If you’re reading this, your salary probably doesn’t comfortably stretch throughout the month, and you’re not alone. According to the Naijaonpoint State of Income Report 2026, only one in four Nigerians earns enough to cover their expenses, and nearly 1 in 3 depends on a side hustle for extra income.
If you’ve got to that point where you absolutely need to make more money without quitting your 9–5, a side hustle might be worth considering.
We spoke to Nigerians making money from different side hustles to find out how they got started, what they charge and what it takes to make at least an extra ₦100k a month.
I was pretty good at designing on Canva and PowerPoint, and my friends always asked me to help with their presentations. It just clicked one day that I could make pitch decks and charge for them.
My first proper client paid me ₦150,000 for a 15-slide pitch deck. I now charge $100 per deck, although I charge more if it’s a very detailed presentation or needs a lot of research.
I usually do about three decks a month, so that’s around $300 from the side hustle.
You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer to start. You need to know how to make information look good and, more importantly, how to organise information so that the person looking at the presentation actually understands it.
I’d recommend starting with Canva or PowerPoint and creating three sample decks. They don’t have to be for real clients. You can redesign an existing presentation or create a fake pitch deck for a business you like. Once you have something to show people, start reaching out to startups, small businesses and people in your network.
I started editing videos because I was already interested in content creation. I spent a lot of time watching Reels and TikToks and eventually started learning how to make them myself.
I learnt CapCut first because it was free and easy to use. I edited videos for myself and some friends until I had enough samples to start approaching creators.
I currently charge ₦100,000 for a short-form video. It usually takes me about two to three hours, depending on the editing. I do about five videos a month, so I make around ₦500,000.
The easiest way to start is to learn one editing software properly. You don’t need to buy a ₦1 million laptop immediately or have a fancy studio. Start with what you have, build a portfolio and focus on one type of content.
I’d also recommend trying to get recurring clients. Editing five videos for the same person every month is much easier than constantly looking for five new clients.
I didn’t start UGC because I wanted to become an influencer. I actually didn’t have many followers. I just realised that brands needed people who could make videos that looked natural and relatable.
I started by making sample videos with products I already owned. I made skincare videos, unboxing videos, and short product reviews and put them into a portfolio.
I now charge ₦40,000 for a basic UGC video. I usually get around four videos a month, which gives me ₦160,000.
You don’t need thousands of followers because you’re not necessarily being paid to post to your audience. You’re creating content for the brand to use.
A good iPhone with a decent camera, good lighting and somewhere quiet to film is enough to start. You also need to be comfortable on camera and understand how to make a video that doesn’t feel like an obvious advert.
I’d make at least five sample videos before contacting brands. You can use products you already own, so you don’t need to spend money buying things just to create your portfolio.
I started ghostwriting after I realised that many professionals have things to say but don’t have the time or patience to turn their thoughts into LinkedIn posts.
My first client was someone I knew. They would send me voice notes and random thoughts, and I’d turn them into LinkedIn posts. After a while, I started doing it professionally.
I currently charge $200 per client every month. I have one client at the moment, so that’s $200 a month from the side hustle. If I get a second client, I’ll double that.
The important thing is that you can’t just be a good writer. You have to be able to capture someone’s personality. My clients don’t want posts that sound like a random copywriter wrote them. They want to sound like themselves, just better.
You need good writing skills, an understanding of LinkedIn and the ability to research someone’s industry. I’d start by writing sample posts for people you admire and putting them into a portfolio. Then pitch founders, consultants and professionals who already have something interesting to say but aren’t posting consistently.
I got into research assistance because I’m naturally the person who wants to know everything. If someone mentions a company or topic I don’t know, I’m probably going to spend the next hour researching it.
A friend eventually asked me to help with research for a project, and I realised people actually pay for this.
I charge $15 an hour and work around ten hours a week. That gives me roughly $600 a month. Most of what I do is competitor research, finding statistics, fact-checking, compiling information and putting everything into a spreadsheet or report.
You need a laptop, good internet and strong research skills. You also need to know the difference between finding something on Google and actually finding a credible source.
I’d start by choosing a topic and creating a sample research report. Show potential clients that you can find information, verify it and organise it properly. You don’t need to wait for someone to give you your first project before you have something to show.
I started helping with podcasts because I was already interested in content production. I noticed that recording an episode was only one part of the work. There was research, editing, show notes, social media and a lot of small things that had to happen afterwards.
I started by helping a friend’s podcast for free for a few episodes to understand the workflow. Then I started charging.
I currently charge ₦100,000 per podcast per month. That covers research, show notes, episode uploads, captions and helping turn episodes into social media content. I currently work with one podcast, so that’s ₦100,000 a month.
You don’t need to know how to do everything. If you’re good at research, writing or social media, you can start there and learn the rest.
I’d pick a podcast you like and create a sample package for one episode. Show what the research, show notes, captions and social posts would look like. It makes it much easier for someone to understand what they’re paying you for.
I started transcription because I wanted something I could do remotely and fit around my other commitments.
My first jobs were transcribing interviews and adding subtitles to videos. Eventually, I started getting clients who wanted both, so I began offering them together.
I earn $10 an hour and work around 15 hours a week. That gives me about $600 a month.
The work sounds straightforward, but you need to be patient. Some recordings are difficult to understand, people speak over each other, and accents can make things harder. You also have to proofread everything because transcription software isn’t perfect.
You’ll need a laptop, headphones, good typing and listening skills, and reliable internet. There are AI transcription tools that can help you work faster, but you still have to check the transcript yourself.
If you’re starting out, I’d learn transcription first, then add subtitling. Offering both makes you more useful to podcasters, YouTubers, researchers and businesses.
What do you think about this?
Drop your opinion in the comment section.
FOLLOW US & Share this with someone who needs to see this.
