You’re lucky enough to live in an age where dreams really do come true: the large bank account most of us joke about can become your reality without doing the traditional 9-to-5. And it’s all thanks to what’s happening online.

Even if you don’t make a huge amount of money but can at least supplement your 9-5 income so you can live life on your town terms, wouldn’t that be awesome?

I already make a fulltime income online, The question is: is this something you want for yourself also?

Below we’ll summarize some of the most legit ways to make money online. What you start as a hobby can certainly make you a feasible income online while being in the comfort of your own home, I basically live in my pyjamas.

Best of all: there are so many real ways to make money from home, you can pick one that suits your talents, skills, schedule and budget. We’ll cover ways of how to make money online for beginners and even pros who are looking for a new challenge.

It may not be ‘easy money’ but what better way than earning while at home or working via your mobile? Technology makes it possible.

Real Ways To Make Money From Home:

1 Combine Affiliate Marketing with Your Blog or Website

If you already have a blog or website, why not make it your income source? Become an affiliate with merchants such as Amazon and feature their products. You’ll get paid a commission when visitors to your site buy their products via your affiliate links.

#2 Sell Products the Modern Way: Via eCommerce

Here’s the benefit of being a modern retailer: you don’t need to spend money buying or renting a brick and mortar store. With an eCommerce business, you showcase products online and ship them to clients. Depending on your resources and preferences you can feature other merchants’ wares or your own products.

If you don’t have space to stock merchandise, use drop shipping. You connect with the client, order from a merchant and organize shipping.

You never even have to handle or store the product, this has been a big industry over the last few years and I personally know several people who have become millionaires thanks to the power of e-commerce.

#3 Use Your Skills as a Freelancer

Your skills can turn into legit ways to make money online without being bound to an office or working for a boss. Many industries such as marketing, website development, Social Media Management and writing offer profitable job opportunities for freelancers. Much of the communication and work submissions can happen online.

Additionally, a freelancer job can turn into a full-time gig with the right company, I have hired many freelancers over the years and a couple of them I still hire part-time and one has been fulltime for over 3 years now.

#4 Share Your Expertise in an Online Course

When you know your job experience includes valuable lessons others would be happy to pay for, why not be their coach? Thanks to awesome platforms like Clickfunnels you can compile a course and sell it online to clients no matter where they are in the world.

Take it one step further and interact with them to make your course more valuable.

#5 Become a YouTube Star

People mostly visit YouTube for two reasons: to be entertained or educated. Your skills in either of these niches can turn you into a YouTube phenomenon. Once you have 1000 subscribers and enough view time, you can start earning through the platform’s monetization program.

#6 Your Story via a Podcast

The next step after YouTube is to share your story live with podcasts. It’s wise to get into this niche now because podcasts are gaining popularity.

Again, by entertaining or educating others you can grow your number of followers and once you’re popular enough you can get sponsors to provide you with a steady income. You can also sell products on the show or launch a donation program.

A podcast was something I also seriously considered for myself, I do have the face for it, ( my dry sense of humour).

The basics you’ll need:

• Research on trending topics to ensure you stay relevant.
• Quality audio equipment.
• Find a style. You can speak by yourself or interview others.

#7 Be a Narrator: Read Audiobooks

This is a tip for authors, avid readers as well as actors. Selling a book in its audio version can attract more sales, helping writers to get loyal followers. If you have a radio friendly voice you can be the one narrating the book and you’ll find online platforms that connect voice artists with authors.

#8 Become a Best Selling Author of an eBook

Thanks to technology you don’t have to pay exorbitant fees to get a book printed anymore. Whether it’s your life story, sharing your expertise or the fiction novel you wrote, they can all be sold on Amazon as eBooks.

#9 Utilize Freelance Job Sites

The world of freelancing deserves another mention, because it’s growing all the time. You don’t necessarily have to waste time finding clients when you opt for tip #3 above. Simply join freelance platforms such as UpWork where you’ll find job listings waiting. You’ll make a bid to get the job and hopefully secure a long term client.

