Section 1.1: The Side Hustle Phenomenon

There are countless narratives surrounding side hustles, and merely recounting my experiences wouldn’t do justice. In fact, I haven't penned a single article on the subject in over a year, primarily because I didn't have multiple side hustles to discuss, nor was I certain which one stood out.

However, I persevered. Some side hustles, such as creating YouTube videos, have evolved beyond just extra income streams for me. Eventually, I felt confident enough in my knowledge to write about it.

Subsection 1.1.1: My Viral Post

The title of my popular post was "11 Stupidly Simple Side Hustles to Earn Extra Money as a Programmer." This article encapsulated everything I have attempted or learned about side hustles.

Here are some of the avenues I explored:

• Earning from Code Sales
• Selling Templates on Notion
• Creating APIs
• Becoming an Online Creator
• Earning with Canva
• Investing in Crypto, DeFi, NFT, and Virtual Lands
• Selling Products
• Offering Online Consulting
• Creating an NFT Marketplace or Application
• Transitioning to Web3 Development
• Writing Technical Content-related Books

While I consciously omitted popular options like freelancing, YouTube video creation, survey taking, and blogging—topics that most are already familiar with—this may have contributed to my post’s virality.

Interestingly, many individuals interested in programming and web development follow my work because I frequently address these topics. A search for programming side hustles on Medium revealed a lack of substantial posts, which encouraged me to provide valuable insights.

As a result of my expertise, my article on programming side hustles garnered unexpected success. To date, it has earned a total of $3,110.15, and the earnings continue to grow.

Some might attribute this success to luck, but I assure you that it is not.

The post was well-received right from the start, with Medium's curators appreciating my writing style.

Section 1.2: The Role of External Traffic

As you can see from the initial engagement, there were significant external views. I don’t boast a massive following on other social media platforms, so how did I attract so many readers? The answer lies with Google—a search engine we all rely on.

I didn't engage in any elaborate promotion strategies; in fact, I’m not well-versed in SEO or similar topics. I simply aimed to write a helpful guide for programmers looking to embark on their side hustles. The quality of my content allowed both Medium and Google to amplify my reach.

Let's delve into the traffic sources that generated the most views for my article.

Remarkably, 68% of the views originated from external sources, and I did not promote my article on platforms like Facebook, Fotolog, Reddit, or Instagram. My sincere gratitude goes to everyone who shared my post across social media channels.

This single piece has brought in a substantial number of referrals. Additionally, the feedback on my writing has been overwhelmingly positive, with only a few dissenting opinions.

If you aspire to make writing a side hustle, consider the following:

• Create fresh or intriguing content that offers value to readers.
• Establish trust with your audience.
• Write within your areas of expertise.

For further insights, feel free to explore more here.

I hope you find this information valuable. Thank you for reading!