Each time you repeat an affirmation, you’re choosing your future self.

The one who already has what it is you are aiming and longing for.

With every affirmation you tell yourself and really feeling in your body, you’re reminding yourself what’s possible for you. You are strengthening your belief in yourself and your capabilities, and you’re building the mindset that will carry you straight into your dream life.

Let these affirmations (whether from this list or your modified ones) be your reminder of your potential and capabilities when things feel uncertain. Let them be your fuel and reassurance when your dreams feel too big for you. (Spoiler alert, they aren’t too big.)

Your words (especially to yourself) are responsible for the first step in shaping your future. And your future is going to be absolutely incredible. 

So say them all. Believe them. And then go take the inspired and aligned action that makes them real for you. Your abundance is on its way, faster than you can imagine.

What are your favourite affirmations?

Let me know in the comments below as I would love to hear them!

If you want a list of 101 Inspiring Quotes, check out this post here!

For a full list of quotes, affirmations and blog posts, you can check out my Pinterest Profile!

Speak soon,

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The post 11 Powerful Affirmations for Success & Abundance appeared first on Katherine McLee.

In this post we are going to go over Affiliate Marketing for beginners, and how to make your first $1000!

Affiliate marketing can honestly sound too good to be true when you first come across it. As in, you’re telling me I can recommend something I already use or love and actually get paid real money for doing so? It feels like there must be a catch somewhere. But there really isn’t.

Affiliate marketing is one of the most beginner-friendly ways to start earning online once you understand how it works.

And here’s the best part: you don’t need a huge following, years of blogging experience, or some massive budget to get started. You can begin with the tools, audience and platforms you already have. Even if that’s just a basic blog or a small social media account!

That’s exactly how most people get to their first $1,000. They start small, are consistent, and focus on recommending things they genuinely use and love.

I know that $1,000 might feel like a huge amount if you’re just starting out. But when you break it down, it’s much more achievable than it looks! 

This isn’t me saying you will make that $1000 today. Realistically it will take time to get there, but it all adds up. You also don’t know when those sales will exactly happen!

As a personal example, I had joined a new affiliate program a while back and had no sign ups for the first few weeks (completely normal!), and then randomly one day I had 2 people sign up less than 10 mins from each other, out of the blue!

For you, it could be that you sell 10 products that pay you $100 each, or 100 products that pay you $10 each. This can be the same product over and over, it doesn’t have to be different products. It all depends on your niche, your audience, and what you’re promoting through your affiliate links.

When you break it down like this, suddenly the whole process feels less overwhelming and more exciting!

The trick is to find products you use or love and start with price points you are comfortable with. You can always build up from there.

Affiliate marketing is by far my biggest (and favourite) way of making money online. And I want to show you how it can work for you too! 

In this post, I’m breaking down exactly what affiliate marketing is, how it works, and the simple steps you can take right now to start working towards your first $1,000.

So grab a coffee (or your favourite snack), and let’s get into affiliate marketing!

What is Affiliate Marketing (And Why It’s Perfect for Beginners)?

Affiliate marketing is basically when you recommend a product or service you genuinely like, and when someone buys through your special affiliate link, you earn a commission. This could be as low as 2%, right up to 80% or more!

A real-life example would be that you purchase something, love it, rave about it to a friend, they see your excitement for it and decide to purchase it too. If you had your own link in the middle there, you would get paid for them making that purchase at no extra cost to them!

You connect people with things they need or want, and you get the commission for making the connection happen.

You’re not reaching out to sell people things, you’re just promoting or talking about the things you love, and if they want to click through your link to purchase, you get paid.

The reason it’s so good for beginners is that you don’t need to create your own products, deal with shipping or physical products, or handle customer service (as it’s not your product).

You’re simply sharing something you already believe in and love. Whether that’s a course that helped you, a tool you use every day, or a product you’d happily tell a friend about.

If you would share it or recommend it to a friend, you can recommend it to a larger audience and get paid to do so!

It’s low-risk (again, not your products), doesn’t need a huge budget to start, and can grow with you as your blog or online presence grows. That’s why so many people’s first income online comes from affiliate marketing. It’s simple, scalable, and really does work when you learn how to do it correctly.

How Affiliate Marketing Works (The Simple Breakdown)

Affiliate marketing might sound like a complicated or fancy term, but the actual process is super straightforward. It all comes down to three main steps:

1. Join an affiliate program: This could be for a course, a product, or even something like web hosting. You apply to the brand/company, and once approved, you’ll get your own unique tracking link that you can share.
   
2. Share your affiliate link: You can add this special link into your blog posts, emails, Pinterest pins, or social media. (Remember to check the rules as each program/brand can have different rules as to where you can share the links). When someone clicks your link, the brand knows that it was you that referred them. The link also takes the reader from your blog (for example) straight to their own shop/sales page, so that’s your part done!
   
3. Earn commission when they buy: If that person makes a purchase, you get a percentage of the sale. Some are larger commissions than others, but you will find that out when you apply. Some programs even give recurring commissions (meaning you keep getting paid as long as the customer stays subscribed).
   

(Important note: Always remember to put disclaimers where you post affiliate links. You may have noticed that every blog post where I share even 1 affiliate link has a disclaimer at the top. Check out the top of this post for an example!)

That’s literally it. You don’t need to overcomplicate it at all. Affiliate marketing is just about recommending something you’d already talk about anyway, but with the bonus of getting paid for it. Tell me that’s not an amazing set up lol.

How to Choose Affiliate Programs That Actually Pay

This is one of the important parts to get right, but you can adapt as you gain more experience! Not all affiliate programs are created equal. Not in a bad way, they just work slightly differently to each other.

For example (as mentioned earlier) some may offer 2% commission, some may offer up to 80%. Some will give you a 24hr cookie period (the time you have between someone clicking your link to making a purchase, even if they come back later/a different day), whereas some can be 365 day cookie periods. There are programs with no payment threshold, and others you need to have a certain amount of commission in your account before you get paid.

Choosing programs that fit the criteria you want or need can just help streamline that process for you!

