With the rise of VoIP providers and the ever-changing telecommunications landscape, businesses have more phone system options than ever before. While knowing how to choose...Read More
If you have a blog and aren’t using affiliate marketing, you’re leaving money on the table. Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make passive income online. All you need to do is recommend a product to your readers and collect profits every time they follow through on your recommendation.
Of course, there are some technical aspects to affiliate marketing. At first, you’ll want to join an affiliate program or network. They’ll give you exclusive links to use on your site that will track customers so they know that they’re coming from your content.
Affiliate marketing is similar to posting ads on your website, but you can make quite a bit more money than with traditional ads.
In this post, we’ll answer some of the most common questions we hear about affiliate marketing.
What Are Some of the Reasons Someone Would Fail At Affiliate Marketing?
There are several reasons why some affiliate marketers aren’t successful. For one thing, affiliate marketing requires you to really know and understand the products that you’re promoting. It’s obvious to the reader if you’re just making stuff up or just copying and pasting a product description from elsewhere.
In addition, your affiliate marketing will only be as successful as your blog. If you don’t write in a way that captures the attention of your readers — or if your website traffic is low — chances are you won’t make much in affiliate marketing.
Another reason someone might fail is if the affiliate products are low quality. Make sure you’re recommending items you would actually recommend to a good friend!
Why Is Affiliate Marketing Popular?
Affiliate marketing is popular because it has a low barrier to entry. Most of your favorite products may already have a referral program. You can find out how to become an affiliate just by checking their websites.
If you’re already established as a blogger, or if you’re a YouTuber or other social media influencer, you may be able to strike up a partnership with a business by reaching out to it directly.
A lot of website owners prefer affiliate marketing because the commissions are greater than what they can earn from traditional ads. Rather than making a few cents, you receive a percentage of each sale. Higher affiliate commissions and higher-priced items lead to more affiliate revenue.
Also, everyone loves the idea of making money while you sleep. Because it’s a true passive income source, affiliate marketing can let you do just that. All you have to do is post an affiliate link once and wait for the profits to roll in. (Of course, really good affiliate marketers will put a little more effort into maintaining and maximizing their content and links.)
Are you a content creator with a large audience? Does your audience often ask about equipment or recommendations for products in your niche? Do your audience, family, and friends spend large amounts on Amazon?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider affiliate marketing. And if you answered yes to that last question, definitely consider the Amazon affiliate program.
How Much Money Can You Make Affiliate Marketing?
It depends on several factors. Of course, sales are the first factor. The next factor is the percentage of sales. Some affiliate programs offer between 5% and 20% of the sale price. This is generally a standard affiliate commission. Check out these 101 affiliate programs for ideas.
Top earners can earn $50,000 or even over $100,000 per month. One of the biggest names I heard when I started blogging was Michelle Schroeder-Gardner. Michelle’s website states she makes over $50,000 per month blogging.
Michelle is an expert on helping people start a blog and get started affiliate marketing. Her course is renowned in the personal finance community. Learn more about the Making Sense of Sense Affiliate Marketing Course here.
Some affiliate marketers have made enough to quit their full-time jobs. Others use affiliate programs to diversify their income. Some use it just to make extra online money.
Where Can You Make the Most Money With Affiliate Marketing?
Different niches can make more money than others with affiliate marketing.
Blogs that compare or review items seem to have a higher chance of converting to sales. Writing about hobbies that require tools and supplies to get started can also be successful. And travel, beauty products, and technology often have the potential for sales.
It also depends on your affiliate network. Are you marketing low-dollar affiliate products to many people? Are you marketing higher-end affiliate products to a few? Percentages of different affiliate products can vary. Even with the Amazon affiliate program, different products are worth different commissions.
According to a trusted source of mine, a company will pay hundreds per bowel movement. Yes, they will pay you for it. The even better part is their affiliate program offers thousands of dollars in referrals. That means I could have tweets worth $500-2,000 each, because who doesn’t multitask on social media? It pays not to flush sometimes.
What Skills Do You Need to Become an Affiliate Marketer?
Although helpful, sales skills may not be required to be an affiliate marketer. If you have a marketing background it would also be helpful but not necessary.
