Making money online in Kenya is not new, as it has been there for the past decade or so. And every day, we witness the internet gaining more popularity, and more people are getting connected, and this presents a huge opportunity to make money online.
These opportunities range from freelance writing, blogging, podcasting, affiliate marketing, online tutoring, selling products online, etc. This article will explore the ten best ways on how to make money online in Kenya.
Table of Contents
10 Best Ways on How To Make Money Online in Kenya
- Freelance Writing
- Start a Blog
- Start an e-commerce store
- Affiliate marketing
- Start a Podcast
- Start a YouTube Channel
- Virtual Assistance
- Online Tutoring
- Write and Publish an eBook
- Transcription
Let’s dive into details on how you can make money online using the above ways.
1. Be a Freelance Writer
Freelance writing is working for a company or business as a professional writer on a contractual basis instead of full-time. It offers the flexibility of working on your schedule and offering your services to different clients.
Therefore, a freelance writer is not committed to an employer for the long term. Freelance writing is an excellent job for those who enjoy writing, as you can write articles or blog posts and earn money online. You will need a good computer and a stable internet connection to launch your freelance writing journey.
If you are a beginner, you can start working for other freelance writers with accounts with major freelance platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr. After a short training, you can write for them and make at least Kshs 500 daily online. I would write for experienced writers with loads of writing work a while back, and I would be paid anything between Kshs 250 and Kshs 500 per page. All this depends on your research, the quality of your content, and how you meet given datelines, among others.
How to Make Money in Kenya as a Freelance Writer.
One of the simplest ways is to sign up for freelance writing websites, complete your profile, and start bidding for writing gigs. Some of the best freelance writing sites include Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, Guru, PeoplePerHour, and FlexJobs.
Another way to land freelance writing jobs and make money online is by starting a blog to showcase your work. You can post quality content targeting potential clients or buyers and set up a “Hire Me” page where clients can see and request your freelance services.
Additionally, you can land freelance writing jobs through cold pitching. Cold pitching involves sending emails or direct messages on social media to prospective brands and influencers in your niche, offering your writing services.
Finally, you can start networking. Reach out to potential clients and other writers on social media platforms like Twitter and Linkedin.
How Much Money Can You Make From Freelance Writing?
Freelance writing can earn you anything from $5 to as much as $1,500 per article, depending on your experience and the article type. For long-form content such as ebooks, case studies, and white papers, a freelancer can charge as much as $4,500.
2. Start a Blog
You can start a blog, build a robust audience, and make money online. Blogging is not the quickest way to make money; it demands consistency, determination, and passion for succeeding. It can be a lonely journey as you may spend much of your time researching and improving your blog for your audience. It is a real job with no pay or significant blog traffic at first. But with passion, effort, and determination, you will succeed.
Generating a significant amount of traffic and revenue may take 3 to 6 months, depending on your level of consistency with writing and publishing valuable content. Keep grinding, and always remember that it gets better with time.
How to Make Money Online in Kenya as a Blogger
There are many ways to make money with your blog, but advertising and affiliate marketing are the two most popular. Other ways include selling advertising space directly to buyers or selling merchandise.
Advertising is probably the most popular way to monetize your blog. Ad networks like Google Adsense and Ezoic place relevant ads on your blog and pay you based on your blog’s traffic. However, I suggest focusing more on generating high-quality content.
Another popular way to make money with your blog is affiliate marketing; where you promote products or services to your readers.
Once your blog has built a substantial following and reputation, brands may approach you directly for ad space. You may also start selling merchandise on your blog to make money online.
3. Start an e-commerce store – Sell Products Online.
Another popular way of making money online in Kenya is by selling products online. An e-commerce business is an exciting venture where you can buy or sell products or services online and earn a decent income.
Online shopping in Kenya has been on the rise, and according to a survey report by MARCO, 58 percent of Kenyan consumers started buying more online when the pandemic struck. Unsurprisingly, some of the top products purchased online are clothing and fashion.
