Making Money Online in 2015

Making Money Online in 2015

Making money online IS possible. I just want to say that right off the bat. There will be lots of people who will tell you making money online is not possible, and that the internet is full of scams. I bet you want me to yell "Well... they're wrong!"  In some ways, they are. But... I can't yell it out with complete confidence, because they are wrong in some ways, but not entirely.

You see, making money online IS possible, like I said. But it isn't easy, and for some people, it may never  amount to being a liveable income. That's just reality. And yes, there are a lot of scams out there too. That's true. But I am here to tell you that if you work hard, work smart, pay attention to details, and can invest some time in it, making money online in 2015 CAN be possible for you.

How can you trust me? Well, I suppose you can't fully, as you don't know me. So I would suggest, if you are wary of any of my suggestions for making money online, look up reviews, search for the sites on the Better Business Bureau's website, etc. & NEVER sign up for something that you are not comfortable with. Period.

But I will give you a little background information on myself, if you don't already know me, so you know that I am coming from a place of love & truly trying to help you all.

I have been making money online since 2007 & I have yet to make a liveable income off of my online work alone. But, I have always been a "part timer" when it came to my online endeavors, so it isn't surprising. However, I have made enough to cover bills, pay for new clothes, buy gifts for others, order food online & receive gift cards.  So... I'm not doing THAT bad.

The best way for me to earn online has always been through my writing and affiliate marketing. Whether it was through my blogs or revenue sharing sites or through sales of my poetry books, writing combined with affiliate marketing has always been tops for me. 

But why do I want to help you? Well, for one thing, helping others helps me. (I'll get the selfish bit out of the way first.)  My blogs, my writing on revenue sharing sites, my advice, my affiliate links, my products, my books, my helpful lists & articles, my ads... they all make me money. So by helping others learn how to make money online, getting people signed up under me, etc. I am helping myself earn money too. You can do the same. It's pretty awesome.

More importantly though, I want to help people make money online so that they can spend more time at home, with family and friends, out in nature, in the community, helping others, & living happier, more fulfilling lives where they don't have to work all the time to get by! I want to help people with disabilities make money online so that they can work from home. I want to help stay at home moms make money online, so they can treat themselves to something nice once in awhile! I want to help college students make ends meet & have the money to eat well & have fun so that they can learn without being under such stress! I want to help people who want to get their writing out there for the world to see & make sure that they're actually  compensated for it! I want to make it so that people have extra money to travel, donate to charity, & live their dreams! I just really want to help my fellow humans!

So, without further ado, here are MY suggestions for making money online in 2015.

Writing and Blogging

As writing and blogging are my personal best ways to make money online, I am starting with those. Believe it or not, you don't have to be a formally trained writer to write online for money, especially not to blog online for money.  However, you do want to have a good grasp of the written word, especially if you want to get a good reputation and make really good money.

For blogging, I obviously use Blogger. However, there are other free blogging networks you can use. I just personally like blogger because I can easily incorporate Google Adsense and Amazon affiliates right into my blog. It is also super easy to format blogs, customize them, and add banners to any other affiliates you may have. I actually have several blogs:

A banner I made for my main blog years ago. 

PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian

The PonchoMeg Program

Thoughts, Emotions, Ideas, and Dreams

Etc.

If you're into blogging, you will definitely want to get into affiliate marketing and sales. We'll get into that in a minute. But first, let's talk writing.

I personally will be writing for very few revenue sharing sites this year. As of right now, I am only writing for Hubpages and List My Five.

Hubpages

On Hubpages, you get the chance to create "hubs" or articles that can be filled with pictures, affiliate marketing, adsense, links, etc. There is a lovely community of writers, and now, since they just took on Squidoo last year, there is a whole new, fresh wave of creative energy flowing there too!

List My Five

It's not a huge earner, but List My Five is one of the easiest sites to write for & earn money.  You write top five lists, promote them, & make money. That's it. It's fun & easy.

My very first self-published book! You can do it too!

What other ways can you make money writing online? Well, you can:

-Self publish books on Createspace (I have 2 so far)

-Write guest posts for blogs

-Submit to magazines, websites, greeting card companies, etc. (Pays best. It can be hard to break into the market though, especially without formal training.)

-Work for a content mill (or two or five...)

-Use Sellfy to sell lists, ebooks, articles, etc.