One skill you do need is authenticity. Would you want to buy a product from someone who is just trying to sell any old thing? Often, businesses are looking to solve a problem for their customers. What problem are you trying to solve by recommending a certain product?
Which Affiliate Marketing Gigs Are Best for Beginners?
Like the answer to many questions, it just depends. To begin affiliate marketing, find your niche. Know your audience. From there, check out the resources mentioned to find affiliate programs that fall into that niche.
How Do You Get Paid in Affiliate Marketing?
Payment options vary from program to program. Some programs pay out by sending checks, while others may offer credits or gift cards. Many use PayPal or other online payment systems.
Make sure you understand the terms of payouts. Some affiliate programs, like Amazon, require you to earn a certain amount they’ll pay you.
What Are Some Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners Without a Website?
Although rare, I have seen a few successful affiliate marketers who don’t have a website. There are a couple of affiliate programs you could use without a website. Try these topics and advertise through social media or an email marketing campaign and newsletter:
Social Media Management
Amazon Affiliate Program
Travel
E-courses
Stock Graphics and Photos
Gumroad
How Is Affiliate Marketing Different Than Other Online Jobs?
Affiliate marketing is different from traditional remote work because you are paid a commission for selling. Generally, it’s a percentage of a sale. Like other gig economy jobs, you are considered a contractor for that company, rather than an employee.
How Do You Become an Affiliate Marketer?
Try going to a product or service’s website you enjoy. Look for a referral or affiliate menu on their site. Most companies will have a page on how to become an affiliate marketer for their product or service.
How to Get Started With Affiliate Marketing
A blog post from the Penny Hoarder recommends these five steps to get started:
Build an email list
Gain subscribers through guest blogging
Join an affiliate network
Promote the products and services you Use
Find affiliate opportunities in your network
If you are interested in the Amazon Associates program and already have a blog, you can get started right away. Scroll down to the Amazon Associates heading in the link above, then click on “Amazon Associates” in the first sentence. From there, you can sign up for the program.
What Are the Best Strategies for Affiliate Marketing?
Know your affiliate products
Know your audience
Believe in the products you’re selling
Solve a problem
How to reach your audience
You can search for a specific affiliate marketing strategy. But there are some key points you will need to address.
Again, there are some recurring themes here. What problem will this product solve? Why would your audience buy from you? How are you going to reach your target audience? What metrics will you use to determine if your strategy is successful?
What Should You Do Before Becoming an Affiliate Marketer?
Market research is a must. See a recurring theme yet? Know your audience, know your products. Gather which affiliate programs you want to be a part of. Think of why your audience would want to use these products. What problem will these products solve? Why should your audience buy from you or your recommendations?
Next, how are you going to market your products? Do you already have a blog? Will your social media presence be enough? Are you going to use an email marketing campaign or newsletter? How are you going to build that email list? What is the best way to sell to your audience?
How Do You Build a Successful Website for Your Affiliate Marketing?
Here’s a quick rundown on blog building in six steps:
Pick your blog niche: What is your site about, and what is your target audience? What products will serve your niche?
Find your domain name: Pick a website name in your niche that is clear and concise. Make sure it is easy to remember
Set up web hosting: Find a hosting provider. Here’s how to set up a site with Bluehost.
Set up your site: Customize your site to your niche. Use design principles and skills to make an eye-catching site
Write your first post: Write a couple of posts in your niche. Try a comparison post, product review post, listicle, or how-to post to incorporate affiliate links.
Make money: Use your affiliate marketing strategy to create passive income.
Getting started in affiliate marketing is relatively simple. You can start affiliate marketing through a newsletter, social media, or a blog. You can also sign up with an affiliate program like Amazon Associates as long as you have a site.
Artificial intelligence is a common buzzword that’s used in many industries today. One can use AI to help sales reps predict customer needs, manage clients,...Read More
Almost anyone with the right skills and attitude can make money reviewing calls. It can be a great side hustle—and maybe even a full-time gig.
If you’re interested in working as a call reviewer, you’ve come to the right place.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can make money reviewing calls to find out if this line of work is right for you.
