Marketing Archives – Katherine McLee https://katherinemclee.com/tag/marketing/ How To Make Real Money Online Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:36:49 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://i0.wp.com/katherinemclee.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/cropped-sdffdg.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Marketing Archives – Katherine McLee https://katherinemclee.com/tag/marketing/ 32 32 148049789 How Many Blog Posts Do You Need to Make Money From Your Affiliate Links? https://katherinemclee.com/how-many-blog-posts-for-affiliate-marketing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-many-blog-posts-for-affiliate-marketing https://katherinemclee.com/how-many-blog-posts-for-affiliate-marketing/#respond Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:36:26 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=18449

In this post we are going to go over how many blog posts do you need to actually make affiliate sales?  If you’ve started adding affiliate links to your blog, you’ve probably wondered at some point how long it’s actually going to take before one of those links turns into a sale. Do you need 10 blog posts? 50? 100? Is there some magical number where your blog finally has “enough” content and affiliate marketing suddenly starts working? The answer…. no. Thankfully, it doesn’t really work like that! You could make an affiliate sale from a genuinely useful blog post if it reaches the right person at the right time. There’s really no minimum amount of content your blog needs before affiliate links can start turning into sales. Of course it makes sense that having more useful content does help. Every new post gives someone another way to find your blog and gives you another opportunity to naturally recommend products, tools or services that could genuinely help them. With affiliate marketing you are connecting readers to products that they may potentially buy. The more “offers” you have across information people are actually looking for, the more likely you will get sales. So rather than worrying about reaching a certain number of posts first, focus on creating useful and really helpful content that attracts the right readers and gives your affiliate links a natural reason to be there in the first place. The good thing is, you don’t have to wait until you’ve published a certain number of blog posts before your affiliate marketing has a chance to work for you. Having more useful content gives people more ways to find your blog and gives you more opportunities to include your relevant affiliate recommendations along the way. But there’s a lot more to making affiliate sales than simply how many posts you’ve published lol. So let’s look at what can actually help turn your affiliate links into sales. How Many Blog Posts Do You Actually Need for Affiliate Sales? I know this is the answer you are here for, and I am here to tell you that there truly is no magic number. However, there are things that can significantly help initially. If someone finds one of your posts while they’re looking for information on something or a solution, they then like the sound/look of the product you’ve recommended and they then decide to buy it, that sale can happen whether you have 10 posts on your blog or 200 posts. That is the beauty of affiliate marketing. Of course, publishing more useful content can absolutely help. Every new post you write and publish gives you another chance to show up in Google, get found through Pinterest, Social Media or any other channel.  The number of posts you have is only one part of it. The type of content you’re publishing can make a big difference too. Tutorials, product reviews, comparisons and posts where someone is actively looking for a solution or researching a specific product/service can all create really natural opportunities for you to add affiliate marketing to your content. And the more useful content you build around the topics your audience is genuinely already interested in, the more opportunities you’re creating for people to find your blog, discover your recommendations and click through to the products you’re talking about and referencing. So there’s honestly no need to wait until you reach 50 or even 100 posts before you start thinking seriously about affiliate marketing. You can start creating content with affiliate sales in mind from the beginning and keep building on those opportunities as your blog grows. The Type of Blog Posts You Publish Matters More When you’re trying to make money with affiliate marketing, the type of blog posts you’re publishing can make a HUGE difference. Not every person who lands on your blog is going to be looking for exactly the same information or recommendations. As an example, someone searching for: “What is email marketing?” is probably right at the beginning of their email marketing journey, and looking for initial information. Where as if someone is searching for: “Is MailerLite good for bloggers?” They then already know what MailerLite is (to at least some degree), and there’s a much higher chance that they’re trying to work out whether it’s the right email marketing platform for them. Both searches from people could bring useful traffic to your blog so don’t discount either, but as you can see, the second one naturally gives you a much better opportunity to make an affiliate recommendation if it’s a product you love and someone is looking into it anyway. You definitely don’t need to turn your entire blog into one giant collection of affiliate posts lol. But if making money from affiliate marketing is one of your main goals, it makes sense to create at least some slightly more specific content where the products you want to recommend naturally fit in. This is where the people looking for and then finding those posts are actually going to be interested in them. This means you’re also not trying to squeeze affiliate links into every post you write. You’re just creating useful content that gives you a genuine reason to recommend something that could help the person reading it. It’s the perfect win-win. And there are a few types of affiliate blog posts that are particularly good for this: Product Reviews Product reviews are a REALLY good fit for affiliate marketing because by the time someone searches for one, they’re most likely already interested in the product. They’re not randomly browsing and discovering it for the first time if they are at the stage to be looking up reviews for it. They’ve probably either seen it somewhere, heard about it, had it recommended to them personally or already started thinking about buying it. Now they’re just doing that (sensible) final bit of research to work out whether it’s right for them and if it’s actually worth their money. And this is where a useful review can do a lot of the work for you! Instead of just listing every feature you can find on the sales page (not a good plan), think about what you’d want to know if you were considering buying it yourself. Try and answer as many questions as you can that someone may have. What’s actually good about it? Is it easy to use? Who would get the most out of it? Is there anything you wish you’d known beforehand? How much is it? And ultimately, is it something you would or have spent your own money on? Those are the sorts of helpful things that can actually help someone make a decision and work out if something is right for them and their needs or budget. Comparison Posts Comparison posts are another really useful type of affiliate marketing content because the person searching may already have narrowed their choice down to a couple of options and is just looking to make that final decision. Someone (for example) searching for the differences between Semrush vs Keysearch probably doesn’t need convincing that they want an SEO or keyword research tool as they already know that. They are there to work out which one is best for them. A good comparison post can help do exactly that for people by explaining the differences between the products. Things like what each one offers, who they might suit, pricing differences and anything else somebody would want to know before choosing between them. You can then include your relevant affiliate links to the products you’re recommending specifically, so the reader can go and have a closer look for themselves when they are ready. Recommendation and “Best” Posts You don’t need to concentrate on one particular product either. Recommendation posts can be really useful when somebody knows what they need, but hasn’t decided which product they want yet or what suits their needs best. That could be: These sorts of posts work really well because you can give people a few different options rather than trying to find one product that’s going to suit absolutely everyone (an impossible task anyway lol). The important part is not only to be honest but to give them a reason to care about each one. Try to cover things like: why have you included it in this list? What makes it different from the others? Or who would you recommend it to? If someone has landed on your post because they’re trying to choose between several tools or products or are looking for a comparison between different ones, helping them work out which one actually suits what they specifically need is going to be far more useful and effective than throwing a huge list of options at them with next to no info and hoping they click on one lol. Tutorials and Problem-Solving Posts Some of your best opportunities to use your affiliate links might not actually look like traditional “affiliate posts” at all. Things such as tutorials or problem-solving content can be a really natural way to recommend a product because your reader has arrived already looking for help with something specific. As an example, if you’re showing somebody how to start an email list, you’re going to need to talk about email marketing software at some point lol. If you have a platform you use or recommend, you can explain why it works for you or why it works for what you’re showing them in the post, and you can then include your affiliate link for anyone who wants to try that specific tool. Another example would be a post about how to make money with Shopify. If someone is searching for that specifically, there’s a good chance they’re already interested in Shopify and potentially looking at signing up. Throughout the post, you could explain how to set up a store, different things they could sell, useful Shopify features or even walk them through one of the ideas step-by-step if you have experience setting up your own store. Because Shopify is already a big part of what you’re talking about, your affiliate link can naturally be included wherever it’s actually useful to the reader. It could be when you first mention setting up a store, when you’re talking about a specific feature or anywhere else that someone might genuinely want to click through and take a closer look at Shopify. This is one of the reasons you don’t need every post on your blog to be an obvious product review or “best” list to make affiliate sales. The best affiliate content often starts with what the reader needs help with and then introduces a relevant product as part of the answer. So when you’re planning blog posts for affiliate marketing, don’t just think about how many posts you can publish.  Quality over quantity! Think about what somebody will be looking for when they find each one. Think about how close they might be to choosing a product and whether there’s a genuinely useful affiliate recommendation you can make while helping them. That is where the most conversions can happen. How Much Blog Traffic Do You Need Before Making Affiliate Sales? Just like there isn’t a set number of blog posts you need, there isn’t a magic traffic number you have to reach before you can start making affiliate sales either. You don’t need to wait until you’re getting a huge amount of visitors every month before somebody can find one of your posts, click on one of your affiliate links and buy something you’ve recommended. It matters what kind of traffic you’re getting, not just how much.  Think about someone who searches for a review of a specific product. It’s most likely because they’re already considering buying it. If 100 people find your review through that search, they’re coming to the post already interested in the exact product you’re recommending. More blog traffic obviously gives you more people...

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In this post we are going to go over how many blog posts do you need to actually make affiliate sales? 

If you’ve started adding affiliate links to your blog, you’ve probably wondered at some point how long it’s actually going to take before one of those links turns into a sale.

Do you need 10 blog posts? 50? 100?

Is there some magical number where your blog finally has “enough” content and affiliate marketing suddenly starts working? The answer…. no.

Thankfully, it doesn’t really work like that!

You could make an affiliate sale from a genuinely useful blog post if it reaches the right person at the right time.

There’s really no minimum amount of content your blog needs before affiliate links can start turning into sales.

Of course it makes sense that having more useful content does help. Every new post gives someone another way to find your blog and gives you another opportunity to naturally recommend products, tools or services that could genuinely help them.

With affiliate marketing you are connecting readers to products that they may potentially buy. The more “offers” you have across information people are actually looking for, the more likely you will get sales.

So rather than worrying about reaching a certain number of posts first, focus on creating useful and really helpful content that attracts the right readers and gives your affiliate links a natural reason to be there in the first place.

The good thing is, you don’t have to wait until you’ve published a certain number of blog posts before your affiliate marketing has a chance to work for you.

Having more useful content gives people more ways to find your blog and gives you more opportunities to include your relevant affiliate recommendations along the way.

But there’s a lot more to making affiliate sales than simply how many posts you’ve published lol.

So let’s look at what can actually help turn your affiliate links into sales.

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How Many Blog Posts Do You Actually Need for Affiliate Sales?

I know this is the answer you are here for, and I am here to tell you that there truly is no magic number. However, there are things that can significantly help initially.

If someone finds one of your posts while they’re looking for information on something or a solution, they then like the sound/look of the product you’ve recommended and they then decide to buy it, that sale can happen whether you have 10 posts on your blog or 200 posts. That is the beauty of affiliate marketing.

Of course, publishing more useful content can absolutely help.

Every new post you write and publish gives you another chance to show up in Google, get found through Pinterest, Social Media or any other channel. 

The number of posts you have is only one part of it. The type of content you’re publishing can make a big difference too.

Tutorials, product reviews, comparisons and posts where someone is actively looking for a solution or researching a specific product/service can all create really natural opportunities for you to add affiliate marketing to your content.

And the more useful content you build around the topics your audience is genuinely already interested in, the more opportunities you’re creating for people to find your blog, discover your recommendations and click through to the products you’re talking about and referencing.

So there’s honestly no need to wait until you reach 50 or even 100 posts before you start thinking seriously about affiliate marketing. You can start creating content with affiliate sales in mind from the beginning and keep building on those opportunities as your blog grows.

The Type of Blog Posts You Publish Matters More

When you’re trying to make money with affiliate marketing, the type of blog posts you’re publishing can make a HUGE difference.

Not every person who lands on your blog is going to be looking for exactly the same information or recommendations.

As an example, someone searching for:

“What is email marketing?”

is probably right at the beginning of their email marketing journey, and looking for initial information.

Where as if someone is searching for:

“Is MailerLite good for bloggers?”

They then already know what MailerLite is (to at least some degree), and there’s a much higher chance that they’re trying to work out whether it’s the right email marketing platform for them.

mailerlite email marketing logo

Both searches from people could bring useful traffic to your blog so don’t discount either, but as you can see, the second one naturally gives you a much better opportunity to make an affiliate recommendation if it’s a product you love and someone is looking into it anyway.

You definitely don’t need to turn your entire blog into one giant collection of affiliate posts lol. But if making money from affiliate marketing is one of your main goals, it makes sense to create at least some slightly more specific content where the products you want to recommend naturally fit in.

This is where the people looking for and then finding those posts are actually going to be interested in them.

This means you’re also not trying to squeeze affiliate links into every post you write. You’re just creating useful content that gives you a genuine reason to recommend something that could help the person reading it. It’s the perfect win-win.

And there are a few types of affiliate blog posts that are particularly good for this:

Product Reviews

Product reviews are a REALLY good fit for affiliate marketing because by the time someone searches for one, they’re most likely already interested in the product.

They’re not randomly browsing and discovering it for the first time if they are at the stage to be looking up reviews for it. They’ve probably either seen it somewhere, heard about it, had it recommended to them personally or already started thinking about buying it. Now they’re just doing that (sensible) final bit of research to work out whether it’s right for them and if it’s actually worth their money.

And this is where a useful review can do a lot of the work for you!

Instead of just listing every feature you can find on the sales page (not a good plan), think about what you’d want to know if you were considering buying it yourself.

Try and answer as many questions as you can that someone may have. What’s actually good about it? Is it easy to use? Who would get the most out of it? Is there anything you wish you’d known beforehand? How much is it? And ultimately, is it something you would or have spent your own money on?

Those are the sorts of helpful things that can actually help someone make a decision and work out if something is right for them and their needs or budget.

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Comparison Posts

Comparison posts are another really useful type of affiliate marketing content because the person searching may already have narrowed their choice down to a couple of options and is just looking to make that final decision.

Someone (for example) searching for the differences between Semrush vs Keysearch probably doesn’t need convincing that they want an SEO or keyword research tool as they already know that. They are there to work out which one is best for them.

A good comparison post can help do exactly that for people by explaining the differences between the products. Things like what each one offers, who they might suit, pricing differences and anything else somebody would want to know before choosing between them.

You can then include your relevant affiliate links to the products you’re recommending specifically, so the reader can go and have a closer look for themselves when they are ready.

Recommendation and “Best” Posts

You don’t need to concentrate on one particular product either.

Recommendation posts can be really useful when somebody knows what they need, but hasn’t decided which product they want yet or what suits their needs best.

That could be:

  • Best blogging tools for beginners
  • Best email marketing platforms for bloggers
  • Best affiliate programs for beginners
  • Best keyword research tools for bloggers
  • Best tools for creating digital products

These sorts of posts work really well because you can give people a few different options rather than trying to find one product that’s going to suit absolutely everyone (an impossible task anyway lol).

The important part is not only to be honest but to give them a reason to care about each one. Try to cover things like: why have you included it in this list? What makes it different from the others? Or who would you recommend it to?

If someone has landed on your post because they’re trying to choose between several tools or products or are looking for a comparison between different ones, helping them work out which one actually suits what they specifically need is going to be far more useful and effective than throwing a huge list of options at them with next to no info and hoping they click on one lol.

Tutorials and Problem-Solving Posts

Some of your best opportunities to use your affiliate links might not actually look like traditional “affiliate posts” at all.

Things such as tutorials or problem-solving content can be a really natural way to recommend a product because your reader has arrived already looking for help with something specific.

As an example, if you’re showing somebody how to start an email list, you’re going to need to talk about email marketing software at some point lol.

If you have a platform you use or recommend, you can explain why it works for you or why it works for what you’re showing them in the post, and you can then include your affiliate link for anyone who wants to try that specific tool.

Another example would be a post about how to make money with Shopify. If someone is searching for that specifically, there’s a good chance they’re already interested in Shopify and potentially looking at signing up.

Throughout the post, you could explain how to set up a store, different things they could sell, useful Shopify features or even walk them through one of the ideas step-by-step if you have experience setting up your own store.

Because Shopify is already a big part of what you’re talking about, your affiliate link can naturally be included wherever it’s actually useful to the reader. It could be when you first mention setting up a store, when you’re talking about a specific feature or anywhere else that someone might genuinely want to click through and take a closer look at Shopify.

This is one of the reasons you don’t need every post on your blog to be an obvious product review or “best” list to make affiliate sales.

The best affiliate content often starts with what the reader needs help with and then introduces a relevant product as part of the answer.

So when you’re planning blog posts for affiliate marketing, don’t just think about how many posts you can publish. 

Quality over quantity!

Think about what somebody will be looking for when they find each one. Think about how close they might be to choosing a product and whether there’s a genuinely useful affiliate recommendation you can make while helping them. That is where the most conversions can happen.

How Much Blog Traffic Do You Need Before Making Affiliate Sales?

Just like there isn’t a set number of blog posts you need, there isn’t a magic traffic number you have to reach before you can start making affiliate sales either.

You don’t need to wait until you’re getting a huge amount of visitors every month before somebody can find one of your posts, click on one of your affiliate links and buy something you’ve recommended.

It matters what kind of traffic you’re getting, not just how much. 

Think about someone who searches for a review of a specific product. It’s most likely because they’re already considering buying it. If 100 people find your review through that search, they’re coming to the post already interested in the exact product you’re recommending.

More blog traffic obviously gives you more people who COULD click your affiliate links, but it doesn’t mean you need to reach a certain number before sales can start happening.

This is why I’d look at more than just your overall monthly traffic. Have a look at which posts are actually bringing people in, what they were searching for when they found them and whether they’re clicking the affiliate links once they get there.

Looking at that will give you a much better idea of what’s actually happening than only looking at your total monthly traffic. 

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Why You Might Have Plenty of Blog Posts But Still No Affiliate Sales

If you’ve already built up a decent amount of content but the affiliate sales still aren’t coming through, I wouldn’t just add loads more posts as the first thing to concentrate on.

It would be easy at this point to assume you just need MORE content. First though, have a look at what’s already happening with the posts you have. There could be a much easier opportunity sitting there already that just needs a little more attention!

Your Affiliate Posts Aren’t Getting Traffic

You could have an amazing review post or recommendation post that would genuinely help someone choose what to buy, but it needs people actually finding it first before you can make those sales.

Have a look at which posts are currently bringing traffic to your blog. Check whether the posts that contain your main affiliate links are actually getting much of that traffic.

If they aren’t, that gives you something much more useful to work on than simply adding another load of posts. (New posts are always important but just not necessarily the first thing to focus on at this point.)

You might need to improve the SEO on certain posts, create more Pinterest pins for them, add some internal links from posts that ARE getting traffic or find other ways to get more eyes on that specific selection of content.

The Posts Getting Traffic Aren’t Your Affiliate Posts

You can also have your blog traffic growing really well while most of those visitors are landing on posts that aren’t particularly connected to the affiliate products you promote.

As an example if your blog is all about Good Sleep, your main affiliate products could literally be beds and mattresses and have reviews and comparison posts on your blog. But if the main posts getting the most traffic are your more informational style talking about good sleep hygiene etc then you can have good traffic but not many eyes on your links.

You might have one informational post bringing in thousands of visitors while the review you’d LOVE people to find is sitting there getting 20.

That doesn’t make the traffic to your other posts any less useful. Those people can still read more of your content, click through to a different post via an internal link, join your email list, or can come back later.

But it does explain why seeing your overall traffic go up doesn’t always mean your affiliate sales will immediately (or automatically) go up with it.

It’s not just how much traffic your blog is getting. WHERE that traffic is actually going makes a huge difference too.

The Product Doesn’t Really Fit the Post

The products you recommend need to make sense with what someone is already reading about lol. It sounds like common sense but can be worth double checking.

If they’re reading a post on how to start an email list, recommending MailerLite fits perfectly as an example. They need an email marketing platform to actually DO what you’re showing them, so there’s a genuine reason for you to mention it. Especially if you already use it too.

However if you put that same MailerLite link into a post that has nothing to do with email marketing and there’s far less reason for anyone reading it to be interested lol.

This is why relevant affiliate links can be so much more useful than simply trying to get more links onto your blog. Think about what the person reading that particular post might actually need or be interested in next.

I know this is common sense but I just wanted to mention it just in case.

You’re Adding Affiliate Links Without Really Recommending Anything

Just adding an affiliate link to the name of a product and carrying on with the post doesn’t give someone much reason to click on it.

If anyone is interested in the product already and wants a direct link then it can work, but for most people, not so much.

If you’re recommending something, actually tell them why lol.

Maybe it’s something you use yourself and love. Or maybe there’s a particular feature that makes something SO much easier and you want to share with people as it’s made a big difference to you. Or it could be that it’s simply a really good fit for what you’re helping them with in that particular post. Could be a few reasons!

You don’t need to write a mini 500 word product review every time you add an affiliate link either lol. Sometimes a couple of sentences explaining why you’re recommending it is all you need.

You want it to be clear and obvious but not pushy. If you have a review or comparison post about that particular product, linking to that as well/instead is also a good idea.

It gives the reader a reason to actually care about the product rather than just seeing another link in the middle of a paragraph with no extra context as to what the link even is.

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Do’nt Forget To Protect Your Website

People Are Clicking Your Affiliate Links But Not Buying

If people ARE clicking your affiliate links, that’s actually really useful information and means you’re already doing well!

Something you’ve said has made them interested enough to leave your blog and go and look at the product. This then means you can start looking at what’s happening between that click and the sale as to what could be then putting people off.

(The amount of people clicking a link and actually buying a product is always a low percentage anyway – even for the best affiliate marketers. So we aren’t talking if only 1 out of 100 buys something… this is for if NO ONE does.)

It could be the product itself, the price, what they see when they land on the sales page or simply that they were interested enough to look but weren’t quite ready to buy yet. All are completely real and valid reasons.

There are quite a few reasons this can happen, so I’ve gone through them properly in Why Your Affiliate Links Get Clicks But No Sales (And How To Fix It), including what you can look at on your own blog to help turn more of those clicks into actual affiliate sales.

Should You Publish More Posts or Improve the Ones You Already Have?

Sometimes you actually do need more new, fresh content.

If your blog only has five posts, publishing more useful content gives you more keywords to target, more opportunities to get traffic and more ways for people to find you.

But if you already have a decent amount of content, have a look at what you’ve already got before deciding you need to publish loads more. 

Could you:

  • Update posts that are already getting traffic?
  • Improve posts that are starting to appear in Google?
  • Add useful affiliate recommendations to relevant older content?
  • Add better internal links to your reviews and comparison posts?
  • Improve the explanation around affiliate links that already get clicks?
  • Create more content around products or topics that are already showing some interest?

You might already have posts with plenty of potential that simply need a bit more attention.

Google Search Console, Google Analytics and your affiliate dashboards can all help you work out where that potential is.

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How I’d Approach Affiliate Marketing on a Brand-New Blog

If affiliate marketing was going to be one of the main ways I planned to make money from a new blog, I wouldn’t wait until I had 50 or 100 posts before thinking about including it in my content.

I’d start by finding affiliate products that actually made sense for the topics I was planning to write about and then add them as I went.

Then as I planned my content I’d make sure I had a mixture of useful informational posts alongside things like tutorials, reviews, comparisons and recommendation posts.

That doesn’t mean forcing an affiliate link into every post!

Some posts simply won’t need one. While others could (really naturally) include several.

That way you’re giving yourself opportunities to make affiliate sales from the beginning, rather than publishing for a year and only THEN looking at everything you’ve created and wondering how any of it is supposed to make money. Or having to go back and add in more text/info/pics/links into all of your older content.

This may happen with some, but it would save you missing out on potential sales before you get the chance to go back and edit all your old posts.

If you’re wondering exactly where to start with affiliate marketing, you can have a look at my Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners (That Actually Convert!) post for some ideas.

And if you’re completely new to making money this way, you can also start with my Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: First £1,000 post.

You Don’t Need 100 Blog Posts to Make Your First Affiliate Sale

There honestly isn’t a particular number of blog posts that suddenly means you will start making affiliate income.

More useful content gives your blog more opportunities to be found, which is important, but what you publish matters just as much as how much you publish.

Do Keyword Research and think about what people are searching for, include products where they genuinely make sense and create some content for readers who are already researching the things you are recommending.

Then you can keep an eye on which of your posts get traffic, which links get clicked and what starts showing signs of working for you.

Your blog doesn’t need to reach a certain size or a certain number of posts before it can start making money from affiliate sales.

Give it opportunities to make them from the beginning and build from there.

Speak soon!

