Top 10 ways

To make money
online
+the tools you’ll need
The School of Greatness
Podcast Episode 440
with lewis howes
Thanks for Taking The time to download this guide!
Thanks so much for downloading this guide!

This guide will teach you the top 10 ways to make money online with integrity, and it
will help you discover how each of them can work for you and your unique skillset. You’ll
also learn exactly what tools you’ll need to execute each money-making strategy.

To learn even more about these 10 money-making strategies, check out Episode 440 on
The School of Greatness podcast.

Now let’s be clear. These aren’t your slimy get-rich-quick ponzi schemes, so if that’s what
you’re looking for, you’re in the wrong place.

These are the tried and true business models that I’ve seen work time and time again
during my 8 years as an online entrepreneur.

And I know they can work for you too.

To start, use this guide alongside Episode 440 to learn the details about each of the 10
money-making strategies.

Then take the time to reflect on your own skillset and area of expertise. There’s some-
thing unique that you can offer the world, and that means you can make money doing
it.

From there, answer the questions relating to each money-making strategy to discover
how it relates to your skillset.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how you can make money online and which strate-
gies will be most effective for you.

And most importantly, you’ll know how to do it all with integrity.

Because yes, there are so many ways to make money online. But it becomes so much
more meaningful when you make money following your passion and you can use it to
help more people along the way.

That’s what it really means to make money with integrity.

That’s what it means to be great.

Lewis Howes

@LewisHowes
1. Teaching and Training
Teaching and training are the bread and butter of so many amazing businesses.

From CreativeLive to Blue Apron, many of today’s top companies make money by
teaching their customers a unique and valuable skill.

That’s because the demand for teaching has always been around, and it will continue to
be around until the end of time.

Human beings find happiness through growth, and one of the best ways to grow is to
learn a new skill.

So if you can tap into this innate human desire and teach something of value, you will
not only make a lot of money, but you can transform lives along the way.

And now that the Internet is in full-swing, you can reach potential students (aka custom-
ers) around the world at the push of a button.

Much of my own business is built on teaching and training others. From online courses
to sold-out webinars, I can make a lot of money by teaching people what I know. And I
can feel great about it because the skills I am teaching are helping them improve their
own lives.

For me and so many others, teaching and training is a win-win.

Keep this in mind: teaching others what you know doesn’t have to be fancy and sophis-
ticated.

There are 1000s of fitness trainers making money with their YouTube channels, and there
are artists around the world teaching others how to paint on Facebook Live.

So not only is it easier to find potential students online, there are also so many plat-
forms to teach on as well.

Needless to say, it’s never been easier to make money online by teaching and training.

@LewisHowes
Teaching and training cont’d
Let’s see how it can work for you. Take some time to reflect and answer the following
questions below:

What do you consider yourself to be good at?

Is there a demand for others to learn this skill? Do people come to you for advice re-
garding this skill?

Who would want to learn this skill? Who would be your ideal student? Describe them in
detail:

Where does this student spend most of their time online? What are their favorite web-
sites or social media platforms?

Brainstorm ways that you can use these platforms to teach potential students:

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

@LewisHowes
Teaching and training cont’d
If you choose to make money online by teaching and training, my team and I
recommend that you use Wistia.

Wistia allows you to host your videos on their platform and it’s great for keeping all of
your teaching materials nice and organized.

We also like Wistia better than YouTube because it is much more customizable. You
can decide how much control you want the user to have over your video (for example,
whether or not they can pause or download your video).

This level of customization and its easy-to-use interface makes Wistia a no-brainer for
me and my team.

@LewisHowes
2. offering a service
Offering a service is an excellent way to make money online because of the value you
can give to other people.

We are always looking for ways to make our lives and businesses better or easier. By
offering a service online, you can make that happen for someone else.

There are two main reasons why offering a service online, whether it be copywriting,
social media management, or podcast editing (to list a few options), will always be an
excellent way to make some extra money.

1. There are only 24 hours in a day. We can only do so much in these 24 hours to im-
prove our lives and our businesses. There are some things that we simply don’t have
time to do, or we can’t fit them into our schedules without sacrificing something
else. By offering a service, you are adding hours back into someone’s day.

2. We’re not amazing at everything. As much as I love creating The School of Greatness
podcast, I am not the best podcast editor. My skills are better used interviewing and
creating show content. That’s why I outsource my podcast editing to another mem-
ber of my team. They are offering me a service, and as a result, I don’t have to do
something I’m not good at.

