How I Make Money Blogging
(This post may contain affiliate links)
When I first started my blog, I sincerely did not know that it was possible to make money blogging. It was simply a hobby that I enjoyed. Years after I started, I was told I could generate an income from it. (Want to skip the history of how I started? Scroll down to #1 below.)
Eventually, the topic of my blog came up in a conversation with a friend. He was shocked when he learned that I had been doing everything for free. He had assumed that I had been charging for the work I had been doing. Due to his reaction, I started to think about turning my blog into more than just a hobby. Someone on the outside looking in believed I could turn my site into something bigger, so I gave it some thought.
I will say, that it has been a long road to get to the point of receiving income. I am continuously learning and doing research on how to expand. This is why I thought I would share the ways I have very slowly made an income from blogging.
One important note:
if you’re thinking about starting your own blog, it’s not a way to become rich quickly. You must love the topic(s) you’re dedicating your blog to. If you’re doing it for the sole purpose of becoming wealthy, or to get free products, I suggest taking a step back.
Reassess if you truly want to put the work into it. What if you don’t get the immediate reaction from the public you imagined? Would that be enough to make you want to give up, or would it make you want to work harder?
One last very important reminder: if I can make money blogging, so can you.
#1. Freelance Writing
Above, I mentioned how my friend thought I was already getting paid for my posts. “What posts?”, you ask? When I first started blogging, I was focusing on Montreal events, restaurant reviews and recipes. The events led me to conduct interviews of the organizations participating, or the artists showcasing their talents. I had a lot of fun learning about other people who were so passionate about what they were doing. It was inspiring to me.
What does this have to do with getting paid?
Well, those interviews and write-ups all turned into my writing portfolio. A media marketing agency discovered one of my restaurant reviews, and the asked me to contact them. They requested a few writing examples, and I was then hired as one of their writers. A job that I thought was not available to me, was suddenly offered, and given to me. I have been with this company for a year now, and they are the source of my most consistent income.
#2. Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are an amazing, and quite simple way to earn some income. Once you begin to get a following, more and more companies will see the services you offer. Some may even request that you post an article that they have written. They will compensate you simply for posting the article (or video, etc) to your site. Not only do you not have to spend the time writing the article, but you are getting paid (sometimes quite a large sum of money) to simply post it! Big reward, for minimal work.
This is not to say that you should accept every single offer that comes your way. I know it is hard to say “No” to anyone who is willing to pay you, but there are things to watch out for. Such as, the possible client requesting that you don’t share that it is a sponsored post, or leaving their company name out of it.
I have had to decline several offers because of requests such as these. Why did I decline? If they want you to post an article that one of their employees wrote, but ask that you make it seem like YOU wrote it, you are responsible for whatever is written. For example, if the article contains medical advice, and something negative occurs from a reader trusting “your” words, the repercussions could be awful.
Therefore, just be wary of who you do business with. Read the proposed articles, be sure that it fits into your brand/niche and always post a disclosure. I make it clear for all of my sponsored posts that I have received compensation/a product in return for the article, or I clearly state that the words and opinions are not mine but of [insert company/author name here].
#3. Offer Advertising Space
This is another quite simple way of using your site to make money. Simply let visitors know that if they would like to promote their business/website/product, you can offer space on your website to do so. Many companies will give you the exact details they want included, which makes it all very easy to do.
Some clients will have restrictions for you, such as running the ad only one specific pages, or in certain spots on your site (sidebar/footer). They will either offer you a certain amount of compensation per click the ad receives or per customer that is successfully referred to them. Some may also offer a flat rate depending on how long the ad is placed on your site, with a chance of renewal.
From my experience, it is quite easy to do business with companies when it comes to ad space, but just like sponsored posts, be sure that it is relevant to your niche. If your readers visit your site and see ads for things that don’t follow what you usually write about, they will see that you are in it for the money, and not to benefit them. Some readers may not care, but others might, so it’s up to you whether you’re willing to take that chance or not.
#4. Product In Exchange for a Review/Write-up
While you may not receive monetary compensation with this method, you will at minimum, receive a product. Perhaps a company thinks you are a good fit, and believes you will be able to help spread the word about their product. This was one of the first ways I made money back when I started my very first blog in 2012. I didn’t quite know what I was doing, but this got my foot in the door and I learned quite a bit.
