4 ms·

>I've been wrecking my brain how to make $10 on anything online If you are really serious about $10 (and not some other larger number), here are some tips: *

by asicsp 4y ago

>I've been wrecking my brain how to make $10 on anything online If you are really serious about $10 (and not some other larger number), here are some tips: * Pick a topic you know really well (programming, cooking, sea diving, whatever) * Make an infographic (get started on the topic of your choice, some specific and useful practical tip, etc) - picking a template from free tier Canva will go a long way in producing a good looking graphical post (you can even do animations) * Put this up under pay-what-you-want model on sites like Gumroad (so, minimum price free but users can pay if they wish) - see https://mathspp.gumroad.com/l/cheatsheet_list_comps_101 https://mathspp.gumroad.com/l/cheatsheet_list_comps_101 for an example * Post a sample on sites like Twitter, Reddit, etc (just the nice looking graphic, add a link to Gumroad later in comments if the posts start getting attention) * Make a video to show demos (if applicable) * Be consistent! Give it your best shot for topics you are really confident about. Listen to feedback. Learn and Build in Public for better reach (see https://swyx.io/learn-in-public https://swyx.io/learn-in-public and https://chriscoyier.net/2012/09/23/working-in-public/ https://chriscoyier.net/2012/09/23/working-in-public/) If you want an example for someone making a living by doing things like this, check out Julia's https://wizardzines.com/ https://wizardzines.com/

anitil 4y ago
I recently threw $100 at jvns because of this model. I wanted the docker zine and it was $10 for one, or $100 for the lot. It doesn't take that many $100 purchases to be a respectable income source
- asicsp 4y ago
  Depending on where you live, you can get discount too. For example, I get this: >Hello! It looks like you're in India, where this zine might be expensive. If you need it, please use code <redacted> at checkout to get 70% off the regular price.
  - rrishi 4y ago
    It's pretty cool jvns took the location of purchaser into account. Don't see that happening often.
  - anitil 4y ago
    Huh interesting. Frankly I don't need the discount so I don't mind paying. I'm probably getting closer to $1k of value from them so I'm coming out ahead anyway
    - rrishi 4y ago
      Is it that valuable to you because you work in related domains ? Or will they be as valuable to any software dev?
      - anitil 4y ago
        The one I was really interested in was about DNS. Something about DNS just hasn't stuck in my brain despite reading about it dozens of time. Annoyingly DNS is actually pretty simple! But I don't work directly on any of the topics in the zines, I just like to understand things, or at least understand them enough that I can hang information on what I already know.
  - __mharrison__ 4y ago
    Out of respect for the creator, hopefully that code is not valid. (Content creator here.)
    - asicsp 4y ago
      Thanks, I edited out the specific code. But I hope the code applies based on actual location with solutions like Parity Deals.
jsemrau 4y ago
I've been doing that for the last 12 months and tbh, it does not work unless you already had an audience before. Highly likely I am the worst social marketer on the planet. But in terms of RoI your advice doesn't work for 99% of the population.
- asicsp 4y ago
  Use Reddit. You don't need an existing audience for that. Make sure to follow the rules of the subreddit. Write a few tips/tutorial posts, help other learners, etc. Then you can try self promoting within the rules. And parallelly, you can build an audience on sites on Twitter. Read about marketing. Follow other creators. And so on. (Edit: You can self promote without existing audience with Show HN too, provided it fits the rules. Luck plays a huge role, but you won't get lucky if you don't try at all). Regarding RoI, that depends on your needs. I left my job in 2014 due to various reasons. I tried and failed at many things for about 5 years. Then I tried selling ebooks and the second book clicked for me. Now I earn more than I need (with the caveat that I live alone in outskirts of a second tier city with an average monthly expense of just about $150).
  - spookybones 4y ago
    How do you keep your expenses so low? That includes rent, utilities, and groceries?
    - BadCookie 4y ago
      GP indicated in another comment that they are in India. Anybody living on that amount of money in the US would have to be homeless and/or surviving off of government or charity assistance, I would think …
      - runnerup 4y ago
        It would be difficult but not impossible to eat properly on $150/mo in the USA. There would be no money left over for other categories of spending like shelter or transportation.
soulofmischief 4y ago
I'm extremely curious who Julia's target market is. The zines seem very well done and I'm wondering if they would be better appreciated as a purchase for myself or as a gift for a younger or a more nascent programmer.
- asicsp 4y ago
  I follow her on Twitter. It is very common for experienced programmers to reply saying they learned something new or understood a concept better. For example: https://twitter.com/willmcgugan/status/1533056162417070081 https://twitter.com/willmcgugan/status/1533056162417070081 >Just read How DNS Works by @b0rk. I love how easily digestible this is. A 10 minute read and i feel I have a solid understanding of DNS! And I’ve been a web developer for more than a decade.