#10 Etsy: The Modern Artist’s Showcase

No matter your niche, online resources may offer real ways to make money from home. For artists there’s Etsy. Here artists and hobbyists showcase their wares—ranging from jewelry to paintings and even furniture—with images. All the tools are available to sell to visitors who enjoy the site because it offers original items.

#11 Can You be an Instagram Influencer?

How big is your Instagram following? If you’ve progressed from being a simple user to being a trendsetter, you can turn it into revenue.

You can do shoutouts, Businesses will pay you if they can add their information to your list of posts and you can also promote your own product or services too.

#12 Advertise Your Spare Room

Get legit passive income online with Airbnb. A spare room or your second property can be advertised as space for rent. Offer visitors special options to make your asset more attractive such as taking the lodgers on local tours.

My partner and I have a small cabin on our property which we book out on the Airbnb platform and have found it an excellent way to bring in some much-needed extra income.

Important note: it’s usually your responsibility to keep the space clean so this one does require some effort, alternatively you can hire a cleaner for that part of the job.

#13 Become a VA ( Virtual Assistant )

Thanks to effective technology, most of what a regular PA does can be done online:

• Email management
• Travel bookings
• Accounting
• Research
• Working on a database

You can work for one individual or find part time clients on freelancer platforms and help keep their lives organized.

#14 Website Testers are in High Demand

The importance of having a dynamic, user friendly website can’t be overstated. That’s why some businesses are willing to pay you simply to test their sites. You’ll give feedback of your experience so they know what to improve and you get paid per hour for simply being a browser.

#15 Clarity.fm

Browsing online you’ll come across many resources that help you use the online community as a revenue stream. On Clarity.fm you can get paid for sharing business knowledge with others who need advice about managing their own ventures.

Via phone calls you help them build apps or give practical insight on a certain industry. The platform helps you book calls and you get paid for each minute you engage with clients.

#16 Teach Online

For this method, you do need a qualification. Once you have your ESL (English as a Second Language) accreditation you can teach others via Skype. Your students can be anywhere in the world and you’ll be paid per hour.

With multiple sites—such as VerbalPlanet—to find clients there’s more than enough opportunities online. Bonus: you can pick the hours you want to work.

#17 Join the Click Funnels Affiliate Program

We Saved the best for last, as the click funnels affiliate program is one of the best online income methods around if you’re an entrepreneur. The advantage is that training is provided so you can learn the ropes of turning visitors into leads and even loyal customers.

Want to try it out?

• Start with the One Funnel Away Challenge
• Or the Affiliate Bootcamp
• Use the 14 Day Free Trial Offer

[Conclusion]

Do you have questions about a certain method mentioned above? Or perhaps you have a few tips for others looking for legit ways to make money online.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below or jump in for a discussion in our Facebook group and we’ll help each other optimize the modern ways of making money.

Pinterest has steadily been growing into a major traffic source for our company and part of the reason for this steady growth has been because of the discovery of the Tailwind app, an all-in-one scheduling & analytical tool for Pinterest.

The Pinterest platform now commands over 265 million monthly users, so it’s fair to assume that some of your target audience is hanging out there.

We had been looking for some Pinterest tools for some time and there was one name that kept popping up ‘Tailwind”.

So, I personally purchased Tailwind for myself a few months ago and today I am going to do a Tailwind App review to reveal what it is, how it can help and if I think it is really worth it for Pinterest marketing.

What is Tailwind?

You’ve probably heard of social media tools that help you schedule the release of content so you don’t have to do it manually every day. All you need is to set aside some time to upload the next few days’ content. The platform then does the posting for you throughout the days to come.

Tailwind does that, but it’s specifically designed for Pinterest and Instagram. This means you get features that are more appropriate for these platforms. If you know your target audience enjoys Pinterest and Instagram more than other social media apps, Tailwind can definitely add value to a marketing campaign.

