How do blogs make money? How do bloggers get paid? These are burning questions on every wanna be blogger and current blogger’s mind.
Beginning bloggers want to know if it is even possible to make money blogging.
Bloggers that have been at it for a little while want to know how to better monetize their blogs.
Your Mom (or maybe even your spouse) wants to know how do bloggers get paid.
The answer is really quite simple.
How do bloggers make money?
The same way everyone else does: by offering something of value in exchange for money.
Which means before you can start making money on your blog it has to be a valuable place on the web. The type of value you blog has to offer will differ on how you want to monetize your blog.
There are five main ways bloggers make money: ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, products, and services.
In this article I am going to break down what each of these so that anyone can understand how bloggers make money and get paid.
Make sure to save it to Pinterest. This is going to be one of those articles you keep coming back to.
Each section will start out explaining how blogs are monetized with that plan and then answer the following questions:
- who pays the blogger
- when can beginning bloggers start making money with that method
- tips for getting your blog ready for making money via that route.
Which best describes you?
This post is beefy. I wanted to give you the most in-depth overview on how you can make money blogging. Feel free to skip to the sections you are most interested in.
Here’s a brief overview in Story format:
#1 Bloggers make money with ads
Let’s start here because ads are probably the most well-known way bloggers make money.
How does it work? A blogger signs up for an ad network to place ads on their site. Most ad networks use targeted ads. Meaning the ad changes depending on who is view the blog, the content on the blog, and or the content the viewer recently visited.
Popular ad networks bloggers belong to
- Adsense – no monthly minimum to apply
- Adthrive – minimum of 100,000 monthly pageviews
- Mediavine – 25,000 monthly sessions
- Sovrn – no monthly minimum to apply
The two main ways bloggers get paid through ad networks are per impression or per click.
Paid per impression – with these ads, the viewer does not have to click on the ad in order for the blogger to receive an income. They are paid per impression, which is how many times the ad is seen.
Paid per click – every time someone clicks on the ad, blogger receive a small amount of money for that click.
Here’s a recap on how making money with ads works. Sovrn shares the following,
“advertisers pay website owners based on how many people have seen their ads. Every time an ad is seen by a reader, that’s called “an impression.” Because there are billions of ad impressions every day, advertisers pay based on intervals of 1,000 impressions or CPM (cost per mille impressions).”
When you are ready to place ads on your site, your ad network will coach you through where to place the ads. Here are some common areas you will see ads on blogs:
- Sidebar, frequently sticky
- Header
- Over images (personal side note: if find these annoying, but lots of bloggers are making good money from it)
- In post after x amount of paragraphs
- Sticky footer on mobile
Who pays the blogger?
In most cases, the ad network a blogger is associated with pays the blogger a monthly income. Occasionally, brands will reach out directly to a blogger to place an ad on the blog. In that case, the brand would negotiate a rate and pay the blogger directly.
When can you start monetizing with ads?
Beginning bloggers often try making their first money with ads and quickly become frustrated when they are making pennies a month.
The reason beginning bloggers can’t make money from ads is because they do not have enough traffic. So, while you can place ads on your site at any time, realistically you won’t make very much money unless you are getting around 25,000 pageviews a month.
You are better off waiting until you hit that 25,000 pageview mark and then adding ads to your site.
I tried going through Google Adsense’s application process for my mock blog. I set up this blog for my beginning bloggers course. It had 4 posts and a fully designed home page. Google did not approve my application for AdSense stating that site was not developed enough. So even with the big G you need to have an established site before you can place their ads on your blog.
Tips for making money with ads:
As mentioned above, if you want to make money with ads you need traffic. Lots of traffic. How do you get more traffic to your site? The first is step is to have quality content that people actually want to read. The next step is to market that content. Pinterest is my favorite way to get traffic to my blog.
If you want to make money with ads focus your efforts on epic content and marketing. When it comes to making money via ads this will be your primary focus before you hit the magical 25,000 pageviews and after.
#2 Bloggers make money with affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is where a blogger establishes a connection with a company and then promotes that company’s products and or service. Each blogger is given a unique URL to the company’s website. When a viewer clicks that unique link and then purchases from the company, the blogger receives a commission.
Commissions are given to the blogger in a percentage of the sale or a fixed amount per sale or lead.
There are a few ways bloggers can become affiliates for companies. You can become an affiliate directly through the company’s affiliate program or by joining affiliate marketing networks and finding affiliate programs to join there.
Find an affiliate program for a specific company
If you have a company or product in mind that you’d like to be an affiliate for go on a quest to find their affiliate program.
First, head to the company’s website and scroll down to the very bottom of their website. Many company’s include a link to their affiliate program in the site footer. Sometimes the affiliate program is not as easy to find. Next, try doing a site search on Google. site:companyurl.com “affiliate program”.
Different companies will use different terms for affiliate programs. Some are referred to as partner programs, rewards program, referrals program. Try a few different variations to see if you can find the affiliate page.
If you are unable to find an affiliate program try reaching out directly to the company and asking. Dig around for an email address, contact box, or try connecting on social media.
