A freelancer’s side-hustle experiment tests influencers’ easy-income promises

In a Guardian account published on 13 October 2026, a freelancer described testing income streams promoted by social media creators. Selling invitation templates on Etsy involved design work, corrections and platform fees. After roughly 23.5 hours of work, the writer reported a first-month net loss of 32 cents, despite making an initial sale within 12 days.

An affiliate-marketing experiment also struggled: three Pinterest posts attracted 79 impressions over six weeks but generated no sales. Other affiliate applications were rejected. Economist Stacie Bosley said the ventures did not, at face value, qualify as multilevel marketing, while criticising pitches that ignored customer demand.

The account highlights a distinction between creating something to sell and finding buyers. Alongside crowded template listings, it describes influencers selling training about the hustles themselves. Career-advice creator Erin McGoff said some courses funnel customers into pricier courses and encourage resale, raising questions about what those promotional promises actually deliver.