I love tablets. They are great intermediate between the portability of a smartphone and the power of a computer. In fact, with the right tablet and accessories, you can do pretty much anything you can with a computer.
Because of this, a plan to make money with your tablet can actually be a realistic goal. You even have the potential to take advantage of techniques specific to smartphones and those that are more relevant to computers.
Taking Advantage Of Apps
There are many different apps out there that offer the potential to make money and they come in all shapes and sizes.
However, most do follow the same pattern. In particular, you’ll find that apps can work well for earning a little money here and there. But, if you’re wanting a decent income, apps aren’t the way to go.
Survey Sites
The first example of this is apps for survey sites. This type of site is extremely common online and some brands are branching out into the mobile market too. A survey app does exactly what you’d expect and allows you to take surveys from your tablet, rather than your computer.
The main advantage is that you can do surveys when you have free time. For many people, this may involve doing them in the bathroom or while waiting in line. This can be much more appealing than sitting at your computer and doing surveys.
But, the catch is that these are still survey sites.
Realistically, survey sites never work particularly well as a source of income. In most cases, these sites don’t send out all that many surveys and you typically don’t earn much per survey. Between actually doing some surveys and getting screened out of others, you end up spending a lot of time and not earning all that much money.
For the most part, this is simply a waste of time and energy.
Selling Photos
Even though just about everybody seems to have a camera these days, there is still fairly high demand for the photos you take. Most of the time, that demand comes from sites like Can Stock Photos, which sell stock photography on pretty much any topic.
Some of those sites have started to branch out, allowing you to submit your photos directly from your phone or from your tablet. In theory, this is a fairly simple way to make money.
However, even if your photos are amazing, your chance of making money from them isn’t that great.
The problem comes from competition. If it’s easy to submit photos, then you can bet that there are a lot of people doing that. The large number of submissions means that there is going to be a lot of competition and many photos that are pretty similar to yours.
Additionally, most apps like this only pay you for photos that they sell. So, they’ll host your images but you don’t make anything unless someone buys them. If your photos are buried among millions of others (as is the case for most stock photo sites), then your chances of getting noticed are fairly slim.
If you’re lucky, you may submit photos that actually sell and earn you money. But, it isn’t really something you can rely on.
The best course of action is to pick a niche, or very specific area of photography, and upload a high volume of photos. For example, children eating fruit or different types of dogs. You can't photograph everything in the world and general photos of parks or people will just blend in with the millions of others out there. A great dane eating an ice cream cone may only get one buyer per year, but multiply that by 10,000 photos in your portfolio and now you're making income!
In fairness, the process of uploading images is easy. So, this may still be worth doing, especially if you were taking the photos regardless. But, just be aware, that in most cases it'll take a long time to start earning income.
Task-Based Apps
The final type of app that I want to focus on is where you earn money by completing different tasks. Precisely what you end up doing depends on the app itself.
For example, one such app is called FieldAgent. The tasks on this app typically involve a bit of walking around and can be things like taking photographs of specific products in a local store. However, some reviewers complain that the app often doesn’t work and that there are relatively few jobs.
Another example of this is Mobee, which focuses on mystery shopper-type tasks. This type of app may earn you some money but typically the legwork is substantial and the amount of income isn’t all that great.
There are also apps like Ibotta, where your task is simply to buy products and get a rebate or cash back. For the most part, this means that you end up getting an indirect discount, rather than making money. However, if the products in question were things you would be buying anyway, then you would essentially be turning a profit.
As a general rule, apps may be appealing if you’re simply looking to pass the time and earn a little bit of money while doing so. But, if you’re looking for serious income, then you’re probably just wasting your time.
Other Ways Of Making Money
The biggest advantage of a tablet is its portability, especially if you can get online while you are out and about. As such, a tablet can also act as a complement to other techniques of making money.
One example of this is buying on eBay and reselling. With this technique, people tend to purchase products from eBay when they are underpriced and then resell them for a profit. With the right marketing, this trick can be effective, although you do have to know what you’re looking for.
A tablet can be a useful asset in this area because it makes it easy to browse auctions and bid on them. This can be especially relevant if you aren’t at home when the auction ends. You could even set an alarm on the tablet so it alerts you when the auction is close to its end.
Some freelancers also make use of tablet apps to make themselves more productive. This can include apps for making notes and emailing, along with apps for invoicing and timing working hours. Likewise, some email marketing tools, like GetResponse, have apps. Using these can help you to develop and manage an email list for a website.
So, even if you’re not going to directly earn money with your tablet, you may be able to do so indirectly by improving your efficiency.
Making Money Through A Website
Phones Versus Tablets Versus Computers
For the most part, tablets aren’t ideal tools for creating a website. Sure, you can do it, especially if you have a high-powered tablet and accessories like a keyboard or mouse. If But, even then, you’re probably better off setting up a website on a computer, rather than on a tablet. Setting up a website on your smartphone is pretty much impossible except for a very experienced person with a lot of time on their hands.
Tablets have a major advantage over smartphones in terms of making money through a website because you can do maintenance with a tablet. Build the website using your computer, then maintain it with a tablet. iPads are not perfect but they do work. Tablets running Windows or Android both can make use of a bluetooth mouse, which essentially turns them into a mini-computer perfect for publishing content on your site.