For these two reasons, you can always make money online by offering a service.

Now you have to ask yourself: what service can you offer? What is something that
you’re both good at and is valuable to another person?

@LewisHowes
offering a service cont’d
Take some time to reflect and answer the questions below to uncover what service you
could offer online:

What skill do you possess that others don’t? What are you really good at?

Is this a valuable skill? How is it valuable?

What kind of person would want this skill? How can your skill help this specific kind of
person?

Now describe this person in detail by answering these questions...

Who is your ideal client?

What platforms do they spend their time on?

What is the best way to reach them?

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

@LewisHowes
offering a service cont’d
When you’re offering a service online, it is so important to stay organized.

That’s why my team and I use Asana for all of our projects. Asana is an organizational
software that helps you with project management.

It is incredibly user-friendly, and it allows you to set reminders for you and your team,
and even assign specific tasks to your team members.

This level of organization is vital if you’re going offer a service online, and that’s why we
recommend Asana.

@LewisHowes
3. Creating and Selling Products
With so many platforms available online, creating and selling products is a very valuable
way to make money.

Before the Internet, if you wanted to buy a product, whether it was a book or a how-to
guide or a piece of clothing, you had to go to a physical store.

Now those same physical stores have digital locations online, and they create a great
opportunity for you to sell products and make money.

Platforms like Amazon and Shopify make it incredibly easy to sell digital or physical
products online. You don’t have to pay to keep up a physical store, so you can spend all
your time designing a great product and finding the right people to buy it.

These products don’t have to be fancy either. There’s no need to start the next Nike in
order to make money selling products online.

For example, I know many online entrepreneurs who have made a large amount of
money selling ebooks online for people to download on Amazon Kindle.

And there’s no reason that you can’t too.

@LewisHowes
Creating and selling products cont’d
Now it’s time to brainstorm what kinds of products you can sell online. Take some time
to reflect and answer the questions below:

What are some of your greatest strengths? What are some physical skills that you have
or some topics that you know a lot about?

Have you ever been asked by friends or family to share this skill or knowledge with
them? For example, has one of your friends ever asked you to knit for them, or has a
family member asked you about how to use social media?

Why is this skill or knowledge valuable? Why would people want it?

Who is the person that most likely wants the product of your skill or your unique set of
knowledge?

Where do they spend their time online? What platforms can you use to reach them?

How can you use your skill or unique set of knowledge to create a product that will help
this person? Will your product be a physical product? Will it be an ebook guide? De-
scribe some possible products that you can create for your ideal customer:

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

@LewisHowes
creating and selling products cont’d
If you’re selling products online, there’s one question you’ll definitely want to know the
answer to: how are your customers going to be able to pay you??

SamCart is a great tool to use to create a checkout page. I get asked about checkout
pages a lot, and I always point people towards SamCart.

They have an incredible customer service team, and their software is very easy to use.

So if you’re selling products online, SamCart is a tool you must have in your toolkit.

@LewisHowes
4. Membership Sites and Continuity Programs
This is a form of teaching that is especially built for being used online.

You can now easily create membership sites and continuity programs around a topic of
your choice.

By creating a membership site or a continuity program, you can reach more people and
impact them with your training.

Two examples immediately come to mind when I think of this money-making strategy,
and both have worked extremely well.

My friend Cory Gregory is a fitness expert out of Columbus, Ohio. Through his various
social media accounts, he has been able to build a huge following.

One way that Cory currently makes money online is through a membership website
called CoryG Fitness.

For the same price as a burrito (as Cory likes to put it), you can gain monthly access
to his membership site. On this site you can download fitness programs, watch videos
where Cory teaches exercise techniques, and learn about the diet programs that have
led to his personal success.

Cory is able to use his knowledge and experience in the fitness industry to bring value
to so many people with his membership website. That website now has members from
countries around the world.

I also use this money-making strategy in my own business with an online course called
Legacy. In this online course, I teach students how to build a successful 6-7 figure online
business from the ground up. If you think this guide is packed with value, Legacy takes it
to the next level.

This kind of continuity program has been very successful for me too. I have been able
to teach students of all ages from all different backgrounds about the ins and outs of
online business. And it has been a great revenue stream for my business.

