Looking to learn the best ways to make money while you sleep?

Do you ever feel worn out from your regular routine and tired of struggling to manage your money? Just picture being able to earn money even when you’re sleeping, without having to work long hours.

In this article, I will show you 19 ways to help you reach financial freedom by earning passive income, such as while you sleep.

Having different ways to make money might seem like something crazy, but with the right plan and some hard work, it can actually happen.

In fact, I earn income all the time while I am sleeping and I love it. Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. Some of the ways below will be harder than others, and they may take up a lot of time still. But, you may be able to earn money throughout the day from the hard work that you put in.

Key Takeaways

• There are many ways to make money while you sleep, such as by blogging, selling digital products on Etsy, renting out storage space or real estate, putting your money in a high yield savings account, earning dividends, and more.
• Some are easier to start than others – so make sure to think about the pros and cons, such as how much time it may take you or how much money you will need to start (your minimum investment!).

19 Best Ways To Make Money While You Sleep

Below are 19 ways to make money while you’re asleep.

1. Blogging

My favorite way to make money while I’m sleeping is by blogging, and it is a great way to make passive income while you sleep. I have been blogging for many years now (since I started Making Sense of Cents, I’ve made more than $5,000,000 from my blog), and I am able to work and earn money while I am asleep, such as by selling digital products, display advertising, and through affiliate marketing.

This is because readers read my blog posts throughout the day and night, even when I am not working. I have blog posts and advertising on my site, for example, that earn me income throughout the day.

So, what is a blog? A blog is like the article you’re reading now, written and published on a website. It’s basically a collection of written content. You can start a blog about many different topics, such as finance (like my blog!), recipes, family, health, wellness, pets, sports, outdoors, travel, and more.

Other similar ways to make money in your sleep include starting a podcast or a social media account, such as on TikTok or Instagram.

Recommended reading: The 25 Most-Asked Blogging Questions To Get You Started Today

2. Affiliate marketing

If you want to learn how to make money overnight (such as when you’re sleeping), then my absolute favorite way is affiliate marketing.

This is one of the main ways I make money on my blog, but you don’t need a blog to do affiliate marketing either. You can do affiliate marketing on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, an email list, and more.

Affiliate marketing is when you share products or services from other companies with readers, subscribers, or people that you know. When someone buys through your referral link, you get a commission and earn some money from the company.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you write about a book on your blog and provide a link to it. If someone buys that book through your referral link, you get a commission.

You’ve probably bought things through affiliate marketing many, many times over the years. I definitely have!

Recommended reading: Affiliate Marketing Tips For Bloggers – Free eBook

3. Selling printables

Making and selling printables is another good way to make money without much active effort.

Printables are digital items that people can download and print at home. They can be things like games for a bridal shower, checklists for grocery shopping, planners for managing budgets, invitations, coloring pages, quotes designed to be printed and hung on walls, and more.

I buy printables all the time, and so do other people. In fact, I bought a printable the other day for my daughter – one that would help her learn the alphabet that I could print out at home for her.

Making printables can be a passive way to earn money. You only need to make one digital file for each product, and you can sell it as many times as you want. All you need is a laptop or computer and an internet connection, which makes it a low cost way to start a business.

Recommended reading: How I Make Money Selling Printables On Etsy

4. Investing in real estate

Investing in real estate is a popular way to make passive cash flow while you sleep.

By purchasing rental properties, you can earn a steady flow of rental income from tenants and guests. Also, your property’s value will most likely appreciate over time, which can increase your net worth.

You can invest in residential properties, commercial real estate, short-term rentals (such as starting an Airbnb), REITs (real estate investment trusts), and more. There are pros and cons of each, so you will want to think about that before you get started.

Recommended reading:

5. Starting a YouTube channel

Starting a YouTube channel is another way to make money while you sleep. This is because you can add affiliate links to your videos, generate ad revenue, form brand sponsorships, and sell products within videos as well.

You’ll need to create videos that entertain, educate, or inform viewers, and get as many views to your videos as you can (for the most part, more page views usually does mean more income).

As your YouTube content becomes more popular, you will earn passive income from past videos while working on new content.

