AI Side Hustles in 2026: 7 Ideas, What the Work Involves, and the Rules That Apply

AI tools can now do much of the making. Whether that becomes paid work depends on two things no tool does for you: someone has to want to pay, and the work has to follow the platforms’ rules.

Each idea has the same five parts, then prompts to copy. There are no income figures, on purpose. Our reading: what one person earns says little about what you would. Tools named are examples, not recommendations, and none pays us.

01The seven ideas at a glance

Our reading: the “who pays”, “skill” and “time to set up” columns are our own rough guide, not measurements.

Idea	What you make	Who pays	Skill needed	Time to set up	The rule that matters most
1. Online shops	Product photos, short ads, presenter videos	Shops that sell online	Low to medium	A weekend	No fake reviews or testimonials (US FTC rule)
2. Estate agents	Virtually staged rooms, 3D tours	Agents	Medium	A weekend	Disclose altered listing photos (California, from 2026)
3. Websites	Simple sites for small businesses	Small businesses	Medium	A week or two	Accessibility (EU rules for e-commerce services, from June 2025)
4. Faceless YouTube	Narrated videos with no presenter	YouTube’s Partner Program, or sponsors	Medium	Months	No mass-produced or repetitive content (YouTube)
5. Clipping	Short clips cut from long videos	A client, or brands running clip campaigns	Low to start	A few days	Permission to clip, and paid clips labelled as ads
6. Self-published books	A book you write, with AI as editor	Readers	High	Months	Declare AI-generated content (Amazon KDP)
7. Printables	Planners, templates, checklists	Buyers on marketplaces	Low to medium	A weekend	Disclose AI use in the listing (Etsy)

021. AI content for online shops

What the work is

You make product photos, short ads or presenter videos for small online shops, starting from the shop’s own product photo. The hard part is keeping the product exactly as it is.

Is it realistic?

Shops can now do some of this themselves. Shopify says its built-in media generation “can help you create professional product images quickly without specialized design skills.”

Our reading: so a shop pays for judgement, not the button press: the shot, a product shown true, the hook, the labelling rules. A first sample takes an afternoon; a first client takes as long as finding one.

The rules that apply

In the US, the FTC’s rule on reviews and testimonials covers fake reviews. It makes it a violation for a business to create or sell a review or testimonial that materially misrepresents that the reviewer exists or used the product.

The rule’s text does not mention AI. The FTC’s announcement says it covers reviews by someone who does not exist, “such as AI-generated fake reviews.”

The FTC’s Endorsement Guides say an ad showing endorsements by “actual consumers” should use actual consumers, or clearly disclose that the people shown are not. Our reading: that is why the prompts below make the AI presenter a host, never a customer who bought it.

• UK and EU: both list commissioning a fake consumer review among practices always considered unfair. In the UK that is the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, from 6 April 2025; in the EU, a 2019 directive.
• TikTok requires creators to label AI-generated or significantly edited content that shows realistic-looking scenes or people.
• Meta says it is gradually adding “AI info” to ad images made or materially edited with its own generative AI features. Its examples of ads that won’t carry it include ads made with third-party AI tools.

Our reading: a label written into the video does not replace a platform’s own ad and AI settings. Switch those on too.

Try it in a weekend

Pick one product from a shop you like. Make one photo and one short video with the prompts below, and send them with the message near the end of this page.

Tools

• Shopify media generation (help page): used from the Shopify admin.
• Photoroom (photoroom.com): an AI photo editor and listing studio for product photography.
• remove.bg (remove.bg): an AI background remover.
• Synthesia (synthesia.io): an AI video platform for business.

