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Monetize a Blog in 2024: 5 Profitable Ways to Make Money
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If you're looking at starting a blog for business, learning how to monetize a blog is fundamental, that is f-u-n-d-a-m-e-n-t-a-l, to your blogging success. Monetization is the way to turn your curiosities into cash aka a source of recurring income.
Here are a couple of proven and profitable ways to monetize your blog:
1. Promote Affiliate Products and Services
This is the most common way most bloggers make money through their blogs. The affiliate marketing model lets you earn a commission by promoting other people's products or services on your blog, through what we generally call affiliate programs. So when a reader of your blog clicks on your affiliate link and then makes a purchase, you earn a commission.
For example, if you earn 5 percent on a $100 sale and make 100 sales in one month through your blog, that's $500 in commission.
The easiest way to find products or services to promote is by using an affiliate marketing network like the following:
In terms of finding an affiliate to match your blogging niche, there is literally an affiliate program for every industry or niche you can think of. I kid you not. Whether you're looking at health and wellness, travel, fashion, food, lifestyle, or education, there is an affiliate program out there for you.
2. Display Ads with Google Adsense
This one isn't talked about too much anymore but advertising is one way a ton of bloggers monetize their blogs. The way that you make money through advertising is by having ads placed on your blog. You are then paid for every click or impression (depending on the platform). For the beginners out there, an impression is basically when you show up on the results page or other sites on the Google Network. When starting out, an ad network like Google AdSense is a great first option as it makes setting up and managing ads on your blog super easy.
An example of Google Adsense at work is on Matt Karsten's blog, Expert Vagabond:
One benefit of display ads, too, is that once they're set up, the ads display automatically on your blog.
A few examples of display advertising networks to join include the following:
Google Adsense
AdThrive
Mediavine
Media.net
3. Offer Sponsored Posts and Reviews
In terms of monetization, sponsored blog posts and newsletters (which are all the craze right now) are a really great way to make money from your blog (or email list). Similar to how influencers get sponsored to promote a product or service on Instagram or YouTube, you can be paid for writing about a product or service on your blog.
Once you've established your blog with a flow of quality content, a consistent blogging schedule, and a loyal readership, many companies will pay serious money for you to promote their products or services.
A few blogger outreach platforms to check out potential companies relevant to your niche include the following:
Valued Voice
Blog Meets Brand
HARO
An example of a sponsored blog post is on Chrissy Carroll's blog, Snacking in Sneakers:
One thing worth mentioning here is if you are a blogger in the United States, you must comply with the FTC's Endorsement Guidelines and let your readers know cleanly and clearly that a post is sponsored. So, like with an affiliate disclosure statement, you follow the same vein and include a note at the beginning of any sponsored post along the lines of "This post is Sponsored by ABC company."
4. Sell Digital Products
Digital products, also at the top of everyones mind at the moment, can be a very lucrative stream of income for your blog. Digital products include creating and selling things like ebooks, online courses, or printables. Canva planner anyone?! If you have a solid following and knowledge base in a specific area, this is a great way to give value and earn money at the same time.
Lauren McManus and Alex Nerney of Create and Go sell their own online courses and make a pretty penny doing it. That is $134,345.54 selling their own products in 2022 alone. A 2018 income report by It's a Lovely Life! stated the Reese family blog had made them $102,434.76 (after Paypal fees, credit card processing fees, and affiliate commissions) in 2018.
So there's something to be said about digital products and their income potential.
5. Simply Sell Services
There are a number of avenues to travel down in terms of service offerings. One way to earn money or make additional income from your blog is to offer freelance services like editing or writing blog posts. You can also offer your audience services like consulting, coaching, or even web design. Providing your readership or audience with a service is a really great way to monetize your blog if you have a specific skill or expertise to offer them.
An example of coaching service can by found on Pat Flynn's blog, Smart Passive Income where he offers a coaching call through his podcast called, AskPat 2.0:
Wrapping Up
Remember, it's essential to choose a monetization method that aligns with your niche, brand, and audience. With the right strategy and effort, you can turn your blog into a profitable source of income.
