Last updated on December 31st, 2023 at 09:09 pm
Have you ever wondered how people make money blogging? I know I did! Frankly, it took me a while to figure out how to monetize my blog. Thankfully, I figured it out eventually. Are you currently trying to understand how to monetize your blog? Perhaps you feel stuck like I once did. If “how can I make money from my blog?” is a question you have ever asked, you have come to the right place. This free guide is designed to help you determine the best way to make money blogging. Don’t waste any more time on another wild goose chase on the internet, trying to make sense of it all. Let’s proceed without the stress, shall we? It’s time for you to learn how you can make money blogging in 2022.
If you don’t have a blog yet, and you are trying to figure out how to get started, check out our article about How to Start a Blog and Make Money.
This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase through the links. Read our complete disclaimer here and Amazon Affiliate disclosure here.
1. Monetize Your Blog With Sponsored Blog Posts
Once you have your blog up and running, and you have a few blog posts published, you can pitch brands (blogger-speak for companies) for sponsored opportunities. Note that when you are just starting out as a blogger, these opportunities may not be paid. It would likely be an arrangement, where the brand sends you a free product, in exchange for a blog post. Note that if you are signed up for an affiliate program or affiliate network, you can still monetize this content.
E.g. You reach out to Company X to pitch a sponsorship opportunity, to promote Product A. Company X tells you that they are unable to proceed with a paid campaign. However, they would love to send you Product A in exchange for you posting about Company X and Product A on your blog.
You can ask Company X if they have an affiliate program. If they do, sign up, and earn affiliate commissions that way. In this case, though it was a gifting campaign, you are still able to make money from it.
You can pitch blog sponsorship directly to a brand and eliminate the middle man. Alternatively, you can sign up for blog sponsorship networks. The following are a few blog sponsorship networks to consider:
- Izea
- Real Clever
- Acorn
- Blog Meets Brand
- AspireIQ
- Sivan Social
- Reclaim Collaborative
- Activate
- Shopping Links
- Social Publi
2. Monetize Your Blog With Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the process by which you can earn a percentage of the total sale amount (commission) of a product or service that you promote. Brands can either have their own in-house affiliate program, or they can be part of affiliate networks as advertisers.
As a blogger, you can sign up for an affiliate program or network as a publisher (also known as an affiliate). You will receive unique links, banners, or codes to place in your blog when you write about a product or service. You can track your affiliate sales and commissions through the affiliate network or program’s dashboard.
What is the difference between an affiliate program and an affiliate network?
Affiliate program: You have access to only one brand’s products or services. E.g Fabletics has its own affiliate program through which you can promote only Fabletics products. Thereafter, you will earn commissions on any sales you make.
Affiliate network: You have access to multiple brands’ products or services that are all under one roof. E.g Rewardstyle has multiple brands under its umbrella. You can find brands such as Nike, Gap, Target, Walmart, etc under the LTK (formerly Rewarstyle) affiliate network. The same as an affiliate program, you earn commissions on any sales you make.
A brand can have its own in-house affiliate program, and also be a part of an affiliate network. In this case, to choose between the two, compare the affiliate commission rates and other terms and conditions in order to make an informed decision.
3. Monetize Your Blog With Digital Products
If you have a skill set or knowledge base, you can wrap it up and sell it. Literally! You can package your knowledge into an e-course, ebooks, printables, digital planners, content calendars and so much more.
Canva is a great platform to help you get started with creating digital products. You can sell your ebooks and courses on platforms like Podia, Send Owl, or Teachable, and link them to your blog.
4. Monetize Your Blog With Physical Products
You can sell physical products such as your brand merchandise, unique t-shirts, mugs, physical planners, etc. Design these yourself or find someone to do so on your behalf. You can choose to manage the selling process by yourself. Or, you can use a print-on-demand service like Printify or Printful that will handle this bit for you.
5. Monetize Your Blog With Advertisements
As your blog traffic grows, you can pitch blog advertisements to brands directly. You can propose promotion of their products/services on your blog by way of banner ads. The brand will provide h a unique HTML code that you will paste on the back end of your blog. You can discuss whether the arrangement will be a flat rate fee, a fee per click, impressions, or a combination of all.
