How do you make money blogging

How Exactly Does A Blogger Make Money?

It is now just short of one year that I have been blogging full time and it has been the most amazing journey. I am finding so many people now asking me the same question: how do you make money blogging?

To some people it seems almost impossible that you can provide no tangible product, share your thoughts and make money doing it. The thing is that the internet is an amazing thing.

As long as you have some people reading your blog you can make money. Now a blog can be in any niche, so if you are crazy about dogs you can write about dogs.

I am a mom and I am passionate about being a mom, so I love to write about anything to do with my family, running my home and all that goes with it and that is why I have this mommy blog.

In case you weren’t aware of it, I am a recovering alcoholic and addict. I am 8 years clean and I am really passionate about sharing about my life as an addict, how I got clean and how I stay clean. For this reason I have a website where I blog about my addiction too.

I plan on sharing some of that information here too, since addiction really is a family problem and I am sure that a lot of my readers here will be able to get some value from that.

Then I also love working online, I love the process of getting my websites to rank, social media marketing, making money online and well just anything and everything about being an online marketer. So for this reason I have an online marketing website too.

Each of my websites bring in an income for me and I make money from blogging in various ways. That is the beauty of working online, you can have various things that bring in an income and some of if becomes a passive income after a while as your website and your audience grows.

So now how do I take writing about things I love and turn that into money?

***Disclosure -The links in this post contain affiliate links and Kaboutjie Β may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link.***

How Do Bloggers Make Money?

Advertising Income from Blogging

There are a few different ways that you can make money with offering advertising on your website.

One of the most common ways to make money from advertising is to make use of an advertising program. This is where you sign up with a company and allow them to show advertisers advertisements on your website. The biggest and most well known of these would be Google Adsense.

You can get paid in various ways by advertising programs. Some advertisers pay per amount of ad views, some pay per click and others pay per action (sale or signup).

In addition to making use of an advertising program, or instead of, you can also choose to offer advertising yourself directly to other businesses. If you have people reading your blog businesses will want their banners or ads on your website.

Affiliate MarketingΒ Income

This is something that I really enjoy, affiliate marketing is like being an independent sales rep for online stores. Most large online stores have an affiliate program that you can sign up to for free. Once you have been approved by the company you will get your own unique links to use on your website.

In this way I can tell my readers about really awesome products that I love and if any of my readers clicks on the link from my website and makes a sale then I get paid commission by that online store for that sale.

Take Amazon for example, they have a great affiliate program.

You can also find loads of other affiliate programs. I am sure that no matter what niche you choose or country you are in, you will be able to find online stores to affiliate with.

Just do a Google search for your niche and affiliate, you will come up with loads of options.

Just be wary and keep in mind that not all online stores are equal, so be careful who you choose because firstly you want to make sure you are actually paid for your efforts, plus you will want to affiliate with a store that provides great service, as well as quality products otherwise you will be promoting rubbish on your website!

Something to keep in mind is that you are the one recommending the product to your readers, so do your homework and make sure the products that you are saying are fantastic really are. The best is to actually buy those products and test them yourself.

Just like businesses will pay for a banner of an advertisement to be on your website, they will also pay you to write content for them and share it on your website.

So perhaps a new store is being launched and they want people to know about it, they might contact you to tell your readers about it. They may have a product they would like reviewed, or perhaps they are holding an event that they want people to know about.

Keep in mind though that although some people might offer you lots of money to review a product or share some information, always stay true to yourself.

The same thing applies here as it does to the affiliate marketing. If you don’t like a product and you think it sucks, then do not accept any amount of money to promote it. Rather politely decline and just say it is not in line with your company vision.

It can be painful at times turning down nice money offers but it really is important to stay true to your values. Your readers trust you for a reason, don’t break that trust.

You may get some money right now, but think about the longer term consequences.

Become an Online Influencer

If you are a blogger you most likely also have accounts on social media, I mean you should really if you want to be successful and reach a wide audience.

I suggest that you are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest and Instagram as well as Youtube.

Now if you are growing your social networks as well as your blog then you have more resources that businesses and online marketers will be very interested in.

You can either offer your own advertising packages that include social media promotions or you can join a website like Webfluential.

On Webfluential you create a profile, connect all your social networks and your websites. Then you set a rate for sharing on each social network and your website.

If anyone wants to work with you they book you through Webfluential and everything is managed from their platform, including payment.

Create and Sell your own Products and/ or Services.

Once you have your own audience you can create your own products and sell them to your readers, or you can buy products and resell them to your readers.

You can do this either on your own website, or using an external marketplace.

A good example of this is that I wrote an ebook about my days in active addiction and I promote it on my website and sell my addiction ebook on Fiverr.

I’ve also sold a number of services on SeoClerks too, from social media promotions to content writing and doing on page SEO for customers.

Get paid to publish Guest Posts on your websites

Once your website has some authority and has some decent traffic you might find other bloggers and online marketers chomping at the bit to write guest posts for you.

You can charge them to publish their guest posts on your blogs.