Follow these seven steps to start your e-commerce business in Kenya:
- Create a business plan.
- Acquire relevant permits and licenses.
- Choose an e-commerce website builder.
- Select an easy and secure payment system.
- Source your products.
- Invest in SEO Marketing.
- Promote your online business.
Your business plan will help you develop the business objectives and structure, name of your business, products to sell, target customers, and marketing strategies. A business plan will also help you avoid mistakes and prove the viability of your business.
Finally, after setting up your store and listing all your products, invest your time and energy in the venture to grow. You can promote your products online and target prospective customers. You can also offer discounts and other incentives, such as free delivery on purchased items. The sales can be low in the first few months, but with time, trust is built, and you will start generating substantial revenue. So don’t despair. The market opportunities are enormous.
Also, read: sources of business ideas in Kenya
4. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is promoting the products and services you use to your readers through links assigned by the product seller. When a reader makes a purchase using your referral link, you will receive a commission on the generated sales. To be the best affiliate marketer, you should have some experience with the products and services you promote on your blog.
There are many affiliate platforms on the internet where you can apply to join in a few simple steps. They include Amazon Affiliates, Fiverr Affiliates, and ShareASale. So how can you make money online in Kenya as an affiliate marketer? You can sign up for some of the best affiliate marketing platforms, such as Jumia, iPay Africa, Kilimall, Paxful, and Truehost Cloud, and share their products and services via social media, blog, social messaging apps like WhatsApp and your blog.
Remember to conduct due diligence on affiliate programs you wish to join based on their commissions, the variety of items to promote, the revenue-sharing model, and restrictions on joining.
5. Start a Podcast
A podcast is an episodic series of digital audio or video files published online for download or streaming. Podcasts can be enjoyed on various internet-enabled devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. They can be downloaded to your phone or computer, so you can listen to them anytime without having your phone interrupt your daily life.
Podcasts are one of the fastest-growing mediums for entertainment and education, with over 1.8 billion monthly downloads and over 180 million monthly loyal audiences. You can turn your podcast into a revenue stream with proper planning and hard work.
How To Make Money Online in Kenya From A Podcast
- Asking for donations from your listeners
- Paid advertisements or sponsorships deals in the show
- Selling merchandise to fans
- Offering paid membership tiers to your listeners.
- Create Online Courses
- Repurposing your podcast by posting the videos on YouTube
- Public speaking deals
- Organizing events and conferences.
- Join advertising network
- Write and Publish an ebook for your audience
Some of the best platforms to host your podcast include PodBean, Anchor, RSS.com, Audioboom, and Resonate. All these platforms have different key features, pricing plans, upload and bandwidth limits, and monetization tools.
6. Start a YouTube Channel
YouTube can be the perfect place to start making money online. With more than 1 billion hours of video views daily, there is huge potential to earn passive income.
How to Make Money Online in Kenya as a YouTuber
You can start your YouTube channel and run it on your phone. Here are several ways you can make money through YouTube:
- Adsense Revenue – Google will place display, overlay, and video ads on YouTube videos and shorts across your channel, and you’ll be able to earn revenue.
- Selling Merchandise – You can showcase and sell your products and official branded merchandise on Youtube. Connect your store with your Youtube Channel to display products.
- Offer Channel Memberships – This is where channel members make monthly payments to you for exclusive content or special perks.
- Create sponsored content – This is a popular way for YouTubers to make money. Get paid by brands for sponsored content or ads.
- Ask for Donations – Whether you want to boost your revenue or fund a personal or channel-related project, you can request donations from your followers through popular online crowdfunding sites such as Patreon and GoFundMe or PayPal Donate Button.
7. Become a Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistance is another way you can make money online in Kenya.
A virtual assistant is an independent contractor who provides clients with administrative, technical, creative, or marketing assistance, usually from a remote location. Some of the services you can offer as a virtual assistant include customer service, email management, social media management, bookkeeping services, graphic design, data entry, typesetting, transcription, and many more.
