What if I told you that you can get paid to be an online friend? Sound good? We’ve all got friends of some sort. Some are great friends, some we wonder why we spend time or energy on them at all, and others are completely formed through virtual connections, thanks to society morphing into the digital age.
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Pen pals, or perhaps “keyboard pals” is more accurate these days, are, clearly, not a new concept.
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Previously, writing letters to strangers overseas serving in the military or those serving long sentences in prison were commonplace so that those with restricted access to human connection would find some solace.
Over the past decade or so, our massive shift to virtual communication and numerous social media platforms has actually increased our engagement with strangers. It’s a regular occurrence to “friend” someone we’ve never met in person on a social media platform and not even think twice about it!
Sometimes, they stay in our network and we rarely exchange comments or messages, and some become lifelong friends after frequent communication and interaction.
Related: 19 Text Chat Operator Jobs You Can Do From Home
Why Not Get Paid to Be an Online Friend for Your Friendship?
Can you believe that now you can actually get paid for those new friends?
That’s right! Virtual friendship is one of the new best ways to earn extra money in your spare time while potentially making real friends.
Basically, you would offer online friendship to people who have similar interests as you, you set your own hourly rates, and start earning extra cash!
There are SO many options for offering friendship services online.
To Get Paid to Be an Online Friend You Can:
- Be a tour guide for someone in a new city
- Offer emotional support
- Play online games or video games
- Help people develop their social skills, especially if they get social anxiety being around a lot of people
- Connect on a more personal level via text chat, online chat, or video chat
- Help someone learn a foreign language (yours, perhaps)
- Be a college mentor
- Provide general knowledge about something you know well, such as how to develop a new skill
How to Get Paid to Be an Online Friend
OK, so this sounds pretty awesome and simple enough, right? But how on earth do you get started??
The first thing you’ll need to do is scope out the best platforms on the online marketplace.
Next, create an online profile on whichever you deem to be the best sites for you. Don’t be lazy about this because you want to make sure you attract the right kind of people!
Then, you should list your various services (see ideas above to get your brain juices flowing!) and decide how you want to set your own rate. For example, you could offer a paid membership or set a flat rate. Maybe video calls or phone calls can be an extra cost. You get to decide!
Just think for a minute, you could get paid to talk to lonely people and really brighten their day!
Of course, you’ll need to add your bank account, PayPal account, or other payment details so you can actually get paid.
Finally, once you’re all set up, friend seekers can find you through your common interests and potentially become your new virtual companion!
There are so many different ways to become an online virtual friend or get a best virtual friend online and get paid to be an online friend while you connect with lonely people, people from different cultures, and meet genuinely nice people (perhaps, even in real life, should you choose to one day!) all while making good money without investing too much time.
Obviously, it’s a good idea to not share personal information, such as your social security number, and make sure the platform you sign up with performs a background check on your potential new online companion(s).
Virtual friend jobs don’t require special skills, just that you be a good friend!
Some college students even go this route for meeting people, finding new friends for online gaming, or for helping them learn a new language.
Options to Get Paid to be an Online Friend
Some good options for setting up your virtual friend services are:
Fiverr Friendship
Fiverr in itself is a powerhouse online market place where freelancers can offer services of all kinds but, a lot of freelancers are unaware you can get paid to be an online friend on the platform too!
On Fiverr, you can create an account quite easily. Just input your basic information and payment details to get started.
Next, set your rates, list your services (be specific so you have a good chance of attracting the right clientele!), and let people find you!
Here is an example of how you can get paid to offer life coaching service as a package with the basic, standard, and premium options.
Typical fees start from $5 and go up to $45, but as you can see if you offer different skills like a life coach, you can start out charging more.
Some popular categories in the Fiverr Friendship department include:
- Creative Writing
- Gaming
- Arts & Crafts
- Portraits & Caricatures
- Illustration
- Life Coaching
- Wellness
- Online Tutoring
- Astrology & Psychics
- Video Editing
If these sound like your area of expertise, maybe Fiverr Friendship is a good option for you to set up your cyber-friend services!
