13 Passive Income Ideas For Marketers [2024]

Updated: September 21st, 2024

Interested in earning passive income as a marketer in 2024?

We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a marketer 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 marketer.

Here's the full list:

1. Make passive income with an email marketing tool ($992K/month)

If you're a marketer looking to supplement your income, starting an email marketing tool could be a smart move. Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach an audience, and with the industry's market size expected to reach $2.53 billion by 2028, there's a lot of potential for growth. Plus, getting started is straightforward; after buying a domain and hosting account, you could develop tools that appeal to a wide range of users including entrepreneurs and startups.

With an email marketing tool, you could create and automate email campaigns, making it easier for businesses to manage their online customer interactions. This not only helps you tap into a booming market but also leverages your expertise in marketing to offer a service that clients find valuable. Whether you're aiming to generate leads, boost sales, or improve SEO rankings, an email marketing tool could open up numerous opportunities for passive income.

How much you can make: $120 — $20,833,333/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

I Built A SEO Tool That's Completely Free For Users [From Lebanon]

H-supertools founder Hasan developed a set of free SEO and digital marketing tools generating $2k per month in profit using Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, selling ad spaces, and email, plans to launch a membership option, and has attained over 80k registered users and 300k monthly visits in less than two years.

Read by 14,150 founders

2. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($139K/month)

As a marketer, you could supplement your income with a social media automation business by leveraging your skills to manage multiple social media accounts effortlessly. By creating tools and services to schedule posts, automate interactions, and analyze data, you could help clients—from small businesses to influencers—save time and enhance their social media presence.

The increasing need for consistent engagement and strategic growth on social media platforms means there’s high demand for automation. Your expertise in marketing and staying up-to-date with the latest trends will enable you to tailor these solutions effectively, making this a potentially lucrative and fulfilling side hustle.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month

How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)

How I Bootstrapped A Social Media Automation Tool To $2MM/Year

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.

Read by 15,250 founders

3. Make passive income with a cold email service business ($170K/month)

Starting a cold email service business could be a great way for marketers to supplement their income. This involves creating and sending targeted email campaigns to potential clients on behalf of other businesses. If you’re good at writing engaging emails and understand how to use email marketing tools, this could be a rewarding venture.

You would analyze each client’s needs, research their target audience, and use software to track important metrics like open rates and conversions. There’s potential to start small with local businesses needing help with lead generation and scale up as you build successful case studies. Combining your marketing skills with some technical knowhow, you could offer a service that’s always in demand, helping businesses grow while boosting your own income.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $450,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $200 (?)

How long does it take to build: 35 days (?)

How I Launched A $200K/Month Gmail Mail Merge Tool

GMass, an email marketing platform that allows users to send cold emails and email marketing campaigns with Gmail, has attracted over 500,000 user signups, including major tech companies like Uber, LinkedIn, and Google, and now generates over $200K in monthly recurring revenue through a successful content marketing strategy and focused ad spend.

Read by 13,714 founders

4. Make passive income with a lead generation tool ($108K/month)

Developing a lead generation tool could be a great way to supplement your income and make extra money as a marketer. It involves creating a software application that gathers and captures potential customer leads for businesses, automating the often tedious task of finding new clients. This allows companies to focus on converting these leads into customers more efficiently.

By integrating with websites, social media channels, and other digital touchpoints, your tool could collect valuable data such as email addresses, phone numbers, and customer interests. The demand for such tools is high, as businesses are always looking to streamline their marketing efforts and grow their customer base. If you have a knack for technology and marketing, this could be a profitable side hustle or even a new business venture.

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 (?)

How I Created A $5M/Year LinkedIn Marketing Automation Tool

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.

Read by 8,922 founders

5. Make passive income with a wordpress plugin business ($33.4K/month)

As a marketer, starting a WordPress plugin business could be a great way to supplement your income. Given your experience in identifying and solving customer pain points, you could develop plugins that address specific needs. You know firsthand that no WordPress site runs smoothly without a few essential plugins.

Creating plugins that offer solutions to common issues or enhance marketing efforts could be particularly lucrative. You could sell these plugins on platforms like CodeCanyon, your blog, or even a dedicated website. This allows you to tap into a global market, all while leveraging your marketing skills to promote and sell your products.

How much you can make: $120 — $120,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week

How I Coded A Website Plugin Making $600 Per Month

Wheely Sales CEO Josh created a lucky wheel popup that has grown revenue from $0 to $600/month in just 4 months since getting started and has attracted over 1.1 million users to his customers’ websites, all while proving that when it comes to creating a product, competition is validation.

Read by 18,985 founders

6. Make passive income with a niche blog ($31.5K/month)

Starting a niche blog could be a great way for you to share your unique expertise as a marketer, engage with a dedicated online community, and supplement your income. By focusing on a specific, profitable topic—whether it's fashion, video games, film reviews, or cooking—you could create valuable content that attracts a loyal audience.

Once you build an audience, you could monetize your blog through affiliate links, collaborating with relevant brands, and growing a YouTube channel. Over time, this could turn into a steady stream of passive income, allowing you to earn money while continuing to work in your marketing job.

Having a passion for your topic and regularly engaging with your followers would be crucial to your success. Creating informative articles, how-to guides, and product reviews could set you apart and build a community that values your insights.

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 (?)

How I Turned A Crappy Idea Into A $3M/Year Business

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.

Read by 78,257 founders

7. Make passive income with an affiliate marketing business ($77.5K/month)

Starting an affiliate marketing business could be a great fit for a marketer looking to supplement their income. As a marketer, your skills in promoting products and services could translate well into recommending other companies' products to your audience. Earning commissions for each sale you facilitate makes it a lucrative opportunity over the long run.

