3 lucrative side hustles you can start right now with OpenAI's Sora video generator

Whenever a company announces a fancy new AI feature, I think to myself…

“Wow, I can take a pic of a plate of sushi, turn it into a cartoon character, and make it dance with a single prompt.”

Incredible… Truly life-changing stuff. 😐

Sarcasm aside, OpenAI Sora is cool. 

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But I had to ask myself…

“Self, how can I make a living with this?”

So, if you’ve looked at these AI tools and thought:

“This is dope, but I got bills.”

I got you.

In this article, I’ll share three ideas to turn Sora into cash flow and break down how I’d build a sustainable business.

If you stick around to the end, I’ll share a little gift to make your life easier when using Sora to create content 🙃.

Quick Intro

If you’re new to my work, I’m Lester Mapp, but my friends call me Les. 👋

I’m a founder with a successful exit and currently the executive chairman of a group of DTC brands. At my core, though, I’m an award-winning performance marketer.

Needless to say, coming up with ideas and getting them to market is my thing.

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Oh, and if you’re into data-driven marketing insights and strategies, check out my free newsletter, No Fluff Just Facts.

Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way kick up your feet and get comfortable.

We’re about to dive into a mini AI Shark Tank and say yes or no to some business ideas.

Before we jump into it, I need to bring you up to speed on Sora and why it is the next best thing since sliced bread (sliced bread that can dance; see what I did there 😏).

What is OpenAI Sora?

OpenAI has changed the game yet again… this time for video creation.

Sure, other tools exist, but Sora fits my needs best now. Plus, those other tools aren’t $20 a month and bundled with my ChatGPT Plus plan… so there’s that.

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So, what is Sora? Simply put, you type a prompt, and Sora generates high-quality video in minutes.🎬

It’s truly mind-blowing stuff and set to redefine how content is created.

Up until now, text-to-video has been tricky. Getting AI video to match with what’s in your head isn’t easy.

However, Sora simplifies this by offering features that help you fine-tune your results. You can view the full prompts used to create any video, copy them, or remix them with slight tweaks to fit your vision.

It’s like being able to tweak the answer on a test while the test is being graded… game changer! 🤯

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Sora is about more than just generating videos from scratch. 

It can also:

• Combine multiple videos into one coherent scene
• Animate still images like cartoons or illustrations
• Modify existing videos seamlessly based on your prompt
• Create stable, coherent videos without the usual AI morphing issues

This level of control and quality sets Sora apart. It keeps objects stable, even when obscured, and can generate different camera angles of a scene all from a single prompt. 😲

While it’s not perfect, Sora is a giant leap forward, and over time, it will get better and become more robust.  

How is this possible

I’m sure you’re thinking, how is this even possible?

AI magic. 🤪

If that wasn’t a good enough answer, here’s the short and oversimplified version.

In 2017, Google invented something called Transformer Architecture and published its findings. Transformers are a revolutionary neural network that dramatically improved AI’s ability to understand, generate, and process complex sequential data, especially for natural language.

OpenAI built on this foundation and developed powerful language models.

The result? ChatGPT.🎉

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But then Google noticed that Transformer didn’t just find patterns in text; it also found patterns in videos.

OpenAI took that, expanded on it, combined it with its image generation work (like DALL-E 3), and boom, Sora was born.

Think of it like this:

Google would be Alexander Graham Bell, who made the first phone.

And OpenAI is Steve Jobs, who made the iPhone.

While it’s not a straight line from Google’s work to Sora, it’s a fascinating story of stacked innovations where each breakthrough builds on the last.

3 ways I would make some money using Sora

1. Become a prompt engineer

A prompt engineer helps users create precise prompts to unlock Sora’s full potential, generating high-quality videos for ads, tutorials, and more. This tech is powerful but needs finesse to get the best results. Since it’s new, many people don’t know how to use it, and plenty of them won’t want to bother learning. That’s where you come in.

Create a social profile on LinkedIn or Instagram to showcase your work and attract clients.

ProTip: Focus on a niche audience, like plumbers or real estate agents, and specialize your offer, i.e., marketing ads, educational videos, product demos, etc. You want to do this because you need to focus, especially in the early days, if you want meaningful results.

2. Start an AI video creative agency

A creative agency can use Sora to create finished videos for marketing campaigns, social media content, B-roll, and more. Unlike a prompt engineer who delivers text, agencies deliver polished, ready-to-use videos. Knowing your way around video editing is ideal, giving you more creative freedom to mix and match different scenes.

To get your first clients, start by talking to local small businesses and offering to create videos that promote their goods and services. I would literally knock on doors and show people my work.

Protip: Do some free videos for local businesses in exchange for an honest review. Use those reviews to land paid clients. You’re welcome.

3. Use Sora for content creation

This one is my fav because I wouldn’t need to talk to anyone — lol. I would use Sora to create engaging video content for Instagram and YouTube. Leverage AI-generated visuals to enhance storytelling or educational content.

My favorite style is faceless YouTube videos, usually in a documentary format. I would use ChatGPT for scripting and Sora for visuals. For the voiceover, either do it yourself or use a natural-sounding AI voice.

Focus on niches that pay the most per ad, like finance or business. Even though this is my favorite option, it takes longer to gain traction, so staying consistent is key.

Protip: Master the art of storytelling. Good storytelling follows a “simple” framework called the hero’s journey.

• Ordinary World – Introduce the current situation or status quo.
• Call to Adventure – Present an opportunity or problem that needs solving.
• Crisis Challenges – Detail obstacles, challenges, or risks encountered.
• Results or Reward – Show the outcome, success, or transformation achieved.

Write that down; this format is an industry secret! 

My two cents 

First off, thanks for coming to my TED talk. This was a long one, but now you know what Sora is and how you can pay some bills with it. 🎓

Regardless of the methods you choose, remember building a business is hard work, and while it may be hard, it’s not impossible.

So, pick an idea and stick with it.

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Keep learning and growing; don’t get emotional if things don’t work out immediately. 

A mentor once told me, “You can change the plan, but don’t change the goal.”

Let me know which idea is your fav on LinkedIn.

Oh, I almost forgot the gift! Use this reference guide when creating prompts. These camera shots and movements will level up your Sora outputs. Credit @MindBranches

😇 Hope this helps; I’m rooting for you.

P.S. 📩 Want more data-driven marketing insights? Sign up for my free newsletter, No Fluff Just Facts. I share what’s working in the world of digital marketing, the latest trends, and the occasional pep talk to keep you inspired. If this sounds like your jam and you wanna be besties forever, click here to sign up. It’s totally FREE!