7 Quick Ways to Monetize Your Blog
These days, you don’t have to open a shop or sell a product to make money online. With a blog, you can generate earnings simply by writing about your passions. If you’re a blogger looking for smart, straightforward money-making opportunities, you’ve come to the right place.
It’s easier than ever to create a thriving online experience or community through a blog or vlog (video blog.) All you need is passion, creativity, time, and diligence. And, of course, these seven tips on how to successfully monetize your blog!
1. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when you sell someone else’s product or service through your blog. If you’ve ever browsed the internet, you’ve seen affiliate marketing whether you realized it or not! When you’re scrolling through a recipe or article and you see ads for cookware or a chef’s master class, that’s affiliate marketing in action.
If you blog about fitness, you might host advertisements about yoga mats, running shoes, or athletic wear. The ads you feature should cater specifically to your target audience and offer them real value that feels relevant.
2. Sponsored Posts
If you write a blog post mentioning someone else’s business or service, you’re creating a sponsored post. You might include a link to another website or product encouraging your readers to check out the offering. To avoid coming across as spammy, try promoting brands and products you personally use and love.
Brands are always looking for people to help them spread awareness and drive to their products, and a sponsored blog fulfills this need. You can approach a business about including them in a sponsored blog or, as your blog grows, companies might reach out to you requesting a rate.
3. Premium Content
Premium content is content people pay for. You can’t start out here, but once you build a bit of a following and reputation, you can begin creating premium content.
There are several ways you might do this:
Expansions of existing content (For example, part one in the series of blogs/vlogs is free, but there is a fee to access the remaining posts)
Exclusive videos available only to those with a membership
Exclusive articles, E-Books, online courses, or other offerings with paid memberships
Membership discounts, prizes, and giveaways
4. E-Commerce
With e-commerce, you sell a product through your blog. The product could be merchandise like t-shirts, hats, or mugs. It could also be digital items like e-books, Wordpress tools & accessories, etc.
Many successful bloggers and vloggers offer both premium content and merchandise. They might have unique offerings for members in addition to a store where fans can buy items that show their appreciation and enthusiasm. Whether it’s an e-book or a coffee mug, display your e-commerce goodies on social media to get people excited!
5. Newsletter
You can bring in a lot of money with a newsletter. That’s because a newsletter is one of the most effective, fastest ways to reach a large number people.
Newsletter ads are similar to other types of sponsored content. You might include a link to another blog, service, or product within your newsletter. These newsletter sponsors will pay you to drive people to their site and complete purchases, creating a direct ROI (return on investment).
But you don’t have to use newsletter ads to make money with newsletters. You could opt for affiliate marketing which feels more natural and ethical to some people. With affiliate marketing you can promote products you personally use and love in a more organic way.
Lastly, you can choose to offer a paid newsletter. You might offer a monthly newsletter as one of several exclusive perks for members, along with access to premium articles, courses, and videos.
6. CPM Advertising
CPM stands for “cost per mile,” but it actually means “cost per thousand impressions.” If you choose to publish CPM ads on your site, you are paid by the advertiser to do so. Cost per thousand impressions is exactly how it sounds–the advertisers are paying a certain amount for their ad to be viewed a thousand times.
7. Consulting Services
Whatever your unique area of expertise, consulting others with high-quality learning material is another way to monetize your blog. Through courses and tutorials, you can share your knowledge of Italian cooking, entrepreneurship, woodworking, or writing fiction. It’s all about creating value for your reader/watcher.
Additionally, once you’ve established a good reputation and strong readership, you can offer blog consulting services. Here, you teach other people how to clarify their messaging, expand their audience, and monetize their own blog.
Online learning has become a part of everyday life for people of all ages, and self-improvement is a high priority for many adults. By offering consulting services, you create an opportunity for valuable connections and experiences–the kinds of things that make someone a reader-for-life!