To get started, you could focus on finding the right products and brands that resonate with your existing audience. Whether you prefer to partner with eCommerce stores or manufacturers, your expertise in creating engaging content and driving traffic could significantly increase your affiliate earnings. This way, you could leverage your marketing skills for a new income stream without needing to create your own products.

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 (?)

My Affiliate Marketing Business Earns $500K/Year Profit [No Employees]

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.

Read by 24,634 founders

8. Make passive income with an online course sales business ($85K/month)

As a marketer, starting an online course sales business could be an excellent way to diversify your income. Marketers already possess valuable skills that can be taught to others, such as SEO, social media strategies, or even basic digital marketing principles. By creating an online course, you could monetize your expertise and reach a wide audience without significant ongoing effort.

Given the expected growth of the e-learning market to over $645 billion, the demand for online courses is rising rapidly. You could choose a target audience that aligns with your knowledge, create engaging and informative content, and sell your course on an online learning platform. This setup could allow you to generate passive income while continuing to work in your current role.

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 (?)

I Make $120K/Year With My Print On Demand T-Shirt Side Hustle

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.

Read by 12,037 founders

9. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)

As a marketer, you could leverage your expertise to create a niche website that targets a specific, dedicated audience. By focusing on a topic you're passionate about and knowledgeable in, you'll be able to create compelling content that attracts visitors. Your skills in research, content creation, and SEO will be crucial in driving traffic to your site and building a loyal following.

Once your niche website starts gaining traction, you could explore various monetization avenues. Affiliate marketing, ad placements, and selling digital products are all potential revenue streams. Over time, this specialized content can generate passive income, turning your niche website into a steady supplementary income source. If you have a strong interest in a particular area and the drive to develop it, starting a niche website could be a rewarding project for you.

How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Leveraged My LinkedIn Network To Create A $1.8M/Year Procurement Conference

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.

Read by 3,619 founders

10. Make passive income with a YouTube channel ($72.1K/month)

Starting a YouTube channel could be a great way for marketers to supplement their income and make extra money. With your skills in creating compelling stories and understanding audience behavior, you could easily produce engaging video content. This could range from how-to guides and educational content to vlogs and entertainment, allowing you to share your expertise and passions.

YouTube also offers multiple revenue streams, such as ads, sponsorships, and merchandise. With a basic understanding of SEO for videos and social media marketing, you could drive significant traction to your channel. Building a successful YouTube channel will require consistency and quality, but the potential rewards 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 (?)

How A Young Entrepreneur From Nigeria Started A Profitable Blog

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.

Read by 12,323 founders

11. Make passive income with an ai based business solution ($55.8K/month)

As a marketer, you could supplement your income by starting an AI-based business solution that leverages artificial intelligence to optimize business processes. This includes enhancing customer service, improving inventory management, and offering personalized marketing strategies. By introducing AI, companies can become more efficient, cut costs, and make smarter decisions based on data insights.

AI tools can automate routine tasks, provide in-depth customer data, and predict market trends with remarkable accuracy. You don't need to be a tech expert to begin, as many platforms offer easy-to-use interfaces and strong support systems. Given the rising demand for AI solutions, diving into this field could offer you an entrepreneurial path to a competitive and lucrative market.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $120,000/month

How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)

How We Launched A $120K/Month Audiobook Publishing Course

Mikkelsen Twins grew an online education company from scratch with over 800 students, making over 6-figures in profit every month thanks to their successful program, Audiobook Income Academy 2.0.

Read by 21,996 founders

12. Make passive income with a mobile app ($70.3K/month)

As a marketer, you could supplement your income by developing a mobile app that leverages your unique understanding of consumer behavior and needs. Imagine creating a tool that streamlines marketing tasks, such as social media management or analytics tracking, which fellow marketers would find invaluable. Your expertise in user experience and interface design could make the app not only functional but also attractive and user-friendly.

While starting a mobile app requires some basic coding knowledge or a partnership with a skilled developer, your main focus would be on planning the app’s features and marketing it effectively. Given your background, you could efficiently market the app, ensuring it reaches the right audience and gains traction. With dedication and a solid strategy, this venture could turn into a steady passive income stream, tapping into the growing dependence on mobile solutions.

How much you can make: $1 — $500,000/month

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

We Started A $6M/Year Bachelorette Party App

BACH, an app that plans and books bachelorette parties, has grown from $0 to >$1M net revenue run rate in less than 6 months, gained over 100,000 users in their first 60 days, and has over 40,000 parties using the app this month.

Read by 11,014 founders

13. Make passive income with an AI writing tool ($255K/month)

As a marketer, you could supplement your income by developing an AI writing tool, leveraging your expertise in content creation and market trends. Such a tool could generate accurate and engaging content quickly, making it extremely appealing to businesses, bloggers, and students who need constant, quality material. Your marketing know-how would be crucial in promoting this tool, highlighting its ability to save time and reduce errors, which are significant pain points in content creation.

Imagine the potential of creating a product that not only transforms the writing process but also boosts productivity for users worldwide. By embedding artificial intelligence into the core of your tool, you'd be tapping into a growing market and addressing a substantial need. This could not only provide a steady stream of passive income but also establish you as a pioneer in the digitized world of AI-powered content creation.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $1,000,000/month

How long does it take to build: 52 days (?)

I Built A Simple AI Writing Tool That Makes $60K/Year

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.

Read by 6,766 founders

meet the author
Pat Walls