Millionaire bloggers do exist if you didn’t already know and they are becoming more common nowadays. Working from home and making money with your blog has become easier and easier in the 2020s. Just getting started seems to be the most difficult for most people, but after you do things just get easier and more streamlined.
With that being said it’s very important to have a proven strategy that works to develop/create content as well as generate traffic and revenue. A successful blogging venture hinges upon having an effective blog strategy in order to make it as profitable and as fun as possible.
How Much Money Can You Make Blogging?
Well generating 4, 5, and even 6 digits per month is more than possible now. To be real only 3 or 4 percent of bloggers make over 10k a month but keep in mind the number of bloggers is also increasing exponentially every year as well. It has become easier and easier to run an online blogging business with the new tools and resources that are available now.
The earning potential of blogging varies greatly depending on several factors such as niche, content quality, audience size, and monetization strategies. You can make life-changing money from your blog relatively quickly by treating it like a business and thinking like an entrepreneur instead of just as a hobbyist or something you just do on the side.
In this article, we will discuss a variety of methods that you can use to bring in revenue from your blog. We’ll cover everything from affiliate marketing to sponsorships and more. So whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been blogging for years, you’ll find something useful in this guide!
How to Make Money Blogging: 11 Proven Ways
There are a number of different ways for you to make money from your blog. In this section, we’ll outline the most common methods that you can take in order to monetize your blog and earn a sizeable income.
1) Choose a Profitable Niche
One of the most important steps in making money from your blog is to choose a niche that is profitable. Not every niche is created equal, so it’s important to do your research and find a topic that has a lot of potential.
It’s not good enough to start a blog about something you are passionate about because it might not be as profitable as you think. Many bloggers fail to make serious money because they do get into profitable niches.
Niche is the term used to describe a particular area of interest. It’s important to choose a niche that you are interested in and knowledgeable about, as this will help you to produce high-quality content.
Some of the most highly profitable niches include:
- Digital marketing.
- Blogging and making money online.
- Health and fitness.
- Personal finance and investing.
- Recipes and food.
- Personal development and self-care.
- Dating & relationships
That’s not an all-inclusive list but it’s just to give you an idea of what type of content makes money online.
YouTube can also give you an idea of how profitable a niche is. Just type in a keyword in the search bar and look to see how many videos there are and how many views these videos get.
For Example, if I type in “Cannabis” in the YT search bar there are many searches under this keyword and it seems like growing cannabis is a very popular search term that many people are interested in as I scroll down.
Your blog will address topics in your niche that will solve a pain point. You find pain points in your market and sell more. The more ground you cover the more money you can potentially make as an affiliate marketer or as someone who sells your own products.
2) Scale Your Blog Content
Once you’ve chosen a niche, it’s important to start scaling your blog content. This means publishing quality content on a regular basis. The more content you publish, the more opportunities you have to make money.
It’s also important to optimize your content for search engines. By optimizing your posts for certain keywords, you can increase your chances of being found by potential readers.
Choose the right topics, use keywords throughout your blog post, and make sure your content is engaging and informative. If you can do these things, you’ll be well on your way to increasing your blog traffic and generating revenue.
Writing great content is essential when it comes to making money with your blog. In order to attract readers and generate revenue, you need to produce high-quality posts. The more content you publish, the more opportunities you have to make money.
Post consistent content, optimize your posts for search engines, and use keywords throughout your content. If you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to boosting your blog’s traffic and profitability.
3) Build a Reputation
One of the best ways to make money from your self-hosted WordPress blog is to build a reputation as an expert in your field. When readers know that you’re an authority on a topic, they are more likely to trust your opinions and recommendations.
To build a reputation as an expert, you need to produce high-quality content on a regular basis. You also need to engage with your readers and build relationships with them. The more you interact with your readers, the more likely they are to trust you and recommend your blog to others.
It’s also important to participate in relevant discussions online and offline. By networking with other bloggers and professionals in your field, you’ll be able to build relationships that can help you grow your blog.
When it comes to making money with your blog, reputation is key. Readers are more likely to trust your opinions and recommendations if you have a reputation as an expert in your field.
To build a reputation as an expert, stay up to date with industry trends, news, and developments in your niche. Continuously update your knowledge and skills to ensure you remain a relevant and reliable expert. If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to establishing yourself as an authority in your niche.
