Page 29 – ivetriedthat

15 Profitable Affiliate Marketing Niches for 2023

Published On: November 1, 2018

Looking to find the most profitable affiliate marketing niches to really kick start your business?

This should be the case whether you’re a beginner trying to dip your toes into affiliate marketing or someone who had tasted success from this type of business.

As an affiliate marketer, you should always be looking out for profitable affiliate marketing niches. Here’s why:

Find relevant topics – Every niche can have dozens, hundreds or even thousands of sub-niches. Discovering new ones you haven’t talked about on your platform opens up additional income possibilities as well.
Explore a new niche – You have a bit of ownership and control over the website, Facebook account, Instagram, or other platform you use to refer people to affiliate sites. You are the boss of your online business. Even if you’ve decided on a niche a long time ago, it’s still your call if you want to talk about something else.
Attract newcomers – Having a niche already defined means you also have your target audience in place. Adding content to your platform that is beyond your main niche will attract new audience to your blog or social media network. And the more people who follow you, the more referrals and commission potential you receive.

15 Most Profitable Affiliate Marketing Niches

In fashion retail, the hottest product changes quickly from one fad to the next. However, must-have items such as underwear or loungewear never go out of style.

Keep this in mind when it comes to choosing, adding or replacing affiliate marketing niches into your main line of business.

There will always be two kinds of niches:

CLASSIC: the most profitable niches are tried-and-tested to earn higher commissions, and
NEW: Hot, trending, experimental new niches that may or may not be placed on the first group of niches

Let’s start with classic affiliate marketing niches:

Niches that have been proven to work may seem hard to get into, but competition shouldn’t be an issue if you know what you’re doing.

These classic niches often solve a problem many people are looking for, such as how to lose weight, how to make money online, and so on.

Are you a plumber with decades of experience?

Can you explain how to fix pipes in ways a layman can understand?

Then you’re an instant expert in that niche.

Here are 10 more tried-and-tested classic and profitable affiliate marketing niches that will never go out of style:

Health & Wellness

Everybody wants to look and feel better or younger.

It’s human nature.

The good news to affiliate marketers is that technology and medical advancement just keeps on getting better, which means this niche can branch out into numerous sub-topics for years to come.

For example, even a niche as well-researched as diabetes can still be expanded when new studies, medicine, or other discoveries are published.

1. Weight Loss and Diets

Losing weight continues to be a hot topic.

Sub-niches like working out, diets (legit or fads), fitness, nutrition, and other niches related to weight loss will forever be something people search for.

Keep up-to-date with diet food of the year, popular fitness influencers, medical studies, and so on. Be on the lookout for in-demand weight loss products, such as tummy trimmers and supplements, among others.

If implemented right, an affiliate marketing business revolving this topic reaps impressive rewards.

2. Muscle Building

Aside from losing weight, people also look to achieve the opposite: bulking up.

This includes everything related to muscle building, weight training, gym activities, and even supplementing with protein powders and the like.

You’d think topics like this have reached its peak, but new science always pop up and these affiliate marketing niches never go stale.

For example, scientists believe that the “perfect pill” solution to muscle building is getting closer to development.

3. Pregnancy & Mom Blogs

As long as the circle of life continues and no zombie apocalypse occurs anytime soon, pregnancy will always be a sought-after topic for both genders.

What’s interesting is that the pregnancy niche revolves as humans do.

50 years ago, in vitro fertilization and surrogacy were taboo and only ever considered under the radar.

Today, these two procedures have given people who cannot get pregnant the traditional way a safe technique.

With the amount of products marketed to soon-to-be and new mothers, the pregnancy and new baby niches are always viable options.

4. Depression

According to the World Health Organization, 300 million people around the world are depressed.

That’s a lot of people trying to find a solution to how they feel.

Depression isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem either.

Depression can fall under various categories, such as postpartum depression, seasonal depression, bipolar disorder, and so on.

You can either zone in on a specific niche or create a huge website that tackles all kinds of depression in one platform.

The Make Money Online Niches

Since people discovered that it is possible to make money online, blogging for cash, selling products online or just working from home (among many other online opportunities) will continue to be hot affiliate marketing niches.

It opens up income opportunities to those who otherwise won’t have an option, such as homemakers, retirees, students, the disabled, and so on.

5. Digital Marketing

Digital marketing has evolved quite extensively in the last 15 years.

It still refers to advertising through various channels like search engines, email, sites, or mobile apps, but the trends and predictions change from time to time.

What doesn’t change, though, is that companies are aware of how effective digital marketing is and are more than willing to pay for online advertising.

And as long as there are businesses paying, it’s smart to research niches within this field continuously so you are up-to-date with block chain technologies, Internet of Things, and other advancements.

6. Working from Home

The work-from-home industry attracts people of all ages.

It’s mainly because the pros of working from home continue to outweigh the disadvantages.

Plus, companies are welcoming telecommute across the board and see this as part of the work force’s future.

Relationship Niches

Aside from health and money, people become heavily invested in relationships.

As such, don’t be surprised how much money is spent in the dating industry and relationship advice niche.

7. Dating

In the U.S. alone, the online dating industry is estimated to be worth over $2.5 billion.

Imagine how much you could make turning this goldmine niche into a success affiliate marketing business.

8. Marriage

Weddings are absurdly expensive.

Like, stupidly expensive.

For some reason, you throw the word wedding in front of a normal word like cake, or flowers, and it instantly quadruples in price.

It’s not uncommon to see people spend between $20,000-$40,000 on their wedding day.

Now think of how many weddings happen per year.

Yeah, there is A LOT of money here.

Your Passion Niche

Anything people spend time and effort on are always good as affiliate marketing niches because you’re sure that they will spend money on them too.

9. Pets

Pets are like families, especially for dog, cat and other animal lovers.

They need all the basic needs (and some wants) as humans do, so their family members spend money on food, clothes, toys, vitamins, and so on.

Focusing your affiliate marketing on pets can achieve higher returns because the need will always be there for pet products.

10. Expensive Hobbies

Expensive is a relative word, so consider this niche as any activity that can put a strain on a regular Joe’s monthly expenses.

Examples of this include sailing, golf, fishing, collecting art (can be pop culture figures, painting, photos, etc.) and so much more.

If you focus on any of these affiliate marketing niches, you’d be targeting people with bigger budgets to spend.

And the more new-age niches:

Those who are just starting out, or adding a new site to your affiliate marketing empire should check out these up-and-coming niches:

11. 3D Printing

3D printing isn’t new, but the interest with this business is growing as I type this.

When it first came out, only brick-and-mortar printing firms and rich people could afford to try out this new technology.

But now that the 3D printer can be bought at a much lower price, you can get into this industry and reap the benefits of higher affiliate commissions.

12. E-sports gaming

E-sports is a professional-level competition among video game players around the world.

It’s been growing since 2000, but it has now turned into a full-blown industry that you can dip your fingers in and finally make money playing video games.

Choose from gaming guides, hardware, access to games, or other e-sports products.

Whichever route you take, I’m pretty sure you’d be surprised with the level of commitment gamers spend with their craft and how much commissions you’d make.

13. Survivalism

Preppers may be made fun of by the extreme way they prepare for the end of the world, zombie apocalypse, robot/alien invasion, and so on.

But this niche has legitimate reasoning behind the followers’ beliefs, and more people are joining the survivalism lifestyle. Just ask the tech billionaires in Silicon Valley...

There are plenty of sub-niches in the survival niche, too! Aside from home defense, you can dig deeper into homesteading, growing your own food, survival kits, weapons, security supplies, bunkers, tactical tools, and more.

14. Nootropics

Like many brain-boosting health supplements, nootropics became popular overnight and there is no proof that it actually works.

Nootropics is advertised as a supplement that enhances memory and cognition, which in turn, helps with learning and performance of students or professionals.

It’s more likely that nootropics has a placebo effect, but what I’m sure is that any new health supplement has the potential to become a profitable affiliate marketing niche.

15. Digital Currency Investment

Investment in digital currencies and bitcoins can be confusing to many people – that’s why there are tons of crypto scams around.

But if you know your way around this niche, this is the right time to dwell deeper into digital currency. The demand is super-high, and the rewards are shockingly-good.

A Word on Social Media Affiliate Marketing

Traditionally, affiliate marketing is launched and managed on a website. It works and continue to work to this day.

But if you’re new to this business, you’d be pleased to know that you can earn money online with affiliate marketing just by using your social media account.

The rules will be different (some social media platforms don’t allow links with posts), but it is possible.

If you’d like to stick to websites instead, you can still focus on social media and promote tutorials, courses, products that would enhance social media experience, and so on.

The Bottom Line on Affiliate Marketing Niches

Other topics that have a continuous demand (but I didn’t list down here) include:

Green energy – Electricity prices increase around the world, so the demand for alternative energies such as solar, battery, and the like will continue to be a worthy niche to explore.
Virtual reality – It’s not a new niche, but tech companies continue to incorporate VR into new products. This means you’ll have never-ending products to promote and commissions to enjoy.
Learning how to do something – Look for any niche that teaches people to do something, such as talk in another language (English, French, Japanese, Chinese, etc.) or learn how to play a ukulele, and you’re sure to find a niche that people will visit.
Spirituality – Go beyond horoscopes and astrology. There are tons of interesting sub-niches here, such as paranormal, witchcraft, magic, hypnosis, and many more.

Loans, real estate, travel, and insurance will forever be in-demand, but these niches can be hard to get into if you don’t have a huge budget to spend.

To compete with seasoned affiliate marketers or those with unlimited budgets, your best bet is to pick the niche wisely.

I hope these 15 hot and profitable affiliate marketing niches will help you get started build a sustainable online business.

How I Made an Extra $1,357.56 in September 2018

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Published On: October 9, 2018

I’m trying something new here today.

I have my first ever income report to share with all of you.

This income report will cover my earnings through display advertising only (the ads you see in the content and sidebar of my site).

I do not include any income earned through any other sources, like affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing makes up the bulk of my income!

This income report is just what I’ve been able to add on top of what I’ve already been making!

All of this money is extra bonus money.

I’ll get to that in a second. But first…

A Summer 2018 Update

Our summer was rather quiet.

Vincent turned one back in June.

We did take a trip down to Top Sail, NC.

A Cancer Scare

Amanda was diagnosed with Stage 1 melanoma earlier this year.

Luckily, we caught it early enough that it hadn’t spread beyond the surface of her skin.

She had to undergo surgery and had complications arise that slowed the healing process.

Today, she is fully healed and back to her old self again.

To celebrate the healing, we did a spontaneous overnight trip to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake.

Travelling with a baby definitely has its challenges, but it’s nothing we haven’t been able to overcome.

Other than that, I’ve mostly spent my summer working on the site, improving functionality, and trying to increase earnings.

Getting Into Display Advertising

After 11 years of running I’ve Tried That, this will be my first ever income report here.

I’ve shied away from them for two reasons:

1. It’s a bit intrusive blogging about how much money you make
2. I don’t like showing off

So why start now?

I recently started getting into display advertising. After being nudged along by Dom at HumanProofDesigns, Nate at OneMoreCupofCoffee, and Eddy at WorkatHomeNoScams, I took the plunge in July and added ads to the site.

I was hesitant as ads can be intrusive and ruin the user experience just for the sake of getting a little extra revenue each month.

I decided I wanted to test it out over a 3 month time span and see what kind of money I’d make and if it would have any effect on how people use my site.

I applied at Mediavine, was promptly accepted, and started running ads all within a few days.

Effects on User Experience

This is the biggest area of concern for me.

I wanted to use ads, but not in a way that impacted how people browsed my site.

In the end, I found that display ads had little to no effect on my sites metrics.

For comparison, here are some metrics from the first 5 months of this year compared to the entirety of last month.

On the left, before ads. On the right, after ads.

As you can see, there was very little change in how people used my site.

Yes, there was a drop in return visits and multiple pages viewed and an increase in bounce rate, but the difference is so negligible that I do not consider it significant.

I also have received zero user complaints since turning ads on.

Effects on Page Speed

I’m a bit obsessive when it comes to page load times.

Page speed has been a part of Google’s algorithm for a while now and I’ve made it a priority to make sure my site loads as fast as possible.

Ads have definitely had a negative impact on how quickly my site loads.

Page Load Times with Ads – GTmetrix

Page Load Times without Ads – GTmetrix

Page Load Times with Ads – Pingdom

Page Load Times without Ads – Pingdom

As you can see, there’s been a drastic decline in page load times.

From a personal stand point, I haven’t noticed that much of a slow down.

Yes, it takes my site longer to FULLY load, but the initial load is as fast as it’s ever been. The site loads quick and you can begin to browse without issue before everything is fully loaded.

One reassuring factor is that Mediavine is obsessed with page speed times as well.

Mediavine wants my site to load fast.

They share a percentage of my income. The more money I make, the more money they make.

Effects on My Rankings

Google Search Console only lets me go back 90 days.

Ads would have been turned on near the start of this chart.

Adding ads to my site has had no impact on my rankings.

Since Google limits how far back we can see, I pulled up my charts in SEMrush as well.

Here is SEMrush’s approximations in terms of traffic…

And the keywords that I am currently ranked for.

Again, nothing but growth.

In fact, traffic has been the highest it’s been in the past year!

My efforts to grow the site and a renewed focus on proper keyword research and SEO are the cause of my growth.

In conclusion, ads have had no negative impact on my rankings.

Earnings Report: $1,358.30 in September 2018

Since this is my first ever income report that shows only income earned from display advertising, I will include the first 3 months of my earnings in this report.

I joined Mediavine on July 12th.

This explains why my July was entirely unremarkable.

By July 31st, I had made $513.06.

I also joined during the third quarter of the year, which is when advertisers historically spend the least amount of money.

Everything was working against me in July. I had an average $14 RPM (RPM stands for Rate Per Thousand, meaning how much money you make per 1,000 page loads on your site) with a daily high of $16.91.

Like I said, unremarkable.

I was initially discouraged, but after speaking with Mediavine (their customer support is FANTASTIC by the way) they assured me it was common to see low numbers in the first 3 months. They will be testing different things to find the optimal ads to pull in the most amount of money.

I powered through and then we hit August.

I finished August with $1,102.21 and a daily average of $15.71 RPM.

I had a daily high of $19.42 RPM.

A nice improvement over July, but still a little bit short of where I want to be.

My site did see a nice boost in traffic as well. I have recently started to pay more attention to the content I’m publishing and going back and updating & optimizing old articles as well.

My new strategies, combined with Google’s August update, has boosted both my traffic and earnings.

Finally, this brings us to September.

September has brought in my best month yet with $1,357.56 in total earnings and a daily average of $19.73 RPM.

