Content and media side hustle ideas

A blog, niche website, newsletter, YouTube channel, podcast or social account that earns from ads, affiliate links or sponsors.

48 ideas

Content and media
Guides to bureaucracy for immigrants
Documents government processes for immigrants and earns commissions on services they need, such as banking, insurance and translations, plus some consulting.
Hacker News, 2026
Content and media
Facebook content monetization posting
Posting engaging content, much of it screenshots of other people's posts, to a Facebook page enrolled in Facebook's content monetization program. Facebook shares ad revenue with the creator.
Under $100A few hours a weekOnline
Side Hustle Nation, 2025
Content and media
Nonfiction book notes site
Publishes personal notes from nonfiction books on a site and earns some money from it.
Online
Hacker News, 2024
Content and media
Newsletter featuring creators' workspace tours
Runs a newsletter that profiles the home workspaces of makers and creators, earning recurring revenue.
Online
Hacker News, 2022
Content and media
Blog about cash flow investing
Runs a small blog about cash flow that earns a modest monthly income.
Online
Hacker News, 2022
Content and media
Eyewear comparison affiliate site
Built a site comparing glasses retailers that earns affiliate commissions.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2021
Content and media
Frontend development blog with SEO traffic
A long-running blog on frontend topics that earns from ads and search visitors with only occasional new posts.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2019
Content and media
Medium paywall for back catalog of articles
Moved all past writing behind Medium's paywall and removed calls to action to qualify for distribution. Earns a monthly share from reader time.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2019
Content and media
Weekly web tools newsletter
A regular newsletter about web tools that earns income and leads to paid writing work.
A few hours a weekOnline
Hacker News, 2019
Content and media
Satirical tech newsletter with sponsorships
Runs a weekly newsletter that satirizes the tech industry. Revenue is from advertising to the subscriber base, with live events being considered.
Online
Hacker News, 2019
Content and media
Engineering licensing blog with affiliate links
A niche blog about getting a professional engineering license, carrying affiliate links to a prep package seller. Earns passively from affiliate commissions.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2019
Content and media
Old unedited YouTube video earning ad revenue
A video published years ago that YouTube keeps recommending, paying out ad revenue with no promotion by the owner.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2019
Content and media
Paid daily tech industry briefing
A morning briefing about the technology industry that readers pay for, with sponsorships that avoid ad-style promotion.
A few hours a weekOnline
Hacker News, 2019
Content and media
Curated recommendations site with affiliate links
Runs a curated list of Hacker News recommendations and products. Earns small amounts from affiliate links.
A few hours a weekOnline
Hacker News, 2018
Content and media
Football tips site with memberships
A football tipping website built on WordPress that earns from paid memberships and sponsored posts.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2018
Content and media
Professional engineer licensing blog with affiliate deal
A blog about earning a professional engineering license in a niche with little coverage. Income comes from an affiliate deal with a company selling licensing prep packages.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2018
Content and media
Watch strap blog earning affiliate income
Runs a blog about watch straps featuring photography from brands and custom leather makers plus interviews. Income comes from affiliate links.
Online
Hacker News, 2018
Content and media
Blog documenting an engineering licence application
Wrote a blog about the process of getting a professional engineering licence, which draws search traffic. Earns from ads and affiliate referrals to a seller of exam prep materials.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2016
Content and media
Fun small websites earning ad revenue
A small project built for fun that earns a little from display ads and has grown slowly.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2016
Content and media
Guide with affiliate link for router setup
Wrote a how-to guide for bypassing an ISP's required modem and router, and recommends a tested router through an Amazon affiliate link. Costs almost nothing to host.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2016
Content and media
Technical blog post monetized with AdSense
Published a how-to post on single sign-on between two business platforms on an old blog and added AdSense. Earns small ad revenue from search visitors.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2016
Content and media
Travel blog with Amazon affiliate links
Blogs about travel and working remotely from an RV. Money comes from Amazon affiliate links placed in posts.
Online
Hacker News, 2016
Content and media
Ad on a jQuery plugin documentation site
Maintains a documentation website for a jQuery plugin and earns a small amount from a single ad placed on it.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2016
Content and media
Architectural models niche blog
Runs a niche blog about architectural models and earns from ads and Amazon affiliate links.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Free background images site earning AdSense
Runs a free background picture website with steady search traffic and links from other sites, earning from AdSense.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
jQuery credit card validator with ad revenue
Built a credit card validation plugin with a demo site that earns small ad revenue.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
jQuery plugin blog with daily listings
Runs a blog that lists a jQuery plugin each day and earns from advertising.
Under $100Online
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Local sports and politics AdSense blogs
Runs blogs on local sports and politics, with posts built from repackaged government data, earning from AdSense.
Under $100Online
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Niche humor blog with ads
A humor blog on Tumblr earning from ads.
Under $100Online
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Publish a friend's writing with ad revenue split
Hosts a friend's political writings on a site and splits the advertising revenue.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Shopify affiliate referrals
Earns affiliate commissions by referring people to Shopify.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Small single-purpose websites from an agency
A studio builds quick websites that solve small problems, getting traffic from blogs and earning from AdSense.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
School directory funded by ads
Evolved a failed school-focused social network into a directory site that earns from ads with little maintenance.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Solar power blog driven by a YouTube video
Runs a simple blog on solar power, linked from a YouTube video, that earns from AdSense ads.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Affiliate blogs optimized with a testing plugin
Runs affiliate blogs and a WordPress plugin that tests which call to action gets the most clicks.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Animated GIF sites funded by ads
Runs cat and dog GIF websites supported by advertising.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Architectural models niche blog
A hobby blog about architectural models that earns from ads and Amazon affiliate links.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Articles and affiliate marketing blog
Writes blog articles and earns from affiliate marketing.
Online
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Gadget and gift idea affiliate site
Built a Rails site recommending gadgets and gifts and earning through affiliate links.
Online
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Prank website hosted on GitHub Pages
Runs a simple prank site hosted cheaply on GitHub Pages that brings in a modest monthly income.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Random Amazon product generator
A small site that shows random Amazon products, earning from affiliate links.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Showcase gallery of sites built with Bootstrap
Runs a showcase website for sites built with a popular front-end framework, with very low running costs and steady traffic.
Online
Hacker News, 2014
Content and media
Kindle book browsing site with affiliate links
Built a better way to browse Kindle books and earns affiliate fees when visitors buy.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Blog earning Amazon affiliate commissions
Runs a personal blog that earns small commissions from Amazon affiliate links.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Face-filtered image search site with ads
An alternative interface to Google image search with the face filter on, which earned from ad clicks on an image-heavy site.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Lyrics website earning AdSense
Runs a lyrics website that earns a small amount from AdSense.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Music review blog with affiliate links
Writes album reviews and earns from ads and affiliate commissions when readers buy the reviewed CDs.
Online
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Pancake day recipes and activities site
Ran a seasonal site of pancake recipes and ideas for pancake day. It earned yearly ad revenue.
Under $100Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011

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