9 Side Hustles for Introverts That Pay Well In 2024

Are you an introvert who gets exhausted working around other people? What if there was a way you could save all that energy for your skills while still making money? 

Better yet, what if there was a way you could do that while making more money than you ever thought possible?

Well, I’m an introvert myself, and I’ve tried tens of different side hustles over the years. Some of them were pretty good, while some were let’s just say not one the best side hustles for introverrts

In this guide, I’ll show you the nine best side hustles for introverts that can turn into lucrative careers—and all of them can be done from the comfort of your own home. 

With my years of experience in the digital marketing industry and a proven track record of success, you can trust that the side hustles I recommend are legitimate. Let’s take a look at each one. 

The Best Side Hustles For Introverts That Make Money

You can do much better than being a dog walker or delivery service driver when you need a side hustle for introverts. The internet is filled with opportunities to make extra money by connecting to buyers and clients worldwide. You can thrive as an introvert in all of the following side hustle jobs: 

Let’s look into these in more detail…

1. Affiliate Marketing

An affiliate marketer generates a sale for other people and then collects a percentage of what the customer paid (or just a flat “bounty”).

Have you ever visited a blog or social media accounts page for your favorite hobby? While there, you may have noticed buy-now links to products that were mentioned. 

These links are often affiliate programs where the people who own the page (the “affiliate marketer”) get a cut of each product sold through the affiliate links.

This is a perfect side hustle for introverts because an affiliate marketer never has to store products, manage customer interaction, or handle cash. Everything happens through the product’s existing website and storefront. 

If you can get people to read your blog, you can apply to affiliate networks. 

Those networks will provide you with offers and custom links. Any sales that happen through your links will generate commissions for you. 

How Do I Make Money As An Affiliate Marketer?

Affiliate programs exist for nearly every conceivable product, from dog toys to luxury yachts. The following sub-niches are known to be particularly lucrative:

Earning Potential

This is one of my favorite side hustles for introverts that pay good money. The earning potential is simply enormous. A poll of the affiliates in The Affiliate Lab community Facebook group revealed that hundreds of people were already getting paid 10k+ a month.  

2. Start An eCommerce Store

An e-commerce store is an online shop where visitors can browse products, spend money, and have items shipped to them in a single visit.

Amazon and eBay are examples of eCommerce stores, but you can find smaller shops owned and run by individuals or small teams. Introverts may be attracted to this side hustle because it lets them be their own boss.

eCommerce stores work roughly in the same way as any other kind of store. You’ll need to curate the products you want to sell, create a reassuring environment for buying (in other words, don’t look sketchy), and set up a payment processor. 

You don’t necessarily need to store products. There are arrangements, such as drop shipping, that allow you to manage stores without actually taking possession of the products.

How Do I Make Money With An eCommerce Store?

If it’s a thing that can be sold, there’s probably an e-commerce store for it. These stores may sell:

Really, anything you can think of…

Earning Potential

Earning potential with eCommerce stores can be impressive. However, there is a huge gulf between what most stores earn and what the biggest ecommerce sites earn. 

Don’t be discouraged if you need to start from the bottom. There are over 100,000 eCommerce stores that pull in more than $1,000,000 in annual revenue. You only have to work harder or smarter than one of them to have a million-dollar store.

If you have an eCommerce store, you’re more of a business owner than a freelancer. You decide how much time you want to devote to the side hustle job and whether you want to work from home or out of an office. 

3. Freelance Website Developer

A freelance website developer is a coder who helps clients build, fix, or overhaul their websites. This is a technical skill that will take some effort to develop. You’ll likely need to know one or more of the following languages to earn money online as a website developer.

If the training isn’t a problem, this can be a rewarding side hustle. You’ll often be able to work independently without interference from other people, and most positions won’t require you to visit offices.

This is also a highly lucrative skill whether you want to get paid from freelancing or go back to the suit-and-tie world. You can do it in your spare time if you take the right side hustle, but with just a few sites under your belt, you can probably land full-time projects.

How Do I Make Money As A Freelance Website Developer?

Developers may specialize in working for certain industries, providing rare coding languages, or implementing certain CMS systems. 

Some of the most common specialization options requested by people include:

Earning Potential

Website development is a good way to make money due to the demand and premium rates. You can earn money online part-time if you focus on clients with small needs. 

Web design is also a great way to earn money online while you’re still learning what makes a site successful. That’s the knowledge you can take directly to being a more successful affiliate or eCommerce merchant. 

In recent polls, freelance web developers have reported earning an average of $71,705 per year. Some experienced senior freelance web developers can earn upwards of $200,000+ annually. 

4. Freelance Writing

A freelance writer creates content, often for websites. It’s needed by nearly every industry that does business online to handle short and long-term projects. 

For example, a freelance writer may be hired to populate new websites and landing pages. Or, eCommerce stores that undergo an expansion may hire freelance writers to create new product descriptions. 

Writing is one of the best side hustles for introverts who are beginners with remote work. If you’re willing to take some low rates starting out, you can easily find offers to fill up a portfolio while you make extra money. 

You can make money writing on most major freelance-writing side hustle sites. 

How Do I Make Money As A Freelance Writer?

Freelance writers are often defined by the type of content they create. Freelance writers may specialize in:

Earning Potential

A freelance writing side hustle doesn’t have the highest earning potential, but it can’t be beaten if you’re looking for flexible gigs where you can learn some persuasion skills that will help you enter the much more lucrative affiliate space. 

Writing assignments on major marketplaces come in all sizes. You can commit to a course of only 5-hours a week when you’re getting started.

Later, if you want to write and publish your own books on Amazon, tools like Book Bolt will come in handy.