I also hit a RPM high of $24.60 and a total daily earnings high of $64.24.

While this is closer to where I want to be, I’m still a few dollars short of my goals.

The Mythical Q4

The start of October brings around Q4, the time of year where advertisers vastly increase their budgets.

Everyone is gearing up for Black Friday and Christmas and I’ve been told to expect my earnings to absolutely explode over the next few months.

We shall see and I’ll be sure to keep you all updated.

My Goals

Here are a few goals I have set for myself:

Average Monthly RPM: $25.00 (Best so far: $19.73)
Daily RPM High: $30.00 (Best so far: $25.60)
Average Daily Earnings: $50.00 (Best so far: $45.25)
Daily Earning High: $100.00 (Best so far: $65.24)

And these are big milestones I’d like to hit:

Single Daily Visitors: 4,000, 5,000, 7,500, & 10,000.
Monthly Earnings: $1,500, $2,500, $5,000, & $7,500.
Monthly RPM: $20, $25, & $30

I will revisit these goals and milestones with every new income report.

My Plan to Hit These Goals

First and foremost, I plan to increase visitors to my site by continually adding new content in the form of articles to my site.

I am also going back through old articles that have dipped in the rankings to better optimize them and get them higher up.

That will work on increasing visitors and earnings, but will have very little effect on RPM.

RPM is improved by getting people to stay on my site longer. I have been going through my top ranked posts and writing better headlines, more compelling text in the introduction to capture attention better, and have been lengthening the content.

As you may have noticed on this post, my paragraphs are at most 3 lines long.

This helps keep people on the site longer. This article is nearly 2,000 words long, but the short sentences makes it easy to read.

Longer time spent on site + more ads via longer content = higher RPM.

Resources I Recommend

1. Mediavine

Obviously.

They’re the entire reason I’ve been able to add over $1,000 to my earnings each month.

I first started making money online back in 2005 through Google Adsense.

Display advertising was the reason why I got into this business.

I like that all I have to do is write content and get people to visit my site.

I don’t have to sell anything, link to anything, buy anything, convince anyone of anything.

I write. People visit. I get paid.

If you run a blog and have over 25k visitors per month, you need to sign up for Mediavine ASAP.

2. SEMrush

(If you sign-up for SEMRush using this link, you’ll get 14 days to try out the Pro account absolutely free!)

I credit SEMrush for helping me get my site back on track.

My traffic was in a free fall at the beginning of this year.

The tools at SEMrush helped me identify and correct a number of glaring issues with my site via the Site Audit tool.

They sent their crawlers and found thousands of errors that I had overlooked, including some of the worst possible SEO mistakes you could make.

If it wasn’t for their Site Audit, I firmly believe my site would have very few Google rankings today.

On top of that, their keyword research tools are incredible. The keywords they’ve been able to find, combined with my own personal SEO strategies, have helped propel my site back up the rankings.

Traffic continues to grow and that’s all thanks to SEMrush.

3. Wealthy Affiliate

Wealthy Affiliate is where I really got my start online.

Their completely free membership can’t be beat.

If you have an interest in making money running a website, they’ll provide you with all the tools and training you could possibly need.

You can have your own website up and running at the click of a button in 30 seconds or less.

Best of all, you can become a member there at absolutely no cost to you.

Highly recommended!

Can I help you out?

I’ve been tossing around the idea of teaching the strategies that I have personally developed to launch and grow a successful website.

It doesn’t take much to make an income online these days.

It really comes down to identifying what people are searching for online and writing content to match their expectations.

That’s it.

With tools like SEMrush and Wealthy Affiliate, the only thing you really need to do is know how to write compelling content.

That’s what I do best and want to be able to teach others.

Would you have any interest in learning from me?

Sound off in the comment below.

Etsy vs. eBay: Which Platform is Best for Sellers?

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Last Updated:September 27, 2018

If you’re trying to be an online seller and is on a mission to decide between Etsy vs. eBay as a marketplace to focus your efforts on, you’re on the right path.

Many sellers skip this step, jumping head first into an environment they’re not really familiar with.

The problem occurs when they find out later in the game that the marketplace they chose isn’t really compatible with the niche of their items for sale or the type of audience active in that platform.

If you want to reap the most benefits in terms of sales and market reach, which marketplace do you choose?

Read on for a comprehensive comparison of Etsy vs. eBay from a seller’s perspective…

Etsy vs. eBay Target Market

Etsy and eBay are very different marketplaces.

If you already have an idea of what you’re going to sell, choosing between Etsy vs. eBay is easy.

Etsy is home to many creative people who sell their handmade items on the platform.

The website encourages made-to-order and customization of items, but do not allow second-hand items.

As such, the buyers you see at Etsy are expecting to find unique items, supplies for arts and crafts, or vintage items (that are over 20 years or older).

On the other hand, eBay is a monster when it comes to online selling.

You can list any kind of item there, as long as it isn’t illegal. Sellers who are planning to sell a wide range of items can do so without question.

Etsy vs. eBay Seller’s Fees

I understand why listing cost is a concern for you.

Fees will affect your business, even if it involves only cents per listing. These fees add up real quick, especially if you’re selling in bulk.

Etsy follows a simple seller’s fee:

No joining/membership fee (start a store right away FREE)
Pay Etsy $0.20 for every listing you post. It can stay online up to 4 months or once you sell the item. You’d have to pay another $0.20 if you’re going to re-list the item.
Pay Etsy 3.5% of the item’s price if someone buys the item.

eBay has a bit more fees than Etsy. The fees also vary if you’re just an individual selling items on eBay, or if you decide to open an eBay store.

Membership fee for personal-use eBay is free, while an eBay store has a flat-fee depending on the type of plan you choose.
eBay gets $0.20 for every item listed. It is valid for 30 days.
Final value fees (transaction fee per listing) also vary with each category, but it ranges from 8% to 15% of the sale price.
eBay also gets a cut on the amount you charge customers for shipping.

eBay stores do have some benefits over personal-use eBay, such as free listings monthly and zero transaction fees, among others.

If possible, don’t stick to only fees when choosing the marketplace to build on.

Check out the pros and cons of Etsy, as well as the pros and cons of eBay to get a deeper understanding of how each platform could be the right or wrong one for your business.

Pros and Cons of Etsy

Etsy is home to over 40 million active members.

It is definitely a lot smaller than eBay in terms of membership size, but this is one of the things that make Etsy special.

Niche audience

The best thing about Etsy is that the people who visit this website are divided into two groups

those who explores the listings in hope of finding something special, and
those who know exactly what they need (supplies for jewelry making, or sewing patterns, etc.)

The buyers at Etsy are not looking for mass-produced stuff. They know that the marketplace features thousands of artsy, creative people from glass-blowing artists, painters, pottery masters, and so on.

User-friendly set-up

If this is the first time you’ve joined an online marketplace, Etsy won’t make you feel like a total beginner.

Instead, you can quickly set-up your listing, payment options, shipping details, and other store elements without CSS or coding knowledge.

A community of helpful folk

Etsy has a reliable customer support.

Plus, the site also has an active forum, where many sellers and buyers alike hang out.

Selling on Etsy Cons

The main reason why people get turned off by Etsy is that it still adds two kinds of fees on every listing (listing charge and finale sale fee).

Unfortunately, there’s no going around these fees.

Branding and standing out on Etsy can be hard when you’re starting out. This is because the listings look exactly the same – there are no customization options available.

The only way to get a bit of an edge over your competition is to take gorgeous product photos and produce eye-catchy graphic design.

Pros and Cons of eBay

eBay is the largest online buy-and-sell marketplace in the world.

It is home to 25 million sellers and an outstanding 75 million buyers.

List Products Effortlessly

eBay has been around since 1995.

Imagine how many times the company has improved the method of listing products.

Even if you’re new to eBay, you can list products as quickly and easy as possible.

eBay guides you every step of the way, so there’s no way you can get lost navigating the listing manager.

Global Reach

The best thing about eBay is that it is available both locally and globally.

You can choose to sell your items only locally, or take advantage of selling products that may not be available in other countries.

As long as you follow the rules of eBay, the world can be your oyster (while sitting in the comforts of your own home).

How cool is that?

Selling on eBay Cons

eBay has a lot of attractive features, but there are 3 major things that may turn your off from selling on this platform:

1. Complicated and Expensive Fees

Fees on eBay vary from one listing to the next. The amount depends largely on the type and value of product you’re selling.

The finale sale fee can eat up most of your earnings, especially if the eBay’s cut goes higher than the average 10 to 15 percent. This is especially true for high-priced items.

2. Sold Items aren’t Paid Instantly

Buyers may have bought an item from you, but it doesn’t mean the money is transferred to you immediately.

Unfortunately, eBay has no control over how fast or slow buyers pay for the items they buy on the website.

Buyers may even fail to pay for the product you thought was already sold.

From the seller’s perspective, this can be annoying, time-consuming, and even financially-destroying.

3. Unfair Buyer Protection Policies

eBay favors the buyers over sellers all the time.

This means that if you and your buyer get into a dispute (about the item, shipping, etc.), there’s a bigger chance that eBay decides in favor of buyers, even if you’re in the right.

Unfortunately, even if eBay receives complaints about this from sellers around the world, unfair dispute results still happens.

Who Wins between Etsy vs. eBay?

Interestingly, Etsy and eBay are such opposites that I bet you’d be able to decide, even before you finish reading this comprehensive comparison.

I recommend you go with eBay if you’re planning to sell mass-produced, low-priced items that you can buy cheap and sell high.

If you’re going to sell one-of-a-kind handmade products or vintage items, Etsy is definitely the marketplace for you.

You can also sell items on both marketplaces, if you wish. But it means fees will multiple as well.

Do know that both platforms have copycats that will steal your idea, product images, and even product description word-per-word. Once a product begins selling like hotcakes, get ready for other sellers replicating your listings.

Not interested in either eBay or Etsy? Check 4 of the best ecommerce platforms you can try out.

Don’t rule out becoming an Amazon seller either.

Amazon is a household name for a reason.

A Better Alternative to eBay or Etsy

Whichever route you took between Etsy vs. eBay, it’s important to note that these third-party owned marketplaces will remain just that – owned by other companies.

As such, you don’t really have a say if eBay or Etsy decides to close shop, increase fees, or change rules that will affect your business.

I say start with eBay or Etsy, and if you’re ready to go solo, create your own website (with a store) and sell products without having to pay fees and while pocketing 100% of the profits.

You can even create exciting promos, which in turn, build customer loyalty and brand recognition.

How to Get Free Stuff on Your Birthday: 200+ Things to Claim

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Published On: September 23, 2018

Did you know that you can get a ton of free stuff on your birthday?

Yup, that’s right! Companies will reward you just for being born.

Okay, most of these are meal ideas and odds are, you aren’t going to visit 100 some different restaurants.

But with all these possibilities, there’s a good chance your favorite spot is in this list below.

All you have to do is join a company’s e-mail newsletter or its membership club. Most of these birthday freebies require no fees (they’re absolutely free), but you do have to fill-in some personal info like birthday, e-mail address, phone number, and so on.

Don’t let your birthday blues get you down. Spend as little cash as possible on your big day.

Check out this huge list of free birthday meals, pampering birthday freebies, and other experiences made free by companies that want to make you feel special on your birthday.

Free Stuff on Your Birthday: The Breakdown

This list is rather massive, so here are so links to help you jump around:

1. Free Birthday Meals
2. Free Birthday Sweets, Treats and Drinks
3. Free Birthday Drinks
4. Birthday Discounts
5. For the Kids & Pets
6. Beauty and Birthday Makeup Freebies
7. Free Movies & Games

Free Birthday Meals

1. Abuelo’s

Freebie: Offers vary

How to Claim: Join the Rewards club

2. Au Bon Pain

Freebie: Free birthday lunch

How to Claim: Join Au Bon Pain’s eClub

3. Aveda

Freebie: A birthday gift worth $23

How to Claim: Join Aveda’s Pure Privilege for $10

4. Backyard Burger

Freebie: Free burger and special discount

How to Claim: Become an e-club member

5. BD’s Mongolian Grill

Freebie: Free entrée

How to Claim: Be a part of Club Mongo

6. Benihana’s

Freebie: $30 birthday certificate

How to Claim: Register for the Chef’s Table

7. Bennigan’s

Freebie: Free entrée or dessert

How to Claim: Sign up for the eClub

8. Bonefish Grill

Freebie: Get a special birthday gift

How to Claim: Become a Bone Fish Grill Insider

9. Buca di Beppo

Freebie: $20 birthday gift

How to Claim: join the Eclub

10. Buffalo Wild Wings

Freebie: FREE snack-sized order of wings

How to Claim: Join Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ Rewards and claim 7 days before or 7 days after your birthday

11. Burger King

Freebie: free birthday meal

How to Claim: Parents of kids (under 13) should sign them up for BK Crown Club

12. Black Angus Steakhouse

Freebie: Free birthday meal on the house

How to Claim: Become a Prime Club member

13. Bob Evans

Freebie: Free meals for kids

How to Claim: Dine in exactly on the birthday

14. California Pizza Kitchen

Freebie: free CPK kid’s meal if you celebrate there

How to Claim: Book a birthday party with CPKids

15. Captain D’s

Freebie: Receive a special birthday treat

How to Claim: Join D’s Club

16. Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Freebie: Get a free appetizer

How to Claim: Join Carrabba’s Amici Club

17. Cattlemen

Freebie: Free birthday treat on your birthday

How to Claim: join the Cattlemens E-Club

18. Champps

Freebie: Special birthday gifts (either dessert or cheeseburger)

How to Claim: Join the MVP League

19. Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse

Freebie: Receive a birthday surprise when you visit

How to Claim: Obtain a Handshake Club Card

20. Cheeburger Cheeburger

Freebie: Get birthday freebies via e-mail

How to Claim: Become a member of the Fan Mail club

21. Cheeseburger in Paradise

Freebie: Get a birthday surprise

How to Claim: sign up for the Board Member Club

22. Chili’s

Freebie: Get free chips and guacamole, plus special birthday coupons

How to Claim: Join My Chili’s Rewards Club

23. Chevy’s Fresh Mex

Freebie: Get a birthday freebie

How to Claim: Join the e-Club

24. Chick-fil-A

Freebie: get a special birthday offer

How to Claim: Register as an Email Insider. Make sure the branch you go to honors this promo since birthday freebies are the discretion of the franchise owner.

