Ever wondered if it’s possible to make money blogging? Well, it is and there are multiple, profitable ways to monetize a blog!
Though it may come as a surprise, it’s not exactly the blogging alone that makes the money, but instead the monetization strategies that bloggers implement onto their blogs.
Most bloggers monetize their blogs in several different ways so they can diversify and increase their income. This is one of the main reasons why you may have come across bloggers posting income reports that show the crazy amounts of money they make while working from home.
If a blogger works smart, they can earn a significant income through each individual monetization method they use. All of that money can potentially add up to a pretty big paycheck.
So, are you curious about how bloggers make money? Here are 7 ways to monetize a blog:
1. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when you link to products or services on your website using your own affiliate link. If someone makes a purchase through your affiliate link, you get paid a commission! It’s a very effective way to monetize a blog.
Affiliate marketing is a popular monetization method because you can find affiliate programs for just about any niche. Plus, it’s easy for new bloggers to get into since many affiliate programs don’t require you to meet any criteria such as a specific amount of monthly traffic.
So, why does affiliate marketing work so well? When people visit blogs, they’re generally looking for useful information and tools that will help them. If you can promote products that you love and know will help your readers, they might consider purchasing what you’re promoting!
Here are a few popular affiliate programs:
…And much more!
I personally love affiliate marketing and have used it as my main source of income on my past blogs. It’s definitely worth trying if you haven’t yet.
2. Display Advertisements
Display advertisements are ads that are placed on your blog to generate revenue. The ads are usually shown as graphics or text and are placed on certain parts of your website such as the sidebar, within blog posts, in your website’s header, etc.
The more traffic you have, the more money you’ll make with advertising.
Here are a few popular Ad networks that you can send an application to:
Most Ad networks require a minimum amount of monthly traffic in order to be accepted into their program.
For example, AdThrive requires 100,000 monthly pageviews and Mediavine requires 25,000 monthly sessions (both based on Google Analytics). Both AdSense and Ezoic do not have a minimum traffic requirement, but not every application is accepted.
If your blog is new and you’re not getting very much traffic, I’d recommend waiting a while and increasing your traffic before signing up for an Ad network. A blog with little traffic is unlikely to generate substantial income from ads.
3. Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are when brands pay you to write about their products/services on your blog. If you have a blog with a good amount of traffic, a brand may think you’re fit to bring awareness to their product by telling your readers about it.
There are a multiple ways you can get sponsored post opportunities. Here are a few:
Create a “Work With Me” page on your blog: Brands that want to work with you can contact you through a “work with me” page. You can provide information about your blog on that page, or simply mention that you are open to working with brands. Be sure to have a contact form and/or email address listed on the page!
Sign up for Influencer websites: Influencer websites are websites where you can create a profile and get connected to brands for sponsorship opportunities. There are TONS of influencer websites out there. They typically work with a multitude of different brands, so you’ll likely be able to find brands that fit your niche. However, there’s also influencer websites that are meant for specific niches.
Contact brands you want to work with: If there’s a particular product or service you really love, you can email the brand and pitch the idea of a sponsored post to them. Be sure to explain why you’d like to write a blog post for them, what your blog is about and how much monthly traffic you get.
4. Email Marketing
Pretty much any seasoned blogger will talk about the importance of building an email list.
Email newsletters aren’t just about letting your readers know you have a new blog post up. They’re also a very powerful way to earn more income from your blogging business.
Besides redirecting your subscribers to blog posts, you can monetize your actual emails by including affiliate links, ads or sponsored content.
So, why worry about dealing with an email list when you already have a monetized blog? Here are a few reasons:
1. Your subscriber list belongs to YOU: The emails you send out are going directly to your email subscribers. It’s not like social media where you have no control over whether or not people pay attention to your tweets or facebook posts.
2. Your subscribers are likely more dedicated to your content: If someone subscribes to your email list, they are most likely very interested in what you have to say. These are loyal readers who probably WANT to know what products and tools you recommend.
3. Emails can be personalized: This is a great aspect of email marketing. Emails can be personalized to include the subscriber’s name. This helps to build relationships and engage the person receiving the email.
