How to Make Money Online Without Paying Anything (for beginners)

In this blog, I’m giving you ideas on how to make money online for beginners. These are ideas that you can use today to learn how to make money online without paying anything. In this blog, I’m also going to list a couple of ideas teaching you how to make money online with minimal investment, less than $200.

This list of ideas on how to make money online is not just for beginners. This blog will help beginners understand how to make money online without paying anything, but this blog is also intended for any entrepreneur looking for new revenue-generating ideas. I personally refer to this blog when I’m stuck on a new niche idea and I need inspiration for how to make money from my niche.

If you are a beginner just getting started making money online, then this blog will be incredibly helpful. If this is your first online business, then I highly recommend bootstrapping the business. Get started for cheap. You do not need to invest $10,000 to start a business. My first business cost me $20 total. My online business that now generates a minimum of $4,000 per month in recurring passive income cost me $50 to start. You can do this for cheap. You can make money online without paying anything.

This is an ongoing list of ways to make money online. These are ideas that you can start pursuing today to begin generating passive income online. This blog will be updated consistently as I come across new ideas on how to make money online without paying anything, and as new online business ideas for beginners arise.

Below I go into more detail about each idea to make money online. I have a big ongoing list of online business ideas I keep on my phone. Every time I have a new idea to make money online, I write it down. This list is well over 100 online business ideas. I’m now beginning to document these ideas. You can download my favorite online business ideas here. These are the top online businesses that I would create today (if I had more time). I update this download as I come across new business ideas, I’m always updating my favorites to let you know when I discover a new niche idea and how you can monetize the idea. Download my favorite niche site ideas (and how I would make money) here.

So, let’s get started. Below is my ideas on how to make money online without paying anything. These are online business ideas for beginners. I’ll give you an overview of how I would make money online as a beginner for each idea below.

How to Make Money Online – Ideas

Here is a list my ideas on how to make money online for beginners. This is a list of ideas to make money online that I have personally used. Some of these I’m showing your how to make money online without paying anything, others are ideas to make money online with a minimum investment of $200 or less. Next to each idea I will list the amount of money that you need to invest to begin making money online. Below this list, I will provide more detail for each idea including exactly what you need to do to get started making money online. So make sure to keep scrolling down after this list for more information on each idea to make money online.

This is a big list of ideas to make money online, you will need to do the research to learn how you can create a niche site and begin profiting from each idea:

• Affiliate ($0)
• Books ($0)
• Freelance ($0)
• Coaching ($0)
• Mastermind ($0)
• Print on demand ($0)
• Online courses ($0)
• Video courses ($0)
• Flashcards ($0)
• Study guides ($0)
• B2B live training ($0)
• B2C live training ($0)
• Dropship ($0)
• Google AdSense ($0)
• Patreon Podcast ($0)
• Sell on Amazon ($0)
• Sell on eBay ($0)
• Sell on Etsy ($0)
• Sell ads ($50)
• Membership site ($200)

Affiliate – $0 Investment

I love affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money online without paying anything. As an affiliate, you recommend a product to someone. If someone buys the product, you earn a commission on the sale. This commission is typically 5% to 30% of the sale.

It’s completely free. You can sign up for as many affiliate relationships as you want. As an affiliate, you have a unique affiliate URL that keeps track of who clicks your link and who buys after clicking on your link. Typically, you are credited with the sale and earn a commission if that person who clicked your link buys within 30 days.

For an example, checkout my resources page. These are affiliate links. If you like my recommendation and click the link to purchase one of these products, then I am paid a commission for that sale.

Best Affiliate Sites

Here are a couple sites that you can get started with:

• Amazon affiliates – everyone should be using Amazon Affiliates. It’s the easiest one to use, because you can buy anything on Amazon. Recommend books, cloths, tech, and anything else bought online to earn commission from Amazon.
• CJ Affiliate – also called Commission Junction. CJ Affiliate has thousands of affiliate opportunities. Thousands of companies use CJ Affiliate to setup their affiliate programs, signup up for this affiliate and you have access to thousands of affiliate opportunities.
• Click Bank – similar to CJ Affiliates, thousands of companies use Click Bank to setup their affiliate program. Signup for click bank and you have access to thousands of affiliate opportunities.
• Google Search Recurring Affiliate – recurring affiliates are the best kind of affiliate marketing programs. This means, you recommend a subscription like ConvertKit (my favorite email management system). When someone clicks that link and signups up for the subscription, you earn a commission on the sale AND you earn a commission every month going forward as that buyer makes a recurring membership payment. Simply go to Google and search for “recurring affiliate programs”.

How to Get Started

Getting started is simple. Just signup for one of the affiliate programs mentioned above. It’s free.

