Even though writing has become very popular by the year 2023, there are still ways to make money from it. Blogging is a small business idea that could make you thousands of dollars a month, whether you use it to sell your own products, make money from affiliate programs, or create a place where digital ads can be sold.
This guide shows you 11 ways that professional blogs make money from their websites and shows you how you can do the same.
What is the average income of a blogger?
The possibilities for writing are almost endless. Bloggers like Ryan Robinson, who writes a blog about blogging, can make as much as $30,000 per month if they are well-known. Adam Enfroy started a blog about the business of writing in 2019 as a side job. In just two years, his blog brought in $1.5 million.
Bloggers can make money from more than just the money they make each month. Many blogs that are for sale on marketplaces like Flippa have six-figure prices. When their creative idea is bought, bloggers get paid for it.
Unfortunately, not every writer can use their website to make millions of dollars. How much money you can make from your blog depends on two things:
- Your niche. People in your business spend a lot of money on products? For example, making money in the software business can be easy because many companies pay commissions on a regular basis. Bloggers can make small amounts of money every month, even after a customer has bought something. (More on this in a minute.)
- Your monetization plans. Some ways to make money from a blog are out of the question for new writers who want to stay true to their core beliefs. For example, you can’t get paid to post content you don’t agree with. In the short run, this can make it harder to make money.
Here are 11 suggestions for monetizing your blog.
Looking for a creative side hustle to supplement your income? Here are 11 methods to make money blogging, whether you’re beginning a new blog or developing an existing one.
1. Choose an area (niche) that pays well.
A niche is a small part of a bigger topic, like vegan foods. By picking one for your blog, people will start to think of your site when they see it. They know exactly what they’ll get when they come, which makes it more likely that they’ll come to you first when they need help.
“Before monetization, it’s all about quality and expertise if you want to stand out,” says Mushfiq, who started The Website Flip. “First, figure out what your niche is and why you should be writing about it. Then, make a character for yourself that fits that niche. Once that happens, people will start to follow you. After that comes making money.”
Bloggers make money in many different areas, from business tools to pet supplies. But not every niche is a good one.
3 things must be true for a blog area to be profitable:
- You’re good at it and/or you’re interested in it. To build a following and make money, blogs need a lot of consistently good content. If you talk about something you’re really interested in, it will be more fun and you’ll have a better chance of making money. It’s easier to keep doing something we like.
- There aren’t many other options. If your field has a lot of popular blogs, brands, or forums, it means that other people are making money in it. Do a Google search to find out how hard it is to rank for a term. If big-name brands with even bigger marketing funds take up most of the first page of search results, it will be harder to drive organic traffic.
- There are clear ways to make money from it. Look at ways to make money in each of the niches you’ve chosen. Do companies in that niche pay other blogs to talk about their products? Are there a lot of affiliate programs in that business that sell products? Both of these show that a blog niche is likely to be profitable.
2. Create an emailing list
To generate income from a blog, you need loyal readers who respect your suggestions.
Creating an email list for your blog is one of the best methods to accomplish this. When a reader opts in to receive blog updates, they grant you permission to reach them in the most sacred location of all: their inbox.
Email marketing is my most profitable sales channel by far. You no longer even attempt to sell directly from other channels, instead directing people from social media, partnerships, and SEO to your email list.
Using a pop-up box, encourage blog visitors to sign up for your distribution list. The objective is to persuade first-time visitors to subscribe to your mailing list using an incentive, such as:
- Free checklists
- Resource or product recommendations
- Blog content prepared in PDF format (for example, printable recipes)
Continue cultivating this relationship with educational or entertaining content after they have signed up. You will cultivate an audience eager to purchase products based on your recommendations.
Additionally, you can charge your email list to access exclusive content. Numerous bloggers generate revenue through monthly subscription fees that provide subscribers with access to additional content. Using a platform such as Substack, you can publish directly to your audience and earn money through subscriptions.
3. Create sponsored reviews of products
All businesses desire social proof to demonstrate to consumers that their products are worthy of purchase. They may acquire this information by paying bloggers to publish reviews.
Ask your preferred brands if they would be interested in sponsoring a review on your blog. If you use the product for reasons other than the review, this strategy is essentially free. You are merely compensated for sharing your opinion on a product you already possess.
However, this monetization strategy becomes somewhat unclear. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Fashion Nova $4.2 million for allegedly concealing negative reviews that were solicited by a third-party service.
The FTC has a comprehensive set of regulations regarding ecommerce merchants and, ultimately, the bloggers they pay to write sponsored reviews.
Avoid getting your blog into trouble by:
Disclosing whether you were compensated for the review. Include the following disclaimer in the introduction of your article if you are paid to publish a review: “I was compensated to write this review and may earn a commission if you purchase this product.”
Being truthful. Share the positives and negatives of the product you’re reviewing so that readers can make an informed decision about whether or not to purchase it. There is a rationale for why de-influencing has become popular.
4. Sell Ads Space
Businesses are ready to pay bloggers to put ads on their websites. Give them room you wouldn’t use yourself in exchange for money.
There are two ways to add this source of income to your blog:
- Talk with each company separately. Find businesses in your field and ask them if they would like to advertise on your site. This method takes more time and requires good bargaining skills, but if you do it right, you can make the most money.
- Use a network to spread your ads. You’d rather not get involved? Platforms like Google AdSense, Mediavine, and Raptive (formerly AdThrive) let ads buy space on your blog and take care of billing. Just put the code on your site, and you will be paid to show ads.
To make advertising a big part of your blog’s income, you should focus on getting people to visit your site.