When it comes to email service providers, ConvertKit is one of the most popular among bloggers. It’s a monthly expense, but building an email list is essential for a successful blogging business.
5. Sell Your Own Product
Selling your own product is an excellent way to monetize a blog.
Think of it this way: You don’t get all the revenue with monetization methods such as affiliate marketing or display advertising. Instead, you get a cut of what you earn while the rest goes to the brand.
But when you sell your own product, all of the revenue goes to you. This adds security to your blogging business because you’ll have your very own income stream in the case that something goes wrong with one of your other income sources.
You can sell either physical or digital products, but I would highly recommend selling digital products. Some digital products you can sell are eBooks, courses, guides, printables, etc.
Here are some examples of digital products that blogs in different niches can sell:
- A fitness blogger can sell meal plans/exercise plans
- A food blogger can sell recipe books
- A mommy blogger can sell printable activity books for kids
- A finance blogger can sell a printable budgeting binder
…And so much more! Pretty much anything related to your niche that you think would benefit your readers.
Of course, physical products are completely fine to sell if that’s what you want to do. I just like to recommend digital products because you won’t have to worry about stock, shipping, etc.
6. Sell A Service
You can sell a service to your readers on your blog. The service(s) you sell depends on what you think your readers would like and benefit from the most.
Some popular services that bloggers offer include consulting, coaching, virtual assistant services (social media management, content writing, etc.) and more.
Here are some examples of services that blogs in different niches can sell:
- A fitness blogger can sell one-on-one fitness coaching
- A finance blogger can sell personalized budgeting plans
- A lifestyle blogger can sell virtual assistant services
- A freelance writer/blogger can sell blog content for other blogs
…And so much more! The types of services you can sell as a blogger are endless. It all depends on your niche and what your readers need help with.
One thing to remember about selling a service vs. selling a digital product is that services are typically more time consuming. Selling a digital product can be relatively passive once it’s up for sale unless you’re offering personal assistance with purchase.
Services, however, require time commitment to complete. If you decide to sell a service, be sure not to overbook yourself and/or take on more than you can handle.
7. Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is when you get paid to write content for clients on a self-employed basis.
Freelance writing isn’t exactly monetizing your blog, per se. You can, however, use your blog as a portfolio of your writing to show to potential clients.
The type of content that freelance writers get hired for varies greatly. Here are a few examples:
- Copywriting
- Emails
- Product Reviews
- Magazine Articles
- Blog Posts
- eBooks
- Ghostwriting
…And the list goes on.
If you want more information on freelance writing, check out CreativeRevolt. Jorden, the owner, has a lot of great information on her blog about how you can get into freelance writing and even turn it into a high-paying career.
Tips On Starting A Blog
Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Bluehost, which means I will receive a commission if you sign up through my referral link at no additional cost to you.
Alright, so now you know about some of the main ways to monetize a blog. Blogging is a special kind of industry in which you can get multiple paychecks for your work instead of just one! Needless to say, it’s pretty exciting.
Want to start a blogging business but don’t know how? Here are some quick tips to get you going:
1. PICK YOUR NICHE: Your niche is the main topic that you write about on your blog. Your niche should be something that you are familiar with and enjoy talking/learning about. Some of the popular, lucrative blogging niches include fitness, beauty, fashion, finance, lifestyle, travel and tons more!
2. BUY A DOMAIN: Your own domain is very important to have for a blogging business. Your domain should be “brandable”, easy to spell and represent your blog! I have always purchased my domains on NameCheap and have never had a problem.
3. SIGN UP FOR HOSTING: Hosting is an essential part of blogging as a business. I would recommend starting a WordPress blog with Bluehost. You can start your blog for just $3.95 per month AND get a free domain when you sign up. P.S. If you sign up with Bluehost, you can omit tip #2 since your domain is already included!
4. GET A THEME: Honestly, this step is optional in the beginning. If you don’t want to commit to purchasing a premium theme right away, that’s totally fine. That being said, you’ll want to get a premium theme somewhere down the line if you’re hoping to earn a full-time income from your blog.
5. START POSTING: Writing blog posts is the #1 aspect of blogging that’ll move your business forward! So just start posting!