I didn’t start using my blog as a way to bring in money until about 2 years into blogging. For the most part, I don’t teach my clients ways to make money unless they already have an established audience.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t make money right from the beginning as a blogger BUT I do strongly believe that you need to build trust with readers before you do this. You want to create a connection between your readers and your expertise. Of course, this is different if you already have a business prior to starting your blog.

WAYS I HAVE CREATED AN INCOME THROUGH BLOGGING

There have been multiple ways that I have created money-making opportunities on my blog. When I first began to make money on my blog, I was selling a subscription box. I was featuring the women-owned small businesses on my blog that had products in that subscription box. My blog was all about other small businesses and I loved doing it. I am a HUGE advocate for supporting small local businesses.

In 2019, my life was in upheaval so I decided it was time to close that business. I began blogging again towards self-care, self-love with a little bit of blogging advice thrown in there. I also began to sell my freelance blogging services.

I loved writing blogs so this just felt like the next right step in my business. So I did ONLY freelance blogging for about 5 months when blog coaching fell into my lap.

In January of 2020, I held my first Blogging for Business workshop. I had 2 women sign up and it was absolutely AMAZING!!! From there, the weekend intensive was born and then Blogology came to life. And now I offer 1 on 1 coaching as well as other blogging services.

CHOOSING WAYS TO CREATE AN INCOME THROUGH YOUR BLOG

There are so many different ways that you can create an income through your blog. A few examples are…

1. Ads
2. Affiliate links
3. Services you sell
4. Digital products you create
5. Products that you create
6. Sponsored content
7. Freelance services
8. Courses

There are tons of different options that you can take to help you bring in extra income or a full income.

Now I am going to be honest here, my income isn’t steady when it comes to the services and products that I offer. There are some months I make over $1,000 a month from my blog and then there are months (like November) where I didn’t bring in any money. That is okay. With everything going on in the world, everyone is going to have months that aren’t as good. Don’t give up and figure out a way to keep moving forward.

Despite making no money in November, I had an AMAZING month with everything else that went on including my current coaching clients and some big blogging opportunities.

I also want you to know that blogging is a long term strategy. Yes, there are bloggers who have made it big fast but that doesn’t happen too often. I believe that slow and steady wins the race. You need your audience to trust you before they start throwing money your way. Embrace the growth and the learning process.

I also do not use ads on my blog. I am not a fan of ads and I don’t plan on using them. I remember taking a course on building a course through your blog. She talked about how ads used to be the biggest way to make money but then she said something that has stuck with me since taking her course.

Having ads on your blog is essentially sending people away from your site to make money.

I don’t want people to leave my site. I want them to stay and fall in love with what I have on my site. I am not saying you can’t do blogs, this is just my personal reasoning behind why I don’t do them. Plus I absolutely HATE going to a blog that is filled with so many ads that I eventually leave without even reading why I was there in the first place. Don’t be that blog.

A BREAKDOWN OF A FEW WAYS TO MAKE MONEY ON YOUR BLOG

In this section, I will talk about and give some examples as to how you can make money using a few of the ways I mentioned above.

1| Affiliate links. I love using affiliate links but I think that there is a reason behind using them. I don’t believe that you should just grab any and every affiliate link that is out there. I think when you are using these links, you should do so because you love the product or service that it represents. These links should also be of value to your ideal reader and client or they will be useless to have.

I have affiliate links for Canva, Later, Flodesk, and a Pinterest course that I love by Boss Girl Bloggers. Every one of these links except for Later, I make money at no extra cost to the buyer. With Later, I get additional posts instead of money from someone using my affiliate link. These are all services that I use daily so I know that my audience will also benefit from using them.

2| Services that you sell. This will of course depend on what your niche is and what type of services you can offer. You can sell coaching services, social media services, virtual assistant services. You can truly create any kind of service that your readers are looking for.

I offer blog management services. These services include blog audits and blog management (think social media manager but only for your blog). I also offer 1 on 1 coaching services and group coaching. Beyond that, I even offer blog consultation services as well.

3| Digital products that you create. This is a great way to make an income in your niche. Digital products can include templates, workbooks, planners, journals, worksheets. I mean the list could go on and on.

I sell a few digital products that include workbooks mainly. I am thinking of also adding my blogging planner as a digital option. These are great because you can create them once and then continue to sell them as a downloadable option for your readers.

4| Products that you create. Not every business needs to have physical products to sell but it is an option. The only physical product I have is my blogging planner. There are so many options to have again for physical products including journals, planners, soaps, candles, clothing, books, and so on. Again this list is extensive. Get creative when creating a physical product.

5| Sponsored content. This source of income doesn’t always mean money. Sometimes it can be the exchange of a product and you still have to classify that as income.

Sponsored content means that a brand or a business is giving you a product for free or they are paying you to review and share that product on your blog and social media platforms. This can be a great way to bring in additional income.

Just like affiliate links, you want to ensure that the products and/or services that you are showcasing as sponsored content are things that your readers want to know about. You will not make the impact that you want to if you are doing every type of sponsored content. Be picky in who you work with. Make sure that the product or service aligns with your and your business and your readers.

6| Freelance services. This can go right along with services to offer but I thought that I would do it as a separate option. Freelance services can really be anything including writing, blogging, or any type of content creation. It helps to narrow down what freelance service it is that you provide.

For example, I provide freelance blogging services. I don’t offer other freelance writing services because I am a blogger, not a copywriter. To get the best results, stick with what it is that you know and do best. That will ensure that you stay happy and you have clients who are happy with the work that you do for them.

7| Create courses. This is so much fun! I have course ideas all in my brain that I need to get out and actually do. This is a great way to create an income with an automated option.

If you are a coach, create a course that breaks down 1 aspect of your coaching business. Get potential clients in the door by doing this. They will get a taste of what it is that you do and they will hopefully want more after that course. An example of a course, is my Write Her course that I will be eventually offering all the time.

There are multiple ways to create courses and the one that I have used is Teachable. It was super easy to upload videos to and to add workbooks and PDFs to complement your course.

There are many other ways that you can make money using your blog but these are the ways that I use and have used in the past.

THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT CREATING AN INCOME AS A BLOGGER

The most important thing to remember about making money as a blogger is that it can take time to create a consistent income. People will buy from people that they trust. Without this trust, you will have a hard time bringing in money through your blog. Be patient and trust that it will lead you there.

Have fun. Create products and services that you know your clients and readers are going to love and are looking to purchase.

If you need to, do some research. Look up other bloggers in your niche and see what they are doing to create an income. THIS DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU COPY THEM!! You want to create your own products and services because your readers will be different than the other bloggers. Your personality is different and how you teach and write is different. Use those differences to your advantage. Nobody wants to see the same products and services offered. Embrace your uniqueness and have it show in the work that you offer.

If you are ready to get your blog started or want help with the current blog you have, I would love to help you. Blogology will be starting January 10, 2021, and it is a 7-week group coaching program that will take you from idea to blog.

I also have room for 2-3 new 1 on 1 coaching clients. I only take on 3 clients at a time so that I can give you as much focus as I can.