And just like that, we’ve arrived at the very last installment of our 7-day blogging course. If you’ve been following along since day one, then you already learned the crucial steps in building a profitable blog.
The past week, we’ve taken you through selecting the right topic to blog about, deciding on a name, creating your website, developing necessary site pages, writing quality content, and promoting your blog.
Now all that’s left to do is to learn about the different ways that you can monetize your blog. But before we go into that, let’s address this main question first: how does one actually make money through blogging?
In a nutshell, people who publish written content online can earn money through the attention that they get from their readers. When you set out on a purpose to consistently produce high-quality content and you’ve kept your topics within the bounds of your chosen specialty, then there’s a strong likelihood that in time, you’ll establish credibility and grow your following.
Advertisers spend a great deal of money each year on producing advertisements and putting them in front of their target market. Now for some, this demographic might correspond to your audience. When this happens, advertisers would pay top dollar just so creators like you could help them deliver their message. This constitutes the bulk of how content creators earn a living.
On top of that, a significant number of bloggers have also succeeded in leveraging the reputation that they’ve built in order to sell their own products and services.
Over time, you’ll find that the right model for making money off of your blog will depend on your preferences and personal goals. So as you go through this list, think of where you’d want to take your blog and how each of these methods could help you achieve that.
Ways to Make Money From Your Blog
The following are, in no particular order, different revenue streams that you could employ in order to generate profit from your blog:
1. Ad Networks
Joining an ad network is one of the most popular ways to monetize one’s blog. It is used by bloggers across various experience levels primarily due to its low barrier to entry and scalability. The most popular option for beginners is Google AdSense.
However, as your site gain more traffic, you might be interested in exploring other options such as AdThrive and MediaVine. These companies require their applicants to meet a minimum amount of monthly page views, but they offer a much higher rate per click than Google AdSense.
2. Display Advertising
This one is done by selling a space in your blog that marketers can use to promote their product or service. Much like Ad Networks, the ads take in the form of standard banner ads, interactive ads, animated ads, or video ads.
The difference from ad networks is that it removes the middleman which means a higher earning potential for you, the publisher. The caveat is that selling ad space directly will require you to do the work of finding suitable retailers, communicating your rates, and negotiating partnership terms.
3. Sponsored Posts
In addition to selling any unused space in your site, you can also partner with a company who would be interested in sponsoring one or several of your posts. This is great for those who’ve already established a following since a blog that performs well in terms of traffic is favorable to advertisers.
4. Affiliate Marketing
A lot of bloggers that I know of have also found success through affiliate marketing. This one works by placing links in your site that contain a tracking code. The purpose of this code is to monitor the purchase activity of your readers; any subsequent purchase made by your readers will gain you a commission.
5. Digital Products
Another way to create an income stream from your blog is to utilize your site traffic to sell digital products. This one is great as it requires minimal upkeep and can be adapted according to your audience’s needs.
For example, a photography blog audience might be interested in purchasing Lightroom preset packs. Similarly, readers of a digital marketing blog might see a benefit from a social media marketing handbook. The virtual goods you can offer here may take the form of audio recordings, images, templates, themes, a short PDF file, or an e-book.
6. Physical Products
If selling digital goods doesn’t suit your fancy, you can also consider selling physical products on your site. This one’s perfect for those who’ve managed to create a distinct brand using their site as fans would be eager to buy merch from their favorite content creator.
Contrary to digital products, this one demands a higher amount of time investment. Selling a physical product will require you to work on manufacturing, packaging, shipping, and storing. A way to avoid this extra trouble is to consider dropshipping where a third-party provider does all of this on your behalf.
7. Online Courses
Creating an online course is a great way to share your skills to your audience. To determine the right subject for your first online course, you could start by creating a list of topics that might pique your audience’s interest. Narrow down your list by conducting further research and survey.
You can solicit help from your readers by utilizing your social media accounts or newsletter to conduct a quick poll. Before you begin creating your course, it would be best to review the available courses in your field, so you could have an idea on how you can make yours stand out.
8. Consulting Services
Like online courses, offering your services is also a great way to share your knowledge among your readers. This gives them an opportunity to seek further instruction and guidance in your topic of expertise. Your services as a consultant or coach could be delivered in the form of video call, phone call, or in-person instruction.
9. Memberships
Lastly, you could also offer your readers with an option to purchase membership plans in exchange for obtaining access to premium content. Examples of premium content are in-depth version of one of your post, a behind-the-scenes look at one of your projects, and an exclusive content.
Your Turn
Create the initial stream of revenue for your blog by sending in an application for Google AdSense—the most popular Ad Network for new bloggers. Remember the 10-15 posts that we suggested you to write in advance for lesson five? That step will come in handy for this lesson as you submit your application for Google AdSense.
Summary
There you have it—the most popular methods people use to monetize their blog. After taking this course for the past seven days, you should now have the most essential information in starting your own blog.
This course isn’t quite over yet, though. If you’re still unclear on where to begin, then you’re in luck because we’ve prepared a bonus content for you. Be sure to check back again tomorrow as we give you a step-by-step roadmap that will help you get this venture off the ground in the shortest time possible.