Online Far

1. Online surveys

   
   An increasingly popular way for students to make money is to fill out online surveys in their spare time. Research companies are always recruiting new members worldwide to answer surveys and test new products.
   For a few minutes of form filling, you can make a couple of quid which is paid as cash or rewards. You can bag up to £3 ($5) for some surveys!
   A few good ones to try are: Toluna, LifePoints, InboxPounds, Onepoll, i-Say, Opinion Outpost, Panel Opinion, The Opinion Panel, YouGov, Pinecone, SurveyBods, Hiving, Panel Base, Prolific, Valued Opinions, Survey Junkie, New Vista.
   Also sign up for Swagbucks which rewards you for surveys as well as simply surfing the web, watching videos and playing games.
   Update: See our new full guide to the best paid online surveys!

2. Paid for searching the web

   Interested in earning cash for doing what you already do online? This has to be one of the easiest methods of making money online without really any effort or change in your behaviour.
   This innovative idea by Qmee.com rewards you for searching in Google, Bing or Yahoo. You just install a simple add-on to your browser and when you conduct a search there may be a few sponsored results alongside your normal search.
   
   Each Qmee result has a cash reward attached - if you are interested in it simply click on it and collect your reward.
   The best thing is there is no minimum to cashout - our first one was just 72p wired to our Paypal account. You also have the option to donate it to charity.
   Sign up now for free and start earning from your own searches! Click here to start.

3. YouTube videos

   According to recent stats we now watch more videos on YouTube than searches on Google. And with the recently introduced YouTube Partner Program you can now profit from making and uploading videos. You will receive a percentage of the advertising revenue collected per 1,000 views.
   Depending on how successful you are (virality, subscriber base and topic) you can make a lot of money, and there are plenty of stories every week of more and more YouTubers making it their career.
   For more tips read our guide to making money from YouTube

4. Online market trading

   Whilst this isn't necessarily an easy way to make money, investing in stock markets can be lucrative if you learn to do it properly and safely. By the same token, you may suffer significant losses if you don't take it seriously.
   Today there is no need to fund the yachts of Wolf of Wall Street style stock brokers. You can do it all yourself with the help of online market trading platforms.
   Having spent many hours researching this new opportunity, I've been experimenting with the two biggest platforms: Plus500 and eToro.com. Both offer free practice accounts.
   Overall I prefer eToro with over 8 million users worldwide. It has been featured in a BBC 2documentary "Traders: Millions by the Minute" and recently began sponsoring several Premier League football clubs.
   
   One of the best things on eToro is the CopyTrader feature. This lets you literally see, follow and copy the investments of other top performing traders.
   Follow George's complete guide to trading on eToro to learn more. I think $200 is a good amount to get the most out of the learning curve by trying out a few different markets. If nothing else you'll learn a great deal about various investments and industries.
   Please be aware that all trading involves risk. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice.

5. Start your own website

   
   Interested in generating passive income? You need a website. It's THE way to make money while you sleep.
   Starting a website with Bluehost takes less than 20 minutes, costs hardly anything and can be done by an 82 year-old. It only takes a bit of plugging on social media to get your first visitors, and there are plenty of ways to monetise your site.
   Save the Student is just one example of a successful website, started at university by Owen Burek in his first year, which has since grown into a full-time and sizable enterprise.
   Read Owen's step-by-step guide on how to start a website in 20 minutes. It's really one of the best assets you can have.

6. Review websites & apps for cash

   
   Well it seems like you're pretty nifty with a web browser, so perhaps it's time to turn pro and browse websites as a paid and fun job!
   Introducing UserTesting.com - a new platform that pays everyday people to review all kinds of websites. Each review takes around 20 minutes and bags you $10 (£6.50) via Paypal.
   Simply sign up here, complete a test review and look forward to receiving websites in your inbox.

7. 'Get Paid To' sites

   
   Similar to making money from online surveys, GPT sites reward you in cash and vouchers for completing various offers or activities online.
   The most popular sites today are Toluna, Swagbucks and InboxPounds.