Recommended reading: How I Grew From 0 Subscribers To Over $100,000 On YouTube In Less Than One Year

6. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a type of business where you sell items on an online store, but you don’t do the shipping. Instead, you have a supplier that does the shipping for you.

So, this means that you don’t need to keep any products in stock yourself.

That doesn’t mean that this is easy, though – you have to find trustworthy suppliers and make sure your customers get their orders on time. You will also need to create a website, find a way to differentiate yourself from other dropshippers, take pictures of the items you are selling, answer customer questions, and find ways to grow your store.

The types of items that you can sell in a dropshipping store include clothing, electronics, home decor, pet supplies, luggage, stationary, craft supplies, books, and more.

7. Online courses

I have made over $2,000,000 from selling courses over the years – courses that I have personally created.

Making and selling online courses is a great way to earn money at any time of the day – even while sleeping.

Some examples of courses that can be created include:

• Parenting and family
• Health and wellness
• Woodworking
• Dog training
• Standardized tests preparation
• Playing the guitar
• Teaching a language
• Traveling
• Painting
• Cooking

And so much more!

I have taken courses on all sorts of topics over the years, such as baby sleep classes, personal finance, credit card rewards, and so much more.

Creating an online course is one of the fastest ways to use your time, increase your earnings, and help more people.

Recommended reading: How I’ve Made Over $1,000,000 From My First Course Without a Big Launch

8. High yield savings accounts

A high yield bank account is a low-risk method to make extra cash while you sleep.

These types of savings accounts earn a higher interest rate than a regular savings account, so your money grows faster.

You will want to make sure that you pick a trustworthy bank and check the interest rates regularly because they can go up or down. Some people move their money into high yield savings accounts often so that they can get the highest interest rates.

Remember, these accounts usually over the long run have lower interest rates compared to stocks or real estate, but they give you a stable and secure way to earn money.

I personally use Marcus by Goldman Sachs as they have a very high rate. You can get up to 5.40% at the time of this writing through a referral link bonus. According to this high yield savings account calculator, if you have $10,000 saved, you could earn $540 with a high yield savings account in a year. Whereas with normal banks, your earnings would only be $46.

9. Dividends

Buying stocks that pay dividends is another way to earn money while sleeping.

When you invest in these stocks, you get a portion of the company’s earnings on a regular basis.

Here’s how dividends work: If you have shares of a company that gives you money because you own them, that’s called a dividend. So, if you own 10 shares of Company XYZ, and they give you $5 in dividends every year, you’ll get $50 in total for that year. Usually, companies give out dividends four times a year. In the example, the $5 they give you every year will likely be divided into $1.25 for each quarter (four times a year).

Recommended reading: What Are Dividends & How Do They Work? A Beginner’s Guide

10. Rent out your garage

If you have extra land or space in your home that you’re not using, you can make money by letting other people use it for storage.

You can rent storage space for things like cars, boats, boxes, and more. This could be your garage, driveway, closet, basement, attic, or even just a shelf.

A website where you can list your storage space is Neighbor. On this site, you can make between $100 and $400 or more every month. How much you earn depends on how much people in your area want to rent and what kind of space you’re renting out.

Recommended reading: Neighbor Review: Make Money Renting Your Storage Space

11. Hosting webinars

Webinars are like online classes or workshops about specific subjects (I’ve included a list below of some examples). If you’re an expert in something, you can record a webinar and charge people to attend or sell products and services related to the topic during the webinar.

You can also record your webinars and let people watch them whenever they want, which can bring in money while you are sleeping or on vacation.

For example, you could host a webinar about:

• Starting an e-commerce store – Teach participants the ins and outs of setting up and running a successful online store.
• Digital marketing strategies for small businesses – You could share online marketing techniques to help businesses grow their online presence, such as tips for TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Google SEO, and more.
• Stock market investing for beginners – You could share advice and tips for newbies in the world of stocks, mutual funds, index funds, bonds, S&P, and investment portfolios.
• How to make money with affiliate marketing – You could teach the strategies behind successful affiliate marketing sites.
• How to invest in fine wine – Or, any other type of investment! If there is something specialized that you invest in that is different from normal, you may be able to generate interest in your webinar.

