How To Make Money By Blogging

You want to make money, right? Of course you
do. Everyone wants – and needs -to make money.
So you started a blog since you’ve heard it’s an
easy way to make cash, but you’re not quite sure
how to actually make money doing it. Or maybe
you already have a blog and you’re exploring
ways to monetize it.
No matter which group you’re in, making money
with a blog – whether it’s a hobby blog or a
business blog –is possible. It’s not a get rich quick
ordeal, but if you do it right, you could make
enough to support your family and more. Let’s
dive in and see how you can make a profit with
your blog.

Monetize with CPC or CPM Ads
One of the most common ways bloggers make
money is through placing ads on their site. There
are two popular types of ads:
CPC/PPC Ads: Cost per click (also called pay per
click) ads are usually banners that you place in
your content or sidebar. Each time a reader
clicks on the ad, you are paid for that click.
CPM Ads: CPM Ads, or “cost per 1,000
impressions,” are ads that pay you a fixed
amount of money based on how many people
view your ad.
Perhaps the most popular network for placing
these types of ads is Google AdSense. With this
program, you do not need to be in direct contact
with advertisers; you simply place the banner on
your site, Google chooses ads relevant to your
content, and your viewers click on the ads. There
are countless similar programs available if you
find that AdSense doesn’t work for you, such as
Chitika, Infolinks, and Media.net.

Sell Private Ads
Working with advertising networks isn’t your
only option when it comes to selling ads. If you
end up with enough traffic, advertisers may come
directly to you and ask you to place their ad on
your site. You can also contact advertisers
yourself. The biggest difference from the above
mentioned option is that there is no middle man,
which means you can set your own ad rates.
Selling private ads can come in the form of
banners, buttons, or links. You can even make
money writing sponsored posts where you write
about or give a review of an advertiser’s product
or service. Another option is to write an
underwritten post or series, which is where you
can write about any topic, but the advertiser pays
for a “Brought to you by” mention in the content.
The ways you make money with this can vary.
For instance, you might charge a one-time fee for
a link within a post. If you are hosting banner
ads, you might charge your partner monthly.
Bonus tip: To maximize your income, you can also
choose to sell sponsorship space in your email
newsletters (here are 5 best email marketing
software ), podcasts, and videos.
Include Affiliate Links in Your
Content

Affiliate marketing is also another great tool for
monetizing your blog. Here is how affiliate
marketing works :
1. An advertiser has a product she wants to sell.
She agrees to give you a commission from each
sale if the buyer is coming from your site.
2. She gives you a unique link that tracks your
affiliate code. That way, she knows when a
buyer used your link to make a purchase.
3. You include your affiliate link on your site.
You can do this directly in the content or
through banner ads. If a reader clicks on your
unique link and buys the product you have
recommended, you earn a percentage of what
she purchased.
You can utilize affiliate marketing through ad
networks like Amazon Associates , or you can
create private partnerships with advertisers and
businesses with an affiliate program.

Sell Digital Products
If you would rather not advertise other people’s
products on your site, or if you are looking for
another stream of income, consider selling digital
products. This can include items like:
eBooks
Online courses/workshops
Images, video, or music people can use in their
own content
Apps, plugins, or themes
Just remember that if you are going to choose one
of these avenues that you make it relevant and
useful to your readers. A lot of bloggers make the
mistake of assuming they are developing a
product their readers need; listen to your readers
first, and then create a digital product that will
meet their needs.
Use it as a Content Marketing
Tool for Your Business
It is also possible to sell physical products on your
blog and to make money that way. Instead of
thinking of it as making money from your blog,
however, think of your blog as a content
marketing tool that will drive visitors to your
business website.
The possibilities are practically endless when it
comes to developing a business blog. You could
sell hand-made products, books, manufactured
products, and so much more. Or you might
already have a business and decide to start a blog
to convert loyal customers.
Lets say, for example, that you refurbish and
resell used smartphones out of your home. You
could use a blog to attract visitors to your website
where you list your current phones for sale. Your
blog might cover topics about DIY refurbishing.
On one level, it seems counterintuitive because
you want people to buy your phones, but it also
helps you build a brand and gain recognition.
Social media guru Jay Baer explains the concept
on Copyblogger :
I was at a conference a few years ago, and this is
where I first sort of started thinking about this
concept, and their founder, Robert Johnson, was
speaking…
He said, “Well our best customers are the people
that think they can fix it themselves.”
But eventually you are going to get out of your
depth either on that project on a project down the
road, at which point who are you going to call?
Are you going to call somebody randomly that you
discovered on Google or are you going to call the
guys who you just watched their logo in the
corner of a 14-minute instructional video?
This concept can also be applied to services in all
types of industries. For instance, if you offered
electronic repair services as opposed to physical
products, you could still use the same blogging
concept to increase brand awareness and convert
more clients.

Sell Memberships
Another option to make money is to sell
memberships to exclusive corners of your
website. For instance, a career blog might charge
$10 per month for users to gain access to their
job board. A startup business blog might sell
memberships to their forums where people can
get personalized advice about their business.
The key here is that your exclusive membership
has to be more valuable than something your
visitors can find for free somewhere else, so be
sure you’re developing something of value
and worth the price.
Use it to Build Your Credibility
Blogging to build credibility can lead to many
money-making opportunities. For instance, let us
say you start a blog in the finance industry.
People start reading your content, and your blog
becomes very popular. You are now a recognized
figure in the finance industry.
Once you have that authority, people might
approach you to co-author a book on debt
management, or you could charge to speak at
conferences or to run employee financial training
days.
This certainly isn’t a direct form of making
money blogging, but it has worked for many well-
known bloggers, and it can work for you, too. If
you’re looking for a direct revenue stream,
popular blogs have sold for 4-7 figures
(sometimes more ) by selling their branding and
content.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that making
money blogging is not possible by putting your
site up and letting it sit there. The “if you build it,
they will come” mentality doesn’t work here, so
be sure you’re willing to put in the time. Most
bloggers don’t see a spike of income for
several months (sometimes years) after starting
their blog. Before you dive too deep into
blogging, remember these little bits of advice:
Create Quality Content
You are not going to make any money from your
blog if people don’t read it. After all, your readers
are the ones who are going to make you money,
whether they’re clicking on your ads or buying
your products. Always put your readers first.
Don’t Spend Your Time Exclusively on Your Blog
Developing a successful blog has a lot to do with
building relationships. That can include
relationships with sponsors, affiliate partners, or
simply other bloggers who will direct traffic to
your blog. Be sure some of your time is spent on
forums and other blogs (or whatever works for
you) to build these relationships and your blog.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
Not all of these tips and avenues of income are
going to work for you. Don’t be afraid to tweak
your methods to see what works best for you and
your readers.
Making money blogging can take a lot of
persistence, but it can pay off in the long-run if
you’re starting out from scratch. Just remember
that you don’t have to use all of these money-
making avenues at once. Consider what other
people in your industry are doing, and start from
there.
Over time, you will learn what works for you and
what doesn’t. If you’re looking to make
money from your blog, which option will you
start with?
Let me know in the comment section :).