How to make money on the Internet 11 options for people with and without experience

Who and how earns on the Internet

There is no exact data on how many freelancers are on the market and how much they receive – such information is too difficult to collect. Different studies give different numbers. From the PwC report it follows that in Russia the number of people earning money on the Internet has grown from 5 million to 14 million people from 2017 to 2020.  per month. More than 100 thousand rubles. earn only 6% [1].

Similar data are given in the report of the National Research University Higher School of Economics: presumably, 15.5 million people are partially employed in the Russian platform economy, and for 1.7 million people this is the main job [2].

The Center for Strategic Research (CSR) shared the following figures: on average, Russian freelancers earn about ₽408 per hour and work about 27 hours a week. At the same time, only 6% of respondents provide services entirely on the Internet. That is, the majority of those employed through platforms only receive orders via the Internet, but provide services offline, such as, for example, taxi drivers and couriers [3].

According to the statistics of FL.ru, one of the largest Russian job exchanges for freelancers, in 2020 the number of people earning money on the Internet has grown by a record 76% [4]. Most freelancers began to offer their services in such categories as texts (+321%), management (+240%), translations (+234%) and mobile applications (+171%). But employers turned out to be interested in other areas: the maximum number of customers grew in the categories of audio/video (+130%), game development (+104%) and training and consulting (+90%).

The sharp growth in these categories is largely due to the fact that such work can be easily transferred “at home”. However, not everything is so simple – for some specialties you will need in-depth knowledge and expensive equipment, although there are those where you only need a laptop and a little perseverance.

1. Texts

What to do: write articles and other materials. The list of customers is huge – from media to advertising agencies and any company that needs text to promote their products.

Earnings: according to a study by Textodrom, a freelance exchange for copywriters, the average salary of an author in Russia varies from 5 thousand rubles. up to 20 thousand rubles per month. A small part of the respondents receive more than 100 thousand rubles, but under the condition of super-employment and constant self-development [5].

What you need to know and be able to: work with text, search for and check information, be literate, mastery of artistic and journalistic styles of speech.

2. Author’s content

What to do: create content. The format can be anything: a text blog, a podcast, a YouTube channel with tutorial videos, streams, and more. The type and form of presentation depends only on you, the main thing is to find your niche in order to differ from others and interest the audience.

Earnings: The average income is difficult to determine, as it varies greatly depending on the size of the audience, the type of content and its quality. As a rule, the main income comes from advertising: affiliate programs and referral links [6], as well as through monetization tools on the platform where you post content. Gazeta.ru [7] gives the following average estimates: a blogger with 2-3 thousand subscribers in Telegram can earn up to 1.5 thousand rubles on average. for an advertising post.

for 50 thousand views of a post in VK, you can get 1 thousand rubles, and for integration in Yandex.Zen – from 500 rubles. up to 2 thousand rubles I must say that this is one of the most difficult ways to earn money, which requires considerable effort and patience. Many bloggers have been working “to zero” for years, increasing their audience, and only then they begin to receive at least some profit.

What you need to know and be able to: first of all, you need to know your niche and be well versed in your chosen topics. Video bloggers and models can think about purchasing expensive video / photo equipment – viewers choose high-quality content. In general, deep knowledge of a particular specialty is not required here, with the exception of educational content. The main thing is to be able to arouse the interest of the public.

3. Dropshipping

What to do: resell. Dropshipping [8] is an intermediary between the manufacturer of goods and the end consumer, where the manufacturer delivers. A dropshipper advertises a product on its platform and attracts customers. Example: A furniture maker wants to start selling their chairs online and ship them to customers, but doesn’t know how. A dropshipper comes to his aid, who takes high-quality photographs of chairs and sells them through his online store, which multiply the sales of the furniture maker.

Earnings: there is no price ceiling here. The dropshipper earns on a premium on the price from the supplier, which is paid by the client. What the premium will be is up to you.

What you need to know and be able to: Web design skills and knowledge of marketing will come in handy. As a rule, significant initial investments are not required: since the dropshipper is an intermediary between the seller and the buyer, he does not need a warehouse or office.

4. Education and tutoring

What to do: teach online, both for adults and children, and also help to “catch up” on the missing material. There are many schools and platforms in Russia offering online courses. During the pandemic, there has been a real surge in this industry.

Earnings: on average, the rate starts from 500 rubles. per hour (according to a study by the National Research University Higher School of Economics [10]). The upper ceiling will determine the level of qualification, experience and popularity of the teacher. There are success stories of tutors [11], receiving up to 700 thousand rubles. per month.

What you need to know and be able to: obviously, the subject taught, and as best as possible. Ideally, it would be nice to have a diploma confirming qualifications. But if you are a student and you just need a quick part-time job with no career plans, any confirmation of your knowledge will do.