Socialable Blog

How To Make Money From Blogging

There are lots of reasons why you may have written a blog. You enjoy writing. You want to share your views. You want to promote your business. Or maybe you want to make money. Yes, you really can make money from writing a blog. Increasingly people are realising blog writing can in fact be quite a profitable venture, whether it enables you to give up your part-time job, help you finance your studies, or provide extra income to fuel an active social life.  You can even earn a full time income from blogging, but remember there is no such thing as “get rich quick” but by following these simple steps you’re be monetizing your blog in no time. When you start making enough money, you can budget it using personal finance software and even write it off in your taxes. And even if your goal of blog writing is not making money, it’s a nice perk.

There are three main ways you can make money from blogging: Advertising, affiliate marketing, and selling products/ services. There are many different ways of how you can make money from blogging within these three categories. Which ones are the best? Well the truth is there is no single way to get rich from blogging. First you need to establish your niche. The techniques you chose will depend on your niche, as well as on your own skills and preferences. But as always not all techniques are equal and there are some highly effective methods that are worth knowing. So here I am going to reveal some excellent ways to make money from your blog. And soon enough you will be pulling in the cash from your blogs.

  1. Google Adsense – This lets you chose a number of ads that are within your blogs niche. You will be paid according to the number of people clicking on the ads. Their normal ads are excellent. 250×300 pixel ads are the most effective. Ads that are placed above the fold or blended with content generally get higher click-through-rates.  www.google.com/adsense
  2. CPM Advertising Networks are also worth a look. Here you get paid for the number of page views that your ads on your blog generate. To get a higher CPM: Put your ad at the top of the page, and use a bigger format in terms of number of pixels. Check out http://tribalfusion.com/, http://www.cpxinteractive.com/ and http://www.burstmedia.co.uk/.
  3. Affiliate programs – By helping others to sell their products through an affiliate program, you can earn some money too. How? Your blog provides information or mentions another’s product. Your readers click on the advert from your blog to obtain further information. A great way of generating more income from this method is write a review so your readers can get to know more about the product.  You need to be honest and highlight the pros and cons of the product.  If they proceed to purchase, you earn as well. To find an affiliate program, you can go to companies directly or try http://www.clickbank.com/index.html.
  4. Amazon associates – The Christmas period, especially, is a brilliant time for the Amazon associates program. https://affiliate-program.amazon.co.uk/
  5. Ebook sales – Write and sell your own ebook. You could also use your blog to sell hardcover books.  http://www.lulu.com is a great website if you’re interested in self publishing.
  6. Develop premium content or a membership program – Earn frequent income from those subscribing to your services. Create a membership site where you can earn regular income from your members. Develop free content that has lots of value to your users. Once they are impressed by your basic offer, you can entice them with access to premium content and exclusive material for a small fee. Membership programs are a fantastic way to have a recurring income as unlike purchasing a one off product, generally membership sites have monthly recurring fees which means more money for you!
  7. Direct banner advertising – Selling your own advertising space is an excellent money-making method. But in order to get qualified advertisers ensure you have a large audience.
  8. Review products -  If you get a lot of traffic to your blog there are many companies that would happily pay you to write a review of their product which in turn drives traffic back to their website.  Not to mention reviews add credibility to a product.  Look out for new products launching and approach them with your offer.  Better still create a page offering this service. If you’re just getting started http://www.postsgenius.com/  is a useful website.
  9. Create job boards – To create a profitable job board you need a blog on a specific niche and a reasonable amount of traffic.
  10. In-text advertising – Sponsored links will be placed in your text content of your blog. A user may roll their mouse over the link. If the user clicks, you will make some money. Check out http://www.kontera.com  and http://www.vibrantmedia.com/.
  11. Speaking – If you’re an expert in your niche why not share your knowledge and experience.  From only doing a couple of events, you can generate a very nice addition to your income from speaking plus it raises your credibility and promotes you in the offline world.
  12. Host live webinars – This is a great way to not only build your list but also you can charge people for attendance or up-sell them your products/services at the end.  The key is to provide a huge amount of value and offer the opportunity for questions at the end.  I use http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/webinar to host mine.
  13. Promote your services. Your blog will build your profile and show your experience in your niche.
  14. Ask for donations – If you don’t ask, you don’t get! Try adding a PayPal button and ask for a beer or a coffee.  Alternatively you could donate the money to a charity instead.  Check out these great WordPress plugins to help you http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/donation-widget/http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/donate-everywhere/,

 

Remember your blog is unique, so experiment with the techniques and see what works best for you. Most importantly, have fun!

