How to Monetize Your Blog

/

In writing this post I'm making a major assumption - you're blogging and want to make money with it. If you’re putting in the work, doing the research, and growing the audience, chances are you’d like to get paid for your hard work. It can be done by monetizing your blog. Here are three ways you can start earning:

dollar-311345_640

Product Recommendations

This is probably one of the quickest and easiest ways to start making money with your blog. There's a couple different options when it comes to making product recommendations:

  • use your own products
  • an affiliate product

Depending on where you're located, Amazon's affiliate program is one you should check out. Unfortunately their program isn't available to residents in some states. It's an easy way to promote things as an affiliate. We're all consumers using some sort of electronic gadget, household gadget, reading books, etc. Those things can be found on Amazon, your affiliate link grabbed and added to a blog post - easy peasy.

For example let's say you're a health blogger and are following a new exercise regimen. You could find products on Amazon you're using (the exercise DVD, weights, etc.) and include your affiliate link to them in the post. A Christian blogger could link to a devotional book, Bible, etc. - things people would need to study the Bible or do a Bible Study. The possibilities are limitless - write book reviews and link to the books on Amazon, if you're using a new tech gadget write a review about it, you get the point.

Brands

I don't generally work with brands but from time to time I have. For example, many years ago on a weight loss blog I owned I was being contacted regularly by brands wanting to give me free things in exchange for an honest review. One time I got a fancy, expensive bathing suit from a company that specialized in plus size women's bathing suits. I decided to take them up on their offer and enjoyed the bathing suit and writing my review about it. Here at Faithful Bloggers I was recently contacted by a pretty large brand about partnering with them in promoting their stuff but for the most part, it's authors wanting me to review their books.

In my opinion, the best place to start if you're interested in working with a brand(s) is social media. Find them, connect with them, and start interacting. There are also sites out there that will connect bloggers and brands. They will often pay you to write a blog post that mentions one of their products. Don’t be surprised to work for free products or low pay in the beginning though.

It takes time to build a relationship and show the marketing person that you have the reach to influence a group of people. And of course as your audience grows, you can expect to get paid better to be a brand ambassador.

List Building & Email Marketing

I've been blogging and running my Virtual Assistant business since 2006 and the most important asset (and continues to be!) has been my lists. I'll never stop talking about the importance of having a mailing list. It's been a way to build my relationship with my readers, share my expertise, get them back to my blogs, and of course make offers to them.

Keep your emails helpful with some recommendations thrown in and you'll do well. I always like to include a little personal blurb at the start of messages that gives my readers a chance to connect with me on a more personal level. For example, here at Faithful Bloggers one of the most important events that has been going on in my life since April 2015 is my now five year old nephew Braylan fighting leukemia. I've rallied prayer warriors from all over the world by taking the time to be open and share personally from the heart what's going on in some of my mailings.

An important note to keep in mind - you can't just set up a list and be done. It's important to continue taking action to build that list on a regular basis and then even more important than that - stay in touch with them on a regular basis! 

These are just three of the many different ways you can monetize your blog. I chose them because they're pretty simple, quick and fairly easy to get started with.

I'd love to know - what are you currently doing to monetize your blog? Leave a comment below. 

This is part 9 of a 10 part series on how to write a good blog post that engages people.