And there's the main reason you can make money with your tablet… the money maker portion of a website is most often the content which you produce. It doesn't take more than a bluetooth keyboard, some internet research, and some original ideas to write an article and publish it online. Writing a 1,000 word article on a smartphone is impossible, yet completely feasible on a tablet.
Creating An Affiliate Website
A website can potentially earn you a full time income in time. For that matter, the potential of a site is basically limitless because it is something that you can continue to expand and to develop over many years. Some people even get to the point where they can afford to outsource some of their work, based on the profits that the site makes.
There are various ways to make money through a site and I’m not going to cover them all here. Instead, I just want to focus on one: affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing tends to be one of the most powerful and easy ways to make money online. The reason is that it’s incredibly simple. It means that you can make money without having to own any products yourself and without having to manage payments or ship any products.
Instead, you’re relying on products that other people have created and there are many options to choose from. In fact, you can promote anything that is part of an affiliate program and those programs continue to get more popular. Perhaps the most common example is Amazon.
You know how large Amazon’s product selection is, right?
Well, you can make money promoting pretty much any product from Amazon because it has an affiliate program. Many people do just that. Amazon’s commission rates aren’t the best in the business, not by any means. However, the chance to promote products that people are already interested in does make the company worthwhile. They pay just 6%, but other companies pay up to 75% of the profit to you!
Because of the wide range of product options, you have a lot of flexibility when you create a website. All you need to do is be able to find some products to promote and you can probably think of some already that might work.
Through affiliate marketing, you have the power to create a website on basically any topic and in any style and then make money from it. That’s powerful stuff.
So about those tablets…
Normally, making a website from your tablet would be a huge pain, but if you build it with Wealthy Affiliate, you could actually do it quite easily. They have a push-button website builder that makes creating the site very simple, even if you don't have a mouse adaptor for your tablet.
There may be a few challenges along the way that would be easier if you had a computer, but they aren't impossible to overcome. 90% of your work will be writing though, so you are definitely going to need a bluetooth keyboard for your iOS, Android, or Windows tablet.
Wealthy Affiliate is also a specialized training site that will show you how to turn this website into an affiliate business. They continue to produce up-to-date and effective information for making money online year after year, so I recommend them as my #1 source for learning how to start an affiliate marketing business. I started there in 2010, built my first successful website based on their training, and now have a second website (the one you're looking at) which also makes money.
At the same time, they are an amazing resource for support. The community, forum, and live chat aspects means that you can ask questions of other members and get feedback on what you’re doing. Having this information success that much easier and contributed significantly to my own successes over the years.
Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
I’m really interested in the idea of making money and this year I’m really serious about starting an online
business.
I really appreciate what you’ve shared here and will definitely give Wealthy Affiliate a try. I travel a lot so working at something I can do on the go would be ideal for me.
I must admit, I’ve been thinking about starting a website for some time now but the technical aspect kind of put me off, but the website builders sound really interesting, especially for me who are totally new to the whole website building thing.
Since you’re in Asia, I’ll be there’s a lot of good opportunities to travel! You could definitely work from a laptop then do minor adjustments or additions to your site with your tablet on the go. That’s just one more thing to lose though! Might as well get a thin laptop like a Chromebook or a Macbook and be done with it LOL.
I love the idea of having an affiliate website as a stream of income. I’m just getting started myself. I hadn’t really though to use a tablet, though…I generally use the computer. I’ll have to give it a try so I can stay connected when I’m away from the computer. I like your blog and look forward to your next article!
If you’re working a regular job, having a side income from affiliate marketing can really add useful income to your monthly budget. Chances are, if you stick with it, you can even turn it into a full time income!
Hi Nathaniell,
I like the title of your post. Also, good job with your SEO work as of this pos, it is sitting at position 4 – page 1 on Google. I am a big fan of tablets as well, but not for making money using apps, filling out surveys,selling your smart phone images or using task-based apps.
They are a waste of one’s precious time as you also allude to in your post. Using a tablet for the above, is a procrastination from doing the hard work… Which is writing rich content posts for your website that answer the questions and concerns that your audience has come looking for.
However, tablets are a great tool that can be used to leverage your time to continue your “to do list” when you find yourself away from your desktop/laptop…..Especially if one uses Microsoft Office 365 to sync your tablet work to your PC, Mac or smart phone.
Thanks for your post. I will look for other posts from you in the future.
This is interesting. I didn’t know that you could make money online just using a tablet. And although it seems that the money isn’t that great, still there are opportunities available for someone who wants to use their time more productively.
I agree that it will be difficult to create a website through a tablet. But, being a member of Wealthy Affiliate also, I am now thinking that yes, it is possible to use a tablet for this, because WA’s website builder is pretty much automated and does most of the work for you. This is a very helpful post. Thanks Nathaniel!
I love this article because I’m writing this comment from a tablet right now using a brand new Bluetooth keyboard that I ordered from Amazon. How ironic, lol! I like that it is possible to make money from tablets, but I most definitely agree with you that affiliate marketing is the best way to earn a full time income. I really love using this tablet now because of the bluetooth keyboard.Thank you for posting this!
