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| This mock Digital Course image is made from several Public Domain Stock Photos. |
Personally I haven't done either because I've gone down the Print on Demand, Blogging, and Selling Digital Products path of making money online, starting with next to no capital. Though I am planning an online course in the near future.
However, I recently came across two videos that dive into the detail of earning money through stock photography sites and creating online courses that I thought were really worth your time if either sounds like something you want to do.
Earning Money with Stock Photography
Rachel Lerch is a photographer who spent three years earning a living through taking photos for several stock photography sites. In this video she gives a very detailed run down of her business, and pretty much everything you need to know going in, if this is something you're considering.While, ultimately Rachel is very negative toward the earning potential of photos through these sites, she doesn't think it's not worth your time or effort. Particularly it's a great starting point for newer photographers in that it will help you learn much about your craft and the discipline of creating photos based upon your own ideas consistently.
Also note that she's no longer doing stock photography because of wanting time to do other things. Making a successful living from stock photography is easily a full time job even if the pay may not be depending upon how your photos perform.
As far as the earning potential goes, the money is clearly significant if you remain consistent. It may not be as much as you'd like but keep in mind this is just what Rachel achieved (you could do better or not as good depending upon the earning potential of your photos).
Don't discount the fact that she now has a steady passive income stream now that she's out of the market. It may not be anywhere near as much as she was making but any income that you can generate with no further effort on your part is always a good thing.
Earning Money Creating Online Courses
Josiah Brooks, otherwise known as 'Jazza' runs a successful Youtube channel, Draw with Jazza, that is his main source of income. However he also has a side income from two successful digital courses, based upon his knowledge of presenting to camera and running a Youtube channel, that he created for Skillshare (an online learning site).Although Josiah's video is sponsored by Skillshare it is still a very detailed look at the results he has been able to achieve over a period of two years. It is also interesting to note he says creating courses for sites like Skillshare can be more lucrative than starting a Youtube channel.
The first thing that jumps out at you, once you get past the the intro and expectations reality check, is the statement that 'on average first time teachers on Skillshare make $200.00 in their first month'. Then Josiah goes on to compare how long and difficult it would be to earn the same amount from a brand new Youtube channel.
In the video Josiah actually shows you his earnings stats inside Skillshare and how he earned his $47,440 over two years (which is a very tidy average of about $23,000 per year, and doesn't include any referral income that you could optionally tap into).
Getting into the rest of the video Josiah pretty much gives you tips and advice on almost everything you'd need to consider if creating courses is something you might want to do.
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For more information on both of the above videos I would recommend going to each videos viewing page on Youtube itself where you will find more information and links in each videos description boxes.
The results of both Rachel and Josiah are their own personal experience with their respective platforms and income streams. There's no reason why you couldn't do better, just keep in mind both paths to earning online are slow builds to a substantial income that will take time and effort before you see the financial rewards.