Although blogging became highly saturated in 2023, there are still ways to turn it into a profitable income source. Blogging is a small business idea that can generate thousands of dollars monthly, whether through increasing product sales for your own brand, earning commission from affiliate programs, or creating a space to sell digital ads.
Introduction
This guide shares how to make money from blogging, with 11 income sources used by professional bloggers who earn a full-time income from their websites.
Table of Contents
1. How much can bloggers earn?
2. How to make money from blogging: 11 ideas
3. How long does it take to make money from blogging?
4. Turn your blog into a profitable source
5. Frequently Asked Questions about making money from blogging
How much can bloggers earn?
The potential for profit from blogging is nearly limitless. Well-known bloggers like Ryan Robinson—who runs a blog about blogging—can earn over $30,000 a month. Adam Enfroy, who started blogging about blogging businesses in 2019 as a side gig, made $1.5 million from his blog after just two years.
It’s not just monthly income that bloggers can benefit from. Marketplaces like Flippa showcase blogs for sale, many of which come with price tags reaching six figures. Bloggers benefit when their creative project is acquired.
Unfortunately, not every blogger can earn millions from their website. The income potential of your blog depends on two factors: your niche. Are people spending large amounts of money on products in your industry? The software industry can be lucrative, as many companies pay ongoing commission. Bloggers can earn small amounts monthly, long after the customer makes a purchase. Monetization strategies. Some monetization methods are not available to new bloggers who wish to stick to their core values—such as not getting paid to publish content they don’t agree with. This can impact the ability to earn money in the short term.
How to make money from blogging: 11 ideas
Looking for a creative side hustle to generate extra income? Whether you’re starting a new blog or growing an existing one, here are 11 ways to make money from blogging.
1. Choose a profitable niche
A niche is a specific topic within a broad subject, like vegan recipes. By choosing one for your blog, readers develop a connection with your site. They know exactly what they’ll get when they visit, which increases the likelihood of them being the first to reach out when seeking advice.
“Before checking profitability, it’s about quality and expertise if you want to stand out,” says Mushfiq, founder of The Website Flip. “First, figure out what your niche is and why you should write about it, and create a persona for yourself to be known in that subject. Once that happens, you’ll build an audience over time. The monetization comes after.”
You’ll find bloggers making money in a variety of niches, from business software to pet accessories. However, not all niches are good.
A winning blog niche meets three criteria: It’s something you’re good at and/or interested in. Blogs need a lot of high-quality content consistently to build an audience and become viable. It wouldn’t just be best to blog about something you genuinely care about, but it’ll increase your chances of making money. It’s easier to stick to a hobby that we enjoy. There’s little competition. Popular blogs, brands, or forums in your niche indicate that others are making money from it. Similarly, do a Google search to assess the keyword ranking difficulty. It will be harder to bring in organic traffic if popular brands (with bigger marketing budgets) dominate the first page of search results. There’s a clear profit potential. Look at the earning opportunities for each niche in your shortlist. Are companies in this niche paying to advertise their products on other blogs? Are there numerous affiliate programs selling products in that industry? Both are clear signs of a profitable blog niche.
2.
Build an Email List
To make money from your blog, you need loyal readers who appreciate your recommendations.
One of the best ways to do this is by building an email list for your blog. When someone signs up to hear from your blog, you gain permission to reach readers in one more sacred place than any other: their inbox.
“Email marketing is undoubtedly the most profitable sales channel for me. In fact, I no longer really try to sell directly from other channels, instead directing people from social media, collaborations, and search engines to my email list,” says Brittany Berger, founder of Work Brighter.
Encourage blog visitors to subscribe to your email list using a pop-up box. The goal is to get anyone visiting for the first time to sign up to hear from you using an incentive, such as: free checklists, resource lists, or recommended products, blog content packed into a PDF file (like printable recipes).
Once they subscribe, continue to grow that relationship with educational or entertaining content. You’ll build an audience ready to purchase the products you recommend.
Take it from Lily Ogbaga, who originally started her blog FindingBalance.Mom “because I wanted to stay home with my son, do something I love, and make money.”
It took Lily two weeks to make money from her blog: “I used email to promote my products and related partner products with tripwires and Facebook groups. Add lead magnets to your site so people can subscribe after reading your article. Instead of a success page, share a one-time offer – a low-cost product at a very discounted price, $7 in my case.”
Although the blog sees fewer than 1000 monthly views, Lily says she finished her first month earning more than $100, which soon became a few thousand.