The Benefits of Tailwind

Any Tailwind app review will mention how businesses and bloggers get more traction with little effort thanks to benefits like these:

• You can set aside one session a week to plan your posts instead of doing it daily.
• Many Tailwind users see a growth in followers and visitors within days of using the app.
• Different packages are on offer so you can spend according to your budget.
• There’s a free trial version to make sure if it will work for you.
• It saves you time by automating tasks you usually do yourself.

How Does it Work?

How to Use Tailwind:

Of course, this platform is focused on helping you distribute images, so a first step would be to find a user-friendly design program such as Canva. If you’re using Tailwind to promote your blog or business, simply use interesting images and add your article title or other notable content.

For Pinterest users, it’s ideal to create various boards that relate to your content. Then start using the tools.

Pro tip:

If you use WordPress then I highly recommend installing the plugin called ( Social Pug ) it allows you several extra social features but the main one I use is the ability to add custom Pinterest  images in the back end so that when someone pins one of your posts it is pinned with the perfect dimensions for the Pinterest platform. see the example images below.

Note: I just need to acknowledge my friend for that pro tip above, as I learnt it from her Pinterest course, so if you’re also interested in ranking your pins and making them go viral on the Pinterest platform then I also highly recommend her course ( Pinterest SEO Traffic Secrets ).

Additionally, she also provides a sweet little and affordable Tailwind Video Tutorial Course.

I like to give credit where credit is due so check it out if you are interested in learning more about the tailwind App and taking your Pinterest game to a new level!

Now, back to my tailwind review;

Scheduling Tools:

Whether you use Tailwind for Pinterest or Instagram scheduling can be a fun part of your week thanks to a range of tools to use:

• Tribes: With Tailwind Tribes you connect with others posting similar content. You support your tribe by sharing each other’s content. This is only for Pinterest though.
• Smartloop: On Pinterest, your best content can be reshared at times when high engagement is most likely. The Smartloop feature manages this on your behalf and leverages your best posts. You get traction without creating new content.
• Smart Scheduling: The app tells you which times are best to share your content. A user-friendly interface allows you to add posts even via mobile phone.

Posting Tools

Newbies: don’t worry, most users comment on how user-friendly the platform is. All the features are clearly labelled and easy to incorporate in your strategy:

• For Pinterest create boards as well as Board Lists.
• The ‘Schedule’ button starts the process.
• Add your new posts and pins.
• With the ‘Use Interval’ and ‘Set Interval’ buttons you tell the app the daily frequency you prefer (how many pins a day).

Analytics

This is my favourite part of the whole app, it provides tons of data and insights thanks to the analytics feature, you can gauge how to use the tools to your benefit and determine what content is getting the most traction and what is best to share:

• Learn about industry trends and competitors’ benchmarks
• You’ll get reports on profile trending and even which of your boards are getting the most traction
• All Tailwind packages provide general metrics
• Pro and Enterprise packages tell you which pins get the most engagement
• With an advanced package, the app will analyze and tell you which hashtags and keywords are best to use

As you can see not all features are part of the basic package, so it may be worth investing a little more if you have the budget, however, I am just using the Tailwind Plus account which costs $15 per month but I bought it for a whole year which saved me about 33%, more on prices below.

Is Tailwind Worth it?

Tailwind is a sensible investment if you want to grow your followers and draw visitors to your website. Even while you’re still learning how to use it you’re bound to see an increase in traffic simply because the platform makes it so easy to repost your content.

But Tailwind may not be ideal if you just started your blog or business website. To make sure you get value for money we suggest you do your groundwork first:

• Acquire at least a few hundred followers because the Tailwind app and running a blog will need the foundation of organic traffic to become truly successful.
• Ensure you’ve done as much as you can in terms of SEO for your website, so the success of Tailwind isn’t encumbered by other problems.
• Determine whether the investment will pay off in the next year. Perhaps it’s wiser to invest in another part of your online presence first. Make sure you don’t spend money on your blog you can’t really afford. You can always use Tailwind at a later stage when you know you’re ready.

