8 Ways You Can Make Money From Blogging
When I first started learning about blogging, one thing that really caught my eye was the endless opportunities. I’ve always wanted more in life—I hated working 9-to-5, working for someone else, and the same routine over and over again with barely any money in my pockets. Blogging grabbed my attention because there are so many ways to make money. The harder you work, the more money you make, and I knew I was going to work my a** off to get that guaranteed income. Fast forward to today, I have multiple blogs and one of them brought me to over $700k in revenue just last year.
If you’ve been thinking about starting a blog, do it! If you’re ambitious like me, it’s guaranteed money—not right away (blogging takes time and consistency), but in a few months, you can start making some cash. You’ll see the potential, and it will motivate you even more to keep going. So, let’s get to it and talk about all the ways you can make money blogging. I’ll also share some tips on how to drive a ton of traffic to your site once you have your blog set up!
1. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money blogging. Basically, you promote products or services on your blog and earn a commission for every sale made through your referral link. It’s like getting paid to recommend stuff you love!
- Track Your Earnings: Most affiliate networks provide dashboards where you can track clicks, sales, and commissions. Use this data to see what’s working and optimize your strategy.
- Join Affiliate Networks: To get started, sign up for affiliate networks like Amazon Associates, ShareASale, or Impact. These platforms connect you with thousands of companies looking for affiliates to promote their products.
- Choose Products to Promote: Pick products that are relevant to your blog’s niche and that you genuinely believe in. Your readers trust your recommendations, so only promote products you’d use yourself.
- Create Content: Write blog posts, create videos, or share social media posts that include your affiliate links. Make sure to provide valuable information and explain why you recommend the products.
2. Sponsored Posts
Brands are always on the lookout for bloggers to promote their products. Sponsored posts are where you get paid to write a post about a brand’s product or service. Just make sure it’s something you genuinely like and would use yourself.
- Disclose Sponsored Content: Be transparent with your readers by disclosing when a post is sponsored. This builds trust and complies with advertising guidelines.
- Build Your Audience: Brands are more likely to work with you if you have a strong and engaged audience. Focus on growing your blog’s traffic and social media followers.
- Create a Media Kit: A media kit is like a resume for your blog. It includes your blog’s stats, audience demographics, and examples of previous collaborations. Send it to brands to pitch your sponsored post ideas.
- Negotiate Rates: Don’t be afraid to negotiate your rates. Consider the time and effort it takes to create the content, as well as the value you provide to the brand.
3. Selling Digital Products
E-books, printables, online courses—there are so many digital products you can create and sell on your blog. The best part? Once you create them, they can keep making money for you without any extra work.
- Identify Your Audience’s Needs: Think about what your audience wants and needs. Create digital products that solve their problems or help them achieve their goals.
- Create High-Quality Products: Invest time in creating valuable and well-designed products. Use tools like Canva for design and Teachable for creating online courses.
- Set Up an Online Store: Use platforms like Shopify, Gumroad, or WooCommerce to sell your digital products. Make it easy for your audience to purchase and download your products.
- Promote Your Products: Use your blog, social media, and email list to promote your digital products. Offer discounts and bonuses to encourage sales.
4. Ad Revenue
You can also make money by placing ads on your blog. Google AdSense is a popular option for beginners. The more traffic you have, the more money you can make from ads.
- Sign Up for Ad Networks: Google AdSense is a great place to start. Once your blog has more traffic, you can join premium ad networks like Mediavine or AdThrive (they pay more).
- Place Ads Strategically: Place ads in high-visibility areas on your blog, such as the header, sidebar, and within your content. However, don’t overdo it—too many ads can annoy your readers.
- Optimize for Ad Revenue: Experiment with different ad placements and types to see what works best for your audience. Use your ad network’s tools to track performance and make adjustments.
- Optimize for Ad Revenue: Experiment with different ad placements and types to see what works best for your audience. Use your ad network’s tools to track performance and make adjustments.
5. Offering Services
Use your blog to showcase your skills and offer services like coaching, consulting, or freelance writing. It’s a great way to monetize your expertise and help others at the same time.
- Identify Your Skills: Think about what you’re good at and how you can help others. Common services include coaching, consulting, writing, graphic design, and web development.
- Create a Services Page: Dedicate a page on your blog to showcase your services. Include details about what you offer, your experience, and testimonials from previous clients.
- Promote Your Services: Use your blog posts, social media, and email list to promote your services. Offer a free consultation or a special discount to attract new clients.
