How to Make Extra Money Fast

Would you like to earn extra income on the side? What would you do with the extra cash? Pay off your credit card debt? Save up for a new car? Support a friend in need? Invest towards your retirement?

Now, there are a lot of programs and products online that claim to show you how to make extra money fast. Some are legit, and a lot are scammy.

Since there are lots of potential options to make money online and offline, you may feel overwhelmed and end up doing nothing.  That’s exactly what you don’t want to happen to you!  So use these tips in your search to make more money.

A Legit Way to Earn Money

The most credible way I know of for making money is by serving someone in return for payment. Do something that another person needs or wants done, and get paid for your work. It’s as simple as that.

What You Can Bring to the Table

Before you can earn money, you need to know what you can do for others.

What are you good at? What skills do you have? What could you get good at? What are you passionate about?

For instance, here are some skills that you may have, which other people are willing to pay for.

• cooking/food preparation
• tutoring (math, science, foreign language, SAT, MCAT, Quickbooks, Photoshop)
• playing an instrument (guitar, violin, piano, drums)
• social media (twitter, facebook, linkedin, youtube)
• computer programming (HTML, CSS, PHP, Java, MySQL)
• SEO
• hair styling
• taking care of children (nanny, babysitting)
• cleaning/organizing/housekeeping
• swimming/personal training/yoga/pilates/zumba
• administrative/running errands
• driving/moving
• pet grooming/pet sitting
• sewing/knitting

Some of these are basic skills, while some are more advanced. All of this, however, is to show you that there’s opportunity for everyone to earn extra money.

What Other People are Paying For

After you figure out what you can bring to the table, the other part of earning money is figuring out if there is there a market for your skills. What are other people looking for?

We’ve already outlined some of the services people want from our list above.

So if other people are willing to pay for skills such as these, then where do you look for opportunities to help?

Where to Find Work

The best way I’ve found to look for extra work is through Craigslist. Specifically, if you’re looking for work on the side, I’ve found that the “gigs” section is the best place to look.

To find a gig, click on the “gigs” link.

Then in the search field, type the skill that you have to offer. As an example, I’ve entered the word “tutor.”

Once you find a gig you think you’d be a good fit for, the next step is to reply to the ad.

It’s important to reply in a professional way that will get your potential client’s attention. That way, you’re more likely to receive a response.

How to Write a Pitch That Gets Attention

Here’s a brief example of how to write a good email pitch, which I learned from Ramit Sethi’s Earn1K course.

Subject Line – Bob, I’d like to help you (write what you can do for them).

Here, you’re immediately communicating that you’re there to serve your potential customer.

Introduction – Hi Bob, I read your ad on Craigslist, and I noticed that you’re looking for someone to assist with (write what the other person is looking for).

Here, you’re stating how you found out about the opportunity.

Offer – I’ve been doing (write again what you do) for (write how long you’ve been doing it), and I’d like to help you do the same.

Here, you’re mentioning a little bit about your qualifications and offering to help the potential client.

Benefit – I’m confident that my skills can help you to (a specific way to increase their bottom line)

Here, you want to ask the question, “What’s in it for them?” What’s the benefit they’d receive from working with you? Less stress? More peace of mind? Greater exposure for their business? More sales? Looking more attractive?

Gauge – We can discuss the details, of course. But first I wanted to see if this is something you’re interested in.

Here, you’re setting yourself up for further communication with the client if they’re interested.

Close – If so, can I send you a few ideas about how I could help?

Lastly, you’re reinforcing that you’re here to help the client.

If they respond to your email, you can now move forward and discuss the possibility of working together.

My Experience

I’ve used this pitch to reply to an ad on Craigslist, and as a result I landed a tutoring gig helping a junior high student. So I know this method of earning money works!

Of course, it’s important to do your due diligence on Craigslist. But the bottom line is that there’s a lot of opportunity out there.

I hope this empowers you to start earning more!