How to Earn $100 a Day Online: Realistic Strategies for Beginners
Making $100 per day online seems like a stretch to an absolute beginner, but it's one of the most attainably high income goals you can set for yourself. All it takes is the right strategy, a small investment of time, and a few digital skills.
In this guide, we'll show you realistic methods to make money online as a beginner and give you actionable steps to reach your $100/day goal.
This guide will focus on realistic, non-scammy ways to make money online without requiring a college degree, years of experience, or an extravagant sum of money as an upfront investment.
Let's get started.
Why Making $100 Per Day Online Is Realistic For A Beginner
$100 a day adds up to $3,000 per month. For many entry-level jobs, that means:
Being able to put a dent in your student loans or credit card debt
Having enough money to cover your rent or mortgage
Having a cushion for unexpected expenses
Being able to save up for something you want
The internet has opened up a wide variety of remote and freelance opportunities that simply didn't exist 15 years ago, and companies are now hiring all over the globe to find qualified workers
This means that your location and level of experience no longer dictates what jobs you can apply to.
It's important to distinguish between two kinds of income: active and passive
Active income is income earned by exchanging your time for money (e.g. freelancing and online tasks), and passive income is income earned by investing time and money into a project that then generates income on its own (e.g. building websites or books that you can sell online). A smart beginner's strategy is to focus on earning active income and use some of that income to build passive income sources.
Getting Started: Building Digital Skills
The majority of online income methods require some level of digital skill proficiency. The good news is that building digital skills is much easier than you might think - many are accessible to total beginners and take under two months to build a foundational understanding of.
What Are Digital Skills?
Digital skills are abilities related to operating a computer or mobile device to complete a task. Some common digital skills include:
Writing
Graphic design
Customer service
Basic data analysis
Bookkeeping
Video editing
Social media marketing
How To Learn A Digital Skill As A Beginner
Don't try to learn everything at once - spend 2-4 weeks learning a skill that you enjoy and that you know has demand in the job market. The following steps will help you get started:
Decide what skill you want to learn based on personal preference and income potential. Graphic design, writing, and customer service are good skills to start with.
Research free courses online (such as YouTube tutorials and Coursera) and find one that will help you build a foundational understanding of the skill. Most free courses will teach you the basics, but they won't necessarily give you the hands-on practice you need to actually apply the skill
Practice your new skill on small, simple projects to build up your portfolio before moving on to bigger projects. For graphic design, that might mean doing five simple social media graphic design projects for a fictional client
Build a portfolio to show off your work. This could be as simple as a Google Drive page or website with 3-5 projects
Your portfolio will help you get clients later in this guide when you're ready to monetize your skills.
How to Earn $100 Per Day Online As A Total Beginner (Step 2)
The fastest way to start making money online as a beginner is through micro-tasking platforms
These platforms will pay you to complete small tasks, and while the pay isn't great, most people who actively engage with these platforms can expect to make between $100 a day right away. Most beginners earn $5 and $75 per day, depending on how much time you can devote to them.
What Are Micro Tasks?
Micro tasks are small tasks, usually ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes in length, that companies outsource to crowdsourcing platforms. Some common examples of micro tasks are:
Data verification
Translation
Image tagging
Website testing
Audio transcription
Survey taking
How To Get Started With Clickworker
If you're serious about micro tasking, I recommend signing up to Clickworker, since it has a reputation of being one of the best-paying platforms for beginners. Here are the steps to get started:
Go to the Clickworker website and sign up with your email address.
Fill out your profile to indicate your skill level. Your skill level will determine what tasks you'll be assigned, so be completely honest and accurate.
Take the qualifying tests. Certain tasks require you to pass a short test to prove your skill level. These tests usually take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.
Browse the task list and look for tasks that utilize skills you've practiced. You can choose between a wide variety of tasks, such as data categorization and simple survey taking
Always complete tasks to the best of your ability, particularly in the beginning, since doing so will improve your approval rating and give you access to better-paying tasks
After completing a few tasks, you'll be able to get paid via PayPal or direct deposit, depending on your location. You can withdraw earnings at any time, but keep in mind that most platforms will only pay you once you've reached a certain threshold.
