How to Monetize your Blog and Make Money Blogging
There are many ways to make money blogging.
When I first thought of starting a blog I was inspired by several mompreneurs online.
And they are Killing It online, with some making six figures a year!
So, like me, many new bloggers are drawn to the idea of monetizing their blog.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to stay at home and make money online with their blog?
This post explains some of the most popular ways to make money blogging online by monetizing your blog.
If you are reading this and haven’t started your blog yet, I have an easy step-by-step tutorial on how to start a blog!
How I Monetize my Blog
Blogging from home and making money online can be very profitable.
There are numerous strategies you can use to make money with your blog.
To help you decide which income earning method will work for your blog, let’s take a look at the choices below.
Here are the top methods to make money blogging:
- Advertising
Affiliates
Sponsored Posts
Products
Services
Right now, for my Derby Lane Dreams blog, I am monetizing my site with Ads, Affiliate Links, and Sponsored Posts.
I’ll go into more detail about how I monetize my site as we go along.
Advertisements to Make Money Blogging
Ads may be one of the most popular methods to make money with a blog.
Keep in mind, you’ll need to generate a lot of traffic to reach $1,000 in ad revenue per month.
And, if you put too many ads on your blog, it clutters up your site and provides a subpar user experience.
However, my advice is to test it out for yourself and see if you like it.
Also, incorporate other methods of monetization as well and don’t just rely on ad revenue to sustain your blog.
(You know, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.)
Related: 10 Super Easy Ways to Save Money – that you haven’t thought of!
Below are the 5 Top Ad Networks for Bloggers:
- Google Ads
- Media.net
- Mediavine
- BlogHer Ads
- AdThrive (CafeMedia)
Google Ads
When I first started my blog, I tried advertising with Google Ads.
Remember, if you don’t have a lot of traffic, you won’t be making a lot of money with ads.
And, growing your blog takes times, so with time will come more ad earnings.
Anyway, my profit each day was just a few cents.
Totally not worth having the ads on my pages.
So, I stopped Google Ads and moved over to Mediavine.
Media.net
Media.net is the ad network powered by Yahoo! and Bing.
I have not used them, but I have heard some good things.
Their ads look a little different because they use little, colored keyword blocks.
Media.net works to ensure that the keyword blocks blend well with your site — they will often use the same color scheme.
These ads complement Adsense ads well mainly because they do look very different from them.
Media.net pays monthly with Paypal, but like Adsense, you have to have met a $100 minimum in a month’s time to get a payment.
Mediavine
Similarly, I had read that a lot of bloggers switch to Mediavine once they can consistently hit 25,000 sessions per month.
So, that became my goal. When you are first setting up your blog, be sure to set up Google Analytics.
This is super important for a number of reasons, but this is how you can see how much traffic your blog is getting.
You google analytics will show you how many unique page views and how many sessions you are getting to your blog per day, week, and month.
It also clearly shows you your top-performing posts, traffic by country, and most-clicked affiliate links, etc.
Anyway, I finally had a Great performing blog post about Fortnite (you can imagine), and it boosted my monthly sessions to around 30,000!
I can’t even explain to you how excited I was when I achieved my first big blogging goal!
So, I joined Mediavine in November 2018, and I should start receiving payments from them around February 2019.
According to their dashboard, I am making approximately $200 per month. That may not sound like a lot, but you have to start somewhere.
And, I know that my traffic will continue to grow with time and consistently posting great content.
BlogHer Ads
This is an ad network run by BlogHer, a very popular site for women.
It’s an older advertising network and has been around since 2006.
As part of this group, you may also get invited to do sponsored posts for various companies, so that’s another perk to signing up.
It’s important to note that BlogHer requires you to have their ad at the top of all your posts and pages.
Plus, you can’t have any other ads besides theirs above the fold on your site. That was the deal-breaker for me.
I have read mixed reviews on how these ads perform — some are happy with them, and some are not.
Still, they are one of the more popular ad networks and I see their ads on lots of blogs.
