Surprising way some Aussies are making $10k a month during cost-of-living crisis

Side hustles are becoming increasingly popular, and more Australians are turning to new ways to make money in their spare time.

With millions of Australians across the country feeling the impact of the cost of living, many are looking for a second job or side hustle to boost their bank accounts.

Some Aussies have even been able to earn up to $10,000 a month on top of their main job, through user-generated content (UGC) marketing.

Elecia Parrott from Wollongong says she earns an extra $500 a month through UCG platform Creatoroo.

She receives free products and gets paid for making quick videos at home, working between five and 15 jobs a month.

Ms Parrott told NCA NewsWire that she started creating for fun on her personal social media platforms in 2018, but joined UGC to express her creativity on a larger scale.

“It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to shoot content, depending on how big the setup is and how big my ideas are for filming the content,” she said.

Ms Parrott is not alone in her quest for an extra income, with millions of Aussies looking to boost their bank accounts due to the financial pressures of the cost of living crisis.

To combat this, almost a third of all Aussies are looking for a second job or turning to side hustles to make some extra money.

A survey by comparison website Finder found that 32 percent (or 6.7 million people) felt financial pressure to have more than one job.

Annalize Wade works full-time, but decided to take the leap into content creation two years ago when UGC Agency Creatoroo launched.

“This was the first company I saw offering content creation to users who don’t have followers, and it intrigued me,” she said.

UGC allows regular, everyday Australians to create content and get paid for it without having thousands of followers on their social media.

They don’t even have to come up with a script, edit the content or post it to their personal social media – everything is done by Creatoroo.

Ms Wade said she doesn’t have a large following, but she has a creative side and enjoys “creating specific content for brands and charities”.

“This not only allows me to explore my creativity, but also make some extra money, all with the benefits of not having to post on my own channels and having income based on my followers,” she said.

She said the content usually takes one to two hours depending on the assignment, but when she’s done, she sends everything off to the agency to edit together.

“I get offered between one and two jobs a month… it’s great because I work full-time, so I can fit this 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 in the comfort of their own home.

Managing Director of Creatoroo Veronica Cremen told NCA NewsWire that the marketing tactics are completely different from influencer marketing.

“Some people assume that UGC is influencer marketing and they have to have a following, and people tend to panic that they don’t qualify, but it’s for the everyday person,” Ms Cremen said.

Ms Cremen said brands come to Creatoroo in need of content, prompting the agency to find creators relevant to the brief and commission the content.

She said that in addition to getting paid for the work and getting a free product, creating content can also be a fun way to make some extra money.

In her experience, Ms. Cremen said some creators can make a few hundred dollars to $10,000 a month.

But those who earn high grades typically put in long hours of work.

“It would come down to how much they hire, so it would be a larger number of videos that they would make and also photos that they would take… but it would be across multiple different brands,” she says. said.

“Once you start doing great work, many brands will want to work with you and you can build a loyal customer base quite easily through Creatoroo.”

Creatoroo is owned by a digital marketing performance agency and was born out of a ‘pain point’ in an effort to help create more content for brands so they can differentiate and succeed.

Ms Cremen said the brands needed more content, but at the same time there needed to be “more voices and more people sharing products”.

She said UGC marketing has “tremendous power” to enable brands to create relatable and engaging content to connect with their audiences.

But it is also a more economical form of marketing, especially for younger brands, Ms. Cremen said.

A growing number of Australian households are struggling to make ends meet, with Finder money expert Rebecca Pike saying millions are looking for a second job.

“Many have no choice but to take on a second job to stay afloat,” Pike says.

‘The cost of living crisis means many are in financial difficulty and are finding it difficult to pay rising insurance and utility bills.’

Young Australians feel the pressure the most; 56 percent of Generation Z admit to looking for a second job this year.

Ms Pike said having a second job is a big commitment and urged young people to look at other ways to boost their bank balance.

“From renting out 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 make some extra money,” she said.

‘This way you can choose when you work.’