8. Competitions

   Entering competitions of course comes with no guarantees, but there is a growing community of so-called 'compers' in the UK consistently making up to £50,000 a year through all sorts of competitions.
   Types of competitions available to enter vary from simple registration forms and Facebook page liking to answering questions correctly over the phone to being a TV game show contestant. Imagine you made it onto Deal or No Deal instead of just watching it!
   Start by entering our very own monthly student competition (Like our Facebook page to see when our next one is)!
   
   Then head to our active competitions page to enter other free competitions that we have found. Just note that some of these sites may send you spam so use an alias email address and opt-out of as many of the offers as possible.
   For loads more tips on achieving success and making money from competitions, read our guide to entering competitions.

9. Write and publish a Kindle eBook

   If students are good at anything, it's researching and writing. With the Amazon Kindle store, anyone can publish an eBook and make money.
   And the Kindle app is now available on almost any device (laptops, iPads, smartphones and yes, Kindles) so your global market is huge!
   List your book for £1.49 - £6.99 and you earn 70% of the sale. Considering Amazon is the ultimate selling machine (and remember people are looking to spend), that is a fantastic deal.
   
   The key to success with eBooks is to create value, and write non-fiction. Simply bundling information you have researched and compiled on a common problem (eg. 'secrets' to finding a job) and then presenting it in an easy to digest format (an eBook) justifies someone spending a few quid on it.
   Another big tip is to have a great cover designed (browse these) so it stands out, and once your book is live on the Kindle store it's really important to get some reviews so it shows up higher in results. Encourage readers to leave an honest review at the end of your book.
   The best thing about this lucrative idea is that once you've invested the time (say 20 hours), you'll earn a passive income for years to come! For a step-by-step guide to publishing and earning with eBooks, see "How to write a nonfiction eBook in 21 days".

10. Affiliate marketing

    If you've got a good presence on social media or perhaps you even have a blog or website, you can start bringing in money immediately by promoting all sorts of companies, products, services and offers online.
    
    Sign up as a publisher on the Awin network, check their offers blog or browse the merchant listings to find something you think your friends would be interested in, grab your affiliate link and share it. If someone buys (can be within up to 90 days) using your link you'll make a nice commission.
    To take it a step further, set up a website (read our guide) or a topical Facebook page and invite all your friends to join it and post your affiliate offers on there.

11. Gigs on Fiverr

    
    Fiverr is now the world's largest marketplace for people to make money selling small services (known as 'gigs').
    What you offer could be absolutely anything, from writing and translating, social media posting, playing pranks and teaching to creating music, voiceovers and short video clips for people all around the world!
    The default price is $5 (hence Fiverr..), but you can attach extra services to gigs for more money. Whilst it might not seem like much, it can quickly add up and there are plenty of examples of people making a really good living from the site. The key is to get a system in place which minimises the time spent on each gig.
    But there is another way to profit even more from Fiverr for potentially far less work. How? By simply reselling gigs elsewhere. For example, find a decent logo designer then reply to jobs on Upwork or even local classifieds. A $5 spend can easily become $50+, and it's repeatable!
    If you're not interested in selling at all there's SO much good stuff you can get done for yourself. Have a browse and get inspired!

12. Review music for money

    If you love music, make it your business by reviewing unsigned bands and artists online for cash with Slicethepie.
    It can take a while to build up your reputation but some users of the site have said that they earn £40 a month. This may not sound like much, but if it's something you enjoy then it shouldn't be hard work and is another thing for your CV. Money you earn will be in $US but anyone can sign up and review.
    
    To get started, head over to Slicethepie now or read our quick guide for more info.

13. Sell your notes

    If you don’t mind sharing your notes with other students it’s a great way to generate a little extra cash. There are sites out there that you can upload your notes to, along with your price, and then when another student downloads them you get paid.
    Most of these sites like Nexus Notes and Stuvia are free for you to list your notes but tend to take a cut of your profit in order to handle the marketing etc so that you don’t have to go out there and promote your notes yourself.
    You will most likely have to upload PDFs but it’s worth it for the return and you can submit handwritten notes but you’re likely to make more money if they’re typed up.

14. Sell second-hand course books

    One great way to make money is to buy other students' textbooks at the end of the year, and then sell them just after freshers' week – when the new intake of students know that they need them!
    You can either advertise on campus or list them online very easily on Amazon Marketplace(just bear in mind they take a commission on books sold).
    Here's 28 other things you can sell right now!

