The Top 5 Passive Income Opportunities in the Tech Industry

The tech industry offers many opportunities for individuals looking to earn passive income. 

From investing in tech stocks to creating and selling a popular app, there are a variety of ways for you to generate passive income without putting in too much time or effort.

This post will explore some of the most promising passive income opportunities in the tech industry. 

Quick Summary

In this post, we will discuss the following passive income streams you can consider if you’re in the tech industry: 

  • Start a tech blog
  • Launch and sell WordPress themes or plugins
  • Create a tech online course
  • Build and sell an app 
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Dropshipping
  • Develop and sell digital products

We’ll also answer some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the tech industry and how to generate a passive income stream effectively in it. 

So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Start a Tech Blog

Have you ever thought about how big of a player WordPress is in the website game? It seems like almost every blogger has a site built on this platform. In fact, studies show that over 40% of all websites are powered by WordPress. 

It’s not that difficult to set up a blog with WordPress and you can then use it to share your expertise.

Once you have a well-established blog, the possibilities for making money are endless. 

You can write reviews about businesses, products, or services. This can lead to brand sponsorships, collaborations, and more. 

You can even use your blog as a platform for referral marketing and promoting high-earning products. 

With affiliate sales, you can earn commissions every time someone makes a purchase after they click a link or use a referral code from your blog. We’ll talk about affiliate marketing in detail later on in this post.

Launch and Sell WordPress Themes or Plugins

Tech professionals with experience in WordPress have the opportunity to create and sell WordPress themes and plugins to generate passive income

The process involves the initial development of these products, after which payment is received for as long as they remain in demand. 

These WordPress products can be sold through personal websites or through third-party platforms.

Even a $20 sale for each theme adds up when you have a large customer base. 

You could also develop a plugin and offer a free basic version, but charge for advanced features. The key is to create something useful that people will love and rave about.

Create a Tech Online Course

Want to establish yourself as an expert in your field? You can consider developing and selling an online course. By doing so, you can share your knowledge with others and earn passive income at the same time.

You can choose to make the course video-based or include written modules. The key is to offer value to your learners and market your course effectively.

Keep your course updated and engage with your students so that your course stays relevant and continues to generate revenue. If you’re an educator or have subject-matter expertise, you can pre-record courses and sell them on your own website or on platforms like Udemy.

When you sell courses on your own site, you get to keep all the profits, but you’ll need to drive traffic through active marketing. On the other hand, if you sell courses on a third-party platform, you’ll have an easier time finding customers, but you’ll earn a lower profit per sale.

Build and Sell an App 

In 2023, tech skills and the ability to create mobile apps are great ways to earn passive income.

You only need to design, code, and launch your app once. A bit of promotion goes a long way, and app reviews speak for themselves. It’s also important to remember to update the app periodically to address any bugs or issues.

While the initial investment of time and effort is substantial, a successful app could mean steady passive income for years.

To maximize your earnings, you can consider making your app accessible on multiple operating systems. This expands your potential audience and increases your passive income.

The app industry generated global revenue of $133 billion in 2021, according to App Annie

If you’re not a coder, the first step is to acquire the necessary skills. Then, come up with an idea that solves real-world problems and get started on building your app.

Don’t let the learning curve hold you back. Your biggest challenge will be the actual coding, not acquiring the skills. 

On the other hand, if you’re already experienced in coding, then you just have to come up with a killer idea, develop it and promote it efficiently.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a way for anyone with little free time to earn steady and sizable passive income

The average affiliate marketer earns about $51,000 per year, with top performers earning up to $71,000

It’s fairly easy to learn how to do affiliate marketing, but it can be challenging to earn significant income if you have a small audience. You’ll also have to follow the terms and conditions of the merchant, and sometimes it may take multiple campaigns to sell the product effectively. 

To be successful in affiliate marketing, it’s important to build an audience through digital marketing and produce content that people enjoy consuming. 

You can work in any digital medium you prefer, like blogging, vlogging, or podcasting.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

What is passive income in the tech industry?

Passive income in the tech industry refers to earning money without actively being involved in day-to-day operations. This can be achieved through a number of ways such as investments, rental properties, or revenue-generating online businesses.

What are some passive income opportunities in the tech industry?

Some great opportunities for passive income in the tech industry include: 

  • Affiliate marketing 
  • E-commerce
  • Online courses and tutorials 
  • Digital real estate 
  • Licensing technology

What is affiliate marketing and how does it generate passive income?

Affiliate marketing is a marketing strategy where an individual earns a commission for promoting another person or brand’s products. 

Retailers pay affiliates for generating traffic or sales on their products, which can result in a steady stream of passive income.

How can one make money from digital real estate?

Digital real estate refers to websites, blogs, and domain names that have the potential to generate income through 

  • Advertising
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Selling digital products

And more.

You can develop or purchase high-traffic websites and earn passive income from ad revenue and other monetization methods.

What are the benefits and challenges of earning passive income through technology?

Benefits include 

  • The ability to earn money without actively being involved 
  • Multiple streams of income
  • The potential for scalability 

Challenges include: 

  • A lack of control over the business 
  • Potential market saturation
  • The need for constant adaptation to changing technology

Wrapping Things Up… 

As you can probably see, if you have any tech skills, there are a ton of ways to monetize them and earn revenue for yourself. 

Simply identify what value you could give that will resonate with people. Then, figure out how to communicate that value online and then, monetize it. 

Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.