Have you ever dreamed of making money from your blog? It’s definitely possible, and there are a number of different ways to do it. In this post, I’m going to share some of the most direct methods for monetizing your blog.
These methods are all pretty straightforward and can be implemented by bloggers of all levels, regardless of their experience or traffic. So, if you’re ready to start making some money from your blog, let’s get started!
Ways to Make Money Directly from Your Blog – These are methods where a blogger earns money directly through their blog.
Ways to Make Money Thanks to Your Blog – These are methods where a blogger earns money as a result of having a blog.
Let’s discuss the ways bloggers can earn direct income.
Advertising
There are various ways to sell ads on a blog. Here are some options:
Display Ads: These are images or text ads that show up on your blog in places like the header, sidebar, or within your content. You can use services like Google AdSense or Media.net to display ads that match your blog’s content and target your audience.
Native Ads: These ads blend in with your blog’s content and provide a seamless advertising experience. Platforms like Taboola and Outbrain offer native advertising where you can display recommended content or sponsored posts on your blog.
Programmatic Advertising: This involves using automated systems to buy and sell ad space in real time. Platforms like Google Ad Manager let you manage and serve ads from various sources, including direct advertisers and ad exchanges.
Direct Ad Sales: Sell ad space directly to advertisers to have more control over pricing and placements. You can create an “Advertise with Us” page on your blog and reach out to potential advertisers. Alternatively, platforms like BuySellAds connect publishers with ad buyers.
Sponsored Content: This involves creating content that promotes a product or service. You can negotiate deals directly with advertisers or use sponsored content marketplaces like IZEA.
In-Text Ads: These ads appear as hyperlinked words within your blog posts. A small ad box or pop-up appears when readers click on the words. Platforms like Infolinks and Sovrn offer in-text advertising for publishers.
Rich Media Ads: These ads include interactive elements like video, audio, or animations. Platforms like Raptive specialize in serving engaging, rich media ads on your blog.
Contextual Ads: These ads are based on your blog’s content. They analyze your pages’ keywords and context to display relevant ads. Networks like Media.net and Adversal offer contextual advertising options for publishers.
Sponsorship
Some bloggers choose to find their own advertisers, which is less common. The systems mentioned earlier can help you find advertisers or automate ads for your blog. But as your blog becomes more popular and influential, you might have other opportunities for private deals.
Big blog networks have people who find advertisers, often working with ad agencies. Smaller bloggers can also consider doing this. I’ve been selling ads on my Digital Photography School blog for years. As it has grown in traffic and visibility, I’ve attracted bigger companies that are willing to pay more for ad space. The blog now has programmatic ads and occasional sponsorships from companies that buy a mix of banner, newsletter, and text ads.
If you want to try this, focus on advertisers in your niche who have products closely related to what you write about. You can offer them different types of ads, like banners, buttons, text links, mentions in newsletters, and even sponsorships for individual posts. When you write a sponsored post, always be clear with your readers that it’s sponsored.
Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs are when you earn a commission by telling your readers about a product or service, and they buy it from a company. One of the most popular programs for bloggers is Amazon, which has lots of products you can link to. There are also other programs, like Linkshare, Commission Junction, Clickbank, Shareasale, and Impact, that work with many different companies and products.
Making money from affiliate programs can take some effort, maybe even more than ads, but choosing the right program for your blog and topic can be profitable.
Selling/Flipping Blogs
The thought of selling your blog might cross your mind, but it’s not very common… yet (I think this is changing). Some bloggers start a blog with the idea of selling it in the future, but not many succeed. Instead of starting with this goal, I believe it’s better to start with the aim of building a high-quality site that has lots of readers and makes a good income. That way, you’re more likely to find buyers later on.
If, in the future, you make your blog business something you can sell, you can advertise it on websites like Flippa, Empire Flippers, and FE International.
Donations and Tip Jars
A few blogs are earning well through platforms like Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee, where readers can voluntarily donate money. To make this successful, you need a big and loyal audience (having wealthy readers can be a plus). However, most bloggers don’t have enough readers or a super dedicated following to make this work. Many others are offering extra content and value through paid subscriptions.
Merchandise
Another way some blogs make money is by selling things like T-shirts, mugs, stickers, and more with their blog’s name, logo, or slogans on them. This can be successful if you have a really cool merchandise collection or if you’re a blogger with super dedicated fans who love your blog. It works better for certain blog topics than others.
Selling Subscriptions
Charging your readers for content is becoming more common, especially in the world of podcasts. While many websites have been successful with this (like community membership sites), blogs are also starting to give it a try. However, most bloggers who have attempted it face a challenge. For many topics people start blogs about, free websites are already available. To make it work, you’d need to offer premium or exclusive content, have real expertise in a subject, and have an engaged audience that feels a strong connection to you.