You can also charge a fee from your email list for access to exclusive content. Many bloggers monetize through monthly subscription fees that give subscribers access to additional content. You can use a platform like Substack to publish directly to your audience and get paid through subscriptions.
3. Writing Sponsored Product Reviews
All businesses want social proof that shows their customers that their products are worth buying. One way to gather that is by paying bloggers to publish reviews.
Reach out to your favorite brands and inquire if they are interested in sponsoring a review on your blog. If you have used the product outside of the purpose of the review, this strategy costs you nothing. You simply get paid to share your opinion on a product you already own.
However, this profit strategy can become slightly murky. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Fashion Nova $4.2 million for suppressing negative reviews, even though a third-party service requested it.
The FTC has a complete set of guidelines concerning online retailers and ultimately the bloggers they pay to write sponsored reviews.
Avoid placing your blog in hot water by: disclosing whether you were incentivized to write the review. If you are being paid to post a review, for example, include the following disclosure at the beginning of your article: “I was paid to write this review and may receive a commission if you buy this product.” Being honest. Share the good and the bad to help readers make an informed decision about whether they should buy the item you are reviewing. There’s a reason for cancellation to become a trend.
4.
Sell Advertising Space
Companies are willing to pay bloggers for advertising space on their sites. Offer them unused space instead of fees.
There are two ways to generate this income for your blog: negotiate with companies individually. Look for companies in your niche and ask if they are interested in advertising on your site. This approach takes more time and you’ll need strong negotiation skills, but if done well, it can yield the highest earnings. Use an advertising network. Prefer the remote approach? Platforms like Google AdSense, Mediavine, and Raptive (formerly known as AdThrive) claim space on your blog and handle the billing for advertising companies. You just need to include the code on your site and get paid for displaying ads.
For Emily Brooks, blogger at Emily May, occasional ads are the most profitable sales channel. “About 60% of my blog’s revenue comes from display ads,” she says. “Ads bring me money regularly every month, even when I’m not posting any new content.”
To make ads a primary source of profit from your blog, increasing site traffic must be a priority. Ad networks like Google AdSense pay based on 1000 impressions (CPM), with the average CPM for display ads hovering around $1.25. The more people who see ads on your blog, the more money you make.
Some platforms require bloggers to meet minimum pageview requirements before applying to join the network. It’s an investment that will pay off in the long run. Monica Lint, founder of Not a Nomad Blog, generates the highest share of revenue through this type of advertising on her blog.
Afooma Omese runs her book blog, Reading Middle Grade, on the side. “I had no experience and started blogging as a hobby before I seriously decided to monetize the site,” she says. “I needed something passive, so I opted for ads and affiliate links. I don’t want to create or sell digital products or services at this time, and I’m not a fan of heavily sponsored posts, so ads were the perfect choice. All I need is traffic.”
Reading Middle Grade earns between $800 and $1,000 a month – two-thirds of which comes from this type of advertising. Afooma states, “Don’t be afraid or ashamed to use ads. They may be uncomfortable for some users, but if you provide value and use them reasonably, most users won’t even notice the ads.”
5. Join an Affiliate Marketing Program
Affiliate marketing is the process of recommending products to your blog audience. You’ll receive a commission when readers purchase the product using your unique affiliate link.
It’s a fantastic opportunity for bloggers to earn revenue, as the content you already share will influence readers’ purchasing decisions. Make your blog a hub for educational content, and you’ll build the knowledge, likability, and trust factors necessary to make a sale.
The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you don’t have to create your own products. Connect with an existing e-commerce company and be their virtual salesperson. There’s no need to worry about producing marketing materials, shipping products, or dealing with customer service.
To make money from blogging using this method, join an affiliate marketing network like ShareASale or ClickBank. Browse the available programs in your industry, apply to join, build custom links, and track affiliate revenue through the dashboard.
You can also look for high-value affiliate programs from merchants who sell expensive products, such as electronics, jewelry, and software. Bloggers earn big checks when they recommend these items to readers. Shopify partners, for example, earn a 100% commission on the first two payments of any subscription plan.
6.
Provide Services
The natural result of building your audience means that more people associate your name with the topics of the blog you write about. This is a great way to build authority – something people look for when hiring someone to complete a service.
“If you’re in the B2B space like I am, consulting is a major revenue generator,” says Moshfiq, founder of The Website Flip. “If you have some expertise and people are genuinely reading your content, what kind of consulting can you offer them? It’s a high-revenue, low-commitment way to earn money from blogging.”
While running a service-based business takes time, it can be a quick way to make money online. Charge a higher hourly rate, seek out high-paying clients, using your blog content as a means to showcase your expertise.