Join an affiliate Network
You can also find affiliate programs by signing up for an affiliate marketing network. Here are a few of the most popular ones: (you guessed it, some of these are affiliate links)
Shareasale
CJ Affiliate by Conversant (formerly Commission Junction)
Rakuten Linkshare
Amazon
Become an affiliate for other bloggers or influencers.
Are there bloggers inside your niche or a complementary niche that have created and are selling their own product, course, or ebook? You can reach and see if they have an affiliate program set up.
Although they might be the “competition” becoming an affiliate for them could be a mutually beneficial relationship.
You can sell their product and talk about it on your blog. This will help you earn and income and help them generate more sells. Often times, when you write your review + affiliate post the blogger will share your post with their audience (because it’s promoting them). This will help you grow your audience as well.
So not only are you making money but you are increasing your reach!
Who pays the blogger?
Most of the time, an affiliate is paid through an affiliate network. Even when I’ve found affiliate programs directly through a company’s website, they have used a network to manage tracking my links and paying me. Payouts are usually made on a monthly basis when the minimum amount of sales are made.
Other times, commissions are payed directly from the company whose products you are marketing.
Keep in mind that the commission percentage is typically higher for digital products than physical products.
When can you start monetizing with affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to start making money on your blog. You can start monetizing with affiliate links at any point in your blogging journey. Obviously, the more eyes on the links and promotions you do for affiliate marketing the more money you will make.
Keep in mind that some affiliate programs, like Amazon, have minimum sale quotas or pageviews. Look into the details before applying for the affiliate program.
Many new bloggers think they can automatically start a blog and use Amazon Affiliates. However, when you sign up to be an Amazon Affiliate, you must make at least 3 sales from your links in 180 days in order to remain in their program. “You are welcome to reapply when you have established your site.”
Still, affiliate marketing is great for beginning bloggers for a few reasons:
- It doesn’t require as many pageviews as ad income to be successful.
- You can sell a product that already has a proven track record for sales, making it easier for you to sale.
- You can practice selling someone else’s product before creating your own.
I fully agree with Pat Flynn when he says,
“Perhaps the best part [about affiliate marketing] is, you don’t have to create your own product, because someone else has already done the hard work. That’s the beauty of affiliate marketing: that you don’t have to invest the time and effort to create something to sell. You can begin making money as an affiliate as soon as you have a platform to sell products.”
Tips for making money with Affiliate Marketing:
If you want to be successful with affiliate marketing, you need to build up and establish your platform (platform = your blog + email list).
This means publishing quality content that resonates with your audience. Oh, and marketing that content is a big deal too. Establishing your platform also means building trust and authority with the people that visit your blog.
You can’t just drop affiliate links and expect to make money. You have to be strategic about your affiliate monetization plan (P.S. spell check keeps telling me that monetization is not a word. So, sorry but I’m using it anyway 😊)
Affiliate marketing is most successful when you are marketing a product that you like and use yourself. Read more on my tips for making money via affiliate marketing.
#3 Bloggers make money with sponsored posts
Sponsored content is where a company pays a blogger to create content about their brand or a specific product. Sponsored content typically looks like any other content the blogger produces with the same tone and feel (disclosed that it is sponsored, of course).
Companies like to work with bloggers and content creators as a way of advertising their product in an editorial format. The company values bloggers’ influence, voice, and authority. That is why the company wants to use your platform (blog and it’s extensions) to advertise.
Sometimes the content you create for sponsored posts will be the entire blog post process (content, pictures, set numbers social shares) and other times companies will pay you for just one aspect of your content creation. Bloggers receive sponsorship for any of the following:
- Articles
- Photography
- Styling and staging
- Videos
- Live videos
- Social media posts
- Emails
Each campaign will be different for bloggers depending on the needs of the sponsor and the platforms that you excel at. Companies want to use your voice to talk about their product/service to your unique audience.
How do bloggers get sponsored opportunities?
The big bloggers do not have to do much. The sponsors come to them because they see value in their content and audience.
Beginning bloggers and even established be lesser known bloggers need to do a little bit of leg work to get sponsored.
If there’s a brand you know you want to work with, you can directly pitch them with an idea or rates.
The most popular way for bloggers (especially beginning bloggers) to find sponsored opportunities is through sponsored networks. In the marketing world these are referred to as Influencer Networks.
These networks help connect brands and influencers (bloggers and content creators). When you apply and join the network you will have access to see available sponsor jobs and apply for them yourself within the network.
I reached out to my local blogging group to get today’s most popular influencer networks to join.
Find Sponsored Content Opportunities through an Influencer network
Clever
Massive Sway
Soapbox Influence
IZEA
Pollinate
Activate
Weave Made
Who pays the blogger?
How a blogger is payed from a sponsored post depends on how the connection between the brand and the blogger starts. If the blogger and brand are communicating directly with each other, the company pays the blogger directly.
If the blogger finds a sponsor opportunity through a sponsor network, then the network pays the blogger.
When a blogger works directly with a brand, whether by having the brand come to them or by pitching the brand, the commission rate for the sponsored content is negotiable. My friend Tracie has a great post about sponsored content that discusses how to charge for your content.
When a blogger works through an influencer networks to land a sponsored content gig the pay rate is usually set a head of time.
When can you start monetizing with sponsored posts?
Your blog needs to be established with a good amount of content before you can start working with brands.