Katherine

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20 Best Digital Products to Sell for Passive Income in 2026 https://katherinemclee.com/best-digital-products-to-sell-for-passive-income/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-digital-products-to-sell-for-passive-income https://katherinemclee.com/best-digital-products-to-sell-for-passive-income/#comments Sun, 20 Sep 2026 20:56:18 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=18225

In this post we are going to go over the 20 best digital products to sell for passive income in 2026 – that are beginner friendly. Selling digital products can be one of the simplest ways to start making money online without dealing with the hassle of having physical stock, packaging or trips to the post office to worry about. You create your product once, upload to it somewhere people can buy it (we will expand on this soon) and then that same digital product can be sold again and again, even without you having to do anything further. That’s where the passive income part comes in. Of course, you still need to create something people actually want lol. You also need to show it to the right audience and keep your listings and marketing up to date etc. But unlike selling a physical product or offering an online service, you don’t have to start from scratch every time someone buys from you. You also definitely don’t need to create a huge online course or write a 200-page ebook to get started! Some of the best digital products are surprisingly simple and can be tailored to whichever niche you are in. If you’re looking for beginner-friendly digital products you can create and sell online, have a read here for some of the best ideas to consider and how to get started, along with tips for choosing what to sell and actually getting people to buy it. What Is a Digital Product? First things first… A digital product is basically anything you can create and sell online that your customer receives digitally rather than having something turn up at their door. That could mean a PDF, getting access to an editable template, opening an online course or printing something out themselves at home. Or a mix of all. There are loads of different things you can sell this way, including: The best part is that, unlike a physical product, you don’t need to make a new one every time somebody places an order. You could spend an afternoon creating a printable, list it for sale that day and then sell that exact same file over and over again.  Whether 5 people buy it (or 500), you’re not sitting there making and packaging another one for every single customer. You can just enjoy the sales rolling in. That’s a really big part of what makes digital products such a great option if you’re looking for ways to make money online without constantly swapping more of your time for every sale. You can also have digital products alongside physical products if that suits your store and products better. Can Digital Products Really Create Passive Income? Yes! And this is one of the biggest reasons digital products can be such a good (and popular) way to make money online. There is obviously some work involved at the beginning. You’ll need to decide what you want to sell, actually create it, get it listed and find ways to get it in front of people who might want to buy it. But once all of that is set up, the same product can keep selling without you having to personally deal with every single order which is what then makes it (mostly*) passive. Someone could discover your product at 2am, buy it and have the file sitting in their inbox a few minutes later while you’re fast asleep and completely unaware you’ve even made a sale lol. This is the beauty of digital products. You will most likely still want to promote your products, add new ones or update something occasionally, but you’re not starting from zero every time somebody buys for as long as the products are live and available. You do the work once and you’ve created something that has the potential to keep making you money again and again. This is exactly what makes digital products such an ideal option for building passive income online. (*I have noted that this is a “mostly” passive income stream as products will need updating, people may have questions or you may choose to add new products to your shop etc so there is a little involved even when passive, but passive enough you get the idea!) And if you get a little further into this post and decide selling digital products really isn’t for you, that’s completely fine too! There are LOADS of other ways you can make money without creating a digital product. I’ve got 25 Ways To Make $600 Quickly if you’re looking for ideas that could help you bring in some extra money, or How To Make $100 In a Day: 47 Fun and Practical Ideas has another huge list of options you can look through. But if digital products DO sound like something you’d like to try, keep reading because there are loads of different ideas below. Including some that are ridiculously simple to get started with! Best Digital Products to Sell Online One of the best things about selling digital products for passive income is just how many different options there are to do so. Basically anything you want to sell, you can lol.  You don’t have to be an amazing graphic designer, write a huge ebook or spend months creating an online course before you have something worth selling. There are plenty of much simpler digital products you can start with, including ones you can literally create in a day or over a weekend. And if you want to make the process even quicker, you can also use PLR content as a starting point rather than creating everything completely from scratch. I actually have a PLR bundle on Etsy that you can edit, customise and re-brand to turn into your own completely finished digital products which you then sell on. This can save you a LOT of time if you want to get something created and listed a lot sooner. This also takes a lot of the overwhelm out if you are new to digital products. When you’re deciding what to create initially, start with the things you already know how to do or topics you know a lot about. Then think about what people would actually find useful enough to pay for within that space. It doesn’t need to be anything groundbreaking either lol. Sometimes the simplest products are the most useful because they give someone a shortcut, save them the hassle of creating something themselves or just make something they’re already doing a bit easier. If you’re still stuck wondering what you could actually make, here are some of the best digital products to sell for passive income, and plenty of ideas to get you started: 1. Printable Planners Printable planners are a great digital product to start with because you can make them as simple or as detailed as you want. There is always high demand for planners as everyone’s needs and wants are different. And there are SO many different niches you can create them for. Rather than making a generic planner that could technically be used by anyone, think about what someone might actually be looking for help planning or organising in a specific area of life. You could create: You don’t need to create a huge 100-page planner either. To get started, you can start with a few really useful pages, sell individual pages/printables or put several different related pages together as a bundle. As an example, you could sell a “budget planner” that could include a monthly budget, bills tracker, savings tracker and spending sheet. A “content planner” could include something like a monthly calendar, content ideas page and social media tracker. Making your planner more specific can also make it much easier to market to the right audience. Instead of trying to sell a planner to absolutely everyone, you can create exactly what a particular type of customer is already looking for. And once you’ve created the first one, you can always add more pages, create matching products or turn it into a bigger bundle later on 2. Checklists Checklists are a really easy digital product you can create, and they can work for pretty much any topic you can think of too. We’ve all searched for a checklist at some point because we don’t want to have to remember everything ourselves lol. Or we have realised halfway through a holiday that the one thing we actually needed is still sitting at home! There are loads of different options you could create, including: You can keep these really simple and sell them on their own, or create a few that go together and turn them into a bigger bundle. You can of course also add them in with the planner pages if they fit there too. They’re also really easy to add to other digital products you’re already creating. If you were making (for example) a wedding planner, you could add checklists for booking the venue and suppliers, what needs to be done before the big day, what to take with you and all those little things that are VERY easy to forget when you have a million other things to think about. So even if you don’t want to create a checklist as your main digital product, they’re a super easy way to add something extra to a planner, ebook, workbook or bundle you’re already selling. 3. Templates Templates are another really simple digital product to create.  The whole point is to give someone something that’s already mostly done for them so they don’t have to start from scratch themselves. They can open it, change the colours, wording, images or whatever else they need to and use it without having to start with a completely blank page. There are loads of different types you could create, including: You could also make these really specific to a certain type of person or business if that fits. Instead of just selling a pack of (for example) generic social media templates, you could create them specifically for beauty businesses, bloggers, coaches, Etsy sellers or whatever niche you want to focus on. That way the people who want them can find them. And you don’t need to create a massive bundle straight away. You could start with a smaller set of templates and then add more designs or matching products later if you want to. 4. Ebooks Ebooks are another great digital product idea you can make to sell as you can create one (or more) on pretty much any topic you know enough about to teach someone else. And you don’t need to worry that this means you need to sit down and write a 200-page book either lol. An ebook can be a short but really useful digital (or printable) resource that helps someone learn how to do something or gives them all the information they need on one specific topic. It can be as simple or as in-depth as you prefer. Just be clear who the information is aimed at in the listing. For example rather than trying to write one enormous ebook covering absolutely everything about blogging, you could make it much more specific and create one about: The same principle applies to pretty much any niche. If you know how to do something that other people are actively trying to learn, there’s an ebook idea in there! If you are worried about the value in a small ebook, you could also start with a smaller ebook and add in extra resources like a checklist, planner or worksheet to make it more useful. That will stop the feeling that you need to keep adding another 50 pages just to make it worth selling/make it good value for money. It’s the information inside that matters, not how ridiculously long you can make it lol. Ebooks can be daunting but if you want some pre-done ebooks to rebrand and sell with high quality content, my PLR bundle has lots all ready to edit...

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In this post we are going to go over the 20 best digital products to sell for passive income in 2026 – that are beginner friendly.

Selling digital products can be one of the simplest ways to start making money online without dealing with the hassle of having physical stock, packaging or trips to the post office to worry about.

You create your product once, upload to it somewhere people can buy it (we will expand on this soon) and then that same digital product can be sold again and again, even without you having to do anything further.

That’s where the passive income part comes in.

Of course, you still need to create something people actually want lol. You also need to show it to the right audience and keep your listings and marketing up to date etc.

But unlike selling a physical product or offering an online service, you don’t have to start from scratch every time someone buys from you.

You also definitely don’t need to create a huge online course or write a 200-page ebook to get started!

Some of the best digital products are surprisingly simple and can be tailored to whichever niche you are in.

If you’re looking for beginner-friendly digital products you can create and sell online, have a read here for some of the best ideas to consider and how to get started, along with tips for choosing what to sell and actually getting people to buy it.

20 Best Digital Products to Sell for Passive Income in 2026 woman in black top typing at a laptop

What Is a Digital Product?

First things first… A digital product is basically anything you can create and sell online that your customer receives digitally rather than having something turn up at their door.

That could mean a PDF, getting access to an editable template, opening an online course or printing something out themselves at home. Or a mix of all.

There are loads of different things you can sell this way, including:

  • Printables
  • Templates
  • Ebooks
  • Planners
  • Checklists
  • Spreadsheets
  • Workbooks
  • Digital art
  • Online courses

The best part is that, unlike a physical product, you don’t need to make a new one every time somebody places an order.

You could spend an afternoon creating a printable, list it for sale that day and then sell that exact same file over and over again. 

Whether 5 people buy it (or 500), you’re not sitting there making and packaging another one for every single customer. You can just enjoy the sales rolling in.

That’s a really big part of what makes digital products such a great option if you’re looking for ways to make money online without constantly swapping more of your time for every sale.

You can also have digital products alongside physical products if that suits your store and products better.

Can Digital Products Really Create Passive Income?

Yes! And this is one of the biggest reasons digital products can be such a good (and popular) way to make money online.

There is obviously some work involved at the beginning. You’ll need to decide what you want to sell, actually create it, get it listed and find ways to get it in front of people who might want to buy it.

But once all of that is set up, the same product can keep selling without you having to personally deal with every single order which is what then makes it (mostly*) passive.

Someone could discover your product at 2am, buy it and have the file sitting in their inbox a few minutes later while you’re fast asleep and completely unaware you’ve even made a sale lol. This is the beauty of digital products.

You will most likely still want to promote your products, add new ones or update something occasionally, but you’re not starting from zero every time somebody buys for as long as the products are live and available.

You do the work once and you’ve created something that has the potential to keep making you money again and again. This is exactly what makes digital products such an ideal option for building passive income online.

(*I have noted that this is a “mostly” passive income stream as products will need updating, people may have questions or you may choose to add new products to your shop etc so there is a little involved even when passive, but passive enough you get the idea!)

And if you get a little further into this post and decide selling digital products really isn’t for you, that’s completely fine too!

There are LOADS of other ways you can make money without creating a digital product.

I’ve got 25 Ways To Make $600 Quickly if you’re looking for ideas that could help you bring in some extra money, or How To Make $100 In a Day: 47 Fun and Practical Ideas has another huge list of options you can look through.

But if digital products DO sound like something you’d like to try, keep reading because there are loads of different ideas below. Including some that are ridiculously simple to get started with!

Best Digital Products to Sell Online

One of the best things about selling digital products for passive income is just how many different options there are to do so. Basically anything you want to sell, you can lol. 

You don’t have to be an amazing graphic designer, write a huge ebook or spend months creating an online course before you have something worth selling.

There are plenty of much simpler digital products you can start with, including ones you can literally create in a day or over a weekend.

And if you want to make the process even quicker, you can also use PLR content as a starting point rather than creating everything completely from scratch.

I actually have a PLR bundle on Etsy that you can edit, customise and re-brand to turn into your own completely finished digital products which you then sell on. This can save you a LOT of time if you want to get something created and listed a lot sooner. This also takes a lot of the overwhelm out if you are new to digital products.

When you’re deciding what to create initially, start with the things you already know how to do or topics you know a lot about. Then think about what people would actually find useful enough to pay for within that space.

It doesn’t need to be anything groundbreaking either lol. Sometimes the simplest products are the most useful because they give someone a shortcut, save them the hassle of creating something themselves or just make something they’re already doing a bit easier.

If you’re still stuck wondering what you could actually make, here are some of the best digital products to sell for passive income, and plenty of ideas to get you started:

1. Printable Planners

Printable planners are a great digital product to start with because you can make them as simple or as detailed as you want.

There is always high demand for planners as everyone’s needs and wants are different.

And there are SO many different niches you can create them for.

Rather than making a generic planner that could technically be used by anyone, think about what someone might actually be looking for help planning or organising in a specific area of life.

You could create:

  • Budget planners
  • Meal planners
  • Wedding planners
  • Manifestation planners
  • Fitness planners
  • Content planners
  • Travel planners
  • Study planners
  • Cleaning planners
  • Goal-setting planners
  • Business planners

You don’t need to create a huge 100-page planner either.

To get started, you can start with a few really useful pages, sell individual pages/printables or put several different related pages together as a bundle.

As an example, you could sell a “budget planner” that could include a monthly budget, bills tracker, savings tracker and spending sheet.

A “content planner” could include something like a monthly calendar, content ideas page and social media tracker.

Making your planner more specific can also make it much easier to market to the right audience. Instead of trying to sell a planner to absolutely everyone, you can create exactly what a particular type of customer is already looking for.

And once you’ve created the first one, you can always add more pages, create matching products or turn it into a bigger bundle later on

2. Checklists

Checklists are a really easy digital product you can create, and they can work for pretty much any topic you can think of too.

We’ve all searched for a checklist at some point because we don’t want to have to remember everything ourselves lol.

Or we have realised halfway through a holiday that the one thing we actually needed is still sitting at home!

There are loads of different options you could create, including:

  • Starting a blog
  • Moving house
  • Planning a wedding
  • Packing for a holiday
  • Cleaning and organising
  • Starting a business
  • Preparing for Christmas
  • Creating social media content
  • Launching a product
  • Organising finances
  • Something very specific you created or found helpful in your own life

You can keep these really simple and sell them on their own, or create a few that go together and turn them into a bigger bundle. You can of course also add them in with the planner pages if they fit there too.

They’re also really easy to add to other digital products you’re already creating. If you were making (for example) a wedding planner, you could add checklists for booking the venue and suppliers, what needs to be done before the big day, what to take with you and all those little things that are VERY easy to forget when you have a million other things to think about.

So even if you don’t want to create a checklist as your main digital product, they’re a super easy way to add something extra to a planner, ebook, workbook or bundle you’re already selling.

3. Templates

Templates are another really simple digital product to create. 

The whole point is to give someone something that’s already mostly done for them so they don’t have to start from scratch themselves.

They can open it, change the colours, wording, images or whatever else they need to and use it without having to start with a completely blank page.

There are loads of different types you could create, including:

  • Social media templates
  • Pinterest pin templates
  • Media kit templates
  • Resume templates
  • Ebook templates
  • Workbook templates
  • Presentation templates
  • Business document templates
  • Email templates
  • Content planning templates

You could also make these really specific to a certain type of person or business if that fits. Instead of just selling a pack of (for example) generic social media templates, you could create them specifically for beauty businesses, bloggers, coaches, Etsy sellers or whatever niche you want to focus on.

That way the people who want them can find them.

And you don’t need to create a massive bundle straight away. You could start with a smaller set of templates and then add more designs or matching products later if you want to.

4. Ebooks

Ebooks are another great digital product idea you can make to sell as you can create one (or more) on pretty much any topic you know enough about to teach someone else.

And you don’t need to worry that this means you need to sit down and write a 200-page book either lol. An ebook can be a short but really useful digital (or printable) resource that helps someone learn how to do something or gives them all the information they need on one specific topic. It can be as simple or as in-depth as you prefer. Just be clear who the information is aimed at in the listing.

For example rather than trying to write one enormous ebook covering absolutely everything about blogging, you could make it much more specific and create one about:

  • Writing your first 10 blog posts
  • Starting a blog on a budget
  • Getting started with affiliate marketing
  • Creating a Pinterest strategy
  • Growing an email list
  • Planning your first month of content

The same principle applies to pretty much any niche.

If you know how to do something that other people are actively trying to learn, there’s an ebook idea in there!

If you are worried about the value in a small ebook, you could also start with a smaller ebook and add in extra resources like a checklist, planner or worksheet to make it more useful. That will stop the feeling that you need to keep adding another 50 pages just to make it worth selling/make it good value for money.

It’s the information inside that matters, not how ridiculously long you can make it lol.

Ebooks can be daunting but if you want some pre-done ebooks to rebrand and sell with high quality content, my PLR bundle has lots all ready to edit and sell as your own.

Ultimate Faceless Marketing Bundle promotional graphic featuring over 15 digital products including content planners, Instagram reel guides, Canva tutorials, and marketing strategy eBooks. Includes +400 reels and +600 photos, all with MRR and PLR resell rights. Bold text reads 'All Done For You' and 'Re-sell as Your Own!' with vibrant arrows and modern design elements. URL shown: vibrantvisiondigital.etsy.com

5. Workbooks

Workbooks are a bit more hands-on than ebooks because instead of someone just reading the information, you’re giving them pages they can actually work through as they go.

Depending on the topic, you could include things like:

  • Questions
  • Exercises
  • Worksheets
  • Planning pages
  • Prompts
  • Trackers
  • Action steps

This may not work for EVERY niche, so it will depend on your niche and your audience.

As an example, if you wanted to create something around content planning, you could make a workbook that helps someone choose their main content topics, come up with ideas, plan what they’re going to create and then put everything into an actual schedule that works for them.

You can do the same with loads of different topics too. A budgeting workbook could help someone go through their income and expenses, set savings goals and create a monthly budget, while a goal-setting workbook could take them from choosing their goals right through to working out the individual steps they need to take.

They’re also really easy to combine with other digital products. You could add a workbook to an ebook or course, sell it separately, or include it as part of a bigger bundle.

So if you have something you could teach but want to make it a bit more interactive than a standard ebook, a workbook could be a really good option!

6. Spreadsheets

If you’re someone who actually knows their way around a spreadsheet, you can turn that into a digital product too.

People LOVE to buy a spreadsheet as they are so helpful but are tricky to set up properly if you aren’t into making them from scratch.

A lot of people need spreadsheets to keep track of things but either don’t know how to set one up properly or simply don’t want to spend the time doing it themselves.

If they can buy one that already has everything laid out, labelled and calculated for them, all they need to do is add their own information and start using it.

There are loads of different spreadsheets you could create, including:

  • Budget spreadsheets
  • Debt payoff trackers
  • Business income trackers
  • Expense trackers
  • Content calendars
  • Affiliate income trackers
  • Savings trackers
  • Inventory spreadsheets
  • Project trackers
  • Freelance income trackers

You can keep them fairly simple or make more detailed versions with formulas, automatic calculations, different tabs and anything else that would be useful for that particular topic.

You could even create a basic version for someone who just wants something really easy to use and doesn’t want to get overwhelmed, and a more detailed version for people who want to track absolutely everything.

And if you already have spreadsheets you’ve made for yourself, have a look at those too. There could be something you use all the time that other people would happily pay for rather than having to figure out how to build their own.

7. Digital Trackers

Digital trackers are another really simple product idea you can sell. Especiallly if you want to create something fairly quickly without having to make a huge ebook, course or bundle.

People track all sorts of things, so there are loads of different directions you could take this depending on the audience you want to create it for.

Some example tracker ideas include:

  • Habits
  • Savings
  • Reading
  • Fitness
  • Water intake
  • Goals
  • Business income
  • Social media growth
  • Content creation
  • Challenges

You could keep it really simple with one tracker that does one specific job, or create several that work together and sell them as a pack.

As an example idea, if you were creating products around saving money, you could have separate trackers for savings goals, spending, no-spend days and different savings challenges etc. You could then sell them individually or put the whole lot together as a bigger money-saving bundle for even more value.

Trackers are also really easy to add to other products you’ve already created. A reading tracker could go inside a reading journal, an income tracker could be added to a business planner and a habit tracker could be included in a goal-setting workbook etc. They slot in nicely with any other pages you made in the same niche/life area.

20 Best Digital Products to Sell for Passive Income in 2026 - photo shows an open laptop with an online store open on the screen

8. Canva Templates

If you enjoy and are good at designing in Canva (or want to learn how to), then you can create editable templates customers can customize themselves.

These could include:

  • Instagram posts
  • Pinterest pins
  • Lead magnets
  • Workbooks
  • Ebooks
  • Price lists
  • Media kits
  • Business cards
  • Presentations
  • Social media graphics

I bought Canva Pinterest Pin templates years ago and still use them now, just branded and edited to fit my Pinterest Aesthetic.

Templates can be particularly useful for small business owners and content creators who want professional-looking graphics without designing every single thing from scratch.

Even if they can make them themselves, templates can speed up the process AND keep things more cohesive from the start.

Quick note on this one: before selling templates, make sure you understand the current licensing rules for any design platform, fonts, graphics or other assets you use as they can vary.

9. Notion Templates

Similar to the Canva templates, if you’re already a Notion user, you can also create and sell templates that other people can copy into their own account and start using.

Notion can be used to organise pretty much anything, which means there are loads of different templates you could create depending on what you’re good at or who you want to create them for.

Some ideas include:

  • Content planning
  • Goal tracking
  • Business management
  • Project planning
  • Habit tracking
  • Student organisation
  • Freelance work
  • Client management

You could keep things fairly simple with one template that helps someone organise one specific thing, or create a bigger system with several different pages that all work together.

For example, instead of creating a general productivity template, you could make a complete content planner for bloggers with spaces for blog post ideas, keywords, publishing dates, Pinterest pins and anything else they want to keep track of.

Or you could create something specifically for freelancers that helps them organise clients, deadlines, projects and payments all in one place.

The more specific you make it, the easier it is for someone to look at your template and immediately know whether it’s something they could actually use as often people are looking to solve ONE specific problem.

You can of course (just like the other digital products listed) create a bundle, but if you are creating very specific Notion templates, a bundle may be tricker as someone may not need ALL of the templates in the bundle.

10. Digital Journals/Planners

Digital journals and planners are another type of product you can create around pretty much any topic, hobby or goal.

You can keep them really simple with space for someone to write each day, or add prompts, trackers, exercises and different sections to give them a bit more to work with.

There is the option to create a full, coloured, aesthetic type digital product here, or keep it very bare bones and let the customer customise it from scratch, minus the main body you have already created.

There are loads of different types you could create, including:

  • Gratitude journals/planners
  • Goal-setting journals/planners
  • Manifestation journals/planners
  • Reading journals/planners
  • Travel journals/planners
  • Business journals/planners
  • Self-reflection journals/planners
  • Creativity journals/planners

This is also a good one to get quite specific with.

Instead of just creating a general journal with lots of blank pages, think about why someone would be using that specific type of product, and what you could include to make it more useful for them.

A reading journal, for example, could have space to keep track of books they want to read, ratings, favourite quotes and reading goals.

A travel planner could include planning pages, packing lists, places they want to visit and space to record memories from each trip etc.

You can also add prompts so someone isn’t opening the journal and immediately wondering what they’re supposed to write lol.

And remember when I mentioned earlier that you can use PLR to make creating your products quicker? My own Manifestation Planner on Etsy started as a PLR product that I then rebranded myself before listing it for sale. It’s a good example of how you don’t necessarily have to create every single page of a digital product completely from scratch.

And once you’ve created your main journal or planner, there are loads of ways you can expand on it later with extra pages, matching trackers or other products around the same topic.

PLR manifestation planner

11. Prompt Packs

Prompt packs are another really easy digital product to put together, and you can create them for loads of different topics.

They take the need for inspiration out for people and can help speed up their social media/online content.

Think about anything where people regularly get stuck wondering what to write, post or think about next, and there’s probably an idea for a prompt pack in there lol.

You could create lists of:

  • Journal prompts
  • Blog post prompts
  • Social media prompts
  • Writing prompts
  • Business brainstorming prompts
  • Content creation prompts
  • Email prompts

You can make them as small or as detailed as you want to. For example you could create 30 prompts for a particular topic, put together a much bigger collection or split them into different categories to make them easier to use.

For example, you could create a pack of generic social media prompts or you could make 30 Instagram content prompts specifically for small businesses, a month of email prompts for bloggers or a set of journal prompts based around a particular goal someone may have.

The more useful and specific the prompts are, the better. Someone buying a prompt pack probably doesn’t want 100 different ways of being told to “share something about yourself.” They want ideas they can actually take, use and turn into something.

You could also combine prompt packs with other products really easily. Add them to a journal, content planner, workbook or template bundle and you’ve instantly got something extra to include, no matter what your niche is.

12. Content Calendars

All businesses and creators constantly need new content. This then creates a perfect opportunity for products that make planning it easier and quicker.

You could create:

  • 30-day content calendars
  • 90-day content plans
  • Seasonal content calendars
  • Pinterest planning calendars
  • Instagram content calendars
  • Blog content calendars
  • Email marketing calendars

You could keep them fairly simple and give someone somewhere to organize their own ideas. Or do more of the planning for them by including content ideas, prompts, themes or suggestions for what they could create each day.

Content Calendars would match up really well with the Prompt Packs!

You can get really specific with these too.

Instead of creating one general social media calendar for everyone, you could make separate versions for beauty businesses, fitness accounts, bloggers, coaches, Etsy sellers, travel businesses or pretty much any other niche you can think of.

People will search for what they need more often than the general idea of something so making them more specific can be a really good idea.