BlogHer pays monthly with a check or Paypal as long as you’ve earned at least $25.
Additionally, when you join, you have to sign a one-year contract.
AdThrive (CafeMedia)
AdThrive is an advertising company that was purchased by CafeMedia in 2016. I have only heard great things about AdThrive!
They have their own advertising network that displays family-friendly ads, plus they set up DFP (Double Click For Publishers) on their ads once they’re installed on your blog.
These are display ads, and once you sign up, they will analyze your site and tell you where they think their ads will perform best.
Then, they go in and do all the set up for you. Additionally, AdThrive pays monthly with direct deposit.
One thing to note is that AdThrive does have a waiting list. So, getting to sign-up with them may take some time.
In the same way, they have two levels of service — AdThrive Edge and AdThrive Premium.
You can qualify to get in at the AdThrive Edge level if you have at least 100,000 page views per month.
By the same token, you have to get at least 750,000 page views per month to qualify for AdThrive Premium.
From what I have heard, both are good, but with AdThrive Premium you get a little more personalized help with maximizing your ad revenue on your blog.
Related: 47 Ways to Grow your New Blog Posts Quickly!
Affiliate Marketing to Make Money Blogging
Making money with affiliates may be one of the first methods of monetization you use.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is promoting a product and getting a commission if you send a buyer to the affiliate company, and they make a purchase.
It’s free to sign up for most affiliate programs. And, each company has its own program and set of rules.
A few key things to remember when doing affiliate marketing is that you have to disclose that you’re using affiliate links at the top of your blog posts.
You’ll also need a disclosure page on your blog. I have my privacy policy and disclosure on the same page, in the footer of my blog.
If you want your affiliate blog post to convert and generate sales, you should write an honest review of the product.
If you’ve never used the product or can’t provide real-life images of it, it won’t convert as well.
Which companies have Affiliate programs?
Thousands of companies offer affiliate programs.
The easiest one that most bloggers start with is
You can sign up for free and promote any of their products.
Amazon was the first affiliate program I joined.
It’s easy to start, and you can also join their worldwide program and promote to other countries.
I haven’t earned a lot with them, but I do tend to make around $200 per month using their affiliate links.
Other Companies with great Affiliate Programs:
-
Amazon - ShareASale
- FlexOffers (offer affiliate programs in different categories)
- Commission Junction
- Clickbank
- Rakuten
- eBay
- Ultimate Bundles
- Shutterfly
- Target
- StitchFix
- ConvertKit
If there is a product that you love, just do a quick Google search to see if it has an affiliate program.
Most likely it does and you can sign up and promote it on your blog.
Sell Products to Make Money Blogging
Online products such as ebooks, courses, or membership sites are highly profitable and a fantastic way to monetize your blog.
The downside is that it takes a lot of time, skill, and knowledge to write an ebook or create a course.
If you’re an expert in a particular field and people constantly ask you for advice on that topic, then bundle it up into a course and share your knowledge!
Online courses and ebooks are popular avenues for making money with your blog.
Readers love the convenience of receiving an ebook instantly without waiting or paying for shipping.
Ebooks and online courses are so popular because they are convenient.
You can learn at your own pace with instant access to all the materials.
And, more often than not, you have access to the course instructor through email or a private Facebook group.
Another idea is to create a great product, combine with others, and sell it in one of the Ultimate Bundles!
(Ultimate Bundles are collective products from your favorite experts rolled into one big package and offered up at a HUGE discount.)
Check out my post, What’s So Great About Ultimate Bundles? and get an in-depth review of everything you need to know.
How do bloggers make a full-time income selling products?
- You put in the effort and build a strong following
- They’ve clearly and efficiently organized their teachings into a beautiful ebook or course
- They make it easy to learn about and purchase the product
- Ultimately, they’re offering exceptional value to their readers
There are several bloggers that come to mind regarding selling their courses and making money by blogging.
Ever hear of McKinzie Bean of Moms Make Cents?
Or, Suzi Whitford of Start A Mom Blog?
These are just a couple of examples that show it’s very possible to make a full-time income from your blog.