15. Buy and sell domain names

    
    A domain name is just a website address (eg. 'savethestudent.org' or 'mysite.co.uk') and there are lots of extensions (.com, .net, .co.uk etc).
    They cost as little as $0.99 to register with GoDaddy.com yet premium domain names can fetch $1,000s if not millions when sold on. In 2007 VacationRentals.com went for a cool $35m!
    Now you're probably not going to come across anything like that, but you can still turn a quick profit with a bit of searching. The trick is to find available domain names which have some commercial value, snap them up and then list them for sale on a site like Sedo.com.

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17. Be an Extra

    Do you fancy yourself as a budding young actor or just that person that walks past in the background shot of an episode of Eastenders? It could be you if you apply to be an extra in TV or film.
    The pay isn't bad either: £60-80 a day on average, and you hardly have to do anything!
    There are lots of casting agencies that place willing extras. They make their money by taking a cut from your earnings, so always ask what that is before you take on work.
    Head over to our how to become an extra guide for 5 of the better agencies, plus lots more advice on getting your first gig.

18. Sell all your old CDs, games and movies

    If you are looking to make a very quick buck, then selling your old bits and bobs that are cluttering up your room is a good idea.
    The best thing about it is that you can rip all the songs and films onto your laptop or external hard drive before selling them. This means that you are only really selling the plastic and artwork!
    You can earn anything from 10p to £20 per item, and the earnings can really add up if you have a large collection. Whilst you're at it, see if your parents have any 'clutter' they'd be happy to see the back of.
    You can also sell almost anything for free on Amazon Marketplace or Preloved and sites like MusicMagpie will pay you instantly for sending in unwanted items.
    For more tips and places to sell check out our guide on selling DVDs, CDs and games.

19. Sell on your education!

    Becoming a tutor to other students is easier than ever. Until recently your market was limited to local face-to-face sessions, but thanks to online tutoring sites you can go global!
    Udemy allows anyone to create an online course (on literally anything!) and get paid forever after as users take it up.
    For one-to-one tutoring, list yourself on Superprof and UK Tutors.
    You can expect to earn upwards of £10 an hour, and you don't have to be highly qualified to tutor younger GCSE or even A Level students. Get started with our guide to making money as a private tutor.

20. Sell your photos

    If you think you've got a good shot and a little creativity, try uploading your photographs for free to stock websites. A good starting point is Adobe Stock or Getty Images.
    Make more money selling photo subjects that have fewer search results but you feel would have some demand. It might be a good idea to test them out in print first yourself (get free photo prints here).

21. Become your own bank

    
    'Peer-to-peer' lending is the future of banking. It cuts out the middle-man, passing on higher interest rates to you and cheaper loans to borrowers. And it's all managed online from the comfort of your sofa.
    Founded in 2009, RateSetter was the first to reimburse lenders on late payments or defaults through its 'Provision Fund'. Effectively it is designed to be like a normal savings account. To date RateSetter say no investors have ever lost money, and they are fully FCA regulated.
    Right now you can expect to achieve up to 5% fixed return, depending on how long you choose to lend for. If you can, go for the ISA account to earn interest tax-free.
    There's no fee to withdraw your money from RateSetter, unless you lock into a 1 or 5 year higher fixed interest rate where the early withdrawal fee is 0.3% and 1.5% respectively.
    Update: for a limited time also get this £100 bonus when you invest £1,000 for a year.

22. Freelance work

    Perhaps you enjoy writing, managing Facebook pages or doing a little bit of graphic design in your spare time. There are so many freelance jobs out there that require simple skills or just time that someone else might not have.
    And the best thing about freelancing is that you can work for clients in the UK and around the world with just an internet connection from home, to your own hours whilst developing valuable skills.
    A great place to start is with the leading freelance site Upwork.com. Or try using our student job search to find freelance jobs closer to home.