You could also create seasonal versions for Christmas, Black Friday, Summer or other times of year when people are looking for extra content ideas.

And once you’ve made one, you don’t necessarily have to start from scratch every time. You can use the same basic format to create different versions for different platforms, niches or time periods, giving you several different products you can sell from the one original idea.

13. Swipe Files and Script Packs

If you’ve never come across swipe files or script packs before, they’re basically there to give you something to work from when you have no idea what to write lol.

A swipe file is usually a collection of examples and ideas you can look through and use for inspiration, like email subject lines, calls to action or social media captions etc.

Script packs tend to give you more of the actual wording, so you might have a ready-made response to a customer enquiry or an email you can tweak and send to a brand. You still make everything your own, but you’re not having to sit there and come up with every single word from nothing.

Swipe files and script packs basically give people a starting point so they’re not sitting there staring at a blank page for the next hour.

We have ALL been there lol.

There are loads of different ones you could create, including:

  • Email subject lines
  • Sales email templates
  • Customer service responses
  • Social media captions
  • Product description frameworks
  • Outreach emails
  • Welcome email sequences
  • Call-to-action ideas

You could create a big collection around one topic or make them really specific to a certain type of customer.

As an example idea you could put together a pack of customer service type responses for Etsy sellers, email scripts for bloggers working with brands or a collection of calls to action for small business owners who never know what to put at the end of their posts.

They don’t necessarily need to be something people copy and paste word for word either. You can give them wording they can quickly change to suit their own business, audience or personality without having to come up with everything themselves. Similar to a template but text based lol.

You could also add swipe files and scripts to a bigger product really easily. If you were selling for example an email marketing workbook, you could include subject line ideas or a few email templates for even more value.

20 Best Digital Products to Sell for Passive Income - smiling woman with brown curly hair holding a fan of cash

14. Stock Photos

If you’ve got an eye for photography and already enjoy taking photos, you could also turn them into digital products by selling stock photo packs.

These are basically photos that other people can buy and then use in their own content (depending on the licence you give them), rather than having to take all of their photos themselves.

So many bloggers, business owners and content creators need images for all sorts of things. From blog posts and websites to emails, Pinterest pins and social media posts etc. There are loads of different types of photos you could create as everyone will be looking for something different.

Some broad photo topic ideas include:

  • Food photography
  • Desk and office images
  • Beauty products
  • Travel images
  • Seasonal collections
  • Lifestyle photography
  • Flat lays

You could also create your photos around a particular theme/niche or type of business rather than trying to photograph absolutely everything lol. It will depend what you are good at. 

You could sell smaller packs based around one theme or put together much bigger bundles with a mixture of matching images. You can base packs off of a similar theme or a similar vibe or aesthetic.

And if you’re reading this from the other side and thinking you actually NEED stock photos rather than wanting to sell them (like me lol), Social Stocks is definitely worth having a look at. They have loads of ready-to-use stock images for blogs, websites and social media, so you don’t have to take every single photo yourself if it’s not your thing!

If you’re already taking high-quality photos anyway, have a look through what you’ve already got. You might already have the beginnings of a stock photo collection sitting on your camera roll without even realising it.

15. Digital Art and Wall Prints

If you’re creative or enjoy designing things, digital art and printable wall art are another type of digital product you can create and sell online that people love.

Printable wall art is already a really popular type of digital download, particularly on places like Etsy.

Instead of printing the artwork yourself and having to worry about framing, packaging and shipping etc, you can sell it as a downloadable file.

Your customer buys the design, downloads it and then either uses it digitally, prints it at home or sends it somewhere to be professionally printed.

And there are SO many different styles and themes you could create.

Some popular ideas include:

  • Quotes and typography prints
  • Nursery prints
  • Minimalist artwork
  • Kitchen prints
  • Seasonal artwork
  • Children’s room decor
  • Office prints
  • Travel prints
  • Botanical/Floral artwork
  • Personalised prints

You could sell individual designs, create matching sets of two or three prints or put together larger collections around a particular theme.

You could also offer different sizes or ratios of the same design so customers have a few options depending on where they want to display it. This is important if you want to sell things as digital backgrounds/art as well as printable.

And you’re not limited to wall art either. If you enjoy creating digital artwork, you could also sell things like illustrations, clip art, digital paper, patterns or other design elements that people can download and use in their own projects.

16. Presets and Filters

If photography or photo editing is already something you’re good at, you could turn your editing style into presets or filters that other people can buy and use on their own photos.

They basically let someone apply a particular look to their photos without having to work out all the individual editing settings themselves.

This has become more and more popular with people wanting to find the perfect pre-sets for themselves and their content.

You could create presets for:

  • Bloggers
  • Travel creators
  • Food photographers
  • Small businesses
  • Influencers
  • Amateur photographers

You can also base them around a particular style, such as bright and airy, warm and cosy, vintage, colourful or moody. Specific aesthetics do really well as they can help photos stand out that bit more, and they can look more cohesive in a social media feed etc.

Rather than selling just one, you could put together a small pack with a few different options that work well together. For example, a travel preset pack could include slightly different edits for beaches, cities, sunsets and indoor photos.

Just make it really clear what app or software your presets are designed for and include simple instructions showing customers how to install and use them.

17. Online Courses

If there’s something you know how to do that other people want to learn, you could turn that knowledge into an online course.

Courses take a lot more work to put together than something like a printable or checklist, but you can also charge considerably more for them.

The easiest way to come up with an idea is to think about a specific result you could help someone achieve. Answer a specific question or set of related questions that people are looking for the answer to.

 Instead of creating a huge course about absolutely everything you know about Pinterest, for example, you could create one that takes a new blogger through setting up their account and creating their first month of pins.

Your course could include:

  • Video lessons
  • Written lessons
  • Workbooks
  • Templates
  • Checklists
  • Quizzes
  • Additional resources

And if you want to see a real life example, I’ve written a full review of the blogging course I recommend, including what’s inside and how the course is set up. It’s a perfect example of how you can take something you already know how to do and turn that knowledge into a product that can be sold again and again.

You don’t need to start by creating a massive course either. If you have one smaller topic you could teach really well, you could turn that into a mini-course or workshop first and build on it from there…

18. Mini-Courses and Workshops

Leading on from point #17…

If you like the idea of creating a course but don’t want to start with something huge, you could teach one smaller topic through a mini-course or workshop instead.

The idea is to pick one specific thing someone wants to learn and show them how to do it from start to finish.

For example, you could teach someone how to:

  • Create their first lead magnet
  • Set up a Pinterest business account
  • Plan 30 days of content
  • Create their first digital product
  • Start an email list
  • Build a simple budget

A mini-course could be a handful of short video or written lessons, while a workshop could even be one longer session focused entirely on that one topic.

Because you’re covering something much more specific, these can be quicker to create than a full online course and sold at a lower price too.

They can also be a good way to test an idea before creating something bigger. If people are buying your mini-course on creating their first digital product, for example, you could eventually expand on it with more lessons, templates or resources and turn it into a larger course later.

19. Resource Bundles

We have touched on this a little but as a point itself… 

If you’ve created a few digital products around the same topic, you can put them together and sell them as one bigger resource bundle.

For example, if you create products for bloggers, you could make a bundle that includes:

  • Blog post planner
  • Keyword research sheet
  • Content calendar
  • Blog launch checklist
  • Affiliate tracker
  • Pinterest planner

You don’t necessarily need to create everything at once either. You can start by selling a blog planner, then create a content calendar, add a Pinterest planner later and eventually combine everything you’ve made into one larger blogging bundle, giving much better value.

This also gives your customers a choice. Someone who only wants the content calendar can buy that on its own, while someone who wants everything can get the full bundle for a better price than buying each product separately.

And you can do this with pretty much any topic/niche. A budgeting bundle could include a monthly budget, savings tracker, debt tracker and spending log, while a social media bundle could include templates, content prompts, a planner and a content calendar etc!

20. PLR Products

PLR stands for Private Label Rights and it basically means buying digital content with permission to edit or use it in certain ways depending on the licence that comes with it.

And there are SO many different types of PLR products available, including:

  • Ebooks
  • Planners
  • Templates
  • Workbooks
  • Worksheets
  • Checklists
  • Social media content
  • Lead magnets

So instead of opening a completely blank document and spending days creating a 30-page planner, for example, you can start with one that’s already been created and then change the colours, fonts, branding, wording and other elements to make it your own.

I’ve done this myself with my manifestation planner on Etsy. I started with a PLR planner, completely rebranded it and turned it into the finished product I now sell in various places including my Etsy shop.

It saved me SO much time (and stress!) compared with designing every individual page myself lol.

And if you want to see just how much ready-made content you can get with PLR, have a look at my Ultimate Marketing PLR Bundle on Etsy. It includes 16 done-for-you ebooks, 600 stock photos AND 400 reels, all in one bundle, giving you a huge amount of content to start working with without having to create everything yourself. Win win lol.

You can also create and sell PLR yourself, giving other people that same shortcut while creating another digital product you can sell again and again.

Just make sure you always check the licence on any PLR you buy so you know exactly what you’re allowed to edit and sell, and make your own terms clear if you decide to create PLR products yourself.

For a full breakdown on what PLR is and how to use it properly, have a look at this post called Making Money Online With PLR Content.

Ultimate Faceless Marketing Bundle promotional graphic featuring over 15 digital products including content planners, Instagram reel guides, Canva tutorials, and marketing strategy eBooks. Includes +400 reels and +600 photos, all with MRR and PLR resell rights. Bold text reads 'All Done For You' and 'Re-sell as Your Own!' with vibrant arrows and modern design elements. URL shown: vibrantvisiondigital.etsy.com

What Digital Products Actually Sell?

The question then is… out of all those ideas, what digital products actually sell?

When looking for the best digital products to sell for passive income, the answer may surprise you…

Honestly, all of them can, if done well and marketed well.

There isn’t one particular type that everyone should rush out and create as not everything will work for everyone.

A planner can sell, an ebook can sell, wall art can sell, a template can sell and a spreadsheet can sell. What matters more is whether people actually have a reason to buy yours.

Usually, the strongest digital product ideas do at least one of a few things:

  • Save someone time
  • Look appealing/aesthetic
  • Make something easier
  • Help them stay organised
  • Teach them how to do something
  • Give them something they would otherwise have to create themselves
  • Help them get a particular result

People don’t usually buy a spreadsheet because they desperately want a spreadsheet. They buy it because they want an easier way to manage their budget for example.

Someone buying a content calendar probably wants to stop sitting down every morning wondering what on earth they’re supposed to post.

And someone buying a moving checklist wants to make sure they don’t forget something important while their entire house is sitting in boxes.

You get the idea lol.

Getting specific can help too.

A generic “business planner” could be useful to thousands of different people, but it’s also competing with thousands of other business planners. 

Something like a content planner specifically for bloggers or an income and expense tracker for freelancers immediately tells a particular person, “this was made for you.”

It may still not be for everyone in that space, but there’s a much higher chance that buyers will find what they need if they searched those specific terms initially.

That doesn’t mean every digital product needs to solve some enormous life-changing problem either! People will happily pay for something that simply saves them half an hour, gives them ideas when they’re stuck or means they don’t have to make something themselves.

I’ve done this before multiple times so can absolutely vouch for this lol.

So instead of starting with:

“What digital product should I make?”

Start thinking about what people in your niche are already trying to do, what they regularly need help with and what they would happily pay to make things easier for them.

How to Choose Your First Digital Product

If you’ve never sold a digital product before, don’t make your first one unnecessarily big or complicated. 

It can be really tempting to look at people selling huge courses, 100-page planners and massive bundles and think you need to create something equally impressive before anyone will pay you for it.

You really don’t.

A useful $7 template that’s finished, listed and available for people to buy has infinitely more earning potential than the $97 mini-course you’ve been planning for six months but still haven’t finished lol.

Start by looking at what you already know as this makes things a lot easier initially.

What topics do you know well? What do people regularly struggle with? Is there something you’ve already created for yourself that other people could find useful?

Then ask yourself:

  • Can I make something easier for someone?
  • Can I save them time?
  • Can I answer a specific question/set of questions?
  • Can I organise information they currently have to find themselves?
  • Can I give them a useful starting point?
  • Can I help them get a specific result?

You should also think about what you’d actually enjoy creating.

If the thought of recording hours of video makes you want to avoid the entire project, a course probably isn’t the best place to start lol.

If you love designing things in Canva, a printable, planner or template could make much more sense etc.

And have a look at the skills you already use without really thinking about them. Maybe you’re brilliant at organising your finances, planning trips, creating content, editing photos or putting together spreadsheets. 

Something that feels completely normal and easy to you could save someone else HOURS of figuring it out themselves.

Your first digital product doesn’t need to become your entire business either. 

Pick something useful (that you can actually get finished) and put it up for sale.

You can always create more products, bigger bundles or higher-priced offers once you’ve got that first one out there and can see what people are interested in buying.

If you are still feeling overwhelmed, remember PLR products are always an option too if you want to start with a lot of the initial work done for you.

How to Find Digital Product Ideas People Might Actually Buy

Of course the idea is to create and sell products people need or want. 

The nice thing is you don’t have to completely guess what people might want to buy. Before you spend hours creating something, it’s a good idea to have a look at what people are already searching for, asking questions about and spending money on.

This can help you work out whether there’s actually any interest in your idea, or you might even find a better one while you’re looking and researching.

Look at What People Are Searching For

Start by typing some of your ideas into Google, Pinterest, Etsy or anywhere else people might be searching for products in your chosen niche.

Have a look at the suggestions that come up as you type, related searches and the different versions of your idea that people are looking for.

They are the keywords to take note of as those are the terms people are actually searching for.

As an example if you’re thinking about creating a wedding planner, you might find that people are searching specifically for wedding budget spreadsheets, guest list templates or wedding-day timelines.

You could still create the full wedding planner, but you’ve now got a much better idea of the individual things people are looking for too. Any of those could become a product on its own or give you ideas for what to include in a bigger bundle.

Try this with a few different ideas rather than just checking one and deciding that’s what you’re making. Sometimes what’s in our own heads doesn’t match what’s in other people’s lol.

Pay Attention to What People Are Asking

You can also get loads of ideas by paying attention to the questions people are already asking and wanting helpful answers to.

Have a look through things like:

  • Comments on blog posts
  • Forums
  • Social media comments
  • Facebook groups
  • Reddit discussions
  • Emails from your audience
  • Reviews of existing products

The idea is that you’re looking for questions that seem to come up again and again.

Maybe people keep asking how to organise something, saying that a particular task takes forever or looking for an easier way to do something specific.

Think about whether any of those problems could be turned into a product.

For example if you see there are people constantly asking how to plan a month of social media content, you could create a content planner, a pack of prompts, a calendar or even bundle a few of those together to increase the value.

Where Can You Sell Digital Products?

Once you’ve made your digital products, you obviously need somewhere to actually sell them all. Or even just the one if you want to start small.

And there are a lot of options, so you don’t need to have your own website or spend ages setting up a full online shop before you can get started.

You could use a marketplace like Etsy, create your own store with Shopify or sell through a blog or website you already have.

Of course you can use more than one option if this works for you too. 

Etsy

Etsy can be a really good place to start selling digital products because you can create your shop, upload your products and have them available for people to buy without needing to build a separate website first. Plus with Etsy being a full marketplace, the audience is already built-in.

Etsy is really popular for digital products like:

  • Printables
  • Planners
  • Templates
  • Wall art
  • Invitations
  • Business resources

One other big advantage is that people are already searching Etsy for things to buy.

You will of course still need to put some effort into your product listings. There are a LOT of products on Etsy lol. So good images, useful keywords, clear descriptions and titles that actually explain what you’re selling can help your products actually get found.

And if you already have a Blog, Pinterest account or social media following, you can send people directly to your Etsy products too rather than relying entirely on Etsy traffic.

Shopify

If you want your own online store instead then Shopify is a really good option.

You can create your own store around your own products. You can also customize how it looks and you have much more control over how everything is set up than you would on a marketplace like Etsy.

Honestly you can sell pretty much anything too. This could be ebooks, templates, printables and any other digital products you want. You also have the option to add physical products later if you ever want to.

One main difference in using Shopify is that instead of marketplaces like Etsy already having people searching/shopping on the platform, you’ll need to get people to your Shopify store yourself.

But if you’re already creating blog content, using Pinterest, growing an email list or building an audience somewhere else such as social media, you’ve already got a few ways you can start sending people over instantly.

And if Shopify is something you’re considering, I’ve got a full post on how to make money with Shopify with plenty more ideas for what you can sell and how you can use it. (There’s a free trial too so you can get an idea for if it’s for you.)

green shopify ADVERT IMAGE promoting 3 day free trial and then $1 a month for 3 months

Your Own Blog or Website

If you already have a blog or website, you can (of course) also use that to help sell your digital products.

This can work really well because you’re already (assumably) creating content around the same topics your products are based on.

For example, if you write about budgeting and sell a budget planner, you can naturally mention that planner in relevant blog posts.

If you write about blogging and sell content templates or planners, you can do exactly the same thing.

You can also promote your products to your email list, create Pinterest pins for them (and promote on whatever other channels you use anyway) and link to them from different places/pages across your website.

And you definitely don’t have to pick one option and stick with it forever lol.

You could start off by listing a few products on Etsy, then add your own Shopify store later. Plus you can use your blog to send people to whichever platform you decide to sell through.

Start with whichever option makes the most sense for you now. You can always change things or add another way to sell as you create more products.

How to Promote Digital Products

Once your digital product is finished and live/available for people to buy, you then need to find some ways to actually get people clicking on it.

The good news is there are LOADS of ways you can promote digital products online, whether you already have an audience or you’re starting completely from scratch. You can use your blog, Pinterest, email list, social media or even the platform you’re selling on to help more people find what you’ve created.

You don’t need to be promoting it on five different social media platforms every day either. Start with a couple of different options that make sense for you and the type of product you’re selling and then you can always add more as you go.

Below are a few ideas you can implement as part of your marketing strategy for your new (or older) products:

Create Blog Content Around the Product

If you already have a blog then you’ve already got an easy way to start promoting your digital products without having to create a completely separate audience for them.

You can write new posts around the same topics as your products and then link to them naturally within the content.

(If you already have posts that work then you can go back and promote them within those posts too.)

As an example if you sell a budget spreadsheet, you could write posts about:

  • How to create a monthly budget
  • How to organise household expenses
  • How to track your spending
  • How to start saving money

You can then mention your spreadsheet within each of those posts where it makes sense and is then genuinely helpful to the people finding and reading your content initially.

Someone who has found your post because they’re trying to create a monthly budget is already interested in that specific topic. Your spreadsheet then gives them something they can use to make the whole process even easier.

You can do exactly the same with other products. If you sell Pinterest Pin templates for example, you could mention them in posts about Pinterest marketing or creating pins etc. If you have a content planner, you could link to it from posts about content planning or coming up with new ideas etc.

Use Pinterest

Pinterest is another great way to promote digital products, especially if you’re already using it to get traffic to your blog.

You can create fresh pins that link directly to your products, or you can have the pins link to your posts or content that then link out to those digital products.

Think about the different things someone might be searching for that relate to what you’re selling and create pins around those too.

Doing some Pinterest keyword research will help you discover what terms people are searching for while ON Pinterest which can make a big difference.

For example if you sell a meal-planning bundle, you could create pins around meal planning, saving money on groceries, organising your meals for the week or making meal planning quicker and easier. Whatever is relevant to your product so people know what they are clicking through to.

That gives you loads of different ways to promote the same product without creating the same pin over and over again or looking spammy.

And because Pinterest is a search engine and not just a normal social media platform, using the right keywords in your pin titles and descriptions can help your pins and products continue being found long after you originally posted them.

If Pinterest is something you want to use to promote your products, I’ve got a full Pinterest Marketing for Beginners post that goes through how to get started and how I use it to get more eyes on my content completely for free.

Build an Email List

An email list can be SO useful when you’re selling digital products because you’re not relying on someone finding your product once and deciding to buy it there and then.

Maybe they find one of your blog posts first, download one of your freebies or come across you through Pinterest. The good thing about having an email list is that when someone joins your email list, you now have the perfect opportunity to keep showing up in their inbox and let them get to know you and what content you create.

You can send useful tips, send them direct links to your content, recommend products they may genuinely find helpful and (of course) tell them when you’ve created something new you want to share.

If for example you sell a content planner you could send an email with some of your favourite ways to come up with new content ideas and then mention the planner for anyone who wants somewhere to actually organise them all.

This will depend on which email provider you are with and their options but assuming you are with a platform such as MailerLite you can also set up automated emails that new subscribers receive (automatically, lol) after joining your email list, so some of this can continue happening without you having to send everything manually yourself.

I love and still use MailerLite for my own email list, and if you’re completely new to email marketing, I’ve also got an Email Marketing for Beginners post that will help you get everything set up and work out what to actually send.

mailerlite email marketing logo

Create a Freebie That Leads to Your Paid Product

You can also use a freebie to give people a little taste of what you offer before they decide whether they want to buy something from you.

And if you make your freebie related to one of your paid products, it can work even better.

I actually do this myself with my free Content Creation Download. Someone can download the ebook completely free and get loads of useful help with creating content, and once they’ve signed up they’re also then shown my Complete Social Media Content Toolkit at a hugely discounted price as a bonus.

The toolkit has so much more information in it, with even more resources to help them plan and create their content.

So it makes sense as something to offer next rather than suddenly trying to sell them a completely unrelated product lol.

And you can do the same thing with whatever you sell!

If you have a budgeting bundle, you could offer a free savings tracker. If you sell a larger template bundle, you could give away a couple of templates. Or if you have a paid ebook, you could create a useful checklist around the same topic.

Your freebie still needs to be something genuinely useful on its own of course, but it can also give people a really good introduction to the other products you have available.

katherine mclee content prompt freebie

Can You Sell Digital Products Without a Big Audience?

Yes! You definitely don’t need thousands of followers or a huge email list before you can start selling digital products.

Having an audience already there can obviously make things easier, but it’s far from the only way people can find what you’re selling lol.

If you sell on Etsy, people can find your products while they’re already searching for something they need. Pinterest can get your products in front of people searching for ideas and solutions, and blog posts can bring in people through Google who have never come across you before.

You can also promote in your email list and on social media, even if you have a smaller audience.

And remember, you don’t necessarily need thousands of people seeing your product anyway.

If 100 people find it and they’re all genuinely interested in the exact thing you’re selling, that can be much more useful than putting it in front of 10,000 random people who have absolutely no need for it.

At the end of the day it’s SALES you want, not VIEWS.

So you don’t have to wait until you’ve reached a large number of followers, subscribers or monthly visitors before you create something high quality and put it up for sale.

If you have a useful product and a way for the right people to find it, you can start selling it while you’re still building your audience at the same time.

Common Digital Product Mistakes to Avoid

Creating Something Before Checking Whether Anyone Wants It

It’s so easy to get excited about an idea for a digital product and immediately want to start creating it, but I would recommend to do a little bit of research before you spend your time, energy and effort creating it from scratch.

You don’t need to do months of research or have absolute proof that your product is going to sell before you create it as you may be creating something different from everyone else. Just have a look at what people are already searching for, what similar products are available and whether people are actually buying them.

If you do create something completely unique then that can be a huge selling point. But it can also make it a little trickier to market if people don’t know to search for the thing you are selling initially lol.

You can also look at the questions people are asking around the topic your digital product is about and you can read reviews on similar products and see if there are particular things people seem to want from a purchase, or things they struggle with.

It’s much easier to do a little research before you’ve spent hours creating the finished product than having to change it later as no one knows it exists. 

Making the Product Too Broad

Trying to create something that could work for absolutely everyone can actually make your product much harder to sell.

For example if you are creating a “business planner”, it’s best to make it tailored depending on who it’s for. Is it for a blogger, freelancer, Etsy seller or someone running a local small business? As they will all need completely different things from a business planner.

Something like a “90-Day Content Planner for New Bloggers” is much more specific and something a blogger would see and be like “Oh that’s for ME”.

You (and they) immediately know who it’s for, what they’re going to use it for and what kind of pages would actually be useful to include (or exclude, depending on the business you are targeting).

It also makes promoting your digital planner easier because you know exactly who you’re trying to get it in front of, and the types of things they might already be searching for (assuming you have done keyword research as mentioned earlier).

You don’t need to make every product ridiculously niche/specific, but having a clear idea of who you’re creating it for can make everything from deciding what to include to actually selling it a lot easier.

Spending Forever Making It Perfect

It’s too easy to keep finding one more thing you want to change before you finally get your product finished and up for sale.

You may change the colors, rewrite a page, add something else, decide you don’t like the cover anymore and suddenly something you thought would take a weekend has somehow taken you three weeks lol.

We have ALL been there. 

But your first digital product really doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be good, with helpful, high-quality information/layouts.

Make sure it’s useful, everything works properly and you’re happy enough with it to sell it, then actually get it listed.

You can always go back and update it later if you want to add something, change the design or make it even better.