Many brands and networks will want to see that you’ve been blogging for at least 6 months and have a significant amount of followers.
Audience size isn’t as crucial as it is with ads, but companies will want to make sure people are visiting your site and interested in your content before they pay you to create content for them.
Tips for making money with Sponsored Content:
If you want to make money via sponsored content my suggestions are to:
- hone in on your unique writing style and ideas
- improve your photography skills
- focus in on a particular audience + make them fall in love with you
- decide ahead of time what type of companies match your blog’s brand and values
- Like many of the above tips, continue working on growing your audience
When you do get the opportunity for sponsored content, remember to still provide extreme value to your readers! This is what will help you continue to get sponsored opportunities and keep your people happy.
I really love this quote from the healthy maven about creating sponsored content,
“I work for my readers and get paid by my brands” That means that whatever sponsored work I do has to be relevant to you. I take this into account with every brand I work with. Is this valuable to my readers? Is this a product I think you’d actually use? Is it a product I would actually use? If it’s the right fit, it’s a win-win for everyone. If it’s not the right fit, you will likely let me know it, which is why I only work with brands that I align with The Healthy Maven.
#4 Bloggers make money creating and selling products
Many people think that bloggers primarily make their income via ads. That is true for many, but some of the most successful bloggers these days sell their own product.
Bloggers sell digital products, educational products, memberships or subscriptions, books, their own physical products, or wholesale purchase a products and retail it on their own blog.
Let’s break those down and talk about the different products bloggers create and sell.
Digital Products
Digital products are very popular products for bloggers to create and sell on their blogs. Some examples are printable planners, invitations, party printable, meal plans, guides, etc.
Digital products have a high earning potential because they usually have little to no costs to create them.
After you create a digital product, you can use a WordPress plugin like Easy Digital Downloads or a tool like Gumroad or even Paypal to sell and deliver the digital goods you create.
Here are some real-life examples of bloggers making money via the digital products they sell:
- Typically Simple sales these printable hidden letters for early learning.
- After publishing a lot of content on garage sales, Rachel created and sale this Garage Sale Handbook.
Courses
We live in the age of knowledge. Maybe too much but that is a topic for another day.
As a blogger you probably have expansive knowledge on a particular subject and can share that with others. Today’s bloggers are educating their audience by creating their own ebooks, guides, online courses and workshops.
A large number of bloggers are trying to make money online by packaging their expertise and selling it to their audience so that they too can learn.
Why?
First, this is usually content bloggers are already creating on their blog. A lot of people have posts that are educational by nature and so a educational product comes naturally.
Secondly, creating and selling a course has a higher earning potential than some of the other money-making methods. You are in control of the price point and you make the full commission.
Lastly, audience size is not as crucial to start making money as it is with ads and sponsored posts. Obviously, the more followers you have the higher earning potential. But if you have 100 followers and 10 buy your 30-dollar course than that is $300 dollars more than you would have had. On the flip side someone with 100 followers might make fifty cents from ads in a month.
People are looking to learn and grow, by providing them a way to learn you have something of value that they are willing to pay for.
- Beyond Snapshots – a photography course for Moms
- Alison’s Cookie Party – a royal frosting sugar cookie course
- Successfully Growing Succulents – a course all about succulents and keeping them thriving
Memberships and Subscriptions
Memberships or subscriptions are where bloggers create exclusive content for people who sign up (pay) for their membership program. The content is only accessible to paid customers.
Examples –
- Club Kitchness – recipes, workouts, motivation, and community for busy ladies
- Lia Griffith membership – exclusive tips, tutorial, and printables for crafting
- Pin template Subscription – new Pin templates delivered on a monthly basis
Physical Products
Many people use their blogs to showcase and discuss products they create. The creative entrepreneurs of the world make up a large space in the blogging world. Some have been creating their product for a long time and start their blogs as a way to market their product. Other bloggers create their own product after seeing a need or coming up with an idea they knew their audience would love.
I have been following bohoberry.com for several years now and have loved seeing the products she has created for her blog audience. As she blogged about her own bullet journals she was able to create products to help her readers create theirs.
There are several ways you can sell a physical product alongside your blog. Some bloggers link their site to an Etsy shop and sell their product there. You can sell physical products on your WordPress blog by using the plugin WooCommerce. Other bloggers use Shopify to create their blog and storefront, instead of WordPress.
Examples:
Books
This one is pretty self-explanatory. For many bloggers, publishing a book make sense because they are already prolific writers and have a good amount of content. Some bloggers self publish and others are contracted through a publishing firm.
Examples:
Fun little side story about Sally’s books. We own all three and my children and I enjoy baking together. My six year old son says Sally’s cookies are the best in the whole world. He knows she’s a blogger and is fascinated with the whole thing. We saw her books at Costco and he said, “Sally made it into Costco?! She must be really big now!”
Wholesale Products
I’m actually surprised that the blogging world doesn’t talk about this one more. But, it is a great way to make money online and not have to create your own product.
There two main ways bloggers make money selling a product they purchased from a wholesaler:
- They purchase the product and handle all the shipping and sometimes packaging for that product.
- They work with a wholesaler that drop-ships products. This means the bloggers sells the product on their site but the wholesale company packages and ships the product to the customer.
