There are 2 reasons why you’re probably reading this post. 1 – You want to make money with your blog. 2 – You want to know how bloggers make money. Regardless of your personal reasons for reading this, let me clear that I am not going to give you all of the resources to monetize your blog because I’m personally not at the level that I feel like an expert at it myself. However, this post will give you an idea of where to go next, and if you’re a blog reader and not a blogger, it will help you better understand how bloggers make their money. It’s generally a mix of multiple strategies, aka diversifying. To help you on the next step of your monetization process, I have included links to 5 blog posts that will help you make money blogging.
And if you’re a blogger, don’t forget to disclose disclose disclose! In the US, it is illegal not to. Google sometimes won’t show you in searches if you don’t. You can read about my negative experience with that a few months ago to see why it’s so important to disclose.
Sponsored Posts – These are basically what they sound like: a company pays for a blogger to post something. Sometimes this is a report on an event or product. Sometimes it’s how something – a product, a brand, a store in your town, etc. – fits into your life. Depending on the blogger’s reach (pageviews, social media followers, etc.), the amount that they receive for a sponsored post might range from $25 to hundreds.
Affiliate Links – Using an affiliate link is when a blogger provides a link to a product through a service that partners with the store selling it, and then when a reader clicks a link and then buys something, the blogger receives a percentage. For some companies and some brands, the blogger earn something if the reader just clicks the link. It depends on the company you go through and the store/brand that the original link is from.
Sidebar Advertisements – Depending on the company/product, you might be paid for placing the ad or for people clicking the ad (and sometimes even only if the buy something). It’s a great form of passive income; you set the ad up, you get paid. That’s it.
Sponsored Social Media Posts – This is very similar to sponsored blog posts. You get paid to post something on social media, but usually you get paid a much smaller amount. As with everything, it will be based on how many followers you have.
Free Items – Sometimes you get paid to write a post that features an item you got for free, and sometimes you get an item for free in order to review it and fit it into another post. Regardless, this still counts since you are basically receiving the product value.
For multiple methods, bloggers often work through companies that arrange sponsored opportunities. For example, the ad on the bottom of your screen – and some other ads on here – is through BlogHer. I also get sponsored social media posts through them. I’m also a part of the InfluenceHer Collective – the blog community of Her Campus – through which I get sponsored posts. These companies do the negotiating with the brands for you, which is great for bloggers like me who don’t have the time to reach out to brands themselves. The only problem is that bloggers often get paid on a Net-30 (or 60 or 90) pay schedule, meaning that you don’t get paid until 30-90 days after the campaign is completed, depending on what schedule the company is on. This was a huge issue recently when Mode Media went out of business and lots of bloggers were left without being paid for sometimes months of work.
Some blog posts that can help you monetize your blog:
3 Blog Monetization Myths | How I Turned My Blog into a Full-Time Job | How I Turned My Blog into a Full-Time Job | Real Ways I Have Made Money Blogging | Complete Guide To Monetizing My Blog
How do you make money blogging?
Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
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