Examples of services you can sell alongside your blog include: consulting services, graphic design, freelance writing, virtual assistance, classes or workshops
Save time scheduling appointments and receiving payments using apps like Acuity and Calendly. Promote your service through the blog – whether it’s a standalone landing page or a banner ad in the sidebar – and start booking new clients.
7. Sell Digital Products
Digital products are a more scalable way to make money by selling things alongside your blog. Unlike service-based businesses, you aren’t exchanging time for money. And unlike selling physical products, there are no shipping or manufacturing costs.
You can create digital products once and sell an unlimited number of them via your blog – which means “build once and sell twice.”
“I decided to add printables – and soon other digital products – to diversify my income and put more control in my hands,” says Dylan Houlihan, founder of Swift Salary. “So far, I’m letting readers decide how much they want to pay for my printables, which is why my revenue numbers haven’t been crazy. However, I’ve recorded over 800 downloads, so I’m very proud of that.”
Identify digital products that your audience might purchase using a reader survey with the question “What problem do you need help solving that the blog isn’t already addressing?” The answers can unveil ideas you can create and sell such as: e-books, printables, workbooks, online courses
Benjamin Huy runs the French Together blog full-time for nearly 10 years. The blog’s monetization strategy particularly includes digital products – notably the French language course, which makes up 90% of the blog’s revenue.
“Affiliate ads and links can be great monetization strategies depending on the niche, but creating a product is easier and more profitable than most bloggers think,” says Benjamin. “Your product doesn’t have to be the best product ever when you launch it; it just needs to be something that your audience will find real value in and be happy to pay for.”
“Selling your own product is great because you’ll be able to improve it based on people’s feedback, and you won’t have to worry about partner programs ending or using more and more ad blockers,” he says.
8. Sell Physical Products
Does your blog have a loyal audience? Loyal blog readers quickly become enthusiastic fans, eager to support their favorite influencer. Help them do that – while generating income for your blog at the same time – by selling physical products.
Works
Print on demand is a great model for small blogging businesses because you only pay manufacturing costs when a reader buys the product. There is no excess inventory, storage fees, or high upfront costs when manufacturing products in bulk.
Use a service like Printful or Printify to create custom products such as: mugs, t-shirts, stickers, handbags, phone cases.
Looking for inspiration? Her First $100K sells products with messages that resonate with the target reader. You’ll see phrases the blog is known for, like “Smash the Patriarchy” and “Financial Feminist,” on handbags and featured t-shirts.
Prefer something more interactive? Start your first online store and treat your blog audience as a primary customer base.
One of the world’s most famous beauty brands emerged thanks to the founder’s blog. Emily Weiss shared beauty tips on her blog Into The Gloss and built a loyal fanbase. She then developed a skincare line that caters to the blog’s readers. This was the starting point for Glossier – a beauty brand now valued at over a billion dollars.
Richard Bilton is another entrepreneur who took this approach. He wrote about maple syrup on his blog Kaito Ridge for nearly eight years, using the site to generate income via Amazon affiliate commissions.
However, Richard recently changed his blog monetization strategy – and took control of the site’s income potential – by starting his first Shopify store. “I’m in the process of directing my articles and blog posts and informational posts to link to my Shopify store and reduce reliance on Amazon,” he says.
9. Create a Membership Community
Offer your most engaged readers a VIP experience – which they should pay a small fee for. This type of community is an important part of social connection – something particularly significant in a world that becomes more digitally oriented. Not only have groups proven to enhance mental health, but 52% of shoppers will spend more on brands (or blogs) that share their values.
Take it from Michael Keenan, who runs a membership community alongside the blog Peak Freelance: “If you want a steady stream of revenue for your blogging efforts, create a membership program. You can offer exclusive content like eBooks, courses, and specials – even a Slack channel like the one we provide for Peak Freelance members.
“Set a membership fee on a monthly or annual basis. Offer a small discount for those who pay annually. This gives you a nice cash injection you can use to develop new content and products for members.”
10. Leverage YouTube Videos
Have you joined an affiliate program in an attempt to make money from your blog? Expand your reach – and therefore your income opportunities – by diversifying the content you create. Let’s explore different ways to make money on YouTube as an extension of your blog content.
Add video marketing to your list to maximize your affiliate commission. Some studies have found that 88% of people have been convinced to buy something after watching a promotional video for a brand. Convert your lessons or reviews or purchases into a video and earn a bonus when viewers buy a product based on your recommendation.
Increase the dollars you earn from your blog by treating each piece of content as the basis for a video script. Record
Source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/make-money-blogging
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