Month: November 2020

9 YouTube Monetization Alternatives for Your Online Biz

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If you came here to find out the best YouTube monetization alternatives, I assume you have already tried the giant platform for years and decided there’s life after YouTube.

Don’t get me wrong. YouTube is still a powerful platform with its 2 billion active users. It remains the best introduction for beginner video content creators to dip their toes into this online business.

But there are valid reasons why people are looking to get out of YouTube. These include:

  • Policy changes in Partner Program – YouTube has always kept their policies updated, but sometimes, the video content creators get the bad news the most.
  • Competitive environment – In the past, it was easy to find success on YouTube. These days, aside from the millions of people you compete against for views, the environment can also be a bit competitive because the YouTube algorithm is designed to promote the popular channels than the up-and-coming ones.
  • Revenue-sharing can mean a big chunk of revenue loss – When you enable ads on your YouTube videos, you agree to Google’s ad revenue share for YouTube. The 45/55 split where Google keeps 45% and you get the bigger 55% cut of all YouTube advertising on your videos is acceptable as a beginner because you can’t find any other better deal. However, for advanced content creators with enough clout, this big chunk may not be the best program for you.
  • Big brand-names pull out their ads – Some advertisers began to pull out of YouTube starting in 2017 and 2018 due to lack of moderation. For example, Verizon’s ads were placed on videos from the Egyptian cleric Wagdi Ghoneim, who was banned from the U.S. over extremism. To protect their respective brands, AT&T, Hasbro, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, Walmart, or pharma company GSK all pulled their ads to avoid getting involved with offensive content.
  • Unfair treatment of content creators – Because content creators earn differently, YouTube sometimes tends to favor bigger-earners than small-time or beginner ones who were no longer allowed to earn until they reach a minimum amount of views and subscriptions. This change happened in 2018.

Of course, the most common reason for people checking out YouTube’s competition is that they were forced out of the platform. Video content creators who were suspended were unable to get back to their accounts. Sometimes, it is due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) take-down system, other times for no reason at all.

Beyond YouTube Ads: Other Ways to Make Money with Videos

Before we discuss all the possible YouTube monetization alternatives you can switch to, let’s first take a closer look at the other ways to make money aside from YouTube’s ad revenue-sharing program.

  • Affiliate marketing – Many video content creators have already been doing this even with YouTube. YouTubers list a link on the video description to a product or service and if other people purchase from this link, the YouTuber will earn a commission from the sale.
  • Selling products – Through videos, you can sell physical products (either your own product or other people’s products), or information products (like ebooks, courses, etc). This may not always work, especially if you don’t have followers yet, but there is always affiliate marketing for beginners.
  • Sponsorships – When brands see that a particular video content creator influences a niche that aligns with the company’s market, sponsorships happen so the video creators could reach the target customer on the brand’s behalf.
  • Video on demand (VOD) – You sell access to your own videos. If you have a very specific skill and people want to learn from you, video-in-demand can be very lucrative. Some are even super-successful with this method that they offer subscription plans.
  • Livestreaming – If you’re comfortable airing your videos unfiltered, then live streaming could be a potentially rewarding experience. You can earn from pay-per-view, donations, or sponsorships, depending on the platform you choose.

These are just the more popular money-making methods for video creators. I bet there are more I haven’t mentioned here, so feel free to sound off below if you know more.

9 Sites to Check Out as YouTube Monetization Alternatives

Now let’s dig into the other YouTube monetization alternatives that you can check out:

1. Twitch

Acquired by Amazon in 2014 for $970 million, this public streaming website already a whopping 550,000 online viewers, and 2 million content creators. Today, Twitch has 55 million active users.

Twitch is home to many live-stream gamers, but it isn’t exclusive to them. There are also musicians, singers, teachers, and so on. There are no prerecorded videos here, so if you’re not OK with live streaming, check out other options.

2. Patreon

Patreon accompanies YouTube, Twitch, and other content-creating sites because it provides any user a way to monetize his/her content. Consider Patreon as a subscription-based donation, where people commit to becoming patrons of their favorite creators like game streamers, comic book artists, singers, and so on.

