Here’s how you can make money blogging:
- Advertisements
- Affiliate marketing
- e-books
- Applications
- Subscriptions
- Online courses
- Natural products
- Training
- freelancing
How to make money blogging in 2024
First, check out this video from our founder Ramit Sethi on how he monetized his blog to earn him millions.
Below are even more details about the systems you can use to monetize your blog.
Warning: None of these options are “easy”. Each requires its own work and research. But if you are willing to put in the time and energy, you will be able to find the right systems and make them work for you.
Advertisements and Sponsorships
This is the blogging monetization method that you are probably most familiar with. They block banner ads you see in the header or sidebar of a website.
These ads come in several forms:
- Pay per action. Advertisers pay the website owner each time a user completes a previously agreed upon action (e.g. signing up for a newsletter)
- Pay per click. Advertisers pay the website owner every time a user clicks on the ad (this is the most common).
- Pay per view. Advertisers pay the website owner every time a reader simply looks at the ad.
A great way to get started with advertising to monetize your blog is to use Google AdSense. This is Google’s way of connecting advertisers to websites in order to place ads on their pages.
Another similar way to earn money through your blog is through sponsorships.
These are branded pieces of content usually sponsored by a third party company.
For example, imagine you have a photography blog. Nikon, the camera company, may sponsor a blog post where you review their latest DSLR camera.
This is another solid way to make money blogging—although the barrier to entry is much higher, since you need thousands of readers a month and you have to spend time reaching out to sponsors.
However, if you have the time and resources, it’s worth a try.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing works by sharing a link to a product. Every time a person buys this product, you get a cut of the profits.
For example, a blog about cell phones might have a partnership with Samsung. They may have affiliate links on their blogs for different phones and accessories. If one of his readers buys a phone from Samsung through the link, the blogger gets paid.
The important thing is that not only do you need a lot of readers to frequent your blog, but they need to be the kind of readers who are willing to buy the products you are marketing. This is a difficult combination to reconcile.
Additionally, your readers may be put off by the fact that you offer an affiliate link — even if you make it clear to them that it’s an affiliate link.
If you’re still interested, a good way to start is with Amazon Associates. They have one of the largest affiliate marketing programs out there.
E-books
Selling a digital product like eBooks is a great way to monetize your blog.
It can help you generate passive income while spreading your blog and brand.
And it doesn’t have to be some crazy huge multi-volume book that would give Odysseus a run for his money. Ebooks can be as short as 25 – 50 pages.
What matters is what you give your reader a ton of value with the ebook.
And if you’ve been running your blog for a while, you probably have all the stuff you need to build one. Just take that content and reuse it for your ebook.
Applications
Apps and software are another digital product you can sell on your blog.
For example, you might have a blog about hunting. Your readers might love an app from you that showcases all the best public and private lands in their area available for hunting.
Unlike an ebook, however, the barrier to entry is a bit higher.
Ultimately, you either need to be able to build the app yourself or you need to be able to find someone to do it.
However, if you do something that people love, your hard work can end up being very successful.
Subscriptions and subscriptions
This is a great method if you have a dedicated community of readers. They’re probably following you because you’re an expert in your niche and offer incredibly valuable advice.
If this is the case, they may be willing to pay a fee each month to have high-quality, high-quality content.
This is the core of membership and subscription blogs. Offer your readers access to great content for a fixed monthly cost. They subscribe and you give back to them with your amazing content.
If your community is strong and your content is great, you can build an incredibly popular membership site like Jon Morrow’s Serious Bloggers Only. On his website, he offers his readers a community of like-minded copywriters with the tools and connections they need to grow and thrive in the industry.
