5 Ideas to Make Money with ChatGPT

People and businesses are using ChatGPT in creative ways to earn money. Below is a structured overview of different ways to monetize it—from freelancing and selling digital products to launching SaaS startups and creating content. Each method is explained with real-life examples and sources.

#1 Freelance and Agency Services Using ChatGPT

Content Writing & Copywriting Gigs: Many freelancers are using ChatGPT to speed up their writing work for clients. For example, one freelancer on Upwork completed a project simply by entering the client’s instructions into ChatGPT. The task took just minutes to finish—but they still earned the full payment of about $350. This shows how AI can boost a writer’s productivity and increase their effective hourly rate. Some freelance writers and marketers are quietly using ChatGPT to help with blog posts, ad copy, and translation services. This allows them to handle more projects in less time. In fact, Upwork listed over 600 open jobs related to ChatGPT skills as of 2023.

Marketing Agency Content Creation: Digital marketing agencies are also using ChatGPT to create content for their clients. Many use it to draft social media posts, marketing emails, and SEO blog articles. This helps agencies take on more work without needing to hire more staff. For example, one marketing consultant used ChatGPT to write the first drafts of cold outreach emails. He then edited and tested the emails for different clients. This saved him a lot of time and allowed him to manage multiple SaaS clients at once. By speeding up copywriting and research, agencies can deliver more work and improve profits.

#2 Digital Product Creation (eBooks, Courses, Templates)

Self-Published Books Written with AI: Brett Schickler, a former salesman, used ChatGPT to co-write a 30-page children’s book about financial literacy. The book, titled The Wise Little Squirrel, tells the story of a squirrel learning how to save money—an idea developed with the help of ChatGPT. Schickler published the book on Amazon Kindle for $2.99 (with a print version for $9.99) and made under $100 in royalties within a few weeks. While the earnings were small, he said the project showed him that “people [could] make a whole career” from writing books with AI. He’s not alone. By February 2023, more than 200 e-books on Amazon listed ChatGPT as an author or co-author, showing that this is part of a growing trend.

“ChatGPT Millionaire” Bestseller: At the other end of the scale, one trend-savvy author released a self-published book called The ChatGPT Millionaire, showing readers how to make money with AI. The book was mostly created with the help of AI and quickly became a hit—selling over 6,000 copies in just one month and earning more than $85,000 in revenue. But the author didn’t just make money from book sales. Inside the guide, they included an affiliate link to an AI copywriting tool (powered by OpenAI) used in the book. That means when readers signed up using the link, the author earned extra income through affiliate commissions—possibly tens of thousands of dollars per month. This is a strong example of how to successfully monetize a digital product using both AI content and affiliate marketing.

Online Courses Teaching ChatGPT: The rising interest in ChatGPT has created a strong demand for educational content. Entrepreneurs who learned to use ChatGPT early are now making thousands of dollars by selling online courses and eBooks. For example, Lance Junck, a brand strategist, launched a 7-hour course called “ChatGPT Masterclass” on Udemy in December 2022. In less than four months, over 23,000 students enrolled, earning him about $52,000. The success of the course allowed Junck to quit his job and focus full-time on course creation. He’s not the only one. Other beginner instructors on platforms like Udemy and Skillshare reported earning between $10,000 and $52,000 within just a few months of teaching ChatGPT skills. This shows how fast a digital course—or even simple paid prompt templates and guides—can become a profitable side hustle.

#3 SaaS Tools and Apps Built on ChatGPT

AI-Powered SaaS Startups: Some developers are building software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools using ChatGPT’s API and turning them into paid products. One software engineer, for example, created an app that writes cold outreach emails using ChatGPT in the background. He built it to save time on writing email sequences for his clients. After offering a free beta to a few hundred users, he introduced a subscription plan—charging users once they passed a free quota of generated emails. On the first day of charging, he got four paying subscribers, reaching $36 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR). Although $36/month is small, it was an encouraging start less than a month after launch. The early user interest showed that the idea had real potential.

