12 Money-Making Ideas for Teenagers ($300/Day Side hustles)
As a teen trying to earn money, you likely have limitations on your time and abilities. Fortunately, the internet has many opportunities that work well for the young and ambitious.
I will share 12 practical money-making side hustles to help teens start earning $300+ every day in 2024, either alongside school or full-time.
These are real ways regular teenagers are using to make an impressive daily and monthly income online. And if you stick with any of these ideas and put in consistent effort, you too can experience financial success.
The first money-making idea is;
1. Freelance Content Writing
Freelance writing is a good way to earn money.
People and businesses need lots of written stuff for the internet, and if you like writing or want to get better at it, you can sell your writing services and earn money.
You don’t need a degree or certificate to start. All you need is to choose a niche you enjoy writing about, learn the basics from the many free writing courses online, and then start writing samples to include in your portfolio.
Use sites like Fiverr, Upwork and Freelancer to find clients willing to pay for your writing skills. Top writers charge up to $300+ for a single blog post!
If you put in the work and consistently deliver quality content, you can quickly build up your portfolio and raise your rates.
Freelance content writing is an ideal opportunity not only for teenagers but also for students and anyone else.
Pro tips: Here are some quick tips to Build up your portfolio as a beginner with no experience:
- Reach out to your immediate network and offer free consulting for friends, family, non-profit organizations and local businesses.
- Get on Project-based learning platforms; platforms like Udemy, Codecademy Pro or Kaggle learn offer real-world projects with specific briefs and access to potential clients.
- Work on student projects. utilize career services, alumni networks, or student project groups to find opportunities.
- Volunteer and apply for internships
- Participate in online contests and competitors.
- Contribute to open-source projects.
2. Launch a “Transformation” Blog
You can literally turn your hobby into a 6-figure business.
Although Monetizing a blog would require time and effort, it can over time become a sizable income source.
Choosing what to blog about doesn’t have to be in the 3 main niches of Finance, health and relationship. Instead, you can blog about your city, fashion, sports, pets, travel, cars, your experience as a college student, school subjects etc.
Related: 8 Drag and Drop Online Store Website Builders (No Coding)
I usually recommend starting with what I call a “transformation blog”, where you are simply documenting your journey; wins, challenges, hacks and secrets in whatever it is you’re working on.
For creating your blog, use free sites like WordPress, Wix, or better still Hostinger AI website builder (it comes with a free domain).
You would want to spend the first few weeks creating valuable, SEO-optimized content. Once you start getting visitors, you can monetize through affiliate links, sell advertising space, promote your products, and Google Adsense. Multiple streams of passive income can add up.
Look up examples like Maya Penn who started a popular blog at age 13, eventually building it into a thriving business. You can replicate the same if you dedicate your time to it.
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3. Run a “Faceless” YouTube Channel
You can run an entire YouTube channel without ever showing your face on camera. These “faceless” channels rely on a voiceover and visuals like stock footage to create videos.
Niches like gaming, self-help, motivation, meditation, health, News etc are a perfect fit for faceless YouTube automation channels.
- Use AI tools like ChatGPT, CopyAI or Wordplay AI to get viral video ideas.
- Record a voiceover or use text-to-speech programs for your audio.
Once you are done and have uploaded your video, the YouTube algorithm will start suggesting your videos, helping you slowly grow an audience.
You make money from YouTube ad revenue, affiliate marketing links in your videos, sponsorship deals and course sales.
Channels like BrainyDose use this formula to earn over $40k a month!
FREE TRAINING: How to Make Money on YouTube WITHOUT Recording Videos
4. Become an Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketing simply means promoting other people’s products for a commission. You can easily become an “affiliate” for brands selling courses, software, supplements, services, and more.
When one of your readers buys a product you promoted, you earn a percentage of that sale. Top affiliates earn over 6 figures by driving traffic through blogs, YouTube, social media, and paid ads.
Sign up on sites like ClickBank or ShareASale to access a plethora of affiliate programs. Or directly contact brands you think are a good fit and ask to join their programs. The more relevant your recommendations, the higher your conversion rates will be.
5. Offer Graphic Design Services
These days, professional graphic design is in high demand by bloggers, content creators, businesses, and social media influencers. If you have creative chops and photo editing skills, offer your services online!
Use free tools like Canva to create logos, YouTube thumbnails, website banners, Instagram posts, and advertising designs for clients.
Once your portfolio is built up, create gigs on Fiverr and Upwork charging $100 or more per design, depending on the technicality of the project.
The process of building a portfolio as a beginner is the same as I already mentioned above;
- Work on Personal Projects. Create designs based on your ideas. Alternatively, you can completely rework a new version of existing designs.
- Create designs for local businesses or non-profit organizations.
- Participate in online design contests.
- Contributing to open-source projects
- Complete graphic design projects on online learning platforms like Coursera or Udemy.
