Can You Make Money Blogging? #learntoblog

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Once you’ve been blogging for a while you’ll soon realize the commitment and work that goes into maintaining a blog or website. At some point you may start to wonder, can I make money at this? Can this be a career? (If you are serious about blogging read all of my posts and watch my videos about how to blog.)

Moms are making money at home in their pajamas every day while taking care of their children and still running their homes.

I am very serious. Do some research online and you’ll find many bloggers who have branched out and made their sites and/or services into lucrative incomes.

ways to make money blogging

 

Before that sends your mind into a whirlwind, understand there is a lot of volunteering that goes into a blog before you ever start to make money. Also understand that not every blogger is going to make millions off of their site. Heck, not everyone is going to even make $1,000 a month.

The success of your site lies in you. Can you withstand all the work that goes into this? Will you persevere? Is this a passion or do you just want to make some money? Is there a need for the content you’re writing? Do others find it valuable? Are you consistent in your efforts? You can read my post that includes 20 tips to improve your blog.

Today let’s talk making money. More and more bloggers are making a part-time income while running their site. The dream of making a full-time income is also proving to be more obtainable now as successful sites have proven that to us. This is all according to research I have done and by speaking with other bloggers who are making income.

Ways Bloggers Can Make Money

Here are 15 ways that bloggers are making money from blogging.