@LewisHowes
Membership Sites and Continuity Programs cont’d
So how can you create a membership site or a continuity program? Let’s brainstorm
together by answering the questions below:

What do you consider yourself to be good at?

Is there a demand for others to learn this skill?

Have there been times that people have to come to you for advice regarding this skill?

Who would want to learn this skill? Who would be your ideal student? Describe them in
detail:

How can you teach this student by creating a membership site or a continuity program?

What would be some of the features of your site or program? How much would it cost
to have access to it?

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

@LewisHowes
Membership Sites and Continuity Programs cont’d
Like I said before, online courses really are the bread and butter of my business. Over
the years, I’ve used many different tools to create online courses.

But there’s one company that I use now which does it better than anyone.

Thinkific is the tool I use to create my online courses because it has the most
customization and is the most affordable.

Like I said, I’ve tried many other options over the years, but none are as complete and as
affordable as Thinkific. If you’re creating online courses to make money, I would defi-
nitely recommend using them.

@LewisHowes
5. aff iliate marketing
Making money online is all about giving people value. Affiliate marketing is another
amazing way to do that.

If you have created a following online, whether it’s on social media or your own website,
affiliate marketing may be a great option for you.

With affiliate marketing, you can help another person or company sell their product by
offering your own audience discount codes and special deals. Then when a purchase is
made, you get a small cut of the check.

Your audience is going to have other needs than what you can provide them. By affiliate
marketing for other companies, you can help your audience get access to other
products and services, and in turn, you can give them more value.

For example, my friend and marketing genius Noah Kagan has built an incredibly
valuable and successful business called AppSumo that does exactly this. Anyone who
subscribes to their email list gets a weekly email with an incredible deal for super useful
tools and services that are offered online.

He negotiates with each company he promotes to get a sick deal for his audience and in
turn everyone on AppSumo’s email list gets an email about that company, their services,
and why they’re awesome.

This creates a winning scenario for everyone.

As you can see, affiliate marketing is a great way to make money online.

But to do it well, you need to have a sizable audience and need to know a lot about
them.

@LewisHowes
aff iliate marketing cont’d
To learn if affiliate marketing is right for you, take some time to reflect and answer the
questions below:

Do you have a large following on social media? Do you have a blog with lots of fans?

Who is the average member of your audience? Why do they follow you? What other
needs do they have?

Is there a company that can address these needs better than you can? Do they offer
products or services that your audience wants?

Do these companies have affiliate marketing programs that you can be a part of?

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

If you want to be an affiliate marketer, then Infusionsoft is a tool that you need to use.

They have an entire affiliate platform built into their software so it’s easy to track all of
your necessary metrics. You can keep a running lists of your best leads and your conver-
sion rates so you always know how much money you’re making.

All in all, it makes affiliate marketing very manageable.

If that’s the money-making strategy you want to use, then I would absolutely recom-
mend using Infusionsoft.

@LewisHowes
6. Building a Site and Selling Ads
If you have a website with lots of visitors and followers, then sellings ads may be a great
way to make some extra money.

It is incredibly easy to start your own website today. You no longer have to be an expert
at computer coding, and many companies give you all the tools you need to build a
complete website in a single afternoon.

If you can offer valuable content on this website and build a loyal following, then selling
ads can give you an extra revenue stream.

One thing to keep in mind though: there is definitely a good way and a bad way to sell
ads on your website.

You want to keep your website an enjoyable experience for your visitors.

Selling pop-up ads to companies that your audience doesn’t care about is a bad way to
do this.

But that isn’t the only way to sell ads on your website.

You can make sure that the companies you sell advertising space to are companies that
your audience could be interested in. These companies should have products or services
that could give your visitors a lot of value.

@LewisHowes
Building a Site and Selling Ads cont’d
Is this a good money-making strategy for you? Take some time to reflect and answer the
questions below:

Do you have a website with lots of monthly visitors? If not, do you have a good idea for
a website that could attract a loyal following?

Why do visitors come to your website? What are their needs that you are fulfilling?

Are there any needs that your audience has that you are not fulfilling? What are they?

What companies offer similar products, services, or information to you?

What companies offer different products, services, or information than you, but would
still be of value to your audience?

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

If you’re building a website to sell ads on, then I would use WP Engine as a hosting plat-
form. All of my websites are hosted by WP Engine for multiple reasons.

I use them because their servers are very secure and their customer service is great. I
have never had a problem with any of my sites, and I attribute that to WP Engine.

