Some bloggers monetize their blogs by selling advertising, others through affiliate marketing or their own products. But how can you know which one of these strategies will work well for your blog? The answer lies in knowing what your readers want and determining whether you can deliver it to them in exchange for something valuable (i.e. money).
In this post, I shall share with you the seven proven strategies to make money from your blog that could help turn your hobby into a lucrative income stream. To get started, just keep reading this post.
1. Set up an Amazon Affiliate account
Setting up an Amazon Affiliate account is a great way to monetize your blog if you are having an existing blog. Anyone can join Amazons Associates program, which is free to join. Once you’ve created an account, you’ll be able to create links on Amazon that includes your unique referral code, also known as an affiliate link. A cookie is placed on the computer of anyone who clicks on your affiliate link. And when they buy something from your site, Amazon knows to credit it to you because you referred them!
You’ll need to fill out some information about yourself and provide credit card information or log into PayPal before you can get started. Once your application is approved, go back to the Amazon site and look for the tab called Associate ID under Settings. If it’s not there, wait up to 24 hours while Amazon processes your application.
You can check out this comprehensive guide on how to setup your Amazon Associates Account (step-by-step).
2. Review Other People’s Products
If you want to get paid for blogging, start reviewing other people’s products. I do this with social media too, because my followers don’t seem like they are in the market for anything!
It’s a great way to make money with your blog as well. It is important that you offer an honest review, but try not to be too critical as it could turn people off of your blog or create ill will between you and the company that sent you the product.
3. Offer a Paid Service
Launching a paid service can be a great way to create a predictable revenue stream, which allows you to focus on growth instead of monetization. It also helps you put your best content forward by allowing for careful curation and expert design. For example, let’s say that you have an incredible recipe site that offers free recipes with one tasty extra.
If you’re only allowed to show one per day (so as not to inundate users with ads), why not offer that one delicious extra for a small fee? People will be more likely to pay for the privilege of having early access because it’s good for them, so it makes sense in all aspects.
4. Create Merchandise
Blogging is not only a money maker but it can also be a money saver. If you want to make money off your blog, you’ll need more than just eyeballs. As a blogger, your products are essentially endless. Products you choose to sell on your blog depend on the niche that you write about and what messaging you’re trying to convey, For example, if someone was writing a parenting blog they might have an Etsy store of toddler clothes or pregnancy tees as an extension of their online store.
You could create T-shirts with photos of popular books on them or create magnet sets with every state in the United States and then suggest where people should visit when they are there by linking out those posts in their social media posts.
5. Create eBooks and Courses
Create eBooks and Courses If you’re looking to make money with your blog, start by creating high-quality content. Many blog owners create eBooks and courses to market their products in a way that allows them to make more money than if they just had a website with the same information on it.
Many bloggers like to create courses that provide a solution to their readers. You can promote these courses by hosting a free webinar as an incentive for people to sign up for your course or ebook subscription. It’s an easy way for your readers to learn more about what you have to offer, how your service works, and how your courses will help them out in the long run.
My Top Recommended Ebook Creator Software Tool
Let’s face it, creating an ebook can cause a lot of challenges. Writing, formatting, design… it can take days or even weeks to create an ebook, not to mention a steep learning curve and a handful of expensive tools you’ll need to master… before you have even pressed the published button!
I highly recommend using the Sqribble software tool. Sqribble is a cloud-based tool that lets you quickly create ebooks (reports, whitepapers, and so on). It makes self-publishing your ebooks simple by using ready-made templates and design drag-and-drop design features.
With Sqribble you can change the color theme and font style of your entire ebook with a single click. It’s like giving your book a new “skin”, and it’s just one more feature that distinguishes Sqribble from the competition.
With the Sqribble ebook software tool you will get:
- Tons of excellent eBook templates
- Professional page layouts
- Automatic content
- Automatic table of contents generator
- 3D cover creator (available with upsells)
- Flipbook creator (available with upsells)
- Free commercial agency + website included!
