After testing more than 50 “make money online” methods on camera and publishing every result, Alston kept getting the same two comments. First: “Thank you for saving me from wasting my time.” Second: “Which of these actually work?” This post answers that second question with the top five from the I Tried It series — the methods Alston tested, confirmed, and would run again if he were starting from zero today.
These are not theories pulled from a Reddit thread or a Twitter guru. Alston ran each one himself, documented the process on video, and only included it here if he saw real results. Out of 53 methods tested, roughly 10 showed meaningful results at different levels. These five (plus one bonus) are the ones worth your time.
What You’ll Walk Out With
- A clear breakdown of each method that actually worked in the I Tried It series
- The exact process for each approach so you can start immediately
- Honest drawbacks — what costs money, what takes time, and what you need up front
- Which methods you can start for free vs. which require ad spend
- Real income figures from the original videos (no inflated claims)
- Tools used: Google Ads, Udimi, Etsy, Midjourney, Ahrefs, Canva, ChatGPT
- A quick way to find which of these fits your skills at finder.platformproof.com
Method 1: Google Ads + Recurring Affiliate Programs (Up to $2,500+ Weekly)
The full title of this original video is I Tried It! Copy These Google Ads and Make $2,500+ Weekly Affiliate Marketing. This method has been around for years and Alston confirmed it still works.
Here is the core process. You go to a directory of small and growing software companies — the kind that are big enough to have real products but small enough that they still need affiliates to help spread the word. You look specifically for programs that pay recurring commissions, meaning you earn every month a customer stays subscribed, not just a one-time payout. In the video, Alston used a software called Dscript as his example.
Once you join the affiliate program, you run Google Ads directly to the software company’s name. People are searching for the product; your ad shows up; they click, sign up, and you earn a recurring commission. No content creation. No social media following. Just ads to a product people are already looking for.
One critical rule: you must confirm that the software company allows affiliates to bid on their brand name in Google Ads. Alston calls this out explicitly. For example, ClickFunnels does not allow affiliates to run ads to their name — it is a violation of their affiliate terms. Dscript did allow it. Always check the affiliate terms before spending a dollar.
At the time of the original video, Google Ads had a promotion where you received $500 in ad credits after spending $500. That helped reduce the upfront risk. The drawback is real though: this method requires money to start, and most affiliate programs do not pay out for 30 to 60 days after a sale. You will spend before you earn. Budget accordingly and expect to wait a month or more before your first commission hits.
Method 2: Solo Ads + Low-End Offers (The Three-Step $900/Day Method)
The second video in Alston’s top five is titled I Tried It! This Three-Step Method Earns Me $900 Every Single Day. The method involves a platform called Udimi — a solo ad marketplace.
Here is how solo ads work. There are people out there with massive email lists — hundreds of thousands of subscribers built over years in the online marketing space. Udimi connects you to those list owners. You pay for a set number of clicks (say, 1,000 clicks), and the list owner sends an email to their subscribers with your link. You pay per click; they deliver the traffic.
The offer matters a lot here. Alston tested this with low-end products priced at $7, $9, and $11. The reason you go low is that solo ad audiences tend to be what the industry calls “freebie seekers” — people who are interested in making money online but are not yet conditioned to buy higher-ticket products from someone they just met. Getting them to spend $7 on a digital product is realistic. Getting them to spend $197 right away is not.
This method does work, but Alston is honest about the timeline. These leads need nurturing. You might send them to a simple opt-in page, capture their email address, and then spend weeks or months building trust through follow-up emails before they convert into a real buyer. Alston noted he had not personally had success converting these audiences on products above about $19.
The bigger picture takeaway from Method 2 is actually a lesson about organic vs. paid traffic. With paid ads, you get faster results but spend money and deal with colder audiences. With organic content — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram — you spend more time upfront but build genuine trust with people who choose to follow you. Both paths work. The tradeoff is money vs. time.
Method 3: ChatGPT Prompts on Etsy (The $16,360 Discovery)
This one Alston stumbled onto by accident. He was browsing Etsy for something unrelated and noticed people were selling ChatGPT prompts. The video title: I Tried It! Revealed How to Make $16,360 With ChatGPT.
