How to Make $300 Online

It's possible to make extra money online. Here are 21 surprising business ideas to earn you real money.

There's nothing like being your own boss. Sure, you still work hard, but it's on your terms and actually means something to you.

Most of us dream of starting a successful business—but where do you begin? There are actually many lucrative opportunities right under your nose.

Let's dive into 21 legit strategies to make $300+ online.

1. Flip Amazon Deals

Amazon is a one-stop shop for toilet paper, shoes, kitchenware, and more. But many shoppers overlook the Today's Deals page.

It's full of new sellers who are trying to build up their reviews and reputation. Thousands of products are up to 60% off for 1 or 2 days.

Now, you can shop and collect a profit as a middleman. Here's how:

1. Go to Today's Deals on Amazon
   
2. Click on a discount
   
3. Search that same discount on eBay and check the selling price
   
4. Create a listing on eBay
   
5. Order a few items from the Amazon discount and sell to an eBay buyer at a higher price

This option can be pretty simple and depending on the product, you could rake in $300.

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2. Use Creative Commons Videos on YouTube

You don't need to create original content to make money on YouTube, you can actually repackage other videos as your own.

Compilation videos are a legit and legal income stream. If you can get millions of views, you can make $300 or more.

Don't just grab one, upload as your own, and call it a day. Instead, compile a variety of clips from other videos and create a super-video.

Most importantly, add a detailed caption about your video in the description box. This helps get your video recommended to more people, meaning more views.

You can even add affiliate links for more revenue. If you have millions of views, chances are a good portion of those people will read your description field and some may click out to those partners.

3. Sell Digital Products

There are all sorts of digital products you can sell online, and here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Photography
  
• Fonts
  
• Videos
  
• Tutorials
  
• Software/website theme templates
  
• Music
  
• Printables

More specifically, selling printables can be a great and straightforward way to earn extra money. Many creative folks design printables for:

• Checklists
  
• Organizational planning
  
• Educational content
  
• Journals
  
• Fitness/workouts/diets
  
• Calendars
  
• Kids coloring pages

Try marketing to parents when school's out or selling educational printables on Teachers Pay Teachers.

4. Sell Physical Products

This is easiest after building a personal brand. Once you have a following, you can leverage that name recognition into a ton of opportunities.

For example, YouTuber Weylie Hoang sells makeup through a branded partnership. You could come up with your own product line or go into affiliate marketing.

If you're a crafty entrepreneur, try selling on Etsy, which is ideal for homemade jewelry, embroidery, and other unique items. Once you find your niche and build a solid clientele, you can consistently make $300.

Listings are active for four months, or until they sell. When pricing your items, be sure to account for seller's fees:

• $0.20 listing fee, 5% transaction fee
  
• Added 3% + $0.25 payment processing fee if you use Etsy Payments

Creative graphic designers should consider RedBubble. Just upload your original designs to sell customized apparel.

RedBubble handles production and delivery, and you get paid after the item ships. Plus, their commission rate is pretty flexible. Artists earn an average margin of 17% of the retail price.

5. Resell Stuff Online

Depending on what you sell, you could easily make $300. In fact, some items can be resold for close to what you originally paid for it. These products have the best resale value:

• Bicycles
  
• Furniture
  
• Legos
  
• Video games
  
• Designer clothing
  
• Apple products

If you're ready to declutter your home and make money doing it, here are the best apps to sell stuff:

• Poshmark for clothes and accessories
  
• eBay or Craigslist for just about anything
  
• Decluttr for old tech, DVDs, and video games
  
• Etsy for crafts and collectibles
  
• Chairish for vintage furniture

You can sell just about anything over the internet. If you're selling locally, make sure to accept secure online payments or cash, always meet in public, and never share personal information.

Finally, always disclose any damages on your listing and set a fair, realistic price.

6. Freelance Writing

Got a knack for words? You earn money by writing for different websites, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and businesses. Writers with some experience earn an average of $30/hour, and the average pay for an article is around $380.

Popular types of writing jobs:

• Grants
  
• Speeches
  
• Tech and medical content
  
• Articles for websites
  
• Copy for sales pages or landing pages

7. Join Google AdSense

Do you love sharing the best travel tips? Or cooking up vegan recipes? Maybe you just love to talk about the latest fashion trends.