Template — fill in the brackets (video)

Product (write once, reuse): [product], exactly as in Image 2. Keep colours, logo and details; add nothing.
Presenter: the person in Image 1, same face throughout. They present the product as a host, not as a customer who bought it.
Video: vertical 9:16, [8–15] seconds, [one take / cuts at X s and Y s].
First frame: [what we see at second 0].
Camera: [fixed / handheld selfie / propped phone]; it never moves closer.
Action and words: [what they do]. Says: "[line 1]" … "[line 2]". Lip-synced, natural pace.
Feel: [deadpan / warm / expert]; small, natural expressions.
Light and sound: [e.g. daylight kitchen]; [room sound / soft beat], no sung music.
Must stay the same: face, product details. No other logos or text except the caption "[caption]" and an "Ad · AI-generated" label.

Template — fill in the brackets (photo)

Photo of [product from the attached image, exact details] in [place], with [who or what else is in shot].
Shot from [angle], [lens, e.g. 35 mm], [time of day and light].
Mood: [3 words]. Colours: [palette].
Keep the product exactly as attached: no changes to logo, colour or text.
No other logos or text in the image.

Ready to use — copy and paste as is

Help me make AI product ads. Ask me, one at a time: what the product is, who buys it, the platform (TikTok, Reels, Shorts, a shop page), and whether I want a video or a photo. Then ask me to describe or upload a product photo.

Then write one ready-to-paste prompt for an image or video tool. It must:
- keep the product exactly as in my photo (colours, logo, details);
- use a presenter who shows the product as a host, never as a customer who bought it;
- for video: vertical 9:16, 8–15 seconds, with the first frame, camera, action, spoken lines, light and sound each on one line;
- include an "Ad · AI-generated" label and no other logos or text.
Keep the prompt under 150 words. Then ask if I want a second version with a different hook.

032. Visuals for estate agents

What the work is

You add virtual furniture to photos of empty rooms, or build 3D tours of a home. The rule of the job is restraint: add movable furniture and change nothing about the property.

Is it realistic?

Virtual staging is accepted under some rules, with conditions. One US listing service, MLS Now, permits “virtual staging limited to movable personal property” with disclosure. It bans removing or hiding material defects such as cracks, water damage or mould.

Our reading: staging tools sell straight to agents, so a freelancer offers speed, consistency and care with the rules. One tool below also lists object removal and sky replacement, the kind of change those rules cover.

The rules that apply

In California, a law in force since 1 January 2026 covers advertising property for sale with a digitally altered image. It applies to a broker or salesperson “or person acting on their behalf”. It requires a statement that the image was altered, plus a link, URL or QR code to the original.

The statement must be reasonably conspicuous, sit on or next to the image, and say that the original can be seen at the link. Adding furniture counts; edits only to things like lighting or cropping do not, if they leave the property’s representation unchanged.

• US Realtors (NAR members): the National Association of Realtors’ 2026 Code of Ethics says members “shall present a true picture” in their advertising. A standard of practice names “misleading images”.
• One listing service: MLS Now requires an on-image label such as “Virtually Staged”, repeated in the caption. It lists QR codes among content not allowed in images, while California lets the link be a QR code.
• UK: The Property Ombudsman’s code tells agents to take all reasonable steps so statements about a property, “whether oral, pictorial or written”, are accurate and not misleading.

Our reading: rules differ by place and by listing service, so check the ones where the listing will run.

Try it in a weekend

Photograph an empty room you may use, such as your own. Stage it in two styles, keep every wall and mark, add the label, and put the original beside each.

Tools

• ReimagineHome (reimaginehome.ai): AI interior design and virtual staging.
• Virtual Staging AI (virtualstagingai.app): virtual staging “with one click”.
• Matterport (matterport.com): 3D cameras and virtual tour software.
• Kuula (kuula.co): 360 3D virtual tour software.

Template — fill in the brackets

Furnish this empty room (attached photo) in a [style, e.g. warm Scandinavian] style for a listing.
Keep the room exactly as it is: walls, windows, floor, ceiling, light fittings, views, and any damage or wear. Do not hide, repair or improve anything.
Add only movable furniture and decor: [sofa, rug, table, plants…].
Match the photo's real light direction and camera angle.
Add a clear, readable corner label: "Virtually staged".
In the listing, put the original photo, or a link to it, next to this image.

