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Do you find it easy to talk to people?
Are people amazed how how quickly you make friends and with how many people you know?
Why not turn this skill into a money making opportunity and learn how to get paid to be a virtual friend?
There are many ways to do this and I’m highlighting the 10 best ways.
You can make up to $50 an hour just talking with other people!
Here is a list of the best ways to make money as an online friend.
Table of Contents
10 Clever Ways To Get Paid To Be A Virtual Friend
What Is A Virtual Friend And Why Should I Be One?
A virtual friend is someone who socializes with others through multiple online mediums.
For example, voice chatting, video chatting, online gameplay, etc.
Of course, the first question that many will ask when they hear this is, why would someone hire a virtual friend?
Making new friends as an adult can be difficult for a number of reasons.
People have to juggle multiple responsibilities like work, school, and life, which can make it hard to find time to interact.
Additionally, forming connections isn’t easy when you only visit certain places where you may not share common interests with others or communicate extensively with those around you.
Recently, many of us felt the repercussions that come with a lack of socialization, and those effects will continue to be felt by those who work remotely moving forward or even those who had trouble finding friends before.
Fortunately, you can leverage your people skills in order to connect with others and make money along the way.
- Related: Click here to learn how to get paid to text
- Related: Find out 25 ways to get paid to do nothing
But how can you get paid to be an online friend?
Where are these opportunities?
Let’s take a look at some recommendations of virtual friend services that help you get started if you’re interested in a rewarding gig like this.
#1. Fiverr
The concept of being a virtual friend is not new, but it’s not one that comes with a great deal of opportunity.
If you want to get paid to be virtual friend, you’re going to have to get a little creative at times.
This brings us to our first recommendation.
If you’re looking to get paid for online friendships, you may want to list your services on Fiverr.
Fiverr is a gig platform that has built its reputation on being able to get paid for anything.
While its focus has shifted more to working professionals over time, you can still sell literally anything as long as it’s legal and if people are willing to pay for whatever gig you have to offer.
This means that Fiverr is one of the few online job boards where you can post a gig as a professional friend.
All you have to do is establish your services, create a quick video providing a compelling argument as to why one might want to hire you as a virtual friend and what the benefits may be for those who are in need of one.
Then advertise your Fiverr friendship gig.
And if you think this isn’t a thing, think again.
Fiverr already has a section created for meeting people.
There are also gigs for simply chatting or responding to text messages.
It’s not guaranteed that you’re going to be able to find people itching to buy, but there is a ton of advice out there from experienced Fiverr users that will help you craft the high-quality profile you need to get the exposure you want.
Depending on the services you offer, you can make anywhere from $50-$100 a month on Fiverr.
#2. RentAFriend
RentAFriend is arguably the most well-known paid friendship platform out there.
Previously, their friendship services were exclusively in-person, which gave people the chance to meet up and do things like go to concerts, movies, attend a sporting event or even just hang out at a local spot.
However they now offer virtual friend jobs, which opens up the market to anyone.
So instead of meeting people in person, you can limit your services to text messages, phone calls, or online chat.
You could even just offer a video call too.
If you’ve been interested in them in the past but didn’t want to commit to meeting up with people in person, you can now join this platform as an online friend!
Friends charge an hourly rate, usually starting at $10 an hour to hang out in real life.
Simply create a profile and wait for people to reach out to your with friendship requests.
#3. FriendPC
Aptly named, FriendPC is an online marketplace where you can have an online companion for playing online games, having a conversation, or just for emotional support.
This platform allows you to create a listing in multiple categories depending on your preferences and what you want to do when you connect with another person online.
Some of the main category types you’ll be able to list under include life coaches, virtual friends, virtual girlfriend and virtual gamers.
Categories are rather limited on this platform, but you should be able to find a perfect spot that you fit into when you start working on your pitch.
While you do set your own rate, most charge $10 for their service and many charge up to $25 making this a good option for extra cash.
#4. RentaCyberFriend
RentaCyberFriend is a bit different from other virtual friend platforms on this list.
Although you will still get paid to be an online friend, many of the people who list their friendship services also focus on offering something else to the individuals that they connect with.
For example, some friends you can rent may offer fitness support while others can teach you a certain skill or help you learn a new language that you’re struggling with.
Granted, this isn’t a tutoring platform, but rather a place where people can connect with others that are interested in their growth instead of just friendship.
If you have special skills that you can offer and you want to both make friends and help others, consider joining RentaCyberFriend.
As for the money you will make, this site is a little more complicated.
You can post hourly services or a gig, which has a fixed cost.
For example, your hourly friendship service might simply be talking to lonely people and being their friend.
Your fixed price gig might be a class on how to be more outgoing so you can more easily meet new people.
With gigs, many people charge up to $50 for them, so if you get enough interested buyers, you can make decent money.
The downside to RentaCyberFriend is it does charge a membership fee.
There are three levels, Gold, Platinum, Silver, and Bronze.