25. Chuck E. Cheese’s

Freebie: Receive free tokens to help celebrate your child’s birthday

How to Claim: Join the Chuck E-Club

26. Denny’s

Freebie: Get a free Grand Slam on your birthday

How to Claim: Bring your ID to the nearest location

27. Don Pablo’s

Freebie: Get a $10 gift card on your birthday

How to Claim: Become a member of the Habaneros Club

28. Duke’s Seafood and Chowder

Freebie: Get a birthday entree

How to Claim: join the Duke’s VIP Club

29. El Torito

Freebie: Free entrée on your birthday

How to Claim: join El Torito’s Bull Ring email club

30. Elephant Bar

Freebie: Get a birthday surprise

How to Claim: Become a Rewards Club member

31. Famous Dave’s

Freebie: Free birthday meal (either a burger or sandwich)

How to Claim: While this varies between locations, you can get your birthday treat after joining the Famous Nation club. Make sure to get your birthday treat a week before or after your birthday.

32. Fazoli’s

Freebie: Receive a birthday surprise

How to Claim: Become a member of the eFamily

33. First Watch

Freebie: Get a healthy birthday treat

How to Claim: Sign up as a member of the Sun eClub

34. Firehouse Subs

Freebie: Claim a FREE medium celebratory sub on your birthday

How to Claim: Sign up for Firehouse Rewards before your birthday. You can get the treat 6 days before or after your birthday.

35. Fire Mountain

Freebie: Get a free entrée

How to Claim: Register at the Fire Mountain site days before your actual birthday.

36. Furr’s Fresh Buffet

Freebie: free lunch or dinner on birthday

How to Claim: Become an e-club member

37. Godfather’s Pizza

Freebie: Get a free mini pizza if you dine here on your birthday

How to Claim: Make sure you’re a member of the eClub

38. Good Times Burgers

Freebie: Receive a free deluxe burger or a special birthday treat

How to Claim: You have to be a Good Times e-club member first

39. Genghis Grill

Freebie: Receive a Free Birthday Bowl, appetizer or dessert (depending on how often you’ve visited Genghis Grill in the last 12 months.

How to Claim: Join Khan’s Rewards

40. Green Mill

Freebie: FREE small one-topping Deep Dish Pizza for your birthday

How to Claim: Join the Green Mills Rewards Club

41. Habit Burger Grill

Freebie: Get a special birthday treat

How to Claim: Join the Charclub online.

42. Hard Rock

Freebie: Get annual birthday offers at the Hard Rock café and rock shops

How to Claim: Join Hard Rock Rewards

43. Havana Central

Freebie: Free birthday meal

How to Claim: Sign-up for Havana Central’s VIP List

44. Hot’s Hut

Freebie: Get treated with a birthday gift

How to Claim: Become a Preferred Guest weeks or months before your birthday

45. Houlihan’s

Freebie: Get a birthday entrée free of charge

How to Claim: Adults (21 years old and older) must sign-up for the email club before claiming the bday treat.

46. HuHot

Freebie: Free birthday treat and appetizer

How to Claim: You have to join the loyalty program and sign-up for HuHot Rewards

47. Iguana Mia

Freebie: Free birthday meal and fried ice cream (plus a picture with a grande sombrero)

How to Claim: Dine on your actual birth date (preferably around 2 to 6pm) and provide proof with an ID or birth certificate

48. IHOP

Freebie: Get a free stack of Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruit Pancakes on your birthday

How to Claim: You must join the Pancake Revolution

49. Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks

Freebie: You’ll be given a surprise birthday treat

How to Claim: Sign up for Tiki Link (must be 13 or older)

50. Ivar’s

Freebie: You’re entitled for the Birthday BOGO (buy one, get one) free entrée, so the treat is definitely your choice.

How to Claim: Ivar’s will send you a birthday postcard weeks before your birthday. You have to bring it with you to Ivar’s, along with an ID and your Carte Clam Club card.

51. Jack in the Box

Freebie: If you can choose just 5 out of all the free stuff on your birthday, add this one to your list for a free chocolate overload cake, New York cheesecake or 5-piece mini churros.

How to Claim: You don’t need to sign up, but you do have to print their coupon and prove it’s your birthday with an ID.

52. Jersey Mike’s Subs

Freebie: Get a free drink and sub on your birthday

How to Claim: Join the email club

53. Joe’s Crab Shack

Freebie: Get an appetizer (up to $11) with a choice of clams, shrimp, mussels, fish or lobster

How to Claim: Join Joe’s Catch, print out the birthday coupon they’ll send you and use it alongside a paid adult meal.

54. Johnny Rockets

Freebie: Claim your free birthday burger

How to Claim: You need to sign-up for the Rocket e-Club first.

55. Jreck Subs

Freebie: 6-inch sub freebie

How to Claim: You’d have to sign up for their newsletter

56. Kona Grill

Freebie: The birthday surprise varies each year

How to Claim: Join the Konavore Rewards program by downloading the app or signing up

57. Lander’s Select Club

Freebie: $25 birthday reward will be added to your Rewards card at the start of your birthday month.

How to Claim: It’s the mother of free stuff on your birthday since it home to over 70 other brands of diners and restaurants. You have to get the Rewards Card to claim your birthday treat and other rewards.

58. Lonestar Steakhouse

Freebie: Get a free appetizer

How to Claim: Become an e-club member for a special birthday gift.

59. Longhorn Steakhouse

Freebie: Birthday treat varies by season

How to Claim: You must create a My Longhorn account first.

60. Maggie Moo’s

Freebie: Either get a pizza or ice cream as your birthday surprise

How to Claim: Join the Slab Happy fan club

61. Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

Freebie: Free admission

How to Claim: Join the “Birthday fellowship” and reserve one full-priced adult any day throughout your birthday month to claim your free pass.

62. Mimi’s Cafe

Freebie: Get $10 discount for every $20 purchase (or more) on your birthday

How to Claim: Become a member of Mimi’s e-club

63. Moe’s Southwest Grill

Freebie: Claim a free birthday burrito

How to Claim: Join Moe’s eWorld first

64. Noodles & Company

Freebie: Solve your noodle craving with a birthday bowl from Noodles & Company

How to Claim: Download the app or sign-up for Noodles Rewards.

65. Not Your Average Joe’s Kitchen & Bar

Freebie: Birthday surprise

How to Claim: You have to be a Joe’s Insider to get freebies and coupons.

66. On the Border

Freebie: Free bowl of the house signature Queso

How to Claim: Sign up for Club Cantina

67. Papa Murphy’s

Freebie: Claim a free cookie dough

How to Claim: Become a member of the e-club

68. Pepe’s Mexican Restaurants

Freebie: Adult birthday dinner

How to Claim: Join the club for the birthday coupon

69. Red Lobster

Freebie: Varies from branch to branch

How to Claim: 7 days before your actual birthday, you have to sign up for the newsletter and receive Fresh Catch News, or download the app to join Red Lobster Rewards

70. Red Robin

Freebie: Choose 1 from 24 gourmet burgers in the menu

How to Claim: You can claim this birthday burger once during your birthmonth, as long as you’re a member of Red Robin Royalty Program

71. Rita’s Italian Ice

Freebie: Birthday treat

How to Claim: 13 year-olds and up must join the club to get free stuff on your birthday. If your birthday falls during winter months (when Rita’s closes shop), you’d still receive a surprise on your inbox.

72. Romano’s Macaroni Grill

Freebie: Surprise birthday treat

How to Claim: You have to sign up for the newsletter, where you’ll be receiving details of your birthday freebie.

73. Ruby Tuesday

Freebie: Free birthday burger or Garden Bar entree

How to Claim: Redeem this freebie up to 5 days before and 9 days after your birthday, as long as you’re a member of Ruby Tuesday’s So Connected.

74. Sbarro

Freebie: If you’re a pizza lover, you’d love this free stuff on your birthday brought to you by Sbarro. Get a pizza of your choice.

How to Claim: Make sure to join the Sbarro Slice Society first.

75. Sonic

Freebie: Get a free classic CreamSlush shake as your birthday treat

How to Claim: Become a member of the Sonic Cruisers

76. Sonny’s BBQ

Freebie: Get a free Big Deal Meal to add to the free stuff on your birthday

How to Claim: Join the ‘Q Crew

77. Souper Salad

Freebie: Claim a free meal anytime during your birthday week

How to Claim: You have to register for Souper Perks

78. The Spaghetti Warehouse

Freebie: Get a free special birthday meal on your birthday

How to Claim: Become a Warehouse eClub member

79. Steak ‘n Shake

Freebie: FREE Double Steak Burger WITH Cheese n’ Fries

How to Claim: You can claim these free stuff on your birthday exactly or 45 days following your birth date. Just make sure to register for the Steak ‘n Shake eClub.

80. Spicy Pickle

Freebie: Get a coupon for a free entrée

How to Claim: Join the Pickle Club

81. Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes

Freebie: Free veggie buffet

How to Claim: Become a member of the Club Veg and enjoy this soulful meal on the house.

82. Subway

Freebie: If you’re listing down fast food as priority for the free stuff on your birthday, don’t forget Subway’s 20-point freebie that can get you two cookies (at 10 points each) or a bag of chips (15 points.) Or if you already have points being accumulated, then enjoy a subway with these free 20 points.

How to Claim: You should already be signed up to the Subway Rewards Program

83. Texas Roadhouse

Freebie: Free birthday gift

How to Claim: Join the email club

84. Tony Roma’s

Freebie: Get a free entrée on your birthday

How to Claim: Become a member of Tony Roma’s email and text club

85. Uno Pizzeria & Grill

Freebie: Another free entrée for your birthday

How to Claim: Join Uno Insider’s Club

86. Whataburger

Freebie: free Justaburger on your birthdays

How to Claim: Reserved only for Texans and those who visit the state, sign up here to get details about your birthday freebie

87. Wingstop

Freebie: Free order of seasoned fries

How to Claim: Sign up for The Club

88. Wienerschnitzel

Freebie: Claim a free birthday coupon each year

How to Claim: Join the Wiener Lovers’ Club

89. Zaxby’s

Freebie: Free Nibbler on your birthday

How to Claim: Sign up for the Zax Mail

90. Zio’s Italian Kitchen

Freebie: free Bruschetta appetizer and another birthday surprise

How to Claim: Become a member of Zio’s club

Free Birthday Sweets, Treats and Drinks

If you want to add more free stuff on your birthday, but focus on sweets and treats, the following birthday freebies would definitely make any sweet tooth’s birthday complete.

91. A&W All American Food

Join the Mug Club to get a free root beer float

92. Applebees

Sign-up to the Applebees newsletter and get a free dessert on your birthday

93. Arby’s

94. Atlanta Bread

Become part of the Loyalty Program and get a free cookie

95. Auntie Anne’s

Sign-up for Pretzel Perks, or download the app to get your free birthday pretzel

96. BJ’s Brewhouse

Join BJ’s Premier Rewards and receive a free pizookie on your birthday. A pizookie is a mouth-watering ice-cream-topped deepdish cookie. Claim it 7 days before or 7 days after your birthday.

97. Baker’s Square

Become an eclub member and enjoy a free birthday pie for you on your birthday!

98 Baskin Robbins

Join the Baskin Robbins Birthday Club to receive a voucher for a free scoop of ice cream on your birthday.

99. Big Boy

100. Buffalo Wild Wings

Get a free birthday dessert when you join the Buffalo Circle.

101. Cinnabon

Subscribe to Club Cinnabon, and claim a cinnamon-filled goody for your birthday.

102. Carrows

Join the e-club for a free birthday dessert.

103. Cattlemen’s

New members are entitled to free desserts on their birthdays.

104. Cheesecake Factory

Get a Mini Hot Fudge Sundae on your birthday when you tell your server

105. Cold Stone Creamery

Get a BOGO (buy one, get one) coupon for your birthday once you join the My Cold Stone Club.

106. Cracker Barrel

Get a free dessert (and a lively birthday song too!) when you tell the crew it’s your birthday.

107. Culver’s

Become a member of the Culver’s eClub and get a free birthday treat

108. Dairy Queen

Score a buy-one-get-one Blizzard coupon on your birthday if you’re a member of the Blizzard Fan Club.

109. Del Taco

Enjoy a free premium shake when you print out the birthday coupon given out to Raving Fan e-club birthday celebrants.

110. Driscoll’s

Get a sweet birthday surprise from the suppliers of the finest berries. But you have to join the berry-loving community first.

111 Dunkin’ Donuts

Pass by your local Dunkin Donuts if you’re part of the DD Perks Rewards Program and receive a free beverage as birthday gift.

112. Einstein Bros. Bagels

As a member of Shmear Society, you can claim a free egg sandwich when you purchase something else on your birthday.

113. Friendly’s

Don’t forget to claim your free sundae on your birthday, if you’re a BFF Club member.

114. Fuddruckers

Join the Fuddruckers e-Club and receive your birthday treat offer via e-mail.

115. Great American Cookies

If you’re part of the Cookie Club, you’ll be given a fun, birthday surprise.

116. Gigi’s Cupcakes

If you’re a cupcake lover, be sure to join Gigi’s Rewards Program so you can have a cupcake freebie on your birthday.

117. Hard Rock Café

Get your annual birthday dessert freebie through your Hard Rock Rewards.

118. Jack In The Box

Unlock various coupons when you sign-up for the newsletter. Receive birthday treats too!

119. Krispy Kreme

Get your melt-in-your-mouth Krispy Kreme donut freebie on your birthday if you’re a member of the eClub.

120. Lofthouse Cookies

As a member of the Lofthouse Cookies Club, you’ll have access to the birthday coupons that you can claim to receive a free package of cookies via mail.

121. Marble Slab Creamery

Download the Slab Happy App, or sign-up for the newsletter so you’ll be up-to-date once they send in your free birthday ice cream coupon.

122. The Melting Pot

Get crazy with free chocolate fondue on your birthday and you can bring a friend too! Just make sure to join the Club Fondue first. If you buy some of the special items on the menu, you might even get to bring home a box of chocolate-covered strawberries on the house.

123. Ninety-Nine Restaurants

You can claim your free birthday dessert once you join the e-club.

124. Nothing Bundt Cakes

How about some bundlet to add to all your free stuff on your birthday? Sign-up for the eclub and print out your coupon once your birthday month kicks in.

125. Olive Garden

eClub members are given a complimentary dessert on their birthdays every year.

126. On The Border

As a member of Club Cantina, you receive a coupon for Brownie Sundae or Dip Trio for your next celebration.

127. Panera

Join MyPanera club and be able to claim free pastry at their bakery starting 5 days before your birthday until 60 days after.

128. Perkins

Pie lovers unite! Sign-up for MyPerkins and get a voucher for your free slice of pie on your birthday.

129. P.F. Chang

For a free dessert during your birthday month, make sure to join P.F. Chang’s newsletter.