by asicsp 4y ago

anitil 4y ago

I recently threw $100 at jvns because of this model. I wanted the docker zine and it was $10 for one, or $100 for the lot. It doesn't take that many $100 purchases to be a respectable income source

asicsp 4y ago
Depending on where you live, you can get discount too. For example, I get this: >Hello! It looks like you're in India, where this zine might be expensive. If you need it, please use code <redacted> at checkout to get 70% off the regular price.
- rrishi 4y ago
  It's pretty cool jvns took the location of purchaser into account. Don't see that happening often.
- anitil 4y ago
  Huh interesting. Frankly I don't need the discount so I don't mind paying. I'm probably getting closer to $1k of value from them so I'm coming out ahead anyway
  - rrishi 4y ago
    Is it that valuable to you because you work in related domains ? Or will they be as valuable to any software dev?
    - anitil 4y ago
      The one I was really interested in was about DNS. Something about DNS just hasn't stuck in my brain despite reading about it dozens of time. Annoyingly DNS is actually pretty simple! But I don't work directly on any of the topics in the zines, I just like to understand things, or at least understand them enough that I can hang information on what I already know.
- __mharrison__ 4y ago
  Out of respect for the creator, hopefully that code is not valid. (Content creator here.)
  - asicsp 4y ago
    Thanks, I edited out the specific code. But I hope the code applies based on actual location with solutions like Parity Deals.

jsemrau 4y ago

I've been doing that for the last 12 months and tbh, it does not work unless you already had an audience before. Highly likely I am the worst social marketer on the planet. But in terms of RoI your advice doesn't work for 99% of the population.

asicsp 4y ago
Use Reddit. You don't need an existing audience for that. Make sure to follow the rules of the subreddit. Write a few tips/tutorial posts, help other learners, etc. Then you can try self promoting within the rules. And parallelly, you can build an audience on sites on Twitter. Read about marketing. Follow other creators. And so on. (Edit: You can self promote without existing audience with Show HN too, provided it fits the rules. Luck plays a huge role, but you won't get lucky if you don't try at all). Regarding RoI, that depends on your needs. I left my job in 2014 due to various reasons. I tried and failed at many things for about 5 years. Then I tried selling ebooks and the second book clicked for me. Now I earn more than I need (with the caveat that I live alone in outskirts of a second tier city with an average monthly expense of just about $150).
- spookybones 4y ago
  How do you keep your expenses so low? That includes rent, utilities, and groceries?
  - BadCookie 4y ago
    GP indicated in another comment that they are in India. Anybody living on that amount of money in the US would have to be homeless and/or surviving off of government or charity assistance, I would think …
    - runnerup 4y ago
      It would be difficult but not impossible to eat properly on $150/mo in the USA. There would be no money left over for other categories of spending like shelter or transportation.

soulofmischief 4y ago

I'm extremely curious who Julia's target market is. The zines seem very well done and I'm wondering if they would be better appreciated as a purchase for myself or as a gift for a younger or a more nascent programmer.

asicsp 4y ago
I follow her on Twitter. It is very common for experienced programmers to reply saying they learned something new or understood a concept better. For example: https://twitter.com/willmcgugan/status/1533056162417070081 https://twitter.com/willmcgugan/status/1533056162417070081 >Just read How DNS Works by @b0rk. I love how easily digestible this is. A 10 minute read and i feel I have a solid understanding of DNS! And I’ve been a web developer for more than a decade.