Can Couples Make Money Online? Options You Need to Know
If we’ve learned anything in the past couple of years, it’s that working from home is possible – and, in many instances, preferable. No one wants to commute to work, spend eight hours at the office, waste time returning home, and go straight to bed.
Considering just how many opportunities you have to make money online, it makes no sense for you to waste your life away in a cubicle.
However, while you can certainly find online side hustles for yourself, have you ever considered venturing into joint online opportunities with your partner?
Can couples make money online?
From starting a joint blog to podcasting, selling on Etsy, trying your hand at voice narration, and teaching courses, there are plenty of ways couples can bring in some extra income while working from home.
Take a look at the top online options you should give a try.
Top 12 ways couples can make money online
Most couples approach online opportunities like side hustles – it’s just something extra that adds to the savings account. However, depending on how dedicated you and your partner are, online jobs could quickly turn into lucrative full-time endeavors.
Here are the top 12 most profitable ways couples can make money online.
- 1. Blogging
- 2. Vlogging
- 3. Streaming
- 4. Content writing
- 5. eCommerce
- 6. Get on online marketplaces
- 7. Social media
- 8. Podcasting
- 9. Photography
- 10. Fitness coaching
- 11. Teaching online
- 12. Voice narration
1. Blogging
- Starting cost: $0 to $200
- Turnaround time: 20 months
- Earning potential: $45,000
Starting a blog can be one of the most fulfilling online jobs. All you need are some good writing skills, a content plan, and a niche you’re passionate about.
You and your partner can delegate tasks. One of you can work on creating content, for instance, while the other edits it. One can work on website design while the other engages with site visitors.
The only drawback is that it can take a while before your blog starts attracting enough readers for monetization. On average, most bloggers start monetizing around their 20th month online, and they earn around $45,000 annually.
However, both of those numbers can vary wildly. You might go years with just a couple of hundred a month, or you might start earning six figures instantly.
2. Vlogging
- Starting cost: $280
- Turnaround time: No average turnaround time
- Earning potential: $55,000
If you’re not much for writing but are interested in connecting with audiences by sharing your life experiences, insights, and expertise, you could try vlogging. Short for video blogging, vlogging is most commonly done on platforms like YouTube.
You and your partner can share excerpts from your life, create travel and food vlogs, exercise vlogs, or anything in between. Simply choose the niche you’re most interested in and start creating content.
Depending on your niche, you might not even need any special equipment to get started. A good phone camera and basic video editing tools could be more than enough initially.
However, keep in mind that there’s no average turnaround time for monetization. It all depends on how many viewers you can attract. You need at least a thousand subscribers to earn directly from YouTube – the more, the merrier.
The good news is that there’s no cap on how much you can earn once you’ve started attracting followers. With enough views, you can easily earn millions annually through ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored videos, and even Patreon supporters.
3. Streaming
- Starting cost: $500
- Turnaround time: 2 months
- Earning potential: $57,000
Vlogging requires careful planning and a lot of time spent on video editing. If you want to avoid this but still dabble with video content creation, you and your partner could try your hand at streaming.
Most commonly shared on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, streaming is done live. You’ll get a chance to interact with your audience in real-time, start conversations, answer questions, and more.
Generally speaking, streaming doesn’t have high upfront costs if you want just some basic equipment. However, if you need to build a gaming PC, for instance, get a high-quality camera and microphone, you might have to spend a couple of thousand on it.
4. Content writing
- Starting cost: $0
- Turnaround time: Immediate
- Earning potential: $55,000
If you and your partner have good writing skills but aren’t interested in devoting time and effort to running your own blog/website, you should consider becoming content writers.
As a content writer, you’d be tasked with writing relevant content for others’ sites. That can include blogs, tutorials, product/service descriptions, and more.
Most content writers can find employment opportunities on freelancing websites such as Upwork or Freelancer.
You can set your own rates, choose your own clients, and work whenever you want– as long as you meet the agreed-upon deadlines with your clients.
5. eCommerce
- Starting cost: $1,040
- Turnaround time: 1 to 6 months
- Earning potential: $1,524,000
Starting an online business and running an eCommerce store isn’t for the lighthearted. You and your partner will have to come up with a comprehensive business idea. You’ll have to research the market, find ways to reach out to your target audience, partner with vendors, handle inventory, and so much more.
If you’re up for it, however, it can prove to be well worth it.
As a general rule of thumb, starting costs for a new eCommerce business is low if you’re only looking at the bare necessities. It takes a little more than a thousand to start your inventory, get a domain name for your website, and find a hosting provider.