The insight that makes this work is that while marketers know ChatGPT inside and out, most regular people — small business owners, creatives, professionals — have no idea how to write effective prompts. They know the tool exists, but they do not know how to get useful results from it. That gap is your opportunity.
Alston showed the full process in the video: what to type into ChatGPT to generate useful prompt packs, how to organize and download them, how to create an Etsy listing, and how to price the product. He tested this with prompts built around affiliate marketing and Amazon FBA. After the video went live, viewers commented back confirming they had tried it themselves and were making sales.
The differentiation advice Alston gives is worth paying attention to. Anyone can throw together a pack of 1,000 generic prompts and list it. What stands out is niche specificity. Build 1,000 ChatGPT prompts for small business owners and pair them with a beginner guide. Or create a pack for jewelry sellers and show them exactly how to use each prompt to write better product listings. The more specific the audience, the less competition and the more willing buyers are to pay a real price.
Alston sold ChatGPT prompts on Etsy himself and confirmed the method works. The startup cost is essentially zero beyond Etsy’s small listing fees.
Method 4: Midjourney Digital Products on Etsy (Tattoo Designs and Emojis)
This method is tied to a video Alston tested based on content from Marcus Campbell (the Affiliate Marketing Dude). The headline: I Tried It! This Made Me $37,000 — Etsy and Midjourney Digital Products.
There were actually two versions of this approach — one using tattoo designs and one using custom emojis — and Alston wraps both into this entry because the mechanics are identical. You use Midjourney, an AI image generation tool, to create digital art. Then you list that art as a downloadable product on Etsy.
The example Alston used for tattoo designs: he typed a prompt into Midjourney like “Samurai tattoo design on a white background” and received four different variations. He took those four images, uploaded them to Etsy as a digital download, and buyers pay to download the file. No inventory. No shipping. No physical product.
One of the practical advantages Alston highlights: Etsy offers up to 40 free listings for new sellers. That means you can upload 40 products to start without paying anything. The tools he used in combination were Ahrefs (for finding what people are actually searching for on Etsy), Midjourney (for generating the images), and Canva (for any final touches or mockups). He earned actual sales from both the tattoo design version and the emoji version.
The key to making this work at scale is using Ahrefs or a similar tool to find high-demand search terms on Etsy before you generate your images. You are not just creating art you think looks cool — you are creating art that people are actively searching for and willing to buy.
Not sure which of these five methods fits your skills and situation?
Answer a few quick questions and get a personalized recommendation at finder.platformproof.com.
Method 5: High-Traffic Low-CPC Keywords + Google Ads (Spencer Mecham’s Method)
This one comes from a video Alston produced after testing a strategy from Spencer Mecham of BuilderPreneur. The video title: I Tried It! Earn Your First $100 With Affiliate Marketing in 24 Hours — A New Method.
The process uses Ahrefs to find keywords that get high search volume on Google but have a low cost-per-click (CPC) for advertisers. High traffic means a lot of people want this information. Low CPC means other advertisers are not competing hard for those clicks, which means your ad costs less per visitor.
Once you find a keyword that hits both marks — say, 5,000 to 10,000 monthly searches with a low CPC — you build a simple web page around that keyword. The page does not need to be elaborate. It just needs to load fast, answer the search intent, and include your affiliate links. Then you run a Google Ad pointing to that page.
Alston tested this using Amazon affiliate links and confirmed it worked, though it took slightly longer than 24 hours in his case. One specific tactic Spencer teaches that Alston endorses: target “best X for Y” keyword patterns. Someone searching for “best running shoes for flat feet under $100” is not casually browsing — they are ready to buy and just want confirmation before they click purchase. Those keywords convert far better than informational searches.
Like Methods 1 and 2, this requires upfront ad spend. The advantage over solo ads is the search intent. People are coming to you with a buying mindset already formed.
Method 6: Single Affiliate Page + Organic Content (The Free App $700/Day Method)
The final entry, also from Marcus Campbell, is titled I Tried It! This Side Hustle and Free App Equals $700 Per Day — Start Today Full Tutorial. This one is different from the others because you can run it for free.