Ready to use — copy and paste as is

Help me stage empty rooms for property listings honestly. Ask me: the room type, the style I want, and the buyers the listing is aimed at. Then ask me to upload the room photo.

Write one image prompt that adds only movable furniture and decor, matches the real light and camera angle, and keeps every wall, window, floor, view, fitting and any damage or wear exactly as it is. It must not hide, repair or improve anything. It must add a clear, readable "Virtually staged" label.
After the prompt, remind me to put the original photo, or a link to it, next to the staged one in the listing, and to check my local listing rules (some places require this).

043. Building websites with AI

What the work is

You build simple sites for small businesses. AI drafts the layout and code; your job is the real details, a fast and readable page, and keeping it current.

Is it realistic?

The big site builders offer this to business owners directly. WordPress.com says its AI builder “creates a real WordPress site in minutes.”

Our reading: quality is where the gap is. WebAIM’s 2026 report on the top million home pages found that 95.9% had detected WCAG 2 failures. Those are popular sites, not small-business sites in particular.

Our reading: making a page is the easy part. A site can look finished and still fail basic checks, and fixing that is real work.

The rules that apply

WCAG, from the W3C, explains how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.

• EU: the European Accessibility Act applies to e-commerce services provided to consumers after 28 June 2025. Microenterprises providing services are exempt from its accessibility requirements; it defines them as having fewer than 10 staff and staying under a turnover or balance-sheet limit. The W3C says most organisations use WCAG and EN 301 549 to address it.
• Privacy: the UK regulator, the ICO, says privacy information must be given at the time personal data is collected. The EU’s GDPR sets the same timing.

Our reading: a contact form or newsletter sign-up collects personal data, which is the moment the ICO and the GDPR say privacy information is due. You make room for a privacy notice; the business decides what it says. Agree in writing who owns the finished site.

Try it in a weekend

Rebuild the site of a local business you know as a private draft, using only its real details. Run Lighthouse and WAVE, fix what they find, and note what they cannot check.

Tools

• Wix AI website builder (wix.com): “from a prompt to a business-ready website”, in Wix’s words.
• Framer (framer.com): an AI website builder for designers and teams.
• Lighthouse (developer.chrome.com): an open-source, automated tool for improving the quality of web pages.
• WAVE (wave.webaim.org): accessibility checks. WebAIM says it can identify many errors, but also facilitates human evaluation.

Template — fill in the brackets

Build a one-page website for [business name], a [type of business] in [town].
Visitors want to: [book / call / see prices / find the shop].
Sections, in order: [hero with one sentence], [services], [proof: real photos only], [location and hours], [contact].
Style: [3 words]; colours: [2–3]; font: [one, readable].
Must have: fast on phones, readable text sizes, alt text on every image, a privacy notice if the form collects anything, and no fake reviews or invented numbers.
Use only the text I give you below; mark anything missing as [TO FILL] rather than inventing it.
[paste the business's own text]

Ready to use — copy and paste as is

Act as a builder of simple one-page websites for small businesses. Before writing any code, ask me these, one at a time: business name and type, town, what visitors should do (book, call, visit, buy), the services, opening hours, and contact details. Then ask me to paste any real text and real photos I have.

Then build the page: hero, services, real photos, location and hours, contact. It must work well on phones, use readable text, put alt text on every image, and include a privacy notice if there is a form.
Use only what I gave you. Mark anything missing as [TO FILL]. Never invent reviews, numbers, awards or prices.

054. Faceless YouTube channels

What the work is

You run a channel where a voice and pictures carry the videos and no presenter appears. Our reading: AI can help with most steps; the research and the point of view stay yours.

Is it realistic?

YouTube’s own way to share ad revenue with creators is its Partner Program. YouTube Help lists two ways in. One is 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months. The other is 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.

