How to Make Money Blogging

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I have a TON of student loan debt, so although blogging is super fun for me…I have huge goals to turn it into a profitable income source.

In fact, 3 years ago I started my blog, thinking it would be super easy to make money and pay off all my debt.

Turns out it wasn’t that easy, but I am finally starting to see consistent profitable months. You can read my first blogging income report here!

I definitely credit my ability to finally make money blogging to Elite Blog Academy! It only opens once a year, but you can get on the wait list here.

Blogging takes time, but if you put in consistent work, you will eventually see the fruits of your labor!

What do I love about blogging?  There are hundreds of ways that you can use your blog to make money online.

The cool part is, there is no limit to what you can make.  Your blogging income is dependent on how much you hustle!

My blog gives me hope, that I can get out of debt faster!  Plus, I love my cozy little space on the internet.

So, here are 20 plus ways to make money blogging!

Don’t have a blog yet?  You can jump over here to my post that will walk you through step by step on how to get started!

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Make Money Blogging with Sponsored Content and Brand Partnerships

Updated September 2020

You might think you need a huge following for a brand to sponsor one of your blog or social media posts.

This is sometimes true, but there are many sponsored content networks that will pay “micro” influencers with a following as low as 1,000 (maybe less depending on niche) on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. 

You can build that up pretty quickly, if you focus on it.

Related Post:  How to Gain Real, Targeted Instagram Followers

Here are some sponsored content networks that you can join, so you can start getting matched with brands right away!

You should sign up for any and ALL of these that you can be accepted in, so you have more opportunities for collaborations.  Some are super easy to join, and others have certain follower or pageview requirements.

• Heartbeat– This is probably the easiest one to get started with if you are new.
• Social Native–  I have done a lot of campaigns for this network.  They pay pretty well, and you don’t need a ton of followers to join.
• Linqia– This network gives you a special campaign link, and pays you per click.  I have enjoyed working with this network!
• She Is Media–  I have been getting some great paying opportunities and free products for Instagram post opportunities, even with my very small following with this sponsored content network!
• Muse Ahalogy–  They have a wide variety of campaigns.
• Massive Sway–  Great variety, and good brands, especially in the baby and parenting niche.
• Aspire IQ– You need at least 3K followers on Instagram, 3,000 monthly blog pageviews, or 3K YouTube subscribers to join this network.
• Glambassador-  This network hosts a wide variety of opportunities that you can bid on.
• IZEA– Another network where you can bid on campaigns.
• Carusele-Ignite Social Media– Single sponsored posts or even series of posts that pay really well.
• Social Fabric– A good network for food and lifestyle bloggers.
• Megan Media– I just found this one recently, so I’ll update you on how it goes!
• Intellifluence– There is a wide variety of opportunities at lots of different price points. I’m excited about this one.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to brands directly!  Even if you don’t have a ton of pageviews or followers, if you have a great pitch or a specialized niche you might just get paid.

If sponsored content and brand partnerships seem like your jam, you might want to check out this course on how to work with brands and make money.

Make Money Blogging with Affiliate Networks

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money with your blog.  You don’t need a huge following, or a ton of pageviews to make affiliate marketing work for you.  If you love a product that also happens to solve a problem for your readers, they will probably click your link to learn more and buy!  Simple as that!

Here are the best affiliate networks to join, which host a wide variety of products, apps, services, and supplies that you can make into blog posts and promote to your heart’s content.

• Amazon Associates- This is every new bloggers go to, and it should be!  Amazon’s affiliate program is great to be a part of because they literally have everything. You can pretty much work an Amazon product into every post without fail. Amazon now has an influencer program as well, where you can have your own storefront to share with your followers.
• Share A Sale– This network has some amazing high paying affiliate programs within it.  It’s free to join, as long as you have a blog that’s up and running.  Once you are part of the network, you will be able to apply to some awesome programs in your niche.
• Awin– Take advantage of awesome affiliate programs like FabFitFunand Etsy within this affiliate network.  It is $5 to join, but that will be credited back to you with your first payout.
• FlexOffers– Another affiliate network with more than enough advertisers to choose from in every niche!
• Peerfly–  This is a new one to me!  I keep coming across so many networks to join.  I was approved quickly and it looks like there are a wide variety of affiliate programs to take advantage of.
• Legendary Marketer– This is an online marketing program that gives you access to training on how make money online as an affiliate marketer.

Affiliate marketing is basically recommending products you love to your readers and email subscribers.

If you already use a product or course that you love, check and see if they have an affiliate program.

Digital products and courses usually offer higher commissions to their affiliates, and can be great ways to earn an income on your blog.

Related Post:  Affiliate Marketing for Beginners

Make Money Blogging with Ad Networks

This is probably the most obvious, yet most difficult way to make money blogging.

When I thought about bloggers making money, this is how I thought they did it.

You can make money with ads, but you need a lot of page views to make that happen, so just be aware before you think blogging is going to be a super easy passive money making machine.

Google Adsense–  This is the easiest one to get accepted to, but most people don’t see a huge amount of income from this platform. There’s a debate over whether it’s even worth it, because Ads can make your site run slow and drive away new readers.

Monumetric– Once you get to 10,000 pageviews you can apply to Monumetric. This is the ad network I use now. I make much more than I did with Adsense, and the payout is every month. With Adsense, you have to wait until you get to $100 to receive your money.

Most pro bloggers will say to wait until you are at 25K sessions (not pageviews) per month and apply to Mediavine (an ad network that you have to apply for and be approved).

As you can see, there are a variety of ways that you can make money blogging.  The options are endless, and there are new ideas popping up all of the time!

Make money blogging by selling your own products and services

This is usually the most profitable way to make money blogging, and a way to make money even if you only have a smaller amount of traffic.

If you have refined your message, and can create a great course, ebook, or service to help your readers, creating products is a great way to make money with your blog.

This is the main source of income on my blog!

Elite Blog Academy can help you turn your blog into a profitable business by walking through everything from traffic to product creation.

Make sure you go here to get on the waitlist and be notified when EBA opens in the spring!

I will continually update this post as I learn and try other ways to make money blogging this year.  Bookmark it and follow along, as I blog my way to debt free!

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