Unique Ways to Make Money Online in 2025 That Most People Overlook

In the saturated world of online income, everyone talks about freelancing, dropshipping, or affiliate marketing. But in 2025, the digital landscape is evolving — and with it, new, often overlooked money-making opportunities are emerging. Whether you’re looking to start a profitable side hustle or earn passive income, here are some unique ways people are making money online right now.
Illustration showing unique online income methods in 2025 including selling AI training data, audiobook publishing, digital journaling, and data labeling tasks

1. Selling Unused Videos to AI Training Companies

With the rise of AI, tech firms are hungry for training data — especially video content that reflects real-life movements, environments, and behavior. Companies like Troveo are now paying individuals for access to their personal videos to help train advanced machine learning models.

How it works:

  • Upload your unused videos (family clips, travel vlogs, casual footage).
  • Companies license the content to train computer vision or behavioral AI systems.
  • You get paid based on usage rights and duration.

Potential earnings: $20–$200 per batch, depending on video quality and exclusivity.

Safety tip: Read terms carefully to avoid sharing private or sensitive data.

2. Profiting from Audiobooks Without Writing or Narrating

Audiobooks are booming, and many sellers on Audible have found a clever way to earn without being authors or voice artists. Instead, they hire ghostwriters and use royalty-free narrators to publish profitable audiobook titles on Amazon’s platform.

Step-by-step:

  • Find a trending niche (self-help, motivation, finance).
  • Hire a writer from Upwork or Fiverr to craft a script.
  • Use services like Speechify or Murf AI for narration.
  • Publish on Audible via ACX.

Earnings estimate: $300–$1000/month per book if marketed well.

Bonus tip: Optimize titles with keywords using Publisher Rocket or KDP Spy.

3. Hosting Vintage Clothing Auctions on Tilt

If you’ve got a good eye for fashion, platforms like Tilt offer a new-age reselling experience. Unlike Depop or Poshmark, Tilt allows real-time auctions, giving sellers more leverage to drive up prices.

Why it works:

  • Live bidding creates urgency and excitement.
  • Vintage and Y2K fashion is trending globally.
  • No need for large inventory — thrift one item, flip it live.

Revenue potential: $50–$500 per item depending on rarity and brand.

4. Creating Content for AI Dataset Training

As AI expands into emotional analysis, language models, and social behavior, companies need synthetic yet human-like conversations and scenarios. That’s where crowdsourced content creation comes in.

Examples of tasks:

  • Write fictional dialogues.
  • Record varied intonations of certain phrases.
  • Label image or video datasets.

Where to start: Platforms like Remotasks, Scale AI, and DataAnnotation.tech.

Pay rate: $0.05–$0.50 per task — scalable if done consistently.

5. Selling Niche Foot Photos and Videos

This may sound odd, but selling foot-related content has become a legitimate side hustle. Websites like FeetFinder and Instafeet connect buyers with sellers in a safe and controlled marketplace.

What sells:

  • Clean aesthetic shots.
  • Themed photos (e.g., “holiday toes”, “beach feet”, “nail art”).
  • Video requests from subscribers.

Income range: $10–$500/week depending on consistency and audience.

Caution: Always use platform protections and avoid off-platform DMs.

6. Publishing Guided Journals on Amazon KDP

Low-content publishing is still going strong in 2025. One of the most popular categories? Guided journals and trackers. They don’t require much writing but offer ongoing royalties.

Ideas include:

  • Gratitude journals
  • Crypto investment trackers
  • Daily self-reflection notebooks

How to start:

  • Use Canva or Book Bolt to design.
  • Publish on Amazon KDP with the right keywords.
  • Promote via Pinterest or TikTok.

Earnings: $100–$1000/month per book if marketed well.

7. Selling Templates and Tools on Etsy

Etsy isn’t just for crafts anymore. It’s also a hub for digital downloads. You can design templates in Excel, Notion, or Canva and sell them repeatedly without inventory.

Best-sellers:

  • Budget planners
  • Side hustle trackers
  • AI prompts and notion dashboards

Pro tip: Research top sellers in your niche and model your listing after them.

Earnings: $5–$50 per download, compounding over time.

Final Thoughts

In a world flooded with mainstream online income advice, these lesser-known opportunities offer real potential — often with lower competition. The key is starting smart, validating the platform, and choosing the hustle that aligns with your lifestyle and skills.

Whether you're selling to AI, narrating a book with zero voice, or auctioning retro jeans, remember: The money is in the niche.

Comments