And so much more.

12. Peer-to-peer lending

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is when you lend money to people or businesses who need loans, and they pay you back with interest.

Websites like LendingClub and Prosper let you spread out your money to lots of borrowers, which lowers the risk if someone can’t pay you back.

As borrowers make their payments, you get a part of the interest, which adds to your passive income streams that you can make without working.

With a peer-to-peer lending site, people can borrow money from a group of lenders like you and me, rather than from a traditional financial institution like a bank. People use peer-to-peer lending sites for all sorts of reasons such as debt consolidation, home improvement, small business financing, investment opportunities, and more.

13. Selling stock images and graphics

If you like taking pictures, you can make money in your sleep by selling stock images on websites like Shutterstock, Getty Images, or Adobe Stock.

People buy stock images for all sorts of reasons, such as to put on their website, within articles and blog posts, on social media, and more. I buy stock images all the time because they can help to make a blog post more enjoyable to read (you can find several stock images within this blog post, in fact).

A great thing about stock content websites is that they can bring in money even when you’re not actively working. You take pictures, put them on the site, and they can keep making money for a long time.

Some common types of pictures that you can sell include travel, business, people, food, animals, health, fashion, sports, and more.

Recommended reading: 18 Ways You Can Get Paid To Take Pictures

14. Start a membership site

Creating a membership site where people pay a regular fee (such as each month or each year) for special content, resources, or services is a way to make money.

Some examples of membership sites that you can start include:

• Stock image library – You can sell a collection of pictures or videos that subscribers can use for their own projects (such as their own business). Subscribers pay for access to this media library. I personally have been paying for a stock photo membership for years, and I think they are amazingly helpful.
• Newsletter – Send valuable and special content straight to your subscribers’ email inboxes regularly where you charge a subscription fee for access.
• Mastermind groups – You can form small, focused groups of individuals who come together to support and challenge each other in achieving their goals, and you charge a membership fee for participation. I have seen mastermind groups go for anywhere from free to tens of thousands of dollars a year to participate.
• Freelance job board – You can start a site where freelancers can find real job listings and opportunities. Members pay for access to these job listings because they want to find real jobs that pay (instead of having to weed through fake ads or low paying ones).
• Consulting or coaching services – You can give personalized advice, coaching sessions, or access to a private community for members looking for guidance in a specific area, like life coaching or business consulting.
• Fitness membership – You can create a platform with workout plans, meal plans, and wellness tips. Members pay a monthly fee for access to this content.
• Digital downloads library – You can create a library of downloadable resources like ebooks, templates, or software. Subscribers gain access by becoming members.
• Community forum – You could create a community around a shared interest or hobby where members can engage in discussions, ask questions, and share experiences, and you charge a fee for access.
• Online courses membership – You can start a platform where you have courses on a specific subject, like photography, cooking, or digital marketing, where subscribers then pay a monthly fee to access the content.

Keep in mind, the secret to a successful membership site is giving real benefits to your subscribers. So, whether it’s great content, a helpful community, or useful resources, make sure your members feel like they’re getting what they paid for so that they keep their subscription for months and years to come.

15. Sleep studies and mattress testing

Taking part in sleep studies and mattress testing will most likely not be a long-term, reliable source of income, but it can earn you some extra money while you literally sleep.

You can find these by researching local sleep clinics or mattress companies that have paid studies or testing. Many universities also pay for sleep studies, such as the Harvard Division of Sleep Medicine.

The amount of money you can make depends on the specific study or testing, but it can be an interesting way to earn some extra money or get a free mattress for your time.

16. Vending machine business

Running a vending machine business can be a good way to make money, and you can sell different kinds of products. You may be able to earn over $1,000 a month with a well-run vending machine business.

