Making money from blogging is getting more popular every day. In this post, I’ll outline the various ways bloggers make money, and how my blog (the one you’re reading now) makes me millions.
Common Monetization Methods for Bloggers
Sponsored Posts
One of the most straightforward ways bloggers can make money is through sponsored posts. Companies are always looking for influencers with loyal audiences to promote their products.
In a sponsored post, a brand pays the blogger to write a piece that highlights their product or service. These posts can be lucrative, especially if the blog has a large and engaged audience. If you ever publish sponsored content on your blog, remember to be transparent with your readers about it to maintain trust.
Advertisements
Placing advertisements on your blog is another popular way to generate income. There are several advertising networks, like Google AdSense, that make it easy to display ads on your site. You earn money based on clicks or impressions, depending on the type of ad you place (e.g display ads, pay per click ads, sponsored ads)
While this method can provide a steady stream of revenue, the income can vary widely depending on your traffic and the relevance of the ads to your audience. Understandably, high-traffic blogs can earn significant sums from ad placements compared to lower-traffic ones, so if you’re just starting out, don’t expect advertisements to be bringing in a huge amount of money for your blog just yet.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing involves promoting products or services from other companies (or bloggers) and earning a commission on any sales made through your referral links.
This strategy works best when you recommend products that are relevant to your niche and valuable to your audience. By integrating affiliate links into your content naturally and honestly, you can create a passive income stream.
Many bloggers find this method highly effective as it allows them to monetize their content without appearing overly commercial. Note that the income from affiliate sales can be seasonal because some products you promote may be launch-dependent, meaning the product isn’t ‘on sale’ all the time and is only available to buy when your affiliate partner sells it.
Services
Offering services is a fantastic way for bloggers to monetize their expertise. This could include consulting, coaching, writing, web design, or any other skill that your audience might find valuable.
By leveraging your blog’s platform, you can attract clients who trust your authority and knowledge. Services can often command higher prices than other monetization methods, providing a substantial income stream. Be aware that you’ll still be trading your time for money when selling your services. While you could technically charge a premium for your services to your audience, there’s a ceiling to how many hours you can work every week.
Digital Products
Creating and selling digital products, such as e-books, online courses, printables, or software, is a powerful way to monetize your blog. They also have high-profit margins since they require an initial investment of time and effort but minimal ongoing costs.
You can market your digital products directly to your audience and this can become a healthy source of income assuming you’ve built enough trust with your audience. Digital products also enhance your brand’s value and establish you as an authority in your niche.
I believe that digital products are the best way to monetize your blog and it’s also been one of the most reliable income streams for my business over the years. In the next section, I’ll show you how my blog goes hand in hand with the digital products I sell for my business.
How My Blog Makes Millions
From blog posts like these, I’m able to send some people to my Insider’s newsletter where I have special content that’s not out on the open internet. Right now I have over 800,000 subscribers on my email list. If you’re not subscribed yet, you can subscribe below:
From my newsletter, I sell my own digital products like online courses. My business has sold many millions of online courses to over 50,000 students worldwide. If I didn’t have my own online courses, I’d only make a tiny fraction of what I otherwise could make from sponsored posts and advertisements alone.
To stay connected with my audience, I launch my products a few times a year, some of which include opportunities for face-to-face interactions with me. This lets me directly engage with my readers and also gives them the chance to talk about their financial struggles. Plus, I know many of them appreciate the chance to have a real conversation with me rather than just listening to my online courses.
Not everyone has giant audience numbers to sell huge sponsorship deals, but selling your own products can be very profitable even with a smaller audience. Plus it also connects you with your audience better as they’ll be buying something you made.
Selling digital products works great at any size of your audience – which is why I still do it today! If you’re interested in one of my most popular courses, Earnable, check out the quick video tour of the Earnable course below:
It’s one of the best things I’ve published (and 100% free), just tell me where to send it:
Tips for Growing a Blog
Choose a Profitable Niche
Start by picking a niche that has strong earning potential. You could technically write a blog purely about what you’re passionate about, but having a niche that could earn you money while blogging is just as important.
You need to find a sweet spot where your interests intersect with market demand. Use tools like Google Trends and keyword research to validate your niche’s profitability.
Invest in Quality Content
Once you’ve chosen your niche, the next step is to invest in quality content. This isn’t just about quantity; it’s about creating valuable, high-quality content that resonates with your audience. Just like I emphasize in my book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, about focusing on quality over quantity in your financial choices, the same applies here.
Your content should solve problems, answer questions, and provide real value. Invest time to get better at research, writing, and editing. Use engaging headlines, incorporate visuals, and keep your content relevant and actionable.
By the way, have you read my NYT Bestselling book yet? If you haven’t, check out my 10 minute summary below!
It’s one of the best things I’ve published (and 100% free), just tell me where to send it:
Build an Audience
Growing your blog traffic is where the rubber meets the road. You need a solid strategy for driving visitors to your site. SEO is your best friend here – optimize your posts with relevant keywords, write meta descriptions that capture attention, and build backlinks. But don’t stop there. Leverage social media marketing to engage with your audience and drive traffic. Think of social media as the networking events I encourage for career growth – it’s all about building relationships. And don’t forget email marketing. Building an email list gives you direct access to your audience and is a powerful tool for driving repeat traffic and sales.
To build an audience, you need a solid strategy for driving organic visitors to your site. Getting good with SEO is going to be crucial here, so learn how to optimize your posts with relevant keywords, write meta descriptions that capture attention, and build backlinks for your blog.
But beyond that, leverage social media marketing to engage with your audience and drive traffic. Think of social media as physical networking events you’d attend to promote yourself.
I know I mentioned this earlier, but don’t forget email marketing. Building an email list gives you direct access to your audience and is one of the most powerful tools for monetizing your blog, and ultimately your business as a whole. For more tips on email marketing, check out my post on tips to significantly improve your open rates.
Diversify Income Streams
Relying on a single income source is risky. Just as I advise diversifying your investment portfolio, the same principle applies to your blog. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
You can mix and match monetization methods like sponsored posts, ads, affiliate marketing, and digital products, but don’t be fully reliant on one. Each income stream should complement the others, providing a more stable and predictable income, or at least, be able to cover for a lagging stream. This way, if one revenue stream takes a hit, you’re not left high and dry.
For example, Earnable is my best selling online course, but I also have created other courses like Find Your Dream Job and Money Coaching to diversify my income and also reach a different target audience with each course.
For my full list of exclusive courses, check out IWT’s programs page!
Your Call to Action
Starting a blog is probably the easiest thing you can do to start earning money on the side today.
For more insider tips about managing your money, check out my Insider’s newsletter and join over 800,000 readers leveling up their personal finances today!