4) Promote and Grow
In order to make money from your blog, you need to promote it and grow your audience. The more people who visit your blog, the more opportunities you have to make money.
There are a number of ways to promote your blog, including social media, email marketing, and paid advertising. It’s important to experiment with different methods and find what works best for you.
Quora can be a great way to get traffic to your blog, especially if you are a new blogger. Answering questions related to your niche on Quora can help you get exposure and promote your blog. Just be sure to not spam the platform with your URL, as this could lead to getting banned from Quora.
Instead, strive to really benefit Quora users by providing relevant answers, and just leave the URL to your blog on your profile for readers to locate on their own if they so choose.
You have to optimize your content for SEO(Search Engine Optimization) and share it on social media. You should also guest post on other blogs to increase your audience size. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll be well on your way to monetizing your blog.
You can also create a newsletter to grow your audience. A newsletter is a great way to keep your readers up-to-date on your latest content and offers. It’s also a great way to generate revenue by promoting products and services to your readers.
In order to make money from your blog, you need to promote it and grow your audience. The more people who visit your blog, the more opportunities you have to make money.
5) Create a Social Media Strategy
Social Media strategy is key when it comes to making money with your blog. If you want to reach a larger audience, you need to have a social media strategy in place.
There are a number of social media platforms that you can use to promote your blog, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It’s important to use a variety of platforms to reach a wider audience.
You should also consider using social media advertising to promote your blog. Social media advertising is a great way to reach more people and generate leads.
It’s also important to create social media profiles for your blog. When you create social media profiles for your blog, you’re increasing the chances that people will find and follow your web hosting account.
Once you have a social media strategy in place, you need to post content regularly. If you want people to follow your blog, you need to provide them with fresh content on a regular basis.
6) Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a technique of creating and publishing content on other websites or blogs in your industry or niche. It offers different advantages.
- Exposure to a new audience: When you guest blog on a reputable website, you gain access to their existing audience. This provides an opportunity to showcase your expertise and knowledge to a wider audience, potentially attracting new followers and readers to your own blog or website.
- Increased credibility and authority: Being published on a respected website within your niche can enhance your credibility as an expert. It demonstrates that your content is valuable and worth sharing, helping to build trust with potential readers or customers.
- Networking opportunities: Guest blogging allows you to connect with other industry professionals, influencers, and experts. These connections can lead to future collaborations, partnerships, or referrals, further expanding your network and reach.
- Improved search engine rankings: High-quality backlinks from authoritative websites are an essential factor in search engine optimization (SEO). Guest blogging provides an opportunity to acquire these valuable backlinks, which can improve your website’s search engine rankings and increase organic traffic.
- Portfolio building: Publishing guest posts on reputable websites helps to build a strong portfolio of writing samples. This can be beneficial if you’re looking to establish yourself as a freelance writer or content creator, as it showcases your writing abilities and subject matter expertise.
- Skill development: Writing for diverse audiences and adhering to different editorial guidelines can help you refine your writing skills and adapt your style to various platforms and readers.
- Social media growth: When your guest post is shared on social media by the host website or its followers, it can lead to increased visibility and engagement on your own social media profiles. This, in turn, can help grow your online presence and attract new followers.
- Lead generation: A well-crafted guest post with a compelling author bio and call-to-action can drive targeted traffic to your website, potentially resulting in new subscribers, clients, or customers.
In summary, guest blogging is a powerful strategy for reaching new audiences, building credibility, improving SEO, and expanding your professional network, all of which contribute to the overall growth and success of your online presence.
7) Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool for blog promotion, as it enables you to directly communicate with a highly engaged audience who have expressed interest in your content.
By consistently delivering valuable, personalized, and targeted emails, you can drive traffic to your blog, increase reader loyalty, and boost your overall online presence. Furthermore, email marketing allows you to promote new posts, share exclusive offers, and encourage social sharing, all of which contribute to attracting new readers and enhancing your blog’s visibility, ultimately leading to growth and success.
By creating and managing an email list of subscribers on your blog, you can increase your potential reach in comparison to other direct marketing strategies such as popup offers and PPC advertising in most cases.
On top of that building an email list also doubles as a way to promote your products/services and or your affiliate offers.
The autoresponder service I highly recommend and use for this blog is Get Response. It’s very easy to integrate with WordPress and has excellent email automation functionality which I believe is the best in the industry.