From 1 February 2027, new applicants for ad and Premium revenue sharing will need 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days. The other route is 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. YouTube says the update won’t affect creators already in the program.

Our reading: a faceless channel is realistic as a slow build of researched, varied videos, not as a plan to generate many fast. YouTube’s rules describe that pattern. Expect months.

The rules that apply

YouTube’s monetization policies say content should not be “mass-produced, generic, repetitive, or manipulative.” Among what they won’t monetize:

• “AI-generated content made with generic or unoriginal templates giving the impression of mass production without adding the creator’s original, authentic insights or perspective”
• image slideshows or templated storylines with minimal or no narrative, commentary or educational value
• videos made only of readings of material you did not create, such as text from websites
• AI personas presented as human experts giving advice on health, legal issues, finances or politics

Tools are allowed: if you use them, “the final product must still demonstrate your creative vision and provide educational or entertainment value”.

YouTube requires creators to disclose AI-generated or altered content that seems realistic. It says disclosing alone won’t limit a video’s audience or its eligibility to earn money. If a video has a sponsor, YouTube says you have to let it know by selecting the paid promotion button.

Try it in a weekend

Pick one topic you can research properly. Make one short video with the paper stop-motion method below, and check every fact in the script against a source first.

Tools

• Google Flow (labs.google/flow): an AI creative studio for video and images. Our Google Flow explainer goes further.
• Kling AI (klingai.com): turns text, images and references into video and images.
• ElevenLabs (elevenlabs.io): an AI voice generator.
• Audacity (audacityteam.org): a free, open-source audio editor and recorder.

The paper stop-motion method

One way to give a faceless channel its own look is a world of cut paper, built scene by scene. The prompt runs in four steps, and you check each one before the next.

Ready to use — copy and paste as is

Act as an art director and paper stop-motion designer. Turn one topic into a narrated papercut video in four steps. Do one step at a time, stop, and wait for me. No intros, no filler.

Step 1, topic and length. Ask for my topic, with six example ideas (history, space, nature, sports, business, technology), and the length: 30 s, 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes.

Step 2, script. Write the narration at about 2.5 words per second. Each sentence is one complete visual moment (one image), 15–25 words, one idea, documentary tone. No sponsor lines, no "subscribe", no sign-off. Numbered list. Then say "type next".

Step 3, image prompts. Turn each sentence into one self-contained image prompt, one per line, numbered, nothing in between. Each describes: one main object, up to three supporting objects, a background that fits that sentence, a colour palette that fits the subject, soft directional light with deep shadows between layers, and plenty of empty space. Everything is made of thick cardstock, kraft and construction paper: dozens of cut layers, visible paper thickness, raw cut edges, glue joints. The whole world is paper, with no table, board or frame. End each with: handcrafted paper stop-motion, ultra-detailed, no text, no logos, no watermark. Then say "type next".

Step 4, animation prompt. Write one animation prompt to use on every image. The camera never moves: no zoom, pan, tilt or rotation. In the first 7 seconds the scene builds itself from back to front, each paper piece sliding in, settling and casting a real shadow. In the last 3 seconds only tiny movements happen: clouds drift, fabric flutters, a slow blink, light shifts. Nothing changes position or size, and nothing enters or leaves. Add small stop-motion imperfections and soft paper sounds. Write it once, then stop.

• Why 15–25 words a sentence? Our reading: at about 2.5 words per second, that is 6 to 10 seconds of speech. It roughly fills one clip of about 10 seconds; shorter lines run ahead of the picture.
• Each video still needs its own research and script. YouTube won’t monetize mass-produced, templated videos, and a paper look does not change that.
• Does a paper look need an AI label? YouTube says creators “don’t need to disclose non-realistic content that’s made with AI”. Its example is an animated missile “in a fully animated video”. Our reading: a paper world fits that better than real footage. AI music as the main focus does need disclosure, and YouTube may label content with C2PA metadata itself.