130. Pinkberry

Here’s more sweet, free stuff on your birthday to enjoy! Pinkberry gives away a free frozen yogurt with the topping of your choice. Just make sure to get a Pinkcard, or download the Pinkberry app, so you can claim it on your exact birthday or 30 days after.

131. Sprinkles Cupcakes

Claim your free birthday cupcake each year, as long as you’ve signed up for Sprinkles Perks.

132. Ted’s Montana Grill

Enjoy your free complimentary dessert if you dine on your birthday. Don’t forget to print the voucher you receive from Ted’s email.

133. TGIFriday’s

Receive a lively birthday song and free dessert, if you’re part of the Friday’s Rewards program.

134. Tommy Bahamas Restaurant

Claim your free dessert here, too!

135. Village Inn

Get a free slice of pie or other birthday treats if you register for the Village Inn.

136. Waffle House

Join the Waffle House Regulars Club and receive a free waffle on your birthday.

137. Yogurt Mountain

How about some drinks to go with all that yummy free stuff on your birthday?

138. Dead Poet

If you share a birthday with any of the dead poets on this list, you get free beers and a chance to listen to good music too!

139. Orange Julius

If you pass by Orange Julius on your birthday, you can buy one and get one drink free as long as you’re a member of the club.

140. Planet Smoothie

Get a free smoothie on your birthday if you’re a member of the birthday club.

141. Scooter’s Coffee & Yogurt

142. Starbucks

Get a free birthday drink with your Starbucks Rewards.

143. Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Join Club Tropical and receive your special birthday treat each year.

Need to burn some of those calories you just ate? Check out these apps that could give you some cool side cash just by walking around.

Shopping Discounts

Not in the mood for food on your birthday?

How about some retail therapy, instead? Aside from restaurant, bars, and other food places, you can also get a ton of free stuff on your birthday by going shopping online, or IRL.

Here are some of the ones you shouldn’t miss out:

144. Ace Hardware

Get $5 off from your total when you use your ACE Rewards to shop on your birthday.

145. Columbia Sportswear

Create an online account and get 20% off on your birthday.

146. Designer Shoe Warehouse

146. Hallmark

Become a Crown Rewards member and receive a free card on your birthday.

147. Helzberg Diamonds

The registration part is a bit different, since you’ll have to request for a catalog and fill-in your details, but once you do, you’ll receive a birthday surprise.

148. Kmart

Join Kmart’s Birthday Club for a chance to win prizes and receive member-only perks.

149. Kohl’s

Receive your $5 Kohl’s cash birthday gift for Kohl Rewards members, and $10 off from your total if you use a Kohl’s Credit Card for purchase on your birthday month.

150. Landry’s

Join Landry’s Select Club (it does need a one-off $25 fee), but you’ll get priority seating, $25 birthday reward, and $25 off with every $250 you spend at Landry’s.

151. Old Navy

152. World Market

World Market Rewards Program members receive a $10 off coupon for their birthdays.

For the Kids and Pets

You’re not the only one who could get free stuff on your birthday. Even your kids and pets have coupons, discounts and treats specially offered to them on their birthdays.

153. Barnes and Noble

Sign your kids up for the B&N Kids’ Club, so your child can get a free cupcake on his/her birthday.

154. Dave & Buster’s

Become a Rewards member and receive a $5 free game play on your birthday.

155. Little Tikes

Members of the Birthday Bonus Program receive special promos, discounts and gifts starting 30 days before their actual birthdays.

156. Radio Flyer

Birthday Club members receive a $10 gift card every year on his/her birthday.

157. Toys R Us

If you sign them up for Geoffrey’s Birthday Club (only kids 10 years and under), your kid can receive a free card every year until his/her 10th birthday, a $3 gift, and a free, in-store celebration (with a balloon, crown, and special announcement). Geoffrey even calls Birthday Club members at home for birthday greetings.

158. Petco

Got furbabies instead? You can also sign them up for Petco’s Birthday Club and receive big discounts on their birthdays.

Beauty and Birthday Makeup Freebies

Your birthday is the time to stock up on all your beauty products and favorite makeup since you can receive a ton of free stuff on your birthday. Some of them include:

159. Aveda

Sign-up for the Aveda Rewards program and receive a beauty freebie on your birthday.

160. bareMinerals

Join the Friends and Benefits Program for a free matte lipstick on your birthday. You can claim it in-store, or have it shipped online.

161. Benefit Cosmetics

How about a free brow arch any day during your birthday week? Create an account with Benefit and be on your way. Not all branches offer this though, so better check before you go.

162. Bliss

163. Caudalie

All you need to do is fill-in your details to join myCAUDALIE and receive a surprise birthday gift, which usually includes a kit of beauty products.

164. Clarins

Become a member of the Clarins Family and receive a birthday surprise.

165. Cle De Peau

Receive a birthday gift if you have an active account with Cle De Peau.

166. CVS

Join the ExtraCare Beauty Club, and get $3 ExtraCare bucks on your birthday (it’s valid throughout your birthmonth, too!)

167. Dr. Dennis Gross

Join the VIPeel Loyalty Club and redeem one birthday gift per year.

168. Elemis

169. Elf

Become a member of the Beauty Squad and get a free gift every birthday.

170. Estee Lauder

Get a birthday gift if you sign up sign up for the Loyalty Program.

171. Fresh

172. Gilchrist & Soames

You can get a beauty kit birthday treat from Gilchrist & Soames, just make sure you sign up for the newsletter first.

173. Jane Iredale

Love mineral cosmetics? Sign up for the Beauty Rewards to get your stash on your birthday.

174. Kiehl’s

Join Kiehl’s Rewards program for a free, skincare birthday gift

175. La Roche-Posay

As a La Roche-Posay Member, you receive professional derma skincare products for your birthday.

176. La Mer

At La Mer, you get complimentary skincare items with every order, but if you sign-up for email updates, you’ll also be entitled for a free birthday kit.

177. Lancome

There are tons of free stuff being given away to Elite Rewards members, but the annual birthday gift is probably the one you should be excited about. Registration is free, so check it out.

178. L’Occitane

Receive a birthday gift if you keep up-to-date with everything L’Occitane-related.

179.MAC

Be one of the millions of makeup-obsessed members of M∙A∙C Select and get a birthday gift every year.

180. Nars

A favorite out of all the stuff you can get for free on your birthday, Nars sends out a birthday gift on the house if you’re registered to the NARS newsletter.

181. NYX

Join the NYX Birthday Crew and claim a free birthday surprise.

182. Ole Henriksen

Get more skincare freebies when you sign up for an account at Ole Henriksen.

183. Paula’s Choice

Get an account at Paula’s Choice Skincare and bring home a birthday gift every year.

184. Sabon NYC

Join the Royal Passport to receive a birthday gift.

185. Sephora

Out of the many free stuff on your birthday, Sephora”s giveaways are probably the most popular when it comes to beauty finds.

186. Shiseido

Shop with exciting rewards, get awesome beauty birthday makeup when you create an account here.

187. Smashbox

Join the rewards program, which entitles you to free makeup during your birthday month annually.

188. SK-II

Sign up for the newsletter and receive a complimentary deluxe sample of their bestselling facial treatment, plus a surprise birthday gift.

189. Skinceuticals

Get access to advanced skincare products on your birthday. Make sure to join the newsletter and print out your voucher.

190. Space NK

191. Sally Beauty

Sign-up for the eNewsletter and get an annual cash-amount birthday gift that you can use to purchase awesome Sally Beauty items.

192. Shu Uemura Art of Hair

Receive up to $17 worth of birthday gifts if you become a My Shu Style member.

193. Tarte

Get an exclusive birthday gift from Tarte Cosmetics once you join the Rewards program.

194. The Body Shop

Become a member of “Being a Love Your Body Club” and receive professional, customized skin care advice and $10 each year to spend on your favorite Body Shop products.

195. Too Faced

Create an account on Too Faced and receive a birthday gift annually.

196. Ulta

Join Ultamate Rewards to receive your free birthday set, which includes a lip mask and lip oil. You can claim this gift any day throughout your birthday month.

197. Urban Decay

Become one of the UD Beauty Junkies and claim your birthday surprise every year.

198. Vichy

Take advantage of complimentary samples, free shipping and a birthday surprise containing anti-aging skincare products if you join the Vichy USA newsletter.

199. Victoria’s Secret

Obtain an Angel Card and receive $10 discount on your birthday.

200. Winky Lux

Visit the Winky Lux website, enter your birthday details at the bottom of the page, fill-in some personal details, and be prepared to get a birthday surprise.

201. YSL

Get a free full-sized birthday gift when you sign up to be a YSL Member

Here are More Free Stuff on Your Birthday to Make Your Day Extra Memorable

If you’re interested in bowling and other activities, take advantage of more free stuff on your birthday, including:

202. AMF Bowling

Claim a free game on your birthday if you join AMF’s Pinsiders Club.

203. Disney Movie

Get 100 free points for your birthday when you sign up for Disney Movie Rewards.

204. Olan Mills Portrait Studio

Want to preserve your memories of the day? You can sign up for the Birthday Club and your kids (ages 3 and below) can claim a free package on their birthdays.

205. Redbox

Receive a free birthday movie rental at your nearest Redbox kiosk. Just make sure to sign up for the Redbox Play Pass first.

Get as Much Free Stuff on Your Birthday as You Can

Whether today’s your birthday or you have one fast approaching, I do hope you have a great day!

Hopefully this list helps make it extra special.

Note that restaurants and other businesses end or change their promotions often, so consider this list of free stuff on your birthday as a guide. I’ll try to update this often, but if you see a birthday freebie changes, please let me know.

Have fun with these birthday freebies! Let me know which ones you claim!

How to Start an Affiliate Marketing Business and Actually See Success

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Last Updated:August 21, 2018

Okay, by now, we’ve all seen affiliate marketing images like this online:

They’re usually attached to an article claiming affiliate marketing is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

And now, you’re interested in how to start an affiliate marketing business and start pulling in some of that sweet, six-figure income.

If done right, this business model can lead to passive income (who doesn’t want to make money while asleep?), freedom to do what you want when you want, and more control over your life.

I’ve been extremely blessed to have affiliate marketing be my sole source of income since 2009. I know the blessings that it can bring. I also know the challenges, struggles, and hardships as well.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is one of the most cost-effective businesses you can start online.

The general idea is you build a website, help connect people with the information they are searching for online, then hand them off to the retailer. The retailer then pays you a percentage of the sale as a commission.

Your website works for you 24/7 without a human manning your site and can pull earnings in around the clock. You have a never-ending list of products and services to promote. And, my personal favorite, you don’t even have to worry about inventory, storage, customer service, handling, shipping and other day-to-day operational issues faced by ecommerce stores.

In this business model, you (as an affiliate) earn with just a couple of steps:

You promote another person’s or company’s product or service on your blog, social media accounts, YouTube, online ad, or other online platforms of your choice.
If one of your followers clicks on the affiliate link and then buys the affiliate product or subscribe to an affiliate service that you’ve promoted, this transaction is credited to you.
The affiliate program then computes all conversions and sends commissions your way.

The concept is actually pretty simple and has been used in businesses long before the internet even existed.

In the past, referral commissions are given to people who bring new customers to a company. The main difference in today’s affiliate marketing is that you use a traceable link when promoting a product/service and the affiliate program uses a browser cookie to track the shopper’s purchases before the cookie expires.

How much capital do you need to start an Affiliate Marketing business?

If you’re just on the planning stages of your online business and can’t dive into affiliate marketing just yet in fear of a high startup capital, you’d be amazed that this make-money-online model allows you to operate at virtually no cost.

Of course, as you earn commissions and expand your business, it’s inevitable that expenses will creep up as well.

To jump right into the world of affiliate marketing, you’ll need:

Domain name – A domain name is the name of your website. It is the address internet users type in to access your site, instead of entering the numerical IP address. If you don’t have a hosting provider yet, you can get a free domain name with any of the shared hosting packages on BlueHost. If you already have hosting, you can purchase a domain a la cart for as low as $9 per year.
Hosting – This is where your new website will be hosted. You can start with just the most-basic plans of popular hosting companies. For example, Bluehost’s Basic shared plan already has a free domain included, plus everything you need to begin your affiliate marketing journey. It’s priced normally around $8, but is often on sale at $4/month. Like all hosting providers, the longer subscription you pay upfront, the bigger your savings.

Keyword Research Tool – Any serious affiliate marketer should invest in a keyword research tool (we use Jaaxy for ours). This will be your secret weapon for successful campaigns with your pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and SEO (search engine optimization) efforts. It helps you come up with ideas for content, keywords, and niches.
Marketing techniques – You might incur additional monthly expenses based on the marketing technique you choose to use.
- E-mail marketing – One of the best ways to nurture leads is to run an e-mail campaign. There’s no other e-mail tool better than AWeber, which starts at about $19/month and goes up to $200 or more (depending on the number of subscriptions).
- Pay-per-click – Another effective way of attracting customers to your affiliate site is to advertise or pay for PPC. You don’t have to go far to look for this one, since Google’s own paid advertising can already do wonders on its own. Fees are only in cents per-click, but this adds up pretty quickly, so expect to shell out $50 or more for a low-budget campaign.
Content and media – If you have a knack for writing, or is good with photography or Photoshop, then you can save some money and do these yourself. But if for any reason (lack of skill or time) you can’t create content or media like photos and videos, there are people willing to do them for you. You can hire freelancers either by the hour or on a flat fee.
- Copyright Photos – You can also buy ready-made images straight off sites like Dreamstime and other stock photography sites for as low as $2/photo. Another option, you can use CC0 licensed images for free through a service like Pexels.

You don’t need to buy every affiliate marketing course you could get your hands on. Stick with just one highly-recommended training and go from there.

This is important not only to keep you from getting overloaded with information, but also to spend more time actually working on your affiliate site rather than being stuck at the planning stage forever.

If you play your cards right, you’d be able to build a fully functional affiliate website with just under $100.

How much can you earn from Affiliate Marketing?

There aren’t any set limits here. Some affiliates see $10 per month, others see $100,000. You can fall anywhere in between.

The beauty of this business is if you have a website that gets highly ranked in Google, you can earn money for months, or even years, long after you created the content.

You can put in a few hours of work today, and continue to profit off of that for years to come.

The amount you make depends largely on these five factors:

1) Your Keyword Research and SEO Game – Keyword research should begin the second you decide to build an affiliate marketing business from scratch. This business model may seem like it could adapt to a “come as you go” method. In reality, the better researched your niche is, the higher chances your affiliate site would succeed.