What Is Call Reviewing?
Companies today care a lot about optimizing their customer service capabilities. As such, they are increasingly digging into conversations with agents and analyzing them for quality purposes.
By listening to customers and responding to their needs immediately, it’s possible to increase satisfaction, prevent churn, and ultimately make more money.
This is where you come into the equation.
As a call reviewer, you can make money listening to calls and reporting what you find. The job isn’t usually very hard if you have the right background and skills. And best of all, it’s something you can do from your home office or living room sofa.
Qualifications for Reviewing Calls
Interested in reviewing calls for cash? Here’s a breakdown of what you need to make money reviewing calls.
A Smartphone or Computer
Unfortunately, most companies won’t send you equipment to review calls from home. If you want to make money reviewing calls, you need to have a functioning computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Strong Listening Skills
You have to be an above average listener to excel in this line of work. You’ll also need to be able to pick apart critical parts of a conversation.
Let’s just say that if you can’t pay attention to your friend for more than thirty seconds on the phone, this job probably isn’t for you!
Proficient Language Skills
In most cases, you have to be a strong English speaker if you want to review calls in the United States.
At the same time, many companies are looking for bilingual candidates—especially organizations that operate in areas with high Spanish-speaking populations.
Pro Tip: If you’re bilingual, emphasize that fact on your job application.
Earning Potential
According to Glassdoor, call reviewers make an average salary of $32,212 annually, which isn’t a ton of money by any stretch of the imagination.
Most people who work call review jobs for companies and call centers typically work other part-time jobs and side hustles.
But if you work part-time, you could rack in between $15 and $16 an hour, depending on the company you work for. So, while it might not be an excellent career option, as a side gig, it could be pretty sweet.
The more you hustle, the more money you can rack up over time—making it that much easier to achieve financial freedom.
Top Call Review Opportunities
Businesses often hire quality assurance (QA) professionals to listen to recordings and provide feedback.
Truth be told, it can be a little bit tricky to find these opportunities. You may have to poke around the internet and dig into job listing sites like Indeed or Monster.
With that in mind, here are a few opportunities to explore.
Humanatic
Humanatic is a company that specializes in call reviewing.
The organization helps its clients review calls and provides them with analytical reports which they can use to improve their customer service strategies.
When working for Humanatic, you can set your own schedule and put in as much time as you want.
One nice aspect is that when you start, the company pairs you with easy call categories. As you review more calls and gain experience, you can unlock new opportunities that are more challenging. As such, there’s room to grow with Humanatic as you improve your skills over time.
The company pays weekly, but you must have a verified PayPal account to collect. According to Humanatic, you can make anywhere from $1 to $4.50 per hour. Most likely, you’ll want to look for a higher-paying opportunity.
CVS Health
CVS Health hires quality assurance specialists on a work-from-home basis.
In this role, you have to monitor and evaluate inbound and outbound call quality and provide feedback to call center staff.
Reynolds and Reynolds
Reynolds and Reynolds is a company that provides automotive retailing solutions for automakers and dealers.
This position involves listening to phone recordings between clients and customers and evaluating them for quality. The company’s main goal here is to identify sales opportunities and ensure the sales team is doing a good job.
Analyst positions aren’t always available, but keep your eye out. While it may be a long shot, you can also contact the company directly and submit your resume to them. You never know when you might be able to get a gig that way.
The company routinely looks for call center QA specialists. Part of the job entails reviewing calls to ensure agents are giving accurate information to customers. QA specialists also need to recognize and report call compliance violations.
Freelance Sites for Call Review Jobs
If you’re looking for something a bit more flexible, consider working as a call reviewer on a freelance basis. On sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Craigslist, you can occasionally find call reviewing gigs that you can do on your own schedule.
Of the three options, Upwork seems to have the most legit call reviewer profiles, so it’s also more likely to have legit clients.
The Listeners app provides a way to make money by engaging with random callers about just any subject of your choosing. Here’s how it works.
Customers call in for advice on all sorts of topics. If your area of expertise lines up with what the caller is looking for, you’ll get paid to help them out.
