Blogging can be very lucrative for many people. However, it’s important to understand that it’s not writing blog posts for your own website that brings in the money. Instead, it’s the products and services that they offer on their website.
Blog posts are important – don’t misunderstand. They are an essential part of a website. Blog posts are what bring readers to your website, let your readers get to know you, and have them coming back. It also helps them trust you, which can make them feel better about making a purchase with or through your website.
However, you need avenues within your blog to make the money you desire to make. While these avenues can include anything, some common and effective ones include those listed below.
Freelance Writing
If you love to write, you can actually offer your writing services to other businesses through your website. These businesses can determine if they like your writing style through your own content and choose to hire you for theirs. You’ll want to add a “Hire Me” or “Services” page to your website to do this. It’s also a good idea to advertise these services on your social media pages.
Sponsored Posts
You can also get paid for sponsored posts. In short, companies pay you to write about their company, products, or services. You’ll put the post on your blog, which helps them get in front of an audience they might not normally have access to.
If you want to do this, you’ll need to be very strategic with it. You’ll want to work with companies that are relevant to your audience. It’s also important that you choose posts from companies that you trust. You don’t want to ruin the trust you’ve worked so hard to build with your audience.
Digital Products
Digital products are a very lucrative income stream, and the opportunities are limitless. People spend a great deal of money every single day on items like digital planners, courses, eBooks, and more. Take a look at Etsy’s category for digital products to see how well you can do with something as simple as printables.
As with all other streams, you’ll want to keep it relevant to your audience. If you’re creating a digital planner, for example, you’ll want it to be helpful to your target audience. Remember, the day-to-day life of a stay-at-home parent versus a career parent is completely different. Therefore, their needs for a planner will be different.
Physical Products
Physical products are another option. You can make physical planners and books for purchase, of course, but you can do much more. T-shirts, gym bags, coffee mugs, hats, and similar items tend to do well. You can sell them straight through your website, through a print-on-demand company, and a separate eCommercestore.
Ad Space
Many bloggers make money from selling ad space on their websites, and it can be a revenue stream. However, it shouldn’t be the only revenue stream, as many people don’t make quite enough from ad sales alone.
You’ll also need to carefully consider what this might do to your readers. Everyone has been on at least one web page where every two seconds an ad pops up – often on top of the content. Your readers come to read what you have to say. Covering that with ads can be a major turn-off and send your website visitors away.
If you choose to sell ad space, limit it. Only allow ads to be in the sidebar and maybe a banner ad. This will still allow you to make some money but not ruin your user experience.
Affiliate Sales
Affiliate sales are a good way to bring in some revenue, and there are a couple of different ways to do it. The first is by signing up as an affiliate through other companies that you know and trust. You then sprinkle in the affiliate links in your content. When your readers buy something through your links, you earn a percentage.
You can also create your own affiliate marketing program. You give your readers an affiliate link to share with others. This puts your products or services in front of a wider audience and allows your readers to earn a little money from each sale.