9 Ways To Monetize Your Blog

A Quick Guide Brought To You By

ADS Advertising, like above, is one of the easiest stepping stones of monetization for bloggers.

Main Types of Ads

Programmatic

Direct Sale

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Programmatic AdsThese require tapping into an ad network by downloading a plugin or placing a snippet of code on your website. They can be found in the sidebar or edges of the page. Many bloggers get ads through platforms like Google Ads, BlogAds, and Passionfruit.

They pay a small amount per click or impression (view).CPM = Cost Per (Thousand) Impressions. Earnings depend on your traffic quality, but you can expect: $1-$3 per 1,000 impressions.

Most Ad Networks Measure by CPM

Direct Sale AdsFor greater control over the ads that will appear on your blog, you can open up space on your sidebar and charge directly to have ads placed there.NOTE: This option is best for those with niche audiences.

SPONSORED POSTS At its core, sponsored posts

are when companies give you free products or pay you for

reviews and shout-outs.

thegreylayers

How It WorksThousands of companies are looking for content collaborators.You can sign up for sites like Influenster and Markerly to receive products to review or to write posts on behalf of brands.FYI: Don’t forget that you have to follow FTC guidelines to disclose that the post was sponsored.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO REACH OUT

DIRECTLY TO COMPANIES AND

BRANDS YOU TRUST.

Your social media reach and blog views will have the greatest impact on how much money, products, and services you receive.

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AFFILIATE PROGRAMS Affiliate programs have been

gaining ground over the years. You gain commission by

referring users to products that you’re using/featuring.

Sample widget courtesy of damselindior

How It WorksWith an affiliate program, like Amazon or rewardStyle, you’re provided a link or widget specific to your site. When someone clicks the link to buy something from the affiliated site, you get a commission.

When To Use ThemThis method is extremely popular with lifestyle and fashion bloggers because it’s easy to link to outfits and products they may mention in their posts.

SURVEYS Surveys are relatively new but gaining ground on the

monetization front. Blogs get paid for each question answered on their site.

Screenshot from HelloToken

How It WorksWith programs like Google, Survata, and HelloToken, you get paid by asking questions to readers for access to an article.It takes just a plugin install to start, and you can choose where and when the questions show up. Questions come from a third-party like market researchers.

Blogs with highly engaged readers can earn 3-5x more with surveys than with normal display ads

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DifferencesThough there are only a handful of blog platforms with surveys, each one has a different focus. For example, HelloToken focuses on high-quality, niche bloggers with 100,000 to 5 million readers. We partner directly with each blogger and have customization to make the question feel native to their site. Shameless plug: feel free to reach out if you’re interested!

E-COURSES With the rise of online courses, you can now create classes that your readers can learn from at their own time and

pace.

Courtesy of Skillshare

E-courses take time to create (not to mention video editing!), but the payoff can be well worth it because you can sell them repeatedly. For example, Melyssa Griffin made over $50k in March alone from the sales of her e-course.Once an e-course is created, it can be sold on sites like Teachery and Skillshare with no extra work.

How It Works

Good reviews bring more attention to your e-course and can snowball into even larger audiences.

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WEBINARSWebinars are very similar to e-

courses with the difference being that they’re conducted

live and in one sitting. A webinar can be on any subject.

Image via Melyssa Griffin

How It WorksHosting sites like Zoom and AnyMeeting are platforms you can use to host your webinar. Make sure to promote webinars properly through social media and email lists so that people know when to tune in.When finished, webinars can be sold as e-courses to future audiences.

Pre-SellingWith webinars, you have to pre-sell your class before it starts.If people don’t sign up before the deadline, they won’t get to see you live, which is a huge selling point.To charge viewers, look into payment services like Stripe, which are becoming more integrated into course creation sites.

Webinars allow for deeper connections with your audience since you can engage and answer questions directly in the moment.

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E-BOOKSE-books are just e-courses in written form. If you’re more

comfortable with writing, then this is for you.

Image via Adobe

How It WorksE-books can be sold directly on your website or through sites like Digital Product Delivery or Amazon.

Pro-tip: you can include printable worksheets and give your readers a way to interact and gain more insight from what you’re teaching.

PHYSICAL PRODUCTS

Whether you’re selling crafts, clothing, home decor, or even

beauty products, physical products can have a huge pay

off in the long run.

Image via Etsy

This one is self-explanatory, but try to relate what you create with what you write about. Making physical products takes a lot of groundwork and some investment to see the fruits of your labor.You can even sell items directly on your blog if your hosting site has an e-commerce option that you enjoy.

How It Works

Sites like Etsy can help you test the waters and figure out where you want to go with your products.They make it simple by assisting you through every step of the creation and distribution process.

Unsure of your direction?

WEB SERVICES

As more and more people prefer working remotely, web

services like online design work have become a viable option to

monetize.

Image via Elle and Company

Aside from the usual web design and SEO writing gigs, you can also offer coaching in your field of interest or even be a virtual assistant.To start building a client base outside of your readers, check out freelance sites like Upwork and Toptal.If you find yourself constantly answering the same questions over and over on your blog, then maybe consulting in that area is the way to go.

What can you do?

Just Remember: you’re only paid for the time you provide or the project you complete.

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So…What’s the BEST way to

monetize?

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Our favorite methods are surveys, e-courses and webinars, but you’ll just have to feel for yourself what the right mix is!

Surveys are easy to use and can be profitable with very little work on your side.

E-courses and webinars allow you to connect with your audience and effectively grow your brand, though they take some upfront investment and time.

Our Suggestions

Have fun!

Let us know if we can help.For more tips on monetization, check out the

HT Blog.