I get a lot of questions from friends and family about how I make money blogging, so I thought I’d address that today. It’s definitely not an instant money maker (for most people anyways). I’ve been blogging here for over 3 years now and just recently started making a decent amount of money.
So here are a few of the ways I’ve learned to earn an income with my blog:
Sponsored posts: This is the main way I get paid to blog. Basically I work with companies that work with major brands like Yankee Candle or Big Lots (a couple brands I’ve worked with recently). Some bloggers work directly with brands, but these middle man companies make it easier to find and apply for opportunities that I think are a good fit for me, whereas bigger brands might not take notice of my blog since it is still fairly small in the world of blogging. I like working with these companies because I get to work with a lot of different brands and find cool things to share with you, so it’s a win win. Usually the brands set guidelines and I pitch my blog post idea to them for a chance to be selected. I am probably only selected for about half the campaigns I apply for, so it’s actually alot of work!
Sponsored social media content: I work with another company that puts me in contact with brands to post to social media. I’ll get paid for writing say, 8 Facebook posts about a particular product.
Affiliate links: I don’t use these, but I need to start. This is just recommending items to your readers and using a special link to get a portion of the sales if anyone orders. Amazon is a huge opportunity for affiliate links, but unfortunately Missouri residents can’t use them.
Sidebar ads: I am a part of two sidebar ad networks so I get paid by page views and clicks. This is a very minor part of the money I make because of my smaller blog. Blogs with much more traffic can make more this way.
Some bloggers also sell e-books, e-courses and videos, and have online shops/boutiques. Making money blogging is all about having multiple streams of revenue. You can never guarantee you’ll get any certain amount of campaigns or sales in a month, so the more ways you have to make money (especially if you can make it while you’re sleeping), the better!
This week I read the book Influencer Marketing for Dummies to learn a little more about making money blogging. The blogosphere is constantly changing and my blog has alot of room for improvement, so I enjoy reading new books/articles to help me get better. It’s written for companies/brands who want to pay bloggers to market their product. As a blogger, I thought it was extremely helpful to read what those brands are looking for in a blog in order to run a successful influencer marketing campaign. While size can be helpful, there is still room for smaller blogs like mine because the best campaigns rely on quality content and connecting with your audience.
I know for a fact that many of my readers have purchased products I’ve written about from sponsored posts, because friends and family have mentioned to me when they do. Reading this book had me thinking of more creative ways to build stories around the products in my sponsored posts. Ideally, this is what brands want and why bloggers are paid to blog.
This book covers all bases of influencer marketing, including all the different platforms that brands will pay influencers to use. Bloggers aren’t the only ones getting paid for sharing with their audiences, in fact, you don’t even need a blog to do so! Influential Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter users can also make money by working with brands.
After reading this book, I plan to add a few more ways I make money blogging to my list at the top of this post. I’d like to develop my social channels further, and will be using the tips in Influencer Marketing for Dummies to do so. If you are already a blogger or are interested in learning how to make money online, this book is a great place to start!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
