Who hasn’t asked this question. If your “in” the blogging world and making tons of money, then you know it works and you absolutely know it’s worth it!
If you are in the blogging world and you aren’t making money yet, then you might be struggling with the whole “does this really work” question.
If you are not in the blogging world yet, then you might still be wondering what all the fuss is about.
*Interested in staring a blog? This post will show you how to start a blog as well as giving you 50 blog post ideas for getting started!
This post is a “step by step” guided tutorial for getting your blog named, hosted and LIVE on the web!
Well, the fuss is for good reason. Blogging can make you a mint of money when done consistently.
There are some incredible stories out there of bloggers who make 10, 20 – even 50K a month through various avenues on their sites.
Excited about this post but too busy to read it now? Pin it for later by clicking the image just above!
Curious how they make all that money? Stick around! We are going to dive into that exact topic.
First of all, let me say this to set the stage – blogging takes a lot of time and effort. It doesn’t happen overnight and it is all about learning what works, what doesn’t work then applying that knowledge to make it all run smoothly.
Now that we have that settled, let’s get to it…
Blogs make money in many different ways but the main categories are these:
- Affiliate Links
- Selling Products
- Offering Services
- Ad Networks
- Sponsored Posts
Now, there are multiple layers to these categories but this is the easiest way to narrow things down so you can see that there is a path to making money with a blog.
Let’s dive in….
Affiliate Links:
Affiliate marketing is a HUGE industry and can earn tens of thousands of dollars on your website.
Affiliate marketing was my first source of income on my blog. I chose it because it was fairly easy for me to understand and I found several companies I could work with quickly.
Let’s start from the beginning in case you aren’t sure what affiliate marketing is. Affiliate marketing is basically referral marketing. When you send (or refer) someone on the internet to a product or service and they actually make a purchase – you are rewarded with a commission.
The great part about this type of marketing is there is NO additional charge to the customer! The customer pays the same amount if YOU refer them or if they go directly to the website to make a purchase.
Merchants and individuals who are selling products or services are more than willing to share their profits if you are willing to send people their way. Think about it – they can either make nothing or they can allow others to share what they have to offer and make something.
It truly is a win-win for all parties involved!
There are TONS of affiliate programs in every genre out there. One of the most popular ones would be Amazon. There are millions of products and you get a commission on anyone you refer. It is super easy to sign up by clicking here.
Here are several others to take a look at:
Share-a-Sale – Tailwind and PicMonkey are associated with this parent company.
Awin and CJ Affiliate Program are also parent companies that have many other websites or advertisers that they service. Apply at either of these and once approved you can apply to any of the companies they manage.
If you are interested in a great affiliate marketing course I highly recommend Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. Michelle is a highly successful blogger who makes 50K a month from affiliate programs. She is an expert in this area! I learned a TON from her and attribute my success online to her course. Click here for more info on her course or PIN it to check out later!
Sell Products (digital or physical products):
Depending on what your blog is about will depend on what you will want to offer. If you have a craft website then selling unique crafts, wreaths, seasonal décor etc., would be perfect for your site.
If you have a recipe/cooking site then selling a cookbook on crock pot cooking, fast meal prep or recipes that need less than 5 ingredients would be a great place to start!
Many products can be created digitally and put on auto-pilot for delivery once purchased. Think eBooks, trainings, printable’s, manuals and more. This is a great way to earn money while you sleep!
Earning while I sleep is a HUGE bonus! That would be called passive income and THAT is what most of are looking for! As a side note…the first $100 I made was while I slept. To say I was excited would be a massive understatement! I knew right then that if I could make $100, then with some work and time I could raise that amount to $10,000 a month or MORE!
Here are a few products you could offer to your readers through your site:
- eBooks
- Guides
- Printables (documents you create through PicMonkey or Canva that others can purchase directly from your site)
- Trainings/Courses (audio or book form)
Offer Services:
Offering services online is a HUGE industry! Here are some services you could offer:
- Coaching (health, business, life, food, career, etc.)
