Before we get started, I need to be upfront about something. Learning how to make money on Facebook is, no joke, one of my favorite things to talk about.
Why?
Well, after I quit my stable, but an unfilling job as a high school band director to run this site full-time, I needed to supplement my income. I stumbled upon running Facebook ads for local businesses, starting with the jeweler that made my wife’s engagement ring.
My first client led to another, then another, and another. And just a few months into this new side hustle, I was earning more than I ever did with my teaching job.
Learning how to make money on Facebook has changed my life.
Not only was I able to work from home doing something else that I love — building this site, I’ve also been able to teach hundreds of people how to make money on Facebook by running ads like I did.
Now, this entire article isn’t just about running Facebook ads, although if you do want to learn how to make $1,000+/month with Facebook ads, jump to # 3. There are tons of other ways to make money on Facebook, and I’m going to start with the fastest options available.
The reality is that no matter which idea you choose, you can start leveraging Facebook’s massive reach to earn extra money. There are a lot of great side hustles in this article that will help you earn extra cash to pay off debt, save for emergencies, invest for retirement, and more.
10 awesome ways to make money on Facebook in 2020
As promised, I’m going to start with the quickest possible ways to make money on Facebook. These ideas are good for the casual side hustler — aka, someone who wants to bring in a little extra cash, but not start an entirely new business venture.
How to make money on Facebook FAST!
1. Local buy/sell groups
Whenever I’m asked about the fastest ways to make money, selling your stuff is one of the first things I mention. The reason is that the barrier to entry is so low — you probably have stuff sitting around your house to sell, and you probably already have the Facebook app downloaded on your phone.
If you haven’t joined any buy/sell groups yet, start there. You can find them by searching through the Groups tab and then scrolling through the categories until you see “Buy & Sell.” Or you can enter “Buy and sell” in the search bar on your Newsfeed.
Facebook will show you groups in your area. There are close to 50 groups within a 60-mile radius of my house. You can pick the ones that interest you by the number of members, daily posts, or niche (like baby and kids).
How to list and sell your items:
- Take clear photos, including pictures of any flaws.
- Give an accurate description of the item with measurements, type of material, brand, age of the item, general location, and condition. You don’t need to write a story, but people will ask about these things.
- Tell the truth! If something is broken, torn, dirty, etc., then mention it. People appreciate honesty.
- List it for a reasonable price and be flexible.
- Follow the group’s rules for posting, which might tell you the kind of things you can and can’t sell in that group.
- Know the lingo. OBO means “or best offer.” PPU means “porch pick up.” NWT means “new with tags.” TTS means “true to size.” PM means “private message.”
When someone is interested in your item, they will comment on your ad or send you a direct message. When you arrange the sale, it’s always best to meet in a public location and not at your house.
Once you sell the item, delete the listing or edit it to say “sold.”
If you have specialized equipment or gear you want to sell for cash, Facebook has buy/sell groups for outdoor gear, camera equipment, car parts, etc. You can find them by searching for something like “Buy-sell camera equipment.”
Read more at Top 23 Apps for Selling Your Stuff Online
2. Sell on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace widens your reach because people can search up to 100 miles away from their city or zip code. You’re also not limited to the group your selling in — anyone on Facebook can find things on Marketplace.
Before you list items, make sure you understand Facebook’s selling policies. Then post away!
- Start by clicking the “Sell Something” button.
- You can select items, cars, or list homes for rent. I’m going to cover selling items.
- Select your category.
- Fill in the rest of the ad details and write a short description (same information as selling in buy/sell groups).
- Post photos.
Buyers will contact you, and because it’s more open than buy/sell groups, it’s a smart idea to set up a PayPal account to accept payments.
For some of the best ways to make money on the side, read 21 Best 2020 Side Hustles Ideas That Are Actually Worth Your Time.
Start a business and make money on Facebook
These next two options are more intensive in that you’re making a more serious commitment. But, that means increasing your income, not just supplementing it when you need some fast cash.
3. Learn how to make money posting ads on Facebook
As I said in the intro, this is how I made money on Facebook after I left my teaching job to blog full-time. But you might not know what it means to get paid to post ads on Facebook…
Posting ads on Facebook is simply doing digital marketing on Facebook. It’s helping small business owners leverage Facebook’s massive reach in a way that big businesses have been doing for several years.
And, you can make around $1,000-$1,500 per month/per client with just a few hours of work each week, which includes:
- Finding and acquiring clients
- Creating effective ads
- Testing your ads
- Maintaining client relationships
If you’d like to learn how to make money posting ads on Facebook, I teamed up with my friend Mike Yanda (lawyer turned digital marketer who’s now bringing in $30k/month) to create the Facebook Side Hustle Course. We teach you how to post ads, find clients, create sales funnels, and much more.
CHECK OUT FACEBOOK SIDE HUSTLE COURSEFor more high-earning side hustle ideas, read Best Side Hustles to Make an Extra $1,000-$2,000 Per Month.
4. Work as a Facebook virtual assistant
Online business owners, like me, rely on virtual assistants for a variety of things. That’s because virtual assistants, or VAs, can wear a lot of different hats — from email inbox management, billing, managing Pinterest accounts, to social media management.