  1. Become a virtual assistant  you are especially valuable if you are a fellow blogger and understand how blogging works and the importance of social media, etc. A virtual assistant can field emails, link up posts at meme/blog hops, administer your site’s Facebook page,manage your Twitter account, manage your Pinterest boards, really the list goes on and on. Most virtual assistants make an hourly rate- I think $10 an hour is a very fair fee. And, you can be a virtual assistant for multiple bloggers, easily working 20-40 hours per week if you want. You can communicate effectively and easily using sites like Skype, email and EverNote. Here is an excellent eBook that teaches you how to be a virtual assistant and includes 154 pages on information, tips and pointers.
  2. Freelance writing for other sites-  many of the local news stations, online magazines, and blogs in general want content. If you already write on your blog, you can easily write for another blog and make money. You could even be a regular contributor. It is fair to charge by the post and expect to make $20+ per post. If you write five freelance articles a month you can easily make $100 extra for your family. Obviously, you can increase that by increasing your commitment. If you see a local magazine has an online version, email them and find out if there are freelance opportunities.
  3. Google AdSense-  just about any blog can be approved for Google AdSense. The approval process is quick and painless. Once approved, you install the coding for up to three ads and you begin to get paid by the click. There are two drawbacks: you must meet a $100 threshold before you’re paid each month (it rolls from month to month until you reach it) and if they think you are clicking on your own ads, they will cancel you without question and getting back in is almost impossible. Just make sure you never ever click your own ads… let your readers do the clicking. Be patient and do not get discouraged if it take a few months to get your first check. It will come and as your site grows so will the revenue.
  4. Sell Private Ads- create a media kit and outline the ad sizes you plan to offer and the prices you will charge for each ad. The cost for above the fold ads run more. When a company sends you an offer, and you will get them, email them with a nice thank you and ask them to take a peek at your media kit. You never know where this can go. Here is a post with tips for creating a media kit.
  5. Other Ad Networks- there are some excellent ad networks you can run ads for. What I like about this is generally you are paid by the pageviews and not by the clicks, however, their approval process is a bit more extensive than Google AdSense. Generally you are approved according to size and type of content you write. A couple of good networks are Burst Media, Federated Media, Rivit Media and Media.net.
  6. Write an e-Book– do you blog about recipes, crafts, how to blog, being financially savvy, etc.? Take what you would put into a series of blog posts and put them into an e-book. Then, sell the e-book on your site for a reasonable fee and find others to be an affiliate of your e-book. You make money off of their sales and your sales. Many bloggers use e-Junkie as their affiliate provider when getting other bloggers to promote their e-book. Angela England has written an excellent and informative eBook that teaches you how to write and market  your own eBook in 30 days. I own this and it is excellent!
  7. Get a Book Deal– It is not as far fetches as it sounds. Pioneer Woman, Dooce and Kelly Hampton all have successful book on the market. Endless food bloggers have cookbooks on the market.   This is real guys- it is not uncommon for a blogger to get a real book deal and see their name in local bookstores.I was told by a former journalist that publishers are looking for successful eBooks now to secure book deals with bloggers.
  8. Become an Affiliate– You can be an affiliate for Amazon, an affiliate for your friend’s e-book, or an affiliate for a site that offers your readers deals like Escalate Network. All of these are extra ways to make money from your site. Also, become an affiliate for eBooks of fellow mom bloggers. Many of them share 50% of the cut with you. That can add up quick.
  9. Become a Consultant– Are you an expert in your niche? If you are a subject matter expert in blogging, charge an hourly rate to educate others with valuable information that can help them take their site to the next level. I have even found there to be an opportunity to offer consulting in my media kit for businesses who are running websites and blogs and need some tips and pointers. You would be shocked to find out that some of the folks running a business with a website have no idea what a keyword is nor the significance in understanding keywords help your site get found on Google.
  10. Speaking Engagements if you are an expert on blogging, or crafting, or finance, etc., start applying for opportunities to be a speaker at conferences speaking on your topics.
  11. Make Videos for Brands- you would be shocked to know that some companies will pay you to make videos for their brand. Sometimes they just want one video for their YouTube channel, sometimes they want you to be a spokesperson for a period of time. Include this in your media kit as another opportunity.
  12. Etsy and Other Shops– if you make things and sell them in an Etsy shop, marry it with a blog. Use your blog to promote your store in a sense, but also to share tips and pointers about whatever it is you’re making. In other words, if you refurbish furniture and sell these pieces in an Etsy shop, start a blog where you give simple tips on how to re-finish wood, how to sand wood, how to choose your paint color, how to coordinate paint colors, etc. You will become valuable even to someone who does not ever plan to do this work themselves, but they see value in what you’re doing. Bam, they love your work and want to purchase some of it from your Etsy shop. (Um, then add Google AdSense to your  blog and an ad network like Rivit Media and start making more money from home.)
  13. Graphic Design- do you have the eye, skill and software for designing graphics? Make graphics for people and/or blog design. You would be shocked at the money you can make doing this. Once words gets around that you are good, you will be booking people out weeks or months in advance. I’ve watched it happen many times in my four years of blogging.
  14. Job Boards- more and more there are blogs popping up with job board opportunities. Business 2 Blogger is one of my favorites. Blogvertise is another good one to check out that is a job board of sorts.
  15. Community Manger– big brands, as well as smaller companies who do not have the knowledge or time to Tweet and Facebook, will pay you to be a community manager. If being a virtual assistant is not appealing to you, but running a brand’s Facebook and Twitter accounts is appealing, make the company an offer. Include this as an option in your media kit.

Share with us what is working for you and what is not. I would love your feedback and input.

More Blogging Tips from Crystal & Co.

36 Comments

  1. Thanks for all of the helpful advice!
    Ive had a blogspot blog for awhile now..and just usually post book reviews on that one.
    Recently I started a wordpress blog – and Im learning my way around wordpress.

    Blogging is alot of fun!

    1. Melissa- WordPress is awesome and an excellent platform for a website or blog. There can be a learning curve, but I think you will see the power it brings once you get the hang of it.

      Best of luck with your new site and thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts.

  2. What an informative post! Thanks for the tips because although I do several of these now I’ve been looking for a post like this to send to a friend so this was very timely as well!

    1. Allie- awesome and I am so glad it is timely for your friend. Please share and send her my way. 🙂

  3. Fantastic advice. Thanks for sharing! I bookmarked a few of the links you included to explore when I have a bit more time.

    1. Glad you found it helpful, Kathryn. Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.
      Thanks for reading.

  4. Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been curious about advertising and a little confused. I appreciate your help.

  5. Thanks so much for this post. I don’t have loads of free time, but it might be fun to try to make a little extra cash blogging. I appreciate these tips.

