One quick and easy option when it come to earning money from home is to take on a range of ‘micro gigs’, also known as micro jobs or side gigs.
By this I mean small tasks, each of which takes up only a little time but commensurately earns you only a small amount of money. The tasks could be all sorts of things, just as long as the outputs can be delivered to your customer digitally. So they may be carried out entirely online, or they could be carried out offline but with outputs that can be uploaded to your client in some way.
Typical tasks would be things like completing online surveys, doing small blocks of writing or transcription work, watching and commenting on videos, visiting websites and reviewing them, liking Facebook posts or following batches of Twitter feeds.
The benefits of micro gigs
Here are 8 good reasons to try micro gigs:
- You’ll get a bit of money in. A bit of money is better than a poke in the eye, especially if it didn’t take much effort to get it!
- It’ll get you going with working at home; chance to get yourself set up and get used to working on your own.
- You won’t have to interrupt any other work you’ve got, just fit in the gigs when you can.
- It’ll help build your confidence that you can earn from home.
- It can help you put together a portfolio of freelance jobs you’ve completed, and reviews from your happy customers.
- You can increase your awareness of what people want to buy.
- You’ll get some contacts with customers who buy the sort of work you can do.
- You’ll become clearer about which of your skills are most in demand.
The low down on micro gigs
The gigs are offered via specialist websites who act as intermediary, posting the jobs, handling disputes and administering payments from customers to the workers. I’ve been researching a listing of the best regarded sites for micro gigs, which you’ll be able to check out for yourself at the end of the post.
The sites operate similarly to the Freelance work sites you may have already looked at, and indeed some of the freelance sites will include projects that amount to micro-gigs. But unlike proper freelance projects the work is usually very simple and not requiring of specialist skills or qualifications.
You’ll need to be quick and efficient at whatever task you choose to make it worthwhile, and at the same time you’ll have to produce decent quality, accurate work or your submissions will be rejected.
The registration process is usually very simple and only takes a few minutes. In some cases, depending on the type of work, you will be required to complete samples or assessment tests to qualify for the gigs.
Payment for micro gigs
The per-hour rates for micro jobs are…not much. Each gig will only earn you a few £/$/€ at the most.
Unless you’ve got some magnificent software that can whip off micro-gigs in lightning time you’re never going to earn a fortune this way. In fact micro-gigs alone are very unlikely to even pay your bills. You should certainly never regard this as your main household income.
There will always be a minimum payout threshold, which varies between the sites. So you may need to complete quite a few gigs before you’re eligible to withdraw your earnings.
The sites pay either in cash – usually through paypal – or via gift cards or vouchers of some kind. I’ve also come across an odd one that offers payments by cheque.
Common vouchers on offer would be Amazon, itunes and major high street chains. Make sure the sites you sign up with are offering vouchers which are actually of some use to you, so that you can buy things you would normally buy rather than just some little extras you wouldn’t otherwise have spent money on. It needs to feel like a proper contribution to your household spending or what’s the point?
Where to find micro gigs
I’ve started compiling a listing of some of the most popular, proven places for finding micro gigs, which I’ll add to as I get chance.
The sites listed have a mix of different types of gigs and ways of operating so I’d suggest you click through and have a wander through their sites to see which appeal to you.
Good luck, and happy micro-gigging!
Amazon Mechanical Turk
Wide range of online micro-tasks.
Small online tasks such as transcribing audio files, taking surveys or assessing websites, are posted by 'Requesters' around the world. Requesters may require you to take tests and gain 'Qualifications' to prove your aptitude for the task. Payment per task is very low, working out around 10c per minute on average, and Requesters have to approve your work for quality. So you need to choose tasks you personally can do quickly and well.
Have a look at this useful post to find out more: MTurk Crowd - your first 1000 HITs
appJobber
Collect simple data and pictures on your smartphone while out and about in various European countries.
Earn minimum €1 per job. Not strictly working at home, but even home workers leave their home sometimes!
Their description; "Usually this entails collecting position based information. This means taking pictures of a specific location, giving a short description and recording the GPS position of the location. Furthermore it is sometimes required to walk a certain distance between waypoints. Upon successful completion you receive the compensation according to the job description."
Babbletype
Transcription, proofreading and translation work.
Rates for transcription $0.40 - $0.80 per audio minute, translations $1.50 per audio minute, proofing $0.13–$0.15. Payment is cash via Paypal.
