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If you like reading income reports from other blogger’s you might know that the secret to earning money blogging is diversifying your income. Now there are multiple ways to earn money blogging and the sky’s the limit, but I recommend you check out the following ways.
I discovered not too long ago, maybe just 4 years ago that the secret to becoming a full-time blogger is to create a full-time income by using multiple monetization strategies.
How well they work often change, so prepare to be flexible with this.
Don’t stick with things that don’t work. Just like any other branch, it’s important to stay up to date with industry trends.
Right now, I’ll explain some of the ways that work now. I’m not a big fan of the ways that promise you the gold now, because they often feel (and are) scammy.
I’m in it for the long-run, and we should all treat our blogs like businesses, so keep that in mind when doing your own research. I noticed that often the income strategy that takes longer are more profitable after a few months or years and should not rely on other platforms.
Also, what might work for another blogger sometimes doesn’t work for you or your niche, and that’s ok. Just know that all of the strategies discussed, ARE working for a lot of bloggers, so that should give you the motivation not to give up as soon as you don’t see results now.
Now each of these categories offers a wide range of different possibilities. You might feel overwhelmed, so let’s just pick 3 that you can get started with today. If you want to learn more about the other ways, check out the Ultimate Guide To Blogging.
When balanced, this option to make money blogging is one of my favorite ways. However, when I overdo it, I no longer feel authentic and I feel like an advertisement board.
I’m doing about one collaboration a month, sometimes a few more if they fit into my schedule authentically.
A sponsored post doesn’t mean you have to write it like you work for the company or that you’re writing a review. It means that it blends into your content naturally, however, you always have to tell your audience that you’re getting paid for something.
I love sponsored posts because I like the challenge. I also like to get paid for my creative work, which is exactly what featuring an item in your content means.
So hurray for sponsored posts and brand collaborations!
Here is an Instagram example of a sponsored (Instagram) post I did for Lipton:
See, you don’t always need to make a sponsored post super ‘sponsored’. I did a road trip, took a photo of the sight and included the brand naturally, I was actually drinking that after a hike. I tagged the brand in the photo and used hashtags, that’s it!
Sounds good? Let’s get to the pros and cons:
Pros
Cons
Working with brands on sponsored posts on your social media
I think this is a different way to monetize as a blogger because often blog sponsored posts are a lot of work, while social media posts sometimes just mean ‘retweet’ a tweet or visit an event and create an Instagram Story.
If you don’t know where to get started, download this list with 20 of my highest paying influencer agencies + apps that have landed me multiple sponsors for both my blog and Instagram.
Leave your email address to receive the free list with:
A list of 20+ highest paying influencer agencies to join as a micro influencer and that will pay you to write, publish, and review!
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing comes down to promoting products online to get a commission whenever a sale is made through your recommendation link.
Many bloggers have implemented this strategy already and I cannot wait to show you how to turn your blog into a money-making machine with affiliate marketing!
So before we get into the actionable steps, make sure you read the pros and cons of promoting affiliate links on your blog and social media:
Pros:
Cons:
I suggest you start with this list of recurring affiliate programs to generate some monthly recurring income today. Also, check out this great resource and download the guide below for more tips.
If you have some skills, make sure you offer them as a service on your blog. There are always brands, e-commerce stores and people looking for someone who can help with (and knows a lot about) blogging, tech things, social media etc.
Many bloggers offer services and even when you don’t have time right now, it’s smart to put up a page that lists your services. You never know…
I’m not a big fan of bloggers offering ‘blog coaching’ when they’ve just been blogging for a few months, it’s like ‘teaching people how to become a millionaire’ while the teaching is secretly your way to become one. It just feels like, you’re making money while doing something that you’re not a practitioner of. I’m a big fan of being a practitioner and I think it’s better to offer something that you learned either by doing (it for many years) or that you studied for. But it’s up to you. Stay in your lane, if you write about food, offer services that are food related like ‘I’ll create a 8-course menu for your dinner + include a complete grocery store list’. That makes more sense for your readers when you’re a food blogger than offering ‘services to work around the house and redo your bathroom’.
Like all the other ways of earning money blogging, there are a few pros and cons:
Pros:
Cons:
The thing you can do today to start selling your services is put up your ‘work with me page’ on your blog. More on freelancing here.