Ziprecruiter estimated that the average freelance writer earned $63,213 a year. At the high end of the industry, some freelancers earned as much as $150,000+.

5. Proofreading And Editing

Proofreaders and editors ensure that content is free of errors. Most of us get by without a perfect knowledge of grammar. Editors and proofreaders make sure even the most specific rules are followed.

This can be a great side hustle for introverts with patience and attention to detail. When you’re starting out with this side hustle job, you can get paid by people for editing short pieces on places like Fiverr. 

How Do I Make Money As A Proofreader?

Proofreaders and editors don’t always need industry knowledge to get paid for their services because they just apply grammar rules. 

They may work on a range of different content, such as:

Earning Potential

In a poll of proofreaders, the respondents reported earning an average of $51,391 a year. Editors, who typically provide a more comprehensive service, report an average $69,599 /year income. 

6. Graphic Designer

Freelance graphic designers provide websites and individuals with images and designs that present information to people in an engaging way. Companies may hire designers to create unique images rather than pay license fees for often overused stock images.

This side gig can be perfect for introverts because they’re free to work independently. They can use their own tools and achieve the client’s goals however they like. 

You don’t even have to work for someone else if you don’t want to. Graphic designers can get paid by creating stock images, or selling print-on-demand copies of their work.

Graphic design can be a part-time, full-time, or one-time side hustle. You’ll be able to find offers at every level, though you may need a portfolio to be considered. A friend willing to order and give you a review may be a good starting point.

How Do I Make Money As A Graphic Designer?

Freelance graphic designers often take contacts to work on:

Earning Potential

Freelance graphic designers report an average annual income of $55,642 a year. Some in-demand designers can earn more than $90,000 a year.

7. Virtual Bookkeeper

Virtual bookkeepers provide remote accounting services. Client relationships are managed online or by phone so that either party is free to work from anywhere. 

This can be a low-stress side hustle as long as you don’t choose clients who need more time than you have to give.

How Do I Make Money As A Virtual Bookkeeper?

Virtual bookkeepers are concerned with specific laws, so they don’t have much trouble switching between different industries. They may choose to specialize in something like:

Earning Potential

Virtual bookkeepers report earning $38,193 /year. At the higher end of the profession, experienced bookkeepers report earning about $54,000. It’s a good gig if you’re looking to transition easily to your own bookkeeping business in the future. 

8. Virtual Assistant (VA)

Virtual assistants are remote employees who handle administrative tasks for a client. These assistants answer emails, schedule meetings, prepare daily agendas, and make travel arrangements.

This side hustle can be great for the introvert who craves a high-speed environment but wants to experience it from a distance. Of course, compared to other ways to make extra money on this list, it will require more communication with people. 

How Do I Make Money As A Virtual Assistant?

Assistants often adapt to meet their client’s needs over time. They may learn specific programs that their client uses or processes that are involved in their business. They may specialize in:

Earning Potential

Virtual assistants report earning an average of $67,115 a year. The same poll found that the most successful assistants could make more than $130,000. Reaching this level will require long-term relationships.

9. Audio Engineering

As an introvert, you may rapidly begin selling audio engineering services such as mixing, producing, and tracking if you have the means to buy the necessary equipment. There are a few things on your to-do list:

In addition to making money from internet music streaming services like Spotify and YouTube, audio engineers often sell their composed and recorded music to other side hustles.

How Do I Make Money from Audio Engineering? 

This career path can provide you with a range of options for generating income. You need just identify your strengths and the goals you hope to accomplish via them.

Beginning their careers in recording studios, most audio engineers eventually seek new challenges.

A career in audio engineering can really take you anywhere. How far you will go is up to you. Beginners in audio engineering usually get paid by offering the following services: 

Earning Potential 

As of March 29, 2022, the average income for an audio systems engineer is $81,191. However, salaries for this role frequently vary from $73,422 to $90,447. Many criteria, such as level of education, professional certifications, supplementary talents, and years of experience in the field, can have a significant impact on salary.

Alternatively, Promote Your Existing Career Skills On Upwork Or Fiverr

If you have some spare time for a side hustle, you can also consider using the spare time to promote your existing skills on marketplaces like UpWork or Fiverr. 

You may discover better offers out there or projects that align more with your interests. 

As an introvert, you can use this strategy to transition toward the remote opportunities these platforms offer. You may be able to replace your current office job with freelance clients over time. 

FAQs

How Can Introverts Make Money?

Introverts can make money working as affiliate marketers, freelance writers, graphic designers, drop shipper, or one of the many working from home jobs that require minimal human connection.

What Business Can an Introvert Do?

An introvert can do various business opportunities that align with their strengths, such as freelance writing, graphic design, e-commerce, virtual assistance, web development, online tutoring or teaching, and social media management.

What Are the 5 Best Ways to Make Extra Money if You Hate People?

The 5 best ways to make extra money if you hate people are affiliate marketing, drop shipping, day trading, house sitter, or a freelancer.

What Are The Highest Paying Side Hustles For Introverts?

There is a side hustle for every introvert out there. Now, you know many of the best paying ones, including web development, freelance writing, and working as a VA. 

While all of these side hustles for introverts can be rewarding, some of them stand above the rest when it comes to earning potential. 

Personally, my favorite is affiliate marketing. It might take some time to get a consistent income flowing each, but a few years in the right niche can earn you millions of money online. While the events are fun, you won’t need to hang out with extroverts or make eye contact with anyone on your way up.

Want to learn more about making the most of affiliate marketing? At The Affiliate Lab, you can learn how the pros launch new affiliate sites, build an audience, and drive conversions. Our courses can help you make the most of this option’s earning potential.