9 of the Best Ways to Make Money Blogging

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When it comes to blogging, there is a wide range of opportunities available to bloggers. I’m going to share with you the best ways to make money blogging and how exactly to implement these strategies.

What Does Blogging Mean?

First, let’s explain what blogging means in case you’re living under a rock. Blogging is when someone creates an online journal to share their ideas, thoughts, and/or experiences.

This can be done through writing, photos, reviewing products or places, or other forms of social media.

Is it Realistic to Make Money Blogging?

Absolutely!

I don’t want to make it sound like this is easy to do because it isn’t. This requires a ton of hard work and dedication to get your blog to the level to start making money.

If you are able to gain momentum and get your blog off the ground, your potential income is limitless. There truly is no limit to the amount of money you can make. There are a variety of ways to make money blogging and we will get into those shortly.

Understand the number one challenge is finding what works best for you and your blog. Creating a strategy that makes you money sometimes poses an uphill battle.

How Many Views Do You Need to Make Money Blogging?

There isn’t one magic number of viewers you need to have in order to start making money. If only one person visits your blog, makes a purchase through an affiliate link, boom… you just made money.

In regards to ad companies, they will have a set minimum requirement for monthly visitors to your blog.

Some of the more familiar ad companies bloggers apply to join include Ezoic. Mediavine, Monumetric, and Ad Thrive.

These all have a minimum requirement. (As of 12/20)

• Ezoic – 10,000 sessions/month
• Mediavine – 50,000 sessions/month
• Monumetric – 10,000 pageviews/month
• Ad Thrive – 100,000 pageviews/month

Best Ways to Make Money Blogging

Some are pretty obvious while others are often overlooked. You need to focus on figuring out what the best strategy is for you in order to start thriving from a business standpoint.

Being able to make money online can be easy if you can line up all the components necessary to create a successful blog.

I’m going to go through a variety of options on how to make money blogging in hopes that this will help you better understand all the possible income sources.

Hopefully, this information can lead you in the right direction to turn your hobby into a full-time job and kick your 9-5 to the curb.

Placing Ads

I think of this as the most obvious way to make money blogging. Whenever you go to a website, you usually see advertisements plastered all over it. There are two ways that these can work.

One is, the ads are placed there because the owner of that website is hoping you will click on one of those ads and make a purchase. The ads usually rotate and are different every time the page is loaded. (Not necessarily though.)

Their placement is also determined by relevance and the optimal place they will most likely have a reader engage with them.

Making a purchase doesn’t cost any more money to the person buying from that ad than if they went to that retailer’s website directly. It simply allows for the owner of that website to make a commission on that sale. The ad has a special code embedded in it so the merchant knows where the source of that purchase came from.

Another way ad placement works is the company pays the website owner just to post their ads on their site. No purchases are necessary.

This usually means that the website is getting a huge number of visitors per month. They find value in placing ads on that website and believe the exposure alone is worth it.

Sounds like a super-easy way to make money online. Just keep doing whatever you’re already doing to drive the traffic to your blog.         

Google AdSense is by far the most popular for beginners to make money blogging but there are definitely more options out there for you to explore. Especially as your traffic increases.

You can make money online with ads once you can get approved to work with the better ad companies.

Becoming an Affiliate

Make money blogging by joining affiliate programs. This means that you have been accepted to be an ambassador for that company. You are given a special affiliate link that you can use in a few different ways.

Posting to Social Media

One is by posting them to your social media accounts. Tell your followers why you love the particular product or service and let them know why they might need it too.

If you have built their trust and proved your credibility, the better the chance is that they will buy whatever you are recommending.

Tailwind is the VERY BEST option for any blogger using Pinterest and Instagram so that’s why I’ve become an affiliate with them!

If you use my link to sign up, I’ll be forever grateful. I enjoy being able to make money online!

Post Banners

A second option is to post banners for those merchants on your website. Usually along the sidebar is the most popular place to see them but they can also be found within blog posts.

They look like ads but they stay constant. The picture and placement don’t change with every re-load of your website like an ad most likely would.

They have your special code embedded in them telling the merchant they are your referral. When you click on that banner, it leads you to that company’s website where a purchase is possibly made. If that happens, the website owner makes a commission.

Links Within Your Post

Another thing people do is place clickable links within their blog posts.

You might be writing a review about a product or pointing out the benefits of your favorite online course. Using the right verbiage will help entice more people to click on your link and possibly make a purchase.

You’ll see a couple in this article. They are sometimes are a more subtle way of posting your affiliate links. This is definitely one of the easiest ways to make money blogging once you gain your reader’s trust.

Utilize Pinterest

Finally, is posting your affiliate links to Pinterest. I know we are talking about how to make money blogging but keep reading.

Now Pinterest has gone back and forth on whether this is allowed, but currently, it is. You just have to make sure you are following the terms of each individual affiliate program because they will all be different. You don’t want to lose out on potential income because you didn’t read the fine print.

Check out my profile and you’ll see some pins that feature affiliate links. It’s a passive way to make money online.

Here are just a few examples of affiliate programs to join:

• Amazon Associates
• ShareASale     
• Ebay affiliates
• CJ Affiliate

You might also want to check out, How You Can Use Pinterest to Start Making Money.

Posting for Pay

Make money blogging by getting paid to post. This means that a company is paying you to either post to your social media account(s) or they are paying you to write a sponsored post.

Companies use a few different factors when determining whether to pick you for this type of pay. First, they will look at the number of followers you have on your social media accounts.

They might also take your Pinterest account into consideration. Sometimes someone shines there versus their social media accounts. Finally, they are going to look at the traffic you have coming to your website.

