How to Make Money Online Without Selling Anything

by Guest Blogger on November 30, 2011

in Money

My name is Nisha Sharma. I represent a site called CompareLogbookLoans.co.uk. I love to write, especially about travel, finance and offer business advice. Feel free to visit our site for more information on logbook loans.

The great thing about the internet is that it really allows anybody to set up a business of their own. Whatever sort of business you want to run, you can start doing it for free on the web, reaching an international marketplace and making a living however you please.

In short, you don’t need to buy and sell in order to make money online.

There are a lot of business models open to you outside of the traditional retail market. Here are a few business models that people have been using to great success on the web.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is technically not selling so much as endorsing.

Think of yourself like an actor in a television commercial.

The way affiliate marketing works is simple: You host a blog or a video channel or some such, and you post links to products people might want to buy.

You’re not doing any selling; you don’t have to invest a dollar of your own money beyond maybe a paid hosting account if you like. Rather, you just send people towards the product or service and collect a commission which, in some cases, can be around forty percent, though that’s certainly a high-range estimate.

Paid to Blog

There are a lot of different ways that you can be paid to blog.

Outside of affiliate marketing, you can also use banner ads on your website to earn income; you can offer licensing opportunities to merchandisers if you run a popular enough website or you can ghost blog for celebrities, CEOs and business people.

The most common means of earning money through blogging is to sign up for a network that pays you directly per blog post based on a number of factors like readership and subject matter.

Freelancing

You’re technically selling something as a freelancer, but instead of a product, you’re selling your skills.

If you’re a writer, there are a lot of online publishers looking for people who can create compelling science fiction stories, non-fiction, articles, essays and everything in between. If you’re a graphic designer or an artist, there are a lot of people out there looking to have their logos designed by a professional. In selling your skills, you may have a rough first year, but once you get the ball rolling, every client can lead you to two more clients, and two more clients, and so on and on.

The fact of the matter is that, on the web, you can make a living doing almost anything you want, only so long as you can maintain a website related to what you’re doing and bring in a sizable audience.

As long as you can keep people interested, you can make a living on the web without selling anything.

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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }

Jens P. Berget
Twitter:
November 30, 2011 at 12:19 pm

I’ve been “working” online for several years, and I’ve made money with affiliate marketing and writing (selling ads on my blog). It’s a lot harder to earn money online than most people say. That’s for sure :)
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Christian Hollingsworth
Twitter:
November 30, 2011 at 1:18 pm

I think one of most important qualities to have, while working online, is patience. It really takes time to grow a brand online.

If you have a marketable skill that’s pertinent to the online world, it can be done rather quickly. Places like Elance and Guru are great ways to build an income very, very fast.
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TracyAnn0312 November 30, 2011 at 11:15 pm

Hi Christian! I read different blogs and they make money out of affiliate marketing. This is very special especially if you begin to make money online. I haven’t try it but I think this is the best!

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Christian Hollingsworth
Twitter:
December 1, 2011 at 10:31 pm

I think reading different blogs is a great help. Keeps you focused and growing at a constant pace!
Christian Hollingsworth recently posted..How to Make Money Online Without Selling AnythingMy Profile

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TracyAnn0312 December 2, 2011 at 1:00 am

Maybe I could try it. How can reading make you focused Christian? I know that when you read you can get constant flow of ideas.

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Christian Hollingsworth
Twitter:
December 2, 2011 at 11:59 am

I think staying focused while reading starts with having a focused goal from the beginning. Before you even start.

When I’m reading a book (I read a book a week and alternate between fiction and non-fiction every other week) I keep a goal in mind. If I’m reading a social media book, it might be to pull concepts and ideas for a new blog post. In other books it may be to simply highlight the important parts, and take the ideas into my own business.

Whatever the book, I’ve always found it helps to have that one simple goal in your mind. That’s what keeps focus running smoothly.

Just some thoughts! :)
Christian
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Janjan December 8, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Nice read here, learned a lot on how to make money online, in other areas, cause I have been working as a freelance skill worker. And in this area you have to be patient and hardworking. But its true, you can earn on the web by doing anything that earns money,. I want to learn how banner ads work. Anyway nice post. Thanks for sharing.

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Christian Hollingsworth
Twitter:
December 8, 2011 at 1:16 pm

Thank you for taking the time to read. Glad you were able to use some information from the post. Hard work really does pay off, even though it’s, well, hard! lol
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roshan thalang
Twitter:
December 9, 2011 at 3:22 pm

Summarized nicely there. You should also mention that it really needs a lot of hard work. Many people think its difficult. It’s not, its just hard to follow through.

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Christian Hollingsworth
Twitter:
December 9, 2011 at 5:35 pm

So very true, Roshan. It’s that daily, continued effort that really brings results.
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Sunny December 11, 2011 at 11:27 pm

You can also make money online by writing content for websites and blogs. I have been earning my bread and butter since 2005. There are so many places from where you can acquire these writing jobs online.

Try this.

Thanks
Sunny

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Christian Hollingsworth
Twitter:
December 12, 2011 at 12:13 am

Appreciate the share, Sunny. It’s great for others to hear this kind of positive information from others who are actually doing what they teach.

Thank you!
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Marcus December 13, 2011 at 3:26 pm

Well, technically, even if you freelance, you’re selling your services. But it’s true these are not a product in the real sense of the word, it’s not like you’re writing an ebook and selling it.
So if we get over this small problem, I’d go for affiliate marketing since it’s the most profitable and over time it involves the smallest amount of work.
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Christian Hollingsworth
Twitter:
December 14, 2011 at 1:32 am

Most certainly, Marcus!

This post was focusing on “non-product” sales, so it might more aptly be titled, “How to Make Money Online Without Selling Products.”

It’s amazing what affiliate marketing has the ability to bring in, in terms of profits. Especially over the long run. It’s certainly not passive in the beginning, but can lean in that direction if you put in a lot of hours.
Christian Hollingsworth recently posted..13 Ways To Improve Your WritingMy Profile

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Marcus December 20, 2011 at 10:28 pm

True, and affiliate marketing has the biggest potential to grow, maybe even leading to a lot of passive income. In its own way, it’s perfect.
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Mark Biplob
Twitter:
December 15, 2011 at 7:12 am
Christian Hollingsworth
Twitter:
December 22, 2011 at 11:13 am

You’re welcome. Glad it helped!
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