23. Sell clothes on eBay

    Everyone's best friend when it comes to getting rid of junk is eBay. Online auctions are a sure-fire way to turn that sleeveless jacket (which came in and out of fashion in a week) into hard cash.
    Some eBay sellers look at trends and try to predict what will be big ahead of the market. If you are good and don't mind taking a risk then you can buy early in bulk and sell on when the craze hits.
    For lots more tips on selling on eBay read this guide.

24. Sell your stories and videos

    If you have an interesting story then you could try selling it to the papers. It could be anything from sleeping with a professional footballer to getting caught in a clothes horse!
    One of the Save the Student team was unfortunate enough to have a pigeon fly through and smash their window at university and sold the story to The Sun for a tidy £50.
    You could also film your mates at all times and send it into You've Been Framed to net yourself £250 and a few seconds of fame.

25. Rent out your car parking space

    Some student accommodation comes with a drive or garage. If you aren't using your parking space and you live in a busy area then you might be in luck. There are plenty of people that may work in the city centre and are fed up of paying through the roof for daily parking.
    Advertise your space on Gumtree, Parklet or Just Park.

Credit: rvlsoft (logo), Mary_ART_S (background) - Shutterstock

How much money can you make from YouTube?

Credit: Kathy Hutchins - Shutterstock

How much can you realistically expect to make from YouTube?

Credit: Gage Skidmore - Flickr

It took me about three years to get to a stage where I was earning more than a few pence for making videos, but it depends how lucky you get with making a video going viral.

It's hard to say how much I make per video, as my average videos that only got a few thousand views hardly made me anything.

But the few videos that went viral earned me around $200 for every one million views.

Jack Allen, Tezla YouTube channel

Multi-channel networks

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The dangers of MCNs

How does the YouTube Partner Programme work?

Credit: Warner Bros

• Adverts on your videos
• YouTube Premium subscribers watching your content
• Channel memberships (where paid subscribers get exclusive content)
• Super Chats (where viewers in a live chat can essentially boost their comment to make it more visible to the streamer)

Joining the YouTube Partner Programme

Firstly, you should upload consistently – not necessarily daily, but maybe a few times a week. Make sure you don’t have gaps of a few months, as people tend to forget you exist!

You can schedule videos on YouTube so they'll upload if you're away somewhere, so getting ahead of your videos is a good plan!

You should also spread your videos onto other platforms, like social media, as this can really help to spread your name.

Finally, make friends on YouTube! Obviously you should be careful, but doing collaboration videos is a great way to expand your brand.

What do you need to start a successful YouTube channel?

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If you want a video to look professional, make sure you have an HD camera or webcam (not a phone!), an external microphone, a computer and some editing software.

If you're recording console games you'll need a game capture card too!

YouTube channel starter kit

1. A decent camera or webcam – Quality is important and you'll need to record your videos in full 1080p HD if at all possible. Jack recommends the Canon G7X if you're after a camera, or the Logitech C920 if you'd rather use a webcam (which also happens to be much cheaper than a camera!)
2. Video editing software – iMacs have pretty decent video editing software included (iMovie), but for PC users or iMac owners who want something a little more advanced, there are more options. Jack recommends a few programs (Adobe Premier, VEGAS and Final Cut Pro), or you can try Lightworks, as featured in our guide to the best free software alternatives
3. Microphone – Most cameras come with a microphone, but if you're looking for top sound quality you might need to purchase a separate device altogether. Depending on your budget, Jack recommends either the Blue Snowball, Blue Yeti (used by us on our podcast!) or the RODE Podcaster
4. Lighting – Splashing out on lighting isn't essential, but some top YouTubers swear by it. You can either get creative with the lights you already have around the house, or you can buy some dedicated video lighting
5. A decent backdrop – If you're filming a vlog, you might want to set up a decent backdrop. You can stick with a plain colour, or jazz it up a bit by making whatever room you're filming in look really nice (but not too distractng!)
6. Capture card – You'll only need one of these if you want to record console games. If that's what you intend to be doing, Jack's card of choice for starters is the Elgato HD60.

How to make the best YouTube videos

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How do you make a successful YouTube channel?

1. Be confident

   Nobody wants to watch someone who's afraid to look at the camera, but being cocky can be off-putting too.

   Don't be overly confident to a point where it’s cringey, but don’t be shy either. Convince your audience that they should be watching you.