You don’t want to water yourself too thin but you can apply to/join as many affiliate programs as you like. So if you find out one you have joined isn’t giving you what you would like back, you are completely free to join another!

A few tips for choosing affiliate programs that will actually make you money, you need to choose programs that are:

• High quality: Only recommend things you’d happily use or buy yourself. Trust is everything and people can tell if you’re promoting something you have no real knowledge of.
  
• Good commission rates: Look for 20–50% commissions on digital products or courses. Physical products often pay less as there’s more overheads, so they can be harder to scale, but if you would rather promote these then you absolutely can, but the commission will be a lot lower.
  
• In-demand: Make sure it’s something your audience already wants.This will depend on your content/niche and your audience. If you talk about blogging, a blogging course you took and love would be an amazing idea. If you talk about travel, a travel service or physical packing products would be a great choice for you.
  
• Recurring options: Some programs (like software subscriptions) pay you every single month as long as your referral stays signed up. That means one sale can turn into long-term passive income. You may get less each month than a one off sign up (for example you may get $5 a month instead of a one off $40 sale) but over just a few months, you’ve already made more back!
  

Good examples of affiliate products you can promote are things like:

Blogging courses, Pinterest/marketing courses, email marketing software, web hosting, legal bundles ect!

The other thing to keep in mind is that some programs do require a website to link back to in your application. For some they are looking for a blog/youtube channel, some want a pinterest account or instagram profile so again you can find the ones that suit your content best. 

How to Get People to See Your Affiliate Links

This is where most people get stuck. You can have the best affiliate products in the world, but if nobody’s seeing your links, you won’t make sales. 

The good thing is that there are multiple ways to get eyes on your content and your links. Here are some traffic sources that work brilliantly for affiliate marketing:

• Blogging: SEO (the clicks from search engines) takes a little time to build up to a good amount, but once your posts rank on Google, they can send you free, consistent traffic for years. Having a blog gives you that website link that a lot of affiliate platforms ask for in their application. It also gives you an amazing way to show off/talk about the products/services you are promoting.
  
• Pinterest: This is one of the fastest ways to get traffic as a beginner. Or for anyone! Once you learn Pinterest, it is an incredible source of blog traffic. With the right pin designs and keywords, you can drive so many clicks to your blog posts every month.
  
• Email list: This is what is known as your warm audience. These are the people who have chosen to give you their email address for something you offered. This could be a freebie, ebook, checklist, or a voucher if you have an online store. Once someone’s subscribed, you can keep building trust and share affiliate links in a way that feels natural and helpful to those people.
  

The key thing to remember is that you don’t need millions of views.

You just need the right people seeing your links. A small, targeted audience beats a huge, random one every time. It’s all well and good having thousands of viewers seeing your links, but only those who are truly interested in your products/tools will consider buying.

Ready to start earning from your content? Grab my free 50 Content Power Prompts to kickstart your ideas and grow your income!

Plus, you’ll get a special one-time offer on my Complete Social Media Content Toolkit!

How to Build Trust (So People Click & Buy)

Here’s the truth and another mistake people often make. People don’t just buy because you dropped a link in the middle of a blog post. They buy because they trust you. And building that trust is what makes your affiliate links actually convert to sales.

Affiliate income can be passive absolutely, but throwing some links into a post and then doing nothing with it isn’t likely to reap many rewards.

There are a few ways you can help people want to click on those links!

A few simple ways to do this:

• Be honest: This is honestly so important. Share your real experiences with the product or service. If something has pros and cons, mention them both. People aren’t daft, and it’s much fairer for people to be able to make an informed decision as to if something is right for them. Readers respect honesty more than a perfect sales pitch!
  
• Show your passion and excitement: People can absolutely sense (and tell) when someone genuinely likes and uses something. If you truly love something, why wouldn’t you want to tell people how great it is! This is the best way to do affiliate marketing as it’s all real, and natural.

• Be consistent: The more your readers see you showing up with valuable content, the more they’ll trust your recommendations. It takes someone an average of 7 times of seeing something they want, before deciding to actually purchase. This number is much higher if someone isn’t interested at all the first time they see it. Of course you don’t want to spam or push your links, but you can promote them as much as you want.
  

Remember, people buy from people they like and trust. If your audience feels like they know you, they’ll happily click your link over a stranger’s they have never seen before.

Conclusion: Your First $1,000 is Closer Than You Think

Affiliate marketing might seem like this huge, complicated world, but honestly? It’s one of the simplest (in terms of strategy/set up) and most beginner-friendly ways to start making money online.

You don’t need a massive audience, you don’t need to create your own product, and you don’t need years of experience. You just need to share the products, tools and resources you already love, use and believe in.

The first $1,000 might feel like a dream to you right now, but it’s much closer than you think. A few solid blog posts, some pins driving traffic, and building trust with your readers can get you there faster.

When you’ve built the systems, it’s rinse and repeat. If one blog post and one affiliate program can make $1,000, imagine what 10 posts and 5 programs could do.

Once you hit it, it’s proof to yourself that if you can make $1,000… you can scale to $5,000, $10,000 and beyond.

The quickest and best way to make money with affiliate marketing, is just to get started. You can literally start as soon as today. Don;t feel that you can’t do it, you absolutely can, you just need to go for it

If you want even more information on affiliate marketing, you can check out this post here!

If you don’t feel affiliate marketing is totally right for you, I have a list of 47 different ways to make $100 a day which you can find here!

For more information on Digital Marketing as a whole and how to get started, check out that post here!

Feel free to leave any questions or comments in the box below!

Speak soon!

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The post Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000 appeared first on Katherine McLee.

In this post we are going to go over the top 5 tools you need as a new blogger!

Why the Right Tools Matter in 2025

As with starting any new business/side hustle, getting it properly set up from the start can make a world of a difference! 

It’s always easier after the fact to know what you should have done. But I’m hoping I can save you from that extra level of trial and error, by sharing the top must-have tools for growing your blog in 2025, and beyond!

As with any side hustle/business, the right tools are what help you grow, save you time, and help you make money.

