Passive Income Ideas For Journalists [2024]
Interested in earning passive income as a Journalist in 2024?
We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a Journalist today. These will help you increase your quality of life by bringing in more income for yourself or your business.
For each income idea, we’ll show you real-world examples, revenue expectations for each idea, plus some things you might need to know before you start your passive income journey as a Journalist.
Here's the full list:
1. Make passive income with a niche blog ($31.5K/month)
Starting a niche blog could be an excellent way for you, as a journalist, to supplement your income by sharing your knowledge on a specific topic you're passionate about. This could be anything from fashion and film reviews to cooking and video games. Your expertise in creating well-crafted articles and insightful commentary will allow you to establish a dedicated following.
As you build your niche blog, you could expand your reach by incorporating how-to guides, top product lists, and even video interviews. Monetizing the blog might involve using affiliate links, collaborating with brands, and speaking at industry events. With your journalistic skills, you'd be well-equipped to engage regularly with your audience, keeping them informed and entertained.
How much you can make: $100 — $650,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $650 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and millions in annual revenue by sharing the stories of entrepreneurs. Pat breaks down the early days and how he grew the business into something that changed his life.
2. Make passive income with a YouTube channel ($72.1K/month)
As a journalist, starting a YouTube channel could be a great way to supplement your income and share your expertise with a broad audience. You could create how-to guides, provide behind-the-scenes looks at your work, or even discuss current events and offer in-depth analyses. This will not only diversify your income through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise but also enhance your professional presence.
Building a successful YouTube channel does require time and effort. You'll need to plan, shoot, and edit content regularly, as well as engage with your audience to foster a loyal following. However, your skills in storytelling and content creation could give you an edge in producing compelling and high-quality videos.
If you're entrepreneurial-minded and willing to put in the effort, a YouTube channel could offer you both creative satisfaction and financial rewards. It’s a flexible platform where you can showcase your unique voice and potentially reach a global audience. While it demands consistency and a bit of savvy in SEO and social media marketing, the potential benefits make it a worthwhile endeavor.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $333,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,250 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
This case study follows the journey of a young entrepreneur from Nigeria who started a profitable blog generating a monthly revenue of $1,500+ through sales of advertising space, sponsored posts, and information products, and shares his strategies for success including a Twitter growth challenge and guest post pitches.
3. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)
As a journalist, starting a niche website could be a great way to supplement your income while leveraging your existing skills. A niche website centers around a specialized topic, allowing you to serve a dedicated audience with targeted content and products. You could focus on a subject you're passionate and knowledgeable about, turning your expertise into valuable, engaging articles that attract loyal readers.
The venture involves researching your chosen niche, creating compelling content, and using SEO strategies to drive traffic to your site. Over time, as your readership grows, you could monetize the website through affiliate marketing, ad placements, or selling digital products. With dedication, your niche website might become a reliable source of passive income, tapping into your journalistic talents and expanding your professional opportunities.
How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
DPW (Digital Procurement World) is a fast-growing conference and community in procurement that has more than tripled in revenue since launching in 2019, capping out the year at €1.8 million, with 95% of their growth coming from inbound traffic leveraging LinkedIn and applying social selling techniques.
4. Make passive income with a podcast ($97.9K/month)
Starting a podcast could be an excellent way to supplement your income as a journalist. You could leverage your skills in storytelling, interviewing, and investigation to create compelling audio content that appeals to a specific audience. Choosing a niche topic that you're passionate about and that aligns with your journalistic expertise could help you attract a dedicated audience.
By investing in basic recording equipment and finding a budget-friendly hosting platform, you could keep your startup costs low. Promoting your podcast through social media and online communities could gradually build a listener base. Over time, this growing audience might attract sponsors or advertisers, providing a source of passive income and making your podcast a lucrative side project.
How much you can make: $400 — $1,020,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 2 hours/week
A successful podcast production company that grew from one client making $15/hour to a team of 10 contractors producing over 30 shows per week with revenue of over $10k/mo, primarily through referrals and with a focus on providing high personal touch and being picky about working only with clients who are a good fit.
