How to Make Money During Coronavirus

If you work as a bartender, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, photographer, tutor, or even at parties as an entertainer (clowns and djs), you have skills people need now more than ever. And these skills could help you make money while growing new business while everyone is in self-quarantine.

The best news is you have everything you need, you’ll only need to embrace a bit of technology. And since we cannot go outside, now is the perfect time to learn it.

Below you will find ways that you can use your skills as a service professional and make money until you can return to your place of work. I start with a list of the steps below and then dive into detail about each.

What you need to make money during Coronavirus:

1. Create an editorial calendar
2. Join affiliate programs specific to your niche (examples below with explanations)
3. Use your cell phone or digital camera that connects to social media
   1. A computer can work too
4. Post a set day/time to record, publish and/or stream
5. Learn the tools to build a larger audience
6. **bonus step** set up a website and collect subscriber information

Now let’s go into detail about each of these and make them relevant to you.

Create an Editorial Calendar

The first step is to create an editorial calendar.  But make sure the first stream or video can be done without any extra equipment or supplies.  Start by letting viewers know they can do the first week of activities with items around their own home but they might need to order a few things online for upcoming broadcasts.

Here are some examples by niche.

• Fitness professionals – body weight exercises (not gear needed).
• Bartenders and chefs – use common pantry items.
• Photographers – taking advantage of natural light or even desk lamps.
• DJs – create themed dance party nights and host a costume or themed contest during it where you give a free recording from an event away after we are out of quarantine.  The theme can be anything that uses common items like toga parties.
• Teachers & tutors – you can line up daily or weekly themes like algebra, physics and also create experiments that are educational, safe and fun and that use peroxide, baking soda or vinegar.

As you’re talking about the first week and using items the person already has, mention what they’ll learn and need for the upcoming 3 or 4 weeks while we may be trapped inside.  This is your first opportunity to earn revenue.

Join Relevant Affiliate Programs

(note, some of the links below are ads and I earn commissions if you shop or sign up for services through them.  Just like I’m recommending you do.)

You’ll want to join affiliate programs and get unique coupon codes that are trackable to you.  When your fans and followers use the code, you earn a commission.  ProsourceFit.com is an affiliate program I manage and I will happily get you set up.  Click here to join, its free and we’ll get to work together so double bonus!

If you’re a bartender and are recommending unique items like bitters, or a chef and spices may not be available, join programs from herb and spice, or food ecommerce websites.  You’ll be supporting small businesses and also helping your fans and followers.  If you’re a teacher or tutor, use supplies that can be found online and delivered to the person’s home.

Now as you announce the upcoming themes like cardio in a tiny apartment or toning exercises from your bedroom, you can mention the equipment the person will need.  You also want to share your unique discount code and tell people where to shop so that the store can track sales back to you.  Each store or vendor will need to create a code so make sure to ask them for one.

As your viewers buy their gear and use your code, you’ll be making money.  By having the right equipment, they can also follow along with you week after week.

Pro-tip: Tell viewers that by shopping where you recommend and by using your code to save they will be supporting you while you cannot go to work.  There is no harm in letting them know you’ll be earning a commission.  They’re getting free training, free cooking/bartending classes and free photography tips.  This is how you earn money and how they can support you in return for the free advice.  It is also required by the FTC.

A Cell Phone, Digital Camera or Computer That Can Record and Stream

Now that your audience knows what they’ll be learning, decide if you want to share a live stream or prerecorded and edited video.  Do whichever one makes sense for you and what you like.  I prefer live streams because it adds a reality and lets people ask questions in real time.

Don’t let the word stream scare you, you can do this to Facebook and YouTube direct from your phone.  You only need to select “stream live” from the app.  If you have a zoom account you can record with Zoom and set it to stream out to both at the same time.

Bonus-tip: When you live stream, it can also build more of an audience because it alerts your fans and your viewers friends they are watching a stream.  You can also get a recording of the stream to upload again later for anyone that missed the original broadcast.

Set a Date For People To Mark

In your first video where you talk about the editorial calendar, let people know the upcoming times and dates for upcoming topics.  Then remind people to mark their calendars and set 15 minute alerts in their phones and with assistants like alexa, siri and Google so they don’t miss your next stream.

Setting the reminder with an alarm on smart devices is one of the most important ways to ensure they’ll be ready and on time for your stream.

Tools to Build a Larger Audience (Optional)

This one is optional as it is more advanced and is about building a long term audience.  There are tools like Google Keyword planner that are free.

These tools research how many people are searching for the topic you cover each month.  If you’re uploading to YouTube, use Google and YouTube keyword research tools.  If your are promoting via Instagram or Pinterest, try hashtag tools and keyword tools for those networks.

By using keywords relevant to your topic, you may be able to build a larger following because people will be able to discover you as a solution provider.  But remember to be relevant.

If you are teaching body weight exercises, “how to do a push up” is not relevant.  It is one of the exercises but not what the video is about.  If you are making a manhattan, “whiskey” is an ingredient but not the topic of the video.  This is a more advanced topic and falls under SEO and SMO, but this is a good starting point to enter into the topic.

Build a Website And Build an Audience

I had a section here about using analytics to figure out when to stream next after self-quarantine is over, but I’ll save that for another post.

My last tip is to build a website.  It could be a free wordpress website or anything really.  Just make sure it has an easy domain name to type in and remember.

The goal of the website is for you to have somewhere you can recommend people go to find your next broadcast, the theme of upcoming broadcasts, which products will be needed (another opportunity for you to use affiliate links), and a way to sign up for your newsletter list (you’ll need to create one (here is the tool I currently use combined with this tool).  You can then use the newsletter list to email reminders about the next stream and what the person will need for it.

But affiliate links aren’t the only way you can make money.

You can sign up for Google Adsense and get paid on views and clicks.  If you are large enough MediaVine and AdThrive may take you into their network.  There are tons of ways for you to make money while your normal place of business is closed.

Here is the link to join ProsourceFit’s program again.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions or want ideas for your specific skills, leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to come up with some ideas for you.  Others can respond as well if they’d like to help.