Derek VervoornFor more Creative Tools, check out the Freelancer Toolkit…
Are you looking to start your freelancing career but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you’ve been freelancing for a while but feel like you need to spice things up a bit. If so, then this blog post is for you. In it, we’ll be discussing nine different side hustles that can help jumpstart your freelancing career.
These side hustles range from the most basic skill to the most recent business venture. No matter what your situation may be, there’s sure to be a side hustle here that’s perfect for you.
Let’s jump right in.
Ready to be recognized as an expert in your field? Join Twine.
Facebook Ads Manager
If you have an interest in marketing, becoming a Facebook ads manager may be the perfect side hustle for you.
With this job, you’ll manage clients’ advertising campaigns on Facebook, as well as create and optimize target audience ads. This job can be done remotely, so you don’t have to worry about commuting or working set hours.
The best type of client to start with for this service is local businesses. Without being a marketing wizard, you can significantly impact a local business while being paid a good chunk of change. Many local businesses will pay between $1,000-$2,000 if you can help them get more leads and sales.
There is an abundance of free information on YouTube surrounding how to run Facebook ads. You can quickly learn the ins and outs of Facebook’s advertising dashboard and how to set up and monitor campaigns.
Once you’ve learned about Facebook ads, you can reach out to businesses and offer to run their ads for free (if they cover the cost). This way, you get some real-world experience and a testimonial if you do a good job. You also have a good chance of turning that free-trial client into a paying client once the ads start working.
Once the ads are up and running, it requires little time to monitor them. This is why running Facebook ads can be such a great side hustle. You can charge a reasonable fee each month, and you don’t have to spend a lot of time managing it.
Ghostwriting
Do you have a knack for writing? Or are you just looking for an easy side hustle that pays well? If so, then ghostwriting might be the perfect side hustle for you.
Ghostwriting is when you write content on behalf of someone else, and they get all the credit.
It can be anything from writing blog posts, creating social media content, or even writing an entire e-book. Clients are willing to pay a decent amount for these services, especially if you have experience.
The great thing about ghostwriting is that you don’t need to have any specialized skills or degrees. A basic understanding of writing, grammar, and research will go a long way.
If you’re just starting out, there are numerous websites and job boards where you can find ghostwriting opportunities (including Twine!). You’ll also want to create a portfolio of your work so potential clients can better understand what you’re capable of.
Overall, ghostwriting is a great side hustle if you enjoy writing and researching. Jobs are typically paid out per word or per project. For example, you may start making roughly $100 per post when it comes to blog posts. As you gain more writing experience and learn other ways to improve your content, such as SEO, you can earn $400 to $500 per blog post.
So, if you’re looking for a relatively simple side hustle that pays well and doesn’t require any specialized skills, ghostwriting could be a good fit.
Affiliate Marketing
If you enjoy writing but prefer to work on your own projects, affiliate marketing could be a great side hustle for you.
Affiliate marketing is when you create content and include links to products and services related to your content. When someone clicks on the link and signs up or makes a purchase, the company with which you’re affiliated pays you a commission.
It’s a great way to make money from your content without creating the product or service yourself. You can do affiliate marketing through your blog, website, or social media. If you already have a following, it can be a great way to supplement your income because more people are likely to click on your links.
You’ll need to research the affiliate programs available and find the ones that work best for you. For example, some affiliate programs will pay recurring commissions, while others offer one-time payments. You can make anywhere from several dollars to hundreds per sale, depending on the program, product, or service.
The easiest path to cash with affiliate marketing is if you have a following on social media (note: it doesn’t have to be 10’s of thousands). This way, you can promote products and services to your followers.
However, it can also be done by creating a blog, running ads on social media, or even creating videos. Affiliate marketing is a great side hustle if you have basic knowledge of online marketing and enjoy writing or creating content.
You don’t have to worry about fulfillment, dealing with clients, or creating your own products and services. You just have to focus on creating content, getting people to use your links, and collecting your commissions.
Email Marketing
Another excellent option for side hustles is email marketing. Email campaigns can be used to promote products and services, generate leads, build relationships, or increase sales.
Even though you don’t need any technical skills, having some knowledge of online marketing and copywriting will help you get the best results. You’ll need to create email campaigns and deliver those emails to potential customers using tools like MailChimp or Constant Contact.
Depending on the size and complexity of the emails, you can charge anywhere from $50 to $1,000+ per campaign. You can also agree on a one-time fee, recurring payments, or even a percentage of the revenue. You could offer services like dividing up email lists, setting up autoresponders, and helping people make email templates.
Email marketing is a great side hustle because you can do it from anywhere and it doesn’t require much time. Additionally, if you create successful campaigns, you can make good money — sometimes more than you would make from a full-time job.
For example, suppose you can help a business owner earn $5,000 more per month through the emails you write. In that case, you can ask for a percentage of that revenue as compensation. It’s additional revenue that the business didn’t have before working with you, so they’re happy to share a percentage.
