Making money online in a sustainable and semi-passive way is a dream for many. Over the past month alone, I’ve managed to earn over $300,000 from mostly semi-passive income sources. What do I mean by “semi-passive”? These are income streams that pay you continuously for work you’ve done far in the past. In fact, during this last month, I worked less than most people do in a traditional job and yet earned more than a typical yearly salary. What’s more, I did this while traveling across multiple countries, including an incredible first trip to India. The key is building systems that keep generating income without requiring constant active work. In this article, I’m going to share the three main passive income sources that have allowed me to achieve these results online. These methods aren’t just theory—they’re proven strategies I’ve tested over a decade of experimenting with online business models. Whether you’re new to making money online or looking to diversify your income, these ideas can help you build real, sustainable passive income streams.
Passive Income Idea #1: Digital Products
Digital products are my top passive income source and have accounted for well over $200,000 of my revenue in the past month alone. But when I say digital products, I don’t mean just any product—you need to get strategic about it. The key to success here is skill acquisition. You must first learn a valuable skill that others want to acquire.
How to Acquire Valuable Skills
One of the best platforms for learning new skills is Skillshare. They offer a vast library of courses covering nearly every niche imaginable—health, wealth, relationships, online marketing, travel, technology, and more. The idea is to pick a skill that solves real problems people face. For example, a trending and highly valuable skill right now is mastering artificial intelligence (AI) tools. AI can help create things companies desperately need, like ads, logos, or YouTube thumbnails. I’ve been personally exploring a Skillshare course called the Mid Journey Masterclass, which teaches how to generate AI art using the Mid Journey tool. This skill is transferable to many business needs, including designing thumbnails for YouTube channels.
From Skill to Income: The Freelance Foundation
Once you’ve acquired a skill, you don’t jump straight into passive income. Instead, you start by offering your services on freelance marketplaces like Fiverr or Upwork. Initially, you might charge a low price to build client testimonials and sharpen your craft. This non-passive work forms the foundation for your future passive income. For instance, you could start creating YouTube thumbnails or logos using AI for clients. As you accumulate positive reviews and improve your skills, you gain credibility and insight into what customers really want.
Creating Digital Products for Semi-Passive Income
After gaining experience, the next step is to package your knowledge into digital products like guides, templates, or courses. For example, you could compile the best AI prompts for Mid Journey into a comprehensive digital guide. Selling this guide on platforms like Gumroad allows you to make money repeatedly without additional active work. Every time someone buys your digital product, you earn money passively because the work was done once upfront. This is the beauty of semi-passive income—you leverage your initial effort to generate ongoing revenue. Other digital product ideas include Excel spreadsheet databases, online courses, or even specialized templates. The possibilities are endless once you have a skill people value.
Passive Income Idea #2: Faceless YouTube Channels
YouTube is an incredible platform for building passive income, but not in the way most people think. You don’t need to be on camera or build a persona to succeed. Instead, you can create faceless YouTube channels that focus on delivering valuable content through slideshows and screen recordings.
How to Build a Faceless YouTube Channel
Using tools like Google Slides and screen recording software such as OBS, you can create educational or niche content without ever showing your face. AI-powered tools like Tube Magic can help you write scripts, generate video ideas, and optimize your videos for maximum reach. For example, you could start a channel teaching how to grow on YouTube or how to create great thumbnails using AI. By sharing your knowledge freely, you build an audience interested in your niche. Even small channels with fewer than 3,000 subscribers can generate significant income by selling digital products to their viewers.
Monetization Strategies on YouTube
Once you have a library of videos, you can monetize your channel through multiple streams:
- Ad revenue: YouTube pays you for views on monetized videos, creating a passive income stream that pays month after month.
- Digital product sales: Use video descriptions to link to your digital products, such as guides or courses, turning viewers into customers.
- Content repurposing: Use AI tools like Opus Clip Pro to cut long videos into engaging clips for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels, expanding your reach without extra effort.
This approach not only builds passive income but also drives traffic to your other income streams, creating a powerful synergy between platforms.
Passive Income Idea #3: Affiliate Partnerships with Software
The third passive income stream I recommend is affiliate marketing, specifically by partnering with software tools that complement your niche. This method is one of the easiest and most “lazy” ways to boost your income without creating new products or content.
How Affiliate Marketing Works
Affiliate marketing involves promoting a product or service and earning a commission for every sale made through your referral link. The best part? You only need to do the promotion once, and you get recurring commissions as long as customers keep paying. For example, if you run a YouTube channel about growing on YouTube or creating thumbnails, you can promote software like Tube Magic, which helps automate video creation and optimization. By becoming an affiliate, you can earn 50% recurring commissions for every paid user you refer. Imagine if 1,000 people signed up through your link paying $44 per month. That would translate to $22,000 in monthly passive income. Scale that to 10,000 users, and you’re looking at $220,000 per month—just from affiliate commissions.
Why Affiliate Marketing Complements Your Other Streams
Affiliate marketing perfectly complements your digital products and YouTube channels. You can promote affiliate products in your video descriptions, email lists, or even within your digital products. It’s a win-win because your audience benefits from tools that help them, and you earn recurring income without additional effort.
Putting It All Together: The Perfect Passive Income Trifecta
These three income streams—digital products, faceless YouTube channels, and affiliate partnerships—form what I call the perfect trifecta for making money online. When combined, they create a powerful ecosystem where each stream supports and amplifies the others.
- Your digital products generate passive sales.
- Your YouTube channel drives targeted traffic to those products.
- Your affiliate partnerships add recurring income from recommended tools.
By following this model, you’re not just trading time for money; you’re building scalable, semi-passive income streams that can grow exponentially over time.
What to Do With Your Earnings
Once you start earning from these streams, it’s important to manage your money wisely. Here’s what I personally do:
- Reinvest in your business: Use some of your profits to buy education, tools, or advertising to grow your income streams further.
- Save strategically: Put extra money into a high-yield savings account to earn interest, especially given today’s higher interest rates.
- Invest for the long term: For money you won’t need for years, consider investing in ETFs or other long-term investments to let your wealth grow passively.
Of course, these are my personal strategies and not financial advice. The key is to have a plan for your money that supports both your lifestyle and your future growth.
Final Thoughts
Building passive income streams online is absolutely achievable with the right approach. By focusing on skill acquisition, creating valuable digital products, leveraging YouTube for audience building, and partnering with affiliate programs, you can create a diversified and sustainable income portfolio. Remember, the journey starts with acquiring a valuable skill and doing the initial work. The payoff comes when you set up systems that work for you long after the initial effort. If you want to dive deeper into creating faceless YouTube channels and learn strategies I’ve never shared before, I have a free comprehensive training that can help you get started. Building passive income is not just about working harder—it’s about working smarter and using the right tools and strategies. Start today, stay consistent, and watch your income grow while you enjoy the freedom to live life on your terms.