If you’re a blogger that writes about online business, marketing, blogging, or working from home, then this article is for you. Today, we’re going to cover the top three ways that business bloggers make their money. We’ll also talk about the highest paying affiliate programs for business bloggers and throw in some real-life examples of business bloggers that are killin’ it in this niche!
And here are the basics:
- You can promote and sell outside products/services through affiliate marketing.
- You can promote and sell outside products/services through sponsored posts.
- Or you can create and sell your own products and services.
Let’s get to it!
This post probably contains affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if you purchase through one of these links, at no extra cost to you.
HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A BUSINESS BLOGGER (WITH AFFILIATE MARKETING)
Affiliate marketing is essentially promoting products for a business that you are associated with.
And here’s how it works:
You apply to join an affiliate program that fits in your niche (in this case: business, marketing, blogging, etc). When you get approved by that affiliate program, you gain access to an affiliate link for the products you can promote. When someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission. Yay!
So, let’s cover the best affiliate networks that every business blogger should join. Keep in mind, THE NETWORK is the platform that contains a pool of affiliate programs that you can join. You’ll need to join the affiliate network if you want to access the affiliate programs within that pool.
I love affiliate networks because they make everything so easy: you can access a ton of programs in one place, apply to those programs, find out how much they pay, get your affiliate links, and get paid…all right there in your affiliate dashboard.
In this article, I’ll be sharing a bunch of programs within the top affiliate networks and how much they pay you for each sale you make. It’s always a good idea to focus on HIGH PAYING affiliate programs that can bring true value to your readers.
Let’s get to it: the best affiliate networks for business bloggers…
AWIN AFFILIATE NETWORK
This is most definitely one of the best and highest paying affiliate networks for business bloggers. You can join the AWIN affiliate network HERE. There is a $5.00 screening fee to join the network, but the fee is refunded to you after approval.
Here are just a few of the programs you can join and how much you can earn from each of them.
E-File.com tax software // 40% commission per sale
Thoughtfully Gifts // up to 15% commission per sale
AppSumo // 12% commission per sale
Astute Graphics // 10% commission + incentives
NewFrog Electronics // 10% commission per sale
Proporta Phone Accessories // up to 10% commission per sale
Paper Chase Stationery // 8% commission per sale
Overnight Prints // 8% commission per sale
Tech 21 // 8% commission per sale
StubHub // 7% commission per sale
Zuma Office Supply // 5% CPA
Booking.com // 4.25% commission per approved stay
Zippy Loan // $45 per approved loan
My Geek Box // up to $30.00 per subscription sale
SwagBucks // $2.20 per qualifying email sign up
Remember, you’ll join the AWIN network first, and then you’ll apply to the affiliate programs you want to join in the network.
You’ll search for programs to join in your AWIN dashboard here:
And then you’ll click the button to “Join Program” here:
When you apply to join the program, you’ll have to agree to the program terms and select the primary promotion method you’ll be using. I personally select my website. You also have the option to “add a message” to introduce yourself and share why you want to join the program.
Take a quick minute to complete this extra step because it will speed up the approval process. You can even use a basic copy/paste spiel that you write for each affiliate network (that’s totally fine and it saves time). Just make sure that you edit the content a bit so it applies to that program!
SHAREASALE AFFILIATE NETWORK
You can join the Share-a-Sale network HERE. Some of my favorite and highest paying affiliate programs are available in this free network. It has thousands of great programs to join, especially for business bloggers! Here is a big ol’ list of some great affiliate programs in the network. Again, focus on the ones that can bring the most value to your readers.
Page XL Website Software // 50% commission per sale
Educator.com // 35% commission per sale
NameCheap // 30% commission per sale
PicMonkey // 30% commission per sale
Excel with Business // up to 30% commission per sale
English 4 Today // 20% commission per sale
eNotes.com // 20% commission per sale
Creative Live // 20% commission per sale
Tailwind // 15% commission per sale
Course Hero // 10% commission per sale
McGraw/Hill Education // 8% commission per sale
Custom Ink // 7% commission per sale
WayFair Business // $40.00 per sale
Ginger Software // $20 per sale
Grammarly // $20.00 per sale
Simply join the Share-a-Sale network, apply to the programs that you want to join, and then start promoting your affiliate products to your audience.