This allows them to make a determination whether you are a good fit for their brand and will reach their target audience. If they decide you are, the amount you will be paid depends on the above factors. You may be able to negotiate what you will be compensated but ultimately you both will need to come to an agreement.

Some other factors that may affect the amount you will be paid is whether it’s a social media post, a picture with their product, which social media platform(s) you will be posting to if it’s a written blog post, or a combination of all the above.

There are so many ways your deal could be structured. Simply make sure you have an agreement, an understanding of each other’s expectations and it’s all in writing. You’re in it to make money blogging so don’t miss out on potential income because you don’t have a proper contract.

PayPerPost is an example of one I’ve personally joined and have used to make money blogging.

Offering Goods

Sometimes companies will offer you goods in exchange for a review or a post to your social media. This is similar to everything stated above in the ‘Posting for pay’ section and another great way to make money blogging.

There are a variety of ways the deal can be structured but ultimately it will be something both you and that company agree on.

Keep in mind, there is the possibility they might offer you goods along with cash payment. It may not be as much because they are providing you the product or service and a cash payment, but again, that’s another option that would need to be worked out. Remember, just make sure it’s all in writing.

I know I keep saying, “Make sure it’s all in writing!” but that’s clearly because it’s super important. Contracts are key.

Here’s an example of a couple of options that offer goods in exchange for reviews or posts:

•           CafePress
•           Printfection

eBooks

This has become extremely popular over the years and a popular way to make money online. As the digital world continues to grow, so does the purchase of eBooks. It’s a great way to make money blogging.

People have their e-readers, tablets, and phones in their purses, briefcase and back pockets. They are in their hands 24/7 and what most people use to access information on a daily basis.

eBooks are a great way to make money and are much cheaper to make than a regular book. They also are more likely to be purchased because they can be read on all the different devices people have on them at all times.

Online Courses

This is one of the most popular ways to make money blogging.

When you can be deemed an expert at something that everyone wants to know, this is the perfect time to turn it into an online course. People pay good money to gain knowledge. Especially when that knowledge gives them the chance to make a profit.

Think about what you know that nobody else does and maybe a limited amount of people know. Is it something others want to know? Do you think people would consider paying to learn what you know?

It’s definitely something to consider. Once you have the course made, you can sit back while the money comes in. It becomes a passive income at that point because the hard part is done. Now you just have to market it and make people aware of why they need to buy your course(s).

Some of the more popular platforms people use to make eBooks include:

•           Udemy
•           Kajabi
•           Teachable

There are more so consider your options and which is the best fit for you.

One of the very best courses I took was Blogging Blastoff 2.0. It literally takes you through step by step and makes everything so simple to follow along, learn, and implement what they are teaching you. They share helpful resources to get you going and headed in the right direction.

They also walk you through how to make money blogging.

Freelance Writing

If you are good at writing and find it fairly easy to do, this can be a great source of income. You can make money blogging by writing for other people’s blogs and creating content for them.

Depending on the website, you can make some quick money doing this while linking back to your website.

I can sometimes write a 1500-2000 word article in 30 minutes. If you are able to do that on the topics people are looking to pay someone to write, this could possibly be a great option.

You can do this to make money while you continue to grow your audience and are able to monetize your own blog.

There’s also the possibility you continue to do both. Why not maintain a second source of income if you can?

Coaching and Consulting

This is a great way to make money blogging that creates a residual income. Offering these types of services usually allows you to be paid on a monthly basis which is fantastic.

This is a service that can be provided in a few different ways.

To start, you could meet face to face. Sit with the client one on one or maybe it’s in the form of a classroom setting. You run it as any teacher does with their students and you give them homework along the way.

Another option may be an online chat, video conference, or phone call. These people may not need as much hand-holding but might need to get a confidence boost or a slight push if they find themselves in a rut.

Thirdly, you might offer a step by step guide they do online. They are great at teaching themselves; they just need the material to study. You can check-in on them along the way but they can do this at their own pace and on their own time.

These are just three examples of how you might offer this service. You might offer one or maybe these three plus more.

What I like about this is, you can have a different price point for each option which can appeal to a much bigger audience. The more hands-on, the more you can charge.

At the same time, you’re making money off of those who don’t need as much help but more of an occasional boost.

Regardless, you have income streaming in from a wide-range audience. This is a great passive way to make money blogging.

Selling Articles as PDF’s

This may sound crazy but hear me out. This is a genius way to make money blogging.

Have you ever pinned or bookmarked an article that looked really good so you could return to it later when you had a chance to read it?

Yes, we all have.

But what about when you get to the page and there are so many advertisements that it’s very hard to read the material. You’re consumed by ads and you either get lost or just exit out because you’re annoyed.

I’m pretty sure I can say we have all felt that way.

My suggestion is, if you have a very informative article that people want the information from, sell the article without the ads. You can turn it into a PDF that they can purchase for a few dollars ($2-$5 I’d suggest) and then they can read it with ease and zero distraction in the article.

You never know but it could bring in some passive income as you’d only need to provide a place for them to purchase and download it.

Keep in Mind

These aren’t the only ways that you can make money but they are among the most popular and the best ways to make money blogging.

You should definitely figure out which works best for you. What are the best ways for you to make money online?

I’d suggest getting started with just one. Trying to figure them all out at once is only going to confuse you and get you nowhere.

Master that one and then try to move on to another. You may find only one or two of these work for you while others may be able to implement them all. Test them out and measure the results.

Keep in mind though, none of this is as easy as it seems. It takes a lot of hard work. There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes that will consume much more time than you may have anticipated.

Just remember you’re trying to make money blogging so keep at it! The hard work will pay off in due time.

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