Make Money From Your Blog
Blogging can be a fulfilling hobby - a great way to express your passion for a particular subject. But make no mistake: it can also be a great way to make money, either as a side hustle or as a full-time career.
Don't believe me?
Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income made over $2 million last year through his blog.
Matthew of True Valhalla is a 20-year old game developer who is on track to make $500,000 this year from his blog.
And Anil Agarwal of Bloggers Passion isn't getting rich, but takes in around $70,000 a year from his blog.
So whether you want to make an extra $1,000/month from your blog or are looking to quit your day job to blog full time, this post will help.
Following are 25 ways you can start making money from your blog today.
1. Create a business directory
What types of product or services does your audience frequently ask for recommendations on? Compile a list, and then approach relevant businesses to sign up for your business directory. A tool like Business Directory Plugin makes it easy to get started.
2. Promote an affiliate product
Affiliate sales comprise a large chunk of revenue for most big-name bloggers. For instance, Pat Flynn made $53K last month from affiliate sales, compared to "just" $9,500 from book sales. In general, look for affiliate products with higher price points; web hosting companies are a great choice if it makes sense in your niche, with payouts of anywhere from $60-$130+ per signup.
3. Sell ad space
This is the strategy that most bloggers start with when looking to monetize their blog. However, keep in mind you're not limited to selling banner ad spots (which is generally an ineffective strategy these days). Consider other areas you could rent out: space on your pop-up box, social media headers, the "P.S." on your email newsletters...think outside the box (quite literally).
4. Offer services
While selling your services may not make you rich (look to passive income to do that!), it's a great way to make some extra cash and to build up your reputation. Sell services directly related to the topic of your blog (e.g., catering for a food blog), or freelance blogging services like writing or graphic design.
5. Offer consulting services
There's a need for consultants in nearly every niche. Charge by the hour for the phone, email or Skype advice you're probably already giving away for free.
6. Write sponsored posts
As you build up your blog, expect to receive multiple sponsored post requests each day. These native ads can be a highly effective way for businesses to reach your audience in a non-threatening way - and they can be a highly effective way for you to make a lot of money. Just make sure the posts are actually interesting and relevant to your audience, and that you fully disclose the sponsored nature of the post.
7. Offer coaching services
Similar to consulting, coaching is usually more a one-on-one service (while consulting is generally provided to organizations or teams). Put together a range of packages you can offer: hourly consults, DIY packages, or unlimited email advice packages.
8. Host webinars
While many businesses use them to generate leads, hosting paid webinars is also an option. Just make sure you're providing exceptional value - with so many free webinars out there, you need to be offering something pretty special if you want to charge for it.
9. Host sponsored contests or giveaways
Approach businesses in your niche and offer to host a giveaway or contest on your blog or on social media. This can increase awareness of their business among your followers; and when done right, can also generate a ton of leads for their business.
10. Teach an online course
Want to design and host an online course entirely on your blog? WordPress plugins like LearnDash and Zippy Courses make it easy to get started. Of, if you'd prefer to host your course through an established online education site, look at Udemy or Skillshare.
11. Create a private community
Build a virtual community on your blog using a free plugin like bbPress, or host it on Facebook using Facebook groups. With so many free groups out there, just be sure you're offering amazing value to make the monthly fee worthwhile.
12. Write an ebook
Have in-depth knowledge in your niche? Package it up into an ebook and sell it on your blog. I'd generally advise against selling it (at least exclusively) on Amazon or Kobo, as you'll probably be able to charge much less. If you've already built up a solid audience, you can probably change anywhere from $5 for a very short one, all the way up to $39+.
13. Sponsored social content
Give businesses some airtime on your Facebook page, or post sponsored tweets or Instagram pics. These are ridiculously quick and easy to post, and you can charge anywhere from $25-$500+ per post depending on the size of your audience.
14. Premium gated content
Premium content can mean any type of content you charge for - an ebook, whitepaper, downloadable guide, etc. But what I'm referring to here is pay-gated content. Basically you just put some awesome content up behind a paywall, which means visitors pay to access it. You can get your own paywall set up in 10 minutes or less using a plugin like MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro.
A plugin like Paid Memberships Pro lets you set up and charge for different membership levels
15. Site sponsorship
Some advertisers aren't content to just have a banner ad or sponsored post; they want the full meal deal. A site sponsorship is where an advertiser basically has full reign of your site (at least in terms of adverting exclusivity). This could mean they get banner ads, mentions in your pop-up, their logo in your blog banner, etc.
16. Sell merchandise
Adding a shop page to your blog is easy (and free) with a plugin like Woocommerce. Whether you sell handmade goods, your own digital products (E-junkie is a great low-cost option for this), or other relevant products, this can be a great way to make some extra cash from your blog.
17. Sell templates
A good template can save your audience time and money. Templates can work in almost any niche: Business - new client contract template; Fitness - 30-day workout template; Health - 3 month clean eating template, etc.
18. Job board
Creating a job board on your site is a great way to make your blog "sticky" - meaning you get visitors returning again and again. It's also a great way to earn some extra cash while also providing a valuable service. Darren Rowse from ProBlogger runs a hugely popular job board where he charges $70 for a 30-day listing. With around 70 listings per month, he's bringing in some solid earnings with relatively little investment of time or money.
19. Private bootcamp
Host a bootcamp for your audience to help them accomplish a specific goal. This works well in the fitness niche (30-day "get in shape" bootcamp), business ("Launch your website bootcamp"), home and lifestyle ("Make over your living room for just $200"), and many other niches.
20. Write tutorials
In-depth tutorials are great for getting links and social shares. However, they can also be a great way to earn money on your blog. There are a number of ways you can make this happen - include affiliate links for the products you use in your tutorial; promote your own products in the tutorial; write a tutorial to promote an advertiser's product (just be clear that it's a sponsored post), etc.
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