Is making money blogging even possible? This is a question I hear many people ask, and if you’re here then I’m guessing you are also wondering how people actually make money from their blog.
The idea of working as a full-time blogger sounds impressive, right? Who wouldn’t want to get paid for writing a few blog posts each week?
Sorry to tell you, while it is definitely possible to make money from your blog, it takes a lot more than just writing posts and adding them to your website.
I have read hundreds of blog posts that make it seem like blogging is a ‘get rich quick’ scheme. It’s just not true. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, and a lot of motivation.
The good news is, that even if you are a beginner or have a small blog, it is still possible to make money. As long as you are prepared to put in a lot of hard work of course.
Getting Started
Once you have your website up and running, have picked your niche, and have added some SEO-optimized posts you are on your way to monetizing your blog.
Next, you will need to work out how you would like to make money from your blog.
There are many ways to make money, which I will mention further down this post. Choose which options would work for you and your niche.
You can of course choose more than one way to monetize, the more the better. Although, you might want to concentrate on one thing at a time in the beginning. Otherwise it can become overwhelming.
Start Promoting
You will need to promote what you are selling as much as possible.
Start an email list – This is one of the best ways to grow your blog and eventually monetize. You can send weekly (or as often as you like) newsletters promoting your product.
You will want to encourage people to subscribe to your email list and the best way to do this is by offering a freebie if they sign up.
Brainstorm ideas of what you think your readers might want based on your niche. Some examples of freebies are: printables, planners, checklists and social media templates.
Once you have followed all these steps you are on your way. Remember, It can take at least 6-12 months (or longer) to start making money from your blog so keep being consistent and eventually you will see results.
So, now to answer the big question, how to make money blogging?
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is when you write about a product and include a link where your readers can go and purchase the product.
For example, if you write a blog post about hotels in Paris, you can provide your readers with a link directing them to the website where they will be able to book the hotels with.
If your reader makes a booking or purchase through your link, you will receive a commission.
There are many affiliate programs you can join and some companies allow you to apply directly through their website.
ShareASale is a great affiliate programme to join as a beginner/small blog. Once you have created an account with them and have been accepted you will be able to apply with the companies you would like to become an affiliate marketer for.
Other programmes I recommend joining is CJ Affiliate, Ultimate Bundles and Amazon Affiliate.
Sponsored posts
Sponsored posts have quickly become a great way for bloggers to make money and drive more traffic to their website.
Usually the brand will pay you a one off fee for one post or they might pay more depending on how much promoting they would like you to do for them.
A brand pays you to write a blog post for them or post a picture promoting their products.
This is a great way to make money, however, usually these brands do require you to have a high number of monthly readers or followers.
If this is something you are interested in doing, you can create a media kit and reach out to companies.
It is important to only work with brand you actually like and are relevant to your niche. This will help you build trust with your readers/followers.
Selling digital products (+ plus other products)
This is my favourite way of earning an income. It’s a chance for me to get creative and make something relevant for my loyal website visitors. And the best part is, you don’t need to be super creative or have a degree in graphics design. All you need is to have ideas of what you think your readers are interested in.
There are so many digital products you can create. You can sell printables, digital planners, social media templates, eBooks, and courses.
Canva is a great website to create your digital products and you can sell them directly from your website.
Another way you can earn an income is by making products that are not digital. For example, depending on your niche, you can make jewellery, personalized T-shirts or mugs, etc…
This is a good side hustle to have alongside your blog and you can also sell it on your website.
Paid Ads
Finally, another way to make money from your blog is with Ads. This is a good way to earn passive income, although, similar to sponsored posts, you will need to have a high volume of monthly visitors to your website before companies approve your application.
You get paid for giving advertisers a space on your website for them to promote their company/product.
The most popular one is Google AdSense as they are easy to get in to. But, they don’t pay well and give you very little control of which ads to put on your website.
Others you can join and pay well are MediaVine and AdThrive. They do not affect your website speed and are a lot more user friendly.