Well, you may be asking yourself, how much are virtual assistants paid? A Virtual Assistant can expect anything from as little as $8 to as much as $50 per hour. All this depends on your experience level, area of expertise, skill sets, and type of work. You can charge higher if you are highly experienced and can provide specialized services.
How to Get Virtual Assistant Jobs Online:
- Freelance platforms – Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr.
- Social Media – LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
- In-person networking.
Some top skills you need to become an efficient and reliable virtual assistant include time management, communication, creativity, reliability, and strong organizational skills.
8. Become An Online Tutor
Online tutoring can be a great way to make money online in Kenya. There has been a surge in demand for tutoring services, and many people worldwide have made tutoring their source of living.
Online tutoring offers flexibility, meaning you can work on your schedule and from home, and it also allows you to travel to your dream destination worldwide. You can also be an online tutor as a side hustle as you work around your full-time job.
Additionally, online tutoring is excellent for those with a particular skill or expertise in a specific subject area. You can teach English, Math, Science, Swahili, or any other subject area. Websites that offer online tutoring opportunities include Chegg, TutorMe, Tutors.com, and TeacherOn. Please note that there is fierce competition on these platforms, and building up a reputation and a regular client base may take some time.
How to Make Money Online from Tutoring?
- Online tutoring from home
- Create and Upload your teaching courses.
Finally, evaluate your interests, strengths, and whether you want to tutor part-time or full-time before venturing into online tutoring.
9. Write and Publish an eBook
An electronic book, or in short form, an eBook, is a digital form of a printed book that can be displayed and read on electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and personal computers.
Writing and publishing an ebook has become one of the most popular ways to make money online in Kenya. In this modern era, e-books are everywhere, significantly impacting how we learn, share, and entertain ourselves.
To start, select a niche that aligns with your audience’s needs, create an outline of your ebook (chapters and sections), design your cover, format your ebook, choose your publishing platform, set the price, and upload and promote your book. Once your ebook is up and running, you can always sit back and analyze its success.
There are many free guides online to help you get started, for example, the Hubspot Guide and free template.
Additionally, you can look for professional freelancers to help write your ebook on platforms such as Fiverr.
Some popular platforms to publish and sell your ebook include Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Gumroad, Google Play Books, Apple iBooks Store, Lulu, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble Press.
10. Make Money Online as a Transcriptionist
Transcription is listening to recorded audio or video files and converting them into written text.
Transcriptionists listen to recorded audio or video files and type into text format what they hear. This can be anything from speeches, podcasts, interviews, class lectures, business meetings, court sessions, etc. Your pay rate highly depends on your typing speed, the file length given to transcribe, and your accuracy. The pay rates may vary hugely, but you can expect to earn around $0.25 – $1.00 per audio minute or even more.
Top transcription skills include typing, careful listening, communication, Language, spelling, grammar, multitasking, ability to focus, and attention to detail.
Today, there are many transcription companies where you can sign up for transcription jobs. Some of the best transcription jobs websites to make money online in Kenya include Rev, TranscribeMe, Scribie, CastingWords, Happyscribe, GoTranscript, voxtab, and Crowdsurf.
Launch Your Online Venture Today
In summary, some legitimate ways to make money online in Kenya include freelance writing, starting a blog, selling products online, affiliate marketing, podcasting, starting a YouTube channel, Virtual Assistance, online tutoring, publishing ebooks, and transcription.
Making money online takes the right mindset, skills, dedication, and passion. Find something you are passionate about, put in the time and effort to build it, and you will enjoy it and be more likely to stick with it.
Finally, you must ensure you have the skills and resources needed to start. Always do your due diligence before investing time and money into any online opportunity.
With patience and persistence, you can turn your online ventures into a sustainable source of income. If you’re a beginner, start small and learn other ways to make money other than the above list. You can also consider learning about the stock market and start trading shares.
There is no better time to start your online venture than today. There are literally tons of resources to help you start an online business. Determination will take you places.