Example for number one: North Star Balloons is a balloon company that sells balloons to businesses only, not retail. A party blogger or wedding blogger, for example, could become a retailer and create a balloon shop on their blog (StudioDIY has one!). You blog posts will feature these balloons and funnel readers to your very own balloon store.
There are endless options when it comes to creating and selling a product on your blog!
Who pays the blogger?
The customer! There’s no middle man network take part of the commission. No getting only a commission of the sale. As the creator and seller of the product, the blogger gets paid directly from the customer. There are still costs involved for the blogger. There’s a credit card service fee and fees for the tool or app they are using to sell their product.
If you are selling a physical product there the costs associated to creating the product and there are also shipping fees involved.
When can you start monetizing with your own product?
Technically, you could launch your product when you start you blog. But I would advise against that.
Data reports everywhere show that only 2-3% of your email list will buy your product. For that reason, a good goal to set before launching your own product is to have 500-1000 quality subscribers on your email list.
Tips for making money by selling your own product:
First, get to know your audience. What are their pain points, needs, and desires. How can you help them? Establish your authority and credibility first.
Growing an engaged email list should be your top priority if you want to sell your own products. This is the best place to pitch and sale your product.
Don’t feel like you have to go big with your first product. Start out with a small digital product. Meera has a great post on different types of digital products you can create for your blog.
#5 Bloggers make money from services, coaching, and consulting
People need help. Maybe they want to understand something better or maybe they want someone to hold them accountable. Some people just want to hire someone else to do something for them so that they don’t have to. Many bloggers offer services in relation to their niche to offer help and assistance to their audience.
In this money-making method, your blog acts as a platform to prove your expertise on a subject and attract new clientele for the services you offer.
Offering services alongside your blog is also a great way to grow as an authority on your subject.
When my blog was new, I offered blog migrations from Blogger to WordPress. My clients enjoyed working with me and the experience they had moving from Blogger to WordPress. Not only did I move their site over but the package included WordPress coaching to set them up for success. They knew that I understood WordPress and how it would work for them as a blogger. My clients knew that my blog content would continue to help them.
Because of this experience, my clients recommended me and shared my blog with their blogging friends.
Although I am not offering this service at this time, I do accredit it for accelerating the growth of my site.
Services help you build relationships with people and people help you grow. Yay!
Offering coaching or consulting packages can also help you better understand the needs of your target audience. I come up with a plethora of blog topics when I am directly working with my target audience.
Examples: coaching or consulting packages on any topic – fitness, relationships, decluttering, social media management, graphic design services, personal shopping services, etc.
- Finance blog offers financial coaching
- New mom + breastfeeding blog offers breastfeeding consults
- Wedding blog offers mentoring for wedding brands
I didn’t realize I was so enthused about making money on your blog via services until I sat down to write this section. While it might not be your long term monetization plan it is a great way to start making a little cash, build up your authority, and create lasting relationships.
Or, it might be the right long-term business plan for you!
Who pays the blogger?
Again, the customer or client. As the blogger offering a service you will set the rates and arrange for payments. You can use Paypal to send bills to your clients.
When can you start monetizing with services, consulting, or coaching?
Anytime! Find your first few clients and get started when you feel comfortable and ready. It’s always a good idea to have some content under your belt and one strong social presence to keep connected with people.
Tips for making money with services:
Brainstorm the pain points, needs, and desires of your target audience. How can you help them? Is there something you could do for them or a way you could work together? Next reach out to a few people or a small group and offer your service. When you’re starting out set your prices low. But also don’t sell yourself short (I’ve been guilty of that before and it never ends up well).
Group coaching is a great place to start! Put together a month long group coaching package for your niche. Make it super valuable so that the participants love and recommend you and your blog. You can supplement the coaching with your blog posts. This will get them to know you and your content.
Pay close attention to their questions and struggles for future content and product ideas!
When you’re just starting out it is easier to reach out to specific individuals than to try and market your email list or social channels.
Regina has a great post on monetizing your blog with coaching.
Go forth and make money!
Take some time today to sit down and write out a monetization plan. Monetary plan. Money making plan. (Spell check likes those better.)
What value do you have to offer in exchange for money? How do you want to make money blogging? What do you need to do to get to that point?
For those of you that are already making money, leave a comment and tell us all what your #1 type of blogging income is, we’d all love to hear your story!
Final note to beginning bloggers wanting to make money:
Making money is the easy part. It might not seem like it, because from the outside that is what your end goal is and it seems far away at times. But, it really is the easier part.
The hard part? Creating content, marketing it so that you can attract a new audience, and then retaining those people for future posts.
When you have an audience that loves your content and a solid plan in place for how you want to make money, the monetizing part gets easier.
Do not get discouraged my friend. YOU can make money blogging!
Set some goals and work towards them! You got this.
Pin me, Pin me, say that you’ll Pin me!
Hi, Kristie. My question is, can one get views to his or her blog from Pinterest if you have zero follows on Pinterest?
While rare, yes you can.
Thank you for your tips. I’ve been thinking about starting a blog but didn’t know-how. Thanks for this post. It’s really helpful and makes me wanna start blogging.
You’re welcome. Best of luck!
Hello i am begining blogger i have read all your content and enjoy it so much.
