So, you’ve started seeing your blog more. You spend late nights together at the computer and early mornings doing photoshoots of your coffee cup. You have the same interests, like to talk about the same things, and overall seem like a match made in Blogland. So, things are getting serious, buuut you have a few reservations about your “future” together. You love your blog and spend hours with it everyday, but after a few months or a year, you feel like your blog could contribute more to your relationship. I mean, you pay all the bills and work a day job on the side…can’t your blog do anything, too?
Actually, yes. It totally can.
And consider this post your “blog relationship therapy session” for the year, because I’m about to show you how your blog can work for you, instead of being that moochy roommate who eats all your chips.
So, in case you’ve ever wanted to successfully monetize your blog, but worried that it would take years and years, then I’ve got news for you, my friend. 😉 Many of these strategies can start working for you in the next 30 days. In fact, I’m sharing eleven different ways that you can earn an income from your blog (including two that I don’t think you should waste your time on). So let’s get started already, shall we?
First of all, there are three different “types” of blog income. Generally, the income you earn from your blog would fall under one of these areas:
- Promoting other people’s stuff
- Running a service-based business
- Creating and promoting your own stuff
Below, I’m explaining each of these in detail and also sharing several specific ways that you can utilize them and start earning some moo-lah. Awww yeahhh.
Promoting other people’s stuff
First up is promoting other people’s products. In this revenue stream, you are using your blog as a way to promote products that other people or brands create. This is usually what people think of when they think about “earning money as a blogger.” But nowadays, things are changing. It’s certainly still possible to earn a full-time income by promoting other people’s products, but there are newer, more profitable ways to grow your bank account as a blogger, which we’ll talk about later on in this post. But first, let’s dive in here!
1. Ads
The most basic way to earn money as a blogger is by putting ads on your blog. Also? It’s one of the worst ways.
Yeah, I just went there.
I say this for two reasons:
- You’re growing someone else’s brand. When you layer your blog with advertisements, you’re essentially growing your traffic and audience…just to help someone else grow their own brand instead. When you think of it that way, doesn’t it sound kind of crazy to use ads as a way to monetize your blog?
- They’re not very profitable unless you have an enormous following. I used to use ads on my blog to earn some extra money. But get this: the most I ever earned in a single month from ads was $400 and that was when I had about 200,000 monthly pageviews. It took me years to grow my blog to such traffic, and my paycheck was barely enough to cover my monthly car payment. *shakes fist* Bonkers, right? So, think about it…is it worth it to spend years growing your blog, just to earn the bare minimum? Or are there other options (hint: in this article!) that would do you better?
So, as you can see, I’m not really a fan of ads. Not only are they ineffective at growing your income, but they also take away from your own brand that you’ve worked so hard to build.
Side note: At the time of writing this, I do have one ad on my site. The reason being that I signed a contract with a certain ad network and now have to keep an ad up on my site until the contract expires. So let that be another reminder that ads reduce how much control you have…over your own website!
2. Brand Sponsorships + Sponsored Posts
Next up is working with brands on collaborations, such as sponsored posts. I’ve done my fair share of sponsored posts in the past, sometimes earning things like free computers or $800 paychecks. Even still? I don’t think sponsored posts are worth it. Again, there are better ways to earn a paycheck than focusing on promoting other people’s products.
Is the occasional, once-a-quarter sponsored post okay? Sure! You can use it as supplemental income if it’s with a brand you and your readers absolutely adore, but I would not recommend making this your #1 source of income.
Also, here’s a little story for you about one brand I once pitched to work with. I emailed this brand because I really loved them and had a collaboration idea that we could do together. When they responded to my initial email, I noticed an email that was accidentally forwarded to me in the email thread — something that was just between two members of the brand’s PR department:
Ouch. Seeing that emailed confirmed something important to me: working with brands can oftentimes be about the numbers you project, not the impact you have on people. Ever since I stopped taking on sponsored posts, I’ve felt so much better about my blog. I don’t care as much about the “numbers” because they don’t matter to anyone else but me. Now, I care about the people I get to help and the fun projects I create. #freedom.
If you’re still dead set on doing sponsored posts, here’s a guide to help you out: How to Work With Brands as a Blogger
3. Affiliate programs
Out of all the “promoting other people’s stuff” options, I’ve found the most success with affiliate programs. Here are a few reasons why I prefer using affiliate programs over ads or brand sponsorships:
- They can have a very large, recurring payoff. One company that I’m an affiliate for typically pays me $3,000-$5,000 per month for my affiliate commission.
- It requires very little work. One of the keys to using affiliate programs is to write an affiliate blog post that gets traffic each day. If you’re using SEO, then your post will naturally get more and more traffic over time. So, your only work is to write one affiliate blog post, which can lead to big payouts. It is truly “passive income.”
Now, here’s the one downside of affiliate programs: your income is still reliant on someone else. It’s not as stable as other income streams, like creating and selling your own products. It’s also not uncommon to have a really big month, followed by a month of tiny commissions. So, using affiliate programs can be awesome if you’re using them strategically, but they shouldn’t be your only source of income.