I wasted SO much time in the beginning trying to do everything manually or using the wrong tools lol. Once I found the ones that actually worked, everything started clicking into place.

These are tools I love/use to this day and are the I wish I had from the beginning as they would have helped so much.

A lot of these are super low cost or have free options to be able to have a go first and you can then upgrade if/when you feel ready to!

If you’re serious about growing your blog (not just writing for fun/as a hobby, but you are actually building something profitable), then having the right tools in your kit is honestly non-negotiable.

I know firsthand how overwhelming it can feel when you’re just starting out. Or even if you’ve been at it a while but feel stuck as that happens to more people than you realise – we have honestly all been there!

There are SO many options out there, and it’s hard to know what’s worth investing your time, money, and energy into. That’s exactly why I’ve put together this post for you. These are my favourite, can’t-blog-without-them tools that have made blogging SO much easier, more enjoyable, and more profitable.

Whether you’re trying to grow your audience, increase your income, or just enjoy the behind-the-scenes side of bloggging more, these tools are my top recommendations for 2025 and beyond. 

Let’s get into these must-have blogging tools, because when you’re using the right tools, everything gets sooo much easier!

1. HostGator: Reliable & Affordable Hosting

If you’re just getting started with your blog, the first thing you need is a domain name and hosting!  HostGator is what I personally use and recommend. I’ve used it across multiple blogs for years and I still love it!

It’s affordable, super reliable, and beginner-friendly which is exactly what you need when you are setting everything up.

It has 24/7 live chat which is a life saver when you accidentally crash your blog and are presented with an error screen at 1am lol – we have all been there! 

They get you back up and running so fast no matter what timezone you are in. Highly, highly recommended.

They nearly always have offers on for cheap domains or super low cost hosting etc so worth checking out. I’ve been with them for years from the very start of my blogging journey and have no plans to change any time soon!

Get Hosting with HostGator Here 

Quick note before you carry on! I have a free download for you! Grab these FREE content prompts and get a peek behind the scenes of my blogging system!

2. MailerLite: My Preferred Email Marketing Platform

If I could go back to day one, I would immediately sign up with MailerLite. 

They have a completely free plan you can use until you outgrow it so no extra start up costs which we love!

Email marketing is one of the most powerful things you can do in your blogging business. And MailerLite makes it so simple!

Even if you’ve never written a newsletter in your life!

Having your own email list is so valuable. I think most bloggers (myself included) put off starting one though at the beginning as we think we don’t need one, we think it’s complicated or will cost a lot. Nope, nope and nope!

Your email list is your direct contact for people who have shown they are interested in your content/what you are offering. This is such a powerful marketing tool!

If you don’t want to create a freebie to offer people in exchange for their email initially, you can put on a little form or pop up that lets people just sign up to your newsletter and then you can email them tips and tricks, offers or even ask questions. 

Don’t be worrying that people won’t sign up, you will be surprised!

Another good reason to sign up early is that you can get used to sending emails (or even just creating pop ups, forms and emails) even before you get an audience. That way it’s not overwhelmingly new when you do grow (and you will), and you can happily send those newsletters!

Why I love Mailerlite specifically (and why it’s a great choice for everyone):

• Their free plan is amazing. I used their free plan for a good while before upgrading! You can have up to 1,000 subscribers on the free plan, and you still get access to automations. (Automations being when a sequence of emails goes out after someone meets a certain criteria).

• You can set up pop-ups, landing pages, welcome automations, and product funnels without needing a tech degree. Quick and simple to customize!

• It’s clean and really easy to use. It has drag-and-drop editors, email flows, forms etc. You do get more with a paid plan, but once you get used to the free plan, it doesn’t take long to set those things up and get them how you like them!
  
• You can easily build funnels for freebies, tripwires, and digital products. There’s so much you can do, even on the free plan. This makes it ideal for anyone wanting to get into email marketing.
  
• I’ve used it for both regular newsletters, for automated sequences, pop ups, landing pages, embedded forms etc etc and love it! You will notice any email you get from me says “Mailerlite” at the bottom of it!
  

It’s one of the platforms I’ve stuck with long-term. I’ve stuck with it because MailerLite does exactly what I need it to, without overwhelming me with complexity or too many options/features which is not my idea of fun lol.

Start With MailerLite Free and start building your list the right way.

3. Keysearch: Keyword Research Made Simple

Keywords are so so important. In my early days of blogging I didn’t take much notice of them in all honesty. I thought I could get things ranking without them (?!). It didn’t take me long to realise that you REALLY do need to focus on keywords and keyword research but the amazing news is that it is a lot simpler than it sounds, makes a huge difference to your posts and tools like KeySearch make it SO easy.

SEO really doesn’t have to be scary. Keysearch is one of the easiest tools to use that I’ve found, especially as a beginner. They have a free plan where you get 5 free searches a day and this will give you a really good idea of how to use it, and just how helpful it is.

Then if you upgrade to their paid plan like I did, it’s super affordable and gives you so many searches, not just for keywords but also for search terms, inspiration, competition levels, search and how hard it is to rank!

If you want to grow your blog traffic without relying entirely on Pinterest or social media (which is never a good idea as social media especially can be so temperamental lol), this is a must have..

I’ve tried a few keyword tools over my time blogging, but Keysearch stands out for beginners and for anyone wanting to grow their blog. It’s incredibly easy to understand and use (same cannot be said for all lol) but is still powerful enough to show you traffic-driving keywords that you otherwise may never have thought of.

Here’s what I love about KeySearch:

• You can find low-competition keywords which are perfect for new blogs
  
• It gives you a full breakdown of keyword difficulty, volume, and competitor analysis – even colour coded to make it easier
  
• The Content Assistant helps you write posts with the right SEO terms built-in
  
• It’s SO affordable even once upgraded from the free plan
  

Without it, I wasted hours writing posts that never ranked lol. But the IDEAS it gave as much as the keywords/difficulty itself was absolutely worth it and made blogging and content creation SO much easier.

Try Keysearch Here for Free!

