This article focuses on generating money from your blog, but in order to do that, you need to be a successful blogger first. If you’re pretty new to blogging, take a step back and read my article 5 Simple Steps to Become a Successful Blogger.
You will need to master all of those steps before moving on to this one. If you’re ready to start making money, let’s do it!
If you started your blog solely for business purposes, and not as a hobby, you should generate income from it, right? Right! Although I haven’t tried all of the tricks of the trade, I have done extensive research and will share with you what I have learned, and what has worked for me so far.
Realistic Expectations & Success
Earning an income from your blog can be started immediately but you have to have realistic expectations. You aren’t going to get rich quick, but it is realistic to believe you can make a sufficient amount of money over time. This process requires patience, time and effort. I know this because I frustrated myself by expecting results on day one. I actually had results on the first day I displayed ads on my site, but what I earned was about 3 cents. Woohoo! I was thinking “This is going to take years”! It was ridiculous of me to think the world was going to read my blog and click on ads right on that day. You have to look at your progress over a longer period of time than that to analyze your success.
Many people have earned enough income from their blog to quit their jobs (which is a very exciting goal to strive for), but there is no set time frame for success. This has been done in just under a year for a few, and it has taken 3 or more years for other bloggers. Stay positive and motivated. The effort you put into writing quality content and promoting it will determine how quickly you generate income, so make sure you are doing your best! Take a look below to see what is possible!
7 Popular Blogs & Approximate Earnings Per Month
- Huffington Post – huffingtonpost.com – $18,000,000
- Engadget – engadget.com – $5,000,000
- Mashable – mashable.com – $2,000,000
- CopyBlogger – copyblogger.com – $1,000,000
- Perez Hilton – perezhilton.com – $575,000
- Pat Flynn – smartpassiveincome.com – $167,000
- Lindsay & Bjork – pinchofyum.com – $90,000+
7 Methods Used To Make Money
You should not rely on just one way to make money from your blog. Do you see any other business selling ONE product to keep their business going? No. There are numerous options and ways to increase your income, it just depends on what you’re able and willing to do. Let’s look at the 7 most popular ways.
Sell a Product
This is the #1 way most people earn money from their websites/blogs. WordPress makes it easy to create a store on your blog by adding an ecommerce plugin. You can either sell your own products you have created or sell someone else’s products. Examples of products to sell include:
- “How To” courses you have designed
- e-books you have written
- Customized T-shirts
- Crafts/hand-made items
Sell A Service
Depending upon your skills, you could have many services to offer. Some examples include:
- Website building
- Social Media Management
- Coaching
- Proofreading & editing
- Consulting
Advertisements
Placing ads on your blog is usually where most people start. This is super simple to do using a plugin on your WordPress site. Google Adsense is quite popular and is what I use. You will have options for what type and size of ad you would like to display on your site, as well as where you would like it placed. They will choose relevant ads for you based on your site content or audience. You get paid every time someone clicks on the ad. As your traffic increases,so does your income. Sign up today to start making money immediately!
Affiliate Marketing
This is an extremely popular way to have your blog make money for you. For many, it is their largest income stream. With this option you will be partnering with a company, recommending an item and placing links on your site to take people to the affiliate site to purchase an item there. You will then earn a commission from the sale, from your unique link that tracks the sale back to you. Affiliate marketing usually pays more than other types of ads. Amazon is a great company to use for this, but there are many others as well such as Commission Junction, ShareASale, FlexOffers, VigLink, and more. If you happen to need an awesome, affordable web host, click on the Blue Host box above to get started! For more detailed information on choosing a hosting plan please read How To Choose a Hosting Plan and Start a Blog.
Membership
Another way to generate a steady income is to create an area of your site for members only. Your readers pay a regular membership fee to access different content than non-membership readers see. You can include videos, instruction manuals, courses, podcasts, or any other “premium” content that you feel is valuable. With this option you will have to add new content much more often and offer your highest quality work and information, which requires a higher level of commitment and effort. Since this income is recurring, you will be continuously earning.
Webinar
Plenty of people are visual learners. That’s probably why YouTube is so popular. Host a webinar to show your readers your expertise in your niche. Charge a fee for each webinar just as you would pay to go to a seminar. This is another awesome way to interact with your audience because it allows them to ask you questions and receive answers.
Sell Your Blog
After you have done extreme amounts of consistent hard work making your blog successful, it just might catch the eye of a buyer. Selling your blog at that point can be highly lucrative. Arianna Huffington sold The Huffington Post for $315 MILLION. If that’s not motivating, I don’t know what is. WOW!!!
Opportunities
There are many more ways and opportunities out there for you to make money from your blog. I have just shared the seven most common ways. Do a little research and experiment with what works for you. If something isn’t working well for you, try something else. You can even get creative and develop new ways. Go get started, and as your fellow blogger, I wish you the best!
If you have found this article useful, please comment below. Thank you!
