Blogging is not a “get rich quick” kind of thing. Yes, there are bloggers out there who make a killing through their blog, but do you think it happened for them overnight? No! In order to become a successful blogger, it takes patience, practice, hard work, dedication, and a lot of trial and error. However, there are some steps you can take to help yourself out. In this post, we will show you how you can make money blogging.
Put First Things First
When it comes to making money through your blog, it all starts with content. Without amazing content, you won’t attract much traffic and without much traffic, you won’t be able to make much money. So first and foremost, before you start implementing any type of monetizing strategy, be sure your site is chock full of great content.
Once you’ve established a great content-producing site and things are starting to take shape, THEN is time to start adding a monetization strategy to the mix.
Create Multiple Streams of Income
You don’t want to be putting all of your eggs in one basket. Having multiple streams of income is key to successful monetization and maximizing your earning potential.
Listed below are four main ways to make money through your blog. Although only four ideas are listed, don’t be afraid to try out others you may encounter! Trial and error is key to finding what generates the best earning potential for you.
#1 Ad Networks
Joining an ad network is by far the easiest way to start generating income from your site. The more your blog traffic increases, the more you can make through ad networks. Watching your ad revenue grow as your blog traffic grows is a great motivator to continually produce amazing content. It’s a win-win situation all around. Three ad networks I highly recommend are:
Google Adsense
If you are a new blogger that hasn’t gained a huge following yet, Google Adsense is a great place to start. Google Adsense is open to anyone, regardless of monthly pageviews, and it’s free to sign up. After signing up, they will provide you with ad codes that you can easily place in HTML gadgets/widgets on your blog. Before applying, be sure to review this post: 10 Things To Do Before Adding Google Adsense
Monumetric
Once you’ve reached a minimum of 10,000 monthly pageviews, then you can sign up for the Propel program at Monumetric. Joining an ad network like Monumetric is great because they take care of adding all of the ads to your site for you. You’ll start generating an income the second the ads are placed on your site. With Propel, you also receive over 70 courses that will teach you how to increase your blog traffic. They also provide you with a custom reporting dashboard that details all of your stats and earnings. They have different programs that you can upgrade to as your traffic grows: Ascend (80K-500K monthly pageviews), Stratos (500K-10MM monthly pageviews), & Apollo (10MM+ monthly pageviews).
AdThrive
AdThrive is another amazing ad network but it requires a minimum of 100,000 monthly pageviews to join. Like Monumetric, they optimize and manage all of your ads, so you don’t have to worry about a thing. AdThrive is famous for producing amazing results. Within just a few days of having ads placed on your site, you’ll most likely see a 100-300% increase in income per pageview. They help you make the very most of each page view so you can earn great money as you focus on creating great content for your blog.
#2 Affiliate Links
Getting involved in affiliate programs is a great way to monetize your blog. You can find affiliate programs to join everywhere (even here at Designer Blogs).
If there is a product or company within your niche that you use often and love, check into whether or not they have an affiliate program. Most likely they do! Once you are signed up as an affiliate, you will be given an affiliate link, which you can then use within the content of your site to promote the products you recommend. When one of your readers clicks through your affiliate link and purchases that product, you earn a commission! The more you promote, the more you can earn. However, it’s important to remember that your readers should always come first. You should only promote things that you truly feel will benefit them and that you absolutely love or use yourself. Your readers will be able to tell whether you are promoting something just to make a buck or two, or because you really believe in and love the product. Some great affiliate programs are:
Bluehost
Bluehost has one of the best affiliate programs out there. You can earn a $95 commission each time someone signs up for web hosting through your affiliate link. Bluehost is constantly holding affiliate competitions where you can earn prizes or even an increased commission rate. The best way to promote Bluehost is by creating a tutorial on your blog (like ours here) that walks people through how to start a WordPress blog using Bluehost. Include your affiliate link throughout that post and then promote that post like crazy and you’ll start earning big bucks in no time.
Amazon
Amazon sells EVERYTHING, so why not become an Amazon affiliate and start earning a 10% commission on products you promote? You can also add Amazon banners to your site to earn additional revenue.
VigLink
VigLink automatically adds affiliate links to products mentioned in your content so you don’t have to. It does all of the affiliate linking, so it’s an effortless way to earn additional revenue.
ShopStyle
ShopStyle is a great affiliate program for fashion bloggers who want an easy way for their readers to shop outfits from their posts.
Designer Blogs
Promote our Planners, WordPress Themes, Accessories and/or Blogger Templates and earn 10% commission on every sale you send our way! Simply display one of our banner ads on your site and/or include your affiliate link in a post and watch your account balance grow as your visitors become our customers. Visit our Affiliate Center to join.
#3 Sponsored Posts & Ads
As your blog continues to grow, you’ll start getting contacted by brands that want you to blog about their products or that want to pay to advertise on your site. It’s a great idea to have a media kit on hand to send to brands when they reach out to you. If you’d like our help custom design one for you, contact us! Media kits highlight your brand and should excite brands to work with you.
Good things to include in a media kit:
- Bio & photo
- Blog stats from Google Analytics
- Social media stats
- Sponsored post pricing and/or sidebar ad pricing
- Brands you’ve worked with in the past
- Photos that showcase your brand and style
Once you’ve sent a brand your media kit and they’ve selected the type of sponsored post they’d like you to do, then you can send them over an invoice (Paypal works great for this). Be enthusiastic and professional when responding to brands. It’s also a good idea to include an example of what a sponsored post by you might look like to get the brands you work with excited about the opportunity to work with you.
#4 Sell Products & Services
Surely you are a talented individual with something that can be offered to the world. What do you have to offer that could be sold?
Here are a few ideas:
- Create digital products (e.g. e-books, downloads, printables, e-courses, etc.)
- Sell physical products that you can ship out in the mail (e.g. handmade items, posters, t-shirts, etc.)
- Offer coaching & consulting services
- Teach a class or create an online webinar
- Speak at a conference
- Sell stuff on Etsy
- Host a conference or blogging event
Be creative and don’t be afraid to try new things. It’s easy to keep doing the same old things, but if you expand yourself beyond what you are comfortable with, you may find you have skills you never realized you had before. If there is something you’ve always wanted to learn, step out of your comfort zone and take a class to learn it. It may just end up being the missing piece to your blogging success.
In Conclusion
Building a profitable blog takes time and a lot of hard work, but don’t give up! It may take you a few years to start earning a steady income from your blog, but if you keep working at it, you’ll get there!
Becoming a successful blogger isn’t going to magically happen overnight. It’s an ongoing, day-by-day process of persistent work and dedication. Keep dreaming! Keep challenging yourself! Don’t be afraid of failure! It’s through failure that you’ll eventually find your sweet spot.
Be confident in who you are and what you have to offer the world. Value your time, knowledge, and skills. With persistent effort, you’ll soon see great results!
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Author: Kate