Listeners is available for Apple and Android. If helping with strangers sounds like an interesting opportunity, why not give it a try?
Become a Mystery Shopper with Bestmark
When you work as a mystery shopper, you pretend to be a customer and report your experiences back to the company that hired you.
For example, you might talk to store associates, visit a website, and take pictures of products—and get paid for your time.
BestMark is a leading provider of mystery shopping services. The company hires field representatives to engage with partnering companies and report what they find.
Transcribing audio involves listening to media files and writing down what you hear.
You might also want to look into Rev, which is a platform that pays for freelance transcription services. Transcribe calls for Rev, and you can earn anywhere between $0.30 and $1.10 per minute of audio.
You can also make money online by working as a virtual assistant in a full-time, part-time, or freelance position.
In this role, you’ll likely have to perform a variety of tasks. Part of your job may be organizing or transcribing recorded phone calls, scheduling meetings, and managing social media.
Roles and responsibilities can vary from job to job, so be sure to ask about call reviewing opportunities if this is really what you want to do.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does PointQA Pay You to Review Calls?
PointQA hires people to listen to calls and review them. However, you have to live and work in the Philippines to work as a quality reviewer.
Should I Review Calls as a Side Hustle?
Reviewing calls can be a great side hustle if you can sit through conversations, take notes, and pay attention to important details.
That said, the job can be monotonous. What’s more, call centers typically expect you to move quickly and meet quotas.
Spend some time thinking about whether this line of work is right for you before accepting a position so that you don’t regret your decision. The pay can be steady. But, let’s be honest: This line of work isn’t for everyone.
Call center jobs are increasingly remote—particularly in the post-COVID economy.
Gone are the days of going into a stuffy call center and putting on a headset. Today, it’s very easy to find flexible customer service jobs that pay decent hourly rates and allow you to work from the comfort of your own home.
Are Call Center Jobs Scams?
Most call center jobs are legit money-making opportunities. However, there are plenty of scams.
Always do your due diligence when applying and make sure the company is reputable before taking a job.
The Bottom Line
At first glance, phone work may not seem like the most glamorous way to make money. After all, it’s a somewhat boring job with low pay.
That said, it can be a solid opportunity if you want to make money from home and have other paying gigs going on at the same time.
Plus, when you review phone calls, you don’t have to spend anything on transportation. This is a job that requires virtually no overhead—which means putting more money in your pocket.
Jobs can range from listening to simple questions to transcribing conversations and taking notes. Some positions require no prior experience while others require advanced knowledge or niche subject matter expertise.
Opportunity is calling for those looking to make extra cash. There’s only one question remaining: Will you answer?
If you’re currently an athlete, or facing retirement soon, there are dozens of side hustles you can do to add interest and extra cash to your life.
Most athletes have outside interests besides the sports they excel in.
Why not explore your inner entrepreneur — or endeavor to learn something totally out of your comfort zone — as a way to earn an income off the field?
Athletes With Unique Side Hustles
Everyone has seen the retired athletes who have started restaurants, perfume brands, and retail stores. There are Peyton Manning with his Papa John’s pizza stores, golf and tennis stars with their own clothing lines, etc.
But what about athletes who want some side income before retirement?
Let’s take a look at some athletes who didn’t wait until retirement to get started making side money.
World-famous baseball star Alex Rodriguez started a rental property side business during his career.
It began with a duplex purchase that was rented out for passive income. This side business ballooned into a full-fledged real estate investment company.
There’s also Cal Berkeley-turned NFL player Justin Forsett who founded a skin care company along with two college football buddies. Seeing a need for an easy clean between workouts for himself and other athletes, they developed a line of antibacterial wipes called ShowerPill.
Professional triathlete Nicole DeBoom also saw a need for something different in her sport and created the first-ever running skirt, which she debuted in her final Ironman competition. From there she’s gone on to create an entire sports clothing line.
As you can see, many athletes take an opportunity to develop a product while they’re still in the game. When you see a need unfulfilled, that’s a perfect hint to figure out how to fill it.
Why Is It Smart to Have a Side Hustle as an Athlete?
