10 Easy Ways To Monetize Your Blog 

If you’re looking for ways to monetize your blog, then you are going to love this post!

Contrary to what a lot of other bloggers might tell you, you do not have to have a ton of traffic or email subscribers to monetize successfully.  Yes, it helps, and you’ll definitely make more money with a big list and thousands of website visitors.

However, you can definitely start bringing in extra money while your building your blog, too.

This post contains affiliate links.  If you use my links to make a purchase, I may receive a commission.  Thanks for supporting this blog 🙂

What You Need Before You Monetize

I’m not suggesting that making money should be your primary reason for blogging.  In fact, money should absolutely NOT be your motivation.

Even though you can start monetizing as a beginner blogger, there are some things that you need before trying to earn that first dollar.

1. Quality Content

Content really is king, and ultimately it’s the driving force behind your blog.  Providing quality content is how you’re going to get blog traffic, and it’s the main reason people will be visiting your website at all, especially in the beginning.

Before trying to monetize, make sure you have 5 – 10 epic blog posts published.

Your content should always be written for your target audience and provide exceptional value.  Do your research and write long-form content (1,500 words or more) that readers will appreciate.

If you want to know how to write epic content every time you write, check out my Epic Blog Post Guide here.

2. Self-Hosted Website

Before you start trying to sell readers anything, make sure you have a self-hosted website.

Using a free platform like WordPress.com or Blogger is fine for hobby bloggers, but not for bloggers that plan to use their blog as a business.

Having your own custom domain is the first step to showing readers that you’re a professional.  No, it’s not free, but you can get it started for less than $10.

If you need help with getting your own domain and self-hosted website, I walk you through it step-by-step in my post “How To Start Your Own Money-Making Blog“.

Related Post: Why IPage Is The #1 Web Host For Your New WordPress Blog

3. Blog Branding

Standing out from the competition is a must, considering there are literally millions of blogs on the internet.

Create a brand that shows off your personality and that your readers will appreciate.  To create your blog’s brand, you’ll need:

• Color Palette – Choose 2 – 3 colors that you will use in your website design, your blog images and your social media graphics.  Also, try to stick with one or two fonts to help create a consistent branding.
• Logo – Having a logo for your blog is important because it’s basically your blog’s signature.  You’ll use it on your website and in your graphics, so it should use the same color palette and fonts you’ve chosen for your branding.
• Image Templates – Creating templates for your social media graphics will save you time when promoting your content.

You can pay someone to create your branding for you, or create your own logo and graphics with Canva.  It’s a free design tool that makes professional branding and images easy, even for non-techies.

Canva offers hundreds of free templates for all of your branding needs, including logos, blog banners, and social media images.

4. Specific Niche

If you want to monetize your blog, you definitely want to have a clear niche that is very specific.

Choose a niche that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about.  This will make your life so much easier and your content much more focused.

Although it’s tempting to want to appeal to everyone, you will not be able to build reader loyalty or brand awareness if you don’t have a clear niche.

5. Presence On Social Media

If you’re brand new to blogging, you’ve got to get traffic to your blog from somewhere.

Social media is the perfect tool for marketing yourself and your blog.

Choose one platform to start off, that you will be diligent about using regularly.  This platform will be your starting point for building brand awareness and sharing your great content.

Of all the platforms, Pinterest is my first choice for driving traffic to my blog.  Pinterest drives over 50% of all my website traffic and it can do the same for you if used correctly.

Check out these posts to learn to use Pinterest like a pro:

1. Ignite Your Blog’s Growth With The Ultimate Pinterest Profile
2. 5 Easy Steps To The Perfect Pinterest Image For Every Blog Post
3. Everything You Need To Know About Using Keywords On Pinterest
4. 7 Strategic Pinterest Board Tips That Will Dramatically Increase Your Exposure
5. Fail-Proof Pinterest Strategy For Bloggers

However, it’s better to start with a platform that you are familiar with and comfortable using, rather than not using social media at all.

Twitter is great for beginner bloggers.  It’s easy to get started on and finding your target readers is simple using their smart search.