You can search for programs in your dashboard here:
And apply to the programs here:
Similar to AWIN, you’ll have to agree to the terms of the program and explain how you’ll promote the products. Don’t stress over it too much, just introduce yourself and your promotion plan and hit submit.
RAKUTEN AFFILIATE NETWORK
You can join the Rakuten Affiliate Network HERE. I love Rakuten because they have such a huge range of affiliate programs for bloggers in every niche. If you want to make money as a business blogger, this is one of the best networks for you to join!
We are going to outline a few of the highest paying and most popular affiliate programs in this network.
If you have used any of these brands or think they could potentially benefit your readers, you should join that affiliate program and start promoting their stuff ASAP.
Zoom Video // $75.00 flat fee per sale
Lending Tree // up to $39.00 flat fee per sale
Coursera // up to 45% commission per sale
Rocket Lawyer // 30% commission per sale
Intel-McAfee // 25% commission per sale
Webroot Internet Security // 20% commission per sale
Udemy Online Learning // 15% commission per sale
Pop Sockets // 10% commission per sale
Cisco Systems // 8% commission per sale
Microsoft // up to 7% commission per sale
Five Star // 5.50% commission per sale
Wal-Mart // 4% commission per sale
Office Furniture.com // 4% commission per sale
Panasonic // 3-5% commission per sale
Once you get approved by Rakuten, you can search for affiliate programs in your dashboard here:
Apply for the program you want to join here:
A box will pop up asking you to read and agree to terms. Read the terms, click the box to agree, and then hit “OKAY.” And that’s it!
Just like every other affiliate network, you’ll apply to your programs, grab your affiliate links from your dashboard after approval, and then share those with your audience. Always be sure to disclose the fact that you are using affiliate links, it’s the law.
Here’s a good article from a lawyer that walks you through the legal side of affiliate marketing.
HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A BUSINESS BLOGGER (WITH SPONSORED POSTS)
Okay, I know that was a lot of information to cover in our affiliate section, but we have two more main ways to make money as a business blogger, so let’s chat about those for a quick minute.
Doing sponsored posts:
As a business blogger, you have a few different options for sponsored work. Ultimately, the concept of sponsored work is simple: you reach out to individual companies that you want to work with and pitch them your idea for a sponsored post. This usually consists of promoting their products or services on your own blog or social channels.
Maybe there is a great product that has helped your online business excel. Maybe there is a business/education program you can recommend to your readers. Or, maybe there is small local business that you can support.
Best-kept blogging secret:
You can usually join a company affiliate program AND promote that company through a sponsored post (unless otherwise stated in their terms). This means that you can get paid to write a sponsored post AND use your own affiliate links in that post to promote that company’s products and/or services…. This can lead to double the income with very little extra effort.
In other words, it’s a brilliant business strategy.
If there is a brand or business that you’d like to work with, send them an email and offer to promote their products or services on your own blog or social media channels, in exchange for product or a fee. If you’re a business blogger, you can promote courses, planners, software products, conferences, services…. The sky is the limit.
Here is a comprehensive article about working with brands on sponsored posts. It also includes a pitching guide to help you land those sponsored gigs and get paid!
HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A BUSINESS BLOGGER (BY CREATING YOUR OWN PRODUCTS)
When I recommend this idea to new bloggers, they usually laugh and say they could never do that. It’s a pretty common theme that new bloggers lack confidence in their ability.
You are capable of SO MUCH MORE than you realize!
Think about creating and selling your own planners, printables, coaching services, software, stationery, etc.
How great would it be if you can make some money through affiliate marketing, make some through sponsored work, and also make some from selling your own stuff?
Keep in mind: when you’re a blogger, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. It’s best to have income flowing in from a few different places. So, do some affiliate marketing. Do some sponsored posts. Create something awesome and sell it to your audience.
There are so many fun and flexible ways to make money as a business blogger!
I hope this article has been helpful. If you enjoyed these tips, please take a minute to share this post on Pinterest!
Here are a few other articles you might enjoy:
The Best High-Paying Affiliate Programs for Bloggers
How to Become a Passive Income Pro
How to Turn Your Blog into a Money-Making Business
Why I Use and Love the Share-a-Sale Affiliate Network