Youtube Income

Youtube is a great way to add to your income. You can monetize your channel either through Google Adsense or through another Youtube partner. In the same way that you earn money through Google Adsense you can also earn from people watching your Youtube videos.

In fact there are some bloggers that only blog on Youtube. Bloggers that make use of video are vloggers.

Now I can’t stress enough how awesome Youtube is. Yes you can make money from monetizing your videos, but there are so many more benefits to having your own Youtube channel.

Here are some cool reasons to be on Youtube (while we’re talking about Youtube already):

  • Embedding Youtube videos to your website posts will increase your post rankings
  • It will increase your audience reach since people can find your videos (and in turn also your website) through Youtube search and Google search
  • You can add Youtube video promotions to your advertising packages and with Webfluential
  • You can add links into your videos for people to buy your products or affiliate offers

So here’s the thing about working online and blogging, you don’t need to limit yourself to just one thing. You can use all of these ways to make money from your blog, or you can pick and choose some that appeal to you. You can also get really creative and come up with new ways to make money from your blog.

I hope this has shed some light on how to make money from blogging!

 

Check Also

How To Start A Home-Based Leather Crafting Business

Are you interested in investing in a leather crafting business? If so, you can profit …

29 comments

  1. Thank you for the great tips. I am fairly new at blogging and hope to one day move from part time blogger to full time blogger!

    • It is a pleasure Marlize. The best thing you can do is just concentrate on getting your content out there and before long you will be there.

  2. Hey Lynne, it is a simple yet quite informative post for new bloggers. I have been blogging for approx. 6 months now and have tried some of the the techniques shared in your post. It really works.

    • Hi Neha

      Thanks for visiting, I am so pleased to hear that you are also finding success with your blog. It just takes some time and effort to get going and it is an amazing career for a mom!

  3. I must buckle down and start blogging! Thanks for sharing Lynne πŸ™‚

  4. Esther-Marie van Eck

    Hey Lynne
    This was a wonderfully informative post. I need to get in on this too! πŸ™‚

  5. Great post.
    Tx for sharing!!!
    Giving me ideas! Cant wait to start and the sooner the better!!!

  6. Hi Lynne,
    This is a great post. I’m really glad I found you onTwitter. I have a very active Twitter, currently with 10.3K followers. I have done some blogging and would like to monetize. Like you, I am in recovery, coming up to 3 years (wow, already). Congrats on your recovery success. Many years ago, I got banned from AdSense and Google is relentless in not reinstating me. I’ve asked many times. I’d like to explore the best options for me to monetize. Would you be willing to look a my sites and let me know what you think would be best options for me. I’m at @ysocialmediaca on Twitter and I’m on Blogger with the same name. You will find a link to my blog on my Twitter bio page.
    Thank you,
    Sherry

    • Hi Sherry πŸ™‚ It is lovely to meet you. Congrats on your recovery, that is awesome. And 3 years is incredible, I found that the biggest gifts of recovery started coming after 3 years so I hope the same happens for you!

      Google Adsense is obviously the biggest advertiser you can use, but there are plenty more you can try out! Just Google “Google Adsense Alternatives” and you will come up with loads.

      Yes I now have an approved Google Adsense account but they really were a pain for me to get approved, they gave me so many rejections that it was heartbreaking. The one rejection they told me that this website had no useful information and I had been working my ass off on it!

      So they are not the only way by far! Just have a quick search.

      The thing that I have learned about working online is that firstly you need to find your own way, find your own groove and be creative and then the second thing is to be like a dog with a bone and just never ever give up. If Google Adsense won’t approve you then plod along and find another way, or keep applying until they do approve you.

      • Hi Lynne,
        Thanks for your great response and with your comments about the biggest gifts coming 3 years into recovery; that really excites me too πŸ™‚ I entered rehab treatment the day after Mother’s Day so it’s an easy day to remember for me.

        I will continue to ask Google Adsense but I’m not holding my breath waiting for them, as you can well imagine. I will take your lead and do a Google search for alternate ways.

        You’re so right about never giving up. It’s a jungle out there in the online world, but it’s also like any business, you have to work at it to make it work. I am working very hard at finding my own way and my own groove. I know what’s important to me and how it all fits together with the book I wrote and my blog. I know that there are many people out there, all too often suffering in silence, that need what I’m offering. I just need to keep pushing the rock up the hill.
        The thing that bugs me about Google Adsense is that I have explained in so many ways what happened and the changes I made and it’s the same form letter I get time and time again. I don’t think they even look at my account, I think they have me red circled lol!
        I’m very interested in Affiliate Marketing and will be looking into that too. I will search your resources to see what I can find that you have produced on AM.
        Thanks, Lynne
        Ps – I’ve been to S. Africa on Safari when I volunteered in Botswana. Have you been to Canada yet … It’s our 150th birthday this year!

      • It is a pleasure Sherry πŸ™‚

        The funny thing with Adsense is that I was refused so much and then when my websites started getting some nice traffic they suddenly approved me, maybe they suddenly realized oh shit, we’re losing money now? LOL who knows! From what I have heard there are loads of great programs out there. I think Amazon Native Ads is a really good one to look at. I am an Amazon affiliate but I haven’t tried their Amazon Native Ads before.

