I Carefully Tested 5 Ways to Earn Your First $1 Online — These Really Work

I’ve got screenshots and proof for all of these.

Image generated by Midjourney AI. Prompt: young woman photorealistic thinking about earning money online. No creepy hands or teeth visible in this one, thankfully.

So many aspiring freelancers sign up to earn money online. And yet so few actually succeed. One 2021 study found that out of 163 million aspiring freelancers, only 11% have gotten any work, and only 3% have made over $1,000.

And yet as any successful freelancer can tell you, it’s not that hard — once you get going.

My theory? It’s that first dollar that’s the hardest.

I decided to write an actual actionable guide on how to earn your first dollar online. And crucially, I have tested all of these. These all really work. I included screenshots as proof.

It’s obviously possible to earn a lot more than just a dollar, but I find for many beginners, it’s a mindset shift. Once you earn your first dollar, you can go on to earn your second, hundredth, thousandth, and so on. But that first dollar is the hardest.

So let’s get into five ways to earn your first dollar online — that I have tested.

What do you need to earn your first dollar online?

To earn your first dollar online, you will typically need a few things, aside from an internet…