Seriously, How Do Bloggers Make Money?

The question that seems to puzzle everyone’s mind: how do bloggers make money? Seriously, how?

“Normal jobs” are easy to understand — you have your steady 9-5 job where you (for the most part) arrive and leave the same time every Monday-Friday. You receive a paycheck for doing that one job. You can make future plans based on that money, knowing what it will look like every month. It’s pretty black and white.

With blogging, it isn’t that simple. There are so many grey areas.

Making money with blogging can happen multiple ways and the most successful bloggers take advantage of multiple income streams.

THE TOP 5 WAYS BLOGGERS MAKE MONEY:

• Affiliate Links
• Ad Networks
• Freelancing
• Sponsored Posts
• Digital Products

The most successful bloggers out there are taking advantage of all the ways to make money. Now, when I refer to “successful bloggers” I am referring to those who have created a full-time income for themselves with their blog.

Let’s dive deeper into the top ways bloggers make money.

AFFILIATE LINKS

What is an affiliate link? This is a special link you are given when you sign up with a company or program to advertise a particular product. Let’s say I am an affiliate for a special type of running shoe. I can add my affiliate link to a blog post I create about this particular shoe. Now, anytime someone clicks on my special link and purchases the shoe, I receive a commission. Sounds easy enough, right?

What you don’t want to do is sound too salesy – you don’t want to just paste your affiliate link to your blog post and write something like “buy this shoe, click here!” You want to gain the trust of your readers by being authentic. Give a true review of the shoe, list out its benefits, write how the shoe can help your reader, and what your reader will get out of purchasing this shoe.

I have found the most success with affiliate links by adding one link in the beginning, middle, and end of the post. Don’t be spammy with your links and turn your readers away from your material.

A few affiliate networks I use are:

• ShareASale
• FlexOffers
• Amazon Affiliates
• ShopStyle

AD NETWORKS

Ad networks should work the same way as affiliate links: don’t be too spammy. The best ads help monetize your blog without hindering your reader’s experience.

I know we’ve all been witness to a website that is completely covered in ads. It’s frustrating as a reader to try to navigate the site when there are ads after ads ruining the experience for you and ultimately turning you away from that blog article and site altogether.

Don’t do this.

Instead, have just a few ads placed strategically around your site and throughout your blog post. Don’t be afraid to play around with ads. Once you place ads on your site don’t think you can’t change this. If you know your blog is receiving high traffic but your ad network income is a big fat $0, consider changing the placement and format of your ads for better success.

A lot of bloggers like to start out by using Google Adsense. Some Ad Networks require a monthly quota of page views to qualify for their ad network. Adsense does not, which is why it is a perfect starting Ad Network for so many bloggers.

FREELANCE WRITING

A lot of bloggers get started with freelance writing to not only earn extra money but to get their name and work out there for more eyes to see. As a writer, this makes sense.

When just starting out with freelancing, it will be up to you to find the work by applying to freelance writing job posts. However, once you are accredited in the freelance writing world, jobs may start coming to you.

Don’t be afraid to apply to jobs, what’s the worst that can happen? They say “no”? Big deal, move on to another!

Check out these sites for work:

• ProBlogger
• UpWork
• FreelanceWritingGigs
• BloggingPro

SPONSORED POSTS

Sponsored posts are blog posts you are paid to write and publish on your own blog. Remember that affiliate link example with the running shoe? Well, maybe this running shoe company wants to pay you to write a blog post on the shoe. This is a sponsored post.

Payment for sponsored posts can vary, depending on the length and demands of the post. Some sponsored posts are extremely picky with who they offer the job to and you may be required to have a certain amount of blog page views per month or a certain number of social media followers.

Don’t get discouraged, keep trying.

Sponsored posts are not always reviews – instead, they can be a DIY demonstration, a recipe, a story, or a social media post. Be sure to read over the requirements for every sponsored post.

Sites to join for sponsored post opportunities:

• Massive Sway
• Clever
• Linqia

Aside from joining sponsored post sites for work, reach out to companies that you truly love and want to promote. Even if the company cannot pay you for work, they may be willing to send you free products in exchange for a review on your blog.

DIGITAL PRODUCTS

Perhaps the most overlooked option to monetizing your blog, digital products can truly be the most stable form of income for a blogger.

Why? Because you aren’t relying on page views for ad income or hoping someone will click on your affiliate links and purchase within a certain time frame, or applying to every sponsored post opportunity you can find.

With digital products, YOU are in control of your income. Digital products take time to create but are easy to distribute and share with readers.

A few digital product ideas:

• eBooks
• Courses
• Photography
• Graphic Design
• Blog Themes and Design

Whatever form of income you chose to incorporate on your blog, make sure you are doing it authentically. We all want to make money, but readers will see right through if you are not being true to yourself (i.e. writing sponsored posts on every topic imaginable, or promoting affiliate links to items not relevant to your blog).

The more trust you have in a reader, the more likely that reader will return to your blog and continue to contribute to your blogging income.

Always remember to not get completely discouraged and give up! We’ve all struggled with pageviews and monetization. Successful blogging takes serious time and dedication — and remember to always keep learning as much as you can!

Ready to start a blog of your own? Check out my easy step-by-step guide to begin!