BONUS: If you’re really serious about making money with your blog and feel you need even more features, I would recommend SEMrush! SEMrush is one of the ultimate platforms when it comes to SEO and Keywords. It’s used by pros all across the world and comes with a free trial so you can test it before committing which is amazing.

It does quite a lot more than KeySearch so you only need this if you are already good with keyword research and want to take your blog to the next level. It’s pricier, but definitely worth it if you’re ready to take your blog to serious heights!

Try SEMrush here!

4. Legal Pages Bundle: Blog Legally from Day One

Legal pages. Ahhh legal pages. 

These are one of the aspects of having a blog that most people (in the early days) think they don’t need, or think they can use a free template and that will suffice…

Literally, we all did lol.

But here’s the truth… legal pages are not something you can skip over or half-ass. 

You really must protect your blog and yourself on a legal level. This is especially important if you are/want to be an affiliate for companies or run ads etc!

I bought This Legal Bundle early on (as soon as I realised that free legal pages don’t do/cover anything) and have zero regrets. 

One off purchase. A lot cheaper in a bundle. Live in 15 mins. Ideal!

The Starter Bundle includes all the pages you need; a privacy policy, terms and conditions page and disclaimer page. All tailored specifically to your country/self/blog, and all created by a real lawyer.

You buy the bundle of templates, edit the parts/remove the parts that you don’t need, and can get them live in around 15 mins. Super easy. Super quick and fully covered.

It’s really easy to do too. you get step-by-step instructions, fill-in-the spaces/edit the clearly marked sections, and make them live. 

It’s one of the best investments you can make for your peace of mind (and your blog’s future). 

You will also find that when looking to become an affiliate for certain companies/brands, they will ask/want to see your legal pages to make sure you’re legit.

If you want to protect yourself and your blog, have peace of mind and look professional to brands and companies, a Lawyer-written legal pages bundle is a non-negotiable.

Get The Legal Bundle Here! Protect your blog in half an hour or less!

5. A High-Quality Blogging Course

Finding a blogging course that ACTUALLY teaches you how to grow a blog and make money blogging is harder than it sounds.

Having taken a few in the early stages of blogging, I found that as much as some were okay, a lot were full of fluff or not overly actionable.

And it can cost a lot to take multiple courses that don’t offer much real life value back.

There is one that I recommend though, as it is no-fluff, easy to follow, SO MUCH INFORMATION (in the best way), easy to digest and implement, and really notice a true difference with… and it’s Perfecting Blogging.

I have a full review/breakdown of the course right here in my full course review!

Anyone who has been around for any length of time knows how much I love this course lol. It’s one of the only courses I recommend as I find a lot of courses really hard to follow, too simple, or not engaging enough. 

Perfecting Blogging is the opposite. It’s amazing, especially for newer bloggers or anyone wanting a boost/to change up their strategies a bit.

Updates for the course are free too. This means you can get new/updated modules for life with no extra cost.

(Can you see why I love it yet lol.)

Grab Perfecting Blogging Here

And here’s the really exciting part! The course creator Sophia (who earns 7+ figures from blogging AND products) is now adding free bonus modules on how to grow a physical product business. All in the same course!

She’s going deep into how she turned her planner business into a multi-million dollar part of her brand. And if you already own the course? You get the updates for free.

Check Out the Blogging Course Here

Those are my top 5 must-have tools for growing your blog in 2025 (and beyond), but I wanted to add in two other tools I use daily. You can use these two completely for free, but they can make SUCH a difference and make your blogging liffe so much easier.

Bonus Tools: The 2 Free Tools Every Blogger Should Be Using!

While the five tools above are my absolute go-tos for blogging, I couldn’t stop there without sharing two completely free tools that have helped me grow and saved so much time overall!

6. Pinterest – For Free Blog Traffic From Day 1

I started using Pinterest after the hype I heard about it for marketing your blog/blog posts in Perfecting Blogging. Once you get the hang of it (and accept their temperamental algorithm changes), it’s an amazing way to get free traffic to your website or blog.

Pinterest was always known as a place for recipes, crafts and wedding dress inspo. And while it’s still incredible for exactly that, it really is so much more. 

The beauty of Pinterest is that it’s a visual seach engine – not a social media.   

And on top of that, it’s one of the most powerful search engines out there for bloggers!

That means the content you pin today can keep bringing in traffic for months or even years from now.

The other good thing with Pinterest is that you can get clicks through to your website instantly! As soon as you upload a pin, it goes into the Pinterest engine and can be seen/saved/clicked through there and then.

Just a quick note; as with everything, it does take time for Pinterest to understand what your account is about. It uses your pins, titles, descriptions, boards, profile etc to work out what your content is about and who to show it to. Because of this, it does take a few months of consistent pinning of fresh pins for Pinterest to really start pushing out your pins. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that people CAN see and click through your pins as soon as they go up.

For a lot more in depth information on Pinterest pins, fresh pins, strategies, etc so you can ride the Pinterest wave instead of spending years of trial and error, you can get this Pinterest Course here!

I’ve had posts go from zero to literally hundreds of visits thanks to ONE pin doing well!

If you’re a blogger or content creator and you’re not using Pinterest yet, take this as your sign to start. 

7. Canva – The Best (and Easiest) Image Creation Tool

Canva (even the free plan) is the best way to create images for your blog, header images, logos, pins for Pinterest and so much more.

It’s really easy to use, has so many templates, photos, backgrounds, videos and elements you can use.

Canva makes it really easy to create social media images as much as custom blog photos and elements! 

If you find you want some more freedom in terms of the elements you have access to you can upgrade to the Pro plan, but there’s really no need at all until you want to!

Canva is one of those tools I honestly didn’t know I needed until I got it lol.

When you start to grow your Email List you can also use their eBook and other templates to use as email freebies. Not only that but you can use it to create product mock-ups for Etsy or any other products you may want to show!

You don’t need to be experienced in graphic design to use it either! Everything is drag and drop and super simple to get the hang of with a little practice!

It’s perfect for bloggers (or anyone) who wants their content to look polished without spending hours in Photoshop.

Conclusion

Honestly, you don’t need a huge amount of tools to make a success of your blog. Don’t buy into the hype that you need to spend thousands to make money blogging!