The concept is simple. You build a single web page — no blog, no complex site, just one page — and fill it with images and links pointing to various affiliate products. No lengthy written content required. The page is essentially a visual directory of affiliate products in a specific niche.
To drive traffic, you have two options. Alston used Google Ads to test the concept quickly and confirm it works. But the free version is to create organic content — a YouTube video, TikTok, Instagram Reel, or LinkedIn post — about a topic in your niche and send viewers to that one page. If you are reviewing hiking gear, for example, you make a video about the best hiking shoes for beginners, link to your affiliate page in the description, and people click through and buy from there.
Alston confirmed this method works. With paid ads it worked faster. With organic it takes longer but costs nothing to start. The tradeoff is identical to the broader pattern across all these methods: money shortens the timeline; free requires more patience.
Honest Drawbacks Across All Five Methods
Alston is consistent about something in every I Tried It video, and it is worth stating plainly here: most of these methods involve paid traffic, and paid traffic requires capital up front with a delayed return. Here is what that looks like in practice:
- Google Ads methods (Methods 1 and 5): You spend on clicks before you earn commissions. Most affiliate programs hold your earnings for 30 to 60 days. Budget at least a few hundred dollars for testing and expect to wait a month or more before your first payout.
- Solo Ads (Method 2): The audience is often composed of experienced freebie seekers. Converting them takes time and repeated follow-up. Works best with low-cost products ($7 to $19 range) and a solid email nurture sequence.
- ChatGPT Prompts and Midjourney Art on Etsy (Methods 3 and 4): These are genuinely low-cost to start, but Etsy success depends heavily on keyword research and listing optimization. You will not get sales just by uploading files. You need to show up in search results.
- Single Affiliate Page (Method 6): The free version works but organic growth is slow. A new YouTube or TikTok channel can take months to gain traction. The paid version (Google Ads) speeds this up but adds cost.
Out of 53 methods Alston tested, he estimates about 10 showed real results. These five made his final list not because they are perfect but because they are repeatable. Someone else following the same steps in the same niche can reasonably expect similar results. That is the bar he uses.
Which Method to Start With: A Simple Decision Framework
The right method depends on two things: how much money you can invest right now, and how much time you have per week. Use this framework to choose:
- No budget, 5 or fewer hours per week: ChatGPT prompts on Etsy (Method 3). Low startup cost, simple to execute, and the product creates itself with some guidance from the full video.
- No budget, 10 or more hours per week: Midjourney art on Etsy (Method 4) combined with organic content (Method 6). Build the product catalog and drive traffic with free content simultaneously.
- Budget of $100 to $500, want faster results: Google Ads + recurring affiliate programs (Method 1) or the high-traffic/low-CPC Google Ads method (Method 5). Run a small test campaign, track your cost per conversion, and scale what works.
- Budget of $100 to $200, want to build an email list: Solo Ads on Udimi (Method 2). Accept that this is a list-building play first and a sales play second. Expect conversions in the $7 to $19 range initially.
Find Your X
Five proven methods. One that fits your situation better than the others. The fastest way to figure out which one to start with is to answer a few short questions at finder.platformproof.com. It maps your current skills, available time, and starting budget to the method most likely to get you your first result. No email required to see the recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do these methods still work in 2024 and beyond?
The underlying mechanics — affiliate commissions, search traffic, digital products, and email marketing — have all been around for more than a decade and are not going away. The specific platforms and tools (Midjourney, ChatGPT, Udimi, Google Ads) continue to evolve, so the execution details from the original videos may need minor updates. The core logic in each method, however, remains sound. Alston specifically noted that out of 53 methods tested, only about 10 produced real results, and the five covered here are those survivors.
How much money do I need to get started with these methods?
Methods 3 and 4 (ChatGPT prompts and Midjourney art on Etsy) can be started with almost nothing — Etsy gives new sellers up to 40 free listings, and ChatGPT has a free tier. Methods 1, 2, and 5 all involve paid advertising and realistically require $100 to $500 to run a meaningful test. Method 6 can be done for free using organic content, but the paid version using Google Ads produces results much faster. Start with what your budget allows and scale from there.
What is the fastest method to see results?