You can keep the price lower initially if it’s a more basic product too and can create more products down the line at a higher price point, or upgrade your own product and raise the price if necessary then too.

And you’ll have a much better idea of what’s actually worth changing once real people have started looking at it, buying it and giving you reviews/feedback on it.

At some point, changing the font for the 18th time is just delaying the bit where you actually give someone the chance to buy it lol.

Creating Too Many Products at Once

You definitely don’t need an entire shop full of products before you can start selling.

Start with one, get it finished and once you’re happy with it, and then spend some time promoting it before immediately deciding you need another ten products lol. 

When you are ready to create something else, it can help to think about what could work alongside what you already have. This isn’t compulsory though.

If you are ONLY promoting your digital products on Etsy for example, sticking to the same niche/same family of products can help your reach. Where as if you are promoting products separately within blog posts or via separate shops or landing pages, there isn’t the same need to keep them all closely related.

If (for example) you’ve made a content planner and got it live for sale, you could then create a pack of content prompts or templates next and eventually combine them into a bigger bundle.

Forgetting About the Product Sales Page

Do not forget the importance of a good sales/product page.

You could have an amazing product, but people still need to understand exactly what they’re getting before they’re going to buy it lol.

Whether you’re listing it on Etsy, Shopify or somewhere else, make sure your product page clearly explains:

  • What the product actually is
  • Who it’s best for
  • Exactly what’s included
  • What it can help them with
  • What file type they’ll receive
  • Whether it’s printable, editable or ready to use
  • How they’ll receive or access it
  • What they need in order to use it
  • Any important usage or licence information (e.g PLR)

Add as many useful images or previews as you can too, especially for things like planners, templates and printables where people will want to see what they’re buying.

Not every blogger planner will be for every blogger. Being able to see what’s inside (not all pages, but enough to get a good idea) can help a lot.

You don’t want someone to have to scroll through your listing three times trying to work out what’s included, how they’re going to receive it or whether the product is actually right for them as they won’t bother and will leave the page.

Make it as easy as possible for them to look at your product and know exactly what they’re getting from the start.

Ready to Start Selling Digital Products for Passive Income?

The best digital products to sell for passive income aren’t necessarily the biggest, most complicated or the ones that take you months to create.

Sometimes a simple $5 checklist that saves someone an hour of research can be just as useful as a huge bundle with 50 different resources inside it.

I myself have purchased Pinterest Pin Templates, Income Tracking Spreadsheets, PLR Products, Planners and various other things to save time.

What matters is that you’re creating something people actually have a reason to buy. Something that saves them time, makes something easier, helps them get organised or gives them a shortcut they’d happily pay for can be invaluable to those who need it.

And you definitely don’t need an entire shop full of products before you can start making sales either.

Choose an idea that fits with what you already know and just do a little research to make sure people are interested in it and create something genuinely useful.

Then get it finished and get it out there!

Once your first digital product is available for people to actually buy, you can start promoting it, see what people respond to and use everything you learn to decide what you want to create next.

And before you know it, that one product could be the beginning of a whole collection of digital products bringing in passive income for you.

Speak soon!

Katherine

📌 Pin for later 📌

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Affiliate Links Getting Clicks But No Sales? Try These Simple Fixes https://katherinemclee.com/affiliate-links-getting-clicks-but-no-sales/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=affiliate-links-getting-clicks-but-no-sales https://katherinemclee.com/affiliate-links-getting-clicks-but-no-sales/#respond Sun, 23 Aug 2026 15:24:50 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=17892

In this post we are going to go over why your affiliate links may be getting a good amount of clicks, but aren’t converting into sales. Getting clicks on your affiliate links is exciting… right up until you realise those clicks aren’t actually turning into any sales lol. The good news here is that if people are clicking your links then they’re obviously interested in what you’re recommending. It means they have read your content, clicked your link and gone to have a proper look at that product… but then haven’t bought anything at the other side. This is where affiliate marketing can feel a little frustrating initially. Because getting the initial click through is only one part of the process of making money through affiliate marketing. There are a few things that can get in the way between someone clicking your link and actually deciding to buy whatever it is you are promoting on the other side of that link. The important thing is that those clicks are telling you people are interested, and interested enough to look at the product more closely, which gives you something to work with. So let’s get into the most common reasons your affiliate links are getting clicks but no sales, and what you can actually do to turn more of those clicks into real commissions. Is It Normal To Get Clicks Without Sales? Yep. No fluff here lol. Getting lots of clicks before getting any actual sales is completely normal. Especially when you’re first starting out and you’re still figuring out what works for your audience. Think about how you shop online yourself. How often do you click on something and immediately buy it without giving it another thought? Probably not that often! May happen occasionally, but not all the time. Your readers are doing exactly the same thing. They might click your affiliate link because they’re genuinely interested in your recommendation but then: So while seeing those clicks come in is a good sign (of course)… a click doesn’t automatically equal a sale. There’s usually a little more going on between someone thinking “Ooh, that looks good” and actually purchasing it. (In part this will of course vary depending on your niche, audience and the price of the recommendations within your links.) Why People Click Affiliate Links But Don’t Buy They Were Just Curious Sometimes people click simply because something has caught their attention and they want to have a nosey at what you’re recommending lol. They might like the sound of the product, want to check the price or just want a bit more information before deciding whether it’s for them. We all do this! They may have absolutely no intention of buying it there and then… and that’s absolutely okay. Not everyone who clicks an affiliate link is going to be ready to spend money straight away. They could even come back and buy later once they’ve had time to think about it. So a click without an immediate sale doesn’t necessarily mean your recommendation didn’t work. Remember that a lot of affiliate links/products have a long cookie period (average 1-90 days) so if someone goes back to that product 2 weeks later and decides to buy it then, you may still get the commission for recommending it initially. The Product Wasn’t What They Expected This is one of the easiest mistakes/issues to avoid. Being 100% transparent about prices, pros, cons, who it’s for etc etc can make a huge difference when it comes to people buying what you are recommending. Do not try and hide information such as pricing as they will see the price anyway and it just makes you look as if you are hiding it.  Even if a product is (in your opinion) “expensive”, everyone has a different budget and if it’s worth the cost then THAT is the part that matters. You want to make sure what you’re saying in your content/about the product actually matches what someone finds when they click your affiliate link and goes through to the product website. If you’ve made a product sound super affordable and they click through to find it costs $500, they’re probably going to click off and disappear pretty quickly! Being upfront that something costs $500 and is worth it means only those who are happy with that price are going to click through initially.  This way you aren’t wasting their (or your own) time. Plus it stops you looking shady lol. The same applies to the product features, results, who the product is for or anything else that might have encouraged them to click your link in the first place. No one product is right for everyone. So don’t act as if it is. Be honest in who it is actually for, as those are the people you are going to get the commission from (potentially). You don’t need to convince people that a product is something it isn’t, just to get the click. It’s honestly pointless. Clicks themselves do not pay you.  Give them a good idea of what to expect beforehand and the people who do click are much more likely to be genuinely interested in buying it.  THESE are the readers you want clicking through. They Still Have Questions Sometimes someone can be interested enough in a product to click your link, but still have questions they want the answers to before they’re actually ready to buy it. This is where more detailed information/content can really help them. Try and pre-emptively answer the questions you’d want answered about a product or service before you’d actually commit to spending your own money… and make sure you’re answering/going over as many of them as possible! The more useful and helpful information you can give someone before they click, the more informed they can feel about deciding whether the product is right for them initially, without having to dig around for the answers they wanted initially. They Need More Time Not every affiliate sale is going to happen five minutes after someone clicks your link. In fact this isn’t the common way it works at all. Some purchases need a bit more thought, especially if they cost more money, or involve signing up for a subscription. Someone could click your link today, think about it for a few days and then come back and buy it next week. This is normal and happens a lot. It could be that they were looking at it late at night and fell asleep and don’t re-find the tab for a few days… anything can happen! This is also why it’s worth checking the cookie duration for the affiliate programmes you use. As I mentioned above, depending on the programme, you might get commission for a product on a purchase made within: So don’t automatically write off a click just because it didn’t turn into a commission that same day or at that exact moment. That sale could still appear later on for you. (Or someone could come back and click a second time the following month and then buy… no sales doesn’t mean never, it can also just mean “not now”.) The Price Put Them Off Sometimes there isn’t anything else going on other than that they clicked on the link, saw the price and was instantly put off. If you are transparent about pricing in your content,, this one shouldn’t be as much of an issue. In saying that there are of course still reasons why price would put someone off…. The product was maybe more expensive than they expected/remembered, the price had increased since they last looked, or they literally just can’t justify spending that amount right now. All are completely valid reasons. That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your content or even the product itself. They were interested enough to click; the price just wasn’t right for them. And that’s okay. They know the price for if they decide to make it work, and if not then it wasn’t for them anyway. Being as clear as possible about costs/pricing can help reduce this as a reason fairly dramatically though. They Need a Little More Confidence in the Recommendation Sometimes people are interested in what you’re recommending but they just want a little more information before they’re ready to spend their money on it. This is where creating genuinely helpful content can make such a difference.  A mistake people often make is that they will just tell someone a product is great and add their affiliate link with no explanation. What actually gets conversions and sales is to explain why you recommend it, who you think it’s best for and what you actually like about it. Go over pros AND cons. You will be surprised how often the CONS list is the one that sells people on something…. A con about a course could be “it feels too slow/too simple”, yet for some people they maybe prefer a simpler approach/things slowed down a little as that’s how they learn best. The opposite could also be true for a course that feels fast-paced and over-filled… for a lot of people that would mean it’s not for them. Yet there will be people who LOVE learning that way in which case it is actually perfect for them. If you’ve used the product yourself, share your own experience. Good and bad. If you haven’t, make sure you’ve done enough research (and trust in the company/product enough) to give your readers real, useful information rather than simply repeating what they could find on the sales page themselves. The more useful and honest your content is, the more familiar people become with your recommendations too. The more people trust you and your recommendations, that can make clicking that BUY button feel like a much easier decision too. How To Increase Your Affiliate Sales Recommend Products You’d Actually Recommend Anyway One of the easiest ways to make your affiliate content feel more genuine (to you and your readers) is to promote products you’d happily tell someone about even if there wasn’t a monetary commission attached. That doesn’t mean you have to personally own every single product you ever mention. Depending on your niche, that wouldn’t always be possible (or affordable!). If (for example) your content is based around lawn mower reviews, there would be no expectation to buy 300 lawn mowers to talk about lol. But you should know enough about what you’re recommending to understand why those products specifically could be useful to your target audience. If you’ve used it yourself then even better as people know and can tell. You can then share what you liked, what you didn’t, how you used it and anything you think someone should or would want to know before buying. Those little details are often far more useful than simply listing features from the product page lol. Answer the Questions Someone Might Have Before Buying If you think about the last time you were considering buying something online. Chances are, you had a few questions you wanted answered before actually buying it lol. Your readers are obviously no different. Instead of simply telling them a product is great, give them the information they actually need to decide whether it’s right for them. Depending on what you’re recommending, they might want to know things like: The idea is simply to answer the questions someone is likely to have before they need to go looking for those answers somewhere else. As an example… If your content is beauty based, telling someone a lipstick looks nice is great, but what you want to be saying is notes on the colour, texture, longevity, the smell, the packaging, if it bleeds or transfers, how the colour fades down…. Etc etc. Answer questions BEFORE people have them. Create Content for People Who Are Already Looking for a Solution  The type of searches bringing people to your content can make a big difference to your affiliate sales. For...

The post Affiliate Links Getting Clicks But No Sales? Try These Simple Fixes appeared first on Katherine McLee.

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In this post we are going to go over why your affiliate links may be getting a good amount of clicks, but aren’t converting into sales.

Getting clicks on your affiliate links is exciting… right up until you realise those clicks aren’t actually turning into any sales lol.

The good news here is that if people are clicking your links then they’re obviously interested in what you’re recommending. It means they have read your content, clicked your link and gone to have a proper look at that product… but then haven’t bought anything at the other side.

This is where affiliate marketing can feel a little frustrating initially. Because getting the initial click through is only one part of the process of making money through affiliate marketing.

There are a few things that can get in the way between someone clicking your link and actually deciding to buy whatever it is you are promoting on the other side of that link.

The important thing is that those clicks are telling you people are interested, and interested enough to look at the product more closely, which gives you something to work with.

So let’s get into the most common reasons your affiliate links are getting clicks but no sales, and what you can actually do to turn more of those clicks into real commissions.

Affiliate Links Getting Clicks But No Sales? Try These Simple Fixes image purple background with woman thining in an orange sweater jumper and text saying "no clicks affiliate marketing?"

Is It Normal To Get Clicks Without Sales?

Yep.

No fluff here lol.

Getting lots of clicks before getting any actual sales is completely normal. Especially when you’re first starting out and you’re still figuring out what works for your audience.

Think about how you shop online yourself. How often do you click on something and immediately buy it without giving it another thought? Probably not that often! May happen occasionally, but not all the time.

Your readers are doing exactly the same thing. They might click your affiliate link because they’re genuinely interested in your recommendation but then:

  • Check if they can find it cheaper somewhere else
  • Look at a few reviews first
  • Save it to come back to later
  • Wait until they get paid
  • Get distracted and forget all about it
  • Decide they don’t want/need it after all

So while seeing those clicks come in is a good sign (of course)… a click doesn’t automatically equal a sale.

There’s usually a little more going on between someone thinking “Ooh, that looks good” and actually purchasing it.

(In part this will of course vary depending on your niche, audience and the price of the recommendations within your links.)

Why People Click Affiliate Links But Don’t Buy

They Were Just Curious

Sometimes people click simply because something has caught their attention and they want to have a nosey at what you’re recommending lol.

They might like the sound of the product, want to check the price or just want a bit more information before deciding whether it’s for them.

We all do this!

They may have absolutely no intention of buying it there and then… and that’s absolutely okay.

Not everyone who clicks an affiliate link is going to be ready to spend money straight away.

They could even come back and buy later once they’ve had time to think about it. So a click without an immediate sale doesn’t necessarily mean your recommendation didn’t work.

Remember that a lot of affiliate links/products have a long cookie period (average 1-90 days) so if someone goes back to that product 2 weeks later and decides to buy it then, you may still get the commission for recommending it initially.

The Product Wasn’t What They Expected

This is one of the easiest mistakes/issues to avoid.

Being 100% transparent about prices, pros, cons, who it’s for etc etc can make a huge difference when it comes to people buying what you are recommending.

Do not try and hide information such as pricing as they will see the price anyway and it just makes you look as if you are hiding it. 

Even if a product is (in your opinion) “expensive”, everyone has a different budget and if it’s worth the cost then THAT is the part that matters.

You want to make sure what you’re saying in your content/about the product actually matches what someone finds when they click your affiliate link and goes through to the product website.

If you’ve made a product sound super affordable and they click through to find it costs $500, they’re probably going to click off and disappear pretty quickly!

Being upfront that something costs $500 and is worth it means only those who are happy with that price are going to click through initially. 

This way you aren’t wasting their (or your own) time.

Plus it stops you looking shady lol.

The same applies to the product features, results, who the product is for or anything else that might have encouraged them to click your link in the first place.

No one product is right for everyone. So don’t act as if it is. Be honest in who it is actually for, as those are the people you are going to get the commission from (potentially).

You don’t need to convince people that a product is something it isn’t, just to get the click. It’s honestly pointless.

Clicks themselves do not pay you. 

Give them a good idea of what to expect beforehand and the people who do click are much more likely to be genuinely interested in buying it. 

THESE are the readers you want clicking through.

They Still Have Questions

Sometimes someone can be interested enough in a product to click your link, but still have questions they want the answers to before they’re actually ready to buy it.

This is where more detailed information/content can really help them.

Try and pre-emptively answer the questions you’d want answered about a product or service before you’d actually commit to spending your own money… and make sure you’re answering/going over as many of them as possible!

The more useful and helpful information you can give someone before they click, the more informed they can feel about deciding whether the product is right for them initially, without having to dig around for the answers they wanted initially.

hostgator hosting free domain with some plans

They Need More Time

Not every affiliate sale is going to happen five minutes after someone clicks your link.

In fact this isn’t the common way it works at all.

Some purchases need a bit more thought, especially if they cost more money, or involve signing up for a subscription.

Someone could click your link today, think about it for a few days and then come back and buy it next week. This is normal and happens a lot.

It could be that they were looking at it late at night and fell asleep and don’t re-find the tab for a few days… anything can happen!

This is also why it’s worth checking the cookie duration for the affiliate programmes you use. As I mentioned above, depending on the programme, you might get commission for a product on a purchase made within:

  • 24 hours
  • 30 days
  • 60 days
  • 90 days +

So don’t automatically write off a click just because it didn’t turn into a commission that same day or at that exact moment. That sale could still appear later on for you.

(Or someone could come back and click a second time the following month and then buy… no sales doesn’t mean never, it can also just mean “not now”.)

The Price Put Them Off

Sometimes there isn’t anything else going on other than that they clicked on the link, saw the price and was instantly put off.

If you are transparent about pricing in your content,, this one shouldn’t be as much of an issue. In saying that there are of course still reasons why price would put someone off….

The product was maybe more expensive than they expected/remembered, the price had increased since they last looked, or they literally just can’t justify spending that amount right now.

All are completely valid reasons.

That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your content or even the product itself. They were interested enough to click; the price just wasn’t right for them. And that’s okay.

They know the price for if they decide to make it work, and if not then it wasn’t for them anyway.

Being as clear as possible about costs/pricing can help reduce this as a reason fairly dramatically though.

They Need a Little More Confidence in the Recommendation

Sometimes people are interested in what you’re recommending but they just want a little more information before they’re ready to spend their money on it.

This is where creating genuinely helpful content can make such a difference. 

A mistake people often make is that they will just tell someone a product is great and add their affiliate link with no explanation.

What actually gets conversions and sales is to explain why you recommend it, who you think it’s best for and what you actually like about it.

Go over pros AND cons.

You will be surprised how often the CONS list is the one that sells people on something….

A con about a course could be “it feels too slow/too simple”, yet for some people they maybe prefer a simpler approach/things slowed down a little as that’s how they learn best.

The opposite could also be true for a course that feels fast-paced and over-filled… for a lot of people that would mean it’s not for them. Yet there will be people who LOVE learning that way in which case it is actually perfect for them.

If you’ve used the product yourself, share your own experience. Good and bad. If you haven’t, make sure you’ve done enough research (and trust in the company/product enough) to give your readers real, useful information rather than simply repeating what they could find on the sales page themselves.

The more useful and honest your content is, the more familiar people become with your recommendations too. The more people trust you and your recommendations, that can make clicking that BUY button feel like a much easier decision too.

How To Increase Your Affiliate Sales

Recommend Products You’d Actually Recommend Anyway

One of the easiest ways to make your affiliate content feel more genuine (to you and your readers) is to promote products you’d happily tell someone about even if there wasn’t a monetary commission attached.

That doesn’t mean you have to personally own every single product you ever mention.

Depending on your niche, that wouldn’t always be possible (or affordable!). If (for example) your content is based around lawn mower reviews, there would be no expectation to buy 300 lawn mowers to talk about lol.

But you should know enough about what you’re recommending to understand why those products specifically could be useful to your target audience.

If you’ve used it yourself then even better as people know and can tell.

You can then share what you liked, what you didn’t, how you used it and anything you think someone should or would want to know before buying.

Those little details are often far more useful than simply listing features from the product page lol.

Answer the Questions Someone Might Have Before Buying

If you think about the last time you were considering buying something online. Chances are, you had a few questions you wanted answered before actually buying it lol.

Your readers are obviously no different.

Instead of simply telling them a product is great, give them the information they actually need to decide whether it’s right for them.

Depending on what you’re recommending, they might want to know things like:

  • Is it actually worth the money?
  • What did you like about it?
  • Was there anything you didn’t like?
  • Who would you recommend it to?
  • Is it easy to use?
  • Did it actually do what you expected?
  • Would you buy it again?

The idea is simply to answer the questions someone is likely to have before they need to go looking for those answers somewhere else.

As an example… If your content is beauty based, telling someone a lipstick looks nice is great, but what you want to be saying is notes on the colour, texture, longevity, the smell, the packaging, if it bleeds or transfers, how the colour fades down…. Etc etc.

Answer questions BEFORE people have them.

Create Content for People Who Are Already Looking for a Solution 

The type of searches bringing people to your content can make a big difference to your affiliate sales.

For example, someone searching for “What is Semrush?” might only be trying to find out what the tool does.

Someone searching for “Semrush review” or “Semrush vs Keysearch”, on the other hand, probably already knows they need an SEO tool and is now trying to decide which one to use and which one is right for them.

That’s the kind of traffic you want to attract to your affiliate content – the people who are looking to buy, more than those just curious what it is.

The curious people may well come back and buy down the line too – so the more helpful the info the better, but with higher priced products, intent to buy will help speed up your conversions.

When you’re planning new content, think about what someone might be searching for when they’re closer to making the decision to buy.

Another example would be a post called “What Are Running Sneakers?” could be incredibly helpful, but in terms of affiliate clicks, a post called “Best Running Sneakers for Women Over 40” is what people would aim for if they were looking to BUY. Not just for info.

On the topic of keywords… If you’re still getting to grips with keyword research (and how to structure posts like I mentioned above), I’ve also put together a full breakdown of what Semrush is and how bloggers can use it for keyword research, including how it can help you find the best keywords for you and plan content around what people are actually searching for which is half the battle lol. 

Give People a Reason to Come Back

We have talked about this a bit, but someone may find your blog content today without being ready to buy anything, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back when they are ready.

This is why it’s worth creating genuinely helpful content around the topics and products you talk about.

If someone gets a useful answer from one of your posts, clicks through to another and then comes across your blog again later, your site starts becoming somewhere they recognise rather than a page they visited once and immediately forgot about lol.

Having an email list is the ideal option for this because it gives you a way to stay in touch with people who already enjoy your content (or people who want to be able to come back). You can share new posts, send useful tips and bring people back to your blog without relying on them remembering to check for something new.

If you haven’t started your own list yet, I have a full beginner’s guide to email marketing post that takes you through how to get started, build your list and what you can actually send once people subscribe to you.

My own email list is with MailerLite and I genuinely love using it. Especially as you can start out completely for free lol.

I make my emails look how I want them to, setting up forms and automations is nice and straightforward, and I’m not constantly fighting with the platform just to do something simple which would drive me mad lol.

If you’re still deciding which email marketing platform to use, it’s definitely one I’d recommend having a look at.

Don’t Expect Every Click to Turn Into a Sale

Even when you’re doing everything right, you’re never going to see one sale for every affiliate click… and you don’t need to lol.

From Google: “The average click-to-buy affiliate conversion rate typically ranges from 1% to 3%. This means that for every 100 people who click an affiliate link, 1 to 3 complete a purchase.”

This sounds low, but that’s completely normal. Some will do better, some will be slower. 

The more relevant/interested people you get seeing your content, the more will click, the more have the chance to buy.

Do not get discouraged every time you see clicks without commissions. It can be really helpful information.

Which posts are getting the most affiliate clicks? Which products are people most interested in? Are certain links getting clicked far more than others?

Then you can use that information to decide what to work on/update next.

If one product is getting a good amount of clicks, you could create more content around it or add in more information so people are even more informed before clicking to the product page.

If an affiliate post is getting traffic but hardly anyone clicks the links, that shows that your content/links/affiliate info needs updating or rewording.

And – of course – if something is already generating sales, that’s a pretty good sign you should be doing more of whatever worked there lol.

You don’t need every click to convert. This will never happen. Do not expect it to lol. You need to keep growing the amount of readers on your blog, updating helpful info, and then that can improve what happens between someone finding your content/the product and deciding to buy for themselves.

What’s Actually Working for Me

One thing I’ve found really useful with affiliate marketing is paying attention to which products and posts are already getting the most interest/clicks.

When I look through my own dashboards, there are naturally some links that get a lot more clicks than others. Often the higher click through rate the higher the conversion rate – but not always!

Rather than constantly looking for something new to promote, I use that information to work out what my readers are interested in and where it might be worth creating more, or updating, content.

Here are a few examples of how I’m currently using affiliate links across my own blog: 

shopify ad

If you’re already getting affiliate clicks or sales, have a look through your own analytics/numbers and see if you can spot any patterns.

You might find that one particular product gets far more attention than you thought, or that a certain type of post sends more people to your affiliate links.

You don’t always need to keep finding new products to promote. Sometimes there’s a lot more you can do with the ones that are already getting results!

Should You Remove Affiliate Links That Aren’t Converting?

This is a slightly trickier one to answer as it will depend on a few factors.

If an affiliate link is getting clicks but hasn’t made you any money yet, I wouldn’t remove it. The fact it’s getting clicks is important info. It’s more likely that there is a disconnect between your content, the reader’s expectations and the product itself.

Have a look at what you could improve around the link before deciding to remove it!

