You’ve worked hard creating content, building an audience and now you want to start earning money from your blog… but how?
Whether it’s a hobby that you’d like to earn a little bit of side income from or something you’d love to work on full-time, there are lots of opportunities available when it comes to making money through blogging.
How do I make money blogging?
There are lots of different ways you can make money from your blog. Here are 8 ways to monetise your blog.
Related: The four required pages to make your blog legal
It’s important to know right away that these aren’t ‘Get rich quick’ schemes. Successful blogs are those where the writer has a real passion for the subject. Many of these methods require time!
1. Ad Networks
Displaying ads on your blog won’t make you rich overnight, and you typically need to have a lot of page views to make any real money but it is a great way to earn passive income over time.
Ads can be added to your site using a piece of code, this will then show targeted ads to your audience. There are three types of ads you can display:
- Pay Per Click (PPC) Ads allow you to earn a small amount each time the ad is clicked by someone visiting your blog. Google Adsense is one of the most well known PPC networks.
- Pay Per Impression (CPM) Ads are similar to PPC ads above but you earn a small amount of money each time the ad is viewed.
- You can sell Private Ad Spaces directly to other bloggers, companies and brands who are interested in your audience.
My advice here is to make sure you’re displaying relevant ads that aren’t too intrusive and don’t go overboard with displaying multiple ads on every page.
2. Affiliate Programes
Affiliate programs are really a really popular choice for bloggers. This is when you link to a product or service and can earn a commission on any sales you make through that link.
You can sign up to multiple affiliate networks (like ShareASale, ShopStyle or Amazon) that give you access to lots of different products and services, or sign up to a specific program directly through the brand.
Include your affiliate link in reviews, tutorials, roundups, gift guides, how tos, tools and resources page, sidebars and so on.
In order to properly make money from affiliate schemes you should make sure it relates to the topic or your blog and suits your audience. You need to be intentional with your affiliate links.
3. Sponsored content
Another way to make money blogging is with sponsored posts.
Influencer marketing is proving to be more effective than traditional marketing – when done right! Bloggers, YouTubers, content creators and social media influencers can create content about a brand or product that will spark an interest with their audiences.
If you’ve spent time creating a platform and developing a relationship with your audience, then brands will be willing to pay you to create content in order to access your audience. Write a list of brands in your niche and start reaching out to create a relationship with them so you can pitch your ideas.
4. Creating products
Selling your own digital or physical products that relate to your niche or blog audience is a great way of earning some passive income. You could create a recipe ebook, editorial planner, prints or stock photography… the list really is endless.
The great thing about digital products like this is that once you’ve created them and set up a shop to sell them, there’s not much else you need to do.
It is also possible to sell physical products through your blog, but you need to think of your blog as a content marketing tool that will drive visitors to your business website.
5. Create a membership site
With a membership site, readers pay a recurring fee to access an exclusive members-only area. This could include premium content, a community area (like a private Facebook group, Slack chat or a forum), one-to-one services, free downloads or an accountability group.
This is a really popular one within the design and development niche, a lot of whom have been running membership sites for over ten years.
6. Offer services
There’s no doubt you’ve picked up a variety of skills during your time as a blogger. If there’s a task you really enjoy, you could offer services to other bloggers. This could be as a photo/audio/video editor, photographer, designer, virtual assistant, illustrator, social media manager or freelance writer.
7. Coaching or consulting
Similarly to the above, you could also provide one-on-one consulting services to share what you’ve learned and help other people in your niche area. This could either be done in person or using something like Skype or Google Duo.
8. Speaking or teaching
I know this one sounds scary, but if you’re up for it it’s worth trying. Reach out to local conferences or blogger events to inquire about speaking opportunities… or host your own event! It’s a great opportunity to reach a new audience, develop relationships, network and earn some money. You could also provide classes or workshops either online or in person, and even webinars!
Conclusion
My advice would be to diversify your income as much as possible. The highest earning bloggers don’t make most of their money directly from their blog, they typically use their blog to position themselves as an authority within their niche and use that to sell their own products or services. But these eight ways to monetise your blog will help get you started.
