How to Make Money Blogging
Maybe you’re new to blogging or you’ve been blogging for a while and want to monetize your site.
There are a lot of ways you can make money blogging. If you haven’t yet started your blog, check out my post about How to Start a Blog – I share the steps you need to start a blog and some of my favorite tools and resources for blogging.
I’ve been blogging for over 10 years and even though the blogosphere has changed and grown there are still plenty of ways to make money. When I first started my site I primarily wrote reviews and hosted giveaways. I love giving stuff away to readers, it makes me feel like Oprah. ***”You get a gift basket of diaper cream! And you get a Scooby Doo DVD!”*** All the free stuff was fun but it didn’t really help our financial situation. So over the past several years, I’ve tried many different avenues for monetizing my blog. Some of them worked very well and others failed.
I want to share with you the 5 ways I’ve successfully monetized my site. Hopefully, you will find success with some or all of these ways as well.
1. ADS
This is a very simple way to make money blogging. There are many ad networks you can use but recommend Google Adsense, and Sovrn. You make money through ads by increasing the traffic to your site. Some ad networks pay per click while others pay per view. The more your blog grows the more money you will make through ads.
2. AFFILIATES
You can make money through affiliate links, and selling other people’s products. This is a great way to monetize products and things you may already be sharing on your site. There are numerous affiliate networks like Amazon, Share-a-Sale and CJ. When readers purchase a product through your link you make a small commission.
3. SPONSORED POSTS
Another way to make money is through sponsored posts. A company will pay you to write about a topic or product of their choosing, then you are compensated based on the reach of your platform. There are many blog networks designed to help connect companies with bloggers like Massive Sway, Tapinfluence, Collective Bias, Clever Girls Collective and more. These networks will often set the requirements and pay for each company’s campaign.
4. PRODUCTS
Maybe you want to write an eBook or digital course about how to do something specific to your blog’s interest. This is a great way to make money through your blog. Many bloggers many a lot of money selling their online products or digital courses.
5. SERVICES
Similar to products you may be able to offer a paid service via your site. There are many bloggers I know who teach courses on blogging or growing your social media influence. Others I know offer virtual assistant services to larger site owners, putting to use their knowledge of blogging. Examine the time of blog you want to create and determine if there is a service you could also offer alongside the content you create.
These are the primary ways bloggers make money through their blogs. They are all relatively straightforward forward but don’t assume they are easy. It takes a lot of work and dedication to create a site that generates traffic that will produce substantial income. Most successful bloggers but in many hours working to create blogs that are beautiful, content-rich and connect with readers.