It’s also worth remembering that different products can have completely different buying journeys for people (on average).

A $10 product is a very different decision from signing up for a $400 course or paying for software every month.

Some products are also more popular at certain times of the year. So comparing every affiliate link purely by how quickly it makes a sale won’t always tell you much unless you look at overall numbers over a long period of time.

If something is getting regular clicks, I’d take that as a reason to investigate and improve it before removing it!

If a link is new and hasn’t had a good chance to gain traction, that’s also a reason to leave it alone. 

On the other hand if you have links where you have lost trust/faith in the product, you prefer a different product, links have sat there for months with ZERO clicks etc then yes, absolutely remove them.

You can update your content and swap your links out for better/more relevant product links and then assess how those do.

Turning Those Affiliate Clicks Into More Sales

Getting the click initially is actually a pretty important part of the process.

Your reader has noticed and liked your recommendation and they’re interested in it and they’ve chosen to find out more/look to potentially buying it.

So if the sales aren’t following your clicks yet, don’t automatically assume the affiliate link isn’t working. 

Make sure you’re recommending products that make sense for your content and audience, answer the questions someone is likely to have before buying and give them enough useful information to decide whether the product is actually right for them.

You can also look at which of your posts, products and links are getting the most attention/people are finding the most helpful, and use that to help you decide what to focus on next in terms of products and content.

Remember, you don’t need every single person who clicks an affiliate link to buy something. It won’t happen lol.

You want the people who genuinely want or need what you’re recommending to feel happy clicking through and spending their money after trusting your word.

Those clicks (without sales) aren’t something to write off. They’re proof that you’ve already got people interested… and now you can work on turning more of that interest into commissions!

Speak soon!

Katherine

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Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) https://katherinemclee.com/email-marketing-for-beginners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=email-marketing-for-beginners https://katherinemclee.com/email-marketing-for-beginners/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:43:27 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=17593

In this post we are going to go over Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) to simplify it. If you’re new to blogging or making money online, there’s a high chance you’ve seen people talking about email marketing. You’’ have heard people say that it’s one of the best ways to grow your business. Apparently “the money is in the email list.” Apparently you should start building one as soon as possible. Great… But then what?  Because most people tell you that you need an email list, but they don’t really explain what happens after that lol. How do people actually get subscribers onto their list? What are you supposed to send once someone signs up? And do you really need all these fancy automations, systems and funnels everyone keeps talking about? When I first looked into email marketing, it felt like one of those things that everyone else seemed to understand apart from me lol. The good news is that it really isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Once you strip away all the confusing email marketing jargon, it’s actually pretty straightforward. And you definitely don’t need a huge audience or loads of complicated systems or automations to get started. In this post, I’ll show you how email marketing works, how to start your first email list, what to send your subscribers, and why it’s one of the best things you can do if you’re looking to grow a blog or online business. Let’s get into Email Marketing for Beginners. What Is Email Marketing? Email marketing is as simple as it sounds. You market your content to your audience via emails. The easiest way to think about email marketing is this… Someone enjoys your blog, freebie, or content enough to give you their email address because they’d like to hear from you again. From there, you simply send them emails every so often depending on your business/strategy. That’s it. It doesn’t have to be daily. It doesn’t have to be complicated. And it definitely doesn’t need loads of fancy automations when you’re just getting started.  I had my email list for months before even thinking about setting up automations. The reason so many bloggers and online business owners recommend building an email list is because it gives you a way to stay in touch with people who’ve already shown an interest in what you do. It means you have a “direct” line of communication with people who are already interested in your content/products/ideas. Think about how many times you’ve visited a website, read one blog post, then completely forgotten it existed a few days later. We’ve all done it 😂 But if you’d joined that website’s email list, there’s a good chance you’d have gone back the next time they sent an email. That’s why having your own email list can be so valuable. Instead of hoping someone remembers to come back, you’ve got a way of reaching people directly whenever you’ve got something you want to share. Maybe that’s some information, a new product, a blog post, a YouTube video, a special offer/discount, a course, a new service, or simply something you think your audience will find useful. It’s one of the few things online that you actually own, which is why so many bloggers see it as such an important part of growing their business. Social media accounts can get deactivated or banned, whereas you own your email list so always have that line of communication with your audience. Why Is Email Marketing Important? At first, it can be easy to wonder whether you even need an email list. After all, if you’ve got a website, social media account, YouTube channel, or online shop, you’d assume that surely people can just find you there? The problem is that people are busy. They might enjoy your content today, then completely forget to come back next week. Or they close your website/socials and forget your name/business name and can’t then find you even if they do remember. Not because they didn’t like it… …but because life gets in the way. An email list gives you a simple way to stay in touch with the people who have already shown an interest in what you do. This means that instead of hoping someone stumbles across your website or social media again, you can let them know when you’ve got something new to share and they don’t have to go looking for you. That could be a new blog post, or maybe you’ve added a new product to your shop or maybe you’re launching a course, running a sale, uploading a new YouTube video, or sharing something you think your audience will genuinely find useful etc etc. Whatever your business looks like, an email list helps you keep that connection going. And in such a simple way. And over time, those connections can become one of the most valuable parts of growing an online business. It’s really not a step to be skipped! Step 1: Choose An Email Marketing Platform Before you can start building an email list, you’ll need an email marketing platform. This is simply the online website/tool that stores your subscribers’ email addresses and lets you send emails to them. It’s also where you’ll create signup forms, pop ups, set up automations (if you want to), keep everything organised and where you can check your analytics so you can see what’s working best. There are quite a few email marketing platforms out there, including: The good news is that you don’t need to spend hours comparing every single one lol. They all do a very similar job, so the best one is usually the one you find easiest to use and is the one that fits your needs/budget the best. Personally, I (still) use MailerLite because I found it really straightforward to set up, it’s really beginner-friendly, and it has everything I need without feeling complicated. It’s also completely free to start on a starter plan and so easy to upgrade when your list grows/you feel like you want more features which is what I did in time. 👉 Get Started On MailerLite Here Step 2: Create A Freebie (Lead Magnet) The next step is giving people a reason to join your email list. This is why a lead magnet is so important… If someone lands on your website for the first time, they probably don’t know you yet. Asking them to hand over their email address without getting anything in return can be a bit of a big ask lol. That’s where a freebie comes in. A freebie (often called a lead magnet) is simply something helpful that people receive when they sign up to your email list. It doesn’t need to be complicated or take weeks to create either. You can get PLR products that are already pre-done which is an easy option. Some popular freebie lead magnet ideas include things like: The best freebies solve one small problem or help someone achieve something quickly. For example, if you teach blogging, you could create a blog launch checklist. (This is exactly what my first one was and it did really well.) If you help people with social media/marketing, you could give away a month’s worth of content ideas. If you sell digital products, you could offer a free planner or template etc etc. The goal isn’t to create the biggest freebie possible or anything hugely complicated lol. It’s simply to give someone something genuinely useful that makes them think, “wow that was really helpful.” Step 3: Create An Opt-In Form Now that you’ve made/got your freebie, you need a way for people to actually sign up for it. This is where an opt-in form comes in. This can have a variety of different looks, but basically an opt-in form is simply a form where someone enters their name and email address to join your email list and receive your freebie. This could be on a landing page, an embedded box, a pop up, a banner etc etc. Often email marketing platforms (such as Mailerlite) make these really easy to create so you don’t need any coding or technical experience. You can add your signup form to places like: Etc etc! They are really customisable too no matter which option/options you choose to go with. Plus you can start/stop them at any time. The main thing is making it easy for people to find as people will rarely go looking for it. If someone has to go searching for your signup form, there’s a good chance (as in, pretty much 100% chance lol) that they will leave your site before they ever find it. Placing it somewhere really obvious/visible gives people the opportunity to join your email list whenever they’re ready to do so. This could be for updates from you, or that they want your freebie/lead magnet. And sometimes people can see a pop up 10+ times before deciding to sign up, so having it in an obvious place helps with conversion rates. The main thing to keep in mind is to make it easy to find. A clear, easy-to-find signup form removes any extra friction/confusion and makes it much more likely they’ll subscribe which is a win for both you and the reader.  Step 4: Set Up A Welcome Sequence Once someone’s joined your email list, it’s a good idea to have a few emails ready to send to them. This is usually called a welcome sequence/automation, but don’t let the name put you off lol. It’s basically just a series of emails that are automatically sent to new subscribers over the next few days or weeks. That way, everyone gets the same warm welcome without you having to send each email yourself to each new subscriber. A simple welcome sequence might look something like this: Email 1 Email 2 Email 3 Email 4 The idea isn’t to sell something in every email. Email marketing is connection first. It’s really just to help new subscribers get to know you, understand what you do, and give them a reason to keep opening your emails in the future. What Should You Actually Send? This is probably the question I see people ask the most. Understandably lol. “Okay… I’ve got people on my email list now. What do I actually send them?”  The main thing to remember is that your emails don’t need to be long, complicated, or perfectly written. Often some of the best emails are the simplest ones. If you’re ever stuck for ideas, here are a few ideas of content topics you can send to your list: Let People Know About New Content Published a new blog post? Uploaded a YouTube video? Released a podcast episode? Send your subscribers an email to let them know! Remember that people have signed up because they (yes, wanted the freebie) but also because they wanted to hear from you or they would have unsubscribed lol, so don’t be afraid to share what you’ve been working on. Share Helpful Tips Not every email needs to promote something. Not every email should promote something. For some emails you can just share something like a quick/useful tip, or answer a commonly asked question, or teach your audience something useful they maybe don’t already know/need reminding of. Those kinds of emails help build trust and give people a reason to keep opening your emails rather than thinking you are selling to them in every email. Share Personal Stories People love hearing about real experiences. You could talk about a lesson you’ve learned, a mistake you made, something that’s worked well for you, or even something you’re currently trying to improve. Anything along those lines always goes down well. These types of emails often feel more personal and help your audience get to know you a little better which is a nice connection to have. Recommend Products Or Resources If you’ve found a tool, product, or resource...

The post Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) appeared first on Katherine McLee.

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In this post we are going to go over Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) to simplify it.

If you’re new to blogging or making money online, there’s a high chance you’ve seen people talking about email marketing.

You’’ have heard people say that it’s one of the best ways to grow your business.

Apparently “the money is in the email list.”

Apparently you should start building one as soon as possible.

Great…

But then what? 

Because most people tell you that you need an email list, but they don’t really explain what happens after that lol.

How do people actually get subscribers onto their list?

What are you supposed to send once someone signs up?

And do you really need all these fancy automations, systems and funnels everyone keeps talking about?

When I first looked into email marketing, it felt like one of those things that everyone else seemed to understand apart from me lol.

The good news is that it really isn’t as complicated as it sounds.

Once you strip away all the confusing email marketing jargon, it’s actually pretty straightforward. And you definitely don’t need a huge audience or loads of complicated systems or automations to get started.

In this post, I’ll show you how email marketing works, how to start your first email list, what to send your subscribers, and why it’s one of the best things you can do if you’re looking to grow a blog or online business.

Let’s get into Email Marketing for Beginners.

Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) 
 post - hand holding smartphone with emails coming out over a white background and text overlay saying "email marketing for beginners"

What Is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is as simple as it sounds. You market your content to your audience via emails.

The easiest way to think about email marketing is this…

Someone enjoys your blog, freebie, or content enough to give you their email address because they’d like to hear from you again.

From there, you simply send them emails every so often depending on your business/strategy.

That’s it.

It doesn’t have to be daily.

It doesn’t have to be complicated.

And it definitely doesn’t need loads of fancy automations when you’re just getting started. 

I had my email list for months before even thinking about setting up automations.

The reason so many bloggers and online business owners recommend building an email list is because it gives you a way to stay in touch with people who’ve already shown an interest in what you do.

It means you have a “direct” line of communication with people who are already interested in your content/products/ideas.

Think about how many times you’ve visited a website, read one blog post, then completely forgotten it existed a few days later.

We’ve all done it 😂

But if you’d joined that website’s email list, there’s a good chance you’d have gone back the next time they sent an email.

That’s why having your own email list can be so valuable.

Instead of hoping someone remembers to come back, you’ve got a way of reaching people directly whenever you’ve got something you want to share.

Maybe that’s some information, a new product, a blog post, a YouTube video, a special offer/discount, a course, a new service, or simply something you think your audience will find useful.

It’s one of the few things online that you actually own, which is why so many bloggers see it as such an important part of growing their business.

Social media accounts can get deactivated or banned, whereas you own your email list so always have that line of communication with your audience.

Why Is Email Marketing Important?

At first, it can be easy to wonder whether you even need an email list.

After all, if you’ve got a website, social media account, YouTube channel, or online shop, you’d assume that surely people can just find you there?

The problem is that people are busy.

They might enjoy your content today, then completely forget to come back next week.

Or they close your website/socials and forget your name/business name and can’t then find you even if they do remember.

Not because they didn’t like it…

…but because life gets in the way.

An email list gives you a simple way to stay in touch with the people who have already shown an interest in what you do.

This means that instead of hoping someone stumbles across your website or social media again, you can let them know when you’ve got something new to share and they don’t have to go looking for you.

That could be a new blog post, or maybe you’ve added a new product to your shop or maybe you’re launching a course, running a sale, uploading a new YouTube video, or sharing something you think your audience will genuinely find useful etc etc.

Whatever your business looks like, an email list helps you keep that connection going. And in such a simple way.

And over time, those connections can become one of the most valuable parts of growing an online business.

It’s really not a step to be skipped!

Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) yellow backgrounf woman smiling at phone with email symbols

Step 1: Choose An Email Marketing Platform

Before you can start building an email list, you’ll need an email marketing platform.

This is simply the online website/tool that stores your subscribers’ email addresses and lets you send emails to them. It’s also where you’ll create signup forms, pop ups, set up automations (if you want to), keep everything organised and where you can check your analytics so you can see what’s working best.

There are quite a few email marketing platforms out there, including:

  • MailerLite
  • Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
  • Mailchimp

The good news is that you don’t need to spend hours comparing every single one lol. They all do a very similar job, so the best one is usually the one you find easiest to use and is the one that fits your needs/budget the best.

Personally, I (still) use MailerLite because I found it really straightforward to set up, it’s really beginner-friendly, and it has everything I need without feeling complicated.

It’s also completely free to start on a starter plan and so easy to upgrade when your list grows/you feel like you want more features which is what I did in time.

👉 Get Started On MailerLite Here

Step 2: Create A Freebie (Lead Magnet)

The next step is giving people a reason to join your email list.

This is why a lead magnet is so important…

If someone lands on your website for the first time, they probably don’t know you yet.

Asking them to hand over their email address without getting anything in return can be a bit of a big ask lol.

That’s where a freebie comes in.

A freebie (often called a lead magnet) is simply something helpful that people receive when they sign up to your email list.

It doesn’t need to be complicated or take weeks to create either.

You can get PLR products that are already pre-done which is an easy option.

Some popular freebie lead magnet ideas include things like:

  • Checklists
  • E-books
  • Templates
  • Content prompts
  • Printables
  • Planners
  • Resource lists

The best freebies solve one small problem or help someone achieve something quickly.

For example, if you teach blogging, you could create a blog launch checklist. (This is exactly what my first one was and it did really well.)

If you help people with social media/marketing, you could give away a month’s worth of content ideas.

If you sell digital products, you could offer a free planner or template etc etc.

The goal isn’t to create the biggest freebie possible or anything hugely complicated lol.

It’s simply to give someone something genuinely useful that makes them think, “wow that was really helpful.”

Step 3: Create An Opt-In Form

Now that you’ve made/got your freebie, you need a way for people to actually sign up for it.

This is where an opt-in form comes in.

This can have a variety of different looks, but basically an opt-in form is simply a form where someone enters their name and email address to join your email list and receive your freebie.

This could be on a landing page, an embedded box, a pop up, a banner etc etc.

Often email marketing platforms (such as Mailerlite) make these really easy to create so you don’t need any coding or technical experience.

You can add your signup form to places like:

  • Blog posts
  • Your homepage
  • Landing pages
  • Pop-ups
  • Resource pages

Etc etc!

They are really customisable too no matter which option/options you choose to go with. Plus you can start/stop them at any time.

The main thing is making it easy for people to find as people will rarely go looking for it.

If someone has to go searching for your signup form, there’s a good chance (as in, pretty much 100% chance lol) that they will leave your site before they ever find it.

Placing it somewhere really obvious/visible gives people the opportunity to join your email list whenever they’re ready to do so.

This could be for updates from you, or that they want your freebie/lead magnet. And sometimes people can see a pop up 10+ times before deciding to sign up, so having it in an obvious place helps with conversion rates.

The main thing to keep in mind is to make it easy to find.

A clear, easy-to-find signup form removes any extra friction/confusion and makes it much more likely they’ll subscribe which is a win for both you and the reader. 

Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) laptop showing email symbol

Step 4: Set Up A Welcome Sequence

Once someone’s joined your email list, it’s a good idea to have a few emails ready to send to them.

This is usually called a welcome sequence/automation, but don’t let the name put you off lol.

It’s basically just a series of emails that are automatically sent to new subscribers over the next few days or weeks.

That way, everyone gets the same warm welcome without you having to send each email yourself to each new subscriber.

A simple welcome sequence might look something like this:

Email 1

  • Deliver your freebie to their email
  • Welcome your new subscriber
  • Introduce yourself and what they can expect from your emails

Email 2

  • Share some of your most helpful content or resources

Email 3

  • Answer a common question or share a useful tip

Email 4

  • Recommend a product, service, tool, or resource that you genuinely think they’ll find helpful

The idea isn’t to sell something in every email. Email marketing is connection first.

It’s really just to help new subscribers get to know you, understand what you do, and give them a reason to keep opening your emails in the future.

What Should You Actually Send?

This is probably the question I see people ask the most. Understandably lol.

“Okay… I’ve got people on my email list now. What do I actually send them?” 

The main thing to remember is that your emails don’t need to be long, complicated, or perfectly written.

Often some of the best emails are the simplest ones.

If you’re ever stuck for ideas, here are a few ideas of content topics you can send to your list:

Let People Know About New Content

Published a new blog post? Uploaded a YouTube video? Released a podcast episode?

Send your subscribers an email to let them know!

Remember that people have signed up because they (yes, wanted the freebie) but also because they wanted to hear from you or they would have unsubscribed lol, so don’t be afraid to share what you’ve been working on.

Share Helpful Tips

Not every email needs to promote something.

Not every email should promote something.

For some emails you can just share something like a quick/useful tip, or answer a commonly asked question, or teach your audience something useful they maybe don’t already know/need reminding of.

Those kinds of emails help build trust and give people a reason to keep opening your emails rather than thinking you are selling to them in every email.

Share Personal Stories

People love hearing about real experiences.

You could talk about a lesson you’ve learned, a mistake you made, something that’s worked well for you, or even something you’re currently trying to improve. Anything along those lines always goes down well.

These types of emails often feel more personal and help your audience get to know you a little better which is a nice connection to have.

Recommend Products Or Resources

If you’ve found a tool, product, or resource that you genuinely use and love, tell people about it.

Whether it’s an affiliate recommendation or simply something that’s made your life easier, your audience will usually appreciate recommendations that are honest and genuinely helpful.

Doesn’t have to be salesy or pushy or a high-ticket item, just something genuinely useful that you really do use and love and feel your readers may love too.

Share Free Resources

If you have made/bought a new checklist, template, guide, printable, or free download etc etc, you can share this with your readers too as your email list is a great place to let people know about it first.

Not only does it give your subscribers something else that’s valuable, but it also gives them another reason to stay subscribed.

(It also saves them putting their email in again to get a new freebie when they are already on the list.)

How Often Should You Email Your List?

One of the most popular questions people usually ask (after why they need a list and how to grow their list) is then how often they should email their subscribers.

And honestly, there isn’t really a right or wrong answer I can give you.

Some businesses send emails every day.

Others send one a week.

Some only need or want to email their readers a couple of times a month.

It literally depends on you, your business and what you are looking to get from it.

The important thing isn’t trying to copy someone else’s schedule. It’s choosing one that works for you or it won’t work lol.

If you know you’ll struggle to write and send three emails every week, don’t set yourself that target initially.

It’s much better to send one helpful email every week than to send loads of emails for a couple of weeks, get overwhelmed, and stop altogether.

Start with a schedule/target that feels manageable for you.

As you get more comfortable with email marketing and get quicker at it (or have more you want to share), you can always increase how often you email your list later on.

The main thing is showing up consistently so your subscribers know they can expect to hear from you, no matter what your emailing schedule looks like.

Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) woman sitting at a laptop sending an email

Common Email Marketing Mistakes

When you’re first getting started with email marketing, it’s so easy to overthink everything.

Here are a few mistakes I see people make all the time (and a couple I’ve definitely been guilty of myself lol).

Waiting Too Long To Start

A lot of people put off starting an email list because they think they need more traffic, more experience, or more content first.

The reality is, you can start any time, and you may well be surprised how fast you get your first sign ups.

Even if only a handful of people join your list at first, it’s much easier to grow it over time than to wish you’d started months ago.

It also means you can get your own confidence up in your email marketing platform and get used to sending emails when your list is a lot smaller so isn’t as scary lol.

With platforms like Mailerlite (the one I still use), their beginner plan is free anyway so costs nothing to start early.

Only Emailing When You’re Selling Something

This is one that’s easy to fall into when you are promoting genuinely good products that you WANT to recommend. But you need to be careful with it. 

Imagine only hearing from a friend when they wanted something…

It would feel a bit off-putting. And your email list works in a similar way.

To avoid this you can mix in helpful tips, updates, stories, or free but useful tools alongside any products or services you recommend.

It helps your reputation, helps your audience more and mixes it up a bit to get a higher chance of more people opening your emails. 

Trying To Make Every Email Perfect

Trying to make every email perfect is something we all do but will make your emails take a lot longer to write and send. 

It’s really easy to spend ages rewriting the same email over and over trying to make it perfect.

The thing to remember is though that your subscribers aren’t expecting perfection.

They know it’s a real person behind the emails (which is the point), so expect that human touch.

They’re often much more interested in receiving something genuinely helpful than reading the world’s most perfectly written email lol.

Expecting Results Overnight

Just like blogging, Pinterest, YouTube, or pretty much anything else online, email marketing takes time.

Your email list will most likely take a bit of time to grow. And that’s completely normal.

Flukes can happen and of course if you have more experience then it may grow quicker but on the whole, it takes time.

If you focus on showing up consistently and really helping your audience then your list will grow naturally over time.

Final Thoughts on Email Marketing for Beginners

If you’ve been putting off starting an email list because it all sounded a bit confusing, I hope this has made it feel a little simpler to get started!

You really don’t need a huge audience in the early days.

You certainly don’t need loads of fancy automations on day 1.

And you definitely don’t need to have everything figured out before you start.

Just choose an email marketing platform that’s easy to use, create a simple freebie, and start building your list, one subscriber at a time.

You’ll probably be surprised how quickly those first few subscribers start adding up!

Then you can always upgrade and add fancier downloads and automations as your list grows.

Hopefully you’re feeling a little more confident about getting started. If you’re ready to take that first step in building your own list, you can sign up here:

👉 MailerLite Plans

Speak soon!