Be sure to keep them in mind as you create your website.

@LewisHowes
7. Selling Sponsorships for Branded Content
Similar to selling ads, this is a way to expose your audience to other companies and
their products.

But if you sell sponsorships and branded content in the right way you can add a ton of
value to your audience and make money at the same time.

If you have a blog, a website, a YouTube channel, or a podcast, this could be a great
money-making strategy for you.

You can have companies sponsor your content or they can create unique content that
you can share to your audience on your platform.

If you have a blog about nutrition, let’s say, you can have a nutrition company write an
article about the benefits of a certain kind of diet. This article can be “sponsored” by
them, and when you share this article on your blog, you can drive traffic to that compa-
ny’s website while giving your audience valuable information.

If you have a YouTube channel, you can collaborate with a company and have them
sponsor one of your videos. The video can still be fun and entertaining for your audi-
ence as you expose them to a new company.

And if you have a podcast like I do, you can get paid to have companies sponsor your
show.

Just like selling ads, the companies that sponsor content or guest-post on your website
should be able to bring value to your audience.

The company should have a product or service that your consumers are looking for, but
you yourself might not be able to offer.

That’s how you keep sponsorship deals a win-win situation for everyone involved.

@LewisHowes
Selling Sponsorships for Branded Content cont’d
If this sounds like a good money-making strategy for you, take some time to reflect and
then answer the questions below (note- they are very similar to the kinds of questions
you should be asking yourself when you consider selling ads on your online platform):

Do you have a website with lots of monthly visitors? If not, do you have a good idea for
a website that could attract a loyal following?

Why do visitors come to your website? What are their needs that you are fulfilling?

Are there any needs that your audience has that you are not fulfilling? What are they?

What companies offer similar products, services, or information to you?

What companies offer different products, services, or information than you, but would
still be of value to your audience?

How can you use these company sponsorships to add value to your audience? Is it
through guest-posting? Could a company sponsor a video that you create? Brainstorm
some ideas below:

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

@LewisHowes
Selling Sponsorships for Branded Content cont’d
If you’re looking for sponsorships for your podcast, then Power Press is an amazing tool
that you have to use.

It is a podcasting plug-in made by podcasters, for podcasters, and it gives you every-
thing you need to create a successful podcast.

Power Press’s main features include podcast SEO optimization, tracking of key data and
metrics, and full iTunes support.

In order to attract great sponsors, you need to create a great podcast. Power Press is a
tool that can help.

@LewisHowes
8. Events
Hosting events are another amazing way to make money online.

Like I say time and time again, making money online is all about providing as much val-
ue as you can to your audience.

By creating an unforgettable event experience, you can give your audience more value
than they thought possible.

Amazing things can happen when you get a group of like-minded individuals in the
same place at the same time. Friendships are formed and memories are made that could
last a lifetime.

I saw this firsthand at my own event this past year: The Summit of Greatness.

By bringing together members of my online community from around the world, we were
able to create an atmosphere unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It was a weekend full
of learning, growth, connection, and community.

And everyone (even me) walked away knowing that they just experienced something
special.

That right there is the power of events.

You can give your online community an incredible experience and provide value in
different ways. Your event could invite powerful guests to speak, or it could give your
audience the chance to connect with other amazing people.

No matter what you do, if you can create an amazing event, you can create a powerful
connection with your audience. And you can make great money doing it.

@LewisHowes
events cont’d
Now keep this in mind: planning and running an event takes a lot of hard work. Con-
sider these questions a good starting point to figure out if planning an event is a good
money-making strategy for you:

Do you have a loyal following online? What do members of your audience have in com-
mon with one another?

How would you structure your event? Where would it take place? Which guest-speakers
or coaches would you invite? What would a typical day look like? Brainstorm some ideas
in the space below:

Is running an event possible for you? Who could help you plan and run the event?

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

@LewisHowes
events cont’d
When I create any event, I create them on Eventbrite.

Eventbrite is an all-in-one software and social media platform that allows organizers to
create events, and gives people from the around the world the chance to learn about
them.

It easily integrates with other platforms like SamCart, and it makes it easy to send emails
to your attendees, keeping them up-to-date and informed.

Not to mention their ticket sales platform is great too.

We used Eventbrite for the Summit of Greatness and it couldn’t have gone better. I
would absolutely recommend using Eventbrite for your first event.

