How to choose the best side hustle idea as a part-time creator (+ list of 101 side gig ideas)

Updated: June 25, 2024

10 min read

4 steps for picking your perfect side hustle

Before you can realistically quit your job, you need to have a side gig set up. Here’s how to pick one that’s a good fit.

Step #1: Make a list of your skills, talents, and interests

Take 10 minutes and write down everything you love doing and everything you’re good at. Your list can range from creative skills or organization to what you do in your full-time job or even something you’d love to learn more about.

Think about:

What you do for fun
Your education and training
What your friends and family come to you for help with
Tasks you like to do

Step #2: Evaluate how much spare time you have

How much time can you dedicate to your side hustle, and how long do you want to keep it up? Look at your typical weekly schedule and obligations to estimate how many hours a week you have free.

Consider whether you want something to spin up quickly and earn some cash before a vacation or if you want to build a business to quit your job. Depending on the side gig, you might need to invest in learning or certifications before starting.

Ask yourself:

How many hours per week can I dedicate to the side hustle, and when can I work on it?
Do I want a short-term cash boost or a long-term job replacement?
Am I willing to invest time and maybe money into skill-building or training?

Step #3: Know your income goal

Choose how much you want to earn through your side gig and compare it to how much creators in that niche make and whether there’s a demand. Creator industry benchmark reports and talent marketplaces like Fiverr give you a sense of normal rates.

Research:

Whether other creators make money with the same type of side hustle
What the typical rates or prices are for the side gig
How much you’ll have to work or the number of sales to hit your income goal

Step #4: Narrow down your skills list

Remember, you’re starting a new business on top of your full-time job and life. While full-time creators have an average of 6+ income streams, side gig businesses usually only have one to two.

So, as you think through your skills and look through side hustle ideas, choose one or two you’re excited about and can be consistent with.

Creators who build their business on the side of their day job usually have 1-2 income streams

101 side gig ideas for part-time creators

There are so many ways to earn money as a creator or side hustler. More than a third of full-time creators start with services like freelancing, new creators make the most money through subscriptions and paid memberships, and creators think digital products are the easiest way to monetize.

Services are a great entry point into a creator business or side hustle

Since services are such a popular way to start earning money online, you’ll notice a lot of the side hustle ideas include them. Services are perfect for side hustles since you don’t need to invest in inventory or build a massive audience before starting.

If freelance side gigs aren’t your thing, we have plenty of other side hustle ideas.

Our list of the best side hustle ideas fit into these categories:

Marketing, social media, and other business services

If you have a skill from your day job, like marketing or professional services, you can start a side gig to become your own boss eventually.

Email marketing services
Affiliate marketing
Content curation
Community management
Paid advertising management
Project Manager
Brand ambassador
Social media management and analytics
Online business management (OBM)
Virtual Assistant
Customer service support
Financial services (taxes, financial planning, accounting, etc.)
Tech services (App development, programmer, developer, etc.)

Services like freelancing are the most common income stream in the creator economy

Teaching and education

If you want to share your skills and experience with more people than you can with one-on-one services, consider teaching through courses, workshops, and webinars.

Online course creation
Webinar hosting
Coaching and mentorship
Language tutoring
Photography and videography lessons
Writing workshops
Art classes
Graphic design tutorials
Blogging courses
Marketing workshops
Hobby workshops (sewing, painting, gardening, camping, etc.)

Nearly a quarter of creators plan to make a new digital product in 2024

Writing, blogging, and books

Written content is lucrative in the creator economy. Creators see the best audience engagement through newsletters, and 51% of creators wrote articles, blogs, and books in 2023.

Newsletter creation
Freelance writing
Copywriting for websites and ads
Blogging for brands
Technical writing
Ghostwriting
Ebook writing
Review writing
Scriptwriting for videos
Social media writing
Book reviewer
Translation
Book editor

Monetization and sales

If you love creating and strategizing, side hustles centered around digital products or sales funnels could be a great fit.

Selling on Etsy, eBay, or Amazon
Amazon reselling
Selling digital products (stock photos, templates, recipes, clothing patterns, fonts, and more)
Dropshipping merchandise
Merchandise sales
Selling digital art
Monetizing online channels (YouTube, Twitch, etc.)
Buying and selling domain names
Refurbish furniture or electronics

Coaching and consulting

Coaching and consulting let you work closely with clients without doing the work for them, unlike freelancing. Consider your past experiences and obstacles to find possible coaching topics.

Content creation coaching
Brand identity consulting
Social media consulting
Career coaching
Marketing consulting
Video production consulting
Health and nutrition coaching
Fitness coaching
Writing and editing coaching
Business coaching
Life coaching
Spiritual coach
Beauty consultant or color season consultant

Podcasting and broadcasting

If friends love listening to your stories, you’re a natural presenter, or you were born with a great voice, consider podcasting and broadcasting for your side hustle.

Hosting a podcast
Producing audio shows
Live streaming services
Producing YouTube content
Video streaming for platforms like Twitch
Broadcasting for events
Sports commentary
Voice dubbing services
Video captioning or audio description services

Design and art

If you have graphic design skills (or are willing to learn), you can help people bring their ideas to life.

Graphic design
Logo design
Branding design
Custom illustrations
Digital art creation
Infographic design
Merchandise design
Web design
Book cover design

Audio and music

If making music is your passion, but you have to work in an office to pay the bills, you can start a side gig to share your audio skills.

Podcast production
Voiceover work
Audio editing services
Music production
Songwriting
Jingle creation
Music lessons
Sound mixing and mastering
DJ services
Music composition for videos

Photography and videography

While most photography side hustles are local to you, like event photos, you can also do remote side hustles by selling stock photos.

Event photography
Product photography
Event videography
Drone photography/videography
Video production services
Stock photography

Editing and post-production

If you love working with visuals and sounds and want to connect with clients around the world, editing and post-production might be a great mix for you.

Photo retouching and editing
Video editing
Audio editing
Podcast editing
Proofreading services
Copy editing
Color correction
Transcription services

How to sell your side-hustle services with Kit

Many side hustles are free or low-cost to start, but you will need a way to get paid.

Kit’s free plan lets you set up a landing page and collect payments for your side hustle services in just a few steps:

Create a product listing
Set a price
Share your link with customers

Here’s how to do it:

From your Kit dashboard, click ‘Earn,’ select ‘Products,’ then click ‘+ New Product.’

Fill out your side gig service details, like the name and price.

You can use Kit Commerce to sell digital products like ebooks or templates, paid members-only newsletters, or services like freelancing and coaching. The product listing can live on your website, or Kit can host the page.

Finally, click ‘Create Product.’

Once you set up your product or service, you can customize the listing page. Add a description, choose an image, customize the colors and font, and hit ‘Publish.’

Once your listing page is live, share it with clients or promote it on your social media and newsletter.

Ready to start selling? Sign up for a free Kit account today.

Support your growing business

Kit helps creators like you grow your audience, connect and build a relationship with that audience, and earn a living online by selling digital products.

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Steph Knapp

Steph Knapp is a freelance B2B + SaaS content marketer that loves educating and empowering curious humans. When she's not typing away, you'll find her volunteering at the animal shelter and obsessing over a new hobby every week. She shares marketing, freelance, and cat content on Twitter @ hellostephknapp. (Read more by Steph)