A few good ones (like the ones I mentioned above) will make all the difference on their own!

I think like so many new bloggers, when I first started blogging I was completely overloaded with information as to what tools to get/use. I ended up using/trying/buying SO many (not a good strategy lol) but these are the few that ACTUALLY work and are genuinely helpful. 

Blogging (for an income) is a long game, so having the tools to help ease up, quicken up and streamline that process is truly the most valuable thing.

You don’t need all of the above at once either! 

Sign up to the ones you need initially (such as Hostgator, Legal Pages and the Blogging Course) and add in Mailerlite and Keysearch/SemRush down the line!

Got questions? Drop me a comment or come and find me on Pinterest!

Speak soon!

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The post Top 5 Tools You Need as a New Blogger appeared first on Katherine McLee.

If you’re wondering whether it’s even possible to make money online without spending a penny upfront, then You’re definitely not alone. The answer is – quite simply – yes!

Of course there are many ways that require a bit of investment upfront, but if you have 0 budget, there are still options for you.

You can absolutely start earning online without any upfront investment or costs at all. There are free platforms, free tools, free resources and strategies out there that let you grow your income from nothing. And in this post, I’m going to walk you through exactly how it’s possible and ways to start.

The beauty of making money online is that there are SO many options and ways you can go about it.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or just want to try out a side hustle/idea before committing to anything long-term, you’ll see that low-budget/no-budget ways to make money are totally doable! 

For a full list of ways you can make $100 in a day, have a look at this post here!

So if you’ve ever been thinking, “Do I really have to invest money to start making money?” – This post is for you!

Making Money Online for Free

To answer the main question,: yes, you can absolutely make money online without investing any money upfront! You just need to go about it slightly differently! Instead of spending money, you’ll be focused on just trading your time, and putting in effort. Of course you would need to invest time and effort if you were putting money in too, but maybe in differing amounts.

One thing to be aware of is that free methods can often take longer to gain traction. They are however a perfect option if you’re just starting out, testing the waters in a particular area, or have little to no budget.

A couple of things to remember:

• You’ll most likely start small before you build up to your bigger months. This is also true if you were investing money!
  
• You will of course (as with anything) need to be consistent. Consistency and growth is key!
  
• You’ll grow faster if you treat it like a business. This includes right from the start, even when it’s not making too much income yet.
  

Success might not come overnight (it rarely does, despite what you see online lol), but it absolutely can (and will) come with consistency. Especially when you stay focused, keep learning and pivot as and when required.

Best Ways to Make Money Online Without Investment

The amazing thing about making money online  is that there are honestly SO many ways you can go about it. Whatever your skills are (either the ones you already have or want to learn), you can find an income idea that suits you. 

Here are some ideas of ways you can make money for free online:

Start a Blog on a Free Platform

Platforms like WordPress.com or Blogger let you have a blog for free. You won’t have full control (like you would with a self-hosted blog such as one on wordpress.org), but it’s a really good way to practice content creation (to see if you like it lol), grow an audience, and even add your own affiliate links. Just double check the rules of whichever platform you choose.

If you need more information on setting up a free blog, I have a full breakdown here!

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the best free income methods you can get. You can start with platforms such as Amazon Associates, or marketplaces such as Impact or ShareASale. Some you will need to apply for, and some have minimum requirements to meet but you can choose the brands/programs that suit you and your chosen products the best. You can then promote links through Pinterest, YouTube, or your free blog! 

I have a full guide to starting and building up your income with affiliate marketing here!

Sell Digital Products

Digital products can be an amazing way to make money online. There may be a teeny investment with this one but I will explain that in a second!

With selling digital products, you can sell ebooks, templates, courses, content or printables. 

The fastest way to sell digital products is to buy products with PLR/MRR where you buy products, rebrand them to your liking and then sell them on for 100% profit. 

I’ve recently started adding printable bundles to my Etsy shop (listed below). These are perfect if you’re just getting started and want something ready-made to sell or use!

Bundles such as this one give you a huge amount of ebooks, images and reels to edit/rebrand and sell as you please.

You can also get super affordable single products such as this planner which again is completely free to edit and sell as your own.

These sorts of products give you ready-made products, they just do require that little investment initially. Once purchased once you can re-sell as many times as you like though!

You can 100% create your own products for free with a free Canva account though if that’s not in your budget! It will take more effort and take longer but is 100% free to do.

You can then sell via your blog, gumroad, Etsy, or Shopify. 

If you’re really serious about it and want to use Shopify but can’t make your budget stretch, if you use THIS LINK HERE it will give you a free trial AND 3 months at just £1/$1 each!).

Freelance Your Skills

If you already have skills in areas such as writing, graphic design, social media management, or data entry, you’re in the amazing position in that you can start earning online right away!

No matter if you can write, edit, design, or manage tasks, there’s a market for you! Sites like Fiverr or Upwork are completely free to join and allow you to earn an income through skills you already have, no upfront investment needed at all.

This means you can create a free profile and then offer your services in whichever area your skills are in.

If you can offer services people need at a competitive price, build up your reviews and credibility, then there’s a lot of money to be made!

Start a YouTube Channel

When it comes to making money on YouTube, long-form content wins hands down over short-form content. YouTube itself is an amazing way to grow your audience and you can then monetize through ads, affiliate links, or sponsorships as your channel grows.

You can use your current phone or camera and use a free editing software to start off creating videos.

You can start off with videos that need less editing such as tutorials, product reviews or lifestyle vlogs. If you want to get into a niche topic, try and keep your videos around this so that you’re attracting the right audience from the start.

YouTube itself will (in 99% of cases), take a good amount of time to grow and get monetized with. BUT, the sooner you start, the sooner you can hit the criteria required and get yourself/your channel monetized!

Online Surveys

Online surveys is probably the “simplest” way to make money online for free but it can take a long time to get any reward back. Websites like Swagbucks (for everyone) or OnePoll (if you’re in the UK) pay you for taking short surveys.

It’s a great way to make money if you’re happy to keep checking back and doing surveys when they pop up, to get your account up to the payment threshold the quickest.