 

Lilach

Lilach

Founder at Socialable Ltd
Lilach Bullock is passionate about getting tangible results using social media. Listed in Forbes as one of the top 20 women social media power influencers. She's the co-author of "Images that Influence" (Number One in its category on Amazon). Lilach is consulted by journalists and regularly quoted in newspapers on social media related matters, including (Forbes, Social Media Today, Prima Magazine, The Sunday Times and BBC Radio 5 Live ). A keynote speaker at business and marketing seminars. If you want excellent results, more business and better visibility you can can subscribe to Socialable newsletter here.
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84 Responses to How To Make Money From Blogging

  1. Doug Jenner says:

    This blog is a rich resource – thanks for sharing these ideas, Lilach!
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  2. Jane Hatton says:

    Thank you for this Lilach – Great timing! I’m about to start my own blog for the first time, mostly to promote my not-for-profit job board for disabled job seekers (www.evenbreak.co.uk) so it will be an extremely niche audience, but some good tips there worth me thinking about.
    Twitter:

  3. lewys davies says:

    Hey

    Great post here, you have highlighted all the great ways to make money through blogging. This is really going to make people realise the power of blogging and making money with it.

    keep up the great work
    Lewys
    Twitter:

  4. Many thanks for a useful and comprehensive summary of the various ways of monetising a blog. I shall certainly bookmark this post for future reference :)
    Naomi Johnson recently posted..Social Media in Network MarketingMy Profile (dofollow)
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  5. John Colley says:

    Lilach
    Great post and summary of the options. Question: does this mean that the only real difference between and blog and a niche site is one of subject focus? In selecting a narrow topic and a long tail-based search term one is seeking an audience who are already seeking a solution to a problem whereas in a blog the advice and help is more broad based and less obviously mercurial?
    I enjoy your posts – thank you
    John
    John Colley recently posted..How Do you Account for Cash?My Profile (dofollow)
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    • Lilach says:

      John you ask a very good question. I think your blog can be niche, for example I blog about social media, traffic generation, list building, blogging, internet marketing. They all fit very nicely and that’s “my niche”. You could also have more specific niche’s for example you could just blog about social media or traffic generation. Or of course you could have multiple blogs about each niche too.

      Thanks for your great feedback, really appreciate it:)

      Lilach
      Twitter:

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  7. Mike says:

    Hi Lilach

    Firstly great article very informative, it’s been added to my favourites straight away.
    I am currently looking to start a website which blogs and has a online shop, it’s not an official blogging platform but will I still be able to try some of the money making tactics you mentioned?
    Have a look if you like …. http://www.michaelwilliamfitness.com/Newsite
    Twitter:

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Mike, pleased you found the article useful. Having an online shop on your blog is a great way to monetize your site. I hope you find the other tactics useful too. Thanks for sharing your new site, it looks great – looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

      Lilach
      Twitter:

  8. Sarah Arrow says:

    15. Add your blog to Kindle so people can subscribe and read via a Kindle reader. At 99 cents a subscriber it soon adds up.
    Sarah Arrow recently posted..Let’s talk about your website that doesn’t workMy Profile (dofollow)
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  10. Lots of rich and valuable tips! Thanks for sharing!
    Reginald Jackson recently posted..Getting Started with Social Media MarketingMy Profile (dofollow)
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  11. Larry Lewis says:

    Great post Lilach you cover alot of good arewas where bloggers can definetely bring in income. I’m please that you have mentioned that blogging is not a get rich scheme, qndbecause it is best that people understand you first have to establish your blog and build traffic. Give it time and money will flow in nicely.
    Twitter:

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Larry. I think it’s important to be honest in business. There are so many people claiming that blogging is a get rich quick scheme but we as “serial bloggers” know that it takes time to build up a good blog full of great content and of course generating lots of traffic.

      Lilach
      Twitter:

  12. Jan Rossi says:

    These are all good tips – but adsense is a real slow one. It takes patience and I believe you have to own a few websites to see that trickle turn profitable. good info!
    Jan Rossi recently posted..Google Places is NOT your Website ListingMy Profile
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  13. Becky says:

    Thankyou for the content of this article, having an opt in form on your blog to build your list and then send them offers and content is essential.

