10 Side Hustles That Pay Well in The UK 2024
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Starting a side hustle is a great way to earn extra money in the UK 2024. However, it can be disheartening to put in effort only to receive a few pounds in exchange for the work that you’ve completed. Luckily, there are a number of legit UK side hustles that actually pay very well for the effort that you put in. From working as a UGC creator to overnight pet sitting, we reveal 10 easy side hustles that pay well in the UK 2024.
10 High Paying Side Hustles - List
Dropshipping - The highest-paying side hustle for people with a larger budget.
User generated content (UGC) - Social media side hustle that pays well in 2024.
Technical writing - Top freelance side hustle that pays well for UK writers.
Over night pet sitting - Easy side hustle that pays well. Get paid £150 to sleep in a guest bedroom.
Pinterest affiliate marketing - High-paying side hustle that is free to start.
Selling digital products on Etsy - Best passive side hustle that pays well in the UK.
Freelance virtual assistant - Remote side hustle that pays well from anywhere in the world.
Print on demand - Make money from your phone in 2024 with this well-paid side hustle idea.
Vending machine business - Very high-paying side hustle with high start-up costs.
Selling courses online - Good side hustle that pays well for people with a social media audience
10 Side Hustles That Pay Well in 2024 - Explained
If any of the side hustles on our list sound like a good option for you, below we will take a closer look at the 10 side hustles that pay well in 2024. If you haven't already, check out our blog about how to start a side hustle to make sure that you have everything that you need.
Dropshipping - The highest-paying side hustle for people with a larger budget.
It is no secret that dropshipping is a high-paying side hustle to consider in 2024. But, is it really possible to make as much as the YouTube gurus claim?
Technically yes, it is possible to make six figures a year by starting a dropshipping side hustle. However, this profit will not be easy to achieve. The most successful dropshippers put in huge amounts of work to turn their business into a success and make enough revenue to live in luxury.
Dropshipping is a popular e-commerce model that allows anyone to sell products online, without having to worry about inventory or shipping. Sellers sell products directly from a manufacturer, who takes care of fulfillment. The responsibility of the seller is to create an online store and market products in a way that attracts customers.
With the right amount of effort, persistence, and patience, it is possible to make a lot of money through dropshipping in the UK. However, this money won’t be made overnight. The average dropshipping business takes at least 1 month to start making sales.
If you are able to wait long enough to start making money, dropshipping is one of the highest-paying side hustles in 2024. In the UK, drop shippers make an average of £35,000 per year after tax and business costs. Some sellers have reported earnings of over £100,000 and this is very achievable if you are able to dedicate enough time to your business.
Whether you do dropshipping on the side of your full-time job to make an extra £2000 per month or commit to the side hustle and start your own six-figure business, dropshipping is a side hustle with huge potential.
2. User generated content (UGC) - Social media side hustle that pays well in 2024.
Becoming a user-generated content (UGC) creator is one of the highest paying side hustles in 2024. A UGC creator is a type of content creator who creates relatable social media content that is posted by brands as part of a wider marketing campaign. Popular types of videos that are created by UGC creators include unboxing videos, hauls, and product testing videos
The average UGC creator in the UK earns £150 per piece of content. However, the exact amount that you could earn depends on the type of content created. For example, YouTube is the highest-paid platform with UGC creators’ earning up to £3000 for a video. On the other hand, Twitter and Facebook pay a lower rate that starts from around £20 per piece of content.
Read: How to become a UGC creator
Many talented UGC creators are able to replace their full-time income with their side hustle. The key to success is investing in props and equipment to improve the quality of the content that you make.
The easiest way to become a UGC creator is to sign up to a UGC agency. You do not need to have a large following to start which makes it one of the best side hustles for beginners. This is because content is posted on brands’ social media accounts rather than on your own.
3. Technical writing - Top freelance side hustle that pays well for UK writers.
Freelance jobs are amongst some of the highest-paying side hustles in the UK. In particular, technical writing can earn freelance writers up to £200 per hour and is relatively easy to start. Technical writing involves writing articles, essays, reports, and web copy for companies about technical topics such as software, engineering or even law.
Most technical writers have some experience in the industry that they write about which can be gained through qualifications, online courses, or real-life work experience. Technical writing is paid a lot higher than regular freelance writing work because it typically involves more research and editing. If you have a good eye for detail and the ability to write confidently about complex topics, technical writing could be a good side hustle to consider.
The best way to start this side hustle is to sign up for a freelance platform such as Upwork and create a professional-looking portfolio. It is also a good idea to invest in some technical writing courses that will help you to stand out from other job applicants.
You may need to apply for several freelance jobs before finding success. However, the process of landing jobs becomes much easier with experience.