5. Make passive income with an affiliate marketing business ($77.5K/month)
As a Journalist, you could leverage your existing skills to start an affiliate marketing business and create a steady stream of passive income. With your expertise in researching and writing, you could choose products and services that align with your niche and audience, making your promotional content both relevant and engaging.
By creating articles, blog posts, or even social media posts that recommend these products, you could earn a commission for each sale made through your unique affiliate links. Getting started involves finding the right brands or products to partner with, which could be anything from eCommerce stores to manufacturers. This side hustle could not only supplement your income but also open up new opportunities for you in the digital marketing space.
How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $700 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
6. Make passive income with an online course sales business ($85K/month)
As a journalist, you could turn your expertise and experience into a passive income stream by creating and selling online courses. Whether it's refining writing skills, mastering investigative techniques, or understanding media ethics, there are countless topics you could cover that would attract aspiring journalists or even seasoned professionals looking to enhance their skills.
With the e-learning market on the rise, expected to be worth over $645 billion in the coming years, your courses could reach a global audience through various online learning platforms. By dedicating time upfront to produce valuable content, you can create a sustainable passive income source while continuing your primary journalism career.
How much you can make: $100 — $300,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
A multipreneur shares how she built a successful print on demand side hustle, generating $120,000 per year through multiple brands spread over various platforms.
7. Make passive income with a stock photography business ($14.6K/month)
As a journalist, you already have an eye for capturing compelling stories, which could make starting a stock photography business a natural extension of your skills. You could take your knack for storytelling into visual form, creating high-quality photos that businesses can use for their marketing and advertising needs. This way, you can build an impressive portfolio and start earning passive income by licensing your photos.
To get started, you might want to invest in good photography gear and learn the basics of taking and editing photos. Once you have a collection of high-quality images, uploading them to stock photo websites could help you generate a steady stream of extra money. Additionally, having an excellent online presence could help you sell your stock photos faster and at better prices.
How much you can make: $1,200 — $45,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Pro Photo Studio founder Tsour Lee Adato shares how she turned a $5k investment into a business that services over 500 clients annually and makes approximately $350k per year with plans to expand and become a 7-figure business while offering advice to fellow entrepreneurs to always be innovating, learning and growing, and not to undervalue themselves.
8. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($139K/month)
As a journalist, starting a social media automation business could be an excellent way to supplement your income while leveraging your existing skills. With your experience in content creation and storytelling, you could create effective social media strategies and automated solutions for clients like small businesses and influencers, who often struggle to maintain a consistent online presence. This automation can include scheduling posts, automating interactions, and analyzing data, saving your clients valuable time.
Given the increasing necessity for frequent and strategic social media engagement, there’s a high demand for this sort of service. Your innate ability to stay updated on trends and build relationships would enable you to tailor services to each client's unique needs, making your offering particularly valuable. This business could not only provide passive income but also expand your professional network and open new opportunities in the digital marketing space.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month
How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)
MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.
9. Make passive income with an AI writing tool ($255K/month)
As a journalist, starting an AI writing tool could open up new revenue opportunities while making your work more efficient. By investing in this kind of tool, you could create content faster and with fewer errors, freeing up more time to focus on investigative pieces or other high-priority tasks. This tool could be particularly useful for other journalists, bloggers, and students who need to generate quality content quickly.
Additionally, you could market this AI writing tool to businesses that need constant content for websites, social media, and marketing campaigns. By offering a subscription or one-time purchase model, you create a steady stream of income while helping others meet their content needs. This entrepreneurial venture not only taps into the rapidly growing field of AI but also leverages your existing skills and professional network.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $1,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 52 days (?)
Rytr, a new AI writing assistant developed by a startup platform and business incubator, has become a market leader, serving over 300,000 customers across the world and doing seven figures in ARR.
10. Make passive income with a lead generation tool ($108K/month)
As a journalist, you could capitalize on your research skills and audience understanding by creating a lead generation tool. This tool would help businesses identify and capture potential customer leads. With your knack for finding information, you could find creative ways to integrate the tool with websites, social media, and other digital areas to gather data like email addresses and interests.