Email marketing is a skill that can be used by nearly any type of business owner. So if you’re able to create successful email campaigns, plenty of potential clients are out there.
If you have copywriting experience or an interest in learning persuasive writing, email marketing could be a great side hustle to jumpstart your freelancing career.
Funnel Builder
What exactly is a funnel? It’s a group of web pages that are meant to turn visitors into leads, customers, and sales. Builders of sales funnels use tools like Instapage, Clickfunnels, and Leadpages, among others, to make these pages.
You don’t need a lot of technical knowledge to create funnels; however, you do need to understand the basics of online marketing. Coding knowledge isn’t needed, funnel building software enables people to simply click-and-drag various components. All you need to know how to do is make a beautiful web page design that keeps people’s attention.
Funnel builders often charge between $500 – $2,000+ for each funnel they build. They can also offer additional services such as split testing, lead generation, or creating custom designs for specific businesses.
Again, starting off by offering your services for free to get an experience is always a great option. Then, as you improve and you build a portfolio, you can raise your prices as you wish.
Funnel building is an excellent side hustle as plenty of businesses need help in this area, so you can always find work.
Social Media Management
Social media management is one of the most popular side hustles. Businesses are always looking for help with their social media accounts and getting more people to follow them. You don’t need to be a tech expert to manage social media, but you do need to understand the basics of how platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook work.
You’ll also need to know how to use different social media management tools, such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social. Businesses often need help managing their social media accounts, coming up with content, scheduling posts, and interacting with their followers.
The pay for freelance social media management varies, but you can expect to make anywhere from $15 – $50 per hour. You can also charge on a monthly basis and earn between $500 and $1,000 per month. However, if you have a lot of experience and work with high-end clients, you could earn more.
Because you’ll need to be active on social media on a daily basis, this can be a more time-consuming side hustle. But it can also be very rewarding because you get to engage with people, curate content, and help businesses grow their online presence.
Social media management is a great side hustle if you’re looking to get into freelancing while having some creative freedom. Plus, it’s a skill that can be used by almost any type of business, and you can build your own personal brand if you choose.
Outreach Specialist
An outreach specialist helps entrepreneurs and business owners with manual lead generation. This means looking for possible customers and getting in touch with them by email, phone, or social media to tell them about the business.
For the most part, wherever you’re being hired to do outreach, they will already have a proven process for you to follow. So if you’re not afraid of a little cold outreach, this can be a great side hustle for you to jumpstart your freelancing career.
There are a few ways outreach specialists get paid: by the hour, monthly, or based on the sales their leads generate. How much you earn mostly depends on who you’re working with. But on average, outreach specialists charge $15–20 per hour, or between $500 and $1,000 per month.
You can earn even more if you work with someone who offers a high-ticket service or coaching. This is a great side hustle because it teaches you how to find potential buyers and create interest in a product or service. You can leverage these skills to do outreach for higher-priced products or services or something you create in the future.
Video Editor
Video editing is becoming one of the increasingly popular side hustles.
Since more and more people are making videos for social media, the need for good, quick video editors is always growing. If you’re already familiar with how to use video editing software or even have basic video editing skills, you can quickly jump into freelancing.
Businesses often need help making how-to videos and videos to promote their services, products, or events. Unlike other side hustles, video editing doesn’t require many specialized skills, although, of course, you do need to understand how to use video editing software.
The pay for video editing varies based on how many videos you’re editing, the length of the videos being edited, and the amount of editing required. But starting out, you could earn $500-$2,500 per month.
Video editing is a great side hustle if you want to take your creative skills to the next level and earn some extra money. Plus, it can be a fun and rewarding experience.
General Assistant
Of course, being a virtual assistant is one of the most well-known side hustles.
As a general virtual assistant, you could be helping with an array of tasks. These may include managing emails, scheduling appointments, organizing files and documents, creating content for social media, formatting documents, and so on.
The pay for virtual assistants varies based on the type of industry you’re working in, your experience, and how many hours you work. You can expect to earn between $12 and $25 per hour, depending on your experience and the company you’re working with.
Those who have an eye for detail and are organized will enjoy these types of side hustles. Virtual assistants are in high demand, so if you’re looking to jumpstart your freelancing career, this is a great place to start.
Once you get your foot in the door, you’ll start seeing more opportunities. And eventually, as you get better, you will begin to charge a premium for your services.
Final Thoughts
The world of freelancing can be intimidating, but with these 9 side hustles, you’ll have a great starting point to jumpstart your career.
Remember, just like anything else, it takes time and patience. But if you stay consistent and work hard, you’ll eventually be able to make a living off freelancing.
Good luck and happy side hustling!
Ready to get hired? At Twine, we have dozens of top-quality jobs being posted each and every day. There is a job waiting for your skills in everything from design to marketing, development, and copywriting. Join the marketplace of diverse creative talent here.
Wondershare
Svitlana Popovska
Hostinger