6. Monetize your blog with Google Adsense
It’s true that Google AdSense can be a great way to make money from your blog and to make sure that you’re successful with it, there’re some key factors that you should keep in mind. Follow these steps for monetizing your blog with Google AdSense and earning an income you can be proud of.
- Build a good content marketing strategy before implementing ads on your site. Content marketing isn’t easy, but its benefits will come back in waves.
- You will have a better idea of what your readers will like if you do this first. For example, they might love images or infographics as much as words, so include them more often on your blog. You’ll know who your most loyal readers are by how often they visit your site and comment on your blog posts. Your readers need to know what they’re getting into before clicking on something that has been around since their last scroll down the page!
- If you want to be fair about it, designate certain areas of your blog as ads and others as content. It’s important that the readers know when an advertisement is coming up ahead of time because those little ads can really get annoying fast.
7. Offer a Subscription Service
Offering a Subscription Service in your blog is a good way to monetize your work while keeping your website up-to-date with fresh content. A Subscription Service allows you to charge for exclusive content and/or give special benefits to those who subscribe to your blog. One of the most popular ways that bloggers make money through their blogs is by offering subscribers special, exclusive access to certain features or information not available anywhere else.
Some travel bloggers give subscribers priority booking privileges for hotels and tours so they can plan their trips more quickly than the general public can do themselves. Other bloggers use a subscription service as an opportunity to share behind-the-scenes footage with their readership, such as when they go backstage to an event or to a factory where products are made.
A subscription service keeps your site updated with fresh content. In order to grow your readership, it’s important to provide quality content regularly. However, if you are only able to post occasionally because of time constraints or other obligations then providing some type of incentive for readers may be worthwhile.
Many bloggers offer subscriptions as an option on their site; these range from weekly blog posts that also include audio files of the author reading them aloud, monthly questions and answers sessions (Q&A), ebooks based on topic(s) covered in the blog, early book releases (especially in non-fiction), and one-to-one interactions with the blogger.
By offering a subscription service, you are able to keep your blog current with fresh content that will attract new visitors to your blog every day!
Why do I recommend using Cheetah Builder Pro for your WordPress Site?
The Cheetah Builder Pro is one of the most powerful and complete drag-and-drop, easy-to-use website builders for WordPress.
Whether you are building a blog selling individual physical or digital products, hosting a webinar on your blog, or selling your services, the Cheetah Builder Pro for WordPress helps you create a professional quality site without any headaches.
What are some features of the Cheetah Builder Pro?
If we talk about some of the features of the Cheetah Builder Pro, then they are as follows:
- Speed: Cheetah Builder Pro for WordPress is the fastest website builder on Earth. This will eliminate the worry of losing site visitors because it takes very fast to load!
- Templates: The Cheetah Builder Pro offers you hundreds of templates instantly made available to you or you can even start with a blank website template.
- Responsive: You will be able to reach 100% of your clients with responsive and optimized websites for mobile for both mobile and tablet devices. Cheetah Builder Pro is the only real responsive drag-and-drop website builder in the world for WordPress.
- Blog: Spread your message to the whole world with their incredible blog features. Build and customize the most complete responsive blogs with exclusive features and articles.
- Design Elements: All of the design elements that you need for your pages or posts. Easy to find, easy to configure, and generate professional results.
With the power of Cheetah Builder Pro, you will be able to take your blogging journey to the NEXT LEVEL!
Wrapping Up…
Making money with your blog is a lot like anything else in life. You have to be proactive and persistent, trying new things and experimenting with different strategies until you find the one that works for you.
The key is to NEVER GIVE UP because it can seem like the journey will never end and that it’s taking too long. It’s true, it will take time but there is light at the end of the tunnel! And then once you get there and make money off your blog, all those sleepless nights, hard work, and hours spent building up a solid website that draws traffic won’t be so bad after all :)
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post.
Let me know your thoughts or suggestions in the comments below.
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My name is Sujoy Mukherji. I am an Internet Marketer, Entrepreneur & Professional Blogger. Founder of the Affiliate Hub Blog.