You could automate the challenging task of finding new clients, allowing companies to focus more on converting leads into sales. Given the high demand for efficient lead generation, your tool could become a valuable asset in the market. If you're tech-savvy and interested in marketing, this could turn into a profitable side business that complements your journalism career.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $400,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $600 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps business owners and sales & marketing professionals generate more leads, increase efficiency, and save time; with over 70,000 users and revenue of nearly $5 million, it offers automated top-of-the-funnel LinkedIn outreach activities, targeted LinkedIn campaigns and multi-touch & personalized LinkedIn drip campaigns for lead generation.
11. Make passive income with an online survey tool ($304K/month)
As a journalist, you could leverage your skills in research and storytelling by starting an online survey tool tailored for gathering customer feedback. This venture could allow you to supplement your income by helping businesses understand their audience better, a skill you likely already possess from your experience in data gathering and analysis.
With more businesses recognizing the importance of customer insights, the demand for convenient and effective survey tools has been growing. An online survey tool, complete with features like survey builders and reporting systems, offers a practical way for you to tap into this expanding market. This could not only provide extra income but also open up opportunities to explore new areas of interest within the journalism and data analytics landscape.
How much you can make: $40 — $1,600,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
GreenRope, a self-funded CRM and marketing automation platform with over 1,000 customers in 20 countries, was built organically and focused on creating a positive, customer-centric culture without outside investment, with an all-in-one interface solving challenges in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
12. Print on demand business ($411K/month)
As a Journalist, starting a print-on-demand business could be a great way to supplement your income. By leveraging your knack for storytelling and understanding of trending topics, you could design unique products like custom apparel, home goods, or phone cases that resonate with a broad audience. You wouldn't need to worry about upfront inventory costs, as the print-on-demand model produces items only when an order is made.
Additionally, you could use platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy to reach a global market, allowing you to focus on creating and marketing your designs. Minimal startup costs and the ability to operate from home make this a low-risk venture that's manageable alongside your current career. This could be a fantastic opportunity to monetize your creativity and passion for storytelling, all while building a scalable business at your own pace.
How much you can make: $200 — $3,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Founder Roy Kirchner shares how he started an eCommerce business specializing in 3D printing with an initial investment of $65,000, which now averages monthly gross sales of $330,000 and has partnered with international manufacturers and local businesses while offering technical support and education.
13. Make passive income with a health and wellness app ($108K/month)
As a journalist, you could leverage your storytelling skills to develop a health and wellness app that provides personalized advice and routines. This app could offer tailored fitness programs, nutrition plans, mental well-being exercises, and progress tracking, all designed to help users achieve their health goals step by step.
Imagine creating expert content that reminds users to stay hydrated, guides them through yoga practices, or even helps them plan balanced meals. Your ability to convey information clearly and engagingly could turn your app into a virtual coach, making expert advice accessible anytime, anywhere.
Building an app of this kind might involve researching market needs, collaborating with health professionals, and working with developers. While it requires effort upfront, the growing interest in health and wellness means you could tap into a large and increasing market. This could be a fulfilling way to make extra income and perhaps even turn into a thriving business.
How much you can make: $600 — $300,000/month
How long does it take to build: 200 days (?)
Founder and CEO of SelfDecode, Joe Cohen, explains how his company helps people discover personalized diet, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations based on DNA and lab tests; generating about $2.7 million in revenue over the past year and raising $8 million in a crowdfunding campaign, SelfDecode provides personalized health recommendations prioritized on unique genetic variants, marking the future of healthcare.
14. Make passive income with an ecommerce reselling business ($83.3K/month)
As a journalist, starting an ecommerce reselling business could be a great way to supplement your income and make extra money. Given your knack for research and storytelling, you could source products or services that align with your interests or beat stories, making your reselling efforts more authentic and appealing to your audience.
With tools like social media, you do not need to invest in a website right away—just start by promoting your products on platforms where you already have a presence. Over time, as your business grows, you could then consider creating a website to expand your reach further. This flexible approach allows you to dip your toes into entrepreneurship while leveraging your existing skills and network.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $150,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,999 (?)
How long does it take to build: 75 days (?)
Empyre Off-Road, an e-commerce business founded by Greg Shuey which sells aftermarket parts for Toyota Tacomas, Tundras, and 4Runners, generated approximately $100,000 a month in revenue and was able to expand its product offering, focusing on content marketing, email marketing campaigns, and organic social media to attract and retain customers.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
