Side hustles are gaining popularity, with more and more Australians turning to new ways to make money in their spare time.
As millions of Australians feel the impact of the cost of living crisis across the country, many are looking for a second job or something on the side to give their bank account a boost.
Some Australians have even been able to earn up to $10,000 a month, on top of their main job, through user-generated content (UGC) marketing.
Wollongong woman Elecia Parrott says she earns an extra $500 a month through the UCG Creatoroo platform.
He receives free products and gets paid to make quick videos at home, landing between five and 15 jobs a month.
Parrott told NCA NewsWire that he began creating for fun on his personal social media platforms in 2018, but entered UGC to express his creativity on a larger scale.
“Filming content can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the setup and the magnitude of my ideas for filming the content,” he said.
Wollongong woman Elecia Parrott says she earns an extra $500 a month through the UCG Creatoroo platform
Parrott is not alone in her search for a side business, as millions of Australians look to give their bank accounts a boost due to the financial pressure of the cost of living crisis.
To combat this, almost a third of all Australians are looking for a second job or turning to side jobs to earn some extra money.
A survey by comparative website Finder found that 32 per cent – or 6.7 million people – felt the financial pressure of having more than one job.
Annalize Wade works full time, but decided to make the leap into content creation two years ago when UGC Agency Creatoroo launched.
“This was the first company I saw that offered content creation to users who didn’t have followers and I was intrigued,” he said.
UGC allows everyday Australians to create and get paid for content without having thousands of followers on their social networks.
They don’t even have to create a script, edit the content or post it on their personal social networks – it’s all done by Creatoroo.
Wade said he doesn’t have a huge following, but he has a creative side and loves “creating specific content for brands and charities.”
“It allows me to not only explore my creativity, but also earn a little extra money, all with the benefits of not having to post on my own channels and having income based on my followers,” he said.
He said the content usually takes between one and two hours, depending on the brief, but once finished, he sends everything to the agency to edit together.
“I get offered one to two jobs a month… it’s great because I work full time and I can fit it into my current schedule,” Ms. Wade said, adding that she earns up to $300 a month.
With over 2,000 users, Creatoroo connects brands with people who can create content from the comfort of their home.
Annalize Wade works full time, but decided to make the leap into content creation two years ago.
Creatoroo CEO Veronica Cremen told NCA NewsWire that the marketing tactic differs completely from influencer marketing.
“Some people assume that UGC is influencer marketing and that they need to have followers and people tend to freak out thinking they’re ineligible, but it’s for the average person,” Ms Cremen said.
Cremen said brands come to Creatoroo needing content, which led the agency to find creators who are relevant to the brief and to create the content.
He said that in addition to getting paid for work and getting free products, creating content can be a fun way to make some extra money.
In his experience, Cremen said some creators can earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $10,000 a month.
But those who earn high figures usually put in many hours of work.
“It would come down to the fact of how much they tackle, so it would be a higher volume of videos that they would do and also photos that they would take… but it would be across multiple different brands,” he said. saying.
“Once you start doing great work, many brands will want to work with you and you will be able to build up a loyal customer base through Creatoroo quite easily.”
Creatoroo is owned by a digital marketing performance agency and was born from a “pain point” in a bid to help create more content for brands to allow them to stand out and succeed.
Veronica Cremen, CEO of Creatoroo, said that in her experience, some creators can earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $10,000 a month.
Cremen said brands needed more content, but at the same time there needed to be “more voices and more people sharing products.”
He said UGC marketing has “enormous power” in allowing brands to create engaging and relatable content to connect with their audience.
But it’s also a cheaper type of marketing, especially for younger brands, Cremen said.
A growing number of Australian households are struggling to make ends meet, and Finder money expert Rebecca Pike says millions are looking for a second job.
“Many have no choice but to take on a second job to stay afloat,” Ms Pike said.
“The cost of living crisis means many are in financial trouble and struggling to pay rising insurance and energy bills.”
Young Australians are suffering the most, with 56 per cent of Generation Z admitting they are looking for a second job this year.
Pike said having a second job is a big commitment and urged young people to look for other ways to boost their bank balance.
“From renting equipment you don’t use at home to renting out a spare room or advertising your skills on AirTasker, side hustles can be a great way to earn some extra money,” he said.
“That way you can choose when to work.”