The subscription model of Patreon is pro-creator with a commission of 5% for the Lite plan, 8% for Pro, and 12% for Premium. It also supports credit card and PayPal payments. The only downside to using this as monetization is you won’t find anything like it if Patreon decides to close shop.

3. Vimeo

It is one of YouTube’s direct competitions. Vimeo is a video streaming site, but with higher quality content than YouTube. The upside is that there is basically no learning curve when switching to Vimeo since the user interface is similar to YouTube. The quality of the videos is also unmatched.

The downside is that free users can only upload 500 MB worth of videos a week. After this, you’d have to go premium for more space. Also, Vimeo has a higher pricing model than YouTube.

4. Dailymotion

Dailymotion is also similar to Vimeo and YouTube. It has been around for years as well and could serve as a stable platform for creating and sharing your video content. Plus, the quality of videos uploaded is also pro-level and much better than what YouTube puts out.

Like YouTube, you can enable monetization and get a cut from those in-stream advertisements (ads that appear before, during, or after) your videos. Payment is automatically sent to your Paypal once it reaches $100.

5. IGTV

IGTV is Instagram’s streaming service. Unlike the short video snippets Instagram is known for, IGTV allows users to submit longer and vertical videos up to 15 minutes long via phone (and up to 60 minutes via desktop). Money-wise, you can make 55% off the ads placed on your videos.

6. Wistia

Ideal for business video hosting, Wistia allows brands to control CTA, social sharing, and monetization of their high-quality videos. It has one of the most comprehensive video analytics in the market and the videos they host are protected by high-end encryption. However, this does come at a price, which is why it may not be ideal for smaller video creators.

7. Uscreen

This all-in-one video-on-demand monetization platform allows several ways to earn, from live streaming to selling subscriptions. One major upside to Uscreen is that content creators get to keep the contact info of their audience. Uscreen also has built-in marketing and community tools with about 1000+ integration of online tools to make your online space as inclusive as possible.

8. Facebook

Facebook has expanded its foothold in the online-gaming-streaming market gradually in recent years and it continues to grow to this day.

Like other YouTube monetization alternatives on this list, Facebook gives video creators a platform to broadcast their gaming (or other content) live. The biggest thing about Facebook is that it will let you target the market you want to target as accurately as possible. 

9. TikTok

TikTok is a force to be reckoned with, especially with its 800 million active users. It allows video creators to make short and catchy videos from their phones. People Are Getting Rich From TikTok. Here’s How.

More noteworthy YouTube Monetization Alternatives include:

  • Thinkific – online video course creation and management platform.
  • Brid.TV – cross-device online video player platform with cool video analytics for optimization and monetization. Bird partners need at least 5,000 daily video views to start earning with publishers earning 70% and Brid.TV getting the lower 30% cut of ad-revenue sharing.
  • Veoh – Very niche-specific video-sharing platform. As video creators, you can add followers, DM strangers, create groups, and share content all at the same time.
  • Alugha – If you want to offer your video content to users in different languages, this unique platform allows you to do so by embedding subtitles in 2 or more languages.
  • Metacafe – short-form videos. This site is older than YouTube and offers unlimited upload.
  • Brightcove – Features a full-featured content management system, marketing automation, and several monetization options.
  • Maker Studios – Acquired by Disney, this digital platform for short-form videos gives about 60% revenue to low-traffic channels and up to 90% cut for popular channels.

Which is the Best YouTube Monetization Alternatives?

There is no single best YouTube monetization alternative for everyone because different video creators cater to different followers.

My take is to use as much of these platforms as you possibly can (without breaking any of their policies of course) because it is always better to diversify your income. Putting your eggs in just one basket is never a good idea – I’ve seen people get destroyed when their YouTube accounts they worked on for years suddenly get banned.

Also, work on quality video content. No matter your niche or industry, make sure you put out quality content. This is how you attract and keep your audience, who you’ll need regardless of what monetization route you take.

How to Become a Work from Home Financial Advisor

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The financial industry had been delayed in embracing the virtual work setting, but gradually, more and more jobs are now being offered with flexible arrangements. Today, I’ll focus on becoming a work-from-home financial advisor – it’s a pretty in-demand job traditionally, but will it work if the clients you normally communicate with face-to-face are no longer in front of you?

