There are many ways to make money with your blog, however each one has its pros and cons. I’ll start with my own personal countdown of which I prefer. The bottom of the list will be my preferred methods for bringing in the money.
How to Make Money with a Blog
Sponsored Guest Posts.
This generally comes in two forms. Either you are paid to add a link to an existing post you have already written, OR you are paid to write a new post about their product, service, or topic and include a link. The latter obviously pays more. I almost always say “just don’t do it” when it comes to guest posts, for several reasons. #1, it’s a lot of work for very little money. Now when I say it’s a lot of work, you might be thinking, “but it’s just writing a blog post right?” Wrong. You are also spending a great deal of time hunting down new customers for that post, negotiating with them, and they can often need a lot of hand-holding when it comes to change-requests. All of that should be taken into account when considering this earnings route. #2, Google can sometimes penalize your own site if they suspect you are “selling links.” There is a fine line between “blogger outreach” for acquiring links and actually selling of links, however the risk for being suspected of the latter, is simply too high for this approach in my book. How to: Most bloggers that go this route list their service on Fiverr, or by signing up through various Blogger Outreach sites. You can do a search for these on Google, but review carefully to find a good fit for your blog, with a solid reputation.
Brand Partnerships.
You have seen these in the form of product or brand reviews. Aside from review posts, these will usually include social media shout outs, and sponsorship placement on your site. While these can be a great way to bring in quick money (they usually start at around $2k and can be as high as 100k or more considering what your traffic and name can bring to the table) they are often a LOT of work, however, and can come with restrictions that can hinder your other advertisers. Proceed with caution, and make sure you charge enough to make this worth your while. How to: In most cases, this type of opportunity will find you once your site has significant traffic and recognition. It is wise to have an “advertising” link at the bottom of your site to make it easy for them to reach you.
Dropshipping.
I’ve explored dropshipping purely for fun, but it was surprisingly lucrative. HOWEVER, with each product and supplier, it can take a LOT of legwork to find the quality and reliability needed to be successful.
Advertising.
I chose advertising as my primary income source for years. My #1 reason for this, was freedom. This was as simple as adding code to my site and forgetting about it. Of course, once I had the traffic, I also had a special deal with Google, where I could send any advertising requests in to them, and they would handle it for me. It was a sweet, 7 figure deal. Of course, to get this deal, I had earned it with millions of visitors a month. I still love AdSense and recommend it as a lucrative blog money maker. How to: I highly recommend Google AdSense to get started. There are plenty of tutorials in the AdSense, however I will be adding my own here in the future.
Sell a digital information product.
This includes those little ebooks, courses, etc. Don’t underestimate the big money this can bring in! I’ve met individuals who have made 6 figure businesses by selling their knowledgeable ebooks on everything from feng shui decorating, to starting a food truck business. If you’re ready to take it to the next level, I suggest creating an entire course for a much higher price point. With either of these approaches, don’t forget to list them in Click Bank, and/or create your own affiliate program to have others help sell that product for you.
Affiliate Links.
This is by far, my preferred method for making money online with my blogs. This involves signing up and being approved for an affiliate partnership, where you market their product for them, in exchange for a commission or lead payout. How to: Take your time and research your potential affiliate partners.