Try starting a blog to talk about your passion. Once you build a following, you can earn money by displaying ads next to your online content.

The Google AdSense Program pays you for the ads displayed on your site based on user clicks or ad impressions. Just sign up and Google gives you a code to copy and paste onto your website.

This is a convenient income-earning strategy because Google maintains relationships with advertisers. They collect the payment and send it to you (minus their management fee). Keep in mind that payout rates vary among niches, and some blog topics are more lucrative than others.

8. Display Ads on a Website

Similar to Google AdSense, you get paid for sticking "display ads" next to your content. Except the reader doesn't need to actually click on the ad for you to make money.

Display ads are focused on building brand awareness rather than making a sale. And you'll need a lot of website traffic to make $300+/month, since your pay depends on the number of times your ads are viewed. The more eyeballs, the more you'll make.

9. Become an Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money off of your blog.

You can promote a company's products in your content via product reviews, blog posts, or videos, and then you get a cut of the profit for each sale you make.

This revenue stream can be very lucrative. Companies need traffic and leads, and you can help expose their brand to new audiences.

Depending on your niche and the product you're promoting, you could get up to $100 a sale.

Here's how to get started with affiliate marketing:

1. Decide on a platform
   
2. Choose your niche
   
3. Write quality blog posts
   
4. Drive traffic your site
   
5. Get visitors to click out on your affiliate links
   
6. Convert those clicks to sales

10. Become a YouTube Ads Partner

Wondering how to make money off your vlog? Become a YouTube Partner.

Like Google AdSense for websites, you get paid for placing display ads on your channel.

There are two main ad types:

• In-Stream ads, which play before a YouTube video
  
• In-Display ads, which appear as a sponsored suggested video on the top right sidebar

Be sure to turn on ads in settings each time you publish a video. Content creators are paid after a viewer watches 30 seconds of your video.

To get more views on YouTube, be sure to engage with your reviews in the comments, create video playlists, and design eye-catching thumbnails.

Before you start, zero in on your ideal audience. With a successful channel, it's possible to make thousands of dollars per month off YouTube ads.

11. Become an Influencer

Who hasn't dreamed of being famous? Even if you don't have a specific talent, you can still build a personal brand based on what you do.

And when you get enough followers, you can offer sponsored posts or shares, where a company will pay you to promote their product.

You could earn money talking about makeup, surfboards, Air Jordans, and anything in between.

You set your own rates, and payout depends on your site's popularity and audience. As an Instagram influencer, this is what you can expect to charge:

• 1 cent = 1 follower
  
• If you have 30,000 followers, you can start your rate at $300 per post or share

12. Partner with Brands

Instead of creating just one sponsored post, consider offering a personalized sponsorship package. This service includes written content, videos, social shares, photos, and more.

Of course, this option is best if you already have a substantial online following. If you do, a brand sponsorship can be a mutually beneficial option for you and the company you work with.

In fact, getting a good sponsorship with a company can differentiate yourself from similar folks in your niche.

How to make a money off an Instagram sponsorship:

1. Build your reach and influence
   
2. Focus on a specific audience
   
3. Post consistently and around the same time
   
4. Engage with your audience
   
5. Include relevant hashtags with every post
   
6. Initiate future relationships by tagging brands you like
   
7. Pitch a custom sponsorship package to brands

Just make sure to promote a company or product that you actually like and aligns with your values. You don't want to alienate your followers.

13. Buy and Sell Websites

Websites are a bit like houses. You can flip them to earn some passive income. For many, buying and selling websites is a legitimate side hustle.

Thousands of site owners end up neglecting their sites, and you can capitalize on that. Website flippers identify these undervalued websites and polish the content and design before selling for a profit.

Here's a quick primer on how this all works:

1. Look for sites with content that will remain popular and useful over time
   
2. Find your niche (such as health and wellness, finance, sports, recipes, and more)
   
3. Search for websites to buy (consider revenue generated, earnings consistency, ways to monetize traffic)
   
4. Look for proof of revenue and traffic
   
5. Examine link profile
   
6. Make an offer
   
7. Improve the website
   
8. Evaluate what your site is worth now
   
9. Find a buyer and negotiate the sale

Sometimes, even if you buy a site and do nothing, you might still earn $100 to $150/month. But spotting the right investment requires work and skill.

