Hobbies are a great way to spend time relaxing, away from work, and they’re often far more fulfilling than an evening spent binge-watching another Netflix series. Some hobbies can also be turned into a source of extra income, and let’s face it, who couldn’t do with a little bit more cash or something to fall back on. Although not all hobbies are obvious money makers, below you’ll find five pastimes you could start earning money from.
Blogging
Blogging is one of the easiest ways to turn your hobby into a money-maker, but it can take a long time and you won’t see money pouring in overnight. You don’t have to be an amazing writer to start a blog, you just need to be able to write something about your hobby or your niche interests. If your hobby is something that you’re passionate about, then you can create blog posts that share knowledge and insights into that area.
For example, if you’re an avid reader, then you could set up a blog reviewing different books and rating them, or putting together reading lists. If your hobby is knitting, then you can write posts about different patterns, items you’ve knitted, reviewing all the things you might need from knitting needles to different types of wool. And, don’t forget to include some images and photographs alongside your words to make posts more engaging.
It’s fairly straightforward to actually set up a blog, as you can use one of several popular blogging platforms that can create a blogging website for you. You just need to pick your niche, write regular blog posts, and share them on social media. After a while, as you get more visitors to your blog, you’ll be able to make some money with affiliate links, sponsored posts and advertising.
Podcasts
If you don’t want to write about your hobby, then you could talk about it instead and start a podcast. There’s a huge demand for podcasts; 68 million Americans are weekly podcast listeners. Again, it can take some time before you’re able to make a lot of money, but if you persist and gain a loyal audience you can receive sponsorships and include adverts.
You could talk about a niche genre of film or your favorite sport; whatever your hobby or passion is, it could be the main topic of your podcast. You can use the podcast to share tips, insights, ideas, reviews or even relevant interviews with other people who are part of that community or industry.
It doesn’t take a lot to start a podcast. To begin with, you just need a computer, a USB microphone, internet access and software for recording and editing. You’ll also need to come up with a cover image for your podcast, as well as a summary of it. Once you’ve recorded and edited it, you can upload it to a podcast hosting service, submit it to various directories so that listeners can find it, and share it on social media.
YouTube Videos
Another popular way to make money from hobbies is by starting up a YouTube channel. A lot of hobbies and interests can be turned into how-to video tutorials for YouTube, and if they become popular you can allow ads on your videos to start making money.
For example, if DIY and fixing things up is what you do, then start filming videos — there are millions of people looking for ways to do all sorts of projects at home. You could even turn your videos into online courses and upload them on specific websites for extra revenue, teaching people whatever your hobby is, from painting to cooking.
To turn it into a money maker you’ll want to do a bit of research into what people are going to be interested in learning that’s relevant to your hobby, and also invest in a camera — although a smartphone would be good enough to start with.
Sell Items Online
Setting up an online shop is fairly straightforward and if your hobby is making things, then why not earn some money from selling them? Crafty hobbies like making jewelry, clothing or art are perfect for an online shop. The best place to start is by setting up a shop on a marketplace site like Etsy, where they already have lots of visitors looking for those kinds of products.
Or if you’re passionate about cooking, you could set up an online food business to sell the food you make, whether it’s jam, cookies or even ingredient kits with everything people need to cook your recipes at home. Starting a food business is going to be slightly more complicated than selling homemade crafts; you need to acquire proper licenses, keep a track of your ingredients, suppliers and processes, and get the right insurance. But once you’re set up it can be a reliable money maker.
Social Media Influencer
While many of the biggest influencers will be in fashion or beauty, you can create content for social media with pretty much any hobby you have.
You can post about anything such as the recipes you cook, your craft projects, home improvements, gardening, sports or fitness. It just needs to be something that you create regularly, and can write interesting posts about.
The best way to become a social media influencer once you’ve decided on your niche is to pick the right platforms and either set up new profiles for your hobby or adapt your existing ones. From there you can switch to a business account, research the audience you’re trying to target, and then start creating and posting content and engaging with others. It can take a long time to grow a following on social media, but eventually, you’ll be able to collaborate with brands to do advertising and sponsored posts.
There are plenty of side jobs you can do from home, but the key to turning your hobby into a money maker is finding a way to share it with other people. Whether you write about it, talk about it or sell your products, you need to find the best way to share your passion and your insights with others. All of these routes will take time to build up an audience, but eventually, you’ll be able to monetize your hobby through advertisement, sponsorships or selling your products or your expertise.