Once you get your affiliate link, then all you have to do is go out and connect with people and recommend that they buy through your affiliate link. This is easy to do on websites like Facebook and Reddit, where there are groups of people asking for help on a subject. You could join a camping group on Facebook and make money by recommending camping gear to members of the group. You can go on Reddit and recommend books through Amazon Affiliates. If you want to spend your own money, you can create a niche website and recommend products to your target audience. I talk more about that in my 25 niche site ideas blog.

I will note, there are laws stating that you must disclose that you are an affiliate whenever you post your affiliate link online. So, don’t go out there spamming your link on every forum. Instead, have a conversation with someone online, provide real value, and then say “You should checkout product XYZ. It’s helped me solve this exact problem. I love this product so much that I’m now an affiliate.” It’s about building a relationship with someone so they trust you and your recommendation. That starts with a back and forth conversation, do this by commenting back and forth with someone and helping them with their problems on Facebook, Reddit, or a forum.

This is one of the easiest ways to make money online without paying anything upfront.

Books – $0 Investment

You can self-publish a book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble for free. It cost nothing to do this. You don’t need a professional publishing company. There are three types of books you can sell:

• eBooks
• Audio books
• Print books

Pro tip. Combine this with the Amazon affiliate program mentioned above. If you are recommending your book to someone, make it an Amazon affiliate link. Then you get paid for selling the book AND you earn an affiliate commission for recommending the book.

How to Get Started

Simply signup for Amazon KDP. Here you can publish your book as an eBook, print book, or audio book. Amazon will take a cut of each sale, but you are not charged anything upfront. It is free to start selling your book online.

Now, finding what book to sell is a whole different story. I recommend starting with my list of niches (20 online business ideas for beginners). Here I recommend a bunch of easy niche businesses that you can start, you could write a book for any one of these niches.

Freelance – $0 Investment

A freelancer is a person that works as a contractor, offering services to people and business for a fee.

This is very broad. A freelancer can be someone that does video editing, answers emails, designs logos, records audio voiceovers, does SEO work, or conducts marketing campaigns. A freelancer can do anything or provide any services for a fee.

You can become a freelancer without paying anything. You put in the work, you get paid for your time and the work you complete. This is one of the easiest ways to get started making money online for beginners.

Best Freelancer Sites

I higher freelancers all the time. At this moment, I have a team of five virtual assistants. I also hire various freelancers to perform tasks such as video editing, website design, and logo design. There are three main places where I hire freelancers:

• Upwork – you can sell your freelancing services on Upwork. People are posting new jobs here everyday, go in and apply to these jobs and offer your services to each new job poster to get hired.
• Fiverr – you can sell your freelancing services on Fiverr. Here you post your services and let people find and hire you.
• Facebook/Reddit – there are groups on Facebook and Reddit where people post looking for freelancing help. For example, the Facebook group Virtual Assistant Jobs and the Reddit Community r/forhire. Checkout these communities and contact the poster to be hired as a freelancer.

How to Get Started

Getting started as a freelancer is easy. Just go to one of the listings above, create a profile, and begin applying to jobs. Once you get a few clients you will get reviews and recommendations. You will begin to build a client list and then the clients will come to you (rather than you applying to each job).

Coaching – $0 Investment

Coaching is the process of helping someone one on one. You can be a coach for anything. I’m a coach helping people start their own online businesses. It is completely free to be a coach.

To be a coach, all you need is a cell phone or the ability to meet with people in person. For coaching, all you need is yourself and the willingness to help others. Use Stripe to collect payments and use Zoom to conduct video conferences for free.

Coaching Opportunities

The coaching niche is very broad. There is a lot you can do here, you can be a coach for just about anything. Below are a couple of ideas for starting a niche site using coaching:

• Corporate coach
• Entrepreneurship coach
• Fitness coach
• Diet coach

For niche coaching ideas, see my 25 niche site ideas blog. Here I have a whole section about coaching. I give a lot more detail about ideas for niche coaching businesses.

How to Get Started

Getting started as a coach is easy, you just need to start helping people. What are you an expert at? Did you lose 100lbs on the Keto diet? Great, you can be a Keto coach. Go on Facebook and Reddit and start participating in the conversations going on in Keto related groups and communities. Start to solidify yourself as a go to resource for Keto, then offer your coaching services for anyone that needs additional help.

Mastermind – $0 Investment

The mastermind business idea is almost the exact same as the coaching online business idea. The only difference is a mastermind is a group coaching program. With a mastermind, you are creating a group of likeminded individuals to come together in one group coaching call. Each member participates to help one another. With a mastermind you leverage the knowledge of every other group member to help all members of the group. You are there to facilitate the mastermind and provide group coaching when needed.

How to Get Started

Getting started with a mastermind is the same way you get started with a coaching practice. Again, all you need to do is start helping people. Looking at the Keto example gain, you can start a Keto mastermind group.  Go on Facebook and Reddit and start participating in the conversations going on in Keto related groups and communities. Solidify yourself as a go to resource for Keto, and invite likeminded individuals to join your Keto mastermind where you all go through the Keto program together.