To find out which websites and URLS are currently for sale, take a peek at Flippa.com.

14. Write a Book or e-Book

For experienced or aspiring writers, selling an e-book can be a great source of passive income. You can express your creativity, share your message with others, and publish something that's important to you.

Best of all, you can easily publish your own e-book using Amazon's self-publishing tool, Kindle Direct Publishing.

You'll be responsible for formatting, cover design, and your own marketing. But you'll be taking advantage of Kindle's huge customer base. Plus, you can earn up to 70% royalties on your e-books with each sale.

15. Start a Dropshipping Business

Online shops are a lucrative money-making strategy. But things like overhead, shipping, and inventory is a pain for new sellers.

Instead of managing the inventory from home, use dropshipping to let a third party handle shipment.

Basically, you transfer the customer's orders and shipment details to someone else to ship out (usually the manufacturer, another retailer, or a wholesaler).

Check out sites like BigCommerce and Shopify to get your storefront up and running.

Dropshipping is a profitable and low-risk business model. Just be sure to secure a reliable supplier.

16. Be a Career Coach

Do you ever get LinkedIn requests from people wanting to "pick your brain"?

Then you might have some valuable insight in your particular field, and lots of curious professionals and enthusiasts would love to learn from you.

If you've built up a ton of experience in a specific topic, you can start a consulting business.

Your pay depends on who you're catering to. Executive coaches make $200 - $600/hour, while life coaches charge $60 - $125/hour.

17. Create Online Courses

Everyone has marketable skills to offer. You just need to find your niche—whether it be coding, real estate, writing, or anything in between.

Prerecorded online courses can be a good source of supplemental income.

For instance, copywriting classes run for $150+ per enrollment, and many topics are even more expensive. If you can leverage your personal brand to reach more people, even better.

Here are some profitable ideas to get you started:

• Building a website
  
• Machine learning / AI
  
• Cell phone repair
  
• Affiliate marketing
  
• Dropshipping
  
• Search engine marketing

18. Sell Surplus Leads

If you already have a successful business, you might have more interested customers than your staff can handle.

In that case, consider selling some of your leads to other companies in your industry. Some business owners might even pay you up to $100 per lead.

You could offer up lead generation to competitors in life insurance, real estate, and other industries.

More Options for Earning $300

Some options for earning extra money daily will require a substantial upfront investment. However, by the time you start generating regular income, the investment will have easily been worth it.

Here are some options to consider if you recently came upon a windfall or have saved up a good chunk of change.

19. Invest in Dividend Stocks

Most major online brokers have zero standard trading fees. You can easily set up an online brokerage account and buy ETFs or stocks.

With investing app Robinhood, there's no account minimum, so you can start with as little or much as you want. Keep in mind, however, that to earn at least $100 per day, you'll need a substantial investment.

The sooner you start investing, the better. Starting early gives you time to ride out the ups and downs of the market.

20. Build Passive Income with Real Estate

Real estate investing is much more predictable than stocks or mutual funds, and it appreciates in value, keeping up with inflation. That's why it's the preferred passive income source for the wealthy.

You don't need to deal with tenants, maintenance repairs, and other landlord hassles. You usually need 5+ years before seeing substantial returns.

21. Earn Interest with Peer-to-Peer Lending

Peer-to-peer lending platforms connect low-risk borrowers who may not qualify for a bank loan with lenders.

Borrowers apply for a loan with the lending site. The loan is usually funded by multiple lenders, who then earn returns as the loan is paid back.

Best of all, you get to build passive income while helping someone out.

Bottom Line

Money. Who couldn't use a little bit more of it? If you start a side hustle today to make a couple hundred bucks, it can snowball into something greater tomorrow, or five years from now. You can even combine several of these ideas to make even more money.

Just remember to protect your greatest asset: your personal brand. A successful blog or YouTube account opens doors to advertising revenue, affiliate marketing, brand partnerships, and other opportunities.

Here are some final resources to help you get started:

• 50 best money making apps
  
• 40+ passive income ideas
  
• 20+ ways to get free money
  
• Find your perfect business name