These break down into the following amounts:
- $29.99 per month
- $49.99 for 3 months
- $79.00 for 6 months
- $99.99 for 1 year
In order to make extra money, you need to decide on how many people will sign up for your services and take into account the membership fee.
#5. RentALocalFriend
As you can determine from the name, Rent a Local Friend is designed to be a service like RentAFriend.
You can meet up with someone in your area to chat, hang out, or learn more about the city you’re living in.
Of course, most of these models have decided to offer a virtual and in-person options so that everyone can have an opportunity to meet friends.
Whether you’re looking to meet someone virtually until you’re comfortable with meeting them in person, get in contact with local people who may need your help learning a skill, or even hosting an “online class”, Rent a Local Friend may be the platform for you!
#6. List Your Services On A Physical Bulletin Board
Bulletin boards tend to be a catch-all for odd services and advertisements.
If you have local coffee shops and small cafes that have bulletin boards, ask the workers if you can hang advertisements for meeting people.
You can also turn to listing platforms like Craigslist, where people can find a wide variety of services that may appeal to them.
You will be up against other services, so it’s important to make sure that your listing stands out and attracts the right people.
#7. Craigslist
Another option is to list your services on Craigslist.
You will get much more attention here from potential clients than with bulletin boards at local retailers.
Just list what you offer as a friend and your rates.
And of course, you need to make it clear in your ad that this is for platonic friendships only.
#8. Penny Pincher And Classifieds
If your target market is older people, you might consider placing ads in the classifieds of your local newspaper or even in Penny Pincher or Penny Saver magazines.
For a small listing fee, you can reach hundreds of possible clients looking for friends.
And there is a good chance you can charge more here too, as they might have more disposable income to spend.
#9. College Pirates
This option isn’t a true friendship site like the other options, but it could be perfect for college students.
College Pirates is the place to be a college mentor and offering other students general advice about issues about college life or even helping them to pick a major.
You can make up to $80 per hour on this site, so the money is good if college age people are your target market.
#10. Seeking Arrangement
This site has been in the news recently as it leans more towards online dating and other adult related content.
It works by having you get paid for arrangements that you decide on.
And depending on what you are willing to do, it is a great way to make easy money.
Now, it is perfectly valid to get paid solely for friendship and skip the video chat, webcam, or adult related content the site is more known for.
You just have to make sure you make it very clear that you are only offering virtual friendship services.
How Much Money Can You Make As a Virtual Friend?
Now that we know how you can get paid to be virtual friend, just how much will you get paid as an online friend?
The answer depends on how much time you’re looking to spend, what you have to offer as a virtual friend, and what people are willing to pay.
For example, those who are looking to get paid to be an online friend and are just starting on a platform like RentAFriend may start at a rate of $10 an hour.
This is due to the fact that this is often the baseline for a virtual friend.
Your responsibilities will also be relatively limited as you’ll likely only be talking with someone.
Meanwhile, people who are using a platform like RentaCyberFriend may be able to raise their rates to $15, $20, or even $25 an hour if they’re offering services in addition to online friendship.
These services include things like life coaching, tutoring lessons, or any other valuable assistance that would naturally cause you to be more valuable than just someone the other person talks to.
Regardless of the service you use to make money as a virtual friend, you can expect to make between $50 and $250 a month.
This assumes you spend 2 hours a week, twice a month with this side gig.
Spend a few more hours a week and three times a month and your income jumps to $100 to $500 a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a lot of questions out there about online friendships.
Here are the most common one.
Why do people pay for online friends?
There are many reasons why people might pay to find friends.
They may suffer from social anxiety which makes it hard for them to find new friends when they go out.
Or they might be new to the area and not know anything to do for fun, or anyone for that matter.
Another reason could be they work odd hours or long hours, making it difficult to meet new people.
Finally, someone might have tickets to an event and all their friends can’t make it and they don’t want to go alone.
The point is, there are valid reasons why people turn to online options to find friends.
Are online friends the same as real friends?
While online friends will start out as casual friends, there is no reason why they cannot turn into real friends.
And by real friends I am talking about you regularly spend time with and have a connection with.
You can think of it like online dating.
Many times people find a partner through this medium, so there is no reason why making friends this way wouldn’t work.
What does an online friend do?
Online friends do just about everything a traditional friend does.
You can simply text message each other or talk in a chat room.
You can meet up for drinks or go to events like sporting events or concerts.
The only thing an online friend won’t do is cross the line into adult content.
Is it safe to be a virtual friend?
It is safe to be a virtual friend.
But you should take precautions.
The first time you meet someone, make sure you do it in a public place.
Never give out your personal address or invite someone over until you met in person and vet them.
You might even want to get a second phone so you don’t have to give your real phone number.
Personally, I think this is a little too cautious, but you have to do what you are most comfortable with.
Wrapping Up
It is possible to make extra money as a virtual friend.
And depending on how much of your spare time you want to put towards this venture, you could make decent money from it.
The keys are to list your services in multiple places so you have a larger pool of potential friends and to be open and fun.
If you can do these things, you will create an additional income stream from this side hustle.