What About Cost?

As mentioned earlier, Tailwind is not a free app, though there is a free trial option you can try out first. You’ll appreciate that the brand doesn’t require your credit card details in order to sign up for this trial, so no commitment is necessary yet. But of course there are limits to what you can do with the free version:

• Not all features are activated
• You only get 100 Pinterest pins
• Only 30 Instagram pins are allowed
• You don’t get much in terms of analytics

If you find it works for you it makes sense to start by using the Tailwind Plus which which as mentioned costs about $10/month if purchased annually. This is designed for bloggers and small businesses, but consider upgrading to a Professional or Enterprise package at some stage in future:

• You’ll get more tools to leverage the tribes on Pinterest, making it worth the additional cost.
• There are more analytics features to help you optimize your reach.
• More collaborators are allowed.
• + You get better support.

Important note: the plan will only cover one Instagram or Pinterest profile, so determine which is your most lucrative option before you start, we have just been covering Pinterest marketing here today.

[Conclusion]

Yes, Tailwind has been worth it for Pinterest marketing for me so far, but as mentioned in this Tailwind app review it may not be what you need right now, but it’s definitely an app to consider if you want to boost your Pinterest traffic.

Note from the above that the app is also more focused on Pinterest than Instagram, but yes, it can work for both.

Time it correctly and this could be the platform that gets you the Pinterest traction you need.

If you like the idea of trying out the Tailwind App then I would greatly appreciate if you sign up via my Affiliate link here, either way, I hope it helps you and your blog or business.

You’re living in the technological age also known as the Computer Age or Digital Age and by this time you must have realized that many people aren’t making money in traditional ways anymore.

Technology, the internet and other innovations give you access to unique income sources. Running successful affiliate sites is one example and all you need is a website.

What is an Affiliate Website?

Here’s the scenario: you set up a new website where you feature products from merchant websites, such as Amazon. When you’re an affiliate partner you host an affiliate website and the merchant website will pay you commissions for any conversions the traffic brings.

The affiliate website owner will have a formal agreement with the merchant, outlining exactly how commissions are calculated and paid and you will have to abide by the TOS ( Terms of Service ).

The good affiliate websites—like the ones featured below—can lead to substantial income for the owners, without the hassle of stocking merchandise or even providing a service. You simply feature or compare products, places or services.

Of course, there are different ways to utilize this approach and create successful affiliate sites. We’ll look at some of the best affiliate websites in the world to show you what’s possible.

Successful Affiliate Websites to Watch in 2019:

#1 SkyScanner

The developers of SkyScanner simply showcased cheap flights to help travelers. But that approach meets an important need of the modern traveler and its popularity grew. During its 18 years of existence it has grown to help 80 million users each month.

The original owners made a fortune by selling it to a Chinese travel company. This entity now makes money from commissions, travel partners and when visitors book air tickets or hotel rooms.

#2 Nerd Wallet

Another original approach to affiliate marketing is simply partnering with financial service companies. This means Nerd Wallet doesn’t feature ads for physical products and they don’t even have advertisements. Rather, after starting small by simply comparing credit card options, their content now covers:

• Investments
• Loans
• Mortgages
• Unique topics such as travel

Over 17 million people benefit from their information each month. In only 10 years they’ve grown into one of the most successful affiliate sites around.

#3 The Wirecutter

One important aspect to get right if you want to be known as one of the good affiliate websites is to be trustworthy. When consumers can trust your product reviews and feedback, they’ll become repeat visitors and use you as reference every time they think of purchasing a new product.

This is exactly what The Wirecutter succeeded in as they’re known for doing in depth testing before they share their viewpoints. Now it’s a preferred site for consumers shopping for gadgets and electronics, mostly showcasing Amazon & Best Buy products.

#4 Top Ten Reviews

This is a good affiliate website no matter what you’re after because Top Ten Reviews features such a vast range of products. This ranges from software to home products.