4. Over night pet sitting - Easy side hustle that pays well. Get paid £150 to sleep in a guest bedroom.
Overnight pet sitting is a very well-paid side hustle that seems to go unnoticed in the UK. Overnight pet sitting involves staying in pet owners’ homes overnight to look after their pets whilst they are away. Due to the fact that this side hustle requires you to ‘work’ overnight, it is possible to earn up to £300 per job.
This means that you could earn money by simply staying in someone’s house to watch over their pets. Sound’s good right? Overnight pet sitting is an excellent side hustle for students, who are able to stay in owners’ homes. Sitters are responsible for the care of pets and carry out tasks such as feeding, walking, bathing, and playing with both cats and dogs.
The best way to become an overnight pet sitter is to use a platform such as Rover to find local owners who need help. These platforms are particularly good for overnight pet sitting because all owners are checked before they are able to hire sitters.
You could also find overnight pet sitting jobs by reaching out to your local community on Facebook or through word of mouth.
5. Pinterest affiliate marketing - High-paying side hustle that is free to start.
Pinterest affiliate marketing is a high-paying side hustle that is completely free to start. To make money with this savvy social media hack, simply create a free Pinterest account and post at least 5 pins a day - each pin should include an affiliate link to a product or service. Every time that someone clicks your pin and then clicks through to the link and makes a purchase, you receive a commission.
Pinterest is the best platform to start affiliate marketing for beginners because you don’t need to have thousands of followers to get your content in front of potential buyers. Pinterest is a visual search engine which means that all pins have a chance of being seen as long as they are optimized with keywords.
Pinterest is mainly used to search for home, fashion, and lifestyle inspiration. Therefore, the most successful Pinterest affiliates post images of aesthetically appealing outfits, home decor and products that are supported by the best affiliate programs for beginners.
For example, you could find aesthetic home decor products on Amazon and link to these through Pinterest pins. Although this side hustle costs nothing to start, you will not be successful unless you post every single day for several weeks. This is because it takes a while for new pins to get seen.
6. Selling digital products on Etsy - Best passive side hustle that pays well in the UK.
Passive side hustles are popular amongst busy people who want to make money while they sleep. One of the highest-paying passive side hustle ideas to consider in 2024 is selling digital products on Etsy.
Digital products are e-products that are created using software and sold to customers as downloadable PDFs or files. Popular digital products include workout plans, ebooks, digital guides, printables and templates. It is possible to make your own digital products using software such as Canva and then list these for sale on Etsy.
To start selling digital products in 2024, simply set up an Etsy shop and then list your products with optimized descriptions. You can choose how much you sell each product for and use marketing to drive traffic to your store.
Although they are simple to create, there is a big demand for digital products that could help people with everyday tasks in 2024. A good idea is to think about digital products that you have used yourself and try to create an improved version to sell online.
The amount of money that you could make from digital products will vary depending on the type of products that you sell. It is also worth conserving selling digital products in packs or sets to encourage buyers to spend more money at your store.
Like every high-paying side hustle, it takes time to make money from selling digital products on Etsy. But this doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible. In fact, many online businesses start off with people selling simple digital products.
7. Freelance virtual assistant - Remote side hustle that pays well from anywhere in the world.
Freelance virtual assistants help companies to complete simple tasks as and when they are needed. This could involve answering emails, filling out spreadsheets, or editing website copy. In the UK, virtual assistants earn an average of £75 per hour which is a very good rate compared to other side jobs.
Becoming a freelance virtual assistant is one of the best remote side hustles that can be done from anywhere, as long as you have a laptop. This makes it an ideal side job for travelers who are looking to fund their travels with a high paying side hustle.
To become a virtual assistant in the UK, you first need to familiarize yourself with common processes and practices. Most virtual assistants have good IT skills - you could take an online course to demonstrate this to potential employers. You also need to be organized and great at communicating.
To become a virtual assistant in the UK, search for open vacancies on LinkedIn or Indeed. It is also possible to find freelance roles through Upwork or Fiverr. It will help your application if you have some basic administration or assistant experience.
8. Print on demand - Make money from your phone in 2024 with this well-paid side hustle idea.
Print on demand is a popular ecommerce business model that involves creating designs, uploading them onto products and listing the products for sale on an ecommerce store. Fulfillment is taken care of by printing manufacturers which means that you can sell products without holding any inventory.
The main difference between print-on-demand and dropshipping is that print-on-demand involves designing your own products whereas dropshipping involves selling products that have been designed by others.
With persistence and patience, it is very possible to make six figures per year with print-on-demand. Most successful sellers have a variety of designs that they sell and print onto multiple products. Etsy, Amazon and Shopify are popular platforms used by print on demand sellers to sell their products.
A good idea is to use Pinterest or TikTok to promote your products. Make short videos or create aesthetic images that will encourage people to buy your designs.