Rent a Cyber Friend
This platform is simple and easy to get going on. You simply create your account, add your payment details, and let cyber friends find you through filters such as interests, hobbies, gender, and more! It is NOT a dating site.
Potential clients only need to set up their account with a minimum of $0.10 in their “wallet”. Each call is charged at $0.01 per minute by the platform while you get to set your own rates and earn as much money as you can (though, using best practices is obviously recommended—you’re meant to be a good friend after all 😉 )!
Can I Really Make Money on Rent a Cyber Friend?
With instant video calls as well as private and secure conversations with end-to-end encryption it’s very possible! You must have a good internet connection and a camera. Payment is per minute with a 20% platform fee. Get paid to be an online friend with withdrawals directly to your bank account.
If you have skills or knowledge that you know someone else can benefit from you are very likely to earn more. Maybe you know Spanish and could teach someone looking to learn? You can create virtual experiences and packages to sell. For example, you could create a virtual baking class, a video course on photography skills, or advice about something your passionate about that someone is seeking.
FriendPC
This site is the Etsy of cyber friendships. You’re able to create a profile and be a service provider (as an independent contractor) or search for friends, all from the same account!
You could get paid to be an online friend and book a friend for a day. Whether it’s texting you periodically in the day, scheduling one phone call a day, or a FaceTime session, you make it work.
FriendPC allows you to connect with friends virtually or in person, perhaps to be a tour guide for a traveler in a new place or as a companion to visit an amusement park with. Rates range from $5 – $3,000 and you can access and withdraw your funds immediately with no minimum.
The platform takes 5% – 10% earnings per booking to cover the level of support provided such as continuous marketing, 24/7 safety support, and more. That seems pretty fair, eh?
FriendPC is obviously a great way to earn extra cash, and perhaps could even become your full-time job!
Related: How To Make Money Online – Without Surveys
Rent a Friend
If you’re looking for a local friend or a virtual friend you can now have a zoom meeting, texting, Facetime and phone calls with your virtual friends. You fill out an application to become a friend. When you are approved ( usually an hour) you will have a live profile.
If others are interested in your profile to become your friend they will contact you. Only paid members can contact you directly. It’s completely free to have your profile on the platform and you get to keep 100% of the money you make. I did’nt know there was such a need to rent a friend online but I think it makes sense to meet people from everywhere and allow a friendship to blossom.
The amount of money you earn is completely up to you. Some people charge $20 an hour and some less. The list below is some of the things others will hire for.
Is Rent a Friend Legit?
Rent A Friend’s terms and conditions are firm to the fact that users might get the wrong idea. It is not a dating site. They try to make that as clear as possible. It is a real website that people from all over the world use to find virtual friends. If you want to get paid to be a friend, you might find yourself getting paid to offer a digital nomad a tour of your city.
Is Rent a Friend Worth It?
Yes Rent a Friend is worth it, since you could make between $10-$50 an hour.
Is Rent a Friend Safe?
The website does not do background checks on the members so you still have to use your own judgement and common sense however, members are charged a fee which can discourage ulterior motives. Just staying online and building a virtual friendship can earn you some money too!
Rent a Local Friend
With rent a local friend you can earn money by sharing your stories and local tips with the locals and travelers. This is good if you love to travel. As a Local Friend member you can also have direct access to the Local Friend’s trusted network during your travels too. Connect with other Local Friends for local experiences, best tips and accommodation.
You simply create your profile. Book an interview with a community manager. Activate all services you want to offer. Get verified through a contribution fee.
Safety Tips to Get Paid to Be an Online Friend
It’s important to remember that each cyber-friend site is not a dating site. Do your research and ensure the platform you join is a legit site.
Those that are can be a great place for meeting new people and learning or teaching anything from graphic design and digital marketing to simply lending an ear to someone who genuinely needs a friend.