        Affiliate marketing rocks, it really does… but the real trick I think is to ensure that you have multiple streams of income coming in.

        Finding your own groove comes when you stop giving a shit about what you think people want to read and you start saying exactly what you want to say how you want to say it. Yes some people will hate you, but that’s going to happen no matter what you do! I’ve been wanting to write a post about finding the confidence to blog but I am always so short on time!

        I have never been to Canada, but in about 1990 my parents went to check out Vancouver thinking we may move there but then my mom realized how cold it was and we stayed here in sunny South Africa πŸ™‚

  7. Lynne,
    Your parents are smart πŸ™‚ rain, rain and more rain in Vancouver, except for this week, it’s snow! Crazy weather. I love sun and warmth.
    You probably have no idea how valuable your comments have been to me. When you explained how finding your own groove comes when you stop giving a shit about what you think people want to read and you start saying exactly what you want to say how you want to say it. As you say, some people will hate you but I guess that’s the cost of putting yourself out there. I refuse to let myself get involved in naysayers, although I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t hurt that my only review on Amazon is negative. Sadly, the person that left the review is someone that only ever leaves those kinds of reviews, and is a “budding author”. Someone did write back in my defense so that helps, but we are all human and we have feelings. Anyhow, it’s certainly not going to stop me. I have more people that like me than don’t so I’m not worried. ( now at 10.4K ) I’m doing a free giveaway at the moment and about 100 books have been given away in less than a week so someone likes me … hehe!
    I am so glad I met you here. I will continue following you on Twitter to get more ideas from you. Thank you so much for being so resourceful. And, for being so open with your recovery. I value friendships like this.
    Take care,
    Sherry

    • Any time Sherry… and here is something you also need to keep in mind. Love your haters. It sounds crazy, but the fact is that they usually help you loads.

      I have received loads of negative comments on Youtube and also on my other websites, plus a few on this one. The funny this is that every time someone is an asshole it actually helps me. Life is truly strange but people seem to be so much more likely to share something they don’t like than something that they do like.

      I had so many haters on one of my Youtube videos that they shared it all over and I got over 13 000 views on it. Thank you haters, PS I got paid for that hahaha says me laughing all the way to the bank. Each time someone comments on your website or Youtube channel or even leaves a negative comment on your Amazon product it is telling everyone that good or bad, you are worth engaging with.

      Think about it. And yes you are going to get so many idiots that are just negative by nature. Ignore them and move on.

  8. This post came at the right time – I am looking at ways to monetize my blog. Thank you! Very informative tips especially the YouTube-blog post one. Love it!

    • Hi Melissa πŸ™‚ I am so glad you enjoyed this post, how exciting that you are about to monetize your blog. I can promise you that it is loads of fun and as time goes by you will find more and more exciting ways to add income.

  9. I just read the post over again, Lynne. I started using some of the tips since we last spoke and the refresher reminded me of a few more things such as Webfluential. I must get on that.

  10. i got so far to read and read all over and over but seems to stuck on the reading but usefull indeed you are an inspiration Lynne blogs are successful

  11. Well I tried to do a blog myself but ran out of monies and data and time
    This is why you havent heard from me for a while been down but I am confident I will get back up on my feet. anything for my son

    • Lynne Huysamen

      @nics82 blogging is amazing and loads of fun. I totally understand that when you are down and out it can be hard to find the money for the expenses. Of course you will get back on your feet. I don’t know what you have been through to get to where you are now, I can only speak for myself and say that I have been to some very low and dark places.

      Keep your chin up and stay motivated. Believe in yourself and keep at it.

      • Thank you I am trying my utmost o keep my head up and I am doing it for my son. I wouldnt put it down here what I have been through as it is a bit much and I am handling it but also emotional

      • Lynne Huysamen

        Wishing strength and good things for you, your son and your dad @nics82

  12. I love being part of this groups Lynne is a awesome blogger ill really try to blog one day it looks easy and like fun but i enjoy it more to read and like and post on other bloggers then ill enjoy my own…

    • Lynne Huysamen

      Oh thanks @lisaanderson πŸ™‚ I do love blogging and it is seriously rewarding. Well maybe one day we will have an option for members to add their own blog posts and then you can share some things! Who knows what I will add next. That is one thing I love about having a website, I can change it and add things to try out!

      • Thats true and yes you can do whatever you feel like you good at this i think its like any other job you must be in it to be able to love it and to enjoy it. Im keeping a eye open on the website for any new things i think i get more excited then anything else.

  13. Always wanted to be a blogger, I love writing but never had the confidence to do it. I usually say “ok let’s do this” but don’t have a clue where to start. So many websites offering blog spots that it becomes so overwhelming. Where does a mother start?

  14. Interesting article, I got to admit I did not know much of the underlying details of a blogger.
    It does seem so fun and is not the same boring thing day in and day out πŸ™‚

  15. Barbara Wallace

    I’ve always wondered how bloggers make money! Now that I have read this it makes perfect sense.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!