I’m sure by now you’ve heard of all the wonderful things people have said about making money with their blogs. So you’re wondering “how can I make money with a blog?”
Not every niche is created equal. Some money making ways may not work for others.
So with that said, here are 20 ways you can make money with a blog.
Page Contents
Affiliate Marketing
As an affiliate you are promoting another company’s product or service. After a sale (sometimes a click/reference) you get a commission.
Affiliate Marketing is loved by many because it’s so universal. Any niche can really get involved and find a product that they can recommend. To get started it’s as easy as doing a quick Google search of your product/store/service with “affiliate program” next to it.
Example: Target Affiliate Program
Alternatively, you can join affiliate networks which are sites that house multiple affiliate programs. The most popular affiliate network is Shareasale and the most popular affiliate program is Amazon.
Check out the sites below if you want to get started with affiliate marketing.
1 Amazon
2 Shareasale
3 Clickbank
Tips for success
1. Sprinkle links – don’t overload
The best practice for this method is to not overkill your blog with links. Mention it, add the link and move on. If you really need to, then add a second link. But every time you mention the product, there is no need to hyperlink it.
That’s a good way to get people away from your blog!
2. Add value
The best affiliate marketers don’t just say “Hey try out this product – here’s my link” and then hope to become rich overnight!
Instead, they give you value which makes you feel like you NEED that product. How can you do this? Creating tutorial or review posts on the product is a great place to start.
Did a new face wash do wonders for your acne? Well then review the product, tell (SHOW) your readers what it did for you and let them know where to get it. This will be valuable to your readers versus links to a bunch of products you like.
3. Actually like the product
It’s so much easier to market a product if you actually use it or have in the past.
If you KNOW based off of experience that a product will bring someone value then it will sell itself. Not only that but it will be easier for you to sell.
Ads
Anyone can get started with ads and it can be used for any niche! Although ads can be a hit or a miss. This is definitely going to have to come down to preference.
Some people hate ads because they feel it disturbs their site. While others rave about their success through advertisem*nt.
Things to consider about ads
1. Traffic
In order for you to make any “real” money with ads you will need a good amount traffic coming to your site. Google Adsense is known for not having a good payout unless you get a lot of viewers but by then you’re better off applying to the bigger networks.
2. Pageviews Requirements
Speaking of the bigger networks – the only advertisem*nt networks worth looking into REQUIRE for you to prove that your blog is bringing in a lot of people. As you can see below, you need a good chunk of people coming to your blog every month in order for them to even consider approving you.
4 Google Ads (no pageview requirements)
5 Mediavine (25,000 sessions required)
6 Ad Thrive (100,000 pageviews required)
Services
I love services as a way of making money. Maybe I’m a little biased since this is how I first started making money with my blog.
I find this method to be super easy because you are offering to do something that you are already great at (or love doing)!
Maybe this isn’t really making money with your blog (unless it’s directly related). I offered writing services and used my blog as a portfolio of my work. If people were looking to hire I would send them a link to my blog along with my contact information in case they wanted to hire me.
Tips for Success
1. Make a page on your blog
If you really want to sell your services (and make money) you should consider making a page on your blog. Make sure to include in detail what it is you are offering; include prices and a way to contact you. Maybe you can offer a free consult and try to convert those inquires into customers.
Have a way for them to reach you whether with a contact form or simply put your email address.
2. Market your page
Just like any type of product/service you are selling, you need to market it! Treat it like any type of sales funnel. You need to attract your customer first so make a couple of Pinterest images that link to your page and start sharing. Once you have them on your site then give them something of value (perhaps a free consult?). And finally sell them your services and start making money!
3. It will depend on you
Making money this way will depend on how well you market and sell yourself. Your blog will serve more of a way to bring clients in. But once this is well established and you’ve grown your blog to be trusted by many, then the clients will start coming to YOU.
7 Virtual Assistant
Being someone’s virtual assistant means you’re going to be offering a wide range of services. Usually a virtual assistant is more of a remote administrative assistant although tasks can vary.
Think of it as a personal assistant job you can do from home!
There isn’t a limit as to what type of jobs you will be doing, It will depend on who is hiring you or the jobs you accept.
8 Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is a fun service to offer because you can branch out of your own niche. You have the opportunity to write posts that are not something you would put on your own blog but still know about the topic.
Figure out how quickly you can turn over work and from then on establish a schedule for yourself. Don’t over schedule yourself to the point where you aren’t even working on your own blog!
You can easily join freelance networks and apply for jobs once you are prepared to do so. You have the option to work for a single website/business or do one time jobs.
9 Social Media Manager
As a social media manager you’d be in charge of creating a solid social media strategy. Tasks can include things like content creation, managing the platform(s) and engaging with the followers.