This was just what I needed. I have been thinking about creating a blog, but not really knowing anything about a blog, blogger or how it all works. I am just passionate about what I am learning and I have been sharing what I know with a lot of people and they all tell me I should create a blog. So after a quick Google search I found you. I signed up for your help and I’m excited about this new opportunity and learning from you. Thanks for giving me the nudge I needed to feel confident I can do this! ❤️
Yay! I’m excited for you. You can do this!
Wow! I am glad I read through this! I am currently using adsense and amazon affiliates, but I learned that I can be doing so much more! Thank you for all of your awesome advice!
This has been very helpfull, many times I have been looking for someone to explain this (this way) instead you get a long lis of un useful info that keeps going on a loop about it. Si thank you for explaining things for us!
You’re welcome!
Wow I really enjoyed every bit of this article, have been pondering over this issue but after reading and digesting this piece of art, I must say I count my Self lucky to have come across such an informative piece.
Thanks alot.
Hi, it’s very informative. I found this really helpful for me. Thanks for sharing…!
Hi Kristie hill
Thanks for sharing this information. I want to become a blogger. I would like to read more from you.
Sign up for my Start a Blog Guide and keep learning. You’ll be a blogger in no time.
You’re right ads aren’t enough we need to join affiliate programs, any suggestions for good affiliates?
Hello Kristie,
It’s been six years since you created this article but it’s still very relevant today.
Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge with us.
Making money blogging is a super-interesting experience. I run a full-time blogging business and I can tell you for a fact that it’s an interesting experience if you understand how to drive traffic and monetize those traffic.
I highly recommend monetizing your blog by using sponsored posts. All you have to do to increase your earning capacity is to increase your domain authority.
Keep it up with the good work you are doing.
– Emmanuel
This article has been updated several time Emmanuel! I try to keep it fresh and relevant. 🙂
Hi Kristie,
I have read your write up, it is highly motivating. I will like to start a blog of my own, please kindly help me to achieve this goal.
Hello Kristie, this post helped me a lot as I’m thinking of monetizing my blog.
I like how you talked about affiliate marketing.
Thanks for all you do.
You’re welcome! best of luck with your blog.
Hi,
great post Kristie, I really like how easy was go throug this post. Great work you!) I really apprecite the effort you had to put into writing this blog post. Looking forward to come back soon)
Wonderful article, I’m a beginner and this gave ideas on how to monetize my blog. Thanks for sharing this post.
Wonderful Article Kristie 🙂
I was only planning to use Ad Networks, But now I think I should also use some Affiliate products on my site as well 🙂
Good plan!
Thank you so much ma’am for such a beatiful and important blog making money.
Nicely explained.
Keep the good work.
You’re welcome! Good luck making money one your blog. 🙂
Good advice. Yes adsense is a good provider when it comes to advertising on blogs, however I tried to get approved recently,but because of covid they dont have enough staff to check all sites now unfortunally.
That’s a bummer to hear! Ad netowrks have been hit hard by COVID. A lot of companies don’t have the marketing budget they used to.
Your blog post is very good, I got to learn something new from this blog post. Thanks for sharing this use full article.
Hey Kristie – Great Article! I have recently just started a blog, but have not really focused on sponsored posts as an income strategy. I am nowhere near the amount of traffic needed to find sponsored posts opportunities, but it was still helpful to read about the process.
When the traffic for my website increases, I will be sure to reference back to this article to jumpstart my sponsored post journey. Thank you for the valuable content!
Hi Kristie
it was an informaive article for me. As i thought that one can only make money through ads in blogs. But how to approach others for affiliate links. suppose, i have website for books review, can i have affiliate links from amazon or goodreads. Or its just a wishful thinking that these giants of websites will ever give me affiliate links. likewise, if i write about software how can i can get affiliate links form developer websites?
thanks
Wow! What a helpful post! I am so glad I came across this helpful post. I am just a beginner blogger and honestly its overwhelming the amount of information out there to us beginners. Thank you for this post!
This is a great article. Thank you so much for the in-dept information.
i am a blogger this article really helpful for me. i learned very useful information about make money with blogging from this post. article is nicely explained and easy to understand. thanks for sharing this valuable information with us. keep your good work.
Like and appreciate your guidance for money-making blogging, Bloggers those looking to make money from blogging must know the steps.
Ads platforms are one of the biggest factors for money-making with a blog and there Adsense, Adthrive, etc Ads platforms pay well.
Hi Kristie! Great article, nice writeup.
Thank you for your helpful article & share your knowledge for online money earning.
Thankyou for your very honest article. I am a few months into launching my blog http://www.loainanutshell.com about the Universal Law of Attraction / Positive thinking, and its taken me a full 3 months to really ‘click’ with what i should be doing marketing, writing and SEO wise. Ive still got a long way to go but am very determined to get there. Your article is very informative. Thanks again.
Thanks for giving us this useful information. Fantastic post.
I keep hearing about Mediavine. I am working my way up to getting the 25,000 monthly sessions so I can sign up. Hopefully I will be able to make a decent amount of money from blogging sometime next year. You’ve given me some great money making blog methods to think about. Thanks!
thank you very much for this article and for your sense of sharing. thank you again very good job
What a great post ! Really it is an informative and knowledgeable post for us. It will inspire all of us. I think there are so many people who are leery of clicking on affiliate links.
