Make a list of articles that cover the topic of how to earn money using a blog, you can do it right now, it will take some 15-20 min of your time. You’ll be surprised but each and everyone will tell you the same things, that means either that someone long time ago published an articles with tips for beginning bloggers and all these years everyone has been reposting them, or these tips are evergreen and will still work twenty years from now. From where I sit, most of these tips are just some hot air. Phew, I’m done.
If you are reading this article I bet this is a burning topic for you. Either you already have a blog, but you’re looking for monetization options, or you just launched one (or don’t have one at all) and looking for some scaling opportunities.
I’m getting a little bit episodic, but I need to tell you the truth.
Now let’s talk about business here.
So your blog is either new or established. Let’s talk about the new ones.
New Boy on the Block
Since your blog is new whether is earn something or not completely depend on amount of traffic and number of subscribers on your mailing list, you do have a mailing, do you?
HARO
If you don’t here’s a small tip, you can easily get a steady flow of emails into your mailing account by offering your readers something for free. This may sound obvious but this can be an eBook. If you don’t know how to write eBooks you can make a compilation of case studies shared by real people. You may have a natural where can you get enough of those stories for a whole eBook. It’s quite simple actually, there’s a website called helpareporter.com you need to register there.
Basically, HARO is a place where people who have stories – SOURCES, meet those who share those stories publicly – JOURNALISTS.
In terms of preparation of content which is new for you, HARO is a perfect place to get ideas, inspiration and the content itself. Don’t forget to thank those people whose stories you’re using, and make sure that you let them know when their stories go live, if they share your piece of content this may give you additional traffic sources.
On the other hand you can use HARO as a place to promote your blog and share your own stories thus work as a SOURCE.
The Looks
Another important thing that will increase earning potential of your blog is the way it looks. No matter how awesome your message may be if it’s presented like garbage you will not be able to make a dime on. So what should you do?
Luckily for you there’s a bunch of professional WordPress blogging themes (plus WordPress templates for writers), that will give your resource the flair it needs. I would like to share just a few examples you’re free to consider any of these. I’m going to structure these theme based on the following grades: minimal, trendy, multipurpose.
Minimal
Make WordPress Theme
Here’s a nice theme that will be a firm basis for your WordPress blog, an interesting thing this themes has a free version which can be used just like the premium item.
Identiz – WordPress blog theme
Opting for a minimal theme like Identiz you will get rid of possible clutter that may appear when you produce content.
Trendy
As for the trendy blogging themes these two have come up my mind.
Woman Fashion Blog
This one can also be considered minimal, but due to it’s stylistics it’s something bigger than just a minimal WordPress theme.
Art Gallery WordPress Theme
Here’s a great example of a WordPress theme that will your blog anyhow related to arts. It’s bright color scheme would be a perfect accent for your content.
Monstroid2 WordPress theme
This theme was released not so long ago, but it has an army of fans and users. Since it’s multipurpose you can adjust this theme to any niche you’re working in.
An OG Blogger
In case your blog has been online for a few years already and has a serious number of traffic, earning money shouldn’t be a problem for you.
Let’s start from the easiest ways.
Advertising
This is where earning for most bloggers begins. In most ways this earning model is similar to one you see on TV or hear on radio, all you need is to find a place that will provide you will steady cash flow. You can start with buysellads.com this resource has been online for years to come, I know some bloggers whom BSA pays around $1.5-3K/mo.
This is awesome in terms of not caring about your 9-5 job, all they have to do is to focus on the quality of their content.
These days there’s a huge number of bloggers and competition is higher than ever and it will keep on growing unless some global crisis will happen.
Affiliate Income
I bet you already know what’s an affiliate income. Before you try to make any money on you need to make a list of products that will not evoke rejection from your audience. Here’s an example, each every web design related blog promotes hosting providers like BlueHost, because: #1 this product is 100% relevant to the audience of these blogs, #2 hosting companies pay fair commissions to their affiliates.
Next stage of being affiliate is to turn into a reseller, by paying some wage to the product manufacturer, you can resell their product under your own brand.
Overall being affiliate is not so easy, months may pass when you will get some positive results of your activities.
Recurring Income
Another money stream that some major blogs experiment with is the recurring income, or they may call it membership programs.
The essence is quite simple, readers pay the blog some small fee to get access to either premium content, a community area, commenting system, tools, coaching, mentoring, or a combination of all these things.
Mark Manson has successfully applied this model and once in awhile he published another awesome piece which you can read only if you pay $6/mo.
Sounds like a small fee, but let’s make some calculations, Mark claims that he has more 2Mln monthly visitor, if 30% are regular visitors, somewhere 0.1% out of those 30 are members, which makes it $3,6K/mo recurring revenue.
Another great example of recurring payments which is applied by bloggers in the patreon.com
The slogan of the platform is “Best way for artists and creators to get sustainable income and connect with fans” it is indeed so especially when someone can create exceptional content.
Here’s an interesting fact, the most payed section of Patreon website contains Suicide Girls account, if you know what I mean.
Products
You may think that this is somehow related to affiliate income, and probably you will be right. Promoting products on your blog can be either via affiliate revenue scheme or via creating your own products. Just like workhardanywhere.com made someday.
Originally this was a sort of a community for freelancers and nomads where they could share their lifestyle via posting posting shots of their workplaces in the farthest corners of your planet. Later WHA opened a shop on their website where they sell so-called products for hustlers starting from bracelets up to standing desks.
If you have a solid reader-base you can start your own shop with stickers, mugs or whatsoever.
Promotional Articles
The easiest way to get additional stream of cash. Owners of various new products are constantly searching for new traffic sources, just like you are, and if they find your niche and website relevant to their product they may offer you some money for publishing a review about their product.
Just to make sure such guys can find you don’t forget to notify everyone, on your about or contacts page that you’re accepting promotional content.
Paid Job Board
The last thing on our list that can provide you with a certain amount of steadily flowing cash is a paid job board. This may sound funny since there are thousands of free job boards, but the mess and chaos that exists there makes finding something relevant is close to impossible.
Over to You
I guess you have counted the tips I have talked about and found only 8, no you’re not fooled, I decided to put another two items into the conclusion.
So here’s the tip #9 it’s a free ebook that will tell you how to earn $1K/mo on your niche blog.
Tip #10 create an online course for beginner bloggers and teach them how to blog, this will be described much better by this anecdote:
– Hello everyone, we’re starting our seminar called “How to earn a million of dollars in one day.” Now please answer a question, how much did you pay to get here?
– $1K, says the audience.
– And much seats are their in this hall?
– ..1000, says the audience.
– The seminar is over, have a nice day.