Katherine

📌 Pin for later 📌

Pinterest pin showing a pink background and text reading "How to grow your business with email marketing"

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Pinterest Marketing for Beginners in 2026: What You Need to Know https://katherinemclee.com/pinterest-marketing-for-beginners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pinterest-marketing-for-beginners https://katherinemclee.com/pinterest-marketing-for-beginners/#respond Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:11:08 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=17193

In this post we are going to go over Pinterest Marketing for Beginners in 2026. Pinterest is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to driving free traffic to your site, but only if you use it properly. If you’ve ever tried using Pinterest for traffic and felt like absolutely nothing is happening… you’re definitely not the only one. A lot of people start posting pins (sometimes even really consistently), and then get so confused when the clicks just don’t come. It’s not because Pinterest doesn’t work.  It’s usually because it’s being used like social media, when it’s actually a search engine. This means it works differently and looks for different content, to show to a different audience to social media platforms. People go on there looking for ideas, inspo and answers. This means that if your pins/content are set up properly from the start, it can keep bringing in traffic long after you’ve posted it as people can still search for those things years down the line And that’s what makes it so powerful! In this post I’m going to walk you through Pinterest marketing for beginners in 2026, step-by-step, in a way that actually helps you start getting traffic, instead of just posting and hoping something eventually sticks. WHAT PINTEREST MARKETING ACTUALLY IS Pinterest marketing is basically just using Pinterest to get your content in front of people who are already searching for it.  A lot of people still think Pinterest is another social media, but at its core it’s actually a search engine. People usually go onto Pinterest looking for ideas, answers, inspiration, and solutions. This could be recipes, outfits, home decor, blogging tips, side hustle ideas, or ways to make money online. Instead of relying on followers or posting content into a feed that can get buried over time, Pinterest mainly works through keywords and what people are searching for. So if your content matches what someone is searching for, your pin has the chance to show up in search results and keep getting discovered over time. Even if it’s years later! And honestly? That’s one of the best things about Pinterest and why it’s such an amazing tool for content creators. Unlike platforms where your content disappears after a day, Pinterest pins can keep bringing traffic months or even years later. Unlike platforms where posts vanish from people’s feeds after a few hours, Pinterest content has a much longer lifespan. That’s a huge part of why so many bloggers and online business owners use Pinterest to grow their traffic over time.  This is a huge part of why Pinterest appeals to so many bloggers and beginners. Instead of feeling pressured to constantly post social media content, stay online all day, or keep up with fast-moving social trends, you can focus on creating helpful content that has the potential to keep working for you over time. Literally the whole point of creating the helpful content in the first place. That’s one of the biggest differences with Pinterest. Your content doesn’t just disappear after a few hours. It goes onto the platform and is then there forever. This then means the work you put in now can continue bringing traffic to your blog, website, or products long after you’ve published it. WHY PINTEREST STILL WORKS IN 2026 Every year people start asking whether Pinterest is “dead” or if it still works for traffic, and honestly, people were asking the same thing years ago too lol.  But the truth is, Pinterest absolutely can still work in 2026… if you understand how the platform actually works. Of course over time things have changed but a quick Google can tell you as of 2026 Pinterest has an average of 631 million monthly active users. Six hundred and thirty one million. A month. Pinterest is not dead. People (a lot of people) are still using Pinterest every single day to search for ideas, answers, products, and inspiration. No matter what they are searching for, Pinterest is still being used as a search engine by millions of people.  That’s why keywords, helpful content, and fresh pins still matter so much. You can get the right content in front of the right audience for free. Pinterest wants to show users content that’s relevant, useful, and up to date. So when you combine strong keywords with aesthetic, bold pins and valuable content, your posts have the chance to keep showing up in search results over a long time. And honestly, that’s what makes Pinterest so powerful. It’s not just about getting clicks right now. It’s about creating content that can continue bringing in traffic long into the future. That’s especially valuable for bloggers, affiliate marketers, digital products, and anyone building an online business of any sort. Then once that traffic starts coming in, the next step is learning how to turn those visitors into income. 👉 The Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners STEP-BY-STEP PINTEREST STRATEGY STEP 1: SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT PROPERLY The first step is making sure your account is set up in a way that Pinterest understands what your content is about. It needs to know what your account is about, to know who to show the content to. Switch to a business account if you haven’t already, as this gives you access to analytics and more features which are super helpful. Make sure your profile includes keywords related to your niche. Doing this means that Pinterest can start categorising your content correctly. You’ll also want to claim your website so your pins are linked back to your content properly. If you don’t already have a website to send traffic to, this is the easiest way to get started: 👉 Start your Shopify store here STEP 2: CREATE KEYWORD-RICH BOARDS When you’re creating your Pinterest boards, try to think about what people would actually type into the search bar. A lot of people make the mistake of using overly vague, random, or purely aesthetic board names, but clearer keyword-focused titles tend to work much better for Pinterest SEO. For example, board names like: 👉 Make Money Online Tips👉 Pinterest Marketing for Bloggers👉 Affiliate Marketing for Beginners give Pinterest much more information about what kind of content belongs on that board. Calling a board “Money Tips” sounds good, but is too vague and could mean so many things so Pinterest won’t know who to show your content to. Doing this makes it easier for Pinterest to understand your content and helps connect your pins with people who are already searching for those topics. STEP 3: CREATE PINTEREST-OPTIMISED CONTENT Pinterest works best when your pins lead to content that people genuinely want to read, explore, or learn more about. They need a good reason to click through the pin and leave Pinterest. When someone clicks on a pin, they’re expecting to land on something connected to what caught their attention in the first place. That could be a helpful blog post, a product recommendation, a freebie, an affiliate page, or even a shop page for a specific product. The important thing is making sure the content feels relevant and/or useful once they get there. For example, if your pin is talking about blogging tips or ways to make money online, the page/post they end up on from that pin should continue providing information on that topic instead of sending them somewhere completely different as they will then be confused and not trust your pins in the future. The better the connection between your pin and your content, the easier it is to build trust with readers and keep people engaging with your content over time. STEP 4: CREATE CLICKABLE PINS Your pin design (what they look like) is what helps stop people from scrolling and encourages them to actually click through to your content. Bold pins in bright colours and clear, readable text often perform the best. This is especially true if they have relevant, clear photos added too. The good news is that your pins don’t need to be overly complicated or professionally designed to work well. In most cases, simple and clear performs much better than cluttered or confusing. You can design your own, get templates or do a mixture. Etsy is a good place for Pinterest Pin Templates. The main thing is making sure people can instantly understand what the pin is about and why they should care. Them liking the design is a bonus. Titles like: 👉 How to Start a Blog in 2026👉 How to Make Money with Pinterest👉 Side Hustle Ideas That Actually Work work well because they’re direct, specific, and focused on something people are actively searching for. If someone saw a pin titled “How to start a blog in 2026” there would be NO doubt in their mind what that pin was leading to, and that’s the important part. This is exactly the same no matter the niche. When someone is scrolling through Pinterest, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention. The clearer your pin text is and the easier it is to understand the value of the content, the more likely people are to click through and read more/follow to the next page/step. STEP 5: HELP PINTEREST UNDERSTAND YOUR CONTENT Pinterest doesn’t automatically know what your pins are about just from the image alone. This is why the wording you use across your account matters so much. The titles, descriptions, board names, and alt text attached to your pins all help to give Pinterest extra context about your content and who it should be shown to. For example, if you regularly use phrases related to blogging, affiliate marketing, Pinterest tips, or making money online, Pinterest starts building a clearer understanding of the type of content you create and the audience you’re trying to reach. This is why descriptive wording is so important on Pinterest. Again, this is the same whether your niche is nail inspo, recipes, fashion, money or pets etc! Instead of using vague titles or random board names, try to be as clear as possible about what your content is actually about. The easier it is for Pinterest to understand your content, the easier it becomes for the platform to show your pins to people searching for those topics and the more eyes on your pins, the more traffic you can get! You also don’t need to force keywords into every sentence or make your descriptions sound robotic lol. A good rule is to simply write the way a real person would search. Think about the words or phrases someone might type into Pinterest if they were looking for your content, then naturally work those into your titles, descriptions, board names, and alt text where they make sense. Different people will search the same thing in different ways so covering as many of those options as you can will help broaden your reach. For example you may be talking about “Spring Nail Inspo” and one may search exactly that, whereas someone else could search “Pastel Nail Design” or “Cute Floral Nails”. All could bring up nail content, but by only focusing on “spring nail inspo” you may find that the other people searching the other terms never see your pins. STEP 6: STAY CONSISTENT WITH PINNING If there’s one thing that matters on Pinterest, it’s consistency. A lot of people assume they need to pin dozens of times a day to see results, but that’s not necessarily the case. What matters most is creating a schedule you can stick to long-term. Or at the least, one you can stick to for now, which you can grow/expand on later. For some people that might be 1 pin a day. For others it might be 4 or 5. Pinterest prefers fresh pins. This means it prefers if EVERY pin published is a brand new pin image. It can be a variation of others, but not exactly the same. You can pin a mix of new and existing content, this includes products, web pages,...

The post Pinterest Marketing for Beginners in 2026: What You Need to Know appeared first on Katherine McLee.

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In this post we are going to go over Pinterest Marketing for Beginners in 2026.

Pinterest is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to driving free traffic to your site, but only if you use it properly.

If you’ve ever tried using Pinterest for traffic and felt like absolutely nothing is happening… you’re definitely not the only one.

A lot of people start posting pins (sometimes even really consistently), and then get so confused when the clicks just don’t come.

It’s not because Pinterest doesn’t work. 

It’s usually because it’s being used like social media, when it’s actually a search engine.

This means it works differently and looks for different content, to show to a different audience to social media platforms.

People go on there looking for ideas, inspo and answers.

This means that if your pins/content are set up properly from the start, it can keep bringing in traffic long after you’ve posted it as people can still search for those things years down the line

And that’s what makes it so powerful!

In this post I’m going to walk you through Pinterest marketing for beginners in 2026, step-by-step, in a way that actually helps you start getting traffic, instead of just posting and hoping something eventually sticks.

 Pinterest Marketing for Beginners in 2026 (Step-by-Step Guide) woman smiling against a blue background and pinterest logo in top left

WHAT PINTEREST MARKETING ACTUALLY IS

Pinterest marketing is basically just using Pinterest to get your content in front of people who are already searching for it. 

A lot of people still think Pinterest is another social media, but at its core it’s actually a search engine. People usually go onto Pinterest looking for ideas, answers, inspiration, and solutions. This could be recipes, outfits, home decor, blogging tips, side hustle ideas, or ways to make money online.

Instead of relying on followers or posting content into a feed that can get buried over time, Pinterest mainly works through keywords and what people are searching for.

So if your content matches what someone is searching for, your pin has the chance to show up in search results and keep getting discovered over time. Even if it’s years later!

And honestly? That’s one of the best things about Pinterest and why it’s such an amazing tool for content creators.

Unlike platforms where your content disappears after a day, Pinterest pins can keep bringing traffic months or even years later. Unlike platforms where posts vanish from people’s feeds after a few hours, Pinterest content has a much longer lifespan.

That’s a huge part of why so many bloggers and online business owners use Pinterest to grow their traffic over time. 

This is a huge part of why Pinterest appeals to so many bloggers and beginners.

Instead of feeling pressured to constantly post social media content, stay online all day, or keep up with fast-moving social trends, you can focus on creating helpful content that has the potential to keep working for you over time. Literally the whole point of creating the helpful content in the first place.

That’s one of the biggest differences with Pinterest. Your content doesn’t just disappear after a few hours. It goes onto the platform and is then there forever. This then means the work you put in now can continue bringing traffic to your blog, website, or products long after you’ve published it.

WHY PINTEREST STILL WORKS IN 2026

Every year people start asking whether Pinterest is “dead” or if it still works for traffic, and honestly, people were asking the same thing years ago too lol. 

But the truth is, Pinterest absolutely can still work in 2026… if you understand how the platform actually works.

Of course over time things have changed but a quick Google can tell you as of 2026 Pinterest has an average of 631 million monthly active users.

Six hundred and thirty one million. A month.

Pinterest is not dead.

People (a lot of people) are still using Pinterest every single day to search for ideas, answers, products, and inspiration. No matter what they are searching for, Pinterest is still being used as a search engine by millions of people. 

That’s why keywords, helpful content, and fresh pins still matter so much.

You can get the right content in front of the right audience for free.

Pinterest wants to show users content that’s relevant, useful, and up to date. So when you combine strong keywords with aesthetic, bold pins and valuable content, your posts have the chance to keep showing up in search results over a long time.

And honestly, that’s what makes Pinterest so powerful.

It’s not just about getting clicks right now. It’s about creating content that can continue bringing in traffic long into the future. That’s especially valuable for bloggers, affiliate marketers, digital products, and anyone building an online business of any sort.

Then once that traffic starts coming in, the next step is learning how to turn those visitors into income.

👉 The Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners

STEP-BY-STEP PINTEREST STRATEGY

STEP 1: SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT PROPERLY

The first step is making sure your account is set up in a way that Pinterest understands what your content is about.

It needs to know what your account is about, to know who to show the content to.

Switch to a business account if you haven’t already, as this gives you access to analytics and more features which are super helpful.

Make sure your profile includes keywords related to your niche. Doing this means that Pinterest can start categorising your content correctly.

You’ll also want to claim your website so your pins are linked back to your content properly.

If you don’t already have a website to send traffic to, this is the easiest way to get started:

👉 Start your Shopify store here

STEP 2: CREATE KEYWORD-RICH BOARDS

When you’re creating your Pinterest boards, try to think about what people would actually type into the search bar.

A lot of people make the mistake of using overly vague, random, or purely aesthetic board names, but clearer keyword-focused titles tend to work much better for Pinterest SEO.

For example, board names like:

👉 Make Money Online Tips
👉 Pinterest Marketing for Bloggers
👉 Affiliate Marketing for Beginners

give Pinterest much more information about what kind of content belongs on that board.

Calling a board “Money Tips” sounds good, but is too vague and could mean so many things so Pinterest won’t know who to show your content to.

Doing this makes it easier for Pinterest to understand your content and helps connect your pins with people who are already searching for those topics.

STEP 3: CREATE PINTEREST-OPTIMISED CONTENT

Pinterest works best when your pins lead to content that people genuinely want to read, explore, or learn more about.

They need a good reason to click through the pin and leave Pinterest.

When someone clicks on a pin, they’re expecting to land on something connected to what caught their attention in the first place. That could be a helpful blog post, a product recommendation, a freebie, an affiliate page, or even a shop page for a specific product.

The important thing is making sure the content feels relevant and/or useful once they get there.

For example, if your pin is talking about blogging tips or ways to make money online, the page/post they end up on from that pin should continue providing information on that topic instead of sending them somewhere completely different as they will then be confused and not trust your pins in the future.

The better the connection between your pin and your content, the easier it is to build trust with readers and keep people engaging with your content over time.

STEP 4: CREATE CLICKABLE PINS

Your pin design (what they look like) is what helps stop people from scrolling and encourages them to actually click through to your content.

Bold pins in bright colours and clear, readable text often perform the best. This is especially true if they have relevant, clear photos added too.

The good news is that your pins don’t need to be overly complicated or professionally designed to work well. In most cases, simple and clear performs much better than cluttered or confusing.

You can design your own, get templates or do a mixture.

Etsy is a good place for Pinterest Pin Templates.

The main thing is making sure people can instantly understand what the pin is about and why they should care. Them liking the design is a bonus.

Titles like:

👉 How to Start a Blog in 2026
👉 How to Make Money with Pinterest
👉 Side Hustle Ideas That Actually Work

work well because they’re direct, specific, and focused on something people are actively searching for.

If someone saw a pin titled “How to start a blog in 2026” there would be NO doubt in their mind what that pin was leading to, and that’s the important part.

This is exactly the same no matter the niche.

When someone is scrolling through Pinterest, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention.

The clearer your pin text is and the easier it is to understand the value of the content, the more likely people are to click through and read more/follow to the next page/step.

STEP 5: HELP PINTEREST UNDERSTAND YOUR CONTENT

Pinterest doesn’t automatically know what your pins are about just from the image alone. This is why the wording you use across your account matters so much.

The titles, descriptions, board names, and alt text attached to your pins all help to give Pinterest extra context about your content and who it should be shown to.

For example, if you regularly use phrases related to blogging, affiliate marketing, Pinterest tips, or making money online, Pinterest starts building a clearer understanding of the type of content you create and the audience you’re trying to reach.

This is why descriptive wording is so important on Pinterest.

Again, this is the same whether your niche is nail inspo, recipes, fashion, money or pets etc!

Instead of using vague titles or random board names, try to be as clear as possible about what your content is actually about. The easier it is for Pinterest to understand your content, the easier it becomes for the platform to show your pins to people searching for those topics and the more eyes on your pins, the more traffic you can get!

You also don’t need to force keywords into every sentence or make your descriptions sound robotic lol. A good rule is to simply write the way a real person would search.

Think about the words or phrases someone might type into Pinterest if they were looking for your content, then naturally work those into your titles, descriptions, board names, and alt text where they make sense.

Different people will search the same thing in different ways so covering as many of those options as you can will help broaden your reach.

For example you may be talking about “Spring Nail Inspo” and one may search exactly that, whereas someone else could search “Pastel Nail Design” or “Cute Floral Nails”. All could bring up nail content, but by only focusing on “spring nail inspo” you may find that the other people searching the other terms never see your pins.

STEP 6: STAY CONSISTENT WITH PINNING

If there’s one thing that matters on Pinterest, it’s consistency.

A lot of people assume they need to pin dozens of times a day to see results, but that’s not necessarily the case. What matters most is creating a schedule you can stick to long-term.

Or at the least, one you can stick to for now, which you can grow/expand on later.

For some people that might be 1 pin a day. For others it might be 4 or 5.

Pinterest prefers fresh pins. This means it prefers if EVERY pin published is a brand new pin image. It can be a variation of others, but not exactly the same.

You can pin a mix of new and existing content, this includes products, web pages, blog posts etc. This gives you a lot to work with.

Don’t post the same URL too close together to avoid getting caught in the spam filter. Aim for at least a few days between the same URL going out, even to different boards.

You can create multiple pin designs linking to the same blog post or page, again just remember to space them out.

As mentioned in step 5, it can take some time for Pinterest to understand what your content is about, who it’s relevant to, and where it should appear.

That’s why consistency is so important.

Every new pin you publish gives Pinterest another opportunity to test your content. At the same time, your older pins can continue circulating and bringing in traffic months or even years after they’ve been published that first time.

The goal isn’t to pin as much as possible. It’s to just keep creating fresh content and pins and then publishing them consistently, giving your pins the best chance of getting seen and in turn getting you traffic.

HOW TO BUILD PINTEREST TRAFFIC FASTER

While Pinterest isn’t an overnight traffic source, there are a few things that can help you see clicks and traffic a bit faster.

One of the biggest is creating content around topics people are already searching for.

Think about the questions your audience is typing into Pinterest and create content that answers those questions clearly.

This often includes things like:

  • beginner tutorials
  • step-by-step guides
  • money-making ideas
  • blogging tips
  • content creation advice
  • solutions to common problems

This would also work well with seasonal content such as crafts, recipes and nail designs.

It’s also always worth creating multiple pins for the same piece of content.

Different headlines, colours, layouts, and images can attract different audiences, so don’t be afraid to test new designs and see what resonates.

Sometimes the less “aesthetic” the pin design and colours, the more they stand out and the better they perform overall for you.

Over time, you’ll start noticing patterns in the topics and pin styles that perform best, giving you a much clearer idea of what your audience wants to see. Then you can use that info to create more pins of that style and for that content.

COMMON PINTEREST MISTAKES TO AVOID

If Pinterest feels harder than it should, there’s a good chance one of these common mistakes is holding you back.

Many beginners treat Pinterest like a social media platform when it’s actually much closer to a search engine. Instead of focusing on followers and likes, focus on creating helpful content around topics people are actively searching for.

Other common mistakes include:

  • using vague titles instead of keywords
  • pinning inconsistently
  • creating only one pin per piece of content
  • sending people to pages that don’t match the pin
  • ignoring Pinterest SEO

Avoiding these mistakes won’t guarantee overnight results, but it can make a huge difference to how quickly Pinterest understands and distributes your content.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM PINTEREST

Pinterest isn’t really a money-making platform on its own.

It’s better to think of it as a traffic platform due to the fact it’s a search engine.

The goal is to use Pinterest to get people to click through your pins to your blog, shop, products, or offers.

Then from there you can make money through things like:

  • affiliate marketing
  • digital products
  • ad revenue
  • services
  • online shops

That’s why so many bloggers and online business owners focus a lot of their marketing efforts on Pinterest.

A single pin can continue sending visitors to your content long after it’s been published!

If you’re planning to use Pinterest as part of your income strategy (highly recommended), I’d also recommend building an email list from the start.

That way when someone discovers you through Pinterest, you have a way to stay in touch with them and bring them back to your content again and again.

I personally use MailerLite for my email marketing, and it’s one of the first tools I’d recommend for beginners as their free plan is great until you feel you need to upgrade.

👉 Get started for free with MailerLite here

IS PINTEREST MARKETING WORTH IT?

For many bloggers, creators, and online business owners, the answer is yes.

Pinterest gives you the chance to get your content in front of people who are actively searching for it. And unlike many other platforms, your content doesn’t disappear after a day or two.

Instead, it can continue showing up in search results and bringing people back to your website/content over a much longer time.

That’s what makes Pinterest so valuable and so worth it.

Every pin you create is another chance to be discovered by your target audience. 

The key is to focus on creating eye-catching pins, using relevant keywords, and staying consistent with it all.

You don’t need a huge audience, and you don’t need to spend hours on Pinterest every day. You can batch make pins and then pre-schedule them up to a month in advance to cut the time down significantly. What matters most is giving Pinterest quality content to work with and allowing enough time for your pins to gain traction and get traffic.

If you’re serious about growing your traffic, getting your content in front of more people and building an online business, Pinterest can be one of the best tools to use as part of your marketing/promotion strategy.

Then, once that traffic starts rolling in, it’s all about learning how to turn those clicks into income.

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

Between Pinterest, blogging, and affiliate marketing, you don’t need to master everything overnight. Just focus on taking the next step and building momentum from there.

Speak soon

Katherine

📌 Pin for later 📌

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How to Get Paid to Post Links Online (Even as a Beginner!) https://katherinemclee.com/get-paid-to-post-links-online/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=get-paid-to-post-links-online https://katherinemclee.com/get-paid-to-post-links-online/#respond Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:56:19 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=16856

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: 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: 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...

The post How to Get Paid to Post Links Online (Even as a Beginner!) appeared first on Katherine McLee.

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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
  1. You get accepted
  2. You receive a unique affiliate link
  3. 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)
  4. Someone clicks the link
  5. 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.

shopify ad saying "startin a store is easier than you think"

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.

shopify ad woman smiling

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.

yellow shopify ad saying "turn your passion into a business"

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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For Bloggers, Social Media Is the Brand Experience https://katherinemclee.com/bloggers-social-media-brand-experience/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bloggers-social-media-brand-experience https://katherinemclee.com/bloggers-social-media-brand-experience/#respond Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:30:00 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=15697

Photo via Adobe Stock Most readers don’t experience a blog the way its author does. They don’t land on the homepage, browse categories, or admire the archive. They encounter a post through a social feed, a shared link, or a preview image paired with a sentence or two of context. That moment — not the blog itself — is where first impressions form. For bloggers, social media isn’t a side channel. It’s the primary way readers encounter, interpret, and remember your work. The Short Version For bloggers, a unified brand voice and visual identity on social media determine whether posts feel recognizable or forgettable. When social previews, captions, and visuals align with the tone of the writing itself, readers are more likely to click, return, and trust the work behind the link. Why Social Media Shapes How Blogs Are Perceived When a blog post is shared on social media, it’s compressed. A long argument becomes a headline. A nuanced idea becomes a caption. The design of a full page becomes a single image or frame. That compression is unavoidable, but how it’s handled makes a difference. If social posts feel disconnected from the blog’s tone or visual style, readers experience friction. If they feel like a natural extension of the writing, recognition builds. Over time, readers don’t just remember individual posts — they recognize the blog behind them. The Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Sharing Many bloggers write with clarity and intention, then promote content quickly and inconsistently. One post gets a thoughtful caption, another gets a rushed summary. One graphic matches the blog’s tone, another feels generic. None of this breaks anything immediately. But over time, it weakens association. Readers may enjoy individual posts without ever forming a clear sense of the blog as a whole. Tools Bloggers Use to Stay Consistent on Social Consistency on social media isn’t about posting more. It’s about posting coherently. These tools help bloggers manage distribution and promotion without fragmenting their voice or visual identity. These tools don’t define tone or style, but they reduce the friction that often leads to inconsistent sharing. How Bloggers Turn Posts Into Social Media Touchpoints For bloggers, social media isn’t about creating new ideas. It’s about reshaping existing ones so they travel well. Adobe Express supports that process by helping bloggers translate long-form writing into recognizable social moments. Social Media Moment for Bloggers How Adobe Express Is Used Why It Supports Brand Recognition Announcing a new post Creating on-brand social graphics for blog launches Helps readers visually associate the post with the blog immediately Re-promoting evergreen content Scheduling social posts in advance Allows older posts to be resurfaced intentionally instead of relying on one-time shares Highlighting key ideas Designing Instagram Stories that summarize posts Turns long articles into digestible previews that drive clicks back to the blog Sharing posts on Facebook Formatting Facebook visuals that stay on-brand Keeps promotional visuals consistent even when platform formats differ In this workflow, social media doesn’t compete with blogging. It reinforces it. A Simple Pre-Share Checklist for Bloggers Before sharing a post anywhere, ask: If the answer is yes, the post is doing branding work — not just promotion. FAQ: Bloggers and Social Media Branding Do bloggers really need to think about branding on social media?Yes, because social media is often the first version of your blog that someone encounters. Readers form expectations about your writing based on how it’s presented and described in feeds, long before they ever scroll through the full article. What if my writing style is informal or personal?That can absolutely be part of your brand. Consistency doesn’t mean sounding polished; it means sounding like yourself in a recognizable way across posts, captions, and visuals. How do bloggers stay consistent without posting constantly?Consistency comes from tone and presentation, not frequency. A blogger who posts thoughtfully and repeats the same voice and visual cues will feel more cohesive than one who posts daily with no throughline. Is it okay to reuse the same visuals or messaging when resharing posts?Yes, and it’s often helpful. Reuse reinforces recognition, especially for readers who may not have seen the original post the first time. For bloggers, social media isn’t an accessory. It’s the surface layer of the brand. When voice and visuals stay aligned from post to preview, readers form recognition naturally. That recognition is what turns scattered clicks into a lasting audience. Guest post written and provided by Archer Ferrara on behalf of Adobe. 📌 Pin for later 📌

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Photo via Adobe Stock

Most readers don’t experience a blog the way its author does. They don’t land on the homepage, browse categories, or admire the archive. They encounter a post through a social feed, a shared link, or a preview image paired with a sentence or two of context.

