Side Hustles

Surveys, user testing and market research

Some are worth it and plenty aren’t. The ones that pay pennies, or screen you out after you’ve answered loads of questions, aren’t worth your time. These are the ones I’d actually use, because the pay is fair for the time and they’re quick and easy.

• Prolific: academic research studies
• Askable: paid research sessions and interviews
• UserTesting: get paid to try out websites and apps
• dscout: short research tasks on your phone
• People for Research: paid studies and interviews

Time: it varies by study, so check the pay rate before you start.

My take: worth it if you’re picky. If it pays pennies, skip it.

Cashback sites

Get a bit back on shopping you were going to do anyway.

• Jam Doughnut: instant cashback. You search through hundreds of retailers, then buy a gift card for the amount you need
• TopCashback
• Quidco: I’ve found it tracks cashback quickly
• Airtime Rewards: link your bank card and it tracks cashback automatically at over 200 retailers. Join and spend £5 within 7 days to get a £2 bonus with my code 4Q3UYX8T. Cash in your rewards to bring your mobile bill down

Good to know: with TopCashback and Quidco, cashback can be declined or take weeks to confirm, so keep your order emails. Only click through when you were already planning to buy.

My take: Airtime Rewards isn’t a big earner for me, but I don’t have to do anything. I linked my card and it just tracks the cashback.

Scan and save (receipt apps)

Some apps give you cashback or free products on everyday shopping you were buying anyway. You upload a receipt or scan a barcode after you’ve bought something.

• Shopmium: freebies and money back on everyday brands. Get a £1 bonus when you download the app and enter my referral code H4PA9F
• GreenJinn: cashback and free-product offers across most big supermarkets
• CheckoutSmart: lots of changing offers, and the good ones can disappear within days

Good to know: offers change all the time and each has rules, so read the terms. These apps make money from anonymised shopping data, so check each privacy policy. Some similar apps have closed.

Time: a couple of minutes per receipt.

Mobile games

If you already play games on your phone, you can get paid for it. I’m using FreeCash right now, and I’ve also used Swagbucks and MistPlay.

• Check the rules: each game and app has its own, and you don’t want to miss out on a payout because you didn’t read them
• Find a group for the game: on social media, like Facebook. It helps immensely
• Watch your spending: be very careful you don’t end up out of pocket by buying add-ons and extras. I’ve been caught out by this myself

Time: games can take up a lot of your time, so bear that in mind. Decide how much time you’re happy to give it before you start.

My take: I used to do this a lot, but I rarely do it now. It can be challenging to reach the level you need to get the payout within the time period, and sometimes you have to buy items to reach the next level. Please be mindful of this, because you don’t want to end up out of pocket. Join the Facebook groups first.

Mystery shopping

You get paid, or reimbursed, to visit a shop, restaurant or website and report back on the experience.

Good to know: a real company never asks you to pay to register, and never sends you a cheque and asks you to send money back. Both are scams.

Time: varies. Some jobs are short, some need a written report.

Selling your old items

Clear out what you don’t use and turn it into cash.

• eBay
• Vinted
• Facebook Marketplace

Good to know: check each site’s current fees before you list. Take clear photos in good light and describe the item honestly.

Time: a bit of effort up front, then quick.

AI training

Companies pay people to help train AI by rating answers, writing prompts and checking responses. It can pay better than most survey sites, but the work comes and goes.

• DataAnnotation: one assessment to get in
• Outlier: treat it as a way in, not a reliable income, because accounts can be removed suddenly

Good to know: never pay to get work. Work arrives in waves and some weeks there may be none. This counts as self-employed income, so keep track of it for HMRC.

Time: flexible, but the assessment can take a while and isn’t paid.

Digital products

Make something once, like a planner, a tracker or a template, and sell it again and again.

• Payhip: where I sell mine
• Etsy: good for being found by buyers who are already searching
• Canva: how I design them

Good to know: slow to start, and you need people to see it. It’s the closest thing to income that doesn’t need your time for every sale.

Print on demand

Design products like mugs, tote bags or prints, list them in an online shop, and a print partner makes and posts each order for you. You never hold any stock.

• Etsy: where you sell
• Printify and Gelato: the print partners I use to make and ship the orders

Good to know: it’s slow to start, because you need people to find your shop, and good designs matter more than lots of them. Check each platform’s fees and your profit on every item before you list.

Time: a lot of effort up front, then mostly hands-off.

My take: I’m at the start of my print on demand journey. It has taken a fair bit of work to get to where I am, and I hope the time and effort pays off.

Blogging

Write about what you know and earn through affiliate links over time.

• Hostinger: where this site is hosted

Good to know: it takes months, not weeks, to see anything. It’s a long game.

UGC (user-generated content)

Brands pay everyday people to make short videos and photos of their products, or to post about them. You don’t need lots of followers.

• Social Tip: you post about products on your own social media and get paid. Rewards depend on how your posts do, so they can be low or inconsistent
• JoinBrands
• Billo
• Twirl

Good to know: with most of these you apply and brands choose, so there’s no guarantee of work. Some platforms take a fee from what you earn, and some need a portfolio or intro video first. If you’re paid to post, label it clearly as an ad (#ad), as UK rules require.

My take: I’m at the start of this journey.

Start an Instagram page

Keep it simple. One topic, one clear page, posted on regularly.

1. Pick one topic you can post about again and again.
2. Create a new account for it and switch it to a Professional (Creator or Business) account in settings, so you can see how your posts do.
3. Write a short bio that says who the page is for and what they will get.
4. Add one link in your bio, to your shop, your products or a link page.
5. Post regularly and notice what people respond to.

Time: a little every day or a few times a week. It’s the consistency that counts.

Going faceless

You don’t have to show your face. Plenty of pages use text on screen, a voiceover, screen recordings, graphics and templates, or clips of products and hands.

Good to know: only use images, clips and music you have the right to use, and keep the page about one clear topic so people know why to follow it.

How you can earn from it

Two common ways, which you can use together.

• Sell digital products: planners, trackers and templates, with the link in your bio. Payhip and Etsy both work for this.
• Amazon affiliate links: through the Amazon Associates programme you can earn a commission when someone buys through your link.

Good to know: you need to be approved by Amazon, say that you’re an Associate (“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases”), and clearly label each link, for example with #ad or “paid link”. Amazon also has a separate Influencer Program for social accounts, so check on Amazon’s own page whether you can join from the UK.

Time: slow to build. Results aren’t guaranteed, and each platform has its own rules.

The same idea on TikTok

Everything above works on TikTok too. Short faceless videos with text or a voiceover can work well, and you can reuse the same videos on Instagram Reels.

Good to know: check TikTok’s current rules on links, and label any paid or affiliate content as an ad (#ad) using TikTok’s content disclosure setting.