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Becky – absolutely. It’s about building a list and we all know how everyone says “the money is in the list”! But it’s important to build a targeted list otherwise your list won’t buy your offers.
      Twitter:

  14. Tanisha says:

    Great resources and I prefer affiliates fast cash and you help other grow their business while you make money. This great and im glad i stopped by to read this
    Twitter:

  15. Dani says:

    Awesome post! Wanted to mention that another great way to make money from your blog is by selling your expertise using Sparkeo. Sparkeo’s platform will let you upload, embed and sell your expert video content straight from your site or blog! To learn more: http://www.sparkeo.com

  16. Nina says:

    Hi! Just found you through one of your posts on Twitter. I am going to post links back here on our community site and blog, as well as on my personal blog. We have many members and followers who would love to read your post, so I will share it with them on our website. I would also be interested in sharing your posts with our readers on a regular basis. If you are interested, please email me. Thanks so much, Nina Newton, Sr. Editor, Ruby for Women
    Nina recently posted..Carol Mokry replied to Neisa Fluharty’s discussion ‘Follow Me and I’ll Follow You. :) ’ in the group Girls Who BlogMy Profile

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  18. Joe Sandy says:

    These are great ideas for blogging Lilach. The only one I might take issue with is Adsense. I had it on my blog in the beginning and people were clicking away from my site to visit “competitive” sites. It’s not a bad idea, but it needs to be monitored to make sure traffic isn’t being lost. I believe in promoting myself first. As for the others, I totally agree. Great post and thanks for sharing.
    Joe Sandy recently posted..Do Self Limiting Beliefs Guarantee Network Marketing Failure?My Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Joe. I must admit I haven’t used Adsense on any of my sites. I think they’re best for niche smaller sites and you have to have quite a few of them to see considerable cash.
      Twitter:

  19. Terrific post, great content. I have this in my save file to read again for future reference.

  20. David Sharp says:

    Great post I love blogging and use it to promote myself and my network marketing company. A blog is a great way for folks to get to know you. It takes a bit of effort but it does work, maybe not overnight bur certainly in the long term as long as you stay consistent.
    David Sharp recently posted..Hype Or HonestyMy Profile
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    • Lilach says:

      Thanks David. Absolutely right – it doesn’t happen over night, it takes time but for a little effort you will soon start to see great results. As you’ve said you need to be consistent and the key is to provide value:)
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  21. All I can say is Ching-Ching! Thanks for sharing Lilach
    Terry Petrovick recently posted..Entrepreneurs Get Paid For Results, Not Time SpentMy Profile
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  22. Val Heisey says:

    Thanks for the great ideas Lilach, I will be creating my second blog which will be a very focused niche market, and plan to used a few of these to generate some cash.
    Val Heisey recently posted..Do you attract the people you want to work with, or do you just want bodies?My Profile
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  23. On my main blog I try to avoid anything that is not branding me. However I do agree that there is a multitude of ways to make revenue from blogging.
    Preston Schumacher recently posted..Internet Credibility – Maintaining Your Credibility OnlineMy Profile
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  24. Dean Rose says:

    This is an excellent article LiLach. This is my first time here. I came across your site through Terry Petrovick’s page on FB. You have a lot of content. I shall return for more nuggets of wisdom!

    Thx,
    Dean

  25. Mark Harbert says:

    Lilach, these are some great points you make here. Some of the strategies I never would have thought of for sure. I never would have considered donations, but you never know, could work great! You rock my friend, love this blog!!!

    Mark Harbert
    Mark Harbert recently posted..Are You Always Looking For Cool WordPress Plugins? This Has Got To Be The Coolest!My Profile
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  26. rahul says:

    Among CPM Advertising Networks which one is suitable for tech related blogs and your personal choice.
    Twitter:

    • Lilach says:

      I think you have to try a few things out and see which one gives you the best results. Adsense for example used to provide a good return but now you have to have many websites to make money from it.
      Twitter:

  27. Duke Romkey says:

    Thanks for sharing about lulu.com! I have had several people ask about ebooks and was unsure where to send them until now! Keep being awesome!
    Duke Romkey recently posted..The New American EpidemicMy Profile
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  28. Jan Moore says:

    Lilach, another great post. I love your stuff!
    On the subject of making money from blogging, have you heard about a new and very simple system called Empower Network? It’s a fantastic ground floor opportunity and after several years of frustration on the internet and failing to make money I’m really excited about the potential of this.
    I’m a success coach and this can not only make me residual income but can also provide an additional way of promoting my business. There’s a video about it here – http://www.empoweredwealthbuilder.com and even if you’re not interested by the opportunity it is a great example of using hypnotic sales techniques.
    Have a wonderful Christmas,
    Jan Moore
    Twitter:

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Jan, appreciate your comment:)

      I haven’t heard of it but am always intrigued to look at how people promote their products:) Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful Christmas too:)
      Twitter:

  29. Ross says:

    Some really useful points about making money from your website! Adsense is certainly the one that works best for me currently.