Once again they’re trusted by consumers because their 350 employees post regular, well researched updates. The content stays up to date, covering products from popular sites including:

• Amazon
• Bitdefender
• Lowes

#5 Dog Food Advisor

The importance of valuable content can be seen when you visit the Dog Food Advisor site. When your affiliate site covers topics that consumers rate as important, you get traction. For many consumers a dog or a cat is their only priority.

Although there’s nothing flashy about this website, over 1 million people visit this platform every month. Their need: they want information on their pets’ food. On Dog Food Advisor you’ll find:

• Recall notices
• Most dog food brands’ nutritional information
• General advice

By being an Amazon affiliate the site helps dog owners look after their pets, while generating a steady income. Appreciation for quality content is clear from the many comments you find with each post.

#6 Gear Patrol

Some consumers aren’t drawn to content but appreciate photographs more. For them there’s Gear Patrol. Especially men enjoy visiting this site where they’ll find quality images of everything from gadgets to cars. The popularity of Pinterest and Instagram also boosted its ratings.

Though it was originally only an affiliate site for Amazon, Gear Patrol now also has its own online store.

#7 Best Reviews

A site many people bookmark is ‘Best Reviews’ simply because this platform covers so many different products. Why go anywhere else if all the products you may need this year are reviewed in one place? And this site doesn’t do superficial. You can expect to find:

• Videos
• FAQs
• Long informative articles

Over 4 million people enjoy researching Amazon products here before clicking on the link and committing to a purchase.

#8 The Minimalist Baker

This site proves that it can also pay off to focus on a certain niche. A food connoisseur may not trust a general affiliate website, but The Minimalist Baker is clearly filled with expert knowledge of the industry. They cover appliances, books and more.

For revenue the owners combine the Amazon affiliate program with selling their own material such as courses.

#9 Outdoor Gear Lab

Here’s another website which focuses on a very specific niche: outdoor gear.

They rightly use the word ‘Lab’ in the name because they’re particular about researching and reviewing only the best items available. Of course this means they’re not only bound to one affiliate partner. To offer the best products Outdoor Gear Lab has partnered with six different merchants.

This site leverages people’s need to be part of a community by allowing members to help each other. Account holders can be contributors by adding comments to posted reviews.

#10 PC Part Picker

Computers have become part of our every day lives, but the tech industry changes constantly. For those who want to upgrade to a new computer this is your go to affiliate site. You can plan your own computer and then order the components via the affiliate merchants such as Amazon or Super Bizz.

The smart setup helps with:

• Checking compatibility
• Finding latest versions of components
• Managing your budget
• Ensuring the PC aligns with what it will be used for

#11 Website Setup

A successful affiliate site can even make money by helping others set up their own websites. Website Setup does this mainly by promoting Bluehost’s products, but also provides detailed advice on running websites.

Because so many people want their own blogs and no business can risk not having a website, this is a niche that will continue to be vital for years to come.

#12 The Points Guy

Here’s another affiliate site that benefits from consumers’ needs for cheap travel. You’ll find travel advice combined with methods to get affordable or even free offers for hotels, travel tickets and more. For every credit card purchase of a merchant’s products the site earns commission.

In less than 10 years the site grew to attract over 9 million visitors a month.

#13 This is Why I’m broke’

This is one of my favourite Successful Affiliate Websites and the actual website that I modelled my own website on. It consists of random cool things mainly linked to from Amazon.

Each product has a small yet often funny description that reveals enough information about the product to want to click the affiliate link and take a closer look. This, in turn, sets the 24 hour cookie period for the affiliate link to Amazon.

The site gets about 2.4 million visits a month and is probably generating in excess of $30,000 in revenue a month. A pretty decent income if you ask me!

[Conclusion]

It’s clear with these successful affiliate website examples that it’s worth the effort required to learn how to create one for your self. Will you make the first step and try to reap the rewards too?