8) Offer High-Value Free Content
Free content is another way to promote your blog and make money from it. When you offer free content, you’re giving people a reason to visit your blog. You’re also providing them with valuable information that they can use.
When you’re trying to get traffic to your blog you want to upload preferably once a week if not twice a week. So it’s important to outsource your content if possible. You can use Fiverr to find writers to make posts for your blog. You may need to edit these outsourced posts but it will save you time and energy in the long run.
When you offer free content, it’s important to make sure that it’s high quality. You don’t want to give people a reason to unsubscribe from your blog.
You should also consider offering paid content. Paid content is a great way to generate more revenue for your blog. The downside is that it can be difficult to find people who are willing to pay for your content.
Another option you have is to use a tool like Jasper or GPT-4 which are both AI content-writing tools that can greatly help you with your content generation. They help get rid of writer’s block fast by spitting out very readable content on any topic fast. Then you can tweak and edit its output to craft the perfect blog post.
You have to be willing to experiment and take risks. This is the only way to discover new ways to promote your blog and make money online from it.
9) Sponsered Posts
As you build an audience, you’ll be able to land opportunities for sponsored content on your site and social media. This can include being paid to tweet, write a Facebook post, or publish an article about a company’s products or services. By putting this type of content out there, you can help them build brand awareness and potentially increase their revenue.
There are many different types of sponsored posts, such as reviews, summaries, announcements, roundups, and product videos.
There are two options for sponsored posts: the site owner/blogger can write it, or the sponsoring brand can. If you’re contracted to write and publish the post, you’ll charge more than if you’re just renting out space on your site.
I am personally not a big fan of this but it is a method commonly used by many successful bloggers to get an additional income stream flowing into their bank account.
10) Relationship Building
Relationship building is another way to promote your blog and make money from it. When you build relationships with other bloggers, you’re able to create a network of people who can help you promote your blog.
Relationship building is important for bloggers because it allows them to connect with other people. When you connect with other people, you’re able to create a network of people who can help you promote your blog.
When you build relationships with other successful bloggers, you’re also able to learn from them. This can help you to improve your blog and attract more readers.
The downside is that it can be difficult to build relationships with other bloggers. It takes time and effort to develop strong relationships with other people. The best way to do this is by providing valuable information and being helpful.
11) Optimize Your Blog for SEO
To earn money from blogging, you need to optimize your website for search engines. This means using specific keywords and phrases to help your site rank higher in search engine results. By doing this, you can attract more readers and potential customers to your blog.
SEO can bring massive amounts of traffic to your blog. I personally like using a plugin called All in One SEO. They have a free version and a paid version and it helps you to create your meta tag, title, XML Site map, and more to get your blog as optimized as possible for the search engines. It’s really a no-brainer to at least get the free version.
Now if you really want to get a leg up and boost your blog’s domain authority and rank your content even higher in the search engines then you need to do guest posting or guest blogging.
Guest blogging is where you post on other people’s websites. You create the content or blog post and post on someone else blog that has authority in your niche.
You need to email top sites in your niche to ask to post on their blog and make sure you only message sites that get at least 10k unique visitors per month to ensure maximum exposure.
There are essentially 3 massive benefits to guest posting or guest blogging.
- Increased exposure (referral traffic) to your website.
- Increasing the number of backlinks to your website.
- Establishing yourself as an authority in your niche.
These 3 benefits will help build your brand awareness and ultimately bring in more qualified leads, sales, and of course more money!
Ready to make money blogging? Try HostGator for $2.75/month (60% off) with my link.
6 Powerful Ways to Monetize Your Blog
How much money you make from a blog depends a lot on how you choose to monetize that blog and that choice really determines the best strategies for that blog moving forward.
There are a variety of ways to make money from a blog, and the monetization of a blog is an important part of the process. When you’re monetizing your blog, you’re able to make money from it. Some of the best ways to monetize a blog include:
1) Advertise Within Your Blog
Bloggers are making most of their money through paid ads or rather selling ad space on their blog. This has grown from becoming a very small piece of the pie over the past few years to being the biggest piece of the pie when it comes to most bloggers.
There are a couple of reasons for that. Primarily because it’s super easy to implement and it’s easily the most passive as long as you have pretty good content on your website and can get traffic there you can make a great income from paid ads.
When you advertise within your blog, you’re able to generate revenue from the ads. You can join an advertising network, or you can work with individual advertisers.