Ah, some proof that it can be done! Or at least, some aspects of it. Thanks for chiming in Brian! I really should get out of the house more often and take my tablet with me.
Tablets are good, yes some tablets can do almost what you need from a computer. I also agree with you that tablets have some apps that are sophisticated and easy to use that can help you earn a little money here and there.
At least there is a chance of making money with the tablet. If you out in the train or waiting line for shoppigg of any kind and you want to get that time used for earning something, I think the tablet would go.
Thank you for your article, it is such an informative article.
So do you mean that the best way to earn a full-time income online is on the computer?
Thank you Nathaniell
Yes, if you are serious about starting a business then you really need to get working on a computer. Tablets can be an alright solution if you’re in a really tight spot, but I think you can get a pretty cheap laptop for a similar price to a nice tablet nowadays. Like a Chromebook only costs $200.
Wow! I had no idea you could make money in so many different ways and on so many different devices. I agree with you. I don’t think apps are very profitable especially the survey and photo apps. I’ve signed up for surveys before and you’re right you don’t get very many and you don’t get paid much.
I see your point that doing any major work with a website is best suited when using a laptop or computer, but I’m wondering if you’ve ever done any of your blog posts using a tablet and how easy it was for you to do it.
The main thing to remember is that to make good money, you have to be useful. It’s kind of hard being useful just by playing with an app! People want an easy way to money and apps are usually easy to use, so I think a lot of people imagine they can make money by clicking around and tapping on their iPad.
I actually have done some blog posts on my tablet, and they did work. However, it’s not easy to make links. In fact, now that I remember, I did not add links that day. I just typed the article, then did all the finishing work at home the next day. Since there’s no mouse, and no hover option (for iPad) it’s very hard to replicate. With Android or Windows it is probably easier to work though, they are more like regular computers than Apple products.
Hi Nathaniell,
In fact, I have come to the same conclusion that selling photos and taking surveys is not the way to go if you want to make full-time income online.
Just want to ask, if I do affiliate marketing, how skilled should I be in terms of selling. I mean, even if people visit my site, if I don’t know how to sell them, they leave and buy from somewhere else, right?
And does Wealthy Affiliate teach selling too?
You really don’t need to know how to “sell” anything. People don’t want to be sold to! They want to know how to get value out of their money. You can review product 1, 2, and 3, then have affiliate links to all of them. As for making money, it doesn’t matter to you which one they buy. You still earn a commission. That’s how you can stay honest with your recommendations!
So by providing honest information that helps people get the most value for their time (money), you can really sell a lot of stuff (without giving a sales pitch!)
Wealthy Affiliate will cover how to write content that converts into sales. Your promotion process will be your own, since your niche, audience, and writing “voice” will be unique from everyone else. But there are plenty of tools inside the community to help you learn how to write effective articles that are interesting and can eventually create income.
Wow. Nathaniell you must have amassed such experience. Your info shows a person that knows what they are talking about. I am glad to be part of Wealthy Affiliate. though still new, You have helped me understand a fair deal on on-line businesses that I believe will better my direction.
Very interesting!
This is great for someone who needs some extra money, and it’s already quite busy to sit behind the computer.
Now the next time I’m in line for something or waiting I can just take out my tablet and start making money.
For time to time, I solve a survey on my computer, but it’s nice to know I can do it on the go. I guess making money with your tablet is possible!
Did you try any of this possibilities?
I didn’t try these things personally, except for the website building one. For surveys, I’ve tried some survey companies before so I know that they are a pain the butt and not worth my time. However, everyone values their time differently. If you are bored and can’t find any games you like, it may be worth your time to make a few extra bucks with these small apps.
I never knew there were apps out there that could make your money! Now I know you kind of talked them down a little but because I’m 19 they could prove very useful. Probably end up giving me some extra pocket money.
Maybe they won’t earn me a lot but they’re something I’ll need to look into!
Absolutely Lyle. For someone that wants to earn a bit of extra cash and doesn’t want to commit to the long term strategy of building a business (income), then apps could work! Some do provide a little income. But for me, I’d just rather go the long way, build long-term, job-level income. If I have to wait it out in the beginning and make less or even spend some money for an education, so be it!
If you decide to try any of these apps for yourself be sure to let us know if you have any luck making money with them.
I have never really thought of using my tablet for my everyday website management purposes.
Although I have tried updating a few posts and adding content to my site with it.
It always seems to leave me feeling like I’m going to mess something up and a few times I have lost service.
Loosing service caused my posts to load back up with everything bunched together and all of my H-tags gone.
Do you know why it does that and if so is there something I can do to avoid it in the case of loosing service.
Thanks
Haha. Spoken from true experience I can see! Most people don’t update their site via an app, so I think it’s probably pretty buggy. I’ve used the WP app before on a phone and it was terrible. I tried a few times with the tablet app and it was better, but it was really hard to get a work flow going. I still prefer to work at home but I guess I could do simple things like answer comments in bulk from a coffee shop or bar.
Hey, that’s a good idea actually. I should go get a beer!