Athletes who are forward-thinking about their lives outside or after sports have a leg up on those who don’t plan ahead.
When Alex Rodriguez bought a rental property while he was earning good money in baseball, he was able to easily qualify for a mortgage and then leveraged that investment to pay into his future.
It’s always wise to begin thinking about passive income streams during your sports career so you’ll have dependable income later. Side hustles are extremely useful for athletes who aren’t on the professional level and need extra cash to live comfortably.
Starting a side hustle as an athlete doesn’t have to be hard. Look for opportunities when you’re not in the middle of your season or on your off days.
There are a variety of ways for athletes to earn a side income while remaining active in their sport. Many successful side businesses run by sports stars were born out of a need in their industry. And others were discovered through hidden talents or continued education.
Invent a product or service that could fill a need in your area of expertise
Start a coaching or personal training business on the side
Offer consulting for sports teams, coaches, or high schools in your area of expertise
Use your physical strength to offer moving services or other heavy-lifting services
Train for a side job in a tech or trade field — online education and training keeps it flexible for your sports schedule
Don’t Underestimate Social Media
Good old social media. It isn’t only for wasting time. There are also vast benefits by becoming an influencer — especially if you’re an athlete.
YouTube
YouTube is the fastest-growing search and entertainment venue online. If you’ve got a flair for talking with people, YouTube is a great tool for building an audience and earning money from ads or selling your own products and information.
Don’t get too worked up about being on video. There’s really no need. If you’ve ever had a great talk with a friend about what you do, that’s all you need to focus on.
Treat the camera as if you’re talking to that ONE friend (tape a picture above the lens if you need to), and the episode you film will be engaging and casual, as it should be.
Talk about your game, other interests, and any special talents you have that you’d like to share. Most people are just fascinated by the normal lives and interests of people they admire.
Instagram
Instagram can be a perfect launching pad for building a massive following. Many famous athletes are sought out by big-name brands to represent their offerings.
If you’re a lesser-known athlete, this could be the ticket to becoming well-known and marking your accomplishments.
Share stories, photos, clips from games or competitions, and other interesting facts about your life and what you’re up to.
If you make it engaging and connect with other athletes and influencers, you’ve got a good chance of attracting their followers as well.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the largest business social gathering place online. It’s a good idea to have a solid presence there if you’re searching for interesting side hustles. LinkedIn enables you to build a great network of connections, and it’s full of companies who are hiring.
Networking is often the key to finding really interesting opportunities and jobs you may not have even heard of.
Who knows when that perfect connection will lead you to an amazing side job that brings new purpose into your life AND earns great cash? Cha-ching!
TikTok
TikTok is churning out country music stars and models by the minute, it seems. Don’t ignore this incredibly popular social media venue.
With a regular following as an athlete, or ex-athlete, there’s a good chance of attracting brand opportunities. TikTok is also full of loyal fans who occasionally throw their cash at the people they’re crushing on.
Podcasting
While this isn’t technically social media, plenty of influencers add podcasts to their list of offerings. I think many sports fans would tune into one of their favorite players or knowledgeable athletes who talk about their sport and interview other great players.
Podcasters can earn money by promoting brands they partner with (affiliate income) or by selling their own products.
How to Get Started With Your Athletic Side Hustle
Getting started with a side hustle as an athlete or retired athlete may take some self reflection and research.
What are you good at, and what do you enjoy?
Those are two great questions to answer when looking into ways to make money on the side as an athlete. Are there products or services that you’d like to offer?
If so, do some research and seek opinions from those in your area of expertise — or the field you’re considering. Find out if your idea is a viable money-maker.
Maybe you’d just like to work for someone else for some steady side cash. There are many platforms you can use to start a job search online. And don’t forget to make the most of LinkedIn.
Once you’ve chosen the right fit for a side job, you’ll want to go into the prep phase.
This involves the basics of creating a business plan if you’re going to work for yourself, or a job search if you’d like to be employed.
Quick-start side hustles
Moving help
Handyman help
Private lessons in your field
Assistant coaching
Employer-based side jobs
Think of who your clients will be, if you’ll be offering services or goods. Get out into your community and meet them, interact with them, and ask them questions about what they want.