6. Get on online marketplaces
- Starting cost: $1,000
- Turnaround time: 3 months to 2 years
- Earning potential: $55,000
The best alternative to running your own eCommerce store is selling items on online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace, Shopify, Etsy, and the like.
If you and your partner are into arts and crafts and enjoy making things such as hand-made candles, pottery, cosmetics, home decor, or anything in between, this could be a great earning opportunity.
Depending on the types of crafts you create and the marketplace you choose to sell on, your start-up costs could be nominal. You might only have to invest in the necessary materials.
The only issue is that you can never know when (and if) your small crafts business will take off. In that sense, it’s similar to selling items at the flea market. Some days, you might sell everything you have. On other days, you might get no customers at all. It’s a risk, but it can pay off.
7. Social media
- Starting cost: $0
- Turnaround time: 6 months to a year
- Earning potential: $1,000 to $10,000
In all likelihood, you and your partner probably have at least one or two social media platforms you constantly use. Why not try and monetize your accounts?
Like with anything else, the key to making it as a social media influencer duo is choosing your niche. Fortunately, there are plenty of them. You can create social media content for new moms and dads, tattoo enthusiasts, animal lovers, food lovers, and anything in between.
Once you’ve accumulated enough followers, you can start monetizing through brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and more.
Not every influencer can make millions, but you can still turn a pretty penny. Micro-influencers with around 10,000 followers can earn about $100 per post, while macro-influencers with up to a million followers can earn as much as $10,000 per post.
8. Podcasting
- Starting cost: $300+
- Turnaround time: 6 to 12 months
- Earning potential: $73,000
Running a podcast can be exceptionally fulfilling and a wonderful bonding experience for you and your partner. Choose your preferred topics, focusing on subject areas you’re experienced in or passionate about, then spend your days recording your conversations.
You can bring in guests, join other podcasters, guest star in other shows, and more.
If you want your podcasts to attract a larger audience, you must deliver high-quality content. That means addressing relevant topics and recording using high-quality equipment.
Since you don’t have to have a video for your podcasts, you can get by with just a good microphone and pair of headsets.
9. Photography
- Starting cost: $1,000
- Turnaround time: 1 to 3 years
- Earning potential: $25,000
If you and your partner have the talent for it, you should try your hand at photography. Of course, working as a photographer pays off more if you offer services for events such as weddings and birthdays. Still, you can make a fair amount of money with photography online – by taking and selling stock photos.
All you need is a good eye and a high-quality camera. While the best cameras will set you back thousands, you can still find decent digital cameras for around $1,000.
Then, all you have to do is start taking stock photos and selling them online – either directly to clients who need them or on sites such as Shutterstock and StockPhotoSecrets.
10. Fitness Coaching
- Starting cost: $2,000
- Turnaround time: No average turnaround time
- Earning potential: $72,000
Becoming an online fitness coaching duo is a dream come true for many couples. It’s a great earning opportunity that allows you to pursue your passion, connect with a large community, and bond with your partner.
Depending on the equipment you may already have, you might have to spend a couple of thousand getting started. You’ll need some basic home gyms equipment such as weights, bars, a training bench, and the like. Additionally, you’ll need a high-quality camera and video editing software.
You can approach online fitness coaching in a couple of different ways. You could sell pre-recorded training sessions, offer virtual one-on-one training, or host online fitness classes.
11. Teaching online
- Starting cost: $0
- Turnaround time: No average turnaround time
- Earning potential: $57,000
It’s not only fitness coaching that can be done online. If you want to teach others but prefer to stay in the comfort of your home, you and your partner can start teaching online.
Choose topics you’re the most knowledgeable about, then start offering online classes. You can teach anything from English and maths to music, art, web development, and marketing.
You can choose your preferred student groups based on age or educational background, set your own rates, and work when it’s most convenient for you and your students.
Similarly to fitness coaching, you can offer pre-recorded lessons, one-on-one, or group classes.
12. Voice narration
- Starting cost: $500
- Turnaround time: No average turnaround time
- Earning potential: $80,000
Finally, if you and your partner are good at voice acting, you could try your hand at voice narration. You’ll solely need high-quality audio equipment and preferably a soundproof room.
Voice narrators are needed for all types of different content. You could lend your voice to cartoon and video game characters, offer voice-acting services for audiobooks, do voice-overs for marketing content, and more.
As a general rule of thumb, you’ll find the best voice-acting gigs at freelancing platforms like the aforementioned Upwork and Freelancer.
Conclusion
Turning a profit from online gigs as a couple can be a fulfilling experience. You and your partner will get a chance to work together, bond, and pursue your passions.
However, for the time being, it’s always in your best interest to stick to your day jobs until your online endeavors start to pay off. After all, it could take a while for some of these opportunities to bring in enough income for you to make a living.