In this blog post, we will go through 6 ways that you can make money blogging and turn your favorite hobby into a profitable career.
Blogging is a great way to make money online because it’s relatively easy to start and there are many different ways to monetize your content.
The key is finding the right niche for your audience so that you can focus on writing about what they want!
Use affiliate links when linking to stores online
Affiliate marketing is a great way for beginners to start monetizing the content on their blog.
This is where you earn commissions by linking to other stores and then earning a percentage of each sale the store makes when someone clicks on your link.
This is great for beginners because it doesn’t take much time or effort, you simply add your unique referral or “affiliate” link to products you’re talking about.
For example, if I was writing a blog post on “How to plant sunflowers in your garden”, I could talk about what you may need to dig the soil and plant the seeds.
I would then include an affiliate link to gardening tools on Amazon or a gardening store.
Whenever someone clicked through my link and purchased a tool that I was recommending, I would receive a small commission (typically between 1-10%, depending on the store and the product).
This may not seem like much if only one or two people use my affiliate link, however it can add up to a nice sum of money if you get a lot of visitors to your website or you affiliate for more expensive items.
Affiliate marketing is not just limited to physical goods either. If you have an online course or ebook that you want to talk about, the creator may be able to give you an affiliate link to share on your blog. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Share display ads on your blog
Display ads can be placed on your blog so that brands can advertise their products, and you will get a commission for every time someone views or clicks on the ad.
You don’t even need a lot of visitors to your blog to get started. You can apply to Google Adsense very early on in your blogging journey and to start sharing ads on your site.
If you wait until your blog is more established, you can apply to agencies such as Ezoic or Mediavine who offer premium ads to monetize your blog.
After you have set up display ads on your site, you simply need send traffic over to your content to make money.
Offer a service, like coaching or consulting
Another way to monetize your audience is by offering a service.
You can get coaching or consulting gigs from people who need your help in a certain area of their lives, and you’ll make money by helping them out!
This is an excellent way to build relationships with others while also making some cash on the side for yourself – all without having any products involved at first.
Simply mention the services you offer in the content on your blog.
Not everyone will have blogs in niches that lend themselves to coaching or consulting, however, if you write content in areas such as finance, relationships and health, it may be a good option to consider.
Sell your own products
This method is more like having a store on your site. You can sell physical products (like T-shirts or mugs) and digital goods, such as ebooks that you write for people to purchase.
For example, if somebody likes what they read in one of my posts about teaching English abroad then you could include an ebook that gives them the information they need to be able to start doing it themselves.
If you have some expertise or personal experience in the niche your blog is in, you may be able to offer a valuable resource that your audience is willing to pay for.
Write blog posts about a popular subject to spark interest and promote your digital product.
Also, you could sell your own physical products or even create your own graphic designs and sell them via Print-on-demand services.
Get sponsored posts from brands
Once your blog is more established, you will find brands will reach out to you in hopes of getting you to promote them on your blog.
If you accept their offers, you can charge a fee.
The key to this is being honest about the brands you will accept sponsored posts from, and also make sure that they are relevant for readers in some way so it’s not just another inappropriate advertisement or promotion.
You could also charge advertisers a flat fee on top of the profits you make from your blog, which would be an easy way to earn more money.
Work the promotion into your content so it is natural to your readers.
Build an email list
The last way you can monetize your blog is by creating an email list to promote your products or services, affiliate links or paid adverts.
You email people with valuable information regularly and then occasionally add a promotion to make you money.
You can start an email list for free using tools such as Mailchimp, Mailerlite and Convertkit.
Collecting emails on your blog can be done very easily and on autopilot.
One way is by adding a sign-up form at the end of each blog post (or in sidebar), for example: ‘Sign up below if you want more tips on blogging’.
People will be sign-up if you also offer a free resource to them as an incentive, for example ‘Sign up below for a free 5-step checklist on starting your own blog’.
You set up an automated email to deliver their free checklist once they sign up.
Email lists can be very valuable for digital marketers and bloggers and can never be taken away.
You’ll be able to reach out and stay in touch with your subscribers at any time.