If you want to learn how to use Twitter to grow your blog, take my free 5-day Twitter E-Course For Bloggers.  You’ll learn everything you need to know about being successful on Twitter, even if you’ve never used it a day in your life!

Yep, I’ll walk you through it all.

“Trust your gut. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from achieving our dreams.”

Once you have those five things in place, you’re ready to start earning money with your blog.

Get Rid Of Those Ads

First things first, please get rid of those ads.

If you’re using Adsense or some other option that requires ads all over your website, stop it!

You don’t have to bombard your readers with obnoxious ads to monetize your blog.

Let’s face it, you’re probably making less than $5 bucks a month with them anyway.  That’s definitely NOT worth what you’re losing as a result.

Those ads slow down your website and more importantly, they drive readers away from your blog.

Think of how many potential customers leave your website before they ever get exposed to your awesome content.  You work too hard to get that traffic to your blog.

An Example of How Ads Can Hurt Your Blog

Here’s a perfect example of how ads can hurt your blog.  It’s my own personal experience with landing on a blog with too many ads.

I use my phone quite often to find recipes, read about the latest trends on social media, and check out other bloggers’ content.  Usually, I’ll Google search the topic then choose a relevant link, like most people.

When I land on a blog that has too many advertisements, the following happens:

• It takes forever to load the entire article.
• The ads distract me from the content I’m trying to read.
• The page times out because it’s taking so long to load, requiring me to refresh the page to see the post.
• The page times out a second or third time before I can even scroll through half of the post.
• I give up and leave the website with a ton of frustration, moving on to another article with similar content.

Yes, I leave… and I never go back.  Without those ads, I would have read the entire post and probably checked out even more of their posts.  Instead, I left and don’t even remember who they were.

I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in my distaste for spammy websites.

If your website has a lot of ads, you’re turning away your target readers.  Some of them could have become paying customers, worth a lot more than the few cents you would earn if they happened to click on your ad. Which they didn’t do.

So get rid of those ads!!

Unless you’re getting 5,000 or more page views a day, they’re hurting you more than helping you.

Besides, I’m going to help you monetize with more effective methods. 😘

10 Easy Ways To Monetize Your Blog

So what should you do to monetize your blog?

1. Create Your Own Digital Products

The fastest way to start making money with your blog is to create digital products.

Digital products are…well, they’re “digital”.

That means your audience can simply download your digital products for a fee.

Digital products provide an excellent form of passive income. You create it once and it can be sold over and over again without much effort on your part.

This is something you can start on right now!

No investment necessary other than your time.

Types of digital products include:

• Worksheets & Workbooks
• Cheat Sheets
• Journals or Planners
• EBooks
• Templates
• Craft Printables

2. Build An Online Course

Building a valuable online course can be extremely lucrative if launched properly.

Online courses can range in price from free to hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars.  Your price point should really be determined by how much information you pack into your course.   Adding workbooks, video walk-thrus, and detailed modules will increase the value.

The most successful course launch include lots of free bonuses, so be sure to include relevant paid digital products for free.

You can create beautiful courses easily with one of these tools:

• Teachable
• SkillShare
• Thinkific

Check out this post from Social Triggers for a complete guide on how to make money with online courses.

3. Host A Webinar Workshop

Hosting a live webinar workshop is one of the best ways to monetize your blog.  This is something I hope to try out this year for myself.

Think of a topic that you are knowledgeable and passionate about, that your audience would love to learn for themselves.

Consider collaborating with another blogger who has a complementary offer. You’ll get the benefit of exposure to a whole new audience!

Mariah Coz is the queen of profitable webinars and seriously, one of my inspirations for pushing forward and working on more passive income streams.

If you’re ready to learn more about webinars and how they will benefit your blog and make you money, start with her post, Stop Hiding Behind Your Blog And Start Doing Webinars.

4. Create A Tutorial

Everyone loves to learn.

A tutorial is similar to a webinar but is pre-recorded, and doesn’t necessarily require face-time with the camera.  I’m still working on my own fear of live video, so I totally get it if you’re not ready for live webinars.

You can easily create a PowerPoint presentation and then just record your voice for the tutorial.

If you’re going to charge money for your tutorial, which is kind of the point, make sure it is really something valuable that can’t be found elsewhere for free.

Choosing a popular topic is a good idea.  That also means there are probably other tutorials out there covering that topic, though.

Don’t let that scare you off.

Even though other people in your industry may have tutorials on the same topic, they’re not delivering like you do.

Because you’re freakin’ awesome!

5. Create a Subscription or Monthly Membership

Passive Income is the best income!

Creating a monthly membership or subscription plan are great ways to monetize your blog passively.

I do not suggest charging readers a fee just to access your blog content or your content upgrades.

Make sure you’re providing something unique, not offered elsewhere for free.  Here are some ideas:

• Access to an exclusive community
• Free digital downloads for subscribers only
• Monthly content not available elsewhere

Keep in mind that if people are paying monthly, they’re going to expect fresh resources each month to continue paying.

6. Sell Your Own Products

I already talked to you about selling digital products, but for many niches, you can also sell your own physical products.

Of course in most cases this will have costs associated with the sale, including shipping costs, so just be sure to price your items wisely.

If you’re crafty, think of items you can make and sell that are relevant to your audience.

If you’re not, you can purchase products to sell on Amazon at a higher price than you paid.  Here’s a post by Flipping Income about doing this with Dollar Tree items!

7. Sell Your Services

If you’re in a niche that you can help others by offering relevant services, put a price-tag on them!

Most of my income from my blog comes from services.  I offer blog coaching, WordPress website design and blog audits.  If you’re interested in learning more about my services, you can check them out here.

Of course, passive income is great, but I love helping bloggers transform their blog from a hobby to a business.

It is so rewarding and I get to meet some of the best people.  Nothing beats the feeling of knowing I’m helping people achieve their dreams.

8. Use Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways to monetize your blog.  You can even make money with affiliate marketing with a small audience, if you do it right.

Basically, you promote products or services for businesses and earn a commission for sales or leads.

Make sure you choose reputable products that you’ve tried yourself to maintain your reputation with readers.  As your traffic grows, so will your income.

It’s passive income, too, since you can add the links in relevant posts and it requires little or no maintenance to earn.

If you want to learn more about getting started with affiliate marketing, check out the following helpful posts:

• How To Monetize Your Blog With Affiliate Marketing
• 5 Ways To Monetize With Affiliate Marketing Without Ads

I recommend signing up with an affiliate network like FlexOffers.

You’ll get access to over 12,000 merchants, making it easy to find products to promote no matter what your niche is.

9. Offer Freelance Writing Services

Get paid to write by offering freelance writing services.

If you’re a stickler for providing valuable long-form content, you can find paid writing opportunities.

Make sure you don’t low-ball on your worth, especially if you have written several guest posts and received good feedback.

Where in the world do you find these opportunities?

A great place to start is with ProBlogger and BloggingPro.  They have job boards that list paid writing opportunities you can apply for immediately.

10. Resell PLR Products

If you are at a loss for digital product ideas that you can sell, there is a solution, called Private License Resale (PLR) products.

You can purchase PLR products for your niche that will fit your needs and resell them as your own!  The work is basically done for you, you’ll just need to add your branding and make a few changes.

If you’re interested in using PLR products as one of the ways to monetize your blog, I don’t recommend selling them as-is.

Use the products as outlines and rewrite the content in your own words to make it unique. Google frowns on duplicate content.

Then, add your logo and branding and you’re all set!

You can find these products by doing a Google search for “PLR products for ______________”.  Fill in the blank with the topic or your niche.

Conclusion

There you have it!  Ten ways to monetize your blog, even if you’re new to blogging.

If you’re interested in one-on-one help with finding a way to monetize your own blog, I’m here for you!  Schedule a free discovery call and we’ll figure out the best way to turn your blog into a money-making business.

Have you tried any of the methods in this post?  Did you learn anything new?  I love getting your feedback on my content, so please leave a comment below.

Don’t forget to join the free Next Level Bloggers Facebook group!  You’ll connect with like-minded bloggers that want to help you grow your blog.

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