6. Monetize Your Blog With Ad Networks
Ad networks serve as a middleman between advertisers (brands) and publishers (you the blogger). Examples of ad networks are Google Adsense, Ezoic, Mediavine, Ad Thrive, She Media, Infolinks, etc. When you sign up for an ad network, they are able to place ads that will run on your blog. The payment arrangement may vary depending on the ad network. For CPC (you get paid a certain amount based on the number of clicks on ads on your site). CPM payments are based on the number of times your ad is seen by people visiting your blog. For CPA (cost per acquisition, you are only paid if someone makes a purchase from the ad link.
Some ad networks like Google Adsense are easier to get into; whereas, others like MediaVine and Ad Thrive require very high website traffic in order to be approved to their networks.
7. Monetize Your Blog By Selling Your Services
Are you an authority in a certain field? You can sell your services and thereby monetize your blog. Some examples of services include blog audits, social media strategy, and management, business coaching, consulting, styling, etc. You can list the services you offer in a “Work With Me” section on your blog.
8. Monetize Your Blog With Offline Events
Have you proven to be an authority in a certain topic that you share on your blog? You can be paid for speaking engagements and event appearances.
E.g if you have a nutrition blog, you can pitch yourself to conference organizers. You can get paid for sharing your expertise with their audience.
9. Monetize Your Blog With A Podcast
You can launch a podcast as an extension of your blog. Podcasters make money in a variety of ways, including endorsements and advertisements. Learn how to set up a podcast on Skillshare.
Tip: Turn your existing blog posts into audio content and monetize it on your podcast.
10. Monetize Your Blog By Guest Posting
You can pitch your stories to publications, other blogs, or websites and get paid.
E.g if you are a travel blogger, you can pitch a paid story to a travel publication. Your story can then be featured in an upcoming magazine issue.
11. Monetize Your Blog By Licensing Your Content
You can license content such as guides, articles, and photos that you rightfully own, to other websites, brands, or individuals.
12. Sell Ad Space On Your Newsletter
If you have an engaged blog newsletter audience (email subscribers), you can sell ad space in your newsletters.
E.g Company Y sells a product that your email list has shown interest in. You can use this as an angle of approach when pitching the idea of the brand appearing in your newsletter. You can request a unique discount code that your audience can use if they decide to purchase Company Y’s product. This unique code can be tied to an affiliate commission rate that you can negotiate with the brand. With this arrangement, you will get paid a flat fee for the collaboration arrangement. Plus you will earn commissions on any sales made via your unique link.
Build your email list with Flodesk.
13. Monetize Your Blog With An Events Calendar
You can have a sponsored events calendar on your blog. You can charge brands to feature information about their upcoming events.
14. Create A Digital Magazine
Use your unique skill set to create and sell a digital magazine. You can include content like travel destinations, beauty products, things to do in your area, etc. You can monetize this three-fold:
- Charge a fee to anyone who wants to purchase and download the magazine
- Have the magazine downloadable for free, but charge brands to advertise in the magazine
- A combination of both of the above.
Canva is a great place to start creating your digital magazine.
15. Monetize Your Blog With Memberships/Subscriptions
Can you provide value to your audience consistently (something they would be willing to pay for month after month)? If yes, consider setting up a membership section on your blog.
E.g A business coaching blog can have a membership section. Here you can provide additional value not already covered in the free content on your blog. This can be 1:1 sessions, group sessions, monthly calls, etc.
16. Sign Up For Patreon
Monetize your blog by setting up a Patreon account. Your blog audience can subscribe and get additional paid content from you.
17. Become a Spokesperson
If you are frequently (or ever) featured in the media, you can mention a brand’s products or services. Consequently, charge the brand a fee for the extra exposure you have granted them.
E.g if you are going to be featured in a publication about tools that you use, you can reach out to a company and let them know that you would be willing to mention them if they will pay you for the exposure.
18. Monetize Your Blog With Photography
If you are a skilled photographer, you could use your blog images as a portfolio. Afterwards, pitch your paid photography services to potential clients. You can sell the licensing of your images to stock photography sites, local businesses, etc.
19. Host Virtual Summits/Paid Webinars
You can drive your blog traffic/subscribers to a virtual summit or paid webinar that you host. Moreover, make it relevant to your niche, and share content that is valuable and worth paying for.
Are You Ready To Make Money Blogging?
I hope that you have found this guide useful and that you will be able to implement a few (or all) of the suggestions. Importantly, this is not an exhaustive list of ways to make money blogging. It is just the tip of the iceberg. Lastly, we will continue to seek out more money-making opportunities for your blog, and update this guide accordingly. Cheers to you as you proceed on your journey to blogging financial success!