That moment — not the blog itself — is where first impressions form. For bloggers, social media isn’t a side channel. It’s the primary way readers encounter, interpret, and remember your work.

The Short Version

For bloggers, a unified brand voice and visual identity on social media determine whether posts feel recognizable or forgettable. When social previews, captions, and visuals align with the tone of the writing itself, readers are more likely to click, return, and trust the work behind the link.

Why Social Media Shapes How Blogs Are Perceived

When a blog post is shared on social media, it’s compressed. A long argument becomes a headline. A nuanced idea becomes a caption. The design of a full page becomes a single image or frame. That compression is unavoidable, but how it’s handled makes a difference.

If social posts feel disconnected from the blog’s tone or visual style, readers experience friction. If they feel like a natural extension of the writing, recognition builds. Over time, readers don’t just remember individual posts — they recognize the blog behind them.

The Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Sharing

Many bloggers write with clarity and intention, then promote content quickly and inconsistently. One post gets a thoughtful caption, another gets a rushed summary. One graphic matches the blog’s tone, another feels generic.

None of this breaks anything immediately. But over time, it weakens association. Readers may enjoy individual posts without ever forming a clear sense of the blog as a whole.

Tools Bloggers Use to Stay Consistent on Social

Consistency on social media isn’t about posting more. It’s about posting coherently. These tools help bloggers manage distribution and promotion without fragmenting their voice or visual identity.

  • Hootsuite – Helps plan and space social shares so promotion feels intentional rather than sporadic.
  • Mailchimp – Supports cross-promotion between newsletters and social posts, reinforcing the same voice in both places.
  • Instagram – Acts as a primary discovery and relationship channel where consistent visuals and captions reinforce a blog’s identity over time.
  • Bitly – Keeps shared links clean and trackable without cluttering captions or breaking visual flow.

These tools don’t define tone or style, but they reduce the friction that often leads to inconsistent sharing.

How Bloggers Turn Posts Into Social Media Touchpoints

For bloggers, social media isn’t about creating new ideas. It’s about reshaping existing ones so they travel well. Adobe Express supports that process by helping bloggers translate long-form writing into recognizable social moments.

Social Media Moment for BloggersHow Adobe Express Is UsedWhy It Supports Brand Recognition
Announcing a new postCreating on-brand social graphics for blog launchesHelps readers visually associate the post with the blog immediately
Re-promoting evergreen contentScheduling social posts in advanceAllows older posts to be resurfaced intentionally instead of relying on one-time shares
Highlighting key ideasDesigning Instagram Stories that summarize postsTurns long articles into digestible previews that drive clicks back to the blog
Sharing posts on FacebookFormatting Facebook visuals that stay on-brandKeeps promotional visuals consistent even when platform formats differ

In this workflow, social media doesn’t compete with blogging. It reinforces it.

A Simple Pre-Share Checklist for Bloggers

Before sharing a post anywhere, ask:

  1. Would this caption sound natural if it appeared inside the blog post?
  2. Do the visuals feel like they belong to the same world as the writing?
  3. Would a returning reader recognize this as “ours” without seeing the name?

If the answer is yes, the post is doing branding work — not just promotion.

FAQ: Bloggers and Social Media Branding

Do bloggers really need to think about branding on social media?
Yes, because social media is often the first version of your blog that someone encounters. Readers form expectations about your writing based on how it’s presented and described in feeds, long before they ever scroll through the full article.

What if my writing style is informal or personal?
That can absolutely be part of your brand. Consistency doesn’t mean sounding polished; it means sounding like yourself in a recognizable way across posts, captions, and visuals.

How do bloggers stay consistent without posting constantly?
Consistency comes from tone and presentation, not frequency. A blogger who posts thoughtfully and repeats the same voice and visual cues will feel more cohesive than one who posts daily with no throughline.

Is it okay to reuse the same visuals or messaging when resharing posts?
Yes, and it’s often helpful. Reuse reinforces recognition, especially for readers who may not have seen the original post the first time.

For bloggers, social media isn’t an accessory. It’s the surface layer of the brand. When voice and visuals stay aligned from post to preview, readers form recognition naturally. That recognition is what turns scattered clicks into a lasting audience.

Guest post written and provided by Archer Ferrara on behalf of Adobe.

📌 Pin for later 📌

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Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000 https://katherinemclee.com/affiliate-marketing-for-beginners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=affiliate-marketing-for-beginners https://katherinemclee.com/affiliate-marketing-for-beginners/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2025 15:52:01 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=14628

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: (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: 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: 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: 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! 📌 Pin for later 📌

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

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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!

Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First $1,000
money on smart phone screen

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! ✨

free content prompt ebook download katherine mclee

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!

Katherine McLee signature black and white

📌 Pin for later 📌

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Can You Make Money Online Without Any Investment? https://katherinemclee.com/make-money-online-without-investment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=make-money-online-without-investment https://katherinemclee.com/make-money-online-without-investment/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:56:31 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=13671

In this post we are going to go over if you can make money online but without any investment. 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: 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: 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:  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: 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! 📌 Pin for later 📌

The post Can You Make Money Online Without Any Investment? appeared first on Katherine McLee.

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In this post we are going to go over if you can make money online but without any investment.

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)!

Free Download Sidebar Image Content Prompts ebook download

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!

Katherine McLee signature black and white

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How To Make $100 In a Day: 47 Fun and Practical Ideas https://katherinemclee.com/how-to-make-100-in-a-day-47-fun-and-practical-ideas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-make-100-in-a-day-47-fun-and-practical-ideas https://katherinemclee.com/how-to-make-100-in-a-day-47-fun-and-practical-ideas/#comments Tue, 28 Jan 2025 20:50:39 +0000 https://katherinemclee.com/?p=12025

In this post, we’re diving into 47 fun, easy, and realistic ways to make $100 a day online or offline. No matter whether you’re looking for quick cash, long-term income, or a creative side hustle you’ll actually enjoy! Making extra money isn’t always instant, but it’s 100% possible if you stick with it! The trick is finding side hustles or money-making ideas that you actually enjoy and want to keep doing. When you focus on the ideas/methods that interest you, you’ll find that the journey becomes way more fun and rewarding! With the tips I’m about to share with you below, you could start making extra cash fast – even $100 or more, in a single day! If something doesn’t work out, don’t worry or panic – it’s normal! It just means that specific option maybe wasn’t the right fit for you. Go through the other options and move on to the next idea that sparks your interest. Stay consistent, keep experimenting, and you’ll eventually find the perfect side hustle to hit your $100-a-day (or more) goal. Let’s get into the top ways to make some extra money! Quick Navigation This post is packed with ideas, and not every method will be the right fit for everyone. To make things easier to navigate, you can use the sections below to jump straight to the ideas that suit your situation, skills, or goals best. → Fastest Ways to Make Money→ Sell What You Already Have→ Easy Side Hustles→ Passive Income→ Online Businesses→ High-Income Skills→ Specialised Services→ Creative Income Fastest Ways to Make Money 1. Earn Money by Taking Surveys Taking surveys online is one of the easiest ways to earn extra cash from your laptop or phone. Many brands and companies are keen to gather consumer feedback to improve their products and services Sometimes it’s literally just for general information from the public. This means they are often willing to pay for your opinions. Platforms such as Swagbucks, SurveyJunkie, and OnePoll (UK) offer paid surveys, ranging from quick polls to longer, more in-depth questionnaires. Each survey will offer a different monetary amount and will all add up the payout threshold. This allows you to earn money or rewards like gift cards, completely at your own pace. While the pay amount for each survey might not look like much, consistently completing surveys can add up over time. It’s an easy way to make some money while killing some time! This makes it a great option for anyone looking to supplement their income in their spare time.  Plus, there’s no specialized skill or qualifications required – just your honest input! You can of course join multiple survey sites to maximize your earnings with this side hustle. 2. Secret/Mystery Shopper Becoming a secret shopper, or mystery shopper, is a great way to earn some extra cash. You basically get to shop, dine out, or try services as an anonymous customer. Then you get paid to share your honest feedback regarding your experience or any specific things you’ve been asked to check out. It’s like being on a secret mission to evaluate businesses and help them improve. If you enjoy shopping and have a good eye for detail, this could be the perfect side hustle for you. Where you can do this will vary from country to country so check out local mystery shopping platforms near you if this option interests you! 3. Review Websites and Apps If you are open minded and you enjoy trying out new websites and apps, you can literally get paid to share your feedback!  Platforms such as UserTesting and PlaytestCloud pay users to test websites and apps and provide honest opinions on how usable and functional they are! Usually these tests take around 10-20 minutes and can pay anywhere from $5 to $60, depending on complexity and requirements. This side hustle is perfect for anyone already enjoying games/websites and apps, requires no special skills, and can be done from home in your spare time. Plus, if you’re consistent, you can earn a decent stream of extra income just by sharing your thoughts on apps, games and websites! Want 50 ready-to-use content prompts to help you grow online faster?Grab your FREE copy of 50 Content Power Prompts here! 4. Make Money Doing Short Tasks / Micro Jobs If you want a super quick way to earn money online, micro jobs are a great option! Platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk, Clickworker, and even Fiverr’s “quick gigs” section pay users for small, simple tasks! These are things such as data entry, AI training, transcription, surveys, website testing, and loads more. Many of these tasks take just a few minutes to complete and don’t require special skills which is amazing as it makes them accessible to almost anyone! While each task might only pay you a small amount, they can add up quickly! This is especially true if you dedicate time to completing multiple tasks daily. Some platforms also offer higher-paying jobs as you gain experience, allowing you to boost your earnings over time. Which is another win-win! 5. Participate in Research Studies Participating in research studies can be a simple way to make some extra cash while helping scientific studies and brands enhance their knowledge.  Many universities, medical institutions, brands and market research companies pay individuals to take part in studies. These can range from medical trials to focus groups or surveys.  The amount you get paid will vary based on the type of study and the time commitment involved. Some will pay their participants as much as $50 to $200 per session.  You can find opportunities by checking local university websites, clinical research facilities, brand websites or online platforms that offer the studies near you. Companies are constantly seeking participants for focus groups for fresh insights and information. You usually don’t need any special qualifications to get involved as they are looking for a range of participants. Always make sure it’s through a reputable source and always read the study requirements carefully and ensure it’s something you’re comfortable with before committing! 6. Become a Virtual Friend in Your Free Time This is one for anyone who is more of a “people” person. If you enjoy chatting with new people and offering some companionship or friendship, becoming a virtual friend can be a fun and fulfilling way to make money. Websites suuch as RentAFriend, Papa, and Fiverr allow you to connect with people who are looking for someone to talk to, play games with, or even offer advice. Some even look for a friend to accompany them to events etc! There’s no romantic aspect – just friendly conversations and support. You set your own hours and rates, making it a flexible side hustle that fits into your free time and your schedule. Some virtual friends make hundreds of dollars a month simply by being a kind and engaging presence for others online! 7. Data Entry Jobs Data entry jobs are a simple way to earn $100 in a day. It’s perfect for beginners as you only need basic computer skills! The tasks often involve typing and organizing data, making it accessible for anyone who wants to do it. While the hourly pay isn’t as high as some other options, it’s flexible and can be done remotely on your own schedule which is a huge bonus. You can improve your chances of making an income with data entry by learning through  online tutorials and courses. To find work in this area you can look for opportunities on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, or research companies looking for this work directly. 8. Transcribe Audio Recordings If you’re a fast (and accurate) typist with really good listening skills, audio transcription could be an excellent way for you to generate some additional income. (This one isn’t great for anyone like me who is fast, but not always accurate lol). This side hustle involves listening to audio recordings and converting them into written documents. This makes it a valuable service across many industries, such as legal, medical, and general business. The beauty of audio transcription work is that it’s really flexible which allows you to choose your own hours and work from virtually anywhere! With consistent practice and good attention to detail, you can refine your skills and turn this opportunity into a reliable income stream where you can work up to make that $100 in a day! Sell What You Already Have 9. Sell/Return Unused Items from Your Home I think we are all guilty of buying things we really didn’t need or thought we wanted but never ended up using/wearing. I know I am! Instead of letting those purchases sit gathering dust, (if they are recent purchases) you can return them to the store for a refund! This is a really quick and easy way to get some money back. Make sure to always keep your receipts and return items within the store’s return policy period if they don’t fit/aren’t useful or aren’t what you wanted or expected.  If returns are not an option due to closed return windows ect, consider selling the items online or through consignment shops if you have any local to you. Does this sound like something you are interested in? If so, start by decluttering and getting rid of anything you haven’t used in the past year. If it isn’t used/useful or doesn’t bring you joy – you can sell it! You of course may not get the full retail price, but it’s a good way to recoup some of your money rather than it sitting in your home costing you 100% of the money spent! 10. Sell Your Used Books Selling used books is a fantastic option if you’ve got old books lying about and are looking to make that $100 in a day! You can use platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Facebook Marketplace, and it’s then easy to connect with buyers who are looking to buy good-quality, second-hand books at a good price. If you don’t have many used books at home, you can find cheap books from garage sales or thrift stores! If you focus on popular genres such as textbooks, rare editions, or trending novels, you can really increase your profit margins as people are always looking for good deals on those sorts of books. This option is effective for both decluttering and making money online. 11. Sell Unused Gift Cards Selling unused gift cards is an easy (and quick) way to declutter your home and make some quick cash! Every single year, millions of dollars in gift cards go unused! Which is a scary statistic! Different countries/areas have different companies that will buy gift cards back or offer other credits, so look for a credible one in your area! Cards from popular retailers like Amazon or Walmart are in high demand and often fetch great rates! Of course you may not get the full value of the card back, but it’s still better than the entire card being wasted! 12. Flipping Items If you love finding a good deal, flipping items could be the perfect side hustle for you. The trick here is to find and buy items at bargain prices that you can resell for a profit. You can find items at flea markets, garage sales, boot sales, thrift shops, or even online marketplaces such as eBay!  With some creativity and a little know-how, this can turn into a lucrative side hustle option. The key here is to do a bit of research and focus on items that people are actively looking for. This could be vintage decor, niche pieces, or unique collectibles for some examples. Easy Side Hustles 13. Deliver Food Delivering food can be an incredibly easy and flexible way to make extra cash.  Especially if you’re looking for a side hustle that fits around your schedule. Whether you’re delivering pizzas, burgers or groceries, platforms such as Uber Eats, Just Eat, DoorDash or Deliveroo make it super simple to get started. You...

The post How To Make $100 In a Day: 47 Fun and Practical Ideas appeared first on Katherine McLee.

]]>

In this post, we’re diving into 47 fun, easy, and realistic ways to make $100 a day online or offline. No matter whether you’re looking for quick cash, long-term income, or a creative side hustle you’ll actually enjoy!

Making extra money isn’t always instant, but it’s 100% possible if you stick with it!

The trick is finding side hustles or money-making ideas that you actually enjoy and want to keep doing.

When you focus on the ideas/methods that interest you, you’ll find that the journey becomes way more fun and rewarding!

With the tips I’m about to share with you below, you could start making extra cash fast – even $100 or more, in a single day!

If something doesn’t work out, don’t worry or panic – it’s normal! It just means that specific option maybe wasn’t the right fit for you. Go through the other options and move on to the next idea that sparks your interest.

Stay consistent, keep experimenting, and you’ll eventually find the perfect side hustle to hit your $100-a-day (or more) goal.

Let’s get into the top ways to make some extra money!

how to make $100 or £100 in a day red backgroubd with womans hand holding lots of cash money

Quick Navigation

This post is packed with ideas, and not every method will be the right fit for everyone.

To make things easier to navigate, you can use the sections below to jump straight to the ideas that suit your situation, skills, or goals best.

→ Fastest Ways to Make Money
→ Sell What You Already Have
→ Easy Side Hustles
→ Passive Income
→ Online Businesses
→ High-Income Skills
→ Specialised Services
→ Creative Income

Fastest Ways to Make Money

1. Earn Money by Taking Surveys

Taking surveys online is one of the easiest ways to earn extra cash from your laptop or phone.

Many brands and companies are keen to gather consumer feedback to improve their products and services Sometimes it’s literally just for general information from the public. This means they are often willing to pay for your opinions.

Platforms such as Swagbucks, SurveyJunkie, and OnePoll (UK) offer paid surveys, ranging from quick polls to longer, more in-depth questionnaires. Each survey will offer a different monetary amount and will all add up the payout threshold.

This allows you to earn money or rewards like gift cards, completely at your own pace.

While the pay amount for each survey might not look like much, consistently completing surveys can add up over time. It’s an easy way to make some money while killing some time!

This makes it a great option for anyone looking to supplement their income in their spare time. 

Plus, there’s no specialized skill or qualifications required – just your honest input!

You can of course join multiple survey sites to maximize your earnings with this side hustle.

2. Secret/Mystery Shopper

Becoming a secret shopper, or mystery shopper, is a great way to earn some extra cash.

You basically get to shop, dine out, or try services as an anonymous customer. Then you get paid to share your honest feedback regarding your experience or any specific things you’ve been asked to check out.

It’s like being on a secret mission to evaluate businesses and help them improve.

If you enjoy shopping and have a good eye for detail, this could be the perfect side hustle for you.

Where you can do this will vary from country to country so check out local mystery shopping platforms near you if this option interests you!

3. Review Websites and Apps

If you are open minded and you enjoy trying out new websites and apps, you can literally get paid to share your feedback! 

Platforms such as UserTesting and PlaytestCloud pay users to test websites and apps and provide honest opinions on how usable and functional they are!

Usually these tests take around 10-20 minutes and can pay anywhere from $5 to $60, depending on complexity and requirements.

This side hustle is perfect for anyone already enjoying games/websites and apps, requires no special skills, and can be done from home in your spare time.

Plus, if you’re consistent, you can earn a decent stream of extra income just by sharing your thoughts on apps, games and websites!

Want 50 ready-to-use content prompts to help you grow online faster?
Grab your FREE copy of 50 Content Power Prompts here!

Free Download Sidebar Image Content Prompts ebook download

4. Make Money Doing Short Tasks / Micro Jobs

If you want a super quick way to earn money online, micro jobs are a great option!

Platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk, Clickworker, and even Fiverr’s “quick gigs” section pay users for small, simple tasks! These are things such as data entry, AI training, transcription, surveys, website testing, and loads more.

Many of these tasks take just a few minutes to complete and don’t require special skills which is amazing as it makes them accessible to almost anyone!

While each task might only pay you a small amount, they can add up quickly! This is especially true if you dedicate time to completing multiple tasks daily. Some platforms also offer higher-paying jobs as you gain experience, allowing you to boost your earnings over time. Which is another win-win!

5. Participate in Research Studies

Participating in research studies can be a simple way to make some extra cash while helping scientific studies and brands enhance their knowledge. 

Many universities, medical institutions, brands and market research companies pay individuals to take part in studies. These can range from medical trials to focus groups or surveys. 

The amount you get paid will vary based on the type of study and the time commitment involved. Some will pay their participants as much as $50 to $200 per session. 

You can find opportunities by checking local university websites, clinical research facilities, brand websites or online platforms that offer the studies near you.

Companies are constantly seeking participants for focus groups for fresh insights and information. You usually don’t need any special qualifications to get involved as they are looking for a range of participants.

Always make sure it’s through a reputable source and always read the study requirements carefully and ensure it’s something you’re comfortable with before committing!

6. Become a Virtual Friend in Your Free Time

This is one for anyone who is more of a “people” person.

If you enjoy chatting with new people and offering some companionship or friendship, becoming a virtual friend can be a fun and fulfilling way to make money.

Websites suuch as RentAFriend, Papa, and Fiverr allow you to connect with people who are looking for someone to talk to, play games with, or even offer advice. Some even look for a friend to accompany them to events etc!

There’s no romantic aspect – just friendly conversations and support. You set your own hours and rates, making it a flexible side hustle that fits into your free time and your schedule.

Some virtual friends make hundreds of dollars a month simply by being a kind and engaging presence for others online!

7. Data Entry Jobs

Data entry jobs are a simple way to earn $100 in a day.

It’s perfect for beginners as you only need basic computer skills!

The tasks often involve typing and organizing data, making it accessible for anyone who wants to do it. While the hourly pay isn’t as high as some other options, it’s flexible and can be done remotely on your own schedule which is a huge bonus.

You can improve your chances of making an income with data entry by learning through  online tutorials and courses. To find work in this area you can look for opportunities on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, or research companies looking for this work directly.

8. Transcribe Audio Recordings

If you’re a fast (and accurate) typist with really good listening skills, audio transcription could be an excellent way for you to generate some additional income.

(This one isn’t great for anyone like me who is fast, but not always accurate lol).

This side hustle involves listening to audio recordings and converting them into written documents. This makes it a valuable service across many industries, such as legal, medical, and general business.

The beauty of audio transcription work is that it’s really flexible which allows you to choose your own hours and work from virtually anywhere!

With consistent practice and good attention to detail, you can refine your skills and turn this opportunity into a reliable income stream where you can work up to make that $100 in a day!


Sell What You Already Have

9. Sell/Return Unused Items from Your Home

I think we are all guilty of buying things we really didn’t need or thought we wanted but never ended up using/wearing. I know I am!

Instead of letting those purchases sit gathering dust, (if they are recent purchases) you can return them to the store for a refund!

This is a really quick and easy way to get some money back.

Make sure to always keep your receipts and return items within the store’s return policy period if they don’t fit/aren’t useful or aren’t what you wanted or expected. 

If returns are not an option due to closed return windows ect, consider selling the items online or through consignment shops if you have any local to you.

Does this sound like something you are interested in? If so, start by decluttering and getting rid of anything you haven’t used in the past year. If it isn’t used/useful or doesn’t bring you joy – you can sell it!

You of course may not get the full retail price, but it’s a good way to recoup some of your money rather than it sitting in your home costing you 100% of the money spent!

10. Sell Your Used Books

Selling used books is a fantastic option if you’ve got old books lying about and are looking to make that $100 in a day!

You can use platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Facebook Marketplace, and it’s then easy to connect with buyers who are looking to buy good-quality, second-hand books at a good price.

If you don’t have many used books at home, you can find cheap books from garage sales or thrift stores! If you focus on popular genres such as textbooks, rare editions, or trending novels, you can really increase your profit margins as people are always looking for good deals on those sorts of books.

This option is effective for both decluttering and making money online.

11. Sell Unused Gift Cards

Selling unused gift cards is an easy (and quick) way to declutter your home and make some quick cash!

Every single year, millions of dollars in gift cards go unused! Which is a scary statistic!

Different countries/areas have different companies that will buy gift cards back or offer other credits, so look for a credible one in your area!

Cards from popular retailers like Amazon or Walmart are in high demand and often fetch great rates!

Of course you may not get the full value of the card back, but it’s still better than the entire card being wasted!

12. Flipping Items

If you love finding a good deal, flipping items could be the perfect side hustle for you.

The trick here is to find and buy items at bargain prices that you can resell for a profit.

You can find items at flea markets, garage sales, boot sales, thrift shops, or even online marketplaces such as eBay! 

With some creativity and a little know-how, this can turn into a lucrative side hustle option.

The key here is to do a bit of research and focus on items that people are actively looking for. This could be vintage decor, niche pieces, or unique collectibles for some examples.

Easy Side Hustles

13. Deliver Food

Delivering food can be an incredibly easy and flexible way to make extra cash. 

Especially if you’re looking for a side hustle that fits around your schedule.

Whether you’re delivering pizzas, burgers or groceries, platforms such as Uber Eats, Just Eat, DoorDash or Deliveroo make it super simple to get started. You can work as much or as little as you like, depending on your monetary/work wants and your availability.

The best part for this income option is that you can sometimes earn tips on top of your delivery fee, boosting your income even more!

With this type of work you don’t need any special qualifications – just a reliable vehicle, a phone, and a willingness to work.

Some people even opt to deliver without a car. They may opt for riding a motorbike, push bike, or walking.

It’s an easy way to turn your free time into cash while helping others get what they need!

14. Become a Pet Sitter

Pet sitting is an ideal side hustle for animal lovers because it allows you to spend quality time with animals, all while earning money.

Whether you’re walking dogs, feeding cats, or providing companionship to pets while their owners are away, it can be a fulfilling experience for anyone who loves animals!

The beauty of pet sitting is that you can choose the hours that fit your schedule. This could be shorter, one off jobs, to regular recurring jobs.

Platforms such as Rover make it easy to connect with pet owners in need of trustworthy care for their precious pets.