Other Micro-Tasking Platforms For Beginners
Amazon Mechanical Turk - Best for U.S. based contractors, offers a variety of tasks ranging from surveys to data validation.
Appen - Tasks are generally focused on search engine optimization, but the company offers a wide variety of roles.
Remotasks - Pays to label data, particularly for use in artificial intelligence.
Usertesting - Pays to test websites and applications and provide feedback.
Realistic Expectations For Micro Tasks
You can expect to make between $25 per article and write 4 articles a day, that's $100 and $75 per day with micro tasks, depending on how much time you're able to invest. Think of micro tasks as a good income source and a way to build your digital skill set before moving on to bigger freelancing gigs.
How to Earn $100 Per Day Online As A Total Beginner (Step 3)
Freelancing is the next logical step in your journey toward making $100/day online. With freelancing, you use the digital skills you've been practicing and apply them to real clients.
What Is Freelancing?
Freelancing is completing small tasks or projects for clients on a contractual basis, usually through a website. Most common forms of freelancing include graphic design, content writing, voiceover work, and video editing, but there are plenty of other in-demand skills.
How To Freelance As A Beginner
Pick the skill you want to freelance in.
Sign up for a freelancing platform such as Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer.com
Write a compelling description for your services. Focus on what problems you can solve for clients rather than what you can do, and provide a few examples of the kinds of projects you can work on. For a graphic designer, that might mean showcasing past work (or work from your practice in Step 1).
Start applying for jobs. Because you're new, you'll want to accept lower-paying gigs to build up your portfolio. On sites like Upwork, applications are made directly to the client, whereas on sites like Fiverr, you'll need to optimize your profile so that potential clients can easily find you.
Always deliver high-quality work and request feedback from clients in order to build up your reviews. Reviews are one of the most important things for a freelancer, as new clients will judge you largely based on what past clients say.
How Many Clients Will I Need To Find To Make $100 Per Day?
That depends largely on the service you choose and the rate you charge, but here are some examples:
If you charge $15 an hour for virtual assistant work and work 7 hours, that's $100 per day
If you charge $20 each, that's $105 per day
If you sell 5 Fiverr gigs worth $12 to $100 per day
As you gain more experience, you can begin charging more and working on larger projects, which will help you meet your $100/day target.
Software & Tools To Help You Freelance
Canva - Graphic design
Grammarly - Proofreading and editing
Trello or Notion - Project management
Google suite - Documents and spreadsheets
Calendly - Setting up client meetings
How To Earn $100 Per Day Online As A Total Beginner (Step 4)
Remote jobs are good supplemental income for most beginners on the path to making $100/day. Similar to freelancing, remote jobs usually involve a steady income stream that comes from doing some kind of online task. Unlike freelancing, remote jobs tend to provide slightly more stability and security. where To Find Remote Jobs
We Work Remotely
Remote.co
Flexjobs (subscription only, but higher quality)
LinkedIn Jobs (filter by remote)
Indeed (filter by remote)
Common Remote Jobs For Beginners
Customer service representative - Many companies will hire remote customer service representatives to work via phone or email, starting at around $15 an hour for about 7 hours a day can easily get you past the $18 per hour.
Virtual assistant - Assist small business owners with their day-to-day duties.
Online tutor - Many tutoring companies allow tutors to work remotely and set their own rates.
Transcriptionist - This involves transcribing audio files into written documents. Experience isn't necessary, but a good typing speed is always helpful.
Data entry clerk - Many companies outsource their data entry needs to remote clerks. Again, no experience is necessary.
How To Successfully Apply For A Remote Job
Tailor your resume to the kinds of remote jobs that interest you. If there aren't many remote jobs that interest you, tailor your resume to the ones that are available.
Apply to between 5 and 10 jobs per day rather than waiting until you find the "perfect" job.
Prepare for video interviews by practicing on sites like Skype and Zoom and making sure your webcam and microphone work correctly.
Be completely honest about how much time you have available, as many remote employers operate on a global scale and will consider candidates from other time zones
Remote jobs are a great way to supplement your income from other monetization methods, providing a steady income stream while giving you a foot in the door in the online freelancing space.
How To Earn $100 Per Day Online As A Total Beginner (Step 5)
Building what's known as a digital asset is a great way to build long-term income. Digital assets require some time to build, but afterwards, they generally require little upkeep and can generate income for years.