Many YouTubers pay $1000+ retainer per month to designers for custom thumbnails and graphics. With some practice, you can easily start earning similar amounts.
6. Run an Instagram Theme Page
Growing an Instagram account in a particular niche is easier than you may think, and can quickly become quite profitable. The key is consistency in posting and interacting with your target audience.
Choose a specific theme like fashion, celebrities, beauty, luxury cars, cute animals, fitness motivation, etc. Use relevant hashtags so people can discover your posts. Share user-generated content and engaging pictures or short video clips daily.
Once you gain over 10K engaged followers, you can make $100 or more per post promoting relevant brands and products. You don’t even need to show your face.
As you grow over 100K followers, your earning potential increases too. Be patient, stay consistent, and the growth + profits will come.
7. Sell Custom Products via Print-on-Demand
Print-on-demand (POD) websites allow everyday people to design custom products like t-shirts, phone cases, mugs, tote bags, portraits and other printables without any upfront inventory costs. You upload your unique designs and collect profits each time someone orders a product showcasing your artwork.
This is an ideal business for artistic or creative teens. All you need is a computer and internet access to get started.
Use sites like CafePress, Zazzle, or Redbubble to handle printing and shipping your products while you collect royalties ranging from 10-20% per item sold.
If you are Dedicated, you can easily earn over $300 daily just by uploading lots of cool designs and promoting them on social media. The earning potential has no limits.
8. Teach a Language Online
In today’s globalized economy, millions of people are keen to learn popular languages like English, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, German or French. No matter your native tongue, teaching language lessons online has become quite lucrative.
Use platforms like Verbling or Preply which allow anyone to register as an online language tutor.
You set your hourly rates while they handle new student bookings and payments in a secure, standardized system. If you’re currently learning or already fluent in a second language, put that knowledge to work immediately!
The key advantages here for teens are flexibility and no commute time. Simply conduct video chat lessons from home on your schedule. With good reviews and tutoring skills, earning $300 daily is quite realistic.
9. Resell Items via eBay or Poshmark
Selling used items by yourself feels insignificant, but peer-to-peer marketplaces like eBay, Poshmark and Mercari have turned reselling into big business. Millions now buy and sell second-hand goods online across almost any category imaginable.
As a teen, source inventory to resell from your closet, thrift stores, yard sales or wholesale suppliers.
Download apps where you can sell these items and create listings showcasing your available products with detailed descriptions. When you get an order, package and ship in your spare time for a nice profit.
This flexible side hustle lets you set your schedule while steadily earning income week-to-week.
While $300 earners typically sell high-ticket items, teens focusing on volume across cheaper listings can hit this earning milestone too.
prot tip: You can use the arbitrage model, where you source for items at a cheaper rate from Facebook marketplace, and sell it higher on another platform
10. Edit Videos for Clients
Similar to graphic design and writing, selling video editing and production skills is also quite profitable in our media-focused online era. Everyone from individual vloggers to giant corporations relies on video content more than ever before.
Invest time upfront into learning video editing basics through online programs like RocketJump Film School or Skillshare. Use beginner-friendly editing apps like InVideo, Veed or Capcut while creating your first few test projects.
Once you feel confident with the process, offer your editing services on freelancing sites or directly to creators in your network.
Rates for editing start around $50 per finished video, rising much higher over time as you gain more project experience. Don’t underestimate this in-demand skill!
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11. Coach Clients on Running Ads
Advertising is a $500+ billion dollar industry globally across search, display, television and other formats that lots of individuals and businesses need help optimizing correctly.
Luckily, the core principles of running and managing successful ads can be self-taught through Google SkillShop or other free online courses that certify your knowledge in this area.
Offer struggling advertisers affordable packages helping them to refine poor-performing campaigns or launch new ones aligned with best practices.
Consulting and ad optimizations have direct measurable results, meaning if you can help businesses effectively Run ads, you will be able to retain clients long-term
12. Build Websites Without Coding
This money making idea leverages the growing craze around AI,
You can design professional websites without having to know how to code. Platforms like Hostinger, Squarespace, Wix and Shopify let you create great-looking sites using simple drag-and-drop editors and pre-made templates.
Spend time familiarizing yourself with one or more of these codeless site builders. Watch video tutorials if needed to understand these tools better. Once you’re comfortable, you can start offering your website development services at a low cost to local businesses, artists, bloggers, and other groups.
The process is exponentially faster and cheaper than hiring a traditional coder. For about $300, you can get their entire online presence up and running – custom domain name, logo, contact forms, blogging tools, and anything else needed!
Most small businesses need a quality website to stand out but lack big budgets. Position yourself as the perfect solution – no technical skills are required by you or your clients.
Given the high demand and fast turnaround, earning $300 daily from web design is realistic once you build a solid client base.
There are a lot of teenagers out there who may not be as smart as you are but are using these 12 practical money making ideas to make a good amount of money online.
The more time and effort you put into learning these skills and gaining experience, the more money you’ll make in the end.
