10 easy ways to make money blogging
One of the most common questions I’m asked is ‘How do you make money blogging?‘ I then shoot back a question of my own like ‘How long have you been blogging for?’ You see, making money blogging isn’t as easy as starting a blog, and Bam! you are now an instant money machine. It all takes time.
The usual response I get to my question is, ‘I haven’t started yet’ and then the answer is easy. Get started with your blog and then come and see me after you have published 20 blog posts. Wow! it’s that easy.
But in reality I know that someone that creates 20 blog posts, is serious enough and has usually passed the 3 month drop-off point associated with new bloggers. If you have a blog and are serious about making money, it’s possible, but only if you have the traffic. The traffic is built overtime and is dependant on the quality of your content. Everything is in your control.
If you are committed to blogging and have chosen a topic that you can blog about a few times a week, then these 10 Easy Ways to Make Money Blogging are just for you. Enjoy!
1. Join an Display Advertising Program
When people think of making money from their blogs, they instantly think of display advertising programs like that you see for advertising panels or banners. The Big Daddy of this type of advertising is Google and specifically their Adsense program. It’s one of the easiest and most popular programs to join and you can almost start earning pennies immediately. Some of the models they offer are Banner Ad impressions, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) for Ad Blocks and Text Links and if you are Video Blogger on YouTube, you can also make money from video advertising.
Advertising Programs won’t make you rich unless you have large amounts of traffic, but it’s a start. However, as you’ll discover there are more lucrative ways to convert your traffic.
2. Use an Affiliate Advertising Program
There are many single companies that offer programs that enable you to sign up as an affiliate of that company and earn money. Amazon Associates is one of the most popular and easiest affiliate advertising programs for bloggers to join. If you are recommending products, then why not get paid a small commission for sending your valuable traffic their way.
3. Join an Affiliate Advertising Network
An Affiliate Advertising Network, is like big mall shopping where there are a number of affiliates under the one roof. You join once and then subscribe to the different affiliate channels.
ClickBank , Share-A-Sale and CJ Affiliate are a few of the most popular affiliate advertising networks available and they are Free to Join.
4. Sell Ad Space to Niche Advertisers
Once established, you can try to sell your own ad space directly to advertisers. This method does take a bit of time and effort trying to source the relevant Advertisers, but as you become more popular, advertisers may start to contact you directly. If you aren’t in the advertising business and prefer to just write on your blog then businesses like BuySellAds are available to match advertisers with publishers. For a blogger (publisher) it can make selling direct ad space easier.
5. Get paid for Promoted Posts
Did you know that you can write blog posts on your own blog in exchange for money? You can find companies that want to sell their products to your niche audience and will pay you to review their products. Check out PayperPost and ReviewMe if you are looking for these sorts of opportunities.
Or perhaps you want get free stuff to review and you don’t even need to beg. I recently discovered this when building my A-Z of Popular Blog Sites and discovered a company called Tomoson where you can be linked with a company wanting to promote their products via giveaways.
Promoted posts could get you into a grey area with your readers so it’s always best to have full disclosure as per the local Trade Commission Act, relevant to your country. As long as you are up front and still provide value, people often can accept that you need to make a living.
6. Create and Sell your Merchandise
So now you are a Rock Star Blogger and people are asking for something with your brand on it, perhaps something that instantly associates them with your tribe. Well it’s super easy to create your own merchandise and then sell directly on your site.
Companies like CafePress, VistaPrint or Zazzle can help you to fulfil your Rock Star duty. Hey, you owe it to your fans don’t you?
Selling your Books (see below) and or DVD’s directly on your site to a qualified audience can also improve your profit margins.
7. Become a Professional Blogger
If are a born writer and can’t see yourself as anything but a writer, then you can become a professional writer on someone else’s blog while your’s start to build your own momentum. It’s a bit like ghost writing, and you may even get to improve your personal brand. Just search on your local job sites for ‘blogger’ and see what you find.
Opportunities also exist via LinkedIn job postings, so don’t forget to check out all job networks. Also, check out sites like WriterWeekly for work.
8. Join a Blog Network or Start your Own
There are a number of blog networks that include many blogs and bloggers all publishing under a larger brand or company. Many of these blog networks pay bloggers a flat fee per post or per word that you write or the blogger receives a percentage of advertising earnings tied to the number of page views his or her posts generate (some networks even pay both a flat fee and a percentage of advertising revenues).
Alternatively, as you get to know more bloggers in your niche, you could consider setting up your own blog network to leverage a shared audience.
9. Ask for Donations
Sometimes it just pays to ask.
Adding a PayPal donation button to your site can’t hurt especially if you don’t already bombard your readers with other forms of advertising. You’ll be surprised at ‘How many people donate when you ask’ Vs ‘How many donate when you don’t’ Obviously, if you don’t ask you’ll never get a ‘YES’
Check out this TED talk by Amanda Palmer who has mastered The art of asking.
10. Leverage your Newsletter
If you haven’t already established a newsletter for your blog then you should stop reading this and go and JUST DO IT!
A newsletter is the best lead generation you’ll have and I predicate, despite the growth in social networks, email will be around for another 10-20 years yet.
You can use an account WordPress.com to manage the automation of your blog posts or set-up an automated newsletter mail-out using sites like MailChimp for FREE or for a more premium service try AWeber.
So there you have it. Ten of the easiest ways you can use to monetise your blog, and the longer you have been blogging the easier money will come to you. The Blogging model right now is hitting a peak in Google Organic Traffic, because content has never been so valued, and especially on websites that are updated several times a week. Throw in all that user generated content in the comments and you have yourself a great opportunity for monetising your blog.
If you are looking for real world examples then check out the list I’m putting together for Popular Blog Sites and how they are making money. It’s a work in progress so not all niches are populated, as yet.
After you’ve experimented with these 10 monetisation models, you should have a look at the advanced monetisation models, in my
25 Ways to Make Money Blogging Report
It’s free and will help you to generate even more money, from the years of dedication to your blogging craft. You deserve a reward for your efforts so take advantage of this Golden Blogging Age whilst it lasts.
Sadly none of this knowledge matters if you don’t get started, because only ACTION leads to RESULTS.
If you need more help with blogging then maybe you should start here. Good Luck!