It’ll be up to you if you want to share your phone number and interact via text messages or even be a local, in-person friend.
The best thing you can do is to use good judgment and be sure to keep your own personal safety as your number one priority. If you ever find yourself in a dangerous or questionable situation, be sure to reach out to the safety support team for help straight away.
Logistics of Being a Cyber Friend
How much can you make offering virtual friend services?
This will depend on a few things like,
- What are you offering?
- How experienced are you in the service you’re offering?
- How long have you been a cyber friend?
- If you have (good) reviews
- How much you charge for your services or friendship
Once you’ve established yourself on a platform, it’s completely possible to make $1,000+ per month being a friend! Not bad for just hanging out!!
Of course, it all depends on how much you charge, how often you work, and how much you get booked.
How can you improve your chances of being booked?
You can ask your actual friends to book you (you can give them their money back 😛 ) and have them leave you a review. As you book new clients, ask them for reviews as well! Testimonials are always the best way to increase conversions.
You can also use SEO software or headline analyzers to help you use targeted keywords that your market is searching for. This will help them land on your page.
The more detailed you can be about yourself, your personality, interests, and offerings, the more likely you are to be booked.
When you talk about yourself, try to sound less like it’s all about you and rather why the things you say about yourself are relevant to them.
Related: The Best Apps To Make Real Money
Pros to Get Paid to Be an Online Friend:
- Set your own hours
- Decide how often you want to work
- Get paid to do something you enjoy.
- Earn money helping others
- Meet new people
- Learn new things
- Get paid immediately (depending on the platform)
- Essentially start a business for free with no upfront overhead costs and minimal fees
Cons to Get Paid as an Online Friend:
- You don’t know the people you’re connecting with so you need to use extra caution
- It can take some time and effort to build your client base
- You’ll probably need to set your rates a bit lower starting out
The pros seem to be greater than the cons and, let’s be honest, most of us talk to strangers on a regular basis so, may as well get paid for it, right?
If you become a virtual friend, be sure to come back and let me know how it goes! I would love to hear the insider scoop!
Questions to Get Paid to Be an Online Friend
What Is a Virtual Friend?
Someone that you meet online of course! I have plenty. All interactions happen on the internet. Surely you have known people through your social media channels and consider them friends right?
Can I Get Paid to Be an Online Listener?
Yes you can get paid to be a good listener as this is also being a good friend! Being some one else’s online companion, online bestie, or go to person, when they need advice or just to vent is a great way to forge a long lasting virtual friendship all while getting paid online.
Can I Get Paid to Be a Pen Pal?
Yes you can and that is exactly what some people do on Rent a Friend, where it is strictly a platonic friendship. This allows paying members to search for and purchase the companionship of professional “Friends” who typically charge anywhere from $10 to $50 per hour for their time.
Becoming someone’s cyber friend can have its advantages. Some lonely people will pay for your companionship. You can make a difference in someone’s life and get paid to be a virtual friend, even if it is a paid companionship deal. It’s hard to imagine that the “pay for friends” aspect is a legitimate way of being paid to be a friend, but if you know you could be the friend they need, why not get paid to be online?
Conclusion
Do you know someone that offers virtual friendship services? Have you ever hired a cyber friend? Are you interested in becoming a virtual friend?
I’d love to hear from you!
If you or someone you know has been a cyber friend or hired one, let me know your experience in the comments below.
Was it positive? Do you have any interesting stories to share? What did your income look like?
What tips would you offer someone looking to be or to hire a virtual friend?
I can’t wait to hear about your experiences!
By the way, if you’re looking for more ways to make money online, be sure to check out our blog for posts on side hustles, making extra money, job leads, and more.
Thanks for reading!
Related:
- 19 Text Chat Operator Jobs You Can Do From Home
- How To Make Money Online – Without Surveys
- The Best Apps To Make Real Money
- 25+ Online Jobs from Home Without Investment
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