065. Clipping long videos into short ones

What the work is

You cut long videos, such as podcasts and streams, into short vertical clips with captions. There are two routes.

For a client. A creator gives you footage and posts your clips, or lets you post them in writing. Asked how to get permission to use someone’s work, the US Copyright Office answers: “You can ask for it.”

Through clip campaigns. Brands post campaigns, clippers post clips on their own accounts, and pay follows each campaign’s terms, often based on verified views. One marketplace is Content Rewards, which started inside Whop and now also runs as its own site.

Its terms say it still runs “an earlier experience hosted inside the Whop platform”. They call Whop “a separate company” whose platform it uses for payments. The terms set out the steps:

• the brand decides whether to approve or reject each submission;
• views are verified through the social platforms’ own APIs;
• approved payouts are held while views are verified and fraud checks run.

Its FAQ lists the usual reasons clips get rejected: “wrong platform, missing tags or disclosure, reused content, or the post being edited or deleted after you submitted.”

Is it realistic?

Our reading: the skill to start is modest, but the edit is the whole value. Content Rewards’ FAQ says some campaigns take everyone, while others ask clippers to apply first. Our reading: on open campaigns, many clippers may cut the same footage. Content Rewards’ terms say it does not guarantee “any level of views, earnings, Campaign availability”.

Our reading: client work is steadier but needs a client; campaigns start faster, with nothing promised.

The rules that apply

Permission. Content Rewards’ terms make clippers warrant that a clip “does not infringe anyone’s rights” and that they have cleared any third-party content it uses, including music.

YouTube allows reused content “if viewers can tell that there’s a meaningful difference between the original video and your video.” It adds: “This policy applies even if you have permission from the original creator.”

Labels. The FTC’s guide for influencers says a video endorsement’s disclosure “should be in the video and not just in the description”. It calls “ad” and “sponsored” clear, and “sp”, “spon” and “collab” vague. It says US law applies to posts from abroad if it’s reasonably foreseeable they will affect US consumers.

Platforms add their own switches, such as TikTok’s commercial content disclosure setting.

Real views only. Content Rewards says buying or generating views “results in a permanent ban”. The FTC says its review rule bars buying or selling fake social media indicators, such as views from a bot. That applies where the buyer knew or should have known they were fake and they misrepresent the buyer’s influence for a commercial purpose.

Shorts. From 1 February 2027, YouTube Help says, a share of Shorts ad revenue will need at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. It gives unedited clips from others’ movies or TV shows as an example of ineligible views.

Try it in a weekend

Ask a small podcaster whether you may clip one episode, in writing. Run the transcript through the prompts below and send three clips.

Tools

• OpusClip (opus.pro): turns long videos into shorts.
• Descript (descript.com): an AI video and audio editor that makes editing as easy as editing text.
• Shotcut (shotcut.org): a free, open-source video editor.
• Whisper (github.com/openai/whisper): a general-purpose speech recognition model, for transcripts.

Template — fill in the brackets

Here is the transcript of a [podcast / stream / talk] with timestamps.
Find the [5] strongest moments for short vertical clips, each [20–60] seconds.
For each one, give: start and end time; a hook line for the first 2 seconds, taken from what is actually said; a 6-word caption; and one sentence on why it works.
Only use the speaker's real words; do not rewrite or invent quotes.
Skip anything that needs the full context to make sense.
[paste transcript]

Ready to use — copy and paste as is

Act as a finder of the best short clips in long videos. Ask me what the video is (podcast, stream, talk), who it is for, and the clip length I want (20–60 seconds). Then ask me to paste the transcript with timestamps.

Give me the 5 strongest moments. For each: start and end time, a hook for the first 2 seconds using only the speaker's real words, a 6-word caption, and one line on why it works.
Never rewrite or invent quotes. Skip moments that need the full video to make sense.
Then remind me to check that the creator allows clipping and how paid clips must be labelled.

