6 Ways Papua New Guineans Can Make Money Online

Back in 2012, I wrote a blog post titled Online Money Making Opportunities for the Average Papua New Guinean on my personal blog, and it has gained a lot of readers since publication. I’m not sure how many have ventured into trying to make money online, but the interest has prompted me to write this list to help others  navigate around the world of making money online.

Ways to Make Money Online

Below is a list of 6 ways that anyone can make money online:

1. Blogging;
2. Writing;
3. Photography;
4. Video Creation;
5. Online Selling, and;
6. Online service Provision.

This list is not exhaustive but it should point you in the right direction.

Blogging

Blogging has been my choice of money making since I learned about it. It is easy and you don’t need a large capital to start. However, it does require a lot – and I mean a lot of work.

Blogging also requires quality content. If you are putting out stuff, make sure it’s worth someone’s time to read it.

There are several ways you can earn through blogging.

Google AdSense

Google AdSense is a program that allows you to advertisements on you blog, and depending on how many people visit your blog, you get paid a commission by Google.

I personally use this method and on average, I usually make around 50 cents a day. On good days I can get up to $5, however, that depends entirely on traffic.

I’ve had a bit of success with this program over the years. Since 2009, I have received several payments that have totaled to over US$1000. However, you need know the following:

• The minimum payout threshold is US$100;
• You can get payments directly deposited into your account electronically;
• They are very strict – one mistake could result in you being barred from the program, and;
• You can only have one AdSense account per person.

I nearly forgot to mention that my earnings on this program have dropped significantly after Digicel started blocking it. Keep that in mind if you are thinking of joining this program.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate market simply means selling on behalf of someone and earning a commission from any sales or referrals you make.

You can either sell for websites like Amazon or eBay, or do it personally. Now, I’ve seen a lot of people do the later on Facebook and it seems to be working for them.

Now, there are thousands of websites that you can affiliate with and sell. However, I would suggest a thorough investigation of each site before joining.

Personally, I joined Amazon a few years back. However, I have been unable to make any money because I’m not a good salesman.

Direct Ad Space

If your blog receives a good amount of traffic, then selling ad space directly to advertisers can be very lucrative. However, this requires a lot of work.

You are expected to communicate with potential advertisers, make presentations and convince them to buy space.

I have not ventured into this yet. However, I have plans to do so when my blogs reach good daily traffic and once I’ve finalized a business plan. As I said, this requires a lot of work and you should be ready if you choose this option.

There are also websites that can act on your behalf to broker advertising deals directly with potential clients, but you need good traffic to sweeten the deal.

Writing

Being a writer in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is not very promising at this stage due to a lack of market. However, you can sell your articles to the global market, and if you produce quality contents then you could receive decent earnings.

I’m not going to put a list of websites that you can offer your articles, poems, essays etc. However, the blog MakeALivingWriting provides a comprehensive list of websites that pay for your content.

You can also join community content generated website like Hubpages. I joined this program some years back and I’ve already reached the US$100 threshold. However, I’m still unable to receive payments because of my PayPal account.

At the moment, I’m researching options to get my payment. I’ll share an update when I am able to do this.

Stock Photography

Photography is another way to make money online. There are so many websites that you can upload and share your stock photographs. However, here are 5 websites that you can scout.

1. Getty Images;
2. Shutterstock;
3. SmugMug;
4. Alamy, and;
5. Envato Market PhotoDune.

Investing in high quality camera and equipment is a requirement.

Video Creation

The avid video creator can also make videos of a subject and post online. There are several websites that will pay you for the number of views you get.

I’m not going to share the video sharing sites or how to make money on them. In fact, I don’ have to because a lot of bloggers have already shared so much information on this topic that trying to duplicate it will make no difference. Instead, ShoutMeLoud has an article titled How to Make Money with Video Sharing Websites that covers this perfectly.

At the moment the largest video sharing website is Youtube.

Online Selling

You can sell physical products online either through a blog or auction website like eBay or Amazon, or you can sell electronic products. However, you are required to have a product to sell – and it must be legal.

This is not affiliate marketing. You must actually have the items you are intending to sell like carvings, bilums, baskets etc. You also have the responsibility of shipping these items to their respective destinations.

It is hard work but the returns could be very rewarding indeed.

Drop Shipping

Now smart sellers have taken the idea of selling online to a new level with drop shipping.

The seller creates an online shop and when someone orders, they pass that order to a manufacturer, mostly in China, who produces the mechanize and sends it to the buyer with the seller’s branding.

The cool thing about this is that you do not need to have inventory. However, you will not have direct control over the quality of the product.

Online Service Provision

The last way to make money online has to do with selling a service. Now this can range from tutoring, writing, photography, car washing etc. The list is almost endless but you’ve got to be careful with selling services that can be described as ‘illegal’.

I’m sure you get what I mean.

More Way to Skin a Cow

There are more ways to make money online. However, not all are worth the effort – and a good number are scams. If you do a search on Google for opportunities, it is important to do research before committing to a particular site or method.

The 6 ways I’ve shared here is just to get you started. You should do your own research and find out more about earning opportunities.

A little advise – there is not easy way to make money online. It requires investment either in monetary termsor time. If someone comes up with a idea of get rich quick scheme online, then proceed with extreme caution.

Is There Anything I left Out?

Before I leave, I want you to think hard about what I’ve written and if you think there is something that needs to be included then please leave a comment.