Search engine optimization (SEO) comes into play once your website is live. Both on-page SEO (steps you can do from the site to make it search engine-friendly) and off-page SEO (things you can do on third-party sites to make your website more attractive to search engines) are important.

Both your keyword research and SEO game should be on point, and continuously conducted throughout the life of your affiliate sites.

2) Pay-per-click Ads – PPC is a powerful type of advertising that can drastically improve sales on ecommerce websites. When it comes to affiliate marketing, using PPC ads is completely optional, but if you want your business to expand quickly and bring in more targeted traffic, pay-per-click ads are the best route to take.

Of course, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with AdWords, Facebook Ads, and other popular PPC ads, master effective copywriting techniques, and find the perfect balance with low cost per click and high conversion number.

3) Number of Affiliate Links and Product Features Posted – Every time you post a product feature with its respective affiliate link, you get a chance for a commission. The more posts you publish with different products (and affiliate links), the likelihood of someone buying from your links increase over time. Now imagine you’ve religiously added a unique product post daily for an entire year – you have 365 links that are readily available for your readers to click.

Of course, when you expand your affiliate marketing business from one website to two (or more), your earning potential multiplies as well.

4) The Site’s Niche – Check out Commission Junction and Clickbank… and you’ll see that there is virtually an endless list of products you can promote. However, the “Best-Selling” or “Top Products” from affiliate networks shouldn’t be the only deciding factor when picking your site’s niche. Choosing a niche for your affiliate site should involve more research and analysis than that. After all, the success of your site relies mostly on your topic’s level of demand and how well you take advantage of your readers’ needs.

5) Marketing Effort Done – Marketing your website everywhere helps in increasing traffic to the site. And when traffic shoots up, more people are able to read your content and decide if the product or service you’re promoting is worth checking out. As a result of the amount of marketing effort you commit, your chances of earning commissions increase with every person that visits your site.

As you can see, your earning potential from affiliate sites has no limit, as long as you put in the work for research, traffic generation and marketing. Of course, you’d have to invest in the right niche to maximize your site’s growth.

How do you become an affiliate marketer?

There is no master plan to build and run an affiliate marketing business that fits everyone’s budget and goals. You’ll be deciding on multiple issues, from the number of websites to create, to the method of traffic generation, advertising and other major decisions that can affect your business.

The steps below follow only the basics. You can definitely change some of the steps, if you have a higher budget to use, or decide to expand into two or more affiliate sites.

1. Brainstorm and gather ideas.

Planning should always be the first step when drawing up any kind of business. Even if affiliate marketing operates completely online, it should still be considered as a full-blown business and given ample time for research.

If you’re lost which idea you should be checking out, stick with what you know, what you’re passionate about, and products you can’t live without. Whether you’re planning to expand a generic product (such as “fitness toys for dogs”) or focus on a specific brand (such as FitPAWS), it’s essential that you know what the competition is like if you decide to go through with such a topic.

You should also be checking out if these branded products offer affiliate programs. If not, move on to another idea. If so, do a bit of research and determine if this niche can provide years-long of topics or unlimited number of products to feature.

Use tools. One awesome (yet completely free) tool you should use when brainstorming niche ideas is the Google AdWords Keyword Planner. While predominantly used for AdWords and PPC, you’ll love the detailed information provided, which includes average CPC, competition level, and more.
Test your ideas. The cool thing about affiliate marketing is that you don’t have to build a website first to find out if your idea is viable. Instead, you can join affiliate networks, browse products that fall under your chosen niche, and conduct research to see if these products would “sell.” Find what is trending online to see what ideas would bring more money to the table.
Decide on a niche. You can only go so far when it comes to your initial research. But once you find a niche that you are passionate about and have potential for growth, go for it.

2. Build your website.

There are a couple of decisions you’d have to make when creating a website for your affiliate marketing business. For example, the platform you choose could slow down page loads, which in turn, affect your site’s ranking. This will reduce its ability to become a click-worthy affiliate site.

Other considerations when building a website include:

Domain name and hosting: As we’ve mentioned earlier, the domain name and hosting make up the basic requirement to set up a website. You’ll spend a lot of time coming up with a user-friendly domain name and comparing hosting packages. Don’t take these decisions lightly.
The platform: You have several options for your site’s platform, including your hosting provider’s built-in website builder that features drag-and-drop style site creator perfect for beginners, or coding the website from scratch (which provides the most flexible option when it comes to customization but require advanced HTML and programming skills). The most popular platform used across the board is WordPress. It’s the industry standard and used by a third of every website online.
The website layout: You can make affiliate marketing work no matter what website layout you choose. For example, if you’d like your site to look more like an online store similar to the popular Odditymall, nothing is stopping you to do so. There’s no rule preventing site owners from showcasing affiliate products this way. Many affiliate marketers choose a blog layout instead, often writing product information or reviews along with links going to the store.

3. Choose the right affiliate network.

Affiliate marketing has been around since the late 1990s, which is why you shouldn’t be surprised that there are dozens of affiliate networks beyond the ever-so-popular Amazon and ClickBank.

There is no right or wrong affiliate network, but your choice would depend on these three things:

1. The products you wish to promote

ClickBank is known for handling the affiliate programs of digital products like ebooks, software and even membership sites. So if you wish to promote toys, clothing, or other products on your website, ClickBank wouldn’t be the most appropriate network to join.Amazon Associates continue to be the choice of people new to affiliate marketing, since Amazon has thousands of products readily available at any given time.

If your website isn’t a made-for-affiliate marketing site, you’d have to be careful in promoting products that reflect your niche and values. For instance, a beauty blog couldn’t just recommend a kitchen item or online marketing ebook out of the blue. This blog, however, would do much better with affiliate links that come from a shop like Sephora.

2. Commission per sale

All the work you do promoting third-party products shouldn’t be in vain. You have to understand that commissions in affiliate marketing aren’t guaranteed – you’d have to make sure your blog has traffic first, and that you’re able to encourage people to click the affiliate link. From there, you’d have to cross your fingers that these people buy something from the affiliate network so you can earn a cut from the sale.

Every affiliate program offers different commission rates (along with rules that you should know). For example, some programs give out 20% commission, but only on the exact product you posted on your site. In other affiliate programs, you’d receive commissions from any product sale the referred person bought from the store, as long as he/she completed a full checkout within a specific period of time. For example as an Amazon Associate, you are given a 24 hour cookie window.

3. Cookie period given to affiliates

Cookie period is the time wherein affiliates can still be credited for commissions. It is set by the affiliate network. The browser cookie links a sale to you whenever your site visitor clicks on a particular affiliate link and makes a purchase. The cookie period refers to the time they reach the destination website to the actual time they purchased something from the store.

So if you read 90-day cookie period, it means you’ll get a commission if your site visitor makes a purchase in 90 days or less after clicking your affiliate link. The longer cookie period an affiliate program/network offers, the higher your chances for revenue.

4. Develop your content strategy.

Now that you’ve decided on a niche and affiliate network, you probably have a good idea of the products you’re going to feature on your affiliate site. Before you go on a publishing spree, make sure you create a workable strategy and put it on writing. This doesn’t have to be perfect, since you can adjust it as you go along, but it makes a whole lot of difference if you follow some sort of guide.

Content refers to everything from product reviews, features, images, videos, infographics and other types of media. This strategy may include topics for future publishing, products to prioritize, search engine optimization tasks, categorization, and more. You can list them down on a spreadsheet, on paper, or even on a to-do list app.

Developing a content strategy is particularly useful for team collaborations. If you’re planning to outsource writing, SEO, or website management, this guide will help keep things organized.

5. Write content.

Including this as a step is kind of unfair.

Once you get and idea picked out and your website setup, creating content is going to be your sole focus for the remainder of your affiliate marketing business.

If you’re planning to create content on your own, you’ll have to commit to it wholeheartedly because the life of your affiliate marketing business relies on regularly-published content. If you’re planning to hire someone to craft the content for you, that’s totally OK too. Either way, here are awesome tips you could follow when it comes to creating content for your affiliate marketing site:

Strive to become an authority. It doesn’t matter if your niche is the silliest topic in the world, as long as you’re “THE” site to check out when it comes to everything about fidget spinning (or whatever niche you decided to focus on), then your website is a success. To become an authority within your niche, you have to be consistent with publishing content, provide value to your readers, and make it a goal to earn your readers’ trust.
If you can test the product first, do it. There’s a reason why many affiliate marketers stick to digital products – they’re cheaper to buy, test and review. But if you can find a way to get a hold of the product first before promoting it to your readers, your post about that particular product would hold much more value since you’ve tested it firsthand. You don’t even have to buy it – some manufacturers would gladly ship out a product free if you’re already an authority in your industry.
Tackle content beyond your website, too! Aside from your website, you’ll also need to think about content for email campaigns, social media, and other marketing techniques you’re going to use (more on this on the next step).

Don’t get stuck on your niche forever. Once you feel that your level of authority has risen a few notches, try to discover sub-niches that’s related to your topic. For example, if your niche is weight loss exercises, you can tackle supplements or diet food as well.

If you’re having writer’s block, here are 20 article ideas to get you out of it.

6. Expand your traffic-generating techniques.

Unfortunately, people won’t magically find your website out of the millions of websites around. It’s either you pay to get traffic directed to your site, or you spend time marketing your website all over the web. And your website definitely needs visits from real people. Tons of them, if you’re hoping to earn from affiliate marketing.

Here are some tried-and-tested ways of generating traffic to an affiliate marketing site:

E-mail marketing – When done properly, an email marketing campaign can be a powerful tool of increasing visitors to your blog. You can even hire email marketing specialists if you want a campaign done right for you.
Social media campaign – Consider each website as a company and open up social media accounts for each of your site. Keep these accounts updated regularly.
Two-way guest blogging – You can invite other people to write on your blog and you can start guest-blogging on other people’s websites. It’s a win-win situation, especially if you have valuable information to share. With this technique, your goal is to encourage visitors from other blogs to visit yours, and build a rapport among other bloggers.
Conduct on-page and off-page SEO – Performing SEO tasks improve a website’s chances of getting into the first page of search engine results. Not sure where to start? Check out these 20 elements that could help make your site SEO-friendly.
Expand your network – Get to know other affiliate marketers within your niche. Make friends with other bloggers. Follow other authority figures on their respective social media accounts. These small tasks add up in time and before you know it, your network of connections can become pretty impressive.
Build a small community – Take care of your readers. They’re the ones who will turn into buyers and allow you to get a cut from their purchase. Reply back on reader’s comments. Answer their e-mails. Make them feel welcome on any page of your site.
Check out competition – Don’t be scared of your competition. Research them. Learn about their marketing techniques and copy what works (then scratch what doesn’t). Try to find out what lacks on your competitor’s site and offer it on your site.

7. Understand your audience

If you’re serious about your affiliate marketing business, you’ll need to learn everything you can about the numbers and data. There are two non-negotiable analytics that you should master:

On-site Analytics (preferably Google Analytics) – It’s free and can be easily integrated with WordPress and other website platforms. Google Analytics lets you see bounce rates, sources of traffic, keywords used to land your site, and a whole lot more. You can use this information in developing your topics that your readers like best and improve traffic of your site.
Analytics of Affiliate Program/Network – Almost all the major affiliate networks have their own analytics tool to help you check conversions, commissions and everything related to your account. Pay attention to the small details. It would help you figure out which products to feature next.

There are other paid analytics tools available, usually included as part of internet marketing programs, but these two would work pretty well.

Aside from data, you need to understand that these are real people coming to visit your site.

You are never going to succeed if you just push out poorly written content, filled with affiliate links.

The Bottom Line

Here are the steps you need to take to build a successful affiliate marketing business:

Brainstorm and gather ideas.
Build your website.
Choose the right affiliate network.
Develop your content strategy.
Write content.
Expand your traffic-generating techniques.
Understand your audience.

Like any kind of business, affiliate marketing requires hard, consistent work.

Don’t believe anyone who tells you that you can become rich overnight with an affiliate marketing site. However, there are several advantages of this business model over traditional brick-and-mortar businesses.

For one, you don’t need a lot of capital. If you’ve got a knack for writing, you can do everything yourself and learn the rest from editing photos to setting up a WordPress site through research. After all, the internet has given us everything we need to build a successful affiliate marketing site.

According to Internet Advertising Bureau, affiliate marketing represented 6% of the United Kingdom’s online economy in 2012 (that’s about £9 billion in sales).

The future of affiliate marketing doesn’t seem to wane, even in 2018. But as Google and other search engines continue to put value towards sites with high-quality content, your goal is to up your game to compete with older websites and relentlessly provide value to your readers no matter what products you’re planning to promote.

Have any questions before you get started?

Affiliate marketing has been my sole source of income since 2009.

If you have any questions about what it takes to get started, just leave me a comment below and I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

SnagAJob.com Review — Is it a Scam?

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Last Updated:August 21, 2018

In today’s economy, it’s hard to ignore any way of finding work.

Legitimate work from home jobs are really hard to come by.

If you’re unemployed, you can become desperate in your search.

Unfortunately, there are people out there who are willing to take advantage of you and can do so easily because you’re in a vulnerable state.

We see new fake job ads up pop up by the thousands.

These scams can cost you a lot of money, your personal information, and in some cases, even your identity.

Scammers know you’re trying to find work and an “open position” is an easy way to get unsuspecting individuals to send in their private information by the thousands.

Is SnagAJob.com Legit or a Scam?

One such company that has come under fire as of late is SnagAJob.com.

A quick search on their name will yield hundreds of complaints against the company.

I’ve been reading through quite a few these past couple of days and want to give you an overview of what to look out for.

I won’t be signing up for this personally because I don’t agree with how they handle private information.

Keep reading and you’ll see what I mean.

Complaints Against SnagAJob

They May Sell Your Personal Information

By and large, the most complaints regarding SnagAJob are the unwanted phone calls and emails.

In order to apply for jobs, you need to supply SnagAJob with a lot of your personal information.

There are also questionnaires and short surveys to fill out to see if you qualify for the position.

Among the questions asked are offers from 3rd party companies for career advancement opportunities like online schooling.

If you aren’t careful with your answers, your name and phone number could find it’s way into the hands of a number of different telemarketing companies.

It’s not uncommon to see other SnagAJob.com users complaining about the number of unwanted emails and phone calls that come in after creating an account and applying for jobs.

A common complaint…

Snagajob is NOT a place if you are looking for a job. They will ask you hundred questions, and offers they make, you have to uncheck one by one, after you spend an hour and hit submit application, all you see, “your application can not be submitted”. But interestingly you will receive thousands of different offers just because you forgot to uncheck one of their hundred offers. I have serious doubts about the number of opening they show on the search results. If you go to the stores they show there are openings, most of them will tell you “No, there are no openings here”.