- Social Media Management
- Freelance Writing (eBooks, Guides, Ghostwriting, Tutorials)
- Virtual Assisting
- Proofreading
- Web Developer/Designer or WordPress Specialist
- Tutoring for Kids (in your home town, or with VIPKid around the world…right from your laptop)
- Subscription Sites
The great thing about offering a service is YOU get to set the price and make your service whatever you want it to be. You are your own boss and set your own hours.
Probably the most stable way of making money would be through a subscription site. You would set up a section of your blog/website that would offer information or ideas (something that is tangible) that your readers would be willing to pay $10, $20 or even $100 a month for. They pay you and get access to whatever it is that you offer on a weekly or monthly basis. The information would need to be fresh each time it comes out and worth the readers money.
One of my favorite stories is of a 2nd grade teacher who started her own subscription site. She created lesson plans each month and her subscribers would pay $19 a month for access to this information. Last I heard, she had around 3,000 subscribers! Yep, that is over 50K a month from 2nd grade lesson plans! INSANE!
Place Ads on Your Site (Ad Networks):
Although I am not doing ads yet (I preferred affiliate programs starting out) – this is definitely a viable option for someone who is interested. I have done some research to make sure I understand the ins and outs before I get going and want to share what I have learned.
If you have been online for any length of time, then you have seen sites that have tons of adds! A few things to consider and to understand before placing ads on your site:
- It is important to be careful with placement of your ads. You want to be sure they are not too pushy or distracting to your readers. That can be a turnoff and could potentially drive traffic away from your site. I have been on sites before that are a true distraction and I leave pretty quickly.
- You will need a good amount of traffic in order to make money with this option.
- Some companies will manage your ads for you and others have you take care of that yourself.
- Some companies will require that you have a certain number of page views each month before applying.
Here are a few companies to take a look at when considering getting started:
Google AdSense: This is, by far, one of the most popular options and is great for newbies because they do NOT have a minimum page view per month.
Sovrn: This is another perfect one for newbies since it also does not have a minimum requirement for page views.
For more experienced bloggers who have higher levels of traffic you can graduate up to AdThrive and Mediavine. Both of these require significantly more traffic but are well worth the effort once you are ready to apply.
Sponsored Posts:
A sponsored post is when a company or website pays you to advertise for them on your blog. It could be an actual post, an image, a video, a review/tutorial or anything you and the company agree upon.
Sponsored posts can earn quite a bit of money but can also land you amazing trips and great products without costing you a dime. Remember, you advertise for your sponsor in a way you both agree on and they in turn pay you with either money, products and sometimes, even trips! Not a bad deal. 🙂
Although I am not doing sponsored posts just yet, I have done a lot of research and am very close to getting started with this avenue of income. I will keep you posted with updates when I get started.
Let’s close things down…
Although blogging takes work and time to make money – it is well worth the effort once you get to the other side (where you are actually making money). I can honestly say that I was scared to death when I started! I was a mid 40’s newbie blogger who had NO IDEA what I was doing! However, I had a desire and a willingness to learn. Those two combined are a strong force when starting an online business.
My best advice – just DO IT! Start your blog, or if you already have a blog start monetizing it. Don’t think too long or you’ll talk yourself out of it. Get moving today!
Forever and always cheering you on!
Tammy
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Here are some of my favorite resources for blogging:
Tailwind – a Pinterest scheduler that does ALL of the pinning for you at the exact times you choose!
Bluehost – a fantastic web hosting company that will help you take your blog to the place you dream of!
ConvertKit – an email marketing company that helps you build your email list and make money.
PicMonkey – a creative resource for making Pinterest templates, flyers, business cards, Instagram info and more.
WordPress Support Specialist: This guy is my right hand man! If I mess something up, can’t figure something out or just need him to work on my site – Grayson is my go to! Click here to see the services he offers.
