Wouldn’t it be great to earn money from something as simple as typing online from home?
Sounds too good to be true I know, but there really is many ways that you can earn money from doing nothing else other than typing.
In this post I’m going to outline how you can earn money from typing online, some easier than others, so you can find what’s right for you and start earning some extra cash in your free time.
Returns may not be exceptional as typing is a skill that millions of people hold and there is no real skill involved but it’s always good to diversify your income and give yourself even a small boost of cash at the end of the month.
Are you ready to learn how to earn money from typing online at home?
Transcription
In basic terms transcribing is listening to audio or video and files and typing what you hear adding all relevant punctuation, identifying and showing if there is more than one speaker which can be marked as “Speaker 1” and “Speaker 2” adding relevant paragraph breaks and formatting completely.
If you decide to jump into online transcription you will find tying things such as interviews, conference calls, lectures, speeches, podcasts, videos and even phone messages.
To be honest transcribing is no easy task and will take a lot of time to learn and implement properly to start to earn some serious money.
Occasionally audio that is provided can be low quality and the speaker may even have a very distinct accent that some may find hard to understand. Obviously this can turn into a massive problem if you are supposed to be typing what the speaker is saying.
Some files will contain a lot of words relevant to a specialised subject that you may not have any knowledge in so this can also prove difficult. That being said most, if not all transcription services online will allow you to choose what files you would like to transcribe which is an added bonus.
Not to worry though there are many websites online that have a low entry level and are friendly to complete beginners if you feel this is something you are interested in.
All transcription services require a test to be completed before you are accepted onto their programme as a transcriber some harder to pass than others.
I would also recommend you test your typing speed online as it is definitely beneficial to have a typing speed of over 50 WPM to give yourself the best chance of earning money as you will be paid either per word, per line or per minute of audio transcribed.
If your typing is slow then you will find it very difficult to churn out enough content to see any good returns on your time invested.
I’ll give an outline of some main websites you can become a transcriber on where the pay and requirements vary significantly.
Scribie
Scribie allows you to sign up for their transcriber programme and it is very much beginner friendly. The set up process is extremely simple but you will need to take a test to be accepted.
You will see payments of around 5-25 dollars per hour of audio transcribed depending on the difficulty level. Keep in mind that this is not a guaranteed wage of 5-25 dollar per hour as it could take anything up to around 5 hours to transcribe one hour of audio.
You must have a valid PayPal account to take payments but you can work from nearly anywhere in the world as long as you have access to a fast internet speed and of course a laptop or computer.
With Scribie, and all transcribing websites, you will find it very difficult to be accepted onto their programme without a minimum of 40-50 words per minute typing speed. So make sure you get in a lot of practice if you are struggling with this speed.
I have tried to apply to Scribie to see how much money you can earn as a beginner but I am still waiting for a test file to become available. Keep checking back here if you are interested and I will post a link.
TranscribeMe
TranscribeMe is Similar to Scribie as it is supposed to be beginner friendly with no prior transcription experience needed. When I have been waiting for a test file from Scribie I attempted to sign up to TranscribeMe.
They pay slightly better than scribe and offer a starting rate of $15 per hour as standard which will increase if you quickly and accurately complete a number of audio files.
TranscribeMe provide far more direction that Scribie as they have an in-depth style guide that tells you exactly how they expect audio files to be transcribed which is a great addition.
TranscribeMe will also pay directly into your PayPal account after you reach your first $10.
I completed a test with TranscribeMe to see if it was possible to start earning money as a complete beginner and failed to the entrance exam multiple times with grades of around 95%.
I will be returning to try again once the 30-day wait period is over but if you would like to read more about the application process and what to expect in the test feel free to have a read.
Captioning
Captioning is another method you can use to earn money online from typing but this require quite a bit of skill. You will have to be an experienced typist with lightening fast typing speeds and very high accuracy and most likely specialised equipment.
Captioning is real-time time transcription and you will be working from video files rather than audio files in standard transcription. Due to this only the most experienced of transcriber can try to secure a job in captioning.
That being said though there is actually opportunities for offline captioning where you will be typing captions for recorded videos which can give you the ability to pause and rewind if you miss something, make a mistake or need to hear the audio again.
Offline captioning will require a lot less speed and experience is required but it is still no means easy. You will need to have some training and experience in where the caption will be placed in time withe video.
Due to the equipment that is required captioning is very much still mostly done in offices especially for real time although there still is very much a possibility from making money from home offline captioning with the correct equipment and relevant experience and skills.
To start captioning you are going to need to attend some courses and buy yourself the equipment unless you are employed by a company that is willing to provide you with the equipment which is;
- Steno Machine
- Computer
- Headset
- Pedal
- High-speed Internet
- Specialised software
As you can now see captioning is not something that anyone can start at and make some extra income right away and it’s more of a career where experience and most likely qualifications will be required.
Data Entry
Data entry can be a great way to start earning money online typing as it takes far less experience and investment that the like of captioning. Due to this the internet is full of scams that will attempt to profit from your interest in data entry and not actually pay you anything at all for your time so be wary. I’ll make sure and outline some legit data entry jobs so you won’t find yourself in this situation.