Unwanted Sales Pitches

Among the phone calls are company sales pitches.

There are quite a few comments from users who have received telemarketing calls trying to sell them an education to the University of Phoenix or an online art institute.

Granted, these same people may have signed up and left the box checked that very clearly states “Yes, I am interested in furthering my education and would like to learn about opportunities.”

A common complaint…

After completing the application, I hit submit. But instead of giving me a verification page or email, it sent me to a page on Phoenix Online trying to get me to take classes through a program. I was extremely frustrated that all I had done was sold my information to a bunch of third parties, and now for the past 4 weeks we’ve been harassed by telemarketers and Phoenix University reps.

Outdated Job Postings/Non-Existent Jobs

The biggest offender in this list is the fact that a lot of the job postings may not even be real.

I compared a few of the job ads on SnagAJob to the ‘Careers’ section directly on the company’s web site and found about half the time, they weren’t hiring for the job that’s being advertised.

I even saw a job posting for a business that shut down a month ago. I can’t reasonably expect SnagAJob to police every job ad, but an expiration date on postings and a little moderation would be nice.

A common complaint…

On several of the applications that i had sent out in my area it stated not to contact the employer, i would receive an email back saying i was not qualified for the position. Hard to believe that a Food and Beverage Manager of 5 years is not qualified to be a barista at Starbucks! So, i decided to go to the Starbucks, at the location that Snag a job assured was hiring baristas and management, only to find out that they WERE NOT hiring nor are they affiliated, in any way, with Snagajob.com. I then decided to visit some of the other companies that i was deemed not qualified, and received the same answer.

Ad or job lead?

SnagAJob also lists ads among their job listings.

Take for example this ad for Uber:

snagajob fake jobs

They should at least mark ads as such.

Praise for SnagAJob

Not all comments regarding SnagAJob are negative.

There are legitimate job postings there and this is backed up by people claiming to have found jobs through the service.

Employers themselves have chimed in to say that they’ve posted job ads and received large lists of qualified candidates. After all, the focus of the site IS connecting employers with prospective employees.

From an employer…

I am part of a legitimate restaurant franchise using snagajob.com to hire hourly employees. For this purpose, it is very effective. I receive far more qualified applicants via snagajob than say a posting on Craigslist. Yes, there are a lot of surplus opportunities to sign up for on snagajob which becomes a bit of a nuisance to applicants. However you can simply hit the skip button at the bottom of these ads and continue on with the application. Ulitmately, it’s all about getting a job. We have hired many people from this service, so don’t worry about using it if that is what your intentions are.

A Trusted Alternative

The problem with SnagaJob is there are too many advertisements masquerading as legitimate job offers.

I’d suggest looking at a site like FlexJobs where they personally examine every single posting and make sure only legitimate jobs come through.

You can pay as little as $5 per month for a subscription.

Yes, it’s a paid option, but you are paying someone to basically do thousands of hours of research on your behalf.

Plus a membership is tax-deductible and they offer a 100% satisfaction refund guarantee. If you are unable to find a job, or just don’t like it, you can cancel and get your money back at any time.

The mantra of “never pay for a job” still holds true. This is more like paying someone to filter through the piles of garbage to find you something worthwhile instead.

The Bottom Line

It’s a mixed bag. SnagAJob appears to feature both legitimate job positions and ones that are a little less legitimate or even non-existent.

My advice: take SnagAJob with a healthy grain of salt. Use the site to browse open positions and then go directly to the employers website to see if a position is actually available and apply right through them.

With this method, you’ll keep your personal information private, you’ll be applying to jobs you KNOW exist, and you won’t have to worry about getting bombarded with unwanted messages.

Do you have any experience with SnagAJob.com? Please leave a comment below and let us know about it.

What is Wealthy Affiliate? Answers to All Your Pressing Questions

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Published On: August 9, 2018

You know how they say time flies?

I’m coming up on my 10 year anniversary of being a Wealthy Affiliate member.

That’s an entire decade of my life dedicated to being an active member of their community and using their training to help build my business.

A lot has changed in ten years to say the least. Wealthy Affiliate in 2009 was much more primitive and didn’t offer even a quarter of the features they have today.

What is Wealthy Affiliate?

Wealthy Affiliate is an online platform that offers the training and tools you need to build a website and make money.

The owners, Kyle & Carson, use videos and tutorials to break down the process behind getting your own income producing site up and running. Their emphasis has always been to make it as easy as possible for anyone to follow.

The only way it would be easier to create a website would be if Kyle or Carson physically came to your house and did it for you.

That’s not really an option, so for now, you just have to follow along and do the work yourself.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is best described with an example.

Let’s say it’s December 31st and you haven’t come up with a New Year’s Resolution yet.

The clock is ticking and under pressure you decide you’re going to walk a minimum of 10 miles per week.

It’s now 11:55PM and you have 5 minutes until that ball drops.

You don’t know how to magically keep track of distances walked in your head, so you pull out your phone and do a quick search to find the best fitness tracker.

You are an astute consumer and want to make sure you get the best value for your money. You pick the #1 fitness tracker on the market at the moment.

You click on the Amazon link (because you have Prime and love that free 2-day shipping, of course) and make a purchase with 30 seconds to spare.

Two days later that fitness band lands on your front porch and you start hitting your walking goals.

What you may not have noticed is the affiliate link you clicked on.

You see, when you clicked on that Amazon link, Amazon was notified you arrived via another website.

Amazon will now pay the originating website a percentage of the sale.

This is called affiliate marketing.

You partner up with companies and send your website visitors to their website.

When they make a purchase, you get a commission.

It’s as simple as that.

Is Wealthy Affiliate for Beginners?

So I used the word simple in the previous line.

I also mentioned some complicated stuff about building a website, partnering with companies like Amazon, and getting visitors to visit your site.

A lot of this can look overwhelming on the surface, but the reality is, there are a lot of tools out there that make this one of the easiest and most cost-effective businesses that you can run.

Wealthy Affiliate was designed with the beginner in mind. Kyle assumes that you know nothing about creating a website or affiliate marketing and will go over everything in extreme detail and provide you with video tutorials so you can “look over his shoulder” as he works.

In addition to this, there is a live chat feature, a technical support team with insanely fast response times, and an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

Odds are, you’ll run into a problem at some point.

I guarantee you that whatever problem you face, it will not be unique. Someone will have encountered it before and will be able to provide you with a fast solution.

The help that’s available at Wealthy Affiliate is really what makes the program shine.

What if I already have a website up and running?

Then Wealthy Affiliate is still for you.

I founded this site in 2007, but didn’t join Wealthy Affiliate until 2009.

In fact, here’s what the site originally looked like…

Hey man, you don’t ask. I won’t tell.

I was making some money with this site before signing up at Wealthy Affiliate, but it wasn’t enough money to live off of.

After joining Wealthy Affiliate, I was able to use the training, community, and relationships there to really help take my site to the next level.

So can you take advantage of Wealthy Affiliate if you already have a website?

Yes, you can.

I’m living proof.

How many members does Wealthy Affiliate have?

Wealthy Affiliate has just over 1.4 million members that have created accounts.

I say “accounts created” and not “active members” for a specific reason.

While that many accounts exist, not everyone uses it every single day. Seeing such a large number can make it seem like you will get lost in the crowd.

But that is not the case at all. All this means is that Wealthy Affiliate has members from all over the world, from all walks of life, and from all levels of experience all working towards one goal: building a successful business online.

These 1.4 million members span 193 different countries. No matter where you are, you’ll fit in at Wealthy Affiliate.

How much does Wealthy Affiliate cost?

There are three different membership levels.

Starter, Premium, and Premium Yearly.

As a Starter member you pay a whopping $0 per month. That’s right, Starter memberships are completely free.

And they are free for life. However, there are some restrictions with a free membership.

You don’t have access to the advanced training modules, hosting websites on your own domain, and enhanced community support.

I like to view Starter as an opportunity to really test-drive the system.

You can get in, see how it handles, and if you like the community and find the training enlightening, then it’s time to upgrade to unlock Wealthy Affiliate’s full potential.

A Wealthy Affiliate premium membership will cost you $19 for the first month and then $49 every month after that and this gives you access to EVERYTHING Wealthy Affiliate has to offer.

There aren’t any upsells within the community. You pay one price for a membership and that’s it.

“But you just said there’s a ‘Premium Yearly’ option!”

I’m getting to that, chill!

What is the Wealthy Affiliate yearly membership?

The Wealthy Affiliate yearly membership is just an opportunity to pay less money for the same membership.

You heard that right.

Both levels of Premium offer all of the same features, one just costs a little less money.

If you were to pay month-to-month, a membership will set you back $588 per year.

However, you can opt to pay for a full-year upfront for only $359.

That’s a savings of $229 over the course of the year. Basically, you are paying for 8 months and getting 4 months free.

The memberships are exactly the same, one is just a much better deal financially. That’s why I always recommend people go yearly if they think they will be around for a while.

Are there any Wealthy Affiliate discounts?

Kind of.

You do get the first month at 60% off, and if you do pay for yearly you do save an additional $229.

Kyle & Carson take it one step further and offer promotional pricing for Wealthy Affiliate every Black Friday at the price of $299 per year.

This drops your total price to around $24 per month, roughly half off.

This offer pops up every year just after Thanksgiving and extends into early December.

It’s a great way to save a few extra bucks on an already incredible membership.

Is Wealthy Affiliate worth it?

Let’s remove the 5,000+ training modules, 24/7 live chat, instant website support team, weekly live webinars, 14 years of experience, and 1.4 million member community and focus on just the website hosting alone.

A website host is just the physical computer (called a server) that “hosts” your website. Your website is stored on a server that is connected to the Internet 24/7 and allows people from all around the world to access your website.

Wealthy Affiliate allows you to create and host 50 different websites on their state-of-the-art servers.

I’ve pulled a screenshot of the closest possible hosting competitor for a simple price comparison…

Yikes.

You are going to be paying $290 PER MONTH if you want to host up to 15 websites. You could maybe get away with the Startup Plan for a little while, but will eventually need the Growth Plan.

However, this is JUST TO HOST YOUR WEBSITE.

None of those prices includes training on what to do with your website once you’ve created it! Yes, the technical support is there, but that’s where it ends.

You will be paying nearly $250 less at Wealthy Affiliate and get access to everything I mentioned above.

So now you tell me, is Wealthy Affiliate worth it?

Does Wealthy Affiliate have an affiliate program of their own?

Yes, you can refer new members to Wealthy Affiliate and get paid to do so.

There are a few ways to make money through Wealthy Affiliate.

If you refer a new Starter member and they fill out their account profile, you get paid $1.

If that Starter member decides to join Premium, you get $8 for their first month.

If that Premium member sticks around longer, you get paid $23.50 each month they remain a member.

And if that active member decides to go yearly, you get paid a whopping $175.

Are you happy with Wealthy Affiliate?

I started this post telling you that I’ve been a member there for 10 years now.

It’s hard to continue to pay for something for 10 years and not enjoy it!

While I do hold some criticisms of Wealthy Affiliate (be sure to check out my full Wealthy Affiliate review), overall I am extremely satisfied with the platform that Kyle & Carson built.

I have been reviewing various work at home and affiliate marketing programs since 2007. I can count on one-hand the number of programs that I would seriously recommend. Wealthy Affiliate has been at the top of that list since I joined back in 2009.

The main reason is they continue to improve the service, add new features, update the training, and simply blow everything else out of the water.

There is no other business out there that you can start for less than $50 per month and earn enough to replace your full-time job.

Plus, you can try everything for free with a Starter membership.

What are you waiting for?

(If you have any other questions, leave a comment below. I’d be happy to answer anything you send in!)

Use One of These 5 Selling Apps to Get the Most Money for Your Stuff

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Published On: August 3, 2018

Have you looked into selling apps to try and get rid of some of the stuff you’ve hoarded over the years?

There are a lot of options that can leave you completely overwhelmed.

The goal here is to find the best app to sell stuff quickly, cheaply, and to get the most money for your unwanted items.

These apps are mainly designed to sell stuff you have laying around the house locally.

If you are more looking to run a selling business, or you have a lot of inventory you need to move, you may want to look into becoming an Amazon seller and letting Amazon deal with the selling, shipping, and customer service.

Problems Using Apps to Sell Stuff

There are a few drawbacks to using apps to sell your stuff.

Don’t expect to list an item and get full asking price immediately.

These are just some realistic experiences you will face so it’s best to be prepared for the types of interactions that come along with app selling.

Most of these problems will just waste your time, but if you aren’t careful, you can lose your items (or even worse, your cash) to scam artists.

1. Prepare to Haggle

With zero face-to-face communication, everyone becomes an expert at haggling.

Prepare yourself to receive some ridiculous low-ball offers, even if you list your items with a “firm” price.

Interactions like this are not uncommon.

2. Prepare to be Stood Up

Even if you find a buyer, there is still the chance that they simply won’t show up to pick up the item.

You can try and reach out to them, but I stick with the one chance approach.

Your time is valuable and if they don’t respect that, it’s not worth the trouble.

You could always offer to deliver the item, but make sure you tack on an extra cost.

Gas ain’t free yo.

3. Prepare for Selling Apps Scam Artists

This is the big one.

Scammers are taking to these apps to either steal the items from you via shipping scams, or even worse, using fake checks to steal money from you on top of it.

Never ever ever EVER agree to receive a check and then either ship the item somewhere or return a portion of the check back to the sender.

Scammers will often send out fake checks that will bounce after a few weeks, leaving you high and dry.

They are incredibly easy to catch though. The scammer will often approach you with a price that’s ABOVE what you’ve listed the item. Yes, they offer to send you more money than you’re asking.

Basically, use your common sense:

Never agree to receive anything other than cash.
Stick with local buyers.
And agree to meetup in a safe location or with a friend of family member present.

Follow those three simple rules and you will run into no issues selling your stuff.

What’s the best app to sell stuff?

Well, that depends entirely on what your selling.

Each app below will have its pros and cons depending on the item you’re trying to list.

Personally, I like to deal locally and in-cash. I’m an instant gratification kind of guy. There’s nothing quite like going through stuff I was planning to simply throw out and receiving cash in hand for it.

The biggest drawback to using an app to sell your stuff is that you can also buy things. You could possibly end up with MORE stuff than when you started.

Keep a cool head, remind yourself that you don’t need that Bud Ice Penguin Neon Sign from their super effective 90’s ad campaign and you’ll be fine.

On second hand, maybe you should buy it.

5 Best Selling Apps to Help You Get Money for Your Stuff

I’ve found that there are 5 main reasons you would use an app to sell things.

