4 Side Hustles That Can Earn You $1,000 or More a Month With Minimal Effort
Written by
Brooke Barley
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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Who couldn’t use a little extra money these days? The problem is that it’s not always feasible to pick up a time-consuming side hustle when already employed full-time.
These are some jobs that career experts recommend that can earn workers more than $1,000 a month, but won’t zap them of all their time and energy.
Prompt AI
As AI is implemented by more businesses, there is a greater need for workers to train the AI. Ryan Elam is the founder and CEO of LocalEyes, a top-rated video agency. Elam highlighted AI prompt engineering as a field that is growing. Elam said engineers can work their own schedule and make good money.
“AI prompt engineering is all about knowing how to talk to AI so it gives better results. Businesses are struggling with this and they’re willing to pay for help. Freelancers who optimize prompts for marketing copy, chatbots and research can charge anywhere from $30 to $100 an hour,” he said.
To break into this job market, Elam recommended creating a portfolio showing side-by-side examples of weak content versus optimized AI-generated content. After that, Elam said to post the portfolio on LinkedIn, Upwork and Fiverr to start generating leads.
Tutor AI
Elam said another job that’s constantly hiring and works for AI is something called an AI tutor. “AI tutoring is another easy way to make money because companies are actively hiring people to train AI models by giving feedback on AI-generated responses. xAI, OpenAI, and Scale AI have contract positions that pay $35 to $65 an hour,” he explained.
Elam added that it’s not enough to know how to use AI. Qualified applicants must be able to talk about what would make the AI tools more effective. “The biggest mistake people make is assuming AI skills alone will get them hired. If you can show businesses or individuals how AI saves time or makes them money, landing clients becomes a whole lot easier,” he said.
Rent Out Space
Being a landlord is a side hustle that is relatively passive. Of course, this requires a person to own a home. If enough capital can be generated to buy property, then renting it out can be a very lucrative side hustle. “Property management apps can help you to easily manage rental properties in minutes and from anywhere with a few taps on your phone,” Ryan Barone, co-founder and CEO of RentRedi, explained.
Even if you don’t own property, Barone said it can still be lucrative to rent out parts of a home. “Try starting out house hacking (renting spaces in the home you live in) and build from there,” he said. “For example, you can rent out a variety of spaces in your home including extra bedrooms, storage spaces in your basement or attic or parking spaces in your driveway or garage.”
Become an Affiliate Marketer
Guy Hadas is the co-founder and CEO of Age Group, a marketing agency. Hadas recommended those looking to make extra cash try affiliate marketing. In affiliate marketing, companies pay other people to promote their goods or services. The promoters then get a percentage of every sale made.
“At first, affiliate marketing can be confusing and demanding; however, once you have mastered the entire process, expanded your platform and attracted a larger audience, it will be a straightforward process that allows you to earn money without exerting much effort,” Hadas said.
“You can literally earn money while sleeping after you’ve established everything you need for your side hustle,” he added. “Just make sure you’re marketing trustworthy brands so that the flow of clients and revenue continues.”
Hadas explained that once the business gets going, it’s completely possible to make $1,000 or more a month off the sales. “Affiliate marketing allows you to earn more than $1,000 if you are updated on trends and consistent,” he said. “This is also one of the reasons why it is such a popular side hustle; it generates limitless revenue.”
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