So what exactly is data entry? Well in basic terms data entry is typing or uploading provided information. Depending on the client the job could include reviewing, verifying or editing data that they have provided.
You will only need basic skills to take up data entry and you won’t need any prior qualifications or degrees but of course some experience is preferable when trying to secure a data entry role.
Unsurprisingly a fast and accurate typing speed is extremely beneficial as you will be able to type more data quickly so the potential to earn more money is increased but that’s not to say it’s a must. Your typing speed and accuracy will improve rather rapidly if you are typing for prolonged periods.
Great attention to detail and good organisation skills are also recommended if you decide to give data entry a go as data entry is basically the organisation of provided data into a more manageable and readable format.
You must also be extremely self-motivated to take on a work from home job as you will have no boss breathing down your neck pushing you to actually complete the work and everything will be done on your own accord.
To avoid getting scammed while looking for potential jobs it’s always good to apply common sense to the situation. For example if the job advert has obvious spelling and grammar mistakes or the employers asks for a down payment before starting or even if the job seems too good to be true then be very wary of the situation.
Its always good practice to ask for a signed contract that outlines what you’ll be doing and how and when you’ll be paid.
Now you have an understand of what data entry is and what skills you’ll need to become successful ill get to the point and provide you with some legit websites you can try to get started and start earning some extra cash
Clickworker
Clickworker is a website that distributes micro tasks for larger companies to their members who are effectively freelancers. Jobs mainly include writing, translating, researching and of course data entry along with a few others.
The types of tasks you offered depends mostly on your qualifications which are determined by taking tests during the registration process and your performance on previous tasks is also taken into consideration.
On Clickworker you will not be payed per hour and all pay is given once these tasks are completed. Due to this the pay will vary greatly depending on what task you are completing.
All pay is given after 7 days and is payed into either PayPal or your bank account.
If you complete tasks well then you have the potential to receive more money for each task.
CAPTCHA Typing
First of all you might be wondering what CAPTCHA typing actually is right? Captchas are the annoying boxes of obscured letters that you need to enter before usually signing up to websites to verify you are a real person and not a bot trying to create multiple accounts.
There are many websites out there that will claim to pay you for solving these captchas but are they legit? Mostly no they are not.
A lot of people out there want to take advantage of you wanting to earn some quick money online and captcha solving is one that is full of scammer sites.
There is a few websites that will pay for captcha solving and the pay is on average around $1.5 per 1000 captchas solved. In most cases you won’t even be sure what you are solving captchas for and in most cases they will probably be used for some frowned upon methods.
In my opinion captcha typing is something you want to avoid as the pay is horrendously low, if you even manage to find a legit site, and I’m sure you don’t want to be caught up in something illegal.
Freelance Typing
Now freelance typing on websites such as Fiverr and UpWork can be one of the best ways to earn some money from typing online but you are most likely going to need some skills before you jump into this method.
If you are unfamiliar with Fiverr and UpWork they are websites where you can list your services as a freelancer and businesses and individuals will contact you directly to complete their tasks.
These freelance website don’t just open the opportunity for typing but you can also offer services such as logo creation, website development, advert creation, digital marketing, game development and many more.
But for the purpose of this post I’ll focus on the ways you can earn money from typing. To really show you the potential ill jump onto Fiverr and find some examples to give you an example of how much money can be made and what kind of services you can offer.
Before we begin you should keep in mind that Fiverr and UpWork are extremely competitive with a lot of people wanting to make some extra income online from especially for low skill jobs such as typing so you will need to offer exceptional quality at a reasonable price to even get any customers at all.
The first example I have found is for paraphrasing, restructuring and rewording already typed work. This can be an extremely easy task if you have a good grasp of the English language and can type quickly. You have the potential to charge nearly £50 for 3000 words typed. This is an extremely good return for relatively unskilled work.
If you are just looking to type with no thought at all then you can even offer services that are purely typing. For example this individual offers typed copies of scanned PDF s or documents and charges around £17 for 21-30 pages of work typed. Once again if you have a fast and accurate typing speed this money could add up very quickly.
Fiverr really is an exceptional platform for securing jobs typing from home. You can get a full idea of the opportunities available if you visit the site and enter “typing jobs” into the search bar.
If you are serious about earning some extra income online from typing then this would be my recommendation. Fiverr is 100% legit and if you can stand among the masses of competition the potential to earn a full time income really is there.
The Verdict – Is it really worth your time?
I’m sure you are now well aware of how you can earn money from typing online and the methods to avoid. There is definitely a handful of legit methods out there that could see you earning quite a sizeable amount of money but like everything it will take some hard work to get where you want to be.
Freelance typing would definitely be my number one recommendation if you are looking for some good returns on unskilled and relatively simple typing tasks. The main issue with freelance typing is the high competition but with the right offer and quality work your work could take off very quickly.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and if you have any questions or you would like to share your experience with earning money typing online please feel free to leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
There are many alternative methods for earning money online if you don’t think typing is for you. I’ve outlined 6 real methods for earning good money online in this post if you are looking for something a little different.