This post talks about how much you can earn from a work-from-home financial advisor position, and if being employed with a bank, private firm or other financial institution is better than the freelance route.

But first, let’s talk basics.

What does a Work-from-home Financial Advisor do?

A financial advisor is a general term that encompasses the role of brokers, stockbrokers, account executives, wealth management advisors, or other fancy names financial institutions call their skilled employees who handle customer accounts.

“Handle” here means a lot of things, depending on what the customer’s financial goals are.

This could refer to buying or selling stocks, bonds, and other securities on behalf of clients… or providing general financial advice regarding investments or something more client-specific like retirement plans.

The duties of work-from-home financial advisors are the same as those who work in traditional office settings.

These include:

  • Providing sound financial advice based on client goals. When employed in banks or insurance companies, a financial advisor is a person who would be facilitating the client’s transaction requests such as buying a new insurance policy or transferring funds into another investment.
  • Explaining laws relevant to the client’s financial goals. Financial advisors are up-to-date with laws related to insurance, taxes, investments, and other similar avenues.
  • Guiding clients to available services. It doesn’t matter if the financial advisor works at a bank, investment firm, and an insurance company or he/she works freelance getting new clients to sign up for certain services. This job will involve in-depth explaining (or sometimes up-selling) about products and services you think a client needs.
  • Helping clients build a financial plan. Some financial advisors do not sell any product or services. Instead, they provide consulting services to help clients plan out future expenses such as retirement, education, life insurance, investment, and so on.
  • Researching appropriate investments for clients. When a client has funds for a small home business or a corporation but has no idea what kind of business to put up, this is where a financial advisor steps in. He/she conducts research based on industry markets, client requirements, potential risks, and personal finance knowledge.

The financial advisor may seem like a job anyone can do, but this is actually not true.

The responsibilities of these advisors can be stress-inducing since there is not much room for error.

Poor advice could be costly to clients and lead to the advisor’s job loss, or worse, a major embarrassment to the advisor’s company.

Education, Skills, and Equipment Needed to Become a Virtual Financial Advisor

A work-from-home financial advisor has the same credentials as his/her office-based counterparts.

  • Formal education: A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, pre-law, or mathematics will help begin a career as a financial advisor. Some colleges also offer financial planning short courses.
  • Training: A work-from-home financial advisor usually begins his/her career under the wing of a senior advisor. This is where entry-level advisors learn the ropes hands-on and build their own investment portfolios and client network.
  • Short courses: Any coursework with in-depth classes in taxes, investments, estate planning, mutual funds, and risk management are helpful as an introduction to this career.
  • Certification: If you completed any finance-related bachelor’s degree and already have at least 3 years of work experience, you can take an exam and (if you pass) become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).
  • Licenses: Not all financial advisors would need certification. However, if you are providing financial advice and buying/selling stocks and bonds on behalf of other people, you or your company must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Meanwhile, those who buying/selling insurance policies must obtain a license from state boards. Check with the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) how you can get your license.
  • Required Skills: As someone who will be talking to clients day-in, day out, you need advanced communication and interpersonal skills. You should have natural teaching ability, so you could explain technical and complex financial information to clients. Math and analytical skills are just as important since you’ll be faced with numbers, graphs, charts, and other financial data, which you need to explain to clients. And if you’re selling a product or service, sales skills will come a long way as well.

Financial jobs like this require continuous learning because of the ever-changing state of local and global economies.

How Much do Finance Advisors Make?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, entry-level financial advisers can earn around $41.5k/year (around $20/hour), while senior advisors could take home up to $208k/year ($100/hour).

Of course, these numbers only consider those who are employed with financial institutions like banks, investment firms, insurance companies, stock market firms, and other similar companies.

A freelance financial advisor can earn on a commission basis if he/she brings in new clients or product orders to investment firms, banks, and other institutions.

Some freelance advisors own their respective companies and could bring in larger revenues.

A work-from-home financial advisor can either work for a firm, start his own financial consultation service, or a mix of both.

Entry-level advisors would likely earn less than their office-based counterparts, but experienced advisors who have impressive portfolios already and recognized names could earn as much as when they worked in an office setting.

Freelance vs. Employed by a Firm

Working from home can be done both as a freelance financial advisor and as someone employed by a firm.