The downside is that it can be difficult to find advertisers who are willing to pay for space on your blog. You also need to have a lot of traffic in order to make money from advertising. This is usually the last thing bloggers do to make money from their blogs since you need massive traffic to really capitalize on this strategy.
Google AdSense is the most popular advertising network. It’s easy to use, and it’s a great way to make money from your blog.
2) Sell Profitable Online Courses
Selling an online course is an excellent method for generating income online.
Typically, courses command a higher price than ebooks, allowing you to capitalize on your expertise.
To get started, develop the course content, including lessons and any supplementary materials such as downloads, slides, checklists, and templates.
Next, consider whether to offer personalized support for your course. Some platforms provide two levels of each course: a basic version without assistance and a premium version with email support.
Once your course is complete, utilize a learning management system (LMS) plugin to deliver it to your target audience.
We suggest using MemberPress, as it comes with an integrated course builder.
Creating online courses is typically a more advanced method of monetizing your blog. But is usually very profitable especially when it’s promoted with email marketing.
3) Coaching or Consulting
As a coach or consultant, you can provide value to your clients by helping them one-on-one to achieve a specific goal. This could be anything from developing a blog and online course business like yours, to growing their traffic and email list, to becoming more productive or organized.
Working as a consultant can be a quicker way of earning an income than affiliate marketing. You don’t need much traffic to get started as a consultant. In fact, a landing page and a good outreach strategy are all you really need to get started and you could be making money in no time.
4) Offer Paid Subscriptions
Another great way to make money from your successful blog is to offer paid subscriptions. When you offer paid subscriptions, you’re able to generate revenue from the subscriptions. You can offer paid subscriptions for your blog, or you can offer paid subscriptions for your content.
This is a great way to make money from your blog, but it’s important to remember that not everyone will want to pay for your content. You need to have a lot of traffic and a loyal following in order to make money from this strategy.
One of the best ways to offer paid subscriptions is by using a content management system. This allows you to manage your paid subscriptions and protect your content.
5) Sell Merchandise, Ebooks, and More
Ebooks are a popular choice for blog monetization due to their ease of creation and production. This difficulty level and the amount of effort required to create one is relatively low. If you have been blogging for an extended period, consider repurposing your previous blog posts into chapters for a book.
After completing the writing process, use a design tool like Canva to craft an attractive cover and generate a PDF version of your ebook.
You could have someone create an ebook cover on Fiverr for you if you are lazy and don’t feel like doing it yourself with Canva.
As far as selling the Ebook directly on your blog you need a plugin for that such as Easy Digital Downloads (free version) otherwise you could use a third-party option such as ClickFunnels but that is a monthly recurring expense.
Now when it comes to selling Merch the most common is T-shirts followed by Leisurewear such as sweatshirts, hoodies, joggers, and other sportswear. Many Bloggers as well as YouTubers use teespring.com to sell Merch. There are other sites that do this but basically, you don’t have to process any orders or worry about shipping. Very convenient and hassle-free way of selling Merch.
6) Become an Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money from your blog. With affiliate marketing, you promote other people’s products and services, and you generate revenue from the sales. This is a great way to make money, and it’s a lot of fun too.
The best part is that you don’t have to create your own products or services. You simply promote other people’s products, and you earn a commission from the sales that you generate.
There are a lot of different affiliate programs out there, and it can be a bit daunting to choose the right one. Some of the top affiliate networks out there include:
- Amazon Associates
- ClickBank
- eBay Partner Network (EPN)
- FlexOffers
- JVZoo
- ShareASale
- impact
These affiliate networks above have a huge selection of products to choose from, and they have a very user-friendly interface. You can sign up for free, and it only takes a few minutes.
Once you’re signed up, you can browse through the different products and find one that’s relevant to your blog. Then, you can start promoting it and generating revenue from the sales.
Note: don’t discount private affiliate partners.
Bottom Line
There are a lot of different ways to make money from your blog. It’s important to find a strategy that works for you, and it’s also important to be consistent with your efforts.
There is a big difference between just owning a blog and monetizing a blog. If you want to make the transition from one to the other successfully, you’ll need to be more proactive and dedicated. This means that rather than simply writing blog posts, you’ll need to think about ways to generate revenue from your site.
Look at the competition in your niche and see how many posts they have how long each post (word count) as well as blog post topics they write about. This way you can have a good idea of what to create content about. If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to making a real passive income from your own blog.