Many companies will be very clear when it comes to what they want in return for the product. They often provide the backlinks you need to include in the post, or request a specific amount of photos. It is up to you to decide if the value of the product is worth the amount of time you spend testing it out, and writing about it. However, also keep in mind that quite frequently, the company will share your article in several places, and you will also get more views driven to your site.
In some circumstances, a company will offer you the product AND a monetary form of compensation. This is always a win/win, and you can often get paid more for each post you do. In this case, one blog post will be one portion of the income, while posting about it on your Instagram page will be another. It truly depends on the brand you are working with.
Influence Marketing
A good way of finding brands that fit your niche, is to check out some influence marketing sites. I have had great success with:
- Intellifluence. They make it extremely easy to apply for a pitch, and to complete a transaction.
- Bzzagent.com is another great site that gets you to try products out in exchange for your opinions, Whether you post about it to your site or not is up to you.
- Buzzoole.com is another site that I recently started to try. I was accepted for a campaign as soon as I signed up. If you would like updates in the future of how any of these sites work out, let me know by commenting below.
I know that I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but always disclose that you got the product in exchange for the review. You may be tired of hearing me say this, but that’s how you know that it is an important rule.
#5. Affiliate Marketing
While the above mentioned methods of making money blogging have been the most lucrative, I thought I would mention one that is a hit and miss.
Affiliate Marketing can sound like a simple and fast way to earn money. If you do it properly, it can be! Many successful bloggers get the majority of their income from sharing affiliate links. However, that has not been the case for me.
There are several different companies that offer website owners great resources, and say they are the easiest platforms to create passive income. All you have to do, is add links to their products and depending on the click, or the purchase of the product, you will get a commission. It sounds amazing… in theory.
Again, it works very well for others, and is even better if you have a dedicated and large following. However, I will say that if you’re just starting out blogging, to take your time, and to not rush into affiliate marketing. Do not assume it will be the easiest and fastest way to generate income.
Some platforms include Amazon, CJ Affiliates, VigLink, ShareASale… and many of those you can see listed on this article of the Best Affiliate Marketing Platforms (2018). I had tried a couple of them briefly with little to no success. However, I didn’t devote too much of my time learning the ins and outs. Therefore, my lack of success is not a fault of the platforms (in most cases). I may try this again in the future. For now, I am making income in other ways that I am more comfortable with.
However,
one that I am more inclined to include in my posts, is the affiliate marketing for BlueHost. I am being 100% honest with you right now. I have made NO income from it as of yet. While their commission is amazing, many of my regular readers don’t come to my site for blogging tips, but that is slowly changing.
Even though I’ve made $0 from being a BlueHost affiliate, I enjoy writing articles that offer the possibility of getting an income. (<– This is a perfect example of how affiliate links work. See how I inserted my BlueHost affiliate link above? It’s that simple to do. Disclosure: I would earn a commission if you purchased from the link above.)
Why do I enjoy writing articles that while they offer the possibility of making money (even though I haven’t had success yet)? It pushes me to do more research on how their services can benefit my site. It expands the type of posts I do, and it is a nice change in content every once in awhile. I am getting more requests to help people start their own sites, so maybe down the road, it will be another service I offer. Who knows?
Overall,
there are many different ways to receive income from your blog/website. It may take some time, trial and error, but it is possible. Take your time, learn at your own pace, and experiment. See what works for you, your brand, and your site. What has been working for me, may not work for you, and that’s okay! Each site is different and being unique is a good thing!
One very important lesson I have learned from all of this so far, is to not sell yourself short. It took me a long time to realize that if I didn’t see value in what I was doing, why should anyone else? Some people find success right away, and for others, it takes longer. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If in the end, it simply did not work out for you, at least you can say that you tried.
If you’ve had any experience with generating income from your site, please let me know your experiences. Have you tried some of the same methods? Did you have success with affiliate marketing? I’m truly curious to see what you think. Even if you’re just starting out with blogging, let me know the struggles or success stories you have so far! I’d love to hear from you!