While online surveys are not a long-term income model, they are a free way to get started and build up some cash on the side – completely for free!

Want 50 ready-to-use content prompts to help you grow online faster?
Grab your FREE copy of 50 Content Power Prompts here, and get the option of a bonus toolkit for just £11 (60% off RRP)!

Skills That Can Help You Succeed (For Free!)

Let me first say, especially for things such as online surveys, you can get started without any skills or experience! 

For some of the other options you can either use or learn skills that will help. 

You certainly don’t need a degree or expensive software in the beginning (or ever if that’s what works for you)!

What you do need is to learn just a few key skills to help yourself get started.  

You can learn all of these basics for free through blogs, YouTube, and your own experience/practice.

Here’s a quick list of skills you can use/learn to get started:

• Writing & Communication: Helps you with blogging, freelancing, and social content.
  
• Basic SEO Knowledge: Not as scary as it sounds! SEO helps you get found on search engines like Google, YouTube, Etsy and Pinterest.
  
• Design Skills: Use can use completely free tools such as Canva to create graphics, pins, or even products and their covers if the PLR products aren’t for you.
  
• Social Media Strategy: Understanding how platforms work means better content and more clicks. Being a user is a good step, but understanding marketing and the algorithms makes a huge difference.
  
• Time Management: This is especially important when you’re building something from scratch around your day job or other responsibilities. Don’t panic if you have time blindness (hello lol), as you can have short bursts of focused time, use timers and fit in tasks where you can.
  

Of course if you do have a little budget and/or little to no time, the quickest way (by far) to learn the sorts of online skills that will actually make you money is a reputable and decent online course such as these ones by Sophia Lee!

Don’t worry about mastering everything at once! Actually don’t worry about mastering any at all just now lol. Just choose one or two areas to get stronger in and build from there. Start with the ones you either are best at initially, or the ones you want to learn/that fit your chosen business options the best.

Common Mistakes to Avoid 

When trying to make money online without spending money, there are a few common traps people fall into. They are all completely natural but also totally avoidable! Here are some of the most common ones: 

• Expecting instant results: Chances are, you won’t become rich overnight. Could happen! Not likely lol. Slow, steady growth is powerful and is where it’s at.
  
• Spreading yourself too thin: Focus on 1–2 strategies and go all in on those. It can be SO tempting to try 10 things all at once (we have all been there lol) but focusing on one or two things will get you a lot further, a lot faster.
  
• Not treating it like a business: Consistency, well thought out systems, and showing up for yourself and as your business are the key ways to turn your ideas from a hobby into your side income.
  
• Giving up too soon: This is the biggest one. Most people quit right before things start to take off so never see success. You will see success if you refuse to quit.
  

How to Scale Your Earnings Over Time

Starting to make money online for free doesn’t mean you have to stay small forever. You can absolutely grow your income with time (and down the line, money). Here’s a few examples how you can grow your business:

• Reinvest your earnings: Once you are making money, uou can then use some of that money you have made to upgrade your tools (a personalised domain, hosting, or e-commerce platform for full control, for example).
  
• Create systems: Batch-create content, reuse what works, and build habits that make content creation easier! This is the biggest game changer that lets you run things automatically and free up time to then work and grow other aspects of your business.
  
• Build an email list: Building an email list is so important and is something anyone with any sort of online presence (big or small) should have. You can use free tools like MailerLite (which has a fabulous free plan) to start getting subscribers and promoting your content/products through emails! You can try Mailerlite here!
  
• Double down on what’s working: If you’re seeing sales or traffic from a certain platform, do more of that! If a style of pin is working, do more of those. If an editing style is working, do more of that! You get the idea lol. Your analytics and stats will tell you what’s working, and what to focus more on.
  

Conclusion

So the question was, can you make money online without any investment?

Absolutely!

If you are aiming for a big income you can absolutely get there. The monetary investment can come when you have the income coming in from those free channels.

If you’re willing to trade (some of) your time, learn as you go, pivot when needed and stay consistent when others give up… you’re already ahead of most people. You don’t need to spend a single penny to get started! To start you just need to choose a method, commit to learning skills, putting in the time, showing up when needed, and take that first step.

Success starts small… but it grows!

If you found this helpful, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts below!

P.S. Need more beginner-friendly tools to start making money online?
Check out my full Tools & Resources page for my favourite platforms, bundles, and other resources that helped me grow my blog – all in one place!

For information on making money with Pinterest without a blog, have a look at this info here!

Speak soon!

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The post Can You Make Money Online Without Any Investment? appeared first on Katherine McLee.

How to Make Money on Pinterest (Without a Blog!)

In this post we are going to go over how you can make money on Pinterest – even if you don’t have (or want) a blog!

Pinterest is one of the most under-rated Search Engines. Often people forget (or don’t realise) just how popular it still is! Currently, Pinterest has over 522 million monthly active users

That’s over half a billion every month!!

Pinterest is an incredibly powerful platform and has the potential for a lot of money to be made. 

The beauty of Pinterest is that there’s a way to make money for everyone.

Whether you’re into Affiliate Marketing, Email Marketing, Blogging, E-commerce via platforms such as Shopify, or selling anything else, there is a way for you to make money on Pinterest. 

Whether you have a blog or not, there are multiple different ways you can make money on Pinterest.

While Pinterest often gets referred to as a social media platform, and in some ways it is – it is first and foremost, a Search Engine.

This means that while yes you can follow, like, comment and message other users, people go on there to search for things.

They may search for inspiration, products to buy, ideas, tips and many other things.

This means you are able to showcase your branding, art, ideas and products, all in one place.

Let’s get into the various ways you can make money on Pinterest!

1. Affiliate Marketing On Pinterest

Affiliate marketing is without a doubt one of the best ways to make money on Pinterest without a blog. It’s one of the most versatile ways to make money online, and can be done starting as soon as you like!

(Quick reminder for anyone who needs it: affiliate marketing is where you apply to brands to promote their products and you get paid a commission when someone buys through your link. The key is to promote products you already use and love so that it’s really natural and you can genuinely promote it!)