There are pros and cons to both these routes:

Freelance (either solo or with a few home-based office employees)

  • Pros: You can become a financial advisor and earn entirely commission-based from two or more companies. You have can control which product and service to recommend to your own clients. And because you don’t work by-the-clock, you have the freedom to work as much or as little as you want.
  • Cons: Unfortunately, there are no “company benefits” to speak of as a freelancer. Plus eventually, if you’re a good work-from-home financial advisor, your operation has the potential to expand. When this happens, you would need more space (to rent an office, build a home office), and hire assistants to support your business. While expansion is always good, it also comes with additional expenses and/or more government fees, taxes, and licensing requirements.

If you’re looking for inspiration, check out how Bill Harris launched his website Personal Capital in 2011 and provided effective money management for clients with $100,000 to $2,000,000 to invest.

Now, this is a full-fledged firm.

Employed by a financial institution 

  • Pros: You don’t need to invest in office equipment and renting out a suitable office space. You receive company benefits and get paid a salary and sometimes added commissions for extraordinary work. You get to work only 40 hours a week with travel and some fieldwork for meetings sprinkled into your schedule.
  • Cons: You are restricted to the clients your employer assign to you. It is very rare for financial institutions to allow you to work “on the side” for other companies, which means your compensation is quite limited.

Is Work-from-Home Financial Advisor a Good Career Path?

Whichever route you take in your work-from-home journey, the good news is financial advisors as a career is projected to grow 15% until 2026.

According to the BLS, this is because a growing number of baby boomers is off to retirement and would need help with money management moving forward.

A work-from-home financial advisor is a good profession for those who have experience working in the finance industry.

Unfortunately, because of the risks it could potentially cause other people’s life savings, becoming a financial advisor isn’t a profession anyone can just jump right into.

If you’re interested in working in the financial industry, but don’t want a consultant or advisor position, check out how to land virtual bookkeeping or work-from-home insurance jobs. You can even find part-time work helping other people prepare their taxes.

7 Ways to Make Money Gardening for All Seasons

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If you’ve always had a green thumb and you’re looking for ways to bring extra income from home, did you know that you can make money gardening?

I’m talking about real cash that you can supplement your income with, or better yet, turn into a full-blown business that you can operate totally from the comforts of your own home. 

Sound interesting?

Here are 7 ways you can make money gardening

The cool thing about the methods below is you can pick and choose which income-generating gardening activity you want to focus on depending on your interests and available garden space. You can start small, or plan big for all the methods below – it’s totally up to you.

1. Sell Fruits and Vegetables

Nothing is more fulfilling than being able to plant and harvest fruits and vegetables. Although some plants take months (or even years) before you are able to harvest, there are many others that are easier to grow and sell. You just need to figure out what kinds of fruits and vegetables your place and climate can cultivate. Here are some examples:

  • Vegetables – Some vegetables grow year-round and are perfect for beginners. These include beetroot, potatoes, garlic, onions, beans, peas, radishes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and leafy greens like lettuce and spinach. You can start in small pots and expand once you’ve gotten the hang of it. If you have limited space, you can even stick to sprouts and microgreens – they’re quick to grow and easy to multiply.
  • Fruits – Fruits are trickier because they take years to grow. (Except if you consider tomatoes and cucumbers a fruit, then that’s a debate we should talk at another day). Planting fruit trees should probably be a long-term plan because your returns wouldn’t be until 5 to 10 years. Examples include lemons, pears, apples, tangerines, avocados, peaches, plums, and various berries (cherries, strawberries, blackberries, and so on).
  • Mushrooms – Mushrooms are technically not plants, but part of the fungi family. Some types of mushrooms, like oyster and shiitake, can be grown indoors. They grow and multiply exceptionally fast even in small spaces (25-pound/square foot) and can be sold at around $5 to $10 a pound.

Once you’ve harvested and have sold to everyone you know, but don’t have the certifications to sell at the farmer’s market, check out sites like Ripe Near Me where you can find people who would love to take the produce off your hands for a fair price.

