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Nov 13, 2020

How to Make Money Blogging



the farther i get into this blogging thing, the more i learn. (thank you, captain obvious)  when i first started blogging, i looked at bigger bloggers and wondered in awe how they could afford to make blogging their full-time job.  how did they make enough money doing it?  how did they land all of those paid blogging opportunities?

my personal road to making money off of my blog has been, actually, pretty fun!  i started with offering advertising packages on my blog and the past few months, i've had the opportunity to write a few sponsored posts.  i'm still nowhere near making a full-time income off of my blog (and it's possible that i never will!), but as i've dipped my toes into the world of creating a blog income, i thought i could share a few things that i've learned along the way with you!

blog sponsorships & advertising packages // 
opening your blog up to sponsors is not only a great way to make a little extra cash, but it's also a great way to build community!  you can sell sponsor spots by having bloggers email a button to you and sending you payment through something like paypal, or, if you want to make it even easier for you, you can use a plug-in like passionfruit or adproval.  if you are just getting started into creating an income from blogging, this is a great place to start!

affiliate programs // 
affiliate programs are another good way to dip your toes into making a little money, but may not be especially fruitful unless you're bringing in hundreds of thousands of pageviews each day/week/month.  you'll earn commission on sales made after someone navigates to a business' website from your blog.  usually, this commission is pretty small and in all honesty, i haven't really made any money from affiliate programs!  but they do exist, and there are bloggers out there who do make money from them!  so don't write them off completely...just know that they might be more time than they're worth.  they are, however, a great way to show that you're willing to work with companies...often, being an affiliate is as simple as putting a businesses ad on your sidebar.
here are a few companies that have affiliate programs:

offer goods and services //
about a year ago, i posted some bridal shower games that i had designed for my best friend's shower.  i pinned them on pinterest without really expecting them to take off, but they did.  i added my email address to the post and a year later, i've sold customized versions of those games to over 100 people.  so, think about something you know how to do!  are you a graphic designer?  are you an expert at a craft like crocheting or making jewelry?  why not open an etsy shop or sell your goods or services through your blog?  you already have a platform and a following, so make sure to utilize that to promote your product!  if you host a shop on another website like etsy, be sure to add a direct link to it in your navigation bar.

sponsored post opportunities & media groups // 
there are a number of media companies out there that work directly with brands to provide sponsored post opportunities to bloggers.  basically, you apply to different campaigns and if you're selected, you write a post (like this one or this one) promoting a brand or product.  the great thing about these is that it's a one-time post (and usually some social media promotion) and you'll make a decent amount (typically around $100-$200 on a post, but sometimes a lot more!).  some of these media groups require a certain amount of page views before they will accept you, but i say try anyway and apply to as many campaigns as you can!  (for example, i recently applied to a campaign that was looking for mommy bloggers, which i am not...but i pitched the idea to use the product as a preschool teacher and that got me in!)
here are a few media groups that provide sponsored post opportunities
mode media (formerly glam media)

odds & ends (and some tips & tricks!) // 
+ sometimes, you may have the opportunity to get paid in product.  only you can decide what's worth it for you, but a few programs that i work with regularly and really enjoy are influenster and blogging for books!

+ patience and perseverance are key!  you won't get every campaign you apply to and you won't sell out of ad spaces in your first month offering them.  but keep at it!  this world can be incredibly competitive, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.

+ offer promo codes!  everyone likes a deal; if you're offering ad packages on your blog, offer some promo codes from time to time!

+ community, community, community!  (have i mentioned that i love community?)  find yourself some blog friends who get this whole thing.  they can pick you up when you don't succeed and celebrate the wins with you!  plus, community is the best part of this blog world...even better than the money, and you definitely don't want to miss out on it!

i hope those tips were helpful!  if you have any more questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] or leave your question in the comments and i promise i'll do my best to respond!

and in case you missed them, here are a few other posts in my blogging series!

47 comments:

  1. These are great tips! I definitely want to dive into this a bit more for the next year, but I find it so nerve-wrecking for some reason. For now, I've just been reading up on everything and learning what I can.

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  2. This post was so helpful! I've made some money on my blog, but these past couple months I haven't had time to work on blogging so much. I'm hoping to make that change really soon with posting more content and looking for ways to earn money as well!

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  3. This breakdown is awesome. I wish I would have known you when I was planning a bunch of wedding showers - I could have used help on those games!

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  4. I love your blogging series, Betsy! You always have such informative posts that are super helpful for a newbie like me! I am not in the position to start marking money off my blog at this point in time but you never know where He will lead you so I never say never! :)

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  5. I'm going to save this list. I just launched my blog but have plans to monetize come 2015.

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  6. Great tips! Im still trying to figure out the best way to make the most of affiliate links!

