Make money blogging?
Have you ever wanted to make money blogging but you aren’t sure where to start? Have you ever thought “can I make money blogging?” Well read on to learn how you can make money blogging.
A blog is basically a low-cost business idea that will hopefully produce a steady monthly income for you.
Who can become a blogger and make money?
Blogging is suitable for a wide range of people as it can be done from the comfort of your own home, or on a beach, or in fact just anywhere that has a good internet connection.
- Freelancers
- Remote Workers
- Stay at home moms and dads
- Students
- Gap year students
There are many professional bloggers who generate vast sums of money – but it does take time and a lot of hard work. So let’s go through a few pointers to get you started.
Define your niche market
- First of all decide whether you want to make money blogging full-time, or if you prefer you could start a blog as a side hustle.
- Do your research and select a niche market – something you are familiar with is always best.
- Create your website/blog.
- Write content that is interesting and informative for your audience.
- Build an email list so you can keep your readers updated.
Monetize your blog by doing the following:
- Join affiliate marketing sites.
- Sell digital products.
- Sell physical products.
- Sell advertising space.
- Produce paid webinars.
- Produce paid digital downloads.
- Create podcasts.
- Become an influencer.
- Carry out viral marketing.
Research your chosen niche market
- Spend some time choosing your niche market. It will be the topic that will bring your readers back time and time again. Niche topics could be things like “Asian cuisine” or “How to train your cat”.
- Do some keyword research to gauge how difficult it will be to rank for the topic you want to write about. You should also be able to gauge how many people are searching for this type of information.
- Have a look at what your competitors are doing. Are there any new blogs appearing covering the same niche market? Is the market going to cope with yet another blog about XXX?
‘How to make money blogging’ – let’s break that down:
Choose something you are interested in. You will only produce high-quality original articles if you are interested in the topic yourself. What would you want to read?
Low competition – whilst your niche-market needs to be, well niche, it must also actually have some sort of audience. This is where your keyword research and search volume figures will help you decide if there is a readership out there.
Check out your competition – checking out your competition is always a good way to stay abreast of what the markets are looking for, new trends, the latest equipment, future styles, etc.
Monetize your blog – only after you have spent some time writing high-quality original articles should you think about monetizing your blog. Look at the list above and work out which is best for your type of blog.
Create your website/blog
Think about the style of your website/blog. There are so many ways to create your website/blog that they would be far too long to list here. There are also a good number of high-quality content creation websites for you to choose from. Think of established sites such as:
- WordPress
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Blogger
Or if you are unsure what to do you can opt to have someone create your site for you. Just remember to put as much planning into the design stage as possible so that the creator has a clear idea of what you are looking for. Think of sites such as:
- Fiverr
- 99designs
- People Per Hour
Write content that is interesting and informative for your audience
- What would you want to read? – that is always a good starting point.
- What can you share with your readers that will keep them coming back for more?
- Are you being informative?
- Are you being original?
- Are you being accurate?
- What style are you using – formal, chummy, office speak, technical?
- Always think about your readers and write the article in the style that best matches them.
Build your ‘How to make money blogging’ email list
- Your email list acts as a gateway to your blog. It should be topical, informative, and current – no one wants to read out-of-date information.
- You will need to create an ‘opt in’ category so that readers can grant you permission to contact them with further information.
- Think of offering loss-leaders and discounts so people will buy or sign up for whatever you are offering.
Monetize your blog
Lastly – and yes, I know this is the bit you really wanted to read first – monetize!
So you have created your website/blog. You have written a large volume of high-quality original content. Only once you have everything else in place should you think about monetizing.
- Join affiliate marketing sites – e.g. if you are writing about “How to train your cat”, you should look towards affiliate marketing sites for pet products such as pet food, kitten toys, cat scratching posts, cat collars, pet insurance, etc.
- Sell digital products – think of sites that sell e-books, or photographs. The customer chooses and pays for the book in a pdf format, or a photo, and then they download and print it at home. There is no physical product until the customer prints it out.
- Sell physical products – the print-on-demand sector has increased with custom merchandise being a popular way to earn income. Think t-shirts, stickers, mugs, posters – anything that can be personalized.
- Sell advertising space – If you have a large readership then think about selling advertising space on your website/blog. If you don’t want to approach organizations yourself then consider Google AdSense where they will place ads throughout your website/blog and you will receive a payment per 1,000 website visitors.
- Produce paid webinars – if you have got something of value to share why not consider a webinar? Whether it is live-action or on-demand content, there is the potential to generate revenue by getting your audience to pay to access the content. Create a series of webinars to keep your audience coming back.
- Produce paid digital downloads – training manuals, how-to guides, templates, there is scope to produce a vast array of digital downloads.
- Create podcasts – most podcasts are free but you could add value by creating subscription-based podcasts offering further information and advice. This would only become accessible once the participant has signed up.
- Become an influencer – understand your audience and create relevant content. Grow your social media profile and when you have a high number of followers let brands know you are open to collaborating with them.
- Carry out viral marketing – if you create a strong and clear message then the information you wish to share will grow organically. There is no clear guidance for what will ultimately go viral but viral marketing can be in the form of shares, links, or memes.
Conclusion
Making money by blogging can be fun, but also very time-consuming. Be realistic with your timings – it may be several months, or maybe longer, before you build up your readership numbers. Figure out if you want to make money blogging as your full-time role, or just as a side hustle. Then work your way through the steps listed here and you could be on your way to earning money.