Three Ways I Monetized My Blog

Three Ways I Monetized My Blog

There are many people who are now exploring the option of blogging and being able to earn from it. A blog can be developed on practically any topic you can think of!

The important thing if it is going to earn you money is that you consistently post content. The posts need to be relevant to your topic, interesting and provide value to readers.

It is through your readers that you can then earn money. This can be through a few different means:

1. Earning from other people’s products

2. Selling your own products on your blog

3. Selling your own products on another person’s platform

Other Peoples Products

Perhaps one of the quickest ways to start to generate an income online is via other people’s products. The idea is that you introduce your blog readers to particular products and as they buy, you earn a commission. What are some examples?

Amazon affiliates are easy to set up. You can promote and link to various products – books, CDs, clothes, baby products, etc. Once you’re signed up with Amazon Affiliates, then you are given a unique identification code and this is used in the link to any products you promote. As people click and buy, you earn a set commission. What’s exciting is that any products that are bought through someone clicking that link earn you a commission – not just the product you promoted! In this way, Amazon Affiliates works quite well for some.

Google Adsense is another example of earning via others. Signing up allows you to then insert a piece of (pre-written) code into your blog. This can be inserted into a particular page or blog post, or on the side or bottom of your blog. The code contains adverts that are then shown on your blog every time someone views it. As you reach a certain number of advert views, you earn a little bit of money. If people click on an advert, you earn even more money. Note: you cannot click on your own adverts!

Other people’s products can be great, but you will find that there is a minimum payout (e.g. $100), so you will not receive any money until you have reached this. This can take awhile when you have a small number of loyal visitors to your blog!

Your Own Products

It is possible to set up your own products on your blog and sell these to your readers. Digital products can be created and sold in the form of .pdf documents, eBooks, video courses, email courses and more! A benefit of selling your own products from your blog is that you receive all of the money and you can set the price. The idea is that you are selling a product that your readers want and need.

You may argue that you don’t know what this is! That’s ok. Have a think – what is drawing readers to your blog? Is it your unique topic? Is it that you’re answering questions people are asking? Are you producing information that is of value to them?

Chances are, you can create products for people to purchase: fact sheets, eBooks, templates, etc.

All that is needed is a way to receive payments – have you got a PayPal account? You also need a way for people to access your products once they have paid. This can be done via emailing them a download link.

Other People’s Platforms

There are platforms already established that you can utilize to get your information to paying customers. For example, you can use YouTube and set up private videos that only people with the direct link can access.

I create educational resources relating to horses (this is my niche area!). I sell these via TeachersPayTeachers and receive royalties every time I make a sale. I also make use of Amazon to sell my horse books and again receive royalties when payments are made.

There are many platforms you can utilize too for selling online courses. I make use of Udemy to sell horse related courses. It is worth noting that if you are using someone else’s platform that they have created, then although it may be free for you to use, they need to benefit in some way. TeachersPayTeachers, Amazon and Udemy all receive a percentage of any sales that I make. But at the end of the day, I wouldn’t make sales if I didn’t have their platforms to use! We both win.

An Email List for Your Users

Whoever is benefiting from your website may be interested in hearing about any new products or information you have to share. If you plan to monetize your blog, then creating an email list of subscribers is really important. It means you’re gaining access to people who want to know about your field of expertise and your knowledge. Anytime you have a new product, you can tell them, provide a link and generate sales!

I make use of MailChimp for my email lists and there are many other options out there. You can use email lists to gain contacts that are more likely to want to buy your products. You can also use email lists to provide download links for products once people have subscribed or paid for a product and entered their email address.

Monetization from blogs takes a bit to set up – varying accounts and email lists. Once the initial work is done however, it works for itself! Then you can focus on creating products and promoting them, and of course bringing in income! Best of luck!