How To Make Money With a Blog: 5 Tips to Turning a Profit

Anyone can start a blog, but most don’t make money from blogging. In fact, many people don’t realize it’s possible to make money with a blog.

Before you can think about making money, you need to focus on writing useful content. Until you do this, you cannot move forward and bring in even a little extra income. It’s your content that keeps people coming back.

Your blog must also have followers, as they are the ones who will help bring money in. You can start with only a handful of followers. But monetizing a blog is a numbers game. The more followers you can gather, the more likely you are to increase your earnings.

Suggested Resource: Learn how to build a strategy that reaches the audience you want in 31 Days to #BlogAwesomeness.

Once you’ve done these things it’s time to begin monetizing your blog. Here are five ways you can start creating income with your blog right now.

Advertising On Your Blog

In the past, companies would advertise where their target audience spends their time. Often, that would be in magazines, newspapers, or on TV. Today, it’s much easier to reach a target audience by advertising on websites where they spend time. Through better targeting, companies generate more leads and boost conversion rates. Thus advertisers are willing to pay the site owner to help share their message.

Suggested Resources:

• Google AdSense
• Beacon Ads
• Media.net
• Amazon Ads

Hosting Events

You can host an event (online or in-person) and charge attendees for participation. This trend isn’t very common among bloggers yet. But it is gaining popularity as writers see how much income they can generate by putting together events for their readers. For example, a blog dedicated to scrapbooking can organize a scrap-a-thon or a class.

Suggested Resources:

• Stop Chasing Influencers by Kimanzi Constable and Jared Easley
• 5 Ways to Make Extra Money From Your Event from Eventbrite

Develop and Sell Products

Bloggers often have a marketable skill set they can share with others. After all, that’s why you write and share with the world, right? You already offer basic information about these skills through your blog. Once you’ve established yourself as an expert, you can develop and sell products on more advanced topics. Also, you can create new (exclusive) material to sell. A blog written by someone who loves to crochet could teach the basic crochet skills at no charge. As followers become more proficient, they can buy advanced classes or unique patterns.

Digital materials fall under this category and remain in high demand. You can sell an e-course, an ebook, or another kind of digital download. Podcasts are another option to consider. Many are free, but you can also create premium content to sell. Think outside the box and offer something others in the industry aren’t. Bloggers who do so will find their following expands and they generate more income as a result.

Suggested Resources:

• 30 Days to #SelfPub: How to Take Charge of Your Publishing Goals (e-course)
• two-dozen to four-thousand (an e-book publishing case study)
• Udemy Teach
• Etsy

Affiliate Marketing

A large majority of bloggers turn to affiliate programs to generate income. This involves linking to a product that is being sold on another site. When a visitor clicks on this link and purchases the product, you earn a commission. The site providing the commission supplies you with a unique affiliate code to track sales. Some sites offer a commission if the person clicking the link purchases anything on their site, as opposed to only the advertised item.

Suggested Resources:

• Fistbump Media Affiliates
• Amazon Associates
• Commission Junction
• ShareASale

Outside Engagements

With an established blog following, you might find that your opportunities will expand. If you position yourself appropriately, you may be offered public speaking gigs. Or you might receive a request to consult on a project. Teaching opportunities also have arisen for some bloggers. These are only a few examples of how you can generate income through outside engagements.

Suggested Resources:

• 17 21 Ways to Find Speaking Opportunities from FamousInYourField.com
• How To Get More Speaking Engagements By Asking from Brian Tracy
• How to Get More Speaking Gigs: Don’t Wait for Opportunities, Create Them from HuffPost

Blogging is fun for many individuals as they share their thoughts and feelings with friends. Others blog to share the special knowledge they have with others and have a great opportunity to make some money. For those who fall into the second category, there are many ways to achieve this goal. With the right combination of methods, anyone can make money and turn their hobby into a full-time job.

Start with one method, become confident and add a second. If something doesn’t work, drop it and move on to the next. There is no one combination that works for all. Making money with a blog won’t happen overnight. Stick with it and you’ll find your hard work will pay off in the end. The solid foundation you created before you attempt to make money with a blog helps to ensure your success.