I wrote down a page of notes from this post! Thank you for sharing, Kristie. I recently launched my site, endorsedbystaci.com, so I’m certainly looking for more ways to grow. Loved this!
You are very welcome! Let me know if there is any topic you’d like me to cover.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing such a valuable information. This is very helpful especially for beginners like me.
You’re welcome. Glad this post helped you learn how to make money blogging.
Excellent article for beginners like me, this is very informative.
Thanks a lot Kristie for such a valuable advice.
Thank you soo much for your advice, tips, and tricks!! New to blogging and this article really gave me some incite.
Hello Kristie I just started by blog yesterday which I know is very early on, but I want to make this full time I need help getting it off the ground.
Congratulations! What area do you need help in? You might want to check out my course for new bloggers, Start and Shine. It’s got all the details you need to help you get your blog off the ground.
I’m happy you mentioned affiliate marketing it’s something I’ve been interested in but just recently jumped into. I figure with Valentines around the corner this would be a good time to try it. Unfortunately I missed the Christmas holiday hehe.
Anything anyone would like to add about their experience in this Arena?
Affiliate marketing is one of my favorite ways to make money online. 🙂 You can check out this post on Affiliate Marketing strategies.
Soon I’ll be starting my own blog.
Thank you Kristie for this information! With your help I hope to have a tremendous blog.
I am starting a blog on hardcore fisherman, i have fished since I was a teenager, but was never very good at it.
I have recently left a 38 year career in sales and now am rewiring my life, since my wife just recently retired. Anyway hope you come across my blog some day!
Kevin
Kevin, that sounds like an awesome blog and like it will be a fun path for you to pursue. Let me know when it goes live, I’d love to check it out. Feel free to email me with any questions during set up.
Awesome post Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome!
Dear Kristie, you are such a great content creator, There is very important sources listed keep sharing your valuable content.
Thank you so much Kristie.
Thank you for sharing this information, I found it informational and easy to read.
My inspiration for stating a blog is from Cassie Stephens. I absolutely love her enthusiasm for her viewers! I idol her.
I’m just starting my first teaching ART job in the fall, eeek I’m excited!
My fear is if I start a blog about education it wouldn’t be “vast” enough or popular? Limited topic for only a certain crowd. Any recommendations on making a multi topic blog? Or would viewers need consistency?
I am a craft by trade and heart. I enjoy #1wood working, #2sewing, and #3 painting..
I know I would get a kick out of affiliate marketing by testing products (hope I remembered that right ha!) and reviewing.
But.. also I’m good with video making to. Anyway, just thought I would throw ideas out.
Thank you again for sharing your insight into blogging.
Yours Truly,
Nikki
This info is great! I’m just getting ready to start blogging, so this is beyond helpful.
Thank you so much for this information. I’m starting out now and looking to monetize my blog. I will definitely utilize this information on my path
What do you mean by this:
Bloggers, don’t forget to disclose
The FTC requires all bloggers to disclose if they are paid or given product for a post:
“Bloggers who receive cash or in-kind payment (including free products or services for review) are deemed endorsers and so must disclose material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.”
What do I have to do?
Hi, Joe. You simply need to mention in your post that you were compensated, received a gift, or you have affiliate links (whichever is applicable for the post). This keeps you covered, legally. I should note that the FTC guidelines only apply to USA bloggers.
Thanks for sharing this article!! I read this article and get more information… I like this page and share…
Hi Kristie!
I recently made my own blogging site and it definitely is hard work!
With everything that needs to go on in order to make my site attractive to readers, your post certainly is a life saver! I would love for you to check out my website and give me any insight on what you think I should improve on.
I would really appreciate it.
Thank you so much,
Happy new year!
Hey Kristie,
great blog post love the paragraph about the different affiliate marketing programs thanks fro sharing.
Hi Kristie,
Very helpful information. Have recently started a new blog and will surely consider these tips when I am ready to monetize.
P.S. Shared this as well 🙂
Great article!! My blog is pretty new, and I don’t have the traffic yet to warrant monetization, but its great to have such a easy to follow article to use as a guide!
THANKS !!IM TRYING TO LEARN HOW TO CREATE A BLOG ……REALLY HELPFUL ARTICLE!!! 🙂
I blog about my son who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. My page is changetheworldforyou.com I am looking to make some extra money to help pay for me to be home more with my son and for the time I do have to take off of work to attend meetings and Dr. Appts. I’ve used up all my time already and I’m in just the becoming stages of the process to get help. Do you have any reccomendations for me?
Hi Brittany, I think blogging is a wonderful way for you to make some extra money to help out. Let me ask you a few questions before providing recommendations.
What is the focus of your blog? Why would someone want to read it? Why would someone read a second post? How does your blog benefit others? Who is your target audience? Once those questions are answered, it’s easier to know how to monetize your blog.
Also, what are you currently doing to promote your blog?
I just started my blog and I can’t wait to have enough content to be able to put ads on my blog. Thanks for the post
Thank you Kristie Hill for posting this helpfull article. I’m a new blogger and always learning how to improve blogging skill.
You’re welcome, I hope it helps you implement techniques on your blog to help you earn more money.