This side hustle option often pays well, with pet sitters often earning $20-$40 per visit depending on the services and care required. 

For animal lovers, it’s a win-win: doing what you love while making extra income!

15. Start a Pressure-Washing Business

If you prefer a more hands-on and outdoorsy side hustle, starting a pressure-washing business is a fairly low-cost, high-profit way to make money!

You will always find people who need driveways, sidewalks, decks, and buildings cleaned. This makes demand steady year-round!

With just a pressure washer and basic supplies, you can start small and scale up as you like. Plus jobs can pay $100+ per hour when you get good at it. This means you can quickly earn a good income, without needing too many jobs booked in. Perfect for those who want flexibility, independence, and great earning potential!

Of course just remember to get insurance!


Passive Income

16. Cashback Apps

Cashback apps make it really easy to earn rewards or money back on your everyday purchases!

By using apps like Rakuten or Upside, you can receive a percentage of what you spend as cash or redeemable points.

It’s as simple as shopping through the app’s platform or uploading receipts from your regular purchases to the app.

You still shop at your standard places, you just go to the website via the app or upload the receipts!

The more you use these apps and take advantage of special offers, the faster your savings can add up.

Regular users/shoppers often reach $100 within a few months, making cashback apps a hassle-free way to stretch your spending and earn a little extra on the side.

While you may not make $100 in a day, over time you can be rewarded with fairly regular cashback payments or gift cards.

17. Earn Money from Cash Back Offers

If you love shopping, why not get paid for it? Cashback platforms like Rakuten make it really easy to earn money on purchases you’re already making.

The process is really simple too! You create an account for free, shop at your normal/favorite places but via their site, and you then earn a percentage back in cash or as rewards!

Rakuten often has special promotions and bonuses, meaning you can speed up your earnings too. It’s an amazing way to make an income without any extra effort! 

While you may not make $100 a day, using platforms such as Rakuten can certainly add up over time, for little to no extra effort.

18. Rent Out Your Stuff

A simple way to make some money is to rent out things you aren’t using that other people are looking to rent.

If you own a parking space but don’t have a car, consider renting it out to those who would happily pay to use it.

This can be really profitable in busy inner city/urban areas where parking is not only expensive, but hard to come by!  It won’t take long to find someone who’s willing to pay for the spot! 

You could also consider renting out garage space, large tools/machinery or other items that people may be looking for but aren’t wanting to buy.. 

You can advertise in online adverts or in neighborhood groups online.

19. Rent Out Your Car

Have you got an extra car that’s not getting much use? 

This could be a second vehicle or your main vehicle that you aren’t using currently.

Instead of letting it sit unused, consider renting it out through platforms such as HyreCar. These platforms make it easy to legally rent out your vehicle, whether you’re away or just don’t use it daily.

To start, check if your car meets the service’s requirements and you need to ensure your insurance covers car rentals.

Renting out your car through the right channels is an excellent way to turn an unused asset into steady, passive income!

20. Rent Out an Extra Room on Airbnb

If you have a spare room in your home, renting it out could be a fantastic way to bring in extra income. 

This could be a room, an attic conversion or a renovated basement/living space!

Platforms like Airbnb make it simple to advertise and list your space, whether it’s just for weekends, holidays, or for full-time.

Hosting not only lets you earn money but also gives you the chance to meet people from all over the world.

You’ll have full control over your availability, pricing, and house rules. This allows you to tailor the experience to fit your lifestyle.

It’s a flexible and rewarding side hustle for anyone with a little extra space!

Always make sure you use reputable platforms!

Loving these ideas? Get this FREE 50 Power Prompts for Content Creation eBookto keep your momentum going – plus get an exclusive bonus toolkit for just £11!

Free Download Sidebar Image Content Prompts ebook download

21. Buy and Sell Domains

Buying and selling domains (also known as domain flipping) is an excellent side hustle because it offers high-profit potential with minimal upfront investment.

You can purchase domain names for as little as $10–$50 and resell them for significantly higher prices. Sometimes in the thousands!

It’s flexible, allowing you to work from anywhere which is ideal for those looking to fit their income in around their daily schedule.

High-value domains, especially those with a .com extension, tend to attract the highest offers. 

This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it does seem to go that way. 

Platforms such as GoDaddy Auctions and Flippa make it super easy to buy and sell domains.

With patience and a bit of strategy mixed with market insight, domain flipping can generate fairly substantial returns, making it both a profitable and engaging side hustle!

With the right effort, a successful domain flipping business has the potential to generate six-figure incomes annually.

22. Invest in The Stock Market

Investing can be a great way to make money if you are happy to be in it for the long game. It offers incredible potential for long-term growth if you stick with it.

Platforms such as Trading 212 (if you’re in the UK) are perfect for beginners because they are user-friendly, reliable, and provide a range of tools to help you get started. 

Trading 212 is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) so is a great one to start with and if you want some free shares to get started, click this link here.

With features like commission-free trading and helpful , beginner friendly resources, you can start building up your portfolio with minimal upfront costs.

Just remember that investing is a long-term game. While you can see daily profits if markets perform well, the real power of investing lies in compounding over months and even years.

Trading 212 and similar platforms make it easy to diversify your investments, whether you’re interested in stocks, ETFs, or fractional shares. 

The beauty of Trading 212 itself is that they offer a virtual account to practice without any risk!

If you are located outside of the UK you will need to find a platform where you are. Make sure they are highly reviewed and regulated by a Financial Body just as Trading 212 is!


Online Businesses

23. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is when you earn a commission by promoting other companies’ products. 

The commission you receive will vary from brand to brand but there is a lot of money to be made!

For me, I focus on partnering with brands I trust—companies whose products I use and love. It’s so much easier (and way more fun) to share things you know your audience will genuinely find valuable.

The best part? Affiliate marketing has massive potential.

Many successful bloggers use it as a key income stream, with some earning six figures or more just by funding a way that works for them.

It’s all about being authentic and strategic!

If you want a step-by-step breakdown, start with my post: Affiliate Marketing for Beginners. It shows you exactly how to make your first $1,000 even if you’re starting from 0.

24. Start Your Own Blog

Here’s one that’s close to home for me!

If you’re looking for a creative and long-term way to make money, starting a blog is a brilliant option!

Blogs can generate income through ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, digital products, and more. The best part? You can build a blog around any topic you’re passionate about. No matter whether it’s travel, fitness, parenting, or even niche hobbies.

While blogging takes time to gain traction, once your content is out there it can work for you 24/7. This then can bring in passive income over time. 

And trust me, those little wins – like your first affiliate sale, makes all the effort so worth it!

For answers to the most commonly asked blogging-related questions, have a look at this post here!

If Pinterest feels easier than setting up a full blog, this post shows you how to earn by using pinterest with no need for your own blog if you would prefer that route.

25. Start a YouTube Channel

Starting a YouTube channel is an amazing way to earn income while sharing your passions with an audience from all over the world!

Whether you’re into tutorials, reviews, or lifestyle content, YouTube offers limitless creative freedom and several ways to monetize your channel and your brand.

Once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, you can join the YouTube Partner Program to earn ad revenue from your videos. Beyond ads, there are many other income opportunities through sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products or services.

One of the best aspects of YouTube is its potential for passive income. A single video can continue to generate views – and money – for years to come. 

Building a successful channel requires dedication and consistency, but it’s highly flexible – you set your own schedule and style!

Many creators now earn full-time incomes, with some making six or even seven figures annually. YouTube isn’t just a side hustle. It’s an amazing platform for personal expression, financial growth, and creating a lasting impact on your own channel on the internet.

26. Start a Podcast

Starting a podcast is a great side hustle because it offers you a creative outlet alongwith the opportunity to build a personal brand.

You only need minimal equipment to start. This includes things like a microphone and editing software. With these you can start producing episodes on topics you’re passionate about right away! Whether it’s storytelling, education, or niche interests, you will find an audience who enjoys listening to you.

Podcasts generate income through sponsorships, affiliate marketing, merchandise, and listener donations, making them a versatile way to earn.

While you can’t expect to make money instantly, sticking with it and being consistent is the best way to grow your brand and your audience, which in turn will grow your income! 

Platforms such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts make it easy to distribute your content and grow yourself an audience. While it will take time to gain traction, consistent, high-quality content can lead to long-term passive income and even open doors to other opportunities!

It’s a flexible, scalable side hustle option that fits well around daily life.

27. Create an Online Course

This is a fun one for anyone who has knowledge to share!

If you’re an expert in something, no matter whether it’s blogging, cooking, productivity hacks, or even niche hobbies – you can turn that knowledge into an online course!

(I am using the term “expert” but truly all you need is lesser-known information on your chosen topic!)

Platforms such as Teachable and Thinkific make it super easy to create and sell courses to people from all over the world.

Online courses are becoiming more and more popular as people are realising that investing a little money to save a lot of time is SO worth it!

I rave about this Blogging Course for exactly that reason. The amount of time this information provided me – all in one place – makes it such a good investment.

One of the best parts of this income option is that once your course is live, it becomes a source of passive income.

Of course it takes time upfront to script, plan and record, but after that, you can earn money over and over. 

The only things to really focus on then are any updates that may need adding, and marketing your course to those who would be looking to obtain the information you are sharing!

28. Publish a Book or eBook

Publishing your own book or eBook (especially via platforms like Amazon KDP) can be a great way to earn money!

As with any business model, it requires a thoughtful strategy, planning, writing, and marketing.

You can use tools to help you create planners, notebooks or colouring books, then have them published via Amazon KDP!

Once your eBook is live, it can generate passive revenue with minimal additional effort! This is down to the fact that you create them once, but can sell multiple times over as Amazon does the publishing/printing and shipping for you!

You can also sell digital downloads of the books on platforms such as Shopify or Etsy! This can include books you have written yourself, or books you have bought with PLR which are done-for-you books that you can sell as your own!

Another option worth looking at is selling digital products, and I’ve got a full list of digital products you can sell for passive income if you want some ideas for what you could actually create and sell.

29. Sell PLR Done-for-you Products

Selling PLR (Private Label Rights) done-for-you products (just as the picture above) is a fantastic way to make money. This is because it’s a low-effort, high-reward business model/way to create an income!

You buy ready-made content such as courses, eBooks, downloads, templates, or graphics, and you then rebrand them and sell them as your own.

Here’s an example of done-for-you products you can re-brand and re-sell as your own!

There’s no need to spend hours creating products from scratch!

It’s perfect for anyone who wants to offer digital products without the worry or hassle of making them.

You can then sell them on platforms such as Etsy and Shopify!

If you need more info on Shopify or their free trial, check that out here!

Plus, digital products have no inventory or shipping costs. This means your profit margins are huge. The only cost needed is the one you paid for the item initially. Once set up, it’s a passive income stream that keeps bringing in sales even while you sleep! 

30. Sell Items on Etsy

No matter if you love making handmade crafts, designing printables, or selling PLR/done-for-you products, selling on Etsy is a great way to make money!

Etsy is an online market place which means it already has its own customer base. 

Whether you sell jewelry, home decor, digital downloads, or custom gifts, you can start as small as you like and can grow your shop over time.

Plus, with Etsy handling all purchases and payments, plus giving you built-in exposure to a ready-made audience, it’s easier than ever to reach customers worldwide!

Another popular option when it comes to selling items on Etsy is to use a platform such as Printify and you can sell Print-On-Demand products. This could be mugs, t-shirts, stickers, or anything else that appeals to you!

With Print-On-Demand you design your items in Printify, connect it to your Etsy store, and then whhen people order, the order goes directly through Printify so you don’t have to hold any stock/inventory and no worry about having to ship items out yourself!

Using Printify lets you design items you like, it lets the customer buy whichever variation you have advised is available, and you don’t have to do anything else other than collect the profit!

Definitely a good option!

31. Sell Items on Amazon

Do you have stuff lying around the house? Or maybe you’ve got an eye for finding bargains? Selling items on Amazon can be a fast and profitable way to make extra cash.

Whether it’s books, gadgets, or other products, Amazon makes it easy to list and sell to millions of potential buyers. You don’t need a full-blown business to start – just some products and a bit of time to get your listings set up.

Plus, with Amazon handling the tricky, fiddly stuff like shipping through FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), you can just focus on finding great items to sell!

Some sellers have made hundreds in their first month, so if you’ve got an eye for products, this could be a great side hustle for you!


High-Income Skills

32. Freelancing Your Skill Set

Freelance work is another fantastic way to earn extra money.

If you have specific skills, freelancing from home can be a great way to earn extra money.

You can easily sign up to websites such as Fiverr and Upwork. These platforms connect freelancers with clients who need specific skills such as proofreading, web design, writing, photography or social media management.

After setting up your profile and services, you can start taking on freelance jobs that fit into your schedule. 

Most often anyone can sign up to offer freelance platforms like the ones mentioned above.

However, be aware that some platforms may have application processes or require you to prove your skills before accepting you in. Once you’re approved, you can then start offering your services and set your own rates!

33. Sell Services on Fiverr

If you have an online service to offer, you can do so on Fiverr!

Fiverr is one of the easiest ways to start making yourself money online by offering your skills as paid services.

No matter whether your skill is in writing content or emails, graphic design, video editing, voiceovers, or social media management (just as a few examples – the list is endless), you will find that someone will be looking for those specific services.

People often start by creating simple, quick jobs at an appealing low price to attract your first few customers and then as your completed jobs, experience and positive reviews go up, you can then increase your rates and complexity of jobs!

Fiverr handles all of the marketing and brings clients to you through keywords, so you don’t have to spend time searching for work. Of course you can promote your services if you’d like though!

34. Become a Virtual Assistant

If you’re organized and good at multitasking, becoming a virtual assistant (VA) is a fantastic way to make money online!

Business owners, bloggers, influencers and entrepreneurs are always looking for help with the daily tasks that take time away from them creating content/products! These tasks could be things like email management, social media scheduling, data entry, help with Pinterest and customer support.

You can sign up and start on websites like Fiverr or Upwork, and you set your own rates based on your experience!

As for how much you can make, many new VAs earn between $15-$50 per hour, and as you gain clients and experience, it can turn into a full-time income. Plus, you get the freedom to work from anywhere!

35. Email Marketing Manager

Email marketing is one of the most powerful ways businesses connect with their audience. A lot will say that their email list is one of the most important and valuable things that they have! Because of this, they are willing to pay for experts who can help write and schedule engaging emails that drive sales or clicks!

As an Email Marketing Manager, you’ll create newsletters, automated sequences, and promotional campaigns to help brands connect more with their audience, and help drive clicks and sales back to whatever their business needs.

If you are looking to grow your email list or need ideas how to grow someone elses – grab this free cheatsheet on Lead Magnets for email growth!

Many businesses (especially e-commerce stores and bloggers) need this service, and you can charge per project or on a retainer basis – making this a great way to build a steady income online that suits you as well as the blogger/brand!

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use, totally beginner friendly and affordable email marketing platform, MailerLite is a really good choice! It’s the platform I use and I can highly recommend it!

It’s beginner-friendly (super easy to work with and use), it’s got loads of automation features, and offers a free plan without any upfront or ongoing costs.

No matter whether you’re running your own campaigns for yourself, wanting to practice with email software or using it for clients, MailerLite is a really great tool to help maximize results while keeping things streamlined and simple!

mailerlite logo to promote the email marketing tool

36. SEO Specialist

This is a bit of a niche option to make $100 in a day, but if you’re good with keywords and analytics, offering SEO services is a great way to generate an income.

Businesses and bloggers need help ranking higher on Google as their whole business relies on having an audience, and many will pay well for services like keyword research and site optimization.

You can start with free online courses, and even beginners can charge $50 to $100 per project. With SEO in high demand, this side hustle has serious growth potential!

If you’re familiar with how Google works and love looking into keywords and the back-end analytics, becoming an SEO specialist is a fantastic way to make some money.

You don’t need a fancy degree or qualification to get started. There are plenty of free and paid resources/courses online to help you build your SEO skills.

As an SEO specialist, you could offer services such as keyword research, on-page optimization, and backlink building.

Rates will vary depending on your own experience and skill set, but even beginners can charge $50 to $100 per project.

The good thing about skills like this is that once you’ve got a few success stories behind you, your earning potential can skyrocket.

SEO is an always-in-demand skill that businesses and brands are constantly looking for, making it a great side hustle that can turn into a full career if you choose!

37. Social Media Manager

With the rise of influencers and online brands, many need help staying active on social media so they can focus on content! That’s where a Social Media Manager comes in!

Whether it’s help in creating engaging posts, scheduling content, responding to comments or other tasks to help grow their audience/followers, this role is perfect if you love spending time online and know how to keep an audience engaged and growing!

Depending on your skills/experience and the brands and content crerators you choose to work with, you’ll find people willing to pay hundreds or even thousands per month! 

It can be a lot of work but super enjoyable if you’re on social media anyway!

38. Facebook Ads Manager

Becoming a Facebook Ads Manager can be a really good way to make $100 in a day because brands and businesses are always looking for skilled people to help them get more leads and in turn, more sales!

With millions of people and businesses relying on Facebook ads, there’s always a huge demand for ad managers who can create, optimize, and scale campaigns for those businesses.

Plus, you don’t need a degree or any specific qualifications to get started. All you need is the right training/skills and some experience.

Once you really master it, you can charge hundreds or even thousands per month per client, making it a super effective and flexible side hustle or even full-time business!

39. Offer Video Editing Services

Video editing services can be an amazing way to make $100 in a day.

The popularity of platforms like YouTube and TikTok has heightened the demand for talented video editors, making it one of the best opportunities out there.

Every vlog, cinematic montage, or viral short video starts as raw video footage. It’s the editor who transforms it into something captivating and impactful!

And here’s the best part: you don’t need years of experience to get started!

You can pick up video editing skills in just 3 to 6 months with free or affordable online resources. YouTube tutorials are a great place to begin.

Once you’ve honed your craft, the earning potential is amazing.

Rates can vary depending on the type of videos you work on, but with dedication this could turn into a lucrative and creative career or side hustle.

40. Become a Content Re-purposer

If someone is creating content, chances are they are looking for ways to get more eyes on their work without constantly creating new content from scratch! That’s where content re-purposers come in.

Here are a couple of examples of the jobs you may get as as a content re-purposer: you might turn blog posts into social media graphics, you might change podcasts into blog posts, or break down/edit long form YouTube videos into short-form videos for platforms such as TikTok or Instagram!

It’s a high-demand skill that saves creators SO much time while also helping them grow their audience across multiple platforms.

If you enjoy organizing and editing content in streamlined, engaging ways, this could be the ideal side hustle for you!

41. Graphic Designer

If you’ve got a good eye, are creative, if you love designing logos, social media graphics, or website images, becoming a freelance graphic designer is a fantastic way to make extra money!

There are always people needing graphics and images created! With platforms like Canva, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop, you can create unique logos, banners and visuals – without the need for a big budget. 

Whether you sell custom designs, take on specific custom client projects, or even offer templates on Etsy or Shopify, designing graphics for brands and content creators can be a really fun way to earn if you’re good at it!


Specialised Services

42. Bookkeeping

If numbers, organization and attention to detail are your thing, bookkeeping could be the perfect way for you to earn some extra cash.

With businesses of all sizes needing help managing their finances, bookkeepers are always in demand.

You don’t need a formal accounting degree to get started either. There are plenty of online courses to teach you the basics!

Once you know how to track expenses, balance accounts, and generate financial reports, you can then offer your services to small business owners, freelancers, and even entrepreneurs. 

It’s a really flexible job you can do remotely and part-time, making it ideal for fitting around your daily life and other commitments. Experienced bookkeepers can earn $25 to $50 per hour, making it a profitable and reliable side hustle.

Plus as a bonus, it’s a skill that you can keep improving on, and that only gets more valuable with time!

43. Become a Translator

If you’re fluent in more than one language, you can absolutely put your skills to good use and try out becoming a translator!

It’s such a rewarding job where you get to help people communicate across different languages. You could be translating anything from important documents and audio recordings to books or creative writing!

If you have the skills, translating is an amazing way to use your talent while earning money.

Plus, you can often do this work from the comfort of your home or on a flexible schedule, making it a fantastic option if you’re looking for freedom in your career!

44. Teaching English Online

Teaching English as a second language online is a helpful and growing side hustle opportunity. It’s especially perfect for those looking for flexibility and more meaningful work!

Whether you choose to teach online or in person, this income option is incredibly versatile and flexible, making it again perfect for anyone wanting their income to fit seamlessly around family commitments and/or other responsibilities.

While you don’t necessarily need a degree, having a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification is essential to be accepted for most positions and in turn maximize your earning potential.

Platforms like VIPKID, Qkids, and Cambly connect you with learners worldwide and offer decent pay, often up to $22 per hour or more depending on your experience and which platform you choose.

If you enjoy helping others and want to work from anywhere, this could be the perfect income stream for you!

45. Start a Consulting Business

This is a side hustle/business idea for those who have a more specialised skill set!

If you have expertise in a particular field you could start your own consulting business. No matter whether your skills and expertise are in marketing, business strategies, or even personal development, you can use your knowledge and make it into a profitable business!

People (including brands and companies) are always looking for expert guidance to help them solve and overcome problems and achieve their goals.

You can start off small by offering one-on-one coaching or consulting calls so you get comfortable and in the swing of things. After that you can then scale up by offering services such as group sessions, digital courses, or even mentorship programs.

You of course set your own rates, choose clients to work with that you enjoy, and build a business that fits into your current daily lifestyle.

A consulting business is an amazing way to make $100 in a day, and in time you can easily scale it up to a full time income stream!


Creative Income

46. Photography

Photography can be an amazing way to make money! Whether your niche is portraits, product photography, or even selling stock images online, there are loads of opportunities to turn your photo skills into an income.

You can start small with just a camera or even a smartphone, build a portfolio, and grow your client base over time.

You can take courses and become more qualified as you become more experienced too. This in turn will reflect in the prices you then charge.

Plus, with social media and the internet in general, marketing your work has never been easier. You can sell stock images to stock image websites, or sell prints via Etsy or Shopify!

If you have a good eye for detail and are creative, photography can be a super flexible, and profitable side hustle to start. 

With time and effort it won’t be long before you’re up to making $100 in a day!

47. Personal Stylist

Becoming a personal stylist is a fantastic way to make money while helping people look and feel their best!

Whether you’re styling people for their everyday style, special events, or even professional photoshoots, there’s always a demand for expert fashion advice.

The beauty of this venture is that you can work in-person, online, or a mix of the two! You can offer virtual styling sessions, wardrobe ideas, or even personal shopping services if you prefer to see things in person.

Due to the internet and specifically Social Media, building a personal brand and attracting clients is easier  than ever!

If you love fashion and have an amazing eye for style, this could be the fun, flexible, and rewarding side hustle for you!

You made it to the end! That deserves congrats in itself! That also already tells me you’re serious about changing your life. These 47 ideas aren’t just “quick cash hacks”… they can be real stepping stones to something so much bigger.

Whether your first $100 comes in tomorrow or in two weeks, it’s coming – if you stick with it. The key? Start. Start today. Take messy action. And keep showing up for the life you know you’re meant to have.

If you want to see the exact toools that help me grow my blog, income, and online presence every single day…
👉 Check out my full blogging + money-making tools – it’s everything I love and actually use or recommend for anyone just starting out!

Quick FAQ Section For Further Info

Q: What is the fastest way to make $100 a day?

A: It truly depends on your skills and what you enjoy doing really. Having said that, some of the fastest methods include freelance work, selling digital products, affiliate marketing, or offering services through platforms like Fiverr. These can be the quickest in terms of cash in your pocket or comission in your account. Some people even make $100+ a day flipping items or through print-on-demand if that’s what takes your fancy!

Q: Can you really make $100 a day online?

A: Absolutely! So many people do it daily! It takes effort, learning, and testing different ideas of course, but with consistency, making $100 a day (or more!) from home is totally achievable. A lot of the methods I talk about in this post are beginner-friendly and scalable over time. Some may take more learning but then you will have a solid skill set behind you too!

Q: How do I start a side hustle with no money?
A: You don’t need to invest upfront to start earning. I have a full post breakdown on why you DON’T need to invest money to make money online – check that out here! Options like affiliate marketing, offering digital services, starting a blog, or using platforms like Pinterest or TikTok can be started with little to no cost. They just require your time, effort, and creativity!

Q: What about taxes?

A: I’m not an expert so you will need to do your own research for this one. This will vary depending on what country you are in. If you’re in the UK for example, when you start making money it’s worth reading the official HMRC guidance on becoming a sole trader so you understand how taxes work and avoid surprises later lol. For US readers, the IRS has a clear Gig Economy Tax Center that explains what counts as taxable income and what doesn’t.

As you can see from all the options above, there are so many ways that you can make $100 in a day! Some will take more time than others but with time, determination and learning skills where needed, you can see how easily it can be done!

Which of these options to make $100 in a day appeals to you the most?

Do you already do any of the options I listed here?

Let me know in the comments!

Speak soon!

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