If you’re new to blogging, you’re probably wondering how to make money blogging as a beginner.
I’m here to show you how!
Even if you just started your blog yesterday, you can begin making money immediately.
In this post, I’ll share exactly how to make money blogging, even if you’re a small blogger just starting out.
Types of Blogs that Make Money
There seems to be this myth that only certain blogs can make money.
That’s just not true.
Blogs of all niches can make money if they use the methods that I’m going to share.
Furthermore, the more niched your blog is, the more you stand to make from your audience.
Nonetheless, there are some niches that have a high earning potential.
These niches include:
- Motherhood (aka mom blogs)
- Food
- Fashion
- Blogs about blogging/making money
- DIY/Crafts
- Personal finance
- Health and fitness
How do bloggers make money?
There are several ways that bloggers make money.
It’s ideal that you leverage a combination of more than one of the ways that I’ll share to not only increase your income but also reduce your risk.
Let’s talk about how bloggers actually make money blogging and how you can too.
How to make money blogging for beginners
Advertisements
The first way that most bloggers begin making money is from ads.
As a publisher, you are able to allow advertisers to run ads on your platform. Each time someone views an ad or clicks on it, you will receive revenue.
Ads are typically the first form of monetization that bloggers choose because, quite frankly, it’s the easiest.
You simply put ad code on your pages and are able to make passive income.
The four most popular and well-known ad management platforms that bloggers use to serve ads are Google Adsense, Monumetric, Mediavine, and Ad Thrive.
Each has its own requirements to apply to and get progressively harder.
- Google Adsense (no minimum)
- Monumetric (minimum 10K pageviews/mo to apply)
- Mediavine (minimum 50K sessions/mo to apply)
- Ad Thrive (minimum 100K pageviews/mo to apply)
Generally, most bloggers start out by having Google ads run on their blog. This is because Google’s Adsense program doesn’t have a minimum number of page views or sessions that you have to meet in order to qualify for their ads.
You simply need to have an established blog with consistent content.
However, once you are able to grow your page views into the tens of thousands, there are other ad management companies that will pay significantly more than Google.
Though ads are great for immediately generating income on your blog, there is a delicate balance required to make sure your readers have a good experience on your site.
There’s nothing worse than landing on a website, only to be bombarded with ads.
Obviously, the more ads that you have, the more you stand to make. However, don’t make it such a bad experience for your reader that they won’t come back.
Affiliate marketing
In simple terms, affiliate marketing is getting paid if someone purchases a product or service that you recommend.
This is a large part of how many bloggers are able to make money, myself included.
The most profitable affiliate partnerships are for products by fellow bloggers.
These affiliate partnerships often offer as much as 40% commission for referrals!
Many times, you can become an affiliate for another blogger’s products after you have purchased it yourself. Other times, bloggers will allow you to become an affiliate if you have a large following that you can promote to.
In this instance, it’s all about networking and developing relationships with other bloggers in your niche.
Don’t worry if you aren’t at that stage just yet. You can still apply to become an affiliate for other programs.
The most popular affiliate program that bloggers tend to leverage is Amazon’s affiliate program.
It is an easy program to get accepted into and it has a very high conversion rate.
Nearly everyone shops on Amazon, so they are more likely to buy something that you recommend from there.
Amazon is unique in that they will pay you even if someone doesn’t buy the specific product that you recommend, as long as they used your link to access the site and makes a purchase within 24 hours.
Affiliate Networks
Other affiliate platforms that are familiar to most bloggers include:
- FlexOffers
- ShareASale
- CJ Affiliate
- PepperJam
- Impact Radius
These platforms handle the affiliate partnerships for some of your biggest brands. So, once you have created an account, you can then apply to be an affiliate to a specific company.
They also manage the disbursement of your funds once you make a successful referral.
If you’re not sure which platform a brand that you want to be an affiliate for is managed by, simply do a quick Google search to find out. (Type in “brand name”+ affiliate program).