Thank you so much for the info! I, too, am getting ready to start a blog and need all the help I can get to monetize without being obnoxiously filled with ads.
I am a brand new blogger and am learning all I can about how to monetize my blog. This information is extremely helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to create this post! My website isn’t up and running yet, but when it is I am sure I will be back seeking more of your advice. In the meantime I think I will explore all of your other insightful posts! Thanks again!
You’re welcome Melanie. Good luck with set up process. Let me know if you have any questions.
I write poems that I post on Google +. I have over 6,000 followers.. My question is how can I make money ? Thank you..
Miranda, that is awesome that you have so many followers over on Google+. My recommendation would be to set up your own site and place the poems there. Use Google+ to draw traffic to your site – where you can monetize with ads or affiliate marketing!
I want to start a blog and make reviews in exchange for free products, but since I’m new how can I start? I mean I’m from Bulgaria and don’t know if the company should ask me or I should do something about it?
It never hurts to reach out to companies on your own. Put together a media kit, write the perfect pitch and take the chance. Don’t be discouraged, you’ll probably get a few nos along the way. I would recommend reaching out to companies that are in your same geographical area.
Dear Blog Ambitions: A useful read! However, I’m in the Philippines, and I don’t think Shareasale applies to blogs located here. Do you guys know of any blog resources that make money out of blogs whose theme is business solutions using ideas in cinema? My blog offers solutions for suffering, national problems and diet problems using ideas in cinema.
Isn’t it such a good feeling to know affiliate marketing and blogging is here to stay? It provides hope for those seeking a side hustle that helps them supplement existing income. Affiliate marketing opens the minds of those seeking a new way of thinking and providing value to others in the form of priceless information sharing. And blogging alone helps pull all kinds of great people from search engines to read your content and if they like it, give you free advertising by sharing on their social networks.
Kristie,
Thanks for the info. Appreciate your hard work. Great Job!
I am interested in blogging and in selling articles. I have writing ability. I needs step by step start-up procedure. Can you recommend an article, site,etc. from which to gain direction?
Hello kristie ,I reside in India and I would like to know if I can blog.
Yes, you can make a blog. I am unsure of the opportunities and laws regarding monetizing your blog in India though. Good luck researching.
I like the ideas you posted. Hopefully when I implement them some of them will work. I know it will take time and persistence. thx for the tips!
I am not earning enough through my site and want to monetize now. I am going to implement your instructions. You wrote very nice post here.
Good luck, I hope you are able to monetize your site. Another key aspect of making money online is building a good audience so work simultaneously on those.
Thank you for sharing this post! Very helpful.
You’re welcome!
You’re welcome!
Great post! The first money I ever earned from blogging was by recommending an affiliate to my family. I made $120 that day (at no extra cost to them) and I was convinced that I can do this!
Thank you for posting!
Since leaving this comment, how has blogging been going for you? I have a newborn and would like to make money from home for now.
Thank you for the information. I’m a new blogger (and stay at home mom) so i’m hoping some of these things can help us make a little extra money!
Thank you so much for this post! It’s always nice to get inspiration on how to earn money as a blogger. I just started blogging, but I am seeking to turn my blog into much more than a place to share my thoughts and opinions.
– Juliet from http://www.thelittlejewelsoflife.com
You’re welcome Juliet. Good luck in your journey of turning your blog from a “journal” into a business. Make sure to focus in on your topics and position yourself as an expert, it makes it easier to monetize.
I recently discovered the method of consumer surveys! Sites like Google and Hellotoken (hellotoken.com) will pay you for allowing surveys to pop up on your sites for your readers. Your readers don’t have to answer, but i they do, you get a certain amount each time they do.
It’s sort of like getting paid for sidebar ad clicks, only you get way more money per click.
activelygemma.com/blog
I’ll have to look into it, thanks for the tip Gemma!
Hey, saw this post on Pinterest and it caught my attention. I’ve been blogging for a year now. I’ve done some product reviews and I have ads on my blog but I don’t get paid yet. I’d love to be making money with my blog. I have a share a sale account but I don’t know how to use it very well yet. Do you have any suggestions on getting paid for this? Or for the review posts anyway?
Hi Kristie! I found this post to be very helpful and an easy read. As a new blogger, can you help me decide whether or not to place ads on my homepage? I have mine located on all pages and posts, but decided to try to remove ads from my home page for a bit. Thoughts? Experience? Thanks so very much!
I think for your particular homepage, you made a good decision to not include ads. Your blog is set up to direct people to recent posts – you want them to check out the posts before sending them away to an add. I think you’re doing great keeping them on pages and posts.
Your sidebar is longer than most of your posts, so you might want to reconsider the placement of some of the ads. Most aren’t being seen because your post is over before the sidebar is.
Hope that helps!
I am so excited I have found your blog. It is so informative. I started a blog a fews years back, but have neglected it greatly. My life was not in the best of places, and I thought it would help me…find my way. Well years later, I’m a new person, healthy and happy and ready to take my blog on. I do have some questions though. I am currently using blogger, but from everything I read, wordpress is the way to go. So if I make the switch, how should I do so? I already have a domain name, can I just switch that over? Also, I do have some posts that were special to me. Should I bring them over, as new posts? I’m also a graphic designer (just self taught) and I have a small Etsy business making/selling digital cards. I’d like to use some of my own content, like a “header” I designed. Is that easy to do with WordPress and already made themes?