What Is A Digital Asset?
A digital asset is anything you can create that someone else will buy. Some common examples of digital assets include websites, blogs, books, stock photos, and graphic design templates.
How To Create My First Digital Asset
Since e-books don't require any special equipment or experience to produce, a good example of a digital asset to start with is an e-book.
Pick a topic that you're familiar with or can research easily. Niche topics are usually easier to market than broad topics.
Outline your book before you start writing - this will make the writing process much faster and more straightforward.
Write your book in simple, straight language. Most first-time e-book writers find that between 20 and 50 pages is a good length for a first book.
Format your book with a free cover designer tool, such as Canva.
Publish your book on a free publishing platform such as Kindle Direct Publishing, Gumroad, or your own simple website.
Where To Sell Your Digital Asset
Social media
Your website or blog
An email list, if you have one
Earnings from an e-book vary widely based on the topic and marketing, but a realistic estimate for a first-time author would be between $5 or $10 and $75 per day on average.
Digital assets can supplement your earnings from other methods of monetization, helping you reach and maintain your $100/day goal more easily.
How To Earn $100 Per Day Online As A Total Beginner (Step 6)
A good monetization strategy is always half strategy and half simple daily execution. Now that you know some good monetization methods, let's discuss how to execute them in a way that helps you reach your $100/day goal.
Here's an example of a daily schedule you could use as a beginner:
30 minutes - Completing micro tasks
2-3 hours - Working on freelance projects or applying to new projects
1 hour - Applying to remote jobs or working on your remote job, if you have one
30-60 minutes - Working on your digital asset
This provides a good mixture of monetization methods that can help you earn well.
Comparing income from various sources
Most income methods will have a learning curve, but the combination of micro tasks, freelancing and/or remote jobs, and digital assets will help you reach and maintain your $100/day target income.
Summary Of The Fastest Ways To Earn $100 Per Day Online As A Beginner
Method
Estimated Daily Earnings
Suggested Time Investment
Micro Tasks
$15-$75
10-30 minutes
Freelancing
$40-$200+
3-8 hours
Remote Jobs
$15-$30+
6-10 hours
Digital Assets
$10+
30-60 minutes
Things To Avoid When Making $100 Per Day Online As A Beginner
Don't get distracted by the promise of easy income - Most people who try to make $100/day online fail because they get distracted by promises of easy income and prestige. Focus on the steady, reliable growth that comes from hard work.
Don't get discouraged by slow progress - It's normal to feel like you're not making progress, but the truth is most people take between 30 and 90 days of consistent effort before they start to see real results.
Avoid scams - Any "job" that asks you to pay to apply is almost certainly a scam. Always research potential opportunities before you commit any money.
Don't skip the hard work - Building digital skills takes time, but those skills will always serve you and help you make more money than easy methods.
Don't ignore analytics and analysis - Consistently track which methods are working and which aren't so that you can make meaningful changes to your routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to invest any money to make money online? Most online monetization methods don't require any money to get started. The only things you might need to purchase are a good mouse and keyboard for practicing your digital skills, but those aren't strictly necessary. Always avoid any method that asks you to pay to make money, as those are usually scams.
How long does it take to make $100 per day online? Depending on the methods you use, it can take between 1 and 3 months of steady effort to reach $100/day.
Which method is the fastest to start making money? Micro tasks allow you to start making money the fastest, as there's no learning curve or client acquisition.
Can I do this as a part-time endeavor? Absolutely - most people who successfully make $100/day online start as part-time freelancers or remote workers and scale up as their skills improve.
Conclusion: Making $100 Per Day Online Is An Attainable Goal
Earning $100 per day online is a reachable goal for anyone who knows the right methods and applies consistent effort. In this guide, we've shown you several realistic ways to make money online and given you actionable advice for each.
The most important thing to take away from this guide is that the journey always begins with a single step. Pick a monetization method from this guide, pick a digital skill to practice, and take that first small step toward making $100 per day online.
Ready to start making $100 per day online? Pick one monetization method from this guide and take your first step to building an online income today!
"Have you started your online earning journey yet? Tell us in the comments which platform you are trying first!"
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