For more information on what Affiliate Marketing is, have a look at this post here!

Many affiliate programs allow you to directly link to products within your pins. 

This means that you create pins to promote your affiliate products, and link that pin to your specific URL. 

The important part is to make sure (like sure sure), that whichever programs you are linking to are allowed to be linked to directly through Pinterest pins.

Amazon for example you can’t link directly to so be aware of this or you risk your account getting banned!

The beauty of linking Pinterest pins directly to affiliate links is that when someone clicks through your pin, it takes them directly to the brand/products website so there’s no need for you to have a blog!

Here’s the process for promoting affiliate links through Pinterest pins:

This process is under the assumption you have a Pinterest account that isn’t brand new, has a decent amount of pins on (more that you’ve made than you’ve saved) and you have fairly defined a niche. Even a broad/rough one! 

A note regarding affiliate marketing on Pinterest, Pinterest will 100% mark your account as spam if you ONLY have affiliate links on your pinterest. Creating a variety of different pins is key so you can space out any affiliate links you may be pinning.

The first step is to create high-quality pins. This means you create bold, eye-catching pin images in a variety of styles with different images. Everyone has different tastes so a variety of styles will help to appeal to more people. 

Using a tool such as Canva will make this 10 times easier! The free plan works amazingly well but also has a premium option if you prefer the premium features. 

Create a new design (or buy templates from places like Etsy), create eye-catching pins and use compelling text and a strong CTA (Call-To-Action) such as “Shop Now” or “Learn More”.

When uploading your pins to Pinterest, the title and description are also important! Make sure to include relevant keywords and a short but descriptive description about the product’s benefits, why you love it and who it can benefit!

Make sure you disclose properly! Add #ad, #affiliate or mention “affiliate link” to stay compliant with platform and affiliate policies. 

An additional task would be to track your analytics. This will show you a pins impressions, pins and outbound clicks. This will help you to see which pins are performing the best so you know which styles or boards are getting the most traction.

If you want a full beginners guide on getting started, I’ve also written a post that walks you through everything. From choosing the best programs to making your first commission (and aiming for your first $1000!). You can read it here: How to Make Money With Affiliate Marketing (Beginner-Friendly Guide).

You may find down the line that you prefer to have a blog or at least a landing page so that people aren’t sent straight to the product’s sales page. This is because you can then talk more about it and go over pros and cons of the product, so people have more information initially before deciding if it’s right for them.

Pinterest is also happier if you have blog posts linked back to pins as it loves fresh content!

So as much as you don’t NEED a blog for affiliate marketing on Pinterest, you may still find it worthwhile.

2. Sell Digital Products on Etsy (Promoted via Pinterest)

If you sell Digital Products on Etsy (or if you want to), then this option is for you!

Selling digital products is one of the easiest ways to make passive income online! Pinterest is the perfect platform to drive traffic to your shop. Unlike physical products, digital items require no inventory, no shipping, and can be sold over and over again with zero additional cost. This makes it ideal when crafting pins as it means you know the pins can stick around on the platform for a long time!

Pinterest and Etsy are such a perfect match for selling digital products! Whether these are printables, planners, templates, or even wall art!

Pinterest is a very visual search engine. This means that inevitably some niches and products will do better than others! Since Pinterest users love things such as planning, DIY, organisation, recipes, and creativity/crafts, your products have a huge potential audience! 

Here’s a super quick rundown of how to get started if you’re new to Digital Products:

Firstly, choose a profitable niche that will do well on Pinterest! Think about what people are actively searching for on Pinterest. It’s a visual platform like I mentioned earlier so anything “visual” is good! Products that are ALWAYS in demand are things like: printables, planners, templates, and PLR eBooks/PLR Bundles (PLR means you buy products that are already done-for-you, you rebrand them to your liking and resell as your own) are always a spot on choice.

Next you want to create high-quality products (or buy a PLR product/bundle for a small price). You can then use Canva, Adobe Illustrator, or Affinity Designer to design or re-brand professional-looking products. 

An example of one of my done-for-you PLR Bundles:

Set up an Etsy shop (or a Shopify store as this works too).  Etsy is beginner-friendly and already has a built-in audience searching for digital downloads which is ideal but If you prefer more control over your store, Shopify is a great alternative!

Once you’ve got your platform up and ready you can list your products! Remember to keep SEO in mind. This just means to use relevant keywords in your title, description, and tags so your products show up in Etsy search and Google results. It’s basically what you want your product to be found under when people search for different terms! 

Price competitively! This one is important but can be adjusted so don’t worry too much about it initially. Have a look at similar products on your chosen platform (Etsy or Shopify) and choose a price that reflects the value of your product. Don’t undervalue yourself, but keep prices lower if you’re a newer shop! Consider offering bundles for a higher perceived value.

This is the way you make money with Pinterest – you promote your digital products on Pinterest!  Pinterest is a visual search engine, and when used strategically, it can drive consistent traffic to your store and your digital products.

With Pinterest you can create multiple pin designs for the same product and space them out over time. The beauty of Pinterest is that pins can stay on the platform and circulate for a long time! This is how you can get passive sales from Pinterest straight to your Etsy or Shopify store!

3. Sell Physical Products with Print-on-Demand

Following on from the idea above, a different way to sell products and promote them through Pinterest is to to Print-On-Demand!

Pinterest is a great way to promote print-on-demand (POD) products such as mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, or wall art. Visual search engine remember! You can sell POD items through Etsy, or Shopify without holding any inventory yourself.

With Print-On-Demand, you create your own custom designs that are printed only when someone places an order. This means you don’t have to buy any products upfront!

You link your shop to a third-party supplier (such as Printify) and they then handle printing and shipping for you! This allows you to focus on creating more designs and marketing your products, without any worry about holding stock or shipping.

Pinterest is perfect for promoting POD products because users are consistently looking for unique, aesthetic, and personalised items. If you create eye-catching designs (especially that fit Pinterest trends), you can drive consistent sales to your products from Pinterest.