Any and all advice would be so greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you. -Lisa
Hi Lisa! It looks like you have your hosting & domain through BlueHost and you’ve gotten started with installing WordPress on your account. Good job!
Does your old blogger blog get any traffic? Do you want all of the post to come over to your new location or just a few? And if just a few, how many? The advice I have for you will depend on the answer to those three questions.
As for your header: it depends on your WordPress theme. Most themes make it really easy to upload your own header. They will tell you the size to design it to and then you simply upload a jpeg or png of your header. Check out this post for my favorite themes.
Great Article..!! Thanks so much for sharing.
I’ve been blogging a few months and came across this post and found it very informative. Lots of different and great ideas. Some I’m currently using and some I hope to try. How do you get started selling ad space?
Hi Amy! Glad you stopped by and congratulations on making it through your first few months of blogging! If you are interested in selling ad space on your blog, I would recommend checking out Passionfruit Ads. You can also read my post about making money selling ad space. Find blogs who seem to be the same size as you and reach out to them about swapping ads. Get reviews from them about how their experience went with having their ad on your blog. Offer very reasonable prices to start out and let your readers/blog friends know you are selling ad space. Maybe even do a giveaway for an ad space to get people excited about it!
A very comprehensive list about how to monetize your blog. I noticed more bloggers are offering (and doing) sponsored blog posts. It makes sense to market on your blog or you wind up doing all that work for free. As long as the reviews and write-ups are genuine, you’ll have staying power.
Sponsored posts are great if you can get them!
Great post,very informative. I have always wondered how it all works. I really want to work on growing my blog this year. It’s difficult though as wotk full time as a nurse so haven’t always got the time to put in to doing it. Also pinned for future reference.
I think time is the hardest part for bloggers! Seems we all have something else going on. Just take it at your own pace though and you’ll enjoy it more!
Great info! I found it very helpful. I am very new to blogging (I LOVE it!), which leads me to my question. Is it OK to put ads on right away? Or should I wait until my blog is further along and more established? I just don’t know if it would look tacky to have ads on a blog that doesn’t have many posts and still needs some layout tweaking.Thank you for any advice you can provide!
I think it is okay to put ads from the beginning – IF it isn’t too many or too annoying. Start with just one or 2. Good luck!
Great post! I personally don’t like affiliate marketing and prefer sponsored posts occasionally or sponsored videos. Do you have any advice or favorite pages for your ADVERTISE button on blogs? I’m not sure what to write!
I think we’d all love sponsored posts if we could land them! When you say your advertise button and page, do you mean the page describing your advertising policies/prices?
Hi Kristie! I’m loving your blog 🙂 so helpful! I wish I’d read through here before I started my blog! I was curious if you had a tutorial about changing your wordpress theme once you’ve got content/widgets, etc. I hate my theme! I want to change, but scared I’ll lose all my content….
Thanks for any direction you can give. I’ll be going through your 19 steps to double check once I make the switch 😉
I don’t have a tutorial up for that, yet, but I will shoot you an email on/by Monday!
Oh that’s awesome!! I had planned to do it today because hubby is home to help with baby–I’ll try to keep my motivated self at bay & wait! Thank you! You’re awesome 🙂
The new site looks GREAT!
Fabulous post! I am just starting down this route and have a few affiliate links but so far it has produced any money. I am pinning these ideas for later! Thanks!
Hopefully it will soon! Are any other monetizing methods working for you?
Hey Kristie,
Happy New Year, love this. Have always wondered but been nervous to ask the more experienced Blogger. This year I will look into this a little deeper, going to save this post for future reference.
I could not agree more with you regarding Sponsored post after sponsored post. I hate to start reading a blog, and then I am bombarded with 6 sponsored posts in a row before I get to read another post just written to be read and for no other purpose! Most annoying!
Have an awesome weekend!!!!
Happy New Year to you too! Let me know if you have any questions, when you want to look deeper into making money on your blog. You know where to find me. 🙂
Absolutely a great overview! I am still learning so much about this area so this post helped me tremendously! Thanks Kristie!
Thanks for being my inspiration for this post, Janelle!
Good stuff as always Kristie! I only launched my blog yesterday but will keep these tips in mind for further down the road. Pinning!
Krystal. I LOVE your blog. Seriously, you are rocking it. No one would guess you just launched. And your images? Pinterest perfect! Keep it up!
Great write up, Kristie! I am making more money with AdSense than I am right now with amazon – weird, right? I think there are so many people who are leery of clicking on affiliate links (especially other bloggers).
I pass the love around and click through them because, why not? 🙂 I want to help people make more than $2.80, too!
Interesting, are they the same type of ad placement? Or is amazon only links and adsense banners?
I click people’s links too! If I’m gonna buy it, might as well help someone out.
Great overview, Kristie. I like that you included the general sponsored post guidelines on what you should charge. I didn’t know that info; very helpful!
Thanks Erika! I’m sure there’s some wiggle in the sponsored post guideline, but it is interesting to see the breakdown! Here’s to making more than 2.80 blogging! 🙂