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Ross, appreciate your comment. I must admit I haven’t used Adsense before. Do you have multiple sites and use it on all of them or just one? I’d be interested to learn more about if from you:)
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  31. Thank you for your advice! There is a lot of figure out on this journeysome adventure ;) You’ve got the wheels grinding about in my brain now as I look towards bringing all of my various aspects together and working on my 2012 plans and projects :D

    Many thanks,
    Jordan
    Jordan Oram ( recently posted..My top "Adventures with Friends" videos from 2011My Profile

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Jordan, my pleasure:) Yes you’e absolutely right – internet marketing and making money online is definitely a journey, you’re have up’s and downs, excitement and challenges ahead but it’s exciting and when it all comes together it’s worth every part of the journey:)

      Wishing you much success for 2012:)
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  33. neon says:

    Hi Lilach

    Firstly great post

    What ad programme alternative to Adsense would you recommend for a UK based blog on music/film with about 4000 hits a month? I know some of these revenues streams are no good unless you have a lot of traffic.

    Your expertise would be appreciated

    Neon
    Twitter:

    • Lilach says:

      Thanks Neon, appreciate your comment:)

      To be honest Adsense and advertising programmes really only give great results if you have multiple websites and have a large amount of traffic. If you just have the one I’d recommend you look at affiliate programmes instead that tie in nicely with your niche/website.

      Also you’re currently getting around 133 visitors a day (based on 4000 hits a month) so in all honesty until you get your traffic up you’re not going to see a huge return financially.

      I would work on getting your traffic up (targeted) and then experiment with a couple of affiliate programmes and see which ones gives you the best results.

      Best of luck:)
      Twitter:

    • James says:

      Hi neon, how about using affiliate links/CPA for ticket bookings to the cinema and theatre?

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  36. Adwoa says:

    Hi Lilach,

    Great post – you’ve covered off a lot of blog monetisation techniques. One more for bloggers to consider is Ebuzzing (http://www.ebuzzing.co.uk/publishers/), where bloggers can get involved in branded content campaigns that they are interested in to make some money from their blog, through social video advertising and sponsored conversation. It’s easy to sign up and you can choose which campaigns you want to get involved with.

    Best,
    Adwoa
    Twitter:

  37. Hima Chhag says:

    Hi Lilach

    I can only say wow !!
    Very useful information.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Twitter:

  38. James says:

    Do you know that joke about Facebook: You don’t exist if you don’t have a Facebook account? Well, I disagree – you don’t exist if you don’t have a blog on which to write your opinions, your feelings, your experiences.
    James recently posted..What Toaster Ovens Should You Consider Purchasing?My Profile

  39. Dani Walker says:

    Lots of great ideas and thanks for posting the links to go check them out. Adding a Services tab to my site now!
    Dani Walker recently posted..Take Back Your Health ChallengeMy Profile
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  40. Lilach, you’ve listed the core methods to make money with a blog. Nice post! My ad income has been pennies, but affiliate marketing has grown to about $7 a month after a year of blogging. But I’ve been goofing around and learning. The trick for me was to figure out some basics and grow some traffic (and ranking). If money is one’s primary motivation, it won’t be that much fun. Having said that, it is a BLAST to make a few bucks.
    Astro Gremlin recently posted..Disneyland Secrets: The Ruins of DisneylandMy Profile

  41. Lea Antonius says:

    Great article! I’m starting my own blog on the same topic, I’ve learned so much reading your posts, thanks:)
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  42. Maria says:

    Great article and helpful tips!
    Maria recently posted..What to do Around Vancouver for June July 2012My Profile
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  43. Hi,
    I agree with everything that you say. An excellent post, but perhaps recommend that your readers temper their monetization. Look at this blog, mostly content…as it should be. I believe that a blog’s first duty quality content to create traffic with a few well placed linked to your websites or affiliate sites, which is where your income really comes from. Too much monetizing on your blog will run off your visitors.
    Much Success,
    George Pierce
    Twitter:

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  45. Brian Moreau says:

    Show me proof this works for anything other than an already established brand.
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  46. Ramon Polo says:

    These are really good ideas to make money blogging :)
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  47. Joe Lee says:

    Thanks for the post! I didn’t know about lulu.com. And probably I can add a donate button. Not sure how to do it though.
    Joe Lee recently posted..Why Can’t You Follow Your Own PlanMy Profile
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  48. Jacqui says:

    Biggest challenge I’ve found is not writing the blogs, but knowing where to post them! Any suggestions for where to post your blog, Lilach (or anyone)?
    Jacqui recently posted..8 things Managers can learn from managing Olympic volunteersMy Profile
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  49. I’ve tried several of these techniques and my best source of revenue has been Amazon. I write reviews of products I really believe in. Still, sales often are of items not even being promoted, since anything a customer buys within 24 hours are credited to my blog. I get product ideas from these sales.
    Astro Gremlin recently posted..Best Way To Teach a Child to Ride a BikeMy Profile

  50. Tahir Raza says:

    I am learning every single day from your posts. Thanks alot
    Tahir Raza recently posted..Page2RSS Monitored Page: 4DCORES – Outsourcing all your software SolutionsMy Profile
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