Clip campaign checklist — copy it and tick each line before you submit

☐ The creator allows clipping of this content (campaign brief or written permission).
☐ I have read the campaign rules: which platforms, length, captions, required tags.
☐ Paid clips are labelled the way the campaign and the platform require (e.g. #ad / paid partnership).
☐ My views are real: no bought views, bots or view-swapping groups.
☐ Each clip adds something (edit, captions, framing), not just a re-upload.

076. Self-published books

What the work is

You write a book on something you know well, using AI as an outline coach and editor. Then you format it and publish through a self-publishing service.

Is it realistic?

Platforms now limit volume. Since 21 September 2026, Amazon KDP has let you create up to 2 new titles per format each week. An update on 5 October 2026 added the same weekly limit for submitting them. Draft2Digital says it is “not a destination for mass production book farms”.

Our reading: the realistic version is a book you could write without AI, made better with AI as the editor. That takes months.

The rules that apply

KDP requires you to tell it about AI-generated content (text, images or translations) when you publish or republish. You are not required to disclose AI-assisted content. Content an AI tool created counts as AI-generated “even if you applied substantial edits afterwards.”

Your own writing, edited or improved with AI, is AI-assisted; so is using AI to brainstorm ideas, if you then write the text yourself.

In the US, the Copyright Office’s January 2025 report says copyright “does not extend to purely AI-generated material”. It says that with current generally available technology, prompts alone do not give enough control. Using AI to assist rather than stand in for human creativity does not affect copyright in the output, it adds.

This is US policy; YouTube’s copyright page notes that countries and regions are taking different approaches.

Try it in a weekend

Write the outline and one chapter of a short guide on something you know, using the prompts only to question and edit you. Then decide honestly which side of KDP’s line it sits on.

Tools

• Reedsy Studio (reedsy.com/studio): an app for authors to write, edit and format a book.
• Kindle Create (KDP help): Amazon’s tool for turning a finished manuscript into a book.
• LibreOffice Writer (libreoffice.org): a word processor in an open-source office suite.
• LanguageTool (languagetool.org): a grammar checker.

Template — fill in the brackets

I am writing a [type of book] about [topic] for [reader].
Step 1: Ask me 5 questions about what I know and want to say. Wait for my answers.
Step 2: From my answers only, propose a chapter outline (10–12 chapters, one line each).
Step 3: When I send you a chapter I wrote, edit it for clarity and flow. Keep my words and voice; mark suggestions instead of rewriting whole passages.
Never invent facts, quotes or sources; flag anything I should check.

Ready to use — copy and paste as is

Act as my outline coach and editor, not my ghostwriter: I am writing my own book. Ask me: the kind of book, the topic, and the reader. Then ask me 5 questions about what I know and want to say, one at a time.

From my answers only, propose a 10–12 chapter outline, one line each, and wait for my changes.
When I send a chapter I wrote, edit it for clarity and flow: keep my words and voice, and mark suggestions instead of rewriting whole passages.
Never invent facts, quotes or sources; flag anything I should check.

087. Printable and digital products

What the work is

You design planners, templates, checklists or short guides that buyers download and print. AI can draft text and suggest layouts. The value is in useful, original content.

Is it realistic?

A blank layout is easy to copy. The US Copyright Office says blank forms that are designed for recording information and convey none themselves, such as diaries, are not protected by copyright. Creative text or pictures on a form can be.

Etsy says all items must “incorporate a human touch”, and lists AI prompt bundles among items that don’t count as designed by a seller.

Our reading: the low-effort versions of this idea are the ones the rules exclude. Useful content and good design are what set a product apart.

The rules that apply

• Etsy: “Sellers must disclose within their listing description if an item is created with the use of AI.”
• Creative Market asks sellers whether a product or a key feature was “primarily created using generative artificial intelligence tools”.
• Gumroad prohibits “reselling private label rights products”.
• Trademarks: the USPTO says a trademark can be any word, phrase, symbol or design that identifies goods or services. The Copyright Office says names, titles and slogans are not copyrightable, but may be protectable under trademark law.