- Deliver High-Quality Work: Provide excellent service to your clients to build a strong reputation and get repeat business. Happy clients are more likely to refer you to others.
6. Membership Sites
Create exclusive content for members who pay a monthly fee. This could be anything from premium blog posts to a private community or webinars. It’s a great way to generate recurring income.
- Choose Your Membership Model: Decide what type of content you’ll offer to members. This could include exclusive blog posts, videos, webinars, or access to a private community.
- Choose Your Membership Model: Decide what type of content you’ll offer to members. This could include exclusive blog posts, videos, webinars, or access to a private community.
- Promote Your Membership: Use your blog, social media, and email list to promote your membership site. Offer a free trial or a special discount to encourage sign-ups.
- Engage with Members: Keep your members engaged by regularly updating your content and interacting with them. Provide value and make them feel like part of a community.
7. Selling Physical Products
Got a knack for making stuff? Sell physical products through your blog. You can use platforms like Shopify to set up an online store and start selling your handmade goodies or other products.
- Choose Your Products: Decide what physical products you’ll sell. This could be anything from handmade crafts to branded merchandise.
- Set Up an Online Store: Use platforms like Shopify to create your online store. I recommend it because it’s easy to navigate, and they have professional looking free themes you can start with.
- Manage Inventory and Shipping: Keep track of your inventory and make sure you have a reliable shipping process in place. Consider using a fulfillment service to handle shipping for you.
- Promote Your Store: Use your blog on your Shopify store to drive traffic to your site. Offer discounts and promotions to encourage sales.
For more detailed information, check out our blog post on How To Start A Blog That Makes Money. It walks you through step-by-step how to start a blog if you want to start selling physical products.
8. Donations
If your readers love your content, they might be willing to support you financially. Platforms like Patreon allow your audience to donate to your blog, helping you to continue creating awesome content.
- Set Up a Donations Page: Use platforms like Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, or PayPal to create a donations page. Explain why you’re asking for support and how the donations will be used.
- Promote Your Donations Page: Use your blog, social media, and email list to let your audience know about your donations page. Encourage them to support you if they find your content valuable.
- Offer Incentives: Offer exclusive content or perks to donors as a way of saying thank you. This could include behind-the-scenes content, early access to new posts, or a special shout-out on your blog.
How To Start A Blog
Feeling inspired and ready to start your own blog? Awesome! Starting a blog is easier than you think, and it can open up so many opportunities for you. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our How To Start A Blog That Makes Money where we also show you step-by-step how to start a blog on WordPress. Trust me, it’s packed with all the info you need to get started.
How To Start Driving Traffic To Your Site
There are many different ways to make money blogging, but in order to make money, you need traffic. The best way to start sending thousands of people to your site for FREE is by using Pinterest.
So, what is Pinterest and how does it work? Pinterest is a visual search engine where users can discover, save, and share ideas. It’s like a virtual pinboard where people go to find inspiration for everything from recipes to fashion to home decor. For bloggers, Pinterest is a goldmine because it drives massive amounts of traffic to your site.
In fact, 90% of my traffic comes from Pinterest. It took a while to find a Pinterest strategy that finally worked for me—so many trials and errors. But now that I’ve got the hang of it, I’m using this same Pinterest strategy to grow other blogs, and I’ve seen results in a short time. I want to help other beginners get started, so if you’re serious about blogging, I strongly recommend my Growing With Pinterest course.
This course walks you through step-by-step how to start a blog, make it look professional, use keywords, SEO, and the exact Pinterest strategy I used to grow all of my blogs, including the one that brought in over $700k just last year. This is the only course you’ll need to grow your blog with Pinterest.
the course
Growing With Pinterest
This course is designed for bloggers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who are ready to elevate their online presence and achieve remarkable growth through Pinterest. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your blog to the next level, this course will equip you with the skills and strategies needed to fully utilize the full potential of Pinterest.
And as if things couldn’t get any better, I’m giving away FREE VIRAL PINTEREST PIN TEMPLATES to help you get started. These templates have helped me bring a ton of traffic to my site—they go viral over and over again. I’ve used them across different niche blogs, and they consistently perform well. These templates are designed to grab attention and drive clicks, making it easier for you to get your pins noticed.
Whether you’re new to Pinterest or just looking to up your game, these templates will give you a head start. Just download them below and start creating pins that will drive traffic to your blog in no time. Remember, the right pin can make all the difference, so take advantage of these free resources and watch your traffic grow!