2. Make Money Gardening Flowers and Decorative Plants

If you haven’t found success in gardening fruits and vegetables, maybe you can try decorative and flowering plants. For example:

  • Succulents – As a favorite housewarming gift or as a new-job gift because they aren’t the hardest to take care of. Jade, aloe vera, cactus, and a whole range of succulent plants are also super easy to propagate. Some even multiply by themselves if you leave them outdoors. Invest in tiny, adorable pots, re-pot these babies, and sell them by-the-pot.
  • Flowers – You can sell flowering plants by the pot, or sell the actual flowers. It totally depends on how much you want to commit to a gardening business. You can even join local wedding sites and offer your flowers to would-be brides. Or better yet, partner up with a local florist and see if they could give you a good deal.
  • Indoor plants – Indoor plants are awesome investments but can be hard for beginners to grow. If you made a jungle for your living room and want to sell some of your beloved plants, you’d surprise how much you can sell snake plants, Photos, spider plant, Dracaena, ZZ plant, Philodendron, Rubber Tree, and Alocasia if you presented them in a cool pot. You can even look for interior designers or real estate agents near you who would be interested in buying your plants.
  • Indoor trees – If you check out housekeeping magazines, I bet you can find a picture or two with gigantic trees near a stylishly staged living room. If you’re able to propagate plants like the Fiddle Leaf Fig tree, Calamondin Orange Tree, Parlor Palm tree, and Umbrella trees (among others), you’re lucky because these sell quite high.

Depending on how much plants you’re able to produce and sell in any given month, you can even start an online shop for your plants.  Start small by opening up a Facebook page, instead of building a website from scratch.

3. Sell Seeds, Seedlings and Cuttings

You don’t even need to let your plants grow full size. You can make money gardening by selling seeds of from your last harvest, planting seedlings for sale, or taking cutting from your grown trees.

You’d be surprised that there are passionate hobbyists for every type of produce. Hot-peppers have a huge community and people from all walks of life buy and sell seeds of Habanero, African Devil, Trinidad Scorpion, Ghost Pepper, and Carolina Reaper (among many more). Some of them have no luck growing from seeds, so they begin with seedlings instead.

When it comes to cuttings (or small pieces cut from larger plants), some plants work and some do not. Mulberry is a good example of plant cuttings that can be shipped and survive even up to a week before repotting. If you have a lot of cuttings to sell, go to a nearby nursery and see if they’d be willing to buy.

4. Sell Homemade Products from Your Garden

The potential for products you can sell from your garden is unlimited. Below are just some examples of how you can make money gardening:

  • Herbs, spices and herbed butter – If you are fond of growing herbs, you can try to multiply them and sell them as a set. You can even create your own recipe of dried-herb spice mix and advertise it for steak lovers, pizza lovers, and so on. Herbed butter is a good example of how you can turn herbs into a well-loved product. Experiment and level-up ordinary butter into fancy herbed butter – you’ll be shocked at how many people look for this.
  • Fruit smoothies – For those with an oversupply of strawberries, cherries, other fruits and vegetables, you can turn them into smoothies and offer them at a nearby grocery store. Some people just post these products on Instagram or Facebook and turn neighbors into loyal customers.
  • Dried produce – Invest in a dryer and go crazy drying out apples, peaches, and even vegetables to make dried snacks. People trying to eat healthy would love new things to try.
  • Home décor – Potpourri, acorns, and other things from nature used as home décor can become a business. Even what other people may think of as trash, you can still turn into gold. Check out what Etsy has when it comes to rustic home décor so you could have an idea of what plants can be sold.
  • Candles and soap – Flowers and other plants with fragrance are often mixed with handmade soaps and candles. If you have a lot of flowers to dispose of, why not get into candle making or soap making business as well?
  • Homemade compost and potting soil – Veteran gardeners know how to make their own “black gold” or compost. And how to create potting soil for succulents, vegetables, or any other specific plant.

These are just a few ideas on the top of my head. I bet you can check out your garden now and think of more things you can turn into gold.