Here’s a quick rundown of the POD process:

Firstly you need to choose your POD Platform. Popular platforms include Printify, Printful and Gelato. These seamlessly integrate with online stores such as Etsy or Shopify, meaning you don’t need your own blog or website.

Then create unique and eye-catching designs. Things that work well on Pinterest are things such as 

• Inspirational quotes on T-Shirts, Mugs, and Tote Bags
• Minimalist or Aesthetic Art for Wall Prints (really popular at the moment)
• Funny/Relatable Quotes or Phrases for Apparel, Wall Art and Mugs
• Seasonal and holiday-themed designs – Always do well!

Once you’ve created your designs you upload them to add to your chosen products. You can then see what your designs look like on a variety of items such as t-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, tote bags, and posters!

Post your items to Etsy with optimised images, titles and descriptions, all linking back to your POD platform such as Printify. This means your sales are ready to go!

At that point once you have products like you can create (and publish) Pinterest Pins. Design a few different styles of pin for each product. Make the pins bold, and eye-catching, showcasing your products in use/from different angles if possible.

4. Drive Traffic to Your Email List

Having an email list is an amazing way you can make money through Pinterest.

It may not initially be clear how that’s possible so let me explain.

Firstly, who can even have/grow an email list?

The answer: literally anyone!

An email list is just where you sign up to a platform such as Mailerlite and then if people choose to give you their email address, it goes to your list. Once they are on your list, you can then email them and after some time you can start including links to products or affiliate links within these emails.

To get people to want to sign up for your email list, you offer something of value for a low price or for free.

Mailerlite has a completely FREE plan for your first 500 subscribers – start for FREE here!

This is where Pinterest comes in!

You can use Pinterest by creating pins that promote your free or low priced offer. The offer can be something simple such as a download of a template, a checklist, a printable design or anything else that people would want! Keep the freebie relevant to your niche/what your products and links are about or people will lose interest and unsubscribe.

You will need to create a landing page for the pins to link to.

A landing page is a page you can create (often through your Email Provider such as Mailerlite), which has the email sign up field.

This is why you can again make money on Pinterest but without the need for a blog. You direct people straight to a landing page, they can enter their email to get their download, you can then send relevant information/tips and down the line you can then include links to products/digital products, affiliate links or even digital services if that’s your thing!

5. Offer Pinterest Virtual Assistant Services

If you love using Pinterest, you can offer Pinterest virtual assistant (VA) services.

Becoming a Pinterest VA is an amazing way to make money on Pinterest.

If you understand how the platform works, and understand how to create engaging pins, how to schedule content, and how to optimise profiles/boards for growth, then it’s definitely one to consider.

You will basically get paid to help business owners and bloggers grow their accounts.

Many small business owners and bloggers don’t have the time or knowledge to use Pinterest to its fullest potential, even though they know how powerful a platform it can be for driving traffic and sales to whatever it is they are promoting. That’s where a Pinterest VA comes in!

What Does a Pinterest Virtual Assistant Do?

As a super quick rundown, these are the sorts of tasks and services you can offer as a Pinterest Virtual Assistant:

• Pinterest Account Setup & Optimisation
  
• Pin Design, Creation & Scheduling
  
• Pinterest SEO
  
• Pinterest Analytics & Tracking
  
• Pinterest Ads Management
  

Where can you find clients for your Pinterest VA Services? 

You can find clients/businesses to work with through Fiverr, Upwork, or even Facebook Groups!

Many Etsy sellers, Bloggers, and Coaches need Pinterest help. Not because they can’t do it themselves, but because they don’t have the time to, or the time to learn the best practices and strategy! Pinterest is a hugely impressive marketing platform, as long as you know how to do so properly to get the best results.

You can of course also use Pinterest itself for marketing your VA services.  Create pins that promote your services and link to your booking page, landing page or portfolio! This way people who are interested have a quick and direct way to contact you where you can then discuss services, needs and pricing etc.

Once you become experienced with Pinterest, you can then also sell Pinterest templates, mini-courses, or coaching sessions to boost your income.

That leads on to the last point in this post…

6. Sell Pinterest Templates

If you’re good at designing eye-catching pins, you can sell Pinterest templates. 

This is an especially good option for those who know what Pinterest likes, knows that Pinterest users like, and have a creative eye.

Selling Pinterest templates is an amazing way to make money on Pinterest that doesn’t require the same time/deadlines as becoming a Pinterest VA. 

With selling Pinterest templates you create your products in your own time, and then sell them on platforms such as Etsy or Shopify.

You will find that many business owners, bloggers, brands and influencers want ready-made, easy-to-edit templates to be able to streamline their Pinterest strategy. Time is money and a lot of people are looking for ways to save time!

You can also offer more specific bundles/packs. This is especially useful for anyone in a defined niche such as (for example) templates for Food Bloggers, Lifestyle Bloggers, Etsy Sellers, Coaches or other Small Business owners!

Alongside selling your templates on Etsy or Shopify, you can of course promote your templates on Pinterest!

This one is super important to make sure you get your pins just right as it will be your initial mini portfolio for your design and pinterest pin making skills!

Creating beautifully designed, engaging, eye-catching pins is key to getting the attention of anyone potentially needing more pinterest pins! 

Once you’ve uploaded and optimised those pins, and people see their quality, they can then click through those pins directly to your Etsy or Shopify store and can purchase the templates that resonate with them and their business the most.

I hope this has helped to show you that there are many ways to make money on Pinterest.

It means that if you are already using Pinterest a lot and understand the platform, you can make money from it too!

Decide which option you like the sound of (or multiple options), then start by picking one method that excites you the most and go for that one first!

Whether it’s affiliate marketing, selling digital products, or offering Pinterest services, choosing the option that suits you, your schedule and your skills is key. You can of course do more than one of these too!

If you want to explore more beginner-friendly ways to make money online, I recently posted a full list called 25 Ways to Make $600 Quickly in 2026. It’s got loads of ideas you can use alongside Pinterest for even faster results.

Which option jumps out at you the most? Let me know in the comments! And if you found this post helpful, don’t forget to share it with others who want to monetise through their Pinterest too! 

Speak soon!

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