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The internet is full of newsletters, programs, and schemes claiming to hold the secret to making millions in a week. Most of them are case studies in how not to make money online. I know because I tried a lot of them.
My Story
I fell into the trap early. One of my first ventures involved the late Don Lapre and his 900 numbers. For more, see powerful ways to make money from a book. The pitch was irresistible: effortless profits. I invested $750 and purchased two lines, one for Internet Tips and another for Romance Tips.
Total revenue from the 900 numbers: $7.50.
The lines themselves were worthless. Selling them required significant advertising investment with almost no return. The silver lining was that those two lines led to the creation of two websites, Internet Tips and Secrets and Healthy Liaisons, which actually attracted thousands of visitors. But the 900 numbers were a dead loss.
From there I tried everything. Pay-to-surf programs that yielded pennies. Pay-to-read-email programs that earned enough for a couple of pizzas after months of effort. Affiliate programs that generated a week’s worth of groceries at best, at least until I learned how to promote them properly, which happened much later.
The standout performer was Epinions.com, which generated nearly $400 in one year, more than everything else combined. If I calculated my hourly wage from total earnings across all these programs, it came to about fifty cents.
So why do countless websites promote money-making schemes? Because people are drawn to easy and inexpensive methods. The prospect of creating a website and product appears attainable to everyone. People yearn for a way out of financial trouble and hope these programs hold the key.
They don’t.
Making money online is possible. It requires hard work, ethical practices, and a solid product. Get-rich-quick schemes are not the answer. I eventually left all of it behind and focused on what I actually do well: connecting with people and using my skills to improve their lives.
If you want to make money online: find or create a solid product you believe in. Emphasize sustainability and genuine value. Skip the money-making junk.
24 Ways How Not to Make Money Online
- Get-rich-quick schemes. Any program promising overnight wealth with minimal effort is a scam.
- Pay-to-click websites. Clicking on ads for a fraction of a cent is not worth anyone’s time.
- Online surveys. The time investment outweighs the compensation.
- Pyramid schemes. Programs requiring you to recruit others and invest money upfront are unsustainable and often illegal.
- Data entry jobs. Many require upfront fees and provide little to no actual work or income.
- Email processing jobs. They rarely pay a substantial amount and often involve misleading practices.
- Online gambling. Relying on gambling as a consistent income source is highly risky and rarely profitable.
- Online lotteries. A game of chance, not a strategy.
- Multi-level marketing (MLM) programs. Significant upfront investment, dependent on recruitment rather than legitimate product sales.
- Crypto scams. Cryptocurrency opportunities promising massive returns with little risk are almost always fraudulent.
- Forex trading with unverified brokers. Without proper knowledge and reputable brokers, forex trading leads to significant losses.
- Paid-to-read-email programs. Minimal compensation for reading promotional emails.
- Online betting systems. Systems claiming foolproof strategies for winning are ineffective.
- Online mystery shopping. Legitimate opportunities exist, but many online options are scams requiring upfront payments.
- Medical billing or transcription without credentials. These positions require specialized training and certification to earn real income.
- Online trading without proper knowledge. Stocks or commodities without analysis leads to losses.
- Cash gifting. Programs promising substantial money for gifting cash to others are often illegal.
- Online auctions without strategy. Success requires careful product selection and effective marketing, not casual listing.
- Paid-to-search programs. Compensation is minimal and not worth the time.
- Online copy and paste jobs. Minimal compensation, no sustainability.
- Online betting or gambling systems. Guaranteed winning strategies do not exist.
- Purchasing likes or followers. Does not generate genuine engagement or sustainable income.
- Chain letters or email schemes. Promise huge returns, deliver nothing.
- Microtask platforms. Low-paying and time-consuming relative to actual earnings.
The Ethics Problem
Beyond the programs that simply waste your time, there is a category that actively damages your reputation. Manipulating online reviews. Plagiarizing content. Clickbait headlines that deliver nothing. Falsifying credentials. Spamming. Misrepresenting what a product does. Promoting affiliate products you know are garbage just for the commission. Pressuring people into purchases they do not need. Ignoring customer complaints. Exploiting vulnerable people with false promises.
Every one of these might produce short-term revenue. Every one of them destroys trust, and trust is the only asset that compounds online. Once your reputation is gone, no amount of marketing will bring it back.
The actual path to making money online is boring: find a real product, deliver genuine value, treat people with respect, and do it consistently over time. That is the opposite of everything the money-making schemes promise, which is exactly why it works.
Sources of Insight: 50 Ways How Not to Make Money Online
One Response
great idea