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  7. me too girl! let me know if you figure that one out :)

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  8. good luck!! it's really a fun journey!

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  9. This is brilliant. You explain everything so well and I love hearing your perspective! Thanks so much for being so helpful and encouraging, Betsy! :)

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  10. Thanks Sarah! It took me years to monetize my blog! You're right...you never know when or how God will work!

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  11. Thank you so much for this post! I look up to you and hopefukky one day blogging might make me some income, who knows :)

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  12. This is such a great post! I am definitely pinning this one so I can check out all the other links you listed as well.

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  13. These are such great tips! I don't think I'm quite to the point of being able to make money yet, but it's great to know what's out there!

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  14. Ain't it the truth! This is a great place to start. Happy weekend! :] // itsCarmen.com ☼ ☯

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  15. This post was amazing and I'm so glad I found it! As a new blogger, I've read countless posts about blogging for money, ads, etc. Everyone is always so wishy-washy but this was so helpful! Thanks for posting!

    Loversify.blogspot.com

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  16. These are such great ways of getting started with making money on your blog!

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  17. I love this post! As a fairly new blogger, this is super helpful. Thank you so much for posting it! :)

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  18. Excellent info. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. Love the breakdown of this, it's something I've been wanting to do for a while. Also, the fact that you've customized that bridal shower game is awesome. I wonder if I could do the same thing with my bridal shower question game post that has taken off - something to think about. I've been looking for somebody to do a talk for #PHLBloggers on monetizing your blog. Let me know if you have an interest - February is the next month I have open.

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  20. Thank you, thank you! I have been blogging for over five years, but moving things in a different direction requires a lot more attention. This is a great list for me to use as a resource. Thank you!!

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  21. I'm definitely gonna check those campaign pages. I love getting products for review. Sometimes, I'm astounded at the value of the product they send.

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  22. Thank you for all of these great tips! They will definitely come in handy as I try to grow my blog!
    www.eastonsmama.com

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  23. Such great tips!! Thank you for sharing!! If this sort of thing is a goal, at what point do you feel it is appropriate to start trying these types of things?

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  24. Hey Chrystina! So sorry it took me so long to respond to this! I would love to talk more about that opportunity! I'm certainly not an expert by any means, but I would be happy to share more about my experiences and success and failures, and help others navigate the world of monetizing!

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  25. Thanks for stopping by Lisa! I'd say once you feel like you have a good rhythm, then jump in! Once you're blogging consistently, feel like you have a little bit of a readership (you don't need hundreds of followers) and you have the time to devote to your blog, then start getting your feet wet! I always tell bloggers that if you want to do sidebar ads and sponsorships, then I don't think it's ever "too early". If you're looking into sponsored post opportunities, then there will be companies who require certain stat numbers for you to join. But it's never too early to start practicing!

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  26. Me too! I love getting to try out new stuff!

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  27. It definitely does require a lot of time and attention! But it can be really fun and rewarding too!

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  28. You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

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  29. Haha well I'm glad I could be of help!

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  30. ugh, so so true! And this post probably doesn't even cover 10% of it!

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  31. I say it's never too early to start getting your feet wet! Your blog is great Sarah!

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  32. Awe, that is so flattering Kasia! Keep on working girl, it'll come with time!

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  33. Thanks so much Daisy! I really appreciate those sweet words! glad to be of help!

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  34. Baby steps! Just keep soaking up all that info and take it little by little...I've found that if you stay organized, you'll be fine! There's a lot of info out there, but it's totally do-able!

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  35. Thanks for sharing such TERRIFIC information. I think the best thing about blogging is the number of people like you who are sharing their experiences with others. May you be happy and prosper in your endeavors

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  36. Very interesting and useful post, thank you so much for sharing all those links with us!

    Indiellie | Bloglovin'

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  37. I love your bridal shower story! I love that you are able to share your skills with so many! Great job Betsy!


    Also, this post was packed with great advice! I have loved growing my blog along side of you :) XOXO

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  38. Betsy, I just adore you!
    I have been following your blog for about 6 or 7 months now and your genuine heart radiates through your posts -- for real! This post is SO incredibly helpful. My best friend and I actually just launched our lifestyle blog TODAY! (it's been 6 months in the making) and we are SO excited to step into this beautiful, crazy world of bloggers, but are obviously still new, so these sort of posts are so helpful!!

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  39. Awe, Melissa that is far too sweet! Congrats on your blog! That's so incredibly exciting! What's your url? I'd love to check it out!

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  40. Thank you! We are so excited and already having so much fun with it! Our url is www.avenue126.com!

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  41. This is such great advice! Thanks for sharing these tips!
    http://www.silverspiralstudio.com

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