Print on Demand – $0 Investment

Print on demand is a program to print your products and ship them directly to the customer after the customer orders.

Such as a t-shirt design, the print on demand company will print your design on a t-shirt and ship it to your customer. This means you don’t hold any inventory. The customer places an order through Amazon, your print to order company prints the product and ships it directly to the customer. You pay a small flat fee for the printing and shipping, and the rest is profit. For example, if you are selling a T-shirt you pay $10 for the T-shirt and printing, but you charge the customer $15 so you make $5 profit.

The biggest pro to the print on demand niche, there is no inventory. And you only pay when a sale is made. There is no upfront cost, other than hiring a designer if needed. But you can do that on Fiverr for $5.

With this niche site idea, your print on demand company will do everything for you. You just need to set up the product. They will conduct the transaction, print your product, and ship it to your customer.

How to Get Started

Personally, I use Teelaunch. They have a ton of print on demand products. Things like t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, coffee mugs, canvases, blankets, dog bowls, and so much more. The whole program is through Shopify, making it super simple to use. You can sync this with a website and Amazon with just a couple of clicks. Meaning all you need to do is upload a design to the website and drive traffic to have people buy your product, TeeLaunch will do the rest.

Online Courses – $0 Investment

Selling online courses can be free. Udemy and Thinkific offer free plans. You can create your online course for free and list it on their website for sale. If someone buys your course, you must pay a small percentage of the sale price as a fee. Otherwise, it is completely free to create and sell your own online courses.

How to Get Started

Simply go to Udemy or Thinkific and create your online course is free. Finding what course to create and sell is a different story. I recommend checking out my list of niche ideas to brainstorm which niche online course to sell.

Personally, for my website selling online courses, I use the WPLMS WordPress theme to host the courses on my own website. It gives me more control and customization of the course. Plus, I can sell it directly on my website where I am the only course available for sale. The only downside to Udemy and Thinkific is you are listed on their website where you are competing with other people creating similar courses, and you do not have much of an ability to customize the sales process.

You can host your online courses on your own website for as little as $120. Hosting through SiteGround will cost your $48 for the year, a domain on GoDaddy will cost you $1, and the WPLMS WordPress theme is currently priced at $69. This is a total of $118.

If you are willing to invest a little more money for a quality online course program, I recommend the following options:

• Thinkific – Free or $49 per month with the premium plan
• Udemy – Free or $240 per year
• WPLMS – $69 onetime payment
• LearnDash – $159 per year
• Teachable – $29 per month
• Thrive Themes – $20 per month

Video Courses – $0 Investment

Selling video courses online can be free. This is very similar to selling online courses. The only difference is your content in this course will be video based, so you need to have a laptop or someway to video record yourself teaching lessons.

Just like online courses, you can use any of the following options to sell your video course:

• Thinkific – Free or $49 per month with the premium plan
• Udemy – Free or $240 per year
• WPLMS – $69 onetime payment
• LearnDash – $159 per year
• Teachable – $29 per month
• Thrive Themes – $20 per month

Flashcards – $0 Investment

You can sell flashcards to make money online without paying anything. With Stuvia and DeckuFlashCard you can upload flashcards online for free. If your flashcards sell, then you earn a commission on the sale.

This is a super easy way to make money online. If you are studying and taking notes for a college exam, certification, designation, or licensing you can turn it into online flashcards to make money online.

How to Get Started

Simply go to Stuvia or DeckuFlashCard. Check back to find your notes from exams you have taken in the past. Upload your study guide or flashcards to these websites and earn commission each time you make a sale.

I recommend you do a bit of marketing with this. It’s unlikely that someone is going to Stuvia and searching for your flashcards (though it’s possible). Go out to Facebook and Reddit and join some communities that are talking about the exams. People are asking questions about the exam that you passed, help them for free. If the opportunity arises, and if they need more help studying, recommend your flashcards online.

More Ideas – How to Make Money Online Without Paying Anything (for beginners)

This blog will be updated consistently as I come across new ideas on how to make money online without paying anything, and as new online business ideas for beginners arise. Below are a few more ideas that have not yet been added to this blog. I will be updating the blog within the next week or two with more information about how to make money online without paying anything:

• Study guides ($0)
• B2B live training ($0)
• B2C live training ($0)
• Dropship ($0)
• Google AdSense ($0)
• Patreon Podcast ($0)
• Sell on Amazon ($0)
• Sell on eBay ($0)
• Sell on Etsy ($0)
• Sell ads ($50)
• Membership site ($200)

Niche Site Ideas

I also recommend checking out my 25 niche site ideas. In this resource, I breakdown five niche site ideas including the exam prep niche, blog niche, and amazon FBA niche. I also give you 25 niche site ideas that you could use to start your online business today.

I also recommend checking out our list of niches (20 online business ideas for beginners) and these 10 small profitable business ideas. In this resource, I give you a list of 20 specific niches that you could create to begin generating a profit.