That last one is surprisingly broad, especially on Facebook. A Facebook VA might moderate a group, schedule posts, post Facebook ads, message followers, comment on posts, create images, etc.
One of the best parts about working as a VA is that it’s flexible. You can pick your hours and work from where you want.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out Gina Horkey’s comprehensive 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success. You’ll learn:
- How to establish yourself as a VA
- Pitching clients
- Launching your business
- How to set your rates
- Where and how to find clients
- Building effective client relationships
And a lot more, including access to a Facebook community for support, tech support for your website, and on-going education.
Use Facebook to make money for your website/brand
These ideas are for people who already have a business up and running but can use Facebook to make even more money. Options in this section are great for bloggers, online business owners, influencers, etc.
5. Use Facebook to bring traffic to your website
Just like you can run Facebook ads for brick and mortar businesses, you can use Facebook ads to bring new customers to your online business. The idea is the same — you create and run targeted ads. The difference is that you want them to go to your site, not step in your front door.
There is a lot to learn here, so here are a few pieces of content I highly recommend:
- The Beginner’s Guide to Creating A Sales Funnel
- 5 Essentials You Gotta Know About How to Create a Landing Page on Facebook
- How to Increase Social Media Traffic: 5 Fool-Proof, Easy Ways
But, the Facebook Side Hustle Course will cover everything you need to know about posting ads for your own business, too.
6. Facebook ads for bloggers
Bloggers are another type of online business owner that can make money on Facebook with ads, but it’s done a little differently. I’m really familiar with this aspect of Facebook ads because it’s how this site went from 0 to 2,000,000+ unique viewers in under three years.
Honestly, this isn’t the most conventional approach to bringing in traffic — most people talk about optimization and Pinterest strategies. But Facebook ads let you spread your content much more effectively.
For as little as $1/day, you can run Facebook ads to:
- Build your email list
- Grow an online community
- Sell your courses and other digital products
- Generate traffic to posts with affiliate links
You can make money on Facebook by showing your content to people who have similar interests and are already looking for the kind of advice and motivation you have to offer.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out Facebook Ads for Bloggers. This is a 12-module course that includes the following bonuses:
- Crush it With Instagram Ads
- Simple Strategies to Grow Your Facebook Group With Paid Ads
- Get More Page Likes Without Spending a Dime
- Email Marketing Strategies to Increase Affiliate Sales
- Messenger Bots 101
7. Make money with influencer marketing
If you have a highly engaged, medium-to-large following on Facebook, influencer marketing is an option for you to make money on Facebook. Influencer marketing is when you work with companies and brands to promote their products and services.
You might create some sponsored posts for the company where you share photos and status updates about using their products. You’re typically paid a one-time fee for a set number of posts. Influencers with smaller following might be paid in products, rather than cash.
Another option is when a company gives you a unique link that your followers can use to purchase products through — this is called affiliate marketing. You earn money when someone uses your link to buy a product.
You can learn all about sponsored posts and affiliate marketing in the courses Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and Making Sense of Sponsored Posts.
Even more ways to make money on Facebook
These last few ideas are a little more unconventional, and they’re also not big earners. But because I believe in telling you about all of the options, here are three more ideas to help you make money on Facebook.
8. Sign up for contests and giveaways
About once a week, I see a page I follow hosting a giveaway or contest on Facebook. It might involve sharing the post, tagging friends, or some other action.
Businesses and influencers do this to bring traffic to their page, but signing up for contests and giveaways can benefit you, too. You can win gift cards, free dinners out, cash, etc.
9. Fundraisers
Platforms like Kickstarter and GoFundMe are used for everything from medical emergencies to funding independent films (plus a lot of pretty crazy stuff). You can make money on Facebook for your cause by sharing your fundraising page with your friends.
10. Use Facebook to earn referral bonuses
One of my credit cards will give me an extra 10,000 reward points for every friend I get to sign up for a new card. And no, this isn’t an M$M thing, it’s something many credit card companies offer their customers.
Companies like Rakuten (formerly eBates) and micro-investing app Acorns have bonuses when you refer your friends using a special code or link. I’ve seen friends share these referral codes before, but always make sure you’re doing it for companies you really believe in and think will add value to your friends’ lives.
The final word on learning how to make money on Facebook
After all of that, it’s safe to say that there is A LOT of room for you to make money on Facebook. You can earn cash on the side, grow your business income, or start an entirely new career.
Taking a chance on Facebook ads legitimately changed my life for the better. Your success might not be the same as mine, and that’s 100% okay. The point is, if you want to make extra money, it’s out there. And Facebook is an excellent place to look.
About Millennial Money Man
Bobby Hoyt is a former band director who paid off $40,000 of student loan debt in 18 months on his teaching salary and then left his job to run Millennial Money Man full-time. He helps other Millennials earn more through side hustles, save more through budgeting tools and apps, and pay off debt. He is a personal finance expert who has been seen on Forbes, Reuters, MarketWatch, CNBC, International Business Times, Business Insider, US News, Yahoo Finance, and many other personal finance and entrepreneurship media outlets.
