These side hustles are blessedly free of red flags
SideHusl.com’s latest round of reviews uncovered options for entertainers, marketers and people who want to participate in mock juries and legal focus groups. And there’s not a clinker in the group. In fact, these new options for entertainers and others rank near the top of their respective categories.
What makes these options so attractive? The answer is slightly different for each, but boils down to being lucrative and freelancer-friendly overall. To be sure, some have geographic constraints. But none have problematic terms or red flags. The options?
Entertainers
StageRush is a young website that aims to help entertainers promote their acts. The site allows entertainers to post a profile, photos and videos of their bands and performances. It also easily connects to social media accounts, merchandise sales and any events where you are already performing. Site visitors can hire you through the site or send you “tips.” You can also connect your calendar to show when you are and aren’t available. Better yet, unlike competing entertainment booking sites, the fees charged to performers are modest.
Whether it’s to fuel corporate websites, feed new blogs or to support the burgeoning self-published book industry, good communicators have a variety of job choices.
Specifically, most new performers go onto the site’s basic plan, which costs nothing to list. However, if you book a gig, you’ll pay a 12% commission to the site for its marketing and collection services.
The only negative about this site is that it’s new, and most acts listed are in Pennsylvania where the site is founded. That said, with no cost to sign up, there’s no reason not to list. But it may take some time to gain notice.
Marketers
Mayple connects marketing experts with companies that need them. There are no specific age or education requirements. However, marketing experts are expected to have two or more years of experience in their specific niche — i.e. SEO marketing, email marketing, social media — and need to provide granular detail about the marketing work they’ve done in the past to measure its success.
Freelancers are matched to companies based on an algorithm that takes 25 factors into account. They also go through an interview and proposal process with the potential client.
Most projects are based on package rates ranging from $1,800 to $6,000. The freelancer gets 70%, so the typical job would net the freelancer $1,260 to $4,200.
Freelancers and clients can also negotiate their own deals, when the set packages don’t fit. A Mayple spokesman says freelancers typically earn between $50 and $200 an hour, depending on their experience level and the complexity of the assigned job.
Mock jurors
LegalFocusGroup is a young mock juror / legal focus group company that completes all of its sessions online via Zoom. The brainchild of an attorney and MBA candidate, the site connects potential jurors from all over the U.S. to help attorneys evaluate whether a case is ready for trial. In some cases, the mock jurors will help attorneys see that the case still needs work or is best settled without litigation.
With trials restarting after long COVID-related shutdowns, LegalFocusGroup co-founder Caswell Prewitt said the site is seeing a rapid pickup in demand as courts attempt to address record backlogs. However, as with other mock juror sites, potential jurors should expect only occasional work here.
There are few specific requirements to sign up. However, attorneys requesting mock juries and legal focus groups may impose restrictions on any given job. Given the local nature of trials, the most common restrictions are regional. If you’re interested in mock juror work, also consider signing up for eJury and OnlineVerdict.
Kristof is the editor of SideHusl.com, an independent website that reviews moneymaking opportunities in the gig economy.
