7 Ways on How to Actually Make Money Blogging
1. Pay Per Click
The basic idea of pay per click (PPC) is putting banners or text ads somewhere in your blog, and when a visitor clicks on these ads, you get a commission.
That commission is based from the price of keywords that the advertisers are bidding for.
For better understanding, let's take Google AdSense for example.
Google is allowing independent publishers(bloggers like you) to apply their website for Google AdSense so they could have a chance to create a source of income out of their blog.
Once approved, you'll be given access to their dashboard where you can generate codes you can embed in your website to display ads, and when your visitors click on that ad, you earn commissions.
Surely, there were other alternative ppc ad network manager out there like Chitika, Infolinks, VigLink etc.
However, in my opinion, Google AdSense so far is the best pay per click ads manager that you can apply with since some bloggers here and there are saying that it is the best existing ad network out there to monetize any website (as long as they comply with Google AdSense Program Policy or adhere to Webmaster Quality Guidelines).
2. Private Advertising
Private advertising is allowing independent companies or other bloggers to buy an ad space on your website.
The price is fixed, completely negotiable and payment is usually per month.
However, before engaging your website to this type of advertisement, make sure that your blog receives a decent amount of traffic. Those traffic should also be your genuine followers. When I say genuine followers, those who might have followed you and your blog posts from time to time, those in your list, and the visitors you receive from organic traffic.
3. Solo Ads
Just in case you're not familiar with this advertising method, a solo ad is a one time email blast you sell to a buyer who wants to advertise to your subscribers or to your email list.
I call it - 'the backdoor selling'.
Solo ads technique is usually employed by marketers. Fortunately, it's not entirely exclusive for B2B(business to business) blogs.
For example, if your blog is about "dog training" and you've built an impressive email list of dog lovers, you surely are eligible to try this approach.
You may sell solo ads to vendors who sell stuffs about dog training. Probably eBooks, video course, or whatever products they sell related to dog training, you may consider using solo ads technique.
4. Affiliate marketing
One of the most popular method of monetizing a blog is through affiliate marketing.
Affiliate Marketing is partnering up to an independent business owner or a company to promote their products directly on your website.
Unlike PPC, affiliate marketing is placing banner or text ads (with your affiliate link attached) to your website and when visitors click on those ads and make a purchase, that's when you earn commissions.
You can also create a testimonial post about a particular company products, as long as you're being creative, you can basically promote other's product in anyway you want.
Well of course, just don't violate any rules and agreements.
The commission you receive is based from the percentage you agreed with with the product owner.
For example, if the X product you're promoting is worth $59, and the affiliate commission set by the product owner is 45%, once you make a sale you make $26.55 commission - that's basically the idea.
If you want to use this method monetizing your blog, I suggest you always promote products related to your blog topic, product you've tried, or products that you're extremely familiar with.
5. Selling your own product
There are two types of products that bloggers may sell online, physical(or tangible) and digital(intangible) products.
Sample of physical products are t-shirts, tumbler, books etc., pretty self explanatory.
On the other hand, digital products were in form of eBooks, PDF, video courses. Digital products usually are guides and tutorials.
If your blog is about body fitness, then you can create video courses or eBook discussing how to burn fats, eating healthy, right exercise, etc.
If you want your product to get sold in a faster scale, you may partner up with third party merchants such as ClickBank, ShareASale, e-junkie etc. to engage your product in affiliate marketing program. This way, you are building a network of affiliate marketers who are willing to sell your product.
And when your affiliates make a sale, they'll get their commission, you'll get yours.
Of course, that depends on the percentage you set. Also, you need to pay the merchants as well.
Whether your blog is in B2B(business to business) or B2C(business to customer) niche, it'll be a challenge to create your own product since it's not that easy(in my opinion) to create a unique and valuable product out of scattered and never tested (but probably effective information) anywhere.
However, just in case you've tested a particular strategy that effectively worked for you, for example you accidentally discover a way on how to make money the most efficient way(assuming your blog is about business), then you can write an eBook discussing the methods you used, how it worked, your experience, your results then sell it to your visitors.
6. Freelance via your blog
One advantage of blogging is that you can actually be a freelance writer.
Did you know that content marketing is by far one of the best business strategic marketing used by big companies to drive traffic to their site?
If you have the gift of writing impressive and well researched blog post, you surely are eligible for freelance content writing.
You have the right to name your price.
You can showcase your articles through your blog or through guest blogging.
You can find your ideal customers at Craigslist, ProBlogger etc.
Or you can post a job as a freelance content writer at Elance, Fiverr etc.
7. Create a membership site
Do you like the idea of people paying you month after month and have a total passive income?
Well, this blog monetizing method might be a good choice but I have to warn you - it's not as easy as it sounds.
You need to think outside the box.
If you're serious at giving it a shot, ask yourself these questions:
What type of product can I sell over and over again?
What service can I provide so people keep on paying for it?
For how long am I able to do this to keep my customers?
Is there a room for improvement?
To answer these questions, let us examine the different membership ideas you can incorporate with your blog so you can decide which one is to follow.
1. Member's Only Content Access
As a general rule of thumb, bloggers create articles, do podcasting and video courses right? So what might be the products available in here? Well, you guess it - articles, podcast and/or video courses.
You read it right. You can actually charge people from accessing your contents.
The idea is disallowing non-members to read, hear or watch the valuable content you've created, they need to pay for that.
You may give a user an option whether he wants to pay per month or for full year. Additionally, pricing varies from the level of access.
2. Member's Only Forum Access
You can setup a discussion forum to your blog where like minded members are sharing great and valuable ideas about your specific blog topic.
Similar to content access, members were able to access the community forum only if they pay for it.
You might want to ask, why would a person pay just to join a forum? My answer would be to solve the issue of quality and trust. Before utilizing this approach, make sure that your blog is credible enough, that your brand receives reasonable amount of good reputation.
3. Live Webinars
Why not offer a live webinar to your subscribers or members, connect with them in real time. In that webinar you may sell your products or you may charge them for all the knowledge you share.
You can also invite somebody who is also a reputable blogger in your niche then allow him to share his ideas and experiences, so your audience can relate. What is it with that blogger you've invited? Exposure.
However, if you have the ability to host a premium business webinar, you can do it by yourself.
4. Member's Only Access to Affiliate Program
Haven't I told you that there are premium affiliate programs? You read it right. In my opinion, you can charge people particularly your members who might want to promote your products or services.
The basic idea for this is that, your affiliates should be familiar with what they're promoting. They must have at least experienced or tried the products or services themselves before promoting.
Note: All of these ways of make money blogging only makes a lot of sense assuming your offer are very valuable, unique, and helpful products.
Conclusion
While there's nothing wrong with blogging without the intention of monetizing it, I still think it would be more efficient if you give it a shot. After all it's not that hard to embed some advertisement code in your editor.
However, just in case you want to change your mind and might want to consider making extra income from your writing hobby, you can try any of these method.
And again, please realize that I'm not saying that these approach may always work for anyone. The odd of making money from your blog depends on your actions(or inaction), and level of determination.
By Jazzel Wayasen