Methods involving paid Google Ads (1 and 5) tend to produce the quickest feedback because you are buying targeted traffic immediately. You will know within days whether your ads are converting. The Etsy methods (3 and 4) can also produce early sales once your listings appear in search, especially if you do solid keyword research before uploading. Solo Ads (Method 2) can drive traffic fast but converting that traffic into buyers is typically a slower process.
Can I combine these methods?
Yes, and Alston does exactly that. For example, you might sell ChatGPT prompts on Etsy (Method 3) to generate some initial income, then use that income to fund a Google Ads campaign (Method 1 or 5) that builds a more scalable affiliate revenue stream. The single affiliate page (Method 6) pairs naturally with any method that generates organic content, since you can send that traffic to your affiliate page. Pick one to start, get your first result, then add a second.
What is solo advertising and is Udimi trustworthy?
Solo advertising is a form of paid traffic where you rent access to someone else’s email list. The list owner sends an email on your behalf to their subscribers, and you pay per click generated. Udimi is the most widely used marketplace for solo ads in the make-money-online space and has been around for many years. It has built-in buyer protections, seller ratings, and traffic filters. Alston used it himself and confirmed it delivers real clicks. The key caveat is that the audience tends to be experienced at looking for free information, so low-priced offers convert better than high-ticket products initially.
Do I need to create my own product to use these methods?
For the Google Ads and solo ads affiliate methods (1, 2, and 5), you do not create any product — you promote other companies’ products and earn a commission when someone buys. For the Etsy methods (3 and 4), you are creating and selling a digital product, but the actual product (prompts or AI-generated images) is generated by tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney rather than built from scratch manually. The barrier to creating these products is genuinely low compared to traditional product development.
What tools do I absolutely need to start?
It depends on the method. For Google Ads methods: a Google Ads account and an affiliate account with the software company you are promoting. For Udimi/solo ads: a Udimi account, a simple landing page builder, and an email autoresponder. For ChatGPT prompts on Etsy: a ChatGPT account (free works) and an Etsy seller account. For Midjourney art on Etsy: a Midjourney subscription (paid), Canva (free tier works), and Etsy. For the single affiliate page method: a free website builder or simple page tool and affiliate links from programs you have joined. Ahrefs is recommended for keyword research across multiple methods; it has a paid subscription but offers trial access.
What if I try one and it does not work right away?
This is the honest reality Alston addresses directly: out of 53 methods he personally tested, only about 10 produced real results at varying levels. These five made the list because they worked. But “worked” does not mean instant income on day one. Google Ads campaigns need optimization. Etsy listings need keyword tuning. Solo ad funnels need follow-up sequences. Give yourself 30 to 60 days of consistent effort before concluding a method is not working for you. The most common reason these methods fail is stopping too early or changing the approach before you have enough data to know what needs fixing.
Read Next
Two of the five methods here involve selling on Etsy. If you want a deeper look at what it actually takes to build an Etsy business over time — including the wins and the slow periods — this post covers a full year of results.
I Tried Selling on Etsy for 1 Year
Sources
- I Tried It! Copy These Google Ads and Make $2,500+ Weekly Affiliate Marketing (2022) — AlstonGodbolt.com
- I Tried It! This Three-Step Method Earns Me $900 Every Single Day — AlstonGodbolt.com
- I Tried It! Revealed How to Make $16,360 With ChatGPT — AlstonGodbolt.com
- I Tried It! This Made Me $37,000 — Etsy and Midjourney Digital Products — AlstonGodbolt.com
- I Tried It! Earn Your First $100 With Affiliate Marketing in 24 Hours — AlstonGodbolt.com (Spencer Mecham / BuilderPreneur method)
- I Tried It! This Side Hustle and Free App Equals $700 Per Day — Start Today Full Tutorial — AlstonGodbolt.com (Marcus Campbell / Affiliate Marketing Dude method)
- Udimi — Solo Ad Marketplace: udimi.com
- Midjourney AI Image Generator: midjourney.com
- Etsy Seller Information: etsy.com/sell
- Ahrefs SEO and Keyword Research Tool: ahrefs.com
Helping 1 million working adults make their first $3,000 online with the skills they already have. Alston Godbolt, Platform Proof.