Our reading: that is why the prompts below rule out famous characters, brand names, logos and song lyrics.

Try it in a weekend

Make one printable for a need of your own, such as a meal planner. Check every line, then draft an honest listing that says what is inside and how AI was used.

Tools

• Canva (canva.com): a free-to-use online graphic design tool, in its own words.
• Inkscape (inkscape.org): a free and open-source vector graphics editor.
• Scribus (scribus.net): open-source desktop publishing.

Template — fill in the brackets

Create a [planner / template / checklist / guide] for [who] who want to [goal].
Format: [A4 / US Letter], [number] pages, printable in black and white.
Contents: [list the pages or sections].
Style: [3 words], plenty of white space, one readable font.
All text must be original. No famous characters, brand names, logos or song lyrics.
Deliver: the pages, a cover, and a one-paragraph product description that says honestly what's inside, with no result promises.

Ready to use — copy and paste as is

Help me make printable products. Ask me: what it is (planner, template, checklist, guide), who it is for, their goal, the paper size (A4 or US Letter) and how many pages. Wait for each answer.

Then plan the pages, one line each, and wait for my OK. After that, write the full content for each page, a cover idea, and a short, honest product description of what's inside, with no promised results.
All text must be original. No famous characters, brand names, logos or song lyrics. Remind me that some marketplaces, such as Etsy, ask sellers to say in the listing when AI was used to make an item.

09A plain message to a first client

A free sample shows more than a pitch. These boxes write a short, honest note to send with it.

Template — fill in the brackets

Hi [name], I make [product photos / short videos / staged room photos] for [type of business] using AI tools.
I made [one free sample] for your [product / listing] so you can see the style; it's attached.
If it's useful, I can make [a set of X]. Reply and I'll share what that would involve.
[Your name]

Ready to use — copy and paste as is

Help me write short outreach messages. Ask me: what I make (photos, videos, staged rooms, websites, clips), the business I'm writing to, and the free sample I made for them.

Write a message under 70 words: who I am, the free sample attached, and one offer to make more. Friendly and plain.
No prices, no promised results, no claims about what "others charge", no fake urgency.

10How to check any “easy money” claim

Before you pay for a course, a tool or a campaign, five questions help.

1. Who is selling? Our reading: if the person sharing the idea sells the tool or course, their numbers are a pitch. The FTC says to read success stories and testimonials with skepticism: “They might not be true or typical.”
2. Is there a source? The FTC says that if an offer “promises guaranteed income, large returns, or a ‘proven system,’ it’s likely a scam.” Its Business Opportunity Rule bars US sellers of a business opportunity, as the rule defines one, from making an earnings claim without a reasonable basis and written proof.
3. What do the rules say? Read the platform’s rules page itself. Content Rewards calls the individual campaign brief “the source of truth”.
4. What does a test cost? The FTC suggests asking, “What would my specific expenses be? Can I afford it?” It also says: “Be ready for the upsell.”
5. Who carries the risk? Our reading: usually you. Content Rewards makes the clipper responsible for the disclosure, and KDP makes the author responsible for intellectual property.

An FTC release from September 2024 announced cases against companies claiming that they could use AI to help consumers make money through online storefronts. In the US, scams can be reported at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

11Quick answers

12Use this

13Quick quiz

How we checked this · Last checked October 2026

• We read each rule on the official page that sets it, including the FTC's rules and guides, UK and EU legislation, California's statute, YouTube Help, TikTok's guidelines and KDP's help pages.
• Marketplace and campaign terms were read on their own sites, including Content Rewards' creator terms, Etsy's creativity standards and Creative Market's AI label page.
• Each tool is described in its own words. We copied no prices and rank no tools.
• We give no income figures, rates or prices, on purpose.
• Some sites block automated checks, so we read those pages in a browser.
• Platform rules change often, so we will check this page again soon.

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14Sources