How to Monetize a Blog

While many people may think that the rise of platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch have caused blogs to be irrelevant, the truth is statistics show otherwise. 77% of internet users still read blogs. Over 2 million blogs are published daily. Over 70 million comments are left on blogs monthly. Just think about it—before you landed here, you probably searched for an inquiry related to making money from a blog, and you landed on this blog post to get answers.

Not only are blogs relevant, they also present great opportunities for making money as a content creator. As long as people have questions that need answers, blogs will exist and continue to thrive. Keep reading to learn more about how blogs make money and how you can start monetizing yours today.

Sponsored Posts

Before influencer marketing and paid partnerships took off on social media platforms such as Instagram, bloggers often connected with brands for sponsored posts to promote their products or services. Whether it’s an inclusion in a general blog post (i.e., a mention in a round-up of your favorite restaurants in NYC) or a dedicated review, businesses are always looking for placement opportunities.

Pro-Tip: When you have a blog with decent SEO, you may start receiving emails from companies looking to pay you to link out to their website (usually in posts that already exist on your site using “do follow” links). While this may seem like an easy way to bring in extra income, this is frowned upon according to Google’s outbound links documentation, and we recommend avoiding it by all means. If a brand is looking for more eyes, though, adding rel="sponsored" to your link will keep you in the clear. Just don’t forget to mark any paid advertisements as such so you don’t run afoul of FTC guidelines.

Sell Merch

You don’t have to run a blog with thousands of monthly views to sell merchandise successfully. All you need is the gusto to promote a captivating design. You don’t even have to have graphic design skills, especially if you can use a platform such as Streamlabs Logo Maker to create one. Alternatively, you can opt for text-only merch, using a catchy one-liner that people can’t help but add to cart.

Regarding promotion, find ways to plug your merch organically on your blog, whether through a post or even just having captivating photos of yourself wearing your merch somewhere on your site. Also, use social media platforms where you post about your blog content as a way to promote your merch as well. Don’t downplay your readers’ willingness to support you while getting cool new gear!

Accept Donations

When starting as a blogger, you’ll find yourself putting a lot of time and effort into creating engaging blog posts that your readers will enjoy. You may even be investing in tools such as editing software or a professional camera to bring your content to the next level when you have little to no money coming in. One great way to make money is by accepting donations or tips from your fans/readers to support your growing blog.

One easy way to do this is by creating a Streamlabs Tip Page that you can link to throughout your blog. You may ask yourself, “Isn’t this tipping page just for streamers?” The answer is no. Creators of all types love Streamlabs tip pages because they are easy to use, and the platform doesn’t take any cut of your tips. That means more money to keep doing what you love most—providing your readers with valuable, high-quality content.

Affiliate Marketing

No matter what type of blog you run, affiliate marketing should be a part of your monetization strategy. Sharing commissionable links in blog posts, especially when you have search engine optimized content that brings in steady traffic, is a great way to get income flowing in. Whether you apply to a dedicated affiliate network such as Amazon Associates or one that hosts many retailers such as MagicLinks, you should get started with affiliate marketing sooner than later.

If you’re unsure what networks to join, check out this list of the best affiliate marketing networks for content creators. Also, if you haven’t already, you should use the Willow link-in-bio tool to share blog posts featuring some of your favorite things (with commissionable links) with your fans on social media all in one place. The more visibility your links have, the more you can increase your earnings!

Advertisements

Like many other ways to make money on your blog, placing ads is one of those things that many people think is only possible for big blogs. The truth is that blogs of all sizes can utilize ads to generate revenue. Whether you sell ad space directly to a business or use a network such as Google AdSense to do the work, don’t overlook the earning potential of placing ads on your site. Your blog, after all, is valuable real estate in digital form.

Email Marketing

While creators on most platforms are concerned with followers regarding their earning potential, any professional blogger will tell you that your email list is one of the most valuable assets you can own. By building an email list, you can speak directly to people who may read your blog occasionally. This means being able to promote new (or old) content to them directly to their inbox, including blog posts that may include affiliate links or advertisements. If you’ve slept on building an email list, now is the time to start working on it to promote and monetize your blog. Luckily for you, you can now use Willow to collect info from your followers such as email addresses.

As you can see, there are many ways to monetize your blog—many of which are applicable to blogs of all sizes. If you’re currently trying to map out your monetization strategy for your site, we hope the tips laid out here will help you.