Here are some ideas of what you can sell in a vending machine:

1. Snacks and drinks:
   • Chips
   • Candy
   • Nuts and seeds
   • Cookies
   • Soda
   • Bottled water
   • Energy drinks
   • Juices
2. Healthy and organic food:
   • Granola bars
   • Dried fruits
   • Nut mixes
   • Organic snacks
   • Low-calorie drinks
3. Hot drinks:
   • Coffee (regular, decaf, specialty)
   • Tea
   • Hot chocolate
4. Frozen treats:
   • Ice cream
   • Frozen yogurt
   • Popsicles
5. Fresh food:
   • Sandwiches (pre-packaged)
   • Salads (in sealed containers)
   • Fruit cups
   • Yogurt parfaits
6. Personal care and hygiene items:
   • Tampons and pads
   • Toothbrushes and toothpaste
   • Hand sanitizer
   • Makeup
   • Vitamins and supplements
   • First aid kits
   • Pain relievers
7. Electronics and accessories:
   • Phone chargers
   • Headphones
   • Power banks
8. Office and school supplies:
   • Notebooks
   • Pens and pencils
   • Sticky notes
   • USB drives
9. Specialized items:
   • Fishing bait and supplies
   • Beauty and skincare products
   • Baby items (diapers, wipes, toys, snacks)

Recommended reading: How I Make $7,000 Monthly With A Vending Machine Business

17. Amazon FBA

Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is where sellers store products in Amazon’s fulfillment centers, and Amazon handles customer shipping, returns, and customer service on the seller’s behalf. By using FBA, you can sell a variety of products without worrying about storing inventory or handling shipping logistics.

You would be finding the products to sell, though. Even if you have no experience selling on Amazon, you can earn money selling household goods, toys, books, electronics, and so on. 

If you want to learn more about starting an Amazon business, I recommend signing up for this free training that will teach you how to sell products on Amazon and make $100 to $500 per day.

Recommended reading: How To Work From Home Selling On Amazon FBA

18. Write a book

People can buy books at any time of the day, including while you are sleeping.

Self-publishing online platforms, such as Amazon KDP (Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform), allow you to reach a broad audience without the need for a traditional publisher.

Writing your own book is a great way to make money from home, and there is probably something helpful that you could write about (even if you think otherwise!). One very popular topic right now is romance novels, in fact.

Recommended reading: How Alyssa is making $200 a DAY in book sales passively

19. Develop and sell an app

If you have technical skills, developing and selling an app can be a way to make money overnight while you are sleeping.

Creating your own app, whether it’s a helpful tool, a fun game, or something else, can help you to make passive income.

Even though it will take some work and money up front, once your app is in the app stores, it can generate revenue no matter the time.

Some ideas for apps that you could create include a budgeting tracker, meal planner, fitness tracker, meditation app, travel itinerary planner, and more.

You will want to do some research, and make sure that there are people who want to use the app that you are thinking about creating, of course. You could start brainstorming ideas by thinking about what kind of app you think could be helpful in your life to have.

Frequently Asked Questions On How To Make Money While You Sleep

Below are answers to common questions on how to make money while you sleep.

What is passive income?

Passive income is money you earn without actively working, and instead, it comes from investments, businesses, or assets that require minimal effort on your part. Now, that doesn’t mean that making passive income is easy, as you will most likely have to put in a lot of work in the beginning to get started. But, it can be well worth it to make money at any time of the day. Passive income is personally my absolute favorite way to make money.

Which businesses make income overnight? What businesses make money while you sleep?

A few businesses that can generate income even when you’re not actively working are online stores, affiliate marketing websites, and selling printables. These businesses run online, making them accessible to customers 24/7 so people can use them.

What did Warren Buffett say about making money while you sleep?

Warren Buffett, a successful investor and businessman, is quoted as saying, “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” This goes to show how important it is to find ways to make money without constantly working a regular 9-to-5 job.

What is the best way to make money while you sleep? – Summary

I hope you enjoyed this article on how to make money while sleeping. As you can see, there are many full-time jobs and side hustles to make money while you sleep such as:

• Blogging
• Affiliate marketing
• Selling printables
• Investing in real estate
• Starting a YouTube channel
• Dropshipping
• Selling online courses
• Putting your money in high yield savings accounts
• Dividends
• Rent out your garage
• Hosting webinars
• Peer-to-peer lending
• Selling stock images
• Start a membership site
• Sleep studies and mattress testing
• Vending machine business
• Amazon FBA
• Write a book
• Develop and sell an app

Do you want to learn how to make money while you sleep?