Honestly, the whole “make passive income online” concept? Used to sound kinda scammy to me — like, yeah okay, make money while I nap? Sure, bro. But… turns out, if you know where to look and how to hustle (a little, at least at first), it’s shockingly doable. I’ve been there, laptop on my chest, wondering why I’m broke while some folks are raking in dollars on autopilot — selling digital products or dropping affiliate links like pros.
Here’s what I learned (some fast, some slower, all real).
1. Affiliate Marketing? Wildly Underrated for Passive Income.
So basically, u sign up 4 a program where you recommend a thing, right? And if someone buys it after clickin’ your link? Bang — commission time. It’s really just about smart recommending.
I went with Amazon’s affiliate thing at first because it felt safe. Later, I added in some random stuff from ShareASale and got like 50 bucks just from a post about headphones. Wasn’t even a long post.
One day I realized — “Wait, I don’t gotta create the product? I just link it?” and I kinda spiraled into affiliate mode heavy.
It’s quick money if your content gets seen. Start a blog, throw up some TikToks, or go full Reddit-review ninja mode.
2. Digital products = digital gold, if you do it right
I made this goofy lil budgeting printable on Canva and slapped it on Gumroad. Next thing? Someone in Ohio bought it. Not even kidding.
Making a product one time and watching people keep buying it is the definition of chef’s kiss.
Whether it’s eBooks, checklists, wall art, or templates? There’s a market. Somewhere.
I made a fitness habit tracker on a whim — sold 14 copies in a week. Hadn’t even promoted it right.
As long as it solves a problem (even a tiny one), somebody out there wants it.
3. YouTube… without showing my mug
Listen — I’m not about to vlog. That ain’t me. But then I found out people are making faceless YouTube channels and racking up views just using voiceovers and stock clips? Yeah. Sold.
Picked a niche (luxury facts… random, I know) and used Pictory to make the videos.
Paid someone on Fiverr to read the script ’cause my voice? Ugh.
Posted 5 videos. One hit 10k views. AdSense took care of the rest. Not millions, but money.
Faceless YouTube is passive-ish once you’ve got a few vids up. Only thing is, the first few days? Expect silence. Then boom — one catches wind.
4. Bloggin’, but make it easy with AI
Bet you think blogs are dead? I did too. Then I used ChatGPT to help me write a site about indoor plants and, wow, people love low light plant tips.
No, I didn’t write every word. I guided the bot, then edited it. Google seems to like it so far.
Didn’t even know what SEO was ‘til like, halfway through. Used Ubersuggest and hoped for the best.
The cool part? Blog traffic = ad clicks = $$$.
One of my posts started bringing in like $2.15 a day from Mediavine after a couple months.
It’s like, slow drip coffee — boring until it ain’t.
5. Got a camera or a mic? You got money.
I’m not a “photographer,” but I had some decent pics from trips — sunsets, cafes, trees being trees. Uploaded ‘em to Adobe Stock and Shutterstock.
One photo of a coffee mug got downloaded like, 9 times. Wild.
Also uploaded an ambient music loop I made in GarageBand to AudioJungle. Someone used it in their app. Got paid.
Never thought those files would make me anything. But they do.
It’s background noise money. Quiet, but there.
6. Print-on-demand (POD), aka “I don’t touch anything”
This one’s fun. I design weird quotes, slap ’em on shirts or mugs using Printful + Etsy, and when people buy? Someone else ships it.
No inventory. No packing. I literally don’t even see the product.
I made one design that just said “Always Tired Club” in comic sans. It sold 17 times.
Pinterest helped me push it. Just made a pin that linked to my Etsy page. Boom.
You never know what’ll take off. That’s half the fun and half the chaos.
7. Teach what you know (even if it feels silly)
I made a mini-course on how to use Notion to plan your week better. I barely even planned the course itself.
Uploaded it to Teachable and called it a day. Sold a few copies while I was at brunch the next weekend.
It’s wild what people will pay for if it’s packaged right.
Don’t think you need a degree. People want shortcuts. Give ‘em a shortcut, charge a lil.
Record on Zoom or your phone. Add slides if you’re feeling fancy.
8. Bought some REITs + stocks, now I get paid for doing nothing
This one’s more “you need some cash first” but still counts. I bought stock in Realty Income (symbol: $O) and they pay monthly.
Also snagged a bit of VYM (dividend ETF) and it just… deposits little amounts every quarter.
Does it make me rich? No. Is it nice to see a deposit for like $4.39 randomly? Uh, yes.
This is true passive income. Like actually passive.
Final thoughts from a sleepy hustler
I ain’t gonna lie and say all this takes zero effort. That’s cap. But what’s wild is how little effort it can take once it’s built.
You plant the seeds, then suddenly you’re at the grocery store and a PayPal notification hits your phone. That feels good.
Pick one thing. Don’t get overwhelmed. Just start.
Before you know it, you’re making money off something you forgot you made.
Wanna know what fits you best based on your vibe, skills, and time? Just hit me up — I’ll tell you what I’d do in your shoes.
Money don’t sleep — and now, I guess, neither do my income streams. Also, you can get more UX design tips here.