  6. Blessed Beyond a doubt says:

    Thanks for the world of wisdom! Great advice!

  7. Blessed Beyond a doubt says:

    BTW ~ I have 5 boys, too! And a princess!

  8. Thanks so much for sharing. I am trying to learn how to grow my blog and eventually sell ad space and this is truly helpful. An E-book sounds right up my ally 🙂

  9. This was really helpful. I’ve bookmarked it to come back to when I’m at that point. I still consider myself a baby blogger. I am curious about this though. I have a couple questions if you have a moment. Do advertisers care about your Blogger Stats or your Google Analytics stats? I’m finding a vast difference and have read that the truth lies somewhere in between. Also, what size does your blog have to be to start pursuing Ad Networks and Sponsors other than AdSense? I’d appreciate your input if you have the time. Jodi @ http://www.meaningfulmama.com

  10. thanks for the good tips. I’m trying to keep consistent, but I do like to write about what I’m doing at the moment. I think the most interest is cooking/recipes and DIY projects which is what I’m trying to do. People love food and looking at what the Jones’ just did!

    1. Denise- in being consistent I mostly mean consistent posting. Don’t leave your readers hanging. Post on a regular basis, whatever that is for you. If you want to post Monday, Wednesday and Friday, that is great, as long as your readers know what to expect. KWIM?

  11. Great tips. Especially #1 and #2.

  12. Hi Crystal – thanks for all the tips! 🙂 I think I will poke around your blog for a bit tonight! 🙂

  13. Pingback: How To Triple Your Way To Make Money Online
  14. Hi Crystal! These are great tips.. thank you for sharing! I was just wondering how do you become a virtual assistant? It seems like something I would enjoy doing but Im not sure how to go about it. Thank you for your help in advance 🙂

  15. This is great! I am definitely going to keep looking for more money-making opportunites to add to my blog. Other than my Etsy shop, I am also an independent distributor for Xango. I LOVE their products, it helped me get through my pregnancy without pain medication for my migraines! Truly a lifesaver!!!

    1. Candice- partnering an Etsy shop with a blog is an excellent way to increase the exposure for your shop.
      Kudos and best of luck!

  16. Hi Crystal! I found you doing a google search to compare Rivit and Google Ad Sense and you have a great site! Great post here. I have both companies’ ads on my blog and am trying to decide if one pays more than the other, but it’s hard to track because I have one ad from Rivit above the fold, and two from Ad Sense below the fold and I’m making $10 more from Ad Sense. And I’m totally confused by all the verbage (CPC, eCPM, etc), but I’ve been making for the past few months, so I’m happy about that. Totally off topic, but I see you were a DCC!! That’s awesome – I watch their new show on TV religiously. As a dancer and dance teacher myself, I’m all over it!

  17. This is a good list. I’m not a mommy blogger; I am a daddy blogger. I can attest to the consultant angle. For those that are looking to take their blogging to another level there is a great opportunity in one’s local area helping business to create content. Additionally, for those that are also homeschoolers, I can’t think of a better real life curriculum than working to improve the bottom line of a business that contributes to your community.

    CT

  18. Hello Crystal,

    This is my first time visiting your blog and I definitely plan on coming back. As as work-from-home consultant myself, I love sharing ideas for making money from home.

    Sites like Freelancer, Odesk, and Elance are great sites for find blogging or writing projects.

    You’ve got some great ideas here! Thanks for putting it together. Looking forward to your next post.

  19. Keating Armstrong says:

    Hi Crystal! I came across your blog a few months ago, book marked a million articles and am just now going through and reading them! I’ve been interested in blogging for a while now and am just now starting to get serious about it. I love reading your posts! Very helpful and fun to read! Thanks for all the advice!

    1. Awesome, Keating. I am so happy you find these blogging tips helpful.
      Thanks for hanging out and reading!

  20. Thanks, Crystal! I had never heard of Escalate Network, I just signed up with them!

  21. Crystal, love this post. Can I ask you, is there any one stream of income that you find is the most profitable on your blog? Just curious.

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