It won’t be overnight, but if you continue to put forth the effort it will definitely be worth it!
Services to Make Money Blogging
When you are just learning how to start a blog, offering services could be a quick way to make money.
Your blog can serve as your online resume where future clients can see your work.
There are many services you could offer.
What are you already good at that you can do for others online?
Here is a List of Service Ideas
- Virtual Assistant
- SEO Consulting
- Freelance Writer
- Proofreading
- Online Coach
- Online Personal Stylist
- Facebook Live Exercise Classes
- Virtual Party Planner
- Cooking Assistant / Recipe Reader
- Website Design
- Healthy Living Coach
- Handmade craft seller
- Personal Diet Mentor
- Social Media Consulting
- Yoga Or Pilates Live Classes
Sponsored Posts to Make Money Blogging
Do you ever hear of blogger’s getting free products from companies?
Most likely, the blogger received a free item in exchange for a sponsored post.
What is a Sponsored Post?
A sponsored post is a dedicated blog post written based on the requirements given by your sponsor.
It’s not a regular blog post where you can write about whatever you want.
And, it’s a blog post with the purpose of bringing more awareness to a product through the power of your influence.
The sponsor company could either pay you for your blog post or send you a free product. Or, both.
Each contract is different. The larger your following and influence, the more money you can request for a sponsored post.
Are you seeing the trend? Blogging is not just about making money.
It’s also about building an audience and a loyal following.
Once you have that down, the making money part is easy.
Below is a List of Companies that offer Sponsored Post Opportunities.
Activate (Blog Lovin
The Sway
The Blogger Network
- IZEA
Collectively
Social Fabric
The SITS Girls
Sponsor companies also look for very niche blogs.
If you have a small but very passionate following, you can pitch to large companies.
A small dedicated blog with a strong following could win a sponsored post over a larger, more general blog.
My Sponsored Posts
I’ve done a few sponsored posts and several Instagram sponsored ads.
For the Instagram sponsored ads, the companies sent me different items to try out and then I posted a photo with a message about the product.
For example, Downlite Bedding Company mailed me a lightweight, quilted, king-sized blanket. And, I LOVE it!
Here are some sponsored ads I posted to my Instagram account:
This bedding company is hoping to get lots of sales of this blanket because of my sponsored post.
Some other fun products I’ve received in exchange for a sponsored post are:
- fluffy pillows
- an outdoor bug zapper
- beautiful throw pillows
- seasonal display signs
- candles
- a gorgeous fine art print
- outdoor pathway lights
- christmas tree ornaments
- sunscreen
- chocolates
Sponsored Blog Post
My most lucrative sponsored post was a collaboration with Christmas Tree Shops and That! (part of Bed Bath & Beyond).
I received an email from one of their managers asking if I would drive to their Atlanta store, go shop with a gift card ($200.00), and then write a post ($500.00).
They emailed me a list of requirements and I got to work.
I easily purchased lots of their Fall and Harvest merchandise, styled the pieces around my home, and took photos and video.
I’ve gotta tell ya, it was so much fun! That’s one of those jobs I wish I had every week!
Obviously, that post was when I was super into the home decor/home styling niche. Which I still really love.
But, I’ve moved my focus to help other moms be able to stay at home with their kids, while still making an income.
Make Money Blogging in Many Ways
All things considered, those are the main methods to make money with your blog.
And, these listed methods are based on my own experience and some research.
Finally, there are lots of other networks out there so feel free to comment below if there are other networks you’ve used and would recommend!
5 Extra Tips to Make Money Blogging
- Create as many different income streams as you can.
- Write excellent, detailed content for every single post.
- All bloggers are different, so find the income strategy that works for you and go with it!
- Always be yourself, and find a unique angle for your blog content.
- Successful bloggers start a blog to help others. It will take time to build loyal relationships with your readers. But once you do, it will be easy to ask for a commitment.
Over to You!
Which income strategy are you going to try first?
Have you done any affiliate marketing?
What is your favorite ad network?
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