You can sell locally, nationally, instantly, clothes, and books.

One of these 5 apps will cover basically anything you can sell online and help you get the best possible price.

1. Letgo: Best App For Selling Locally

Letgo is going to be your best chance to sell your stuff using an app.

They have quickly become a household name with an estimated 45 million app downloads and 20 million active monthly users.

Aside from craigslist, Letgo will get your items in front of more faces than any other app.

However, Letgo is more of just a show-room, meaning they do not let you actually sell your items directly through the app.

Instead, they will connect you with local buyers and you will need to agree on a price and a time to meet in order to facilitate the sale.

It’s incredibly easy to get started. You find what you want to sell, take a picture of it (Letgo can even determine WHAT you are selling just by the picture and categorize it accordingly), set a price, and wait for the offers to roll in.

As always, be smart, use common sense, and agree to meet in a safe location. Letgo doesn’t handle your money so you will not lose a percentage of the sale.

2. Offerup: Best App For Selling Nationally

Offerup could once be considered Letgo’s little brother.

However, as of May 2018, they have made huge advancements in the selling apps game and now offer buyers to ship their products to sellers across the US.

This opens up your products to basically the entire country and will let people from coast to coast see what you’re selling.

You can still deal with local sellers only and stick to cash, but if you are comfortable shipping your stuff, OfferUp is the way to go.

The process is roughly the same as Letgo. Download the app, take a picture, set a price, converse with buyers, and make the sale.

3. Decluttr: Best App For Selling Stuff Instantly

Not interested in dealing with local creeps and lowballers?

Decluttr is the solution you need.

Decluttr allows you to sell your old CDs, DVDs, books, text books, cell phones, tech products, Legos, and a lot more instantly.

You download the app and scan the items you want to sell. Decluttr will tell you price they are willing to pay for them and will send you a free shipping label to send your stuff directly to them.

Once your box arrives, Decluttr will send you your payment instantly.

Decluttr allows you to dump your old stuff in a box, drop it in the mail, and get a nice payment for it.

It’s as easy as it gets.

4. Poshmark: Best App For Selling Clothes

If you’ve got a pile of clothes that don’t fit anymore (because you’ve crushed your New Year’s Resolution to drop 25 pounds obviously) and are taking up too much room in your closet, Poshmark is for you.

Poshmark mainly deals in women’s clothes and accessories, but you will find all kinds of categories including: men’s, children’s, handbags, shoes, makeup, and jewelry.

The app works the same as all the others.

Take a picture, list it in the marketplace, and wait for a buyer.

Poshmark does have a national audience. This means you will be shipping your products to a customer once you have a buyer.

You will not have to worry about shipping costs though. Poshmark will send you a pre-paid label for expedited shipping.

You will also have purchase protections and the added bonus of not having to find a time a place to meet someone in person.

There are fees unfortunately. Poshmark will take $2.95 on sales under $15 and 20% of the sale price for anything over $15.

You can also opt to keep your money on Poshmark and make more purchases there, essentially trading your clothes for other clothes or accessories. You have all this extra room now, why not splurge?

5. Bookscouter: Best App For Selling Books

With Bookscoutr, you give them the ISBN of the book you want to sell, and they instantly search 42 different vendors to find you the best possible price for your old books.

You don’t have to worry about finding the best price yourself, Bookscoutr handles all of that.

Most college bookstores will offer to buy back your textbooks for pennies on the dollar.

It’s insane how much they charge you to buy them and for how little they’ll give you in return.

Check with Bookscoutr first to get the best possible prices for all of your old books and textbooks.

You can also search for new ones to buy. The search works both ways and will search the same vendors and give you the lowest possible prices.

The Bottom Line

Finding the right app to sell your old junk shouldn’t be difficult.

No matter which app you choose, you’ll be receiving money for things that would have otherwise sat there and collected dust.

You’ll have more room and more money.

Just don’t use this as an opportunity to buy more stuff.

How to Get Paid to Design and Sell T-shirts Online

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Published On: July 27, 2018

If you’ve got an eye for style and want to design and sell t-shirts as an online business, you’d be surprised how easy and beginner-friendly this niche has become.

In fact, there are several ways you can launch a shirt business online.

These methods vary based on the effort you’re willing to put into it, the amount of capital you have, and the business model you prefer.

There are two parts to every t-shirt business:

The designing part (which involves your creativity)
The business side (which includes marketing and selling the shirts)

These days, you only need to possess one of the skills to start making money selling t-shirts.

For example, if you know your way around Illustrator, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop, and other traditional design software, you can go a long way with various t-shirt design styles.

You don’t even have to be good at selling, since some websites host your designs for a fee and market your designs for you.

On the other hand, if you have a bigger capital fund with strong business skills, you can hire an impressive shirt designer and handle the online selling afterward.

Step 1: Design a Custom T-Shirt

Those who are banking on their creativity to launch an online t-shirt business will most likely use Illustrator, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop, any vector-based designing program, or a combination of two or more traditional design software.

If you prefer using built-in shirt design platforms that come with sites like TeeSpring, then you have to master their particular designing platform instead.

If you wish to hire a t-shirt designer either part-time, full-time or on a per-design basis, you could find endless talents on design communities like Deviantart, Dribble, or Behance, among others.

Some of these artists may not be for hire though, so if you want to be sure, you may scout from freelance sites like Fiverr or Upwork.

You can even find people who are already selling t-shirt designs for a living.

Aside from the image editing or graphic design software, you also have to consider three important things:

a. Determine Your T-Shirt Niche

Ask anyone in the t-shirt printing business and he/she will say that the industry is saturated.

However, this statement changes when you land into a niche worth exploring. The niche could be anything from pop song lyrics with a cat’s meow twist or band logos featuring a unique customization…as long as it appeals a specific market.

Your chosen niche can even be as common as “funny statement shirts,” but with a unique category such as “funny shirts for architects.”

This may seem hard to brainstorm, but once you’ve hit gold on an idea, you’ll know it instantly.

b. Develop Your T-Shirt Brand

You don’t have to compete with global brands like Guess or Givenchy, but your shirts do need to have its own personality to grab your customers’ attention.

Big companies create mission and vision statement before their launch because these serve as guidelines about what your company believes and wants to share to the world.

As a t-shirt printing business, branding is vital to create recognition, build customer trust, guide your advertising and marketing efforts, build financial value to your products, and generate future business.

Branding gives your shirts a distinct personality that customers won’t find anywhere else.

c. Decide on Your T-Shirt Printing

Before you tackle the design and sell t-shirts online, you’ll be faced with operational decisions like this one.

The type of printing to use is a big decision, especially if you are planning to manufacture the shirts on your own (below, we’ll discuss the other option where you don’t have to do anything beyond designing your shirts).

There are several printing methods used in the t-shirt business, but these three are the most popular:

Screen printing – You can start small with just basic screens and paint, or go big with massive screen-printing setups. This method is the most labor-intensive, but it is also the most cost effective (especially if you’re working on bulk projects and with minimal colors). As more and more colors are required for a specific shirt design, screen printing becomes an expensive production method. `
Heat transfer – This method requires a heat press machine, which means you have to shell out for equipment upfront. The advantage of this method is that you can “print” a full-colored design on a single shirt or dozens of shirts with the same costs so this means you can print on demand. The problem, however, is that heat transfer-produced shirts are known to chip quicker than prints from screen printing.
Direct-to-garment – Ideal for designs with intricate details or numerous colors, this method is similar to your inkjet printer at home. A DTG prints the design directly onto the shirt, so expect a higher accuracy and unlimited color options. Unfortunately, the problem with this method is that it isn’t cost effective for bulk printing.

You can use 100% cotton for shirts, or go with the industry-standard cotton/polyester blend.

Note that if you’re going with the heat press route, you need to add pressing time if you’re planning to use 100% cotton shirts. Finding a good shirt supplier is another task you’d have to check.

Step 2: Sell Your Custom Shirts Online

Now that you have chosen your niche and decided on branding, you have to figure out how to sell your shirts. Here are 3 options for selling your t-shirts online:

a. Create a website, sell your shirts there

It’s super easy to create an online store these days. With ecommerce platforms like Shopify that allow even beginners to build a website with just several clicks, anyone can start selling in just an hour of set-up.

If you’re familiar with WordPress, HTML or a way to create websites from scratch, then you can do-it-yourself as well and customize the store to your heart’s content.

Cost-wise, you might need to spend anywhere from zero to $20/month in operating an online store. This is on top of the t-shirt printing equipment and supplies.

This route is best for t-shirt companies with its own following, or a startup with a huge upfront capital. It works for entrepreneurs with experience in this field and overall business knowledge.

The advantage of having your own website is that you are totally in control of prices, shipping procedures, promotions, and marketing.

Your brand is also safe from possible closure in the future (some sites do shut down and any hosted stores may be included).

b. Create your design and sell them at t-shirt marketplaces

You still design the shirts and handle production, which means you’d still require capital for equipment, labor, and supplies.

However, instead of working to spread word about your website and sell your t-shirts to the right audience (as with the first route), you join marketplaces like Etsy and sell your products there.

With sites like TeeSpring and SunFrog, you create an account, upload your t-shirt designs and let the company handle everything else (from printing, processing, shipping and post-sale customer support) whenever a customer buys your design.

These sites get a cut from every sale though.

Good thing you have total control about prices, but since there is a lot of competition within the site, reducing prices to compete may be your only choice.

The advantage of this route is that you can jump right into the marketplace even if you’re just new to the industry.

The customers are already there.

However, the problem with these sites is that they require a minimum amount order per design, which means they only print out your design if 10 or more people order within a given timeframe.

c. Drop-ship your shirt designs via a PoD vendor

In this method, you create t-shirt designs, then upload your portfolio at a print-on-demand vendor like Zazzle, DeviantArt, Threadless, Cafepress, and more. (Read about the pros and cons of each print-on-demand t-shirt vendor here).

Unlike t-shirt marketplaces that has a minimum order, print-on-demand vendors “print” your designs even with just a single order.

PoD vendors also get commissions with each sale, so choose which vendor works best for you. The great thing about these vendors is that you can expand your products from just t-shirts to practically anything (mugs, caps, hoodies, pillows, etc.).

As long as the PoD vendor offers it, your design can be adapted to any product available.

What’s the best well to sell t-shirts online?

When it comes to selling your product, you’ll have options no matter the amount of capital you have.

After you’ve given time with product research and branding, we recommend trying out t-shirt marketplaces and print-on-demand services first. While you build a name for your product, create a website on the side and begin to offer new t-shirt designs there as well.

It’s important that you have 100% control of your businesses, especially when your business is based completely online.

It’s just as important not to have all your eggs in one basket, so selling your products in multiple platforms is the way to go.

Note that some third-party sites may require exclusivity, so be wary before upload your t-shirt designs and figuratively “signing the dotted line.”

Wrap Up: How to Design and Sell T-shirts Online Like a Boss

There are multiple ways you can launch a shirt business online. The main difference of this business to traditional ones is that you can design and sell t-shirts completely online. There will be some legwork and research involved at the start, but not so much after launch.

For those who are serious, these three major decisions will help you shape your online t-shirt business:

Design the shirt on your own vs. hire a designer to turn your ideas into reality
Manufacture or print your own shirts vs. leaving the production process to the hands of a third-party company
Sell shirts on your own site vs. selling them on a third-party site

Of course, every route you take has its pros and cons. Some people are making a killing on sites like TeeSpring, but others find success on their own sites but with major advertising involved.

The only surefire way of succeeding in this business is by treating it like any other business – work at it day in, day out, and continue to learn every aspect of the business from sourcing supplies to accounting, marketing, and so on.

7 Online Video Interview Tips To Help You Get Hired

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Published On: June 19, 2018

Is there anything more intimidating than a job interview? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to improve your chances of getting hired?

There are. I’ve come up with 7 video interview tips that will help you ace your online interview and show your prospective employer that you are the ideal candadiate.

With the rapid growth of outsourcing and freelancing individuals on the internet, more and more people continue to ask the question— How do I land myself an online job? Most of the time, companies, agencies, and individuals who are looking to hire a virtual assistant will screen their applicants through a series of examinations.

Source: RIVS.com

Once the right amount of applicants have been shortlisted, the final step is to usually have a face-to-face interview with a video chat.

This is usually the point where most applicants get uneasy and nervous.

However, it still isn’t too late to become a master at online interviews.

7 Video Interview Tips to Help You Secure That Job

In this list, you will find different ways to gain an advantage over applicants who will be interviewed alongside you.

By taking to heart these tips, you are guaranteed to have a higher success rate at landing a job after a face-to-face interview.

1. Prepare Your Attire and Background

No matter if your video interview is happening in a few days or hours, you should always have enough time to prepare what you’ll be wearing and be sitting behind once the meeting begins.

Even if some applicants may take advantage of the remote setting and dress up very casually, take that extra step of dressing up with class and showing the interviewer that you’re all about your business.

Once your attire is all set up, jump straight into turning on the camera you’ll be using for the interview. Observe your surroundings and notice every little detail that might steal the attention of your interviewer.

Do your best to get rid of all possible distractions to come across as a highly professional applicant.

Being diligent with these kinds of things aren’t guaranteed to have an effect on the outcome at all times but the right people will give notice to such details and take it to consideration when choosing which applicant to hire.

2. Perform Background Research on the Company

Before you jump into having a face-to-face conversation with someone online, it is only right to do your research on the background of the person or whatever company he/she is representing.

Chances are, top-tier human resource departments also do their background research on shortlisted applicants to make sure they’re not missing out on anything.

Simply search the name of the person or company on Google.

Most of the time, you will already come up with the most relevant stuff related to that individual by doing this. To add to this, you can also try searching the name of the person or company on Facebook. Both of these search engines are big enough to cover anything you need to know about who will be interviewing you.

If you want to go the extra mile, give their competitor’s website a look too before the interview. By doing this, you will have something good to ask the interviewer later on such as— “Are you somewhat similar with (competitor’s name)?”.

Asking questions like that will make you stand out and come across as a highly interested applicant who knows exactly what he/she is applying for.

3. Do a Quick Dry-Run of Everything

Another difference of taking interviews online compared to having it in person is that you’re held responsible for technical problems that occur on your end.

This is why it’s a smart thing to do a mock call with yourself or a friend before taking the actual online interview.

By doing this, you will detect all errors that could have occurred during the interview and troubleshoot them before they get in your way of landing the job.

If you’re going to have the call on Skype, do a free test call to be able to hear how you will come across to the interviewer.

If you wish to go the extra mile, simply do a quick summary of what you’ll be saying to the interviewer— From the way you’ll be greeting the person to the first icebreaker you have in mind, feel free to practice it in front of the camera with facial expression while there is only you to criticize anything wrong that happens.