Focus on a platform and have a growth strategy. If you already have a large following on a platform and KNOW exactly how to excel in it then that’s good indication that this path is right for you.
To get started, start pitching to people and get some referrals/reviews to display on your blog! It’s as easy as developing a package (know your worth), creating a page on your site and telling people what you offer.
10 Online Coach
An online coach is a mentor to someone who is trying to achieve a desired result. You have probably seen a lot of online health or fitness coaches but you can also be a life coach, professional coach or an anything coach!
If you have a valuable skill that you can share with people then coaching is for you.
Don’t fall into the trap that you need to that a certification or some crazy life experience in order to qualify. Coaches just are!
They have it in them to teach, train and lead.
11 Website / Social Media Audits
Performing audits can be extremely time consuming but are super important! Which makes this a great service to offer. The purpose of the audit is to keep on top of your website or social channel and make sure it is performing at its best.
There are several things that can be included in an audit.
Anything ranging from design or content.
For example, if you want to offer blog audits you might go through each page/post to make sure there is consistency throughout. You can also check through the copy to make sure there are no spelling errors.
There is so much that can be done in an audit. Some ideas include:
- Content
- Images/Files
- Design
- SEO
- Conversion Optimization
Sponsored Posts
A sponsored post is a collaboration you make with a brand that wants you to promote their product. You can do this through two platforms: your blog/website and your social channels.
You can get these opportunities in many ways. The top 4 are:
- Networks
- Pitching to brands
- Referrals
- They contact you
Tips for Success
1. Know your stuff
It’s important that when brands want to work with you that you know your site stats. You should constantly be checking the metrics of blog or social site so that when someone is interested in you, you are prepared.
Along with this, you should have a pre-made Media Kit with this information that is periodically updated. On this you should have your blog’s monthly page views, number of subscribers, social media followers count and a good contact email.
2. Be easy to work with
If you want brands to reach out to you then make it easy for them to do! Have a page in your blog specifically for this. You can create a “Work with me” page for your site or have your email visible on your social site.
Make sure to have a contact form on your page instead of just displaying your email.
This will make it easy for them to quickly send you a message without having to take extra steps if they want to email you.
Same goes for social media. Upgrade your accounts to business and enable contact buttons.
12 Blog Posts
Some sponsored blog posts will have you review a product or promote a new product they have. You may receive items for free in order to link back to their site. There are many options for promoted blog posts.
Make sure they are in your terms and are getting paid what you are worth.
13 Social Posts
You may have seen a lot of celebrities doing sponsored posts on Instagram promoting their favorite slim tea or something.
This is the easiest way to make money through a sponsored post. They may asks for a post on all your channels, an Instagram story or anywhere that you have high engagement.
Digital Products
Now we are down to the nitty gritty of things. Digital products can be the BEST way to make money with your blog because you have full control of everything. What you are selling, where you are selling, how much is it for, how much you want to make, etc.
A digital product can be an amazing source of income due to the return on your investment. More often than not, you are only investing your time which means that the reward is higher than the risk.
Below are my top four favorite digital products:
14 eBook
15 Course
16 Tutorials
17 Printables (graphics, email / sales templates, workbooks,)
18 Physical Products
This kind of goes without saying. You can choose whatever physical product fits with your niche and sell that on your blog.
I have a few posts detailing how you can get started with print on demand drop shipping. The company I recommend, prints products such as apparel, mugs and posters (plus more).
You can read my post: The Ultimate Guide to an Online Store
19 Live Workshops/ Webinars
I love the idea of online workshops or webinars because I think it can be very fun and informative. Although I have not yet done one, I definitely plan to!
Basically you are selling tickets or seats to your event where you are teaching something live.
Although it is meant to be a live training, this can be another way to create passive income by selling the recording. You can do the live training a few times and sell the best one! You can also covert it into an online course by adding extra lectures and media.
20 Membership Website
A membership site allows you to offer in-depth training and guidance to your audience. If you have a course or product that requires hands on training or perhaps can benefit from live training then a membership site is a great idea.
The best part?
This is not a one time purchase so you get money coming in consistently EVERY month. Even if you decide to make a $10/month site and get 30 people to sign up, that’s already $300 per month!
The only “downside” to a membership site is that it requires a lot of work upfront and then some after. You will have to continue to provide valuable content at a consistent basis. You will also have to actually deliver on the promise of what your site will do for your students.
Final Thoughts
I hope this blog post has helped you figure out a few ways you can start earning with your blog. I’m sure you can start implementing one or more of these today and start making money!
If you haven’t started a blog yet make sure to read my post: How to Start a Money Making Blog.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Ideas? Talk to me in the comments!
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