Best Side Hustles for YouTubers

YouTube can become a full-time job, but especially in the early days, it makes sense to have a side hustle to help pay the bills. 

What can you do as a YouTuber? Besides the side hustles that everyone can apply for, like ride-sharing and food delivery. Well, you probably have editing and presentation skills, which already opens a lot of doors, and you might have a large enough channel to monetize in new ways.

I've also included one suggestion that will allow you to try something more relaxed, which doesn't rely as heavily on your skills. 

Start freelance video editing

If you already edit your own videos, you’ve got a high-demand skill. You can freelance for commercial clients or other content creators. 

While many companies are increasingly trying to rely on AI, you can still find lots of work with mid-range brands that pay between $15-25 per hour, either for social media content or in producing ads.  For these jobs, you may even want to try traditional job search platforms, as well as freelance specific sites like Fiverr and Upwork.

You will also find gigs from other content creators on those freelance sites. And you can try reaching out directly to creators who might need editing help (this takes a lot of time, but it allows you to target opportunities that align with your personal interests).

Start with a portfolio using your own YouTube clips, and try to aim for a niche, i.e. gaming, vlogs, cooking, and so on. The best part is that you already have the tools and knowledge to get started immediately.

Use Freecash to find paid game testing 

If you want a bit of downtime from content, you could consider an earning site like Freecash, which allows you to work from home. 

You get paid for completing tasks online, from reviewing products and answering surveys, to testing new games. And it's as simple as that, finish tasks and earn cash. When you want to cash out, choose between PayPal, bank transfer, or even crypto. 

In terms of earning potential, the average user earns $35 a day on Freecash, while top earners reach about $5000 a month. If you make it to $5000 first, you win a $500 bonus and get your name on the leaderboard:

If you're unsure about earning sites, I recommend you take a look at user reviews on Trustpilot. But if you're curious, sign-up is completely free. 

Do affiliate marketing on your channel 

Affiliate marketing is a great fit for YouTubers who need to use any kind of equipment in their content. You recommend products, link to them in your descriptions, and earn a commission from every sale.

Amazon is by far the easiest program you can join as an affiliate marketer, and for most it ends there, but you could search for other retailers in your niche. 

Even if you don't normally work with products in your content, you might be able to find clever, organic ways to include them. But you have to be subtle if you want to keep your audience; by-in-large, most communities hate the sense that you're trying to sell them something. 

The easiest way to convincingly sell a product is by believing in it yourself, so think carefully about what you want to promote. You can use this as an opportunity to give genuinely helpful recommendations. 

If you can work affiliate marketing into content naturally, and lots of people want to consume your content, this can become a fantastic source of passive income. 

Offer voiceover work 

If you sound pleasant enough to listen to, you could turn your voice into a paid gig. Voiceovers are needed for YouTube channels, ads, explainer videos, and even audiobooks. You don’t need a professional studio, just a quiet room and a decent mic.

Sounds great right? Relaxing work that can be done at home. But there's a catch. 

Voiceover work has always been competitive, but now it's harder than ever thanks to AI. There are still jobs out there, as AI voiceovers are far from perfect. But low-level gigs, which used to provide an entry point to newcomers, have all dried up. 

Create a YouTube coaching service

This is definitely one of the more difficult side hustles to start, and it goes without saying you need to have a big channel yourself. However, if you have successfully created one or more YouTube channels, you might find coaching a rewarding and high-paying gig. 

Coaching can be done over Zoom and charged per session, rates typically range from $30 to $200/hour on Fiverr. But this does not factor in prep time, and you will need to offer individual advice and channel consultation. 

As well as offering your coaching on educational platforms and freelance sites, you could also consider creating a YouTube channel that provides general advice to newcomers. This can then be linked to your coaching profile, giving would-be students an idea of what to expect. 

Side hustles for YouTubers: Overview 

Find the side gig that suits your personal situation best, and good luck!