5. Sell Canned & Bottled Produce from Your Garden

Once you’ve got your vegetable and fruit garden down to a science, you already know which produce you’ll be able to harvest in the next week or month. Aside from selling the produce outright, another way to bring your goods into the market is to learn bottling and canning fruits and vegetables. This way, you’d be able to make products like:

  • Sauces – From hot sauce to salsas, relishes and other similar concoctions, if you’re able to mix your own blend, you can sell them as well.
  • Pickled Everything – There are tons of fruits and vegetables you can pickle beyond the traditional cucumbers. Carrots, onions, peppers, rhubarb, squash, asparagus, cauliflower, ginger, green beans, peaches, strawberries and many many more. Depending on what fruit or vegetable you pickled, you can sell them by-the-jar for $20 to $50 per quart jar.
  • Oils and vinegar – Did you get a surplus of garlic harvested this year? Turn it into chili garlic oil and bottle it up for sale. Regular vinegar can also be sold when mixed with your spice mix, hot peppers, ginger, or onions for one-of-a-kind, bottled spiced vinegar.
  • Fruit syrups, jams, jellies and marmalade – These products are always a hit at the farmer’s market because homemade tastes much better than their mass-produced, store-bought counterparts.

6. Get into Beekeeping for Honey Products

Not all communities will allow you to keep bees, so better check first. Once you do and you’re interested in making money beekeeping, check out my more in-depth guide about beekeeping as a business.

7. Make Money Gardening by Renting it Out

If your garden has turned out into a garden like the Mad Hatter’s, or a place you can chill and host people, you can hire out your garden for private parties (weddings, birthdays, romantic dinners, and so on), meetings, craft workshops, and other similar events.

If you have a mini farm and would love to host people for apple picking, or other kinds of “picking,” then send invites to your local community. You’ll earn money from the entrance fee you’d be asking per person.

Are you up for sharing your knowledge? You can make money gardening by teaching others how they could grow certain plants, trees and vegetables themselves.

The Bottom Line

Like any kind of business, there are guidelines for every type of produce, plant, or business idea you wish to pursue.

It is guaranteed that you can make money gardening, but not all areas will allow you to do so. Before you prep your soil for planting or buy supplies, make sure you check with your homeowners’ association, zoning regulations, or even city restrictions if you are violating any rules and if you need a license.

For example, in California, if you deliver your own produce to customers or have them pick it up from you, you don’t need any license to sell fruits and vegetables. But if you’re planning to sell on a farmer’s market, you’ll have to apply for state certification. Of course, this will depend on which state or city you live in, where or how much you’re selling, and so on. It’s better to be sure than waste startup money.

Don’t miss this post if you’re interested in more ways to make money from nature.

How to Land the Perfect Remote eSports Job

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You heard about the professional gamers who make millions a year, but did you know that there are other office-based and remote eSports jobs available, beyond the superstar, professional video gamer? They’re the people behind-the-scenes working day-in, day-out to bring the pros into the spotlight.

And like other traditional sports organizations like the NBA, NFL, and so on, these eSports events can be a lot of work. There are planning, marketing, negotiating, setting up, and ensuring everything is perfect days, weeks, or even months before the eSports teams arrive to play the game.

So if you’re interested in what’s in store in the eSports industry, read on. This is a special guide for the right person:

Types of Remote eSports Jobs

The following jobs can be independent from the pro player. Meaning, if you decide on a career in any of the following professions, you won’t be a part of any eSports team, but YOU CAN work from home (or remotely).

eSports Reporter & eSports Caster

As the name implies, this gig is perfect for those who are great at commentating. You’ll need a comprehensive knowledge of the industry, the games, and even the histories of the players involved, so this job isn’t for someone new to eSports.

What’s cool about this job though is that you can provide on-the-fly commentary during the tournament live (or for a recorded game anytime after). You can be employed by any media network, or work on your own blog, stream your “report” on Twitch or YouTube channel. The job can be virtually done anywhere, as long as you have the right equipment for the job.

eSports Analyst

An eSports analyst should have the same knowledge of the industry as any eSportscaster or reporter. However, aside from just reporting the blow-by-blow of the tournament, analysts take the information and use it to help a particular player, team, game developer, broadcaster, or other professionals.

Analysts create game strategies by pointing out the strengths/weaknesses of players and analyzing opponents’ performances.

eSports Marketer

Because the world of eSports depends on the fans of gamers, social media is a BIG part of the industry’s success. You can work as an independent marketer or social media manager, who will be responsible for growing an existing fan case for a particular video game, gaming company, or team.

This job is very broad and could include content writing, video creation, community management, and so on.

