Tired of pinching pennies each month? If you’re a people person in need of a lucrative side gig, this option may be perfect for you.
Opening your bank app only to find a low balance in your account can be defeating, to say the least. If this happens to you more often than not, you may be looking for a new way to rake in the dough in your time off. Those empty checking account coffers aren’t going to fill themselves, right?
Taking on a side hustle can be a great way to earn some extra money. And, if you play your cards right, a good side gig can score you a lot of cash. (Have you seen what some part-time YouTubers make?!)
And if you’re an extrovert, there are lots of lucrative side hustles to choose from. In fact, one of the higher-paying side hustles for extroverts lets you use your natural people skills from the comfort of your own home to earn $1,000 or more each month.
The perfect $1,000-per-month side hustle for an extrovert
Most extroverts thrive on social media. They tend to spend time interacting with followers and posting engaging content — and are more than capable of building a social media “brand,” even if it’s unintentional.
If you’re a people person who’s skilled at gaining followers and knows how to keep their attention while cultivating a strong brand presence, you may be able to pick up a gig as a social media manager or strategist. This type of work is in high demand — especially on a freelance or contract basis.
Most businesses and brands have a social media presence these days — and it’s not all Facebook and Twitter, either. Companies also push promotions, build brand awareness, and interact with potential clients or supporters on all types of social media platforms. But while most companies have a social media presence, not all employ someone in house to manage their social channels.
In fact, it’s common for companies to hire freelance social media managers to help them answer questions, redirect complaints, or schedule posts each day.
And, that’s where you come in. If you can showcase your ability to manage social media and build a following on platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Tik Tok, you may be able to land some lucrative social media management contracts.
What skills do you need for this side hustle?
Social media manager duties vary based on what a company needs, but you’ll likely use your people skills to cultivate a strong following across social media. These types of jobs require you to post images, text, or videos on social channels to spark interest in a topic that relates to the brand.
For this side gig, you’ll write and publish posts, create social campaigns to boost followings or brand awareness, and respond to questions and comments in the company’s voice — and according to their guidelines. You may also monitor the company’s social media analytics.
And, unlike rideshare gigs or part-time jobs in retail, you can do this side hustle from the comfort of your own home — and likely on your time. All you really need is a computer and internet connection to get started.
That type of flexibility is a huge perk if you work a 9-to-5 job. Once you’re off work, you can spend a few hours each night scheduling social posts for your side hustle. And analytical data doesn’t typically need to be pulled every day, so you could knock out a lot of those duties during your off hours.
What’s the pay range for a social media side hustle?
There’s a pretty big payoff for putting in all that social media work. If you worked just 10 hours per week at this side hustle, you’d be well on your way to making an extra $1,000 per month.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), social media managers are lumped in with public relations specialists. The hourly wage for this type of position was about $30.20 per hour as of 2020.
And social media managers on the popular freelancing platform Upwork rake in between $14 and $35 per hour or more — which aligns with the data from the BLS.
If we take the median Upwork wage of $24.50 and multiply it by 10 hours per week, you’d rake in about $980 per month (4 weeks at $245.00 per week).
And if we take the highest typical rate from Upwork — $35 per hour — and calculate it using the same 10 hours per week, you’d rake in about $1,400 per month.
That’s not too shabby for a side hustle that you can do from home.
How to get started in a social media side gig
Ready to start making money with this side gig but aren’t sure where to start? The good news is that it’s pretty simple to get started. You can advertise your services on LinkedIn, Facebook, or other platforms, and if your personal accounts are well established, it may not be tough to land your first gig.
You can also showcase your social media channels to small local businesses that need help boosting their digital presence. You don’t need any special certifications to take on this type of side gig, so try reaching out to restaurants or other businesses with less-than-stellar social channels.
After you’ve established a couple of solid social media campaigns for other businesses, you can start to build a portfolio on a freelance platform. Use testimonials or referrals from other clients you’ve worked with, and make sure to continue to cultivate your own social channels, too.
There aren’t many side gigs that offer the type of flexibility that social media management does, so if you have excellent social media skills and love interacting with people, it won’t be tough to find your way into this type of side hustle.
Be patient, showcase what you’ve done with your own accounts, and put those people skills to work. If you’re successful, you could pull in $1,000 or more each month — which makes this hustle well worth the effort.