-Post writing jobs you will do for $5 on Fiverr (You can post other things on Fiverr as well. So if you don't like to write, check out some of the other options.)

-Join other revenue sharing sites (Yahoo Contributor Network, Zujava, etc.)

-Create & sell website content through a local network

-Take legitimate writing offers on Craigslist
-Publish books through a major company (Good luck...)

Affiliate Marketing, Selling, Advertising, & MORE!

Affiliate marketing, selling, & such is definitely easier if you have a blog. But even if you don't, if you have social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, etc. you can still make money this way online.

Amazon Associates

Put product banners on your blog or website &/or promote individual products in your posts &/or on social media. Amazon Associates is a great program, run by a reputable company. I personally do best with Amazon Associates during the fall/winter holiday season, starting around Halloween. 

IZEA - Sponsored Tweets & the Sponsorship Marketplace

Make money online by posting tweets on twitter, writing promotional blog posts, creating videos for advertisers, posting specific Facebook status updates, etc. Make even MORE money by referring other people (as I am now!) 

Kitsy Lane

This fun, user friendly jewelry seller allows you to set up your very own jewelry boutique online for FREE & make huge commissions (more than Amazon) off of each sale. They also keep track of your customers & send them coupons & updates. In addition to making money from sales, you can make even MORE MONEY by referring other people to open boutiques, just as I am here, if you sign up through my link above. I will admit, I LOVE Kitsy Lane. They have cute items, my boutique is gorgeous, & they make selling online EASY!

Groovy bohemian necklace from my Kitsy Lane Boutique

Hits4Pay

Hits4Pay has to be one of the easiest websites I use to make money online. How does it work? Well, after you signup, you read email messages sent to a special folder in your Hits4Pay account & click on the button that says "View this Website" to go to the site that the email is advertising. You do NOT have to sign up for anything or buy anything if you don't want to. Hits4Pay pays you just for reading & looking. Now, every once in awhile, you may get an offer or newsletter that you DO want to sign up for. Great! In that case, Hits4Pay puts you into a prize drawing to get MORE money! Pretty cool, huh? I personally have found a few helpful sites & newsletters through Hits4Pay; not a ton, but a few. Finally, you can make money on Hits4Pay by referring other people to use it (as I am doing now.)  They make it very easy by providing you with banners & sample text ads so that you can promote the website without giving out any false information or making any inflated promises. (Like "making BIG money FAST!!" That's just not a promise you can make. Just like with everything else on this list, large profits are NOT guaranteed.)

Cashcrate 

With Cashcrate, you can earn cash & prizes by taking free offers, shopping at places you would normally shop, taking surveys, doing tasks, or referring new members (like I am with my link above!) It is easy, fun, & for those who shop online, an awesome way to make money on stuff you would be purchasing anyway. Smart!

Swagbucks

Honestly, Swagbucks is much like Cashcrate, but I like it better. Why? Well, there are more options of things to do to earn your rewards beyond surveys, shopping, special offers, & the like, such as watching cool videos about entertainment, music, celebrities, etc., playing games, &/or donating to charities! You can get Amazon giftcards & so much more for just messing around online. You can also, much like Cashcrate, make money off of people you refer (such as I am doing here.)

CJ Affiliate

If you sign up for CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction) you can become an affiliate for many reputable companies. Promote them online through blogs, websites, social media, etc. & make money. Some programs may even offer an added incentive for referring other promoters to them.

OTHER GREAT PLACES TO SELL & PROMOTE, & EVEN CREATE AND SELL:

Zazzle
Cafepress
Etsy
eBay
Craigslist

I have used them all successfully, with Etsy being my top earner. I have friends who are VERY successful with Zazzle & Cafepress, & my sister does well with eBay.

NOTE: Be careful using Craigslist - always meet in public locations, preferably not alone, & don't give out too much information that isn't directly related to the product or products you are trying to sell.

Design & Sell on Zazzle

OTHER WAYS TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE:

-Sell photos
-Create and sell websites
-Invest in online stock trading
-Run a home based business like ItWorks, Jamberry, Mary Kay, Avon, etc. that allows you to have a website & take online orders. (These are usually NOT free to start though)

I hope that these methods I use & these ideas I have offered up help at least some of you make money online in 2015. Best of luck to you all! Let me know how it goes & keep checking back for updates!

Peace & Love to ALL!
Meagan
PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian