We all want (and need) to make money. As the digital world becomes more deeply entwined with everyday life, people from all backgrounds are beginning to recognise that they can earn extra cash just by blogging about something they’re interested in and passionate about.
If you have the right attitude, a little bit of creativity, and plenty of dedication, a blog can be a great way to earn extra money. Here, we’re going to look at just some of the ways that you can supplement your income with a blog today.
1. Place CPM or CPC Ads on your Site
One of the easiest and most popular ways to earn money from a blog is to place advertisements on your website. There are plenty of different types of ad out there, but CPC (Cost per click) and CPM (Cost per 1,000 impressions) ads are the easiest to begin with.
Both ads generally come in the form of a banner that you can place in your content, or on a sidebar next to your blog posts. The easiest way to start placing these ads is through a network like Google AdSense. The Google programme ensures that you don’t have to directly connect with advertisers to start placing ads on your site. There are pros and cons to placing ads on your site, and you won’t earn a lot of money quickly, unless you already have a lot of traffic, but this is an easy way for new niche bloggers to start making a little money from a blog.
2. Promote an Affiliate Product
Affiliate sales make up a significant amount of revenue for a lot of big-name bloggers. As an affiliate, you’ll sign up with a network like Amazon Affiliates, Share A Sale, or JV Zoo, and include links to relevant products in your blog content. When a customer comes and clicks on those links, they’ll be directed to the product page, and you’ll get a commission every time someone makes a purchase.
There are plenty of ways to make the most of affiliate marketing, from writing blogs that simply reference products, to creating entire product reviews.
3. Sell Private Ads
Going back to the advertising space idea, there are more ways to sell ads than simply working with advertising networks. If you get enough traffic on your site, advertisers can come directly to you and ask you to place their marketing material on your website for a fee. You can also reach out to advertisers yourself.
There are many ways to display private ads on your website, from buttons and banners to links in your content. You can even make cash on sponsored posts where you’re paid to write about a company’s product or service.
4. Sell your Own Digital Products
If you don’t want to sell other people’s products or services on your website, then you could always try using your blog as a way of advertising your offerings. There are plenty of digital products you can sell online that you don’t need to store in a warehouse or worry about working with suppliers to make. For instance, you could create and sell your own eBook, or design an online course.
If you have some developer know-how, you could even design your own app or game and sell it through channels like Google Play.
5. Sell Premium Content
If you continue to work hard on your blog for a while, and your content starts to get a following of avid customers, then you could always consider taking your publication to the next level. There are plenty of high-level ezines out there that offer “gated” content for a price. This simply means that you give some of your content away to your audience for free and reserve the rest behind a gate for customers who are willing to pay a membership fee. The key is to make sure that your content is worth the price.
6. Offer Consulting Services
If you have a really great blog, packed full of useful information, then you can begin to develop your reputation as a thought leader and industry expert. This makes you valuable in a number of different ways. First of all, it means people will be more likely to want to buy advertising space on your blog. However, you can also make cash in another way, by offering your services as a consultant. People pay for consultants in all areas, from web design, to sales, and even writing.
7. Create a Directory
Finally, if you get plenty of traffic to your website, then you can build on that traffic and start making money with it by creating a directory or resource page. A directory tells your audience which services, products, or companies you recommend, and they’re a great way to start generating traffic for other people in your niche. People will pay you for the privilege of being in your list, and you get the benefit of offering your audience something useful.
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This is a collaborative post. Find out what that means here.
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