Ad networks like Google AdSense pay per 1,000 views (CPM). For display ads, the average CPM is around $1.25. The more people who visit your blog, the more money you’ll make from the ads.
5. Join a program for affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is the practice of recommending products to the audience of your blog. You will receive a commission if the customer purchases the product through your affiliate link.
It’s a fantastic revenue opportunity for bloggers, as the content they share already influences their purchasing decisions. Make your blog a center for educational content, and you will develop the necessary know, like, and trust to close a sale.
Affiliate marketing is advantageous because you do not need to create your own products. Integrate yourself into an existing ecommerce business as a virtual salesperson. There is no need to be concerned with creating marketing materials, shipping products, or providing customer service.
Join an affiliate marketing network such as ShareASale or ClickBank to profit from blogging using this method. Utilizing the dashboard, you can peruse available programs in your industry, apply to join them, create custom links, and monitor affiliate revenue.
You can also search for high-priced affiliate programs offered by retailers selling expensive goods, such as electronics, jewelry, and software. Bloggers are compensated handsomely for recommending products to consumers. For example, Shopify affiliates earn a 100 percent commission on the initial two payments of any subscription plan.
6. Provide Services
As a natural consequence of growing your audience, more people will associate your name with the blog topics you cover. That is a fantastic method to establish authority, which is something people look for when hiring individuals to perform a service.
Although operating a service-based business is time-intensive, it can be a quick method to earn money online. Demand a higher hourly rate and attract high-paying clients by demonstrating your expertise through your blog.
The following are examples of services you can sell alongside your blog:
- Advisory services (consulting)
- Visual design (graphics)
- Independent writing (freelance writer)
- Online assistance (virtual assistance)
- Classes or seminars (workshops)
7. Sell digital products
Digital products are a more scalable means of monetizing your blog through the sale of physical goods. In contrast to service-based enterprises, there is no exchange of time for money. And unlike the sale of tangible goods, there are no shipping or production costs.
Digital products can be created once and sold indefinitely via a blog, hence the expression “build once, sell twice.”
Determine which digital products your audience would purchase by conducting a reader survey with the query, “What problem does your blog not currently solve for you?” Answers can reveal concepts that can be packaged and sold as:
- Ebooks
- Printables
- Workbooks
- Online courses
8. Sell physical products
Is there a dedicated fanbase for your blog? Blog readers who already like the author turn become die-hard fans in no time. Assist them in doing so by selling tangible things on your blog, which will also bring in revenue for you.
Since you only have to cover production costs when a reader actually buys a product, the print-on-demand approach is ideal for small blogging enterprises. Manufacturing in bulk eliminates the need for a large initial investment, a large storage facility, and surplus inventory.
Create custom merchandise, such as:
- Mugs
- T-shirts
- Stickers
- Posters
- Tote bags
- Phone cases
9. Create a membership community
Provide your most engaged readers with a VIP experience in exchange for a small fee. This type of community is an essential component of social connection, which is particularly important in a world that is becoming increasingly dominated by the Internet.
“Set membership dues on a monthly or annual basis. Offer a modest discount for annual payments. This provides you with a good cash infusion that can be used to create new content and products for members.”
10. Monetize YouTube videos
Have you joined an affiliate program to generate revenue from your blog? Diversify the content you produce to increase your reach and, as a result, your income streams. As an expansion of your blog’s content, let’s examine the various ways to make money on YouTube.
Add video marketing to your list in order to increase your affiliate commission. Approximately 88% of individuals have made a purchase after viewing a branded video. Make that your tutorial, review, or collection, and you will be compensated when a viewer makes a purchase based on your suggestion.
Increase the amount of money you earn from your blog by approaching each post as the basis for a video script. Record yourself discussing the same topic, then modify and upload the video to YouTube.
This strategy is effective for numerous reasons. First, not all individuals appreciate reading online content. Some individuals prefer watching videos. You risk alienating thousands of individuals if you only produce written content.
Google and YouTube are the two most widely used search engines worldwide. Sharing content on both platforms increases the likelihood of your target audience discovering it and, consequently, purchasing your affiliate products.
Google’s algorithm includes YouTube videos in the search engine results page (SERP) for certain queries. For “how to groom your cat at home,” the first result on the search engine results page is a YouTube video.
The highlight? An active YouTube channel increases your earnings potential.
The platform includes its own set of monetization features, such as the YouTube Partner program, which is available to vloggers with over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 view hours. Once enrolled, YouTube will play advertisements prior to loading your video. You will be compensated each time a viewer watches it; this is a great method to supplement your blog income.
11. Create a podcast and find a sponsor
Produce your own podcast to capitalize on your audience’s focus. Record yourself discussing a topic related to your niche and distribute each episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Sponsorship opportunities should be presented to niche brands. Sell advertising space and facilitate companies’ access to their target audience for a sponsorship charge.
The disadvantage of the podcast strategy is that it can be time- and cost-intensive. Building a relationship with a new audience takes patience. To generate the podcast, you will also need equipment, such as a high-quality microphone and editing software.
But if you do it correctly, you can add another lucrative revenue stream to your blogging business.
How long does it take to generate income from a blog?
While it is technically possible to earn money immediately through blogging, it typically requires some time.
People typically start blogs as a side business in the hopes of one day being able to leave their day jobs. However, the time required to generate a significant income differs from blogger to blogger.
Make your blog a revenue generator.
Developing a profitable blog is not a linear process. Your niche, relationship with your audience, and the content formats you produce will determine the most effective revenue generator. Focus first on developing excellent content and a devoted audience, and then experiment with the following monetization strategies.