Clashot
Take photos on your phone. Upload them using the Clashot app and receive royalty payments when people download them.
Clashot partners with Depositphotos to sell your shots. You can also respond to requests from site users for specific types of photos. Royalties average $0.44 per download.
Clickworker
Writing, translating, researching, and data processing microjobs.
The tasks are offered based on your assessments, education, language abilities, and interests. Average pay works out at about $9 per hour worked. Payment via Paypal or direct to your bank account.
Crowdology
Complete online surveys or provide feedback on all sorts of topics via telephone interviews, focus groups, bulletin boards, video diaries or web cam.
UK residents only. The rate depends on the length and type of survey, starting from £0.40 to £10 or more. Certain surveys offer additional opportunities for rewards. Payment in cash via paypal, or in Amazon vouchers. Payout threshold only £4.
Fiverr
Market your own micro-gigs for $5 a time.
Design a $5 micro-gig of your own and post it for sale on Fiverr. Put a package of gigs together to charge higher fees. Gigs can be anything you like that can be delivered to the customer digitally/online, from drawing cartoons, to recording voiceovers, to SEO work.
Global Test Market
Online surveys.
They say it takes around 15 minutes to complete a survey and you can earn up to $5 per survey depending on the length and urgency. Payment in vouchers for a very wide range of merchants, or cash via paypal.
Ipsos i-Say
Online surveys for the well known research company Ipsos.
Earn points which you can trade for gift certificates and retail vouchers, including pre-paid Mastercard. Members are offered an average of 4 surveys each month.
PopulusLive
Online surveys.
UK residents only. Earn around £1 every 5 minutes. Payment by cheque once you've passed their £50 threshold. "Populus provides intelligent research and informed insight for clients in the worlds of business, culture and politics."
Prize Rebel
Online surveys and small tasks such as registering for offers
Get paid in cash (Paypal, BitCoin or Visa) or a choice of over 200 giftcards such as Amazon or itunes.
research-i
Market research and surveys.
UK residents only. All sorts of surveys and research projects. Some are home based (eg online surveys, website testing, telephone interviews) and some require attendance (eg group discussions or interviews with researchers) but you can choose which you want to take on. Payment varies depending on the project but are usually from £40 upwards.
Rev
Transcription, captioning and translation work.
Rev pay $0.40-$0.75 per minute for transcription and captioning work, and $0.05-$0.07 per word for translations. Payment is in cash via Paypal.
You will need to take tests of your writing, grammar and spelling when you register.
SEOClerks
Create your own SEO or internet marketing related gigs to offer for sale, or bid on the gigs posted by customers.
Prices per gig can be anything from $1 upwards depending on the time and skill required. You'll get more gigs when you can prove successful completion of work and show examples.
Surveygoo Panel
Online surveys for market research purposes.
Get paid in cash or Amazon vouchers. Rates depend on the type of survey. "Most surveys cover your views about products, services, brands or matters of public opinion. Some surveys are designed to gauge consumer reaction to specific adverts or new products before they are launched. The majority of surveys are online, but on occasions you may be asked to participate in a product trial, or keep a diary, both of which offer opportunities for additional rewards."
Swagbucks
Complete online surveys or watch videos.
Earn cash or gift cards. The site also has a range of other bonus and money saving opportunities.
TranscribeMe
Transcription work.
Rates generally equate to about $20 per hour, with higher rates for medical and legal specialists. You'll need to train in their standards and style guide, then pass tests to show your ability. Payment in in US$ via Paypal.
TryMyUI
Use websites and apps and give your feedback to their developer.
To help developers improve their software you visit their site or app and provide feedback via a video recorded as you use it, plus a survey at the end. Tests take around 20 minutes and are paid at $10 each. Payment in cash via Paypal.
User Testing
Website and app testing.
Get $10 via PayPal for every 20-minute video you complete. UserTesting pays you to visit websites or apps, complete a set of tasks, and speak your thoughts aloud.
UserFeel
Website testing.
Visit websites and provide spoken feedback to a microphone as you use the sites, then complete a survey form at the end. The site owner will specify what they want you to look at and give feedback on. You'll need to conduct a satisfactory sample test to qualify for work. Payment is $10 per test via Paypal.
WhatUsersDo
Review websites.
Visit and review sites using their screen recorder to track your movements and record your opinions. You should be offered 3-5 tests per month, earning £5, €5 or $5 per test.
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