Once you’ve started a blog, you are probably wondering how to make money blogging. In fact, this is usually what people really want to now when they ask me how to start blogging. They know that I make an income doing this, but they want to know how – and most importantly if they can do it. The answer is simple to give them, because blogging is a great way to make money. However, it requires a lot of work and effort – so while these 5 things are our top money makers, they are also rather labor intensive.
5 Ways To Make Money Blogging
Each and every one of the items listed below is a way to make money blogging in a legitimate way. They each require a lot of work on your part. Just having a blog and a few posts or even hundreds of blog posts does not bring you income. Income comes from a loyal following, page views, interaction with your readers and social media numbers and interaction. Building pageviews, readers and a solid social media following requires many hours of educating yourself, working hard and making changes when social media changes. This will take time. So, if you have created a blog and expect to make money right away – you are mistaken. You can and will make money soon, but it will take a bit of time before that happens.
Affiliate Marketing: This has gotten a bad rap over the years, but affiliate marketing can be one of the biggest way to make money blogging. We often share deals on this site for things on Amazon, Walmart, Target or even Kohl’s. When we do that, we are not only sharing something we think is valuable, but we are using our affiliate links to earn a small commission should you make a purchase. When I say a small commission, it truly is very small in most cases. The average affiliate marketing program offers 2%-4% commission on purchases made through the link. So, when we share a $20 sweater on Kohls and you make the purchase, we typically won’t even earn $1 off that purchase.
If your site has 1000 pageviews per day and only 10% make a purchase of $20 through your affiliate links, you might make, $100 per day. The reality is, however, it is much closer to the 2%-5% range that actually click through your links and make a purchase. So, as you can see it is important to have a lot of pageviews to truly make money.
There are many affiliate marketing programs out there for bloggers. Some of the more popular choices are:
- Amazon
- Share A Sale
- Commission Junction
- Linkshare
- Escalate Media
Sponsored Posts: Another great form of money when blogging is taking on sponsored posts. Sponsored posts are those where a brand or company pays us to write about their product. Usually, these are recipes or announcements for upcoming events. They may also be related to travel destinations or places that have offered us free entertainment in exchange for reviews. These can be a great way to learn about companies and brands while making money in the process. One thing about sponsored posts to remember is that your integrity as a blogger is at stake. Make sure you are only telling the truth and not writing just to make the sponsor happy. That means being honest in your thoughts about a product or brand while still relaying their message.
Some companies that work with bloggers to create sponsored post opportunities:
- Collective Bias
- Mom It Forward
- Blogger To Brand
- Acorn
- Clever Girls
- Izea
Ad Placement: We have ads throughout our site that also are a great ways way to make money blogging. Banner and text ads are easy to place on your site and are kind of a “set it and forget it” way of making money. There are a few kind of ads to consider.
- CPC: Cost per click ads are those that pay out when someone actually clicks on the ad.
- CPM: Cost Per Mil or per thousand pay out a set fee for how many impressions you get on your blog and around that ad each day.
Both types of ads may be text, images or video. There are pop-up ads, ads that roll over your screen or even stay at the bottom of the screen or an image. Ads are a wonderful source of revenue and are easy to implement. However, most ad networks require a minimum amount of blog posts, engagement and pageviews to join their network. So, while this is an easy way to make money, you will need to wait until you have established some traffic and content before applying to the networks.
Some ad networks to consider:
- Adsense
- Amazon
- Media.net
- Sovrn
- Mode
- Gourmet Ads
Reviews: Reviewing products isn’t always money in your pocket, but it can save you money if it is providing you with a product you would be buying anyway. There are many review bloggers out there that review everything from makeup and hair tools to resorts and even laptops or gaming systems. Reviewing products typically comes after you have established a following, pageviews and social media standing. You can then reach out to PR groups, brands reps and even may find yourself being pitched by people directly.
For larger blogs with a significant following, you can easily not only review a product, but request a fee for your time as well. This can be a great way to make extra money while trying out products you want to use.
Selling a product. For many of my fellow bloggers, this is actually the biggest way to make money blogging they utilize. Your blog brings readers that are loyal to you, trust you and are willing to invest in something great you have to offer. You’ve probably already seen some blogs selling eBooks, homeschool curriculum or even menu plans. These are all great products that can easily be sold on your blog to earn even more money as a blogger.
Things to consider selling on your blog:
- Direct sales products when applicable by their standards (Avon, Mary Kay, etc. have some regulations against selling on a blog so verify before doing so)
- Ebooks
- Printable packages
- Homeschool curriculum
- Menu plans
- Family binder printables
- Courses on a subject you are knowledgeable on
- Consultations or mentoring
These are all great ways to make money blogging. With many of these requiring page views or social traffic, you’ll need to begin by creating great content and building up your numbers first. However, once those numbers are in place you can look forward to a great source of income from your blog.
Have you recently started a blog or thinking about it? Be sure to read my simple steps on getting your blog up and running for under $25 bucks.
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