4. Be Early and Delightful

Never underestimate what being punctual can do. Make sure everything is up and working at least 15 minutes before the meeting.

If a few minutes before the actual time and you still haven’t heard from the interviewer, take the initiative of pinging him/her to remind that you are supposed to meet each other in a few moments.

If it ever occurs that the client still doesn’t respond, let him/her know that you were there during the time of the interview and you would love to reschedule at the earliest convenience of both sides. Always show utmost patience as an applicant— Some clients may have messed up schedules; hence why they need someone who can understand such scenarios and work their way around it.

5. Always Respond with Clarity

Now we assume the interview has already started, always remember to keep your composure and talk at an ideally slow rate.

Doing this will minimize the occurrence where you would have to repeat yourself because the interviewer didn’t catch you.

Another thing to note is the 5-second pause— If you’re not sure why the person speaking has stopped talking, wait for at least 5 seconds before butting in,

Overall, just be clear and direct with your answers to show your interviewer that you are indeed a person with conviction.

6. Listen Carefully

Being able to pick up small details is a skill that few people possess.

If you really want to stand out among the other applicants, always take note of what the interviewer is saying and confirm with him/her that you’re on the same page. One thing you can do is rephrase what they’re saying and ask if you understood them correctly.

Before the interview ends, always look out when will the interviewer ask if you have any questions for the company.

Though this can be considered an unwritten rule, asking questions after the interview has been summarized shows that you are indeed interested in working for them.

7. Send a Quick Thank You Note

Once the interview has commenced, take a quick break and proceed to send a note of appreciation to the interviewer for taking the time to know more about you.

Again, you don’t have to be redundant and annoying to show that you have an outgoing personality. Thanking the person who interviewed you also shows your work ethic and how you deal with people.

If days have past and you still have not heard from the company you’re applying for online, give them a follow-up email and just kindly ask them for an update on the job position.

Even if it’s bad news, you’d still want to find out about it and hear the reason. By having the guts to do this, you’ll be able to get priceless advice on how to be even better at your next online interview.

Got any more tips?

At the end of the day, never take any result of an online interview too heavily. The success of an online interview isn’t determined by being accepted or not. Rather, being able to leave a positive impression in the mind of your interviewer, no matter what the result after, is what it’s really all about.

After all, every online interview you participate in that doesn’t turn into an employment should be a lesson to make you a better applicant in the long haul.

If you’ve taken a video interview before and can share some tips on what did or did not impress the interviewer, please help us out and share them below!

8 Steps to Finding Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Last Updated:June 19, 2018

Freelance writing jobs for beginners are everywhere online, if you know where to look, if you understand realistic pricing, and if you knew how to begin a career in freelance writing.

Like any work-from-home jobs, getting started is the hardest part.

Because jumping into a new career is a massive life-changing decision, your brain is probably all over the place thinking about your future income, how on earth you’re going to hustle, competing with other veteran freelance writers, and if this decision will be worth it, among other concerns.

As a future freelance writer, you can choose between two routes:

Find a home-based writing job with a stable income – Most work-from-home opportunities don’t have contracts, so even if you land a full-time job, you’re still technically considered as a freelancer. The upside to sticking to one client at a time is the financial stability and some benefits the “employment” brings to the table.
Find numerous clients who require content regularly – A client may be a website owner, online marketer, SEO company, content firm, or any person/company that will send work your way. Depending on client needs, writing gigs can be sent to you weekly, monthly, or just occasionally. Payment terms vary as well (paid-per-word, or by project).

Those with years of freelance writing experience have probably been in both situations repeatedly… and that’s OK.

How much money can you make freelance writing?

Is it worth the stress and anxiety to jump from an office-based job to writing freelance full-time?

Will the income potential be at par with a traditional writing job at a PR firm, marketing company or publishing house?

The money you earn as a beginner freelance writer depends on several factors, including:

Your writing skill and how much you value your talent – You can be a newbie content provider, but your writing skill can still dictate if you’re going to be considered a beginner or not. If your work can easily pass as something written by a veteran writer, and you have the confidence to ask for higher pay, then you could negotiate for better pay.
The time you’re willing to commit – Of course, those who start working freelance part-time would earn less than those who begin working full-time.
The type of writing you decide to offer – Copywriters specializing in sales copy or corporate website earn higher than those who write for social media or blogs. eBook writers can sometimes offer a complete package (including cover design and formatting) can charge higher than those who just work on the eBook text.
Experience and specialization – Veteran bloggers and writers always have the edge over beginner freelance writers. However, if you specialize in topics like pharmacy, IT, finance, and so on, you’re likely to be hired (and paid more) just because of the credibility your work brings to the project.
Company you’re working with – The company, industry that company is in, and size of the company will most likely affect the fee they’re willing to pay you. For example, old school publications like Time Magazine and Forbes are known to be the best and worst payers in the industry.
Your location – Writers from third-world countries are able to lower their fees because the exchange rate from USD to local currencies are often still higher than salaries they would have earned from a local office-based job.

In general, most freelance writers earn less than $0.25 per word. Some land freelance writing jobs for beginners with a per-project fee, or per-article…while others are paid on a bi-monthly basis.

The exact amount is variable, depending on the factors listed above.

8 Steps to Finding Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners

Contrary to popular belief that you need a degree to land freelance writing jobs, even beginners from a totally different profession can easily transition into this profession. If you need help getting started with either route, here’s a complete guide to get started as a freelance writer from home:

1. Scout the Industry

You’ll soon find out that many work-from-home freelancers earn money from writing and maintain their own blogs. Whether they get a chunk of their earnings from their blogs, or by providing writing services to clients, you can read all about their experiences with a quick search on Google.

There’s no better way to see if you’re interested in this line of work than to check out your competition. Read their blogs. Learn as much as you can about their mistakes, tips, and other advice. For example, copywriter Susan Green shared 15 useful tips when crafting killer copy.

If you’re lucky enough to find a helpful freelancer, you can contact him/her and get a direct response about their rates or answer to your question. There’s no harm in trying to reach out. You might even make friends.

2. Find a Niche

There are different kinds of writing. Blogs have a conversational tone, while landing pages need to be persuasive. Web content of corporate sites usually requires writing with a more formal tone, while writing for social media can include slang.

Technical and sports writing doesn’t just require you to pair beautiful words together – you need to know what you’re talking about on a deeper level. Newswriting has to answer the whats, whys, wheres, whens, whos, and hows of a story every time.

Knowing what kind of writing you enjoy doing is important to find the niche you’ll be focusing on. This way, you wouldn’t feel so lost searching through thousands of freelance writing jobs for beginners, only to discover later that you lack the skills or the passion for that particular job you just applied to.

3. Master Your Skills

There is no formal training required to begin this career, but you do need to work on several skills easily turn freelance writing into a full-time business. These must-have skills include:

Research – Freelance writing always begins with research. To spend as little time learning a new topic and to write content backed with facts, you have to practice how to research effectively.
Organizational skills – As a freelancer, you are the boss, star employee, secretary and intern in one. You have to organize your schedule (especially if you’re working with two or more clients), send billing, e-mail regularly for promotions, and so on.
Editing – Unless you’re part of a content development company, proofreading and editing is also a part of your job as a freelance writer. This only improves through practice, so make sure to master your editing skills as you go.
Communication skills – There’s no way you can land writing gigs without pitching your services to potential clients. You need to have a balance of confidence, proven track record, and published portfolio to qualify for many freelance writing jobs.
Blogging – If you can’t decide on the writing style, the safest choice is to learn how to blog. The conversational tone is the most used web content style clients prefer, so you’re pretty much covered when you go with blogging. Do note that you also have to learn about white space, formatting, and crafting attention-grabbing titles.

4. Showcase Your Work

The easiest way to get a hold of writing jobs for beginners is to prove you can hang with the pros even if you’re a beginner. Unfortunately, the problem of newbies is always about the lack of published work, since technically, they just entered this industry.

Luckily, it’s easy to solve this problem – by building your own blog, writing for it, and showing off this online space as your portfolio. You can also volunteer to write a guest post on a third-party blog.

If you have the talent, building a portfolio with links is easy. Plus, maintaining your own blog doesn’t just help with writing practice, it also gives you a way to earn passive income. How cool is that?

5. Apply to Work-from-Home Jobs

You don’t really have to look exactly for “writing jobs for beginners,” particularly once you’ve decided on a writing style. There are many job titles you can use to find the perfect freelance writing job for you.

These include: blogger, social media writer, content writer, freelance writer, article writer, essay writer, fiction writer, eBook writer and a whole lot more.

When applying to these jobs, make sure you find information about the work status, such as full-time home-based, freelance project-based, etc. so you know exactly what you’re signing up for.

6. Build an army of Clients

The best thing about finding writing jobs for beginners is that you can create a plan how to actively search for clients. Here are a few guidelines when building a network of clients:

Avoid freelance marketplaces – Upwork and other similar websites never run out of work-from-home jobs, but it’s hard to land work there as a beginner. Plus, clients here mostly go for writers with the lowest fee, so it’s almost guaranteed you’ll be writing for very low wages here.
Don’t quit sending applications – Scout writing jobs on popular job boards like Problogger and Freelance Writing Jobs. Work on your pitch religiously, and send applications on every writing job that piques your interest.
Join internet marketing forums – Warriorforum, Wickedfire, and other similar forums have a special thread for freelance writing jobs. These forums are great because you get to talk to clients directly and see their feedback history (as either buyer or seller).

Once you build an army of clients, make sure you do the best written work you can produce. Maintain the business relationship even after the project ends, so you can offer your writing services again in the future.

7. Continue polishing your skills

There’s nothing worse than workers who don’t grow. As a freelance writer, it’s your responsibility to keep up-to-date with writing trends, rules of web content, marketing techniques, and so on.

Honing your skills is easy too, since the internet is filled with free courses about writing.

8. Become a marketing expert

There’s no marketing department to advertise your services for you. Freelance writing jobs for beginners won’t land on your doorstep magically as well. So you have to be proactive in getting your name out into the world. This means you have to learn marketing, master networking, and take advantage of free tools like social media.

The Secret to Consistent Writing Jobs

The concern of many people new to any freelance or work-from-home job is how to maintain a consistent job and income.

It’s a perfectly normal problem.

The uncertainty of this industry can be unsettling to those new to freelancing. Fortunately, as you search for clients and writing jobs, this concern will fade as quickly as it began since there are thousands of freelance writing jobs available at any given time.

The secret to having a continuous writing job boils down to your writing skill, attitude towards the people you work with/for, and the quality of work you deliver.

Should You be an Online Therapist or Counselor?

Written By:Steve Wrzeszczynski

Last Updated:June 19, 2018

Are you an accredited psychologist or a licensed professional counselor (LPC)? Have you completed earned a psychology degree or an advanced degree in therapy? If so, you could work as an online therapist or counselor.

What does online counseling involve?

Online counseling is just a form of mental health therapy that occurs online instead of at an office, clinic or hospital. The software platform used for therapy is secure and is accessed through a user email and password.

Counseling sessions can occur in several different ways, including email, texting, Skype or video chat. As a counselor, you might “see” a dozen patients over the course of a day rather than two or three. Each patient will have his or her mental history summarized in an online file; furthermore, all conversations are saved in a separate online file.

Some online counseling services enable you to simply email or chat with the patient over the course of a day. Other services set specific chat times/appointments for you and the patient, with IM or chat times added for good measure.

What online therapy and counseling sites are available?

Online therapy and counseling sites are multiplying, mostly due to the very real need of people to reach therapists and counselors without having to pay a lot of money or take time off from work.

Many online patients are homebound or lack a vehicle, while others are too shy to pick up the phone and make a face-to-face appointment. Still others enjoy writing out their issue (akin to journaling) rather than having to verbally explain it to a stranger.

Some online therapy sites include the following:

BetterHelp

This site was started in 2013 and currently has an extensive roster of licensed psychologists, clinical social workers, LPCs, and marriage/family counselors. The service plans that this site offers are in the budget category (as low as $35/week), so your pay won’t be at the higher end of the scale. However, because of the sheer amount of counselors here and patients, you will always be able to log in steady hours.

BetterHelp

iCouch

For just $20/month, you can sign up with iCouch and benefit from its software tools such as an appointment reminder, schedule/client/document manager, profile creator, and video therapy tool. You can also accept credit card payments without needing Paypal. The iCouch user interface is very straightforward and easy to use.

Should you need additional marketing, iCoach offers marketing and SEO services.

iCouch

Online-Therapy

This site accepts therapists and psychiatrists from many different countries. Once you register with the site, it will enable you to create your own professional profile and website complete with reviews and a Paypal payment button. Site membership is $24.95/month. Each client that you retain after your 5-day free trial period is $29.

Online Therapy

Talkspace

This site offers you the opportunity to chat with your clients via mobile phone or on the web. That may be an ideal arrangement if you’re on-the-go and can’t keep strict office hours. Clients pay just $25/week, which reaches into the budget range of online therapy. That also means that you won’t make as much money here as on other sites; however, it’s a good place to get your feet wet as far as online counseling is concerned.

talkspace

Theravive

This site enables you to work in several different capacities including strictly online, via phone, or by hosting a workshop, seminar or event in your local area. Theravive operates in the USA and Canada.

For an extra fee, Theravive will work with you to market your services and provide everything from SEO listings to custom blog platforms to announcements of your events, seminars and academic papers.

theravive

How much does online counseling pay?

Depending on your degree and years of experience, you could earn a base salary of $15-$25/hour for your services using a platform like Betterhelp or iCouch. If you have at least 10 years of experience, you could make up to $50/hour.

Once you’ve proven yourself through these therapy platforms and have a solid client list, you might try offering counseling services as a “solopreneur.” To do this successfully, you’ll first need a website. You’ll also need to advertise your services, and that advertising could involve everything from social media posts to Facebook/Google Ads to email marketing.

If you do start your own online counseling business, be sure to familiarize yourself with SEO, Google Page rank, content marketing, and even blogging.

How to make more money as an online counselor

If you’re intent on increasing your earnings as an online counselor or therapist, you should specialize in a field like family or marriage counseling, a given type of psychological therapy (e.g., cognitive behavioral), or a specific malady like PTSD. Clients overall are more willing to seek out specialists in a given field rather than generalists. Also, by specializing, you narrow the pool of candidates/competitors and can make yourself stand out.

Some specialties require additional training and certification. You’ll need to do a cost analysis of what specializing or even sub-specializing is worth to you versus how much extra money you can expect to make. However, if you are considering starting your own online practice, having a forte will do wonders for your SEO and attracting clients to you.