2. Follow popular trends

   Pay attention to what other popular channels are posting right now, and not just what's done well in the past – there's no point in doing a Harlem Shake video in 2019, after all.

   If you were to start playing FIFA 17, you wouldn't get any views and newer editions have come out and that game is not relevant anymore.

3. Find your niche and be unique

   
   This might sound like we're contradicting ourselves, but Jack agrees: being unique is just as important as following trends.

   If you do the same thing as someone else, the chances are that people will prefer to watch the person who gets a million views on every video.

   With that in mind, take some time to think about what you can do well, and whether you think people would be interested in it. Better still, look at the popular trends and figure out how to add something new to them.
   For example, gaming videos are super popular on YouTube – but as such, it's also an incredibly competitive area to break into. See if you can think of a unique spin to put on the genre – if you can, you may have just found your niche!
   Other popular categories include product reviews, comedy, beauty vlogs and general 'how to' guides – again, see if you can think of a way to capitalise on these trends while still setting yourself apart from the crowd.
   Don't worry if you start off without a clearly refined idea of what you want to do – as Jack has shown, there's space to evolve.

   My content started out purely as gaming videos, but as YouTube as a platform started to adapt, I adapted with it. This lead to my most successful content being all about FIFA, football and IRL vlogs and challenges.

4. Choose a good channel name

   This might sound trivial, but trust us – it isn't.
   Just as you wouldn't expect an employer to take your CV seriously if you sent it from taylorswiftfan2k17xx@hotmail.co.uk, people are less likely to give your YouTube channel the time of day if your username is... well, taylorswiftfan2k17xx.
   Look at the usernames of some your favourite YouTubers for some inspiration on the kind of vibe to go for, but again, keep it unique and distinctive if possible!

5. Be yourself

   It's one of our top tips for making friends at uni, and to be honest, it applies to all areas of life. If you've ever tried to take on a new persona, you'll know it eventually becomes unbearably tiring and that you'll inevitably let your real self show at some point.
   And that's not to mention the fact that, unless you're a pretty skilled actor, your viewers will probably pick up on the fact that you're faking it.
   According to Jack, pretending to be someone you're not is a depressingly common mistake made by YouTubers.

   There are countless examples of YouTubers putting on a fake persona for videos and it now backfiring as they don’t want to be that person anymore. People should follow you for who you are.

6. Use catchy, relevant titles and thumbnails

   

   Credit: Denys Prykhodov - Shutterstock
   See the header photo at the top of this article? In case you hadn't realised, it's parodying the kind of thumbnails you see on YouTube – and it's all in aid of getting people to click on thatvideo over all the others.

   Clickbait is a necessity nowadays on YouTube – if a video doesn’t look appealing from the thumbnail and title, people won’t click on it.

   Make sure you have a thumbnail and title that makes your video look interesting and makes people want to find out more.

   That being said, don’t put something in there that's not related to the video or is just a complete lie – YouTube have caught people out for this and have banned their channels.

7. Upload content regularly

   We mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating: if you want your channel to become popular, and to stay popular, you'll need to upload content on the regular.
   What's more, whether you opt for daily, weekly or monthly videos, try to post them at regular intervals. Posting on a specific day each week helps your viewers keep track of when some new content will drop, and hopefully stops people nagging for the next video.

8. Show you love your content

   It's not enough to just be yourself, or to find a niche. Perhaps the most important thing of all is to show your viewers that you love what you're doing.
   Having a passion for what your videos, and your subject matter, will make an impact on how they're received – if you seem interested, chances are your viewers will be too!
   On the other hand, if you don't love what you're doing, you'll soon get bored and the videos will start to reflect that. Passion comes first, and the money comes second!
   Always make sure to follow the rules too: no inappropriate content, copyright or spamming. Play nice and you'll be making money before long!

More ways to make more money on YouTube

Credit: Nickelodeon

Affiliate marketing

Sponsorship

When you're at a decent view-per-video level, a sponsor will pay you a set amount per video for mentioning a product, or advertising them in the video intro.

I've also had FIFA coin sponsorships, where I got given millions of coins per week for advertising them. This was great, as I could use the FIFA coins to make much better content in the future.

Donations

Merchandise