Once you are an affiliate, you will receive a special link that will track any purchases made from your referral.
You can put these links throughout your blog posts so that readers can click them to access whatever you’re recommending.
There are legal implications associated with affiliate marketing. Primarily, you have to disclose to your reader that you are using affiliate links and that you will receive a commission.
You can see my affiliate disclosure at the top of each of my blog posts. Just to be cautious, I’ve set up my posts to automatically show this disclaimer even if it doesn’t contain an affiliate link.
You can learn more about affiliate disclosure requirements on the Federal Trade Commission’s website and in the terms and conditions of your affiliate program contracts.
Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are another way to make money as a blogger.
They are a less overt form of advertising in which you write content around a product or service to promote it.
There are several ways that you can connect with brands to find opportunities for sponsored posts.
You can reach out to brands with a pitch, have brands contact you, or join an influencer network that will find opportunities for you.
These networks are a great start, particularly for new bloggers who may not have a large audience reach. They are also great because they give you access to brands that you otherwise wouldn’t have a contact for.
Products & Services
The final way that bloggers are able to make money is through products and services.
This is ultimately the best way to make money as a blogger because it doesn’t rely on anyone else. That means your earning potential is endless and you can keep 100% of the profits!
The most common products that bloggers offer are courses, ebooks, and printables.
Online Courses
Courses can literally be around any topic related to your blog. For instance, in the future, I may create another course on how to start a blog.
I can then put my course content on a platform like Teachable or Thinkific for my audience to sign up.
Courses tend to bring in the most money, as they are higher priced and often have affiliates to help with marketing.
The cost is typically equivalent to the amount of work and content that goes into it and the support that comes with it.
Ebooks
Ebooks are just digital books that can be delivered via download or email.
Many times, bloggers will consolidate their blog posts or course material down into an ebook format for those who prefer this option.
Ebooks are great because they are a low investment option when it comes to creating products.
You can literally create an ebook in Canva, GoogleDocs, or even PowerPoint for $0.
This is how I’ve created all of my ebooks.
In fact, just last year, I made $600 from sales of the ebook version of my book, Dump Debt & Build Bank: The Everyday Chick’s Guide to Money.
I created the cover in Canva and wrote the contents in GoogleDocs.
It’s a quick, simple product to make that can be sold over and over again.
Printables
Even more simple to make are printables.
These are the budget templates, weekly planners, or goal trackers that you may see on sites like Etsy.
Simply put, they are pages that are meant to be printed.
I sell printables that I’ve created in Canva in my Etsy shop.
Depending on what the printable is and how many pages are included, you can sell them for several dollars.
Over time, those dollars add up to a big payday.
If you’re interested in learning more about creating digital products and printables, I recommend checking out my course, Profitable Printables.
It’ll walk you step by step on how to determine what digital product to sell, how to create it, and how to market it.
Services
As a blogger, there are a ton of skills that you learn that can be offered to other bloggers and/or businesses as a service.
For instance, I set up people’s email funnels and courses are a part of my online business.
Below are the most common services offered by bloggers:
- Social media management
- Freelance writing
- Virtual assistance
- Proofreading
- Coaching/Consulting
You can market your services via Facebook groups and blogging networks, or on sites like Upwork or Fiverr—a freelance marketplace.
Bloggers may also sell physical products, like physical books or T-shirts.
How long does it take to make money blogging?
As you can see, there are options that allow you to make money immediately.
However, if you’re looking to make the “big bucks” and retire from your day job, it may take a bit of time.
Are you ready to start making money blogging?
Making money as a beginner blogger is totally possible.
If you’re ready to start blogging, grab my Beginner Blogger Toolkit below!
If you’ve been inspired to start your own blog or to turn your blog into income, check out these blog posts:
As Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI), she has been teaching personal finances to women & youth for over a decade.
Fo is an established writer and expert contributor on the topics of personal finance, budgeting, debt payoff, money mindset, saving, entrepreneurship, investing, motherhood, personal development, and more.