12 Ways to Make Money During the COVID-19 Quarantine By Samuel W. Reed

Medium.com

My family was one of the millions of families financially impacted by COVID-19. My wife was furloughed, and I went from a full schedule promoting my recent , working for an indie production company, and post-producing my debut feature film, to scrambling for ways to earn money.

In the spirit of sharing, I thought it might be beneficial to create a list of viable ways to earn a little extra money in your off-time. Hopefully this list will help kickstart some ideas of your own that you can then apply to your specific business or skill set, so that you can make the most of your time and resources and create a successful side-hustle for yourself.

10 things you can do to make money now

1. Apply for Unemployment — First and foremost, if you have been laid off, furloughed, or otherwise lost your job directly as a result of COVID-19, you should apply for unemployment. Even if you are a 1099 subcontractor or wouldn’t otherwise qualify, now is your chance, and it never hurts to apply.
2. Grants/Loans — Similar to above, there are a lot of grants popping up depending on your industry. I know there have been quite a few for the entertainment/artist community in general. Banks are opening themselves up to small business loans, etc.
3. Kickstart a Crowdfunding Campaign — People are strapped for cash right now. But they’re also feeling more giving and more generous than ever because they know there are people worse off than them. Maybe you are one of these people. This isn’t the time to ask people for thousands of dollars to fund your million-dollar sci-fi epic. But if you are in need, platforms like GoFundMe offer a place to share your story in return for small donations, while Kickstarter and IndieGogo might be a great place for you to start a small campaign to fund a special passion project that can be worked on while you are at home. Just be courteous and thoughtful when asking others to donate to your cause, as you don’t want to burden your friends or family, who may be in the same predicament as you.
4. Take an Online Survey — Alright, alright. I’ll be the first to say it: I usually think these are a huge waste of time, AND you make almost nothing at sites like SurveyJunkie, Swagbucks, LifePoints. But what do we have more of right now than time? And why not spend a few hours a day plugged into some survey machine to make a couple extra bucks? 
5. Become an Online Consultant — Take your business, whatever business that may be, and work remotely. With apps like Zoom, FaceTime, or even House Party, you can be a professional consultant from anywhere! Attorneys can schedule meetings from home. Yoga teachers can do Zoom classes. Painters can go all Bob Ross from their studios! Teachers and professionals from all over are adapting the use of new technology to share their screens, themselves, and information like never before. Become an early adopter and watch your business flourish. Or you can wait around with the rest of the world waiting for things to “return to normal.”
6. Start Podcasting, Webcasting, or Creating Web-Tutorials — Take your business to another level by using your phone or SLR camera to record yourself into either an audio podcast or online video! Promote yourself on LinkedIn and on other social media sites and offer your expertise to others in their time of need. Often, it’s a service that benefits others that reaps the most rewards in times of need. By offering free guidance sometimes you can score big. Spend the next month or so creating, developing, and producing content, and then slowly dole it out over the coming months while you plan for more. 
7. Edit Photos &/or Videos — With free tools like iPhoto & Davinci Resolve, and even cheap apps for your phone, anyone can become a photo/video editor. And, if you’re good at it, you can charge others to edit their videos! Advertise yourself on Fiverr, Mandy, Facebook Groups and other industry sites. Edit a reel together, so people can see your stuff, and get it out there. 
8. Write for Blogs/Magazines/Newspapers — Here’s one reality of our current Corona-world: everyone needs material. With the entire globe stuck at home, people are devouring content, whether it’s from Netflix or Amazon Prime, YouTube, their local paper, or the to-be-read pile on the nightstand, people are consuming media at an unheard of rate. There is no better time to start writing articles and submitting them to press. Most publications offer a Masthead where you can see who is the editor or lead of each department, and many blogs offer an email address for direct submissions. 
9. Sell Products Online — Whether you’re adding witty text to coffee mugs and t-shirts on Cafepress or Zazzle (which earns you pennies on the dollar, btw), to hawking your tailer-made face masks with matching gloves and knitted socks, now is the time to kick your crafting into high gear, take some nice photos, and stick it on Etsy.
10. Copywriting/Resume Writing— Indeed, Ziprecruiter, LinkedIn, and more are filled with copywriting jobs. Start small, maybe even on Fiverr or for friends, build a portfolio, put a resume together, and watch the offers roll in. Prove you’ve got the special touch to get people clicking, and this can be a great money-maker year round.
11. Clean out your closet and sell everything on Ebay — Goodwill isn’t taking donations, and granted, everybody is a little tight with money. But that’s why Ebay is a great marketplace right now. For those with a little money, they’re not going to go to the big retailers to find their next pair of pajamas, or replacement house slippers. 
12. Try out a New Career— This might sound crazy, but there are people hiring right now. That’s right. A lot of jobs are still interviewing and working remote, depending on your interests. Is your resume out there? Use services like Zip Recruiter, Indeed, LinkedIn and others, upload your resume, and search for jobs for free. They will update you with anything that matches your profile. Maybe now is the perfect time to change careers, take a much-needed breather from your normal gig, or just try on something new for a change until you are back at your old position. Nobody says this has to be permanent, but who knows, you might just fall in love with a whole new you.