These remote eSports jobs are also available in traditional office-based settings.

eSports Teams in the Field, Remote and Office

The following jobs make or break a video game star’s career. Because professional eSports players focus only on the game, every other task (promotion, negotiation, scheduling, marketing, brand sponsorship, and other specific tasks) are assigned to other people in the team.

The following eSports jobs can either be done remotely, on the field and office-based. My best bet is that most of these require a mix of all three, so before checking out these jobs, understand what you’re signing up for.

  • eSports Recruiter – A gaming house employs the eSports recruiter to find gaming stars to join their teams.
  • eSports Coach – The eSports coach is like any other coach – he/she works closely with players, ensure that the players perform their 100% at all times, and uphold the rules of their respective gaming houses.
  • eSports Manager – The job of an eSports manager is similar to the coach, except his tasks are more about the business side of eSports and NOT about the games themselves. So expect an eSports manager to be taking care of schedules, sponsorships, branding, communication, and so on.
  • Tournament crew – This entry-level job gets you into the gaming houses’ day-to-day tasks, but the job will vary from secretarial duties that are bound to the office, or roadies, drivers and other crew involved with tour duties.

Jobs Responsible for day-to-day eSports business operations

There are many employment opportunities within the eSports industry that most people had no idea were available for them.

Many people with non-gaming-related professions are also involved in the day-to-day business operations of gaming companies. For example, if you’re an accounting professional or web developer with extensive experience in payment solutions, you have a chance at becoming a part of any gaming company with revenues. Other possible jobs are available in the following fields:

  • IT – For game development companies, the role of coder, game developer and other similar professionals are on the top of the chain. They are very in-demand, so if you’re good at digital drawing, animations, and programming, you’re in the perfect industry.
  • Human Resources and Communications – From recruitment to social media marketing and everything about expanding the presence of a gaming company, this field has plenty of opportunities for the taking.
  • Marketing and Sales – If you have a background in sales and marketing, you’ll be right at home in promoting the game houses, game developers, or any other brands. You may also be assigned to negotiate sponsorships.
  • Content creation – Aside from the video game itself, there is plenty of content required in this industry. Examples of jobs include videographer, photographer, content writer, or meme creator.

eSports Companies Hiring People of all Skills

The office-based and remote eSports jobs I listed here are just a few of the many other employment opportunities in this industry.

Explore others available on specific career pages of gaming companies, eSports teams, and other big guys in the world of competitive video gaming.

  • Blizzard Entertainment – This company launched popular games like Starcraft, Overwatch and World of Warcraft. They are located in California, but sometimes open remote eSports jobs depending on the projects they currently have.
  • Riot Games – If you know the Leagues of Legends, you know this company. Also based in California, Riot Games has positions for its other studios around the world (China, Singapore, Ireland, Korea, Turkey, Brazil, and so on).
  • Electronic Sports League (ESL Gaming) – This is one of the biggest esports company that hosts tournaments each year. Based in Germany, but has multiple locations around the world.
  • Amazon – Yes, the retail giant is also heavily invested in eSports. They have their own game development studio (Amazon Game Studios) and have job openings regularly.

Teams or Game Houses should be your goal company if you want to be closer to the action. Companies like Cloud9, Team SoloMid, Team Liquid, Fnatic, G2 eSports, Immortals, 100 Thieves, and Envy Gaming (among others) hire a wide range of people to support their respective rockstar players.

Twitch, where many video game stars launch their careers, also have job openings that are related to the eSports world. You can also find jobs on eSports-specific job boards such as Hitmarker and Jobs in eSports.

Which eSports Jobs Do you See Yourself in?

eSports has slowly crept into a global industry. Before the start of 2020, the eSports industry generated over $500 million in revenues with more and more eSports teams being scouted, formed, and made to compete in local and international tournaments.

The misconception that you have to be a genius at playing video games to land a job in this industry is a common misconception.

But if you’ve always been interested in eSports and would want a career change, I hope this guide has given you job ideas, from getting front and center with the action on the field, or just supporting the team backstage with remote eSports jobs, and many other career paths this industry can open up for you.

Interested in more info? Check out these posts about making money playing video games, video game writing jobs, and how to get paid playing Fortnite.