@LewisHowes
9. Masterminds and Coaching
Masterminds and coaching are excellent ways to make money online and teach more
people.

This is a personal favorite for me and my online business for so many reasons.

One, creating masterminds and group coaching experiences give you the opportuni-
ty to reach more potential students. With social media platforms like Facebook and
course-creation platforms like Udemy, it has never been easier to scale your coaching
and teaching business.

My online courses like the School of Greatness Academy (or SOGA for short) have given
me the opportunity to teach 1000s of students online. And once you create an online
course or a mastermind, you can update your content over time as you continue to in-
vite new students.

Second, through group coaching and masterminds, you can give your audience the
chance to interact with each other.

One reason why I think masterminds and group coaching are so powerful is because of
the community.

When you have other people to hold you accountable and offer support, you are much
more likely to succeed in the long run. So if you can create a strong community around
your masterminds or online courses, you can increase the value that your students re-
ceive.

I can’t stress the value of masterminds and online courses enough. They have complete-
ly transformed my online business, and I know they can do the same for you too.

@LewisHowes
Masterminds and Coaching cont’d
Take some time to reflect and answer the questions below. They should be enough to
get you started:

What do you consider yourself to be good at?

Is there a demand for others to learn this skill? Have there been times that people have
to come to you for advice regarding this skill?

Who would want to learn this skill? Who would be your ideal student? Describe them in
detail:

Where does this student spend most of their time online? What are their favorite web-
sites or social media platforms?

How would you structure your mastermind or online course? How would you teach your
skill or knowledge set to your students? How would you design the curriculum? Use the
space below to brainstorm some initial ideas:

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

@LewisHowes
Masterminds and Coaching cont’d
Webinars are another one of the staples in my business. They have made me a lot of
money over the years, and I still use them today.

The Citrix platform called GoToWebinar is my absolute favorite to use, and I would rec-
ommend it for anyone interested in webinars.

This service is the most reliable. It has consistent customer service, their calls don’t drop,
and the audio is good and clear too.

Overall, I think that GoToWebinar is the best webinar platform on the market, and I
would definitely use them to create your first webinar.

@LewisHowes
10. Getting Creative
Of course, when it comes to making money online, you can always get creative.

There are so ways to creatively express yourself online, and there are so many platforms
to do it on.

Just look at Instagram for example.

There are 100s of inspirational Instagram accounts that post motivational quotes and
other inspiring content. Many of them have over 100K followers, giving the account
owner many different money-making opportunities.

They can have different companies sponsor their posts. They can use their Instagram
account to build a large email list and sell products directly to them. Or they could grow
the account to a certain level and then sell it to someone else.

As you can see, just on Instagram alone, there’s plenty of room for creativity.

Think about what makes you unique and how you can express that online. If you can
build a big enough following, you’ll open so many doors to other money-making
opportunities.

@LewisHowes
Getting Creative cont’d
Take some time to brainstorm and answer the questions below:

How are you unique? What is a unique talent that you have that others compliment you
on?

What online platforms could allow you to showcase that unique talent to a large
audience?

Is there anyone else with your talent on that platform? If so, what are they doing? Why
are they successful?

What are some money-making opportunities that could come from this creative en-
deavor?

What are the three things you can do RIGHT NOW to get started?

@LewisHowes
Getting Creative cont’d
I use two different tools to manage my social media. My social media accounts are a
place where I can be really creative, but I want to make sure they are organized.

That’s why I use Meet Edgar for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and Tailwind for Pinter-
est.

These platforms allow you to schedule posts on your social media accounts so you can
set it and forget it. I get very busy during the day, and I don’t want to have to remember
to post on all of my social media accounts at different times.

Meet Edgar and Tailwind allow me to create my social media posts, and then schedule
them to be posted later in the day.

This frees up a lot of time for me, and that’s why I would recommend you use them too.

@LewisHowes
in conclusion..
As you can see, there are so many ways to make money online. And with this guide in
hand, you now have the tools to make it happen.

While you use this guide and take action, please please keep me posted along the way!
Share your progress and tag me in the Facebook Group: Online Business Mastermind
with Lewis Howes.

Which strategy made the most sense for you?

How much money were you able to make?

I want to know it all! :)

And if you need a refresher or more motivation, you can always revisit Episode 440 on
The School of Greatness!

@LewisHowes