9. Vending machine business - Very high-paying side hustle with high start-up costs.
Vending machines are one of the most well-paid side hustles that can earn upwards of £50,000 per year in the UK. Starting vending machine business involves buying a machine, setting it up in a busy location and regularly re-stocking and emptying the machine to make sure that it is usable.
Vending machine businesses have huge earning potential and are relatively passive. However, starting a vending machine business in the UK requires large upfront costs. The average vending machine costs around £4000 in the UK but some machine can cost even higher than this.
Nevertheless, if you have enough funds to start, owning a vending machine can be a very profitable venture. In the UK, the average vending machine makes £350 per month in profit - this is after covering expenses and tax. To make a full-time income, successful vending machine owners expand by owning multiple machines in different locations.
10. Selling courses online - Good side hustle that pays well for people with a social media audience
Selling courses online is becoming one of the most popular side hustle ventures for people with specific knowledge or expertise. This money maker works particularly well for social media users who have an established audience and could leverage their personal branding to sell a course.
This high-paying side hustle involves creating an online course, uploading it to an online course platform, and making money every time that someone purchases the course. Depending on the type and length of the course, online courses can sell from anything between £10 and £1500. This makes digital courses a very profitable and well-paid side job to consider.
Furthermore, it is possible to create an online course for free in the UK, making it a fairly low-risk side hustle to start. The key to success is to create multiple, high-value courses about subjects that will ever go out of date.
The highest-paying online course niches include digital marketing, software development, self-development, and entrepreneurship. Once you have created an online course, it is possible to earn income passively from this high-paying side hustle idea.
3 Ways To Earn More From Your Side Hustle in 2024
So far, we’ve discussed the highest-paying side hustles to consider starting in the UK in 2024. However, it is possible to earn good money from any side hustle if you know how to maximize your earning potential. Whether you want to sell handmade goods or wash cars at the weekends, here are 5 ways to earn more from your side hustle in 2024.
Go luxury
One of the easiest ways to maximize the earning potential of your side hustle is to target the luxury market. People tend to pay more for products or services that are considered high-end and turning your side hustle into a luxury venture is easier than it may seem.
Let’s use copywriting as an example - one of the most popular side hustles in 2024. The average hourly rate for a regular copywriter is £30 per hour in the UK. By taking this skill upmarket with a professional-looking portfolio and targeting luxury brands, it is possible to triple this hourly rate.
2. Become an expert
Another good way to increase the amount you earn from your side hustle is to become an expert in the field. Customers are happy to pay more for people with a high skillset and excellent knowledge.
The best way to do this is to invest in education and development as well as professional resources. Using copywriting as an example, you could invest in certified copywriting courses from reliable institutions which will set you apart from other writers.
Experts are more likely to land high-paying jobs because they appear more reliable.
3. Offer more
Customers are more likely to pay higher prices for products and services that meet all of their needs, instead of just offering a solution to one aspect. By offering more value, you could easily double the price that you could easily double the rate that you charge.
This involves providing customers with a package of services, or products, that provide a complete solution to whatever your side hustle aims to solve. Using copywriting as an example again, you could also offer editing, infographic creation, and SEO services. You could increase the rate that you charge for customers who want the whole package.
10 Side Hustles That Pay Well - Conclusion
The best-paying side hustles in the UK include dropshipping, becoming a UGC creator, technical writing and overnight pet sitting. These side hustles pay very well but require a good amount of effort to start. If you want to increase the amount of money that you make from your side hustle in 2024, consider targeting the luxury market, investing in courses to become an expert, and offering more than others in your industry. By choosing the right side hustle and using the tips mentioned above to increase the amount that you earn, it is very possible to use your side hustle to quit your full-time job.
FAQs
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The best side hustle to make £50K is dropshipping. This is because the side hustle is easily scalable and can become a fully fledge business without much overhead. It is possible to make six figures per year with dropshipping if you are able to spend time building a brand and invest in marketing.
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Yes it is possible to make a living off of side hustles. In fact, many people replace their full-time jobs with side hustles such as freelancing, ecommerce, selling handmade goods and content creation. To make a living off side hustles, choose a high-paying side hustle and increase the earning potential by targeting th eluxury market.
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Yes, starting a side job is a great way to earn extra money and boost your CV. Many side hustles such as dropshipping, UGC creation and freelance writing can earn enough to replace a fulltime income.
All of our articles are written to help our readers to learn about different side hustles, how they work and how to start earning money from them. Although we mention potential earnings, it is important to understand that there is no guarantee that you will make money from any of the side hustles that are mentioned on our site. Making money from a side hustle requires consistency and significant effort. While we aim to provide useful insight into each side hustle opportunity, it is down to you to follow the right steps towards making any profits.
About The Author
Ruby is the founder of The Rich Girl Guide and has been writing content around personal finance, side hustles and wellbeing for over 3 years. You can find some of Ruby’s published articles on The Motley Fool UK, Tradingplatforms.com and Buyshares.co.uk.