Or hop online and find where your potential customers hang out. Ask for feedback about what your offerings are. Find out where the needs are so you can fill them.
Labor help
If you’re offering something like moving or handyman help, attract your first customers with low pricing on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
You could also use Instagram if you’ve got a big enough reach. If you do a good job, word of mouth will spread and you’ll win more business (and can raise those prices).
Private lessons
If you’re a respected athlete, there are likely thousands of people and athletes in training who would pay for one-on-one lessons or coaching with you.
The prep for this side hustle will be a matter of making sure you’ve got the proper equipment for your lessons, a way to advertise your services, and a set schedule when you’re available to take on students.
Assistant coaching
Check with local schools for positions in assistant coaching or consulting. There may also be opportunities with city leagues or adult leagues who’d value your help.
Employer-based side hustles
Check out Indeed or LinkedIn for companies and recruiters who are looking for help in your area of interest.
In today’s labor market, in which almost every business needs help, it shouldn’t be hard to find a few great companies to work with — and you can take your pick.
Side Hustles That Require Training or Education
There are plenty of side hustles that don’t require further education or training. But several good options for athletes either require extra training, or it’s highly recommended.
Extra-prep side hustles
Personal training
Investment and real estate
Trade jobs such as HVAC, welding, etc.
Influencer positions on YouTube etc.
Personal trainers
Although personal training does not require certification in the U.S., it’s a good idea to become certified anyway. You won’t be hired by fitness companies unless you are, and if you’re offering services on your own, you’ll be far less competitive without certification.
You could also consider an undergraduate degree in physical education or something similar. A degree isn’t required either, but you’ll earn more and have a leg up on the competition.
Your hard-earned money will be at risk with any sort of investment side gig, no matter how much you know. That’s the nature of the beast.
However, there’s good money to be made by growing your funds with quality investments or finding that perfect rental property for passive income.
To maximize success and minimize risk, learn all you can before sinking major funds into these avenues. There are many ways to educate yourself about investing.
Investment education tools:
Hire a financial advisor
For real estate investing, find an agent who’s experienced
General investment education can be found on most brokerage websites
Take an investment or economics course online
An obvious education tool is a financial advisor with an investment specialty. This is someone who can sit down with you to discuss risks and walk you through your first several investments.
For real estate wisdom, find an agent who invests in rental properties and has been a landlord for a while.
Perhaps they’d allow you to pay them for some consulting time. Pick their brain about the mistake they’ve made, and the ways they’d do things differently as a beginner.
Trade jobs
If you’ve got a knack for fixing things, or would like to start a company of your own, a trade job might be a perfect fit.
There’s an initial investment to be educated in these fields, but many of these trades can be practiced anywhere. They’re valuable skills that not everyone can do.
As a bonus, plumbers, mechanics, HVAC specialists, welders, etc., can make awesome money. And you aren’t stuck working for someone else unless you want to.
Once you’ve been through a training program for one of these specialties — as long as you have the right tools — you can keep all of the cash you earn.
Influencer positions
Unless you’re already a YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram star, you’ll likely need some training or practice with videography and/or how to attract an audience.
There are multitudes of training courses online that specialize in various social media platforms for building large audiences. Just Google it and you’ll find dozens of options.
Of course, you can always wing it — but big brands will notice and respect you more if your media outreach is really polished.
Don’t underestimate the money-making possibilities of representing name brands for sports products and services in your field.
The Bottom Line on Side Hustles for Athletes
There’s never been a better time to start a side hustle. If you’re well-known or great at your sport, there may be brands who’d love to work with you.
And if there are industries you’ve been dying to try out, take a few days to explore what interests you most and make a plan.
Anyone these days can jump into something different to give it a try. There’s a wealth of information, courses, and specialists you can take advantage of to make your side hustle dreams come true.
Whether you’d like to master investing, build a rental property empire, or start your own line of products, the lessons and dedication you’ve learned as an athlete prepare you for just about anything you set your mind to.
The cryptocurrency industry is growing at a rate that makes it challenging to stay on top of all the new developments. With newer concepts such...Read More