Startup Flip for Six Figures: Some founders have taken their ChatGPT-based startups to the next level—scaling and even selling them for significant amounts. One example is Eleana Moore, an entrepreneur who built a customer service chatbot using ChatGPT to understand and respond to customer questions. After just a few months of development and gaining early users, she sold the startup for $200,000. The chatbot was trained on common customer questions and could reply in a natural, human-like way—something that made it valuable to the company that bought it. This shows that even a solo founder can build a useful AI SaaS product and quickly grow its value. Many other small startups are trying similar ideas, such as AI copywriting tools or Chrome extensions powered by ChatGPT. Some have reached four-figure monthly recurring revenue (MRR) within months by charging businesses for time-saving tools—like an “Excel formula generator” or a “social media caption assistant.”

#4 Content Creation and Monetization (YouTube, Blogs, Social Media)

YouTube Videos with AI Scripts: Many content creators are using ChatGPT to help write and produce videos at scale, earning money through ads and sponsorships. One Reddit user, who runs a small comedy channel with around 4,000 subscribers, shared how he creates “faceless” meme-style videos using AI. He uses ChatGPT to come up with skit ideas and dialogue, AI text-to-speech tools for voiceovers, and generative visuals to make short comedy clips—without ever showing his face on camera. In one year, he earned about $800 through YouTube’s AdSense program from these AI-generated videos. Although he still does all the editing and adds his own comedic timing, the AI tools help him create content much faster. He explained that making videos on his own used to be difficult and time-consuming, but AI made it easier to produce entertaining content solo. Other YouTubers use ChatGPT to write scripts for video essays, trivia explainers, and top-10 lists. This allows them to post videos more often, grow their channels, and earn money through ads and affiliate marketing.

Blogging and Niche Sites: Bloggers and niche website owners are using ChatGPT to quickly write articles and earn money through ads and affiliate links. Many content creators use ChatGPT to draft posts on topics like tech, health, or hobbies, then edit and publish them on their websites. This helps them create more content in less time. For example, one blogger running a tech gadget site used ChatGPT to write product comparison articles. This allowed them to produce five times more content and grow their site’s monthly traffic. While the exact earnings weren’t shared, the blog earned money through display ads and Amazon affiliate links. The key benefit is that ChatGPT can help a single person create large amounts of content, which can then be monetized through ads, sponsored posts, or lead generation. On social media, users on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn also use ChatGPT to write engaging posts or threads. As their audience grows, they often turn followers into income—by offering coaching, digital products, or other services.

#5 Affiliate Marketing and Lead Generation Using ChatGPT

AI-Driven Affiliate Content: Some entrepreneurs are combining ChatGPT’s content creation abilities with affiliate marketing to earn passive income. A great example is the author of The ChatGPT Millionaire, who not only earned over $85,000 from book sales, but also included affiliate links in the book—for an AI tool featured in the content. Since thousands of people bought the book to learn about AI tools, many likely clicked those links, which could bring the author “tens of thousands per month” in recurring affiliate income. In this case, ChatGPT helped write the book, and the topic itself became the source of ongoing commissions. Bloggers use a similar strategy. They ask ChatGPT to help write product reviews and how-to guides, each including affiliate links. By publishing many SEO-friendly articles, they attract readers who click those links. The blogger then earns a commission for each sale. When done well, this strategy can create several streams of income. But to be successful, it’s important to keep the content high quality and build trust with readers.

Lead Generation and Outreach Automation: ChatGPT is also a powerful tool for generating business leads and automating outreach—especially useful for consultants and agencies that rely on finding clients to earn income. One marketer shared how he used ChatGPT to create a free outreach solution when he couldn’t afford paid tools. He was doing cold outreach on Instagram and Facebook, which usually requires expensive DM automation software. With ChatGPT’s help, he wrote custom code that worked around daily messaging limits in free tools, letting him send unlimited messages for a short time. This helped him land a new client and earn income before upgrading to the paid version of the software. The main lesson: ChatGPT can help write scripts or create workarounds that cut lead-gen costs and bring in clients faster. Even without coding, many sales professionals use ChatGPT to write personalized cold emails, LinkedIn messages, and full marketing funnels. By entering details about a prospect, users can get tailored pitches that are faster to send and more likely to convert. Some real estate agents, for example, use ChatGPT to write dozens of property listings and social media posts in a short time—helping them attract more leads and boost sales.