Related: My Complete Strategy for Writing Highly Profitable Affiliate Post (Free Worksheet!)
Running a service-based business
When I first started to earn a solid income from my blog, it was because I started my own service-based business as a web designer. As a blogger, you spend a lot of time creating content and growing a targeted audience. That is the perfect foundation to launch a business from. In my experience, I started earning a full-time income from my part-time service-based business in about three months. By my second year of business, I was consistently having $10,000 months as a web designer.
It’s entirely possible to run a thriving, heart-centered service-based business through your blog. This is an instance where you’re promoting your services, rather than someone else’s, so it all contributes to your overall brand. Ultimately, I decided to close up shop for my web design studio after two years because I was getting burnt out on working with clients and doing the same types of things (designing websites) day after day. I needed to shake up my routine and also reclaim some freedom for myself, since having clients was sometimes reminiscent of having a boss.
Also, one of the biggest downsides of running a service-based business is that it’s not scalable. This means that if you spend 10 hours working with one client, then you’ll only ever be paid for 10 hours of work, right? But if you create your own products and sell them (discussed in the sections below!), you could spend 10 hours working on a product and then sell it over and over again to hundreds of people. There’s no limit.
I know that some people love having clients, so it’s up to you to decide what you prefer. I enjoyed it at first, but decided to move on to e-courses and workshops instead because of all of the points I mentioned above. I have absolutely no regrets…in fact, I wish I’d started selling e-products sooner!
If you’re interested in one-on-one work, here are a couple options for you if you’re thinking of starting a service-based business through your blog:
1. Coaching or Consulting
Being a Coach or Consultant has been growing in popularity. Essentially, if you have knowledge or a skill that people want, then you can work with them, one-on-one, to make it happen. If this sounds interesting to you, then you need to be incredibly clear with yourself on who your ideal client is and exactly where they’ll be after you coach with them. What’s the goal?
While growing my web design business, I also worked as a Blog Consultant/Coach because I noticed that people were coming to me for advice about the same things and I had a feeling I could turn my experience into a coaching program. I didn’t do as much coaching as designing because I had too many design clients to handle, but did really enjoy my time with coaching clients.
Do people constantly ask you the same things again and again? Do you feel like you’ve set up a strong process or strategy to get from one place to another? Then you might be on the right track to create a coaching business! However, keep in mind that being a coach isn’t really scalable and you’re still essentially trading your time for money.
2. Other services in your field
Other service-based jobs could include being a graphic designer, copywriter, SEO specialist, or any specific service that your audience may need. Basically, if you have a skill that you can use in order to help people, then you can probably turn it into a service-based business.
3. Speaking at events
Speaking at events can be a lucrative way to build your brand and authority. Initially, I put this option under the “creating and promoting your own stuff” section, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that speaking at events is very similar to a service-based business. Like service businesses, you’re trading your time for money and working with clients (event planners).
The potential downside to launching a speaking career is that you will need to build up an audience and reputation before you can really expect to receive high-paying speaking gigs. Sounds a lot like what you need for ads and brand sponsorships, right? But if you love public speaking, sharing your knowledge, and interacting with new people, this might be something that you could fall in love with.
Overall, launching a service-based business through your blog is certainly one way to earn an income and can absolutely evolve into your full-time business. But just keep in mind that if you’re trying to escape a “day job” because you want more freedom, then working one-on-one with clients may actually not be all that different.
And now for my favorite way to earn a living as a blogger…
Creating and promoting your own stuff
Ahhh giggity. I saved the best for last. I’ve tried each of my three different ways to earn an income as a blogger and can say with confidence that creating and promoting my own products has been my favorite way to monetize my blog. Not only do I have complete freedom over my business, but I also feel like I am helping and connecting with TONS more people than I was able to do when I promoted other people’s products or ran a service business. My income has grown rapidly, too. I really do believe that creating your own products is the future of blogging.
With that said, here are a few ways that you can monetize your blog with your own e-products.
1. E-courses
I launched my first e-course about two years ago, in my very first year of blogging. My audience was still small, I didn’t even have an email list, and I had never heard of a webinar, yet I was still able to bring in about $4,000, which certainly felt enormous to me at the time!
Now, my business is built upon e-courses and workshops and I absolutely love it! I’ve found that creating my own e-products has given me freedom, allowed me to help way more people, and has increased my income like gangbusters. In fact, because of e-products, I had my first $30,000 month, which is closer to what I used to earn from my day job in a year than anything I’d ever earn in a month.
E-courses are scalable (meaning you create one product and can sell it again and again) and I really enjoy the teaching and marketing aspects. I also believe that just about anyone can create an e-course based on your skills, knowledge, or experience with something.
The only downside to e-courses is that they take a lot of up front commitment and dedication to launch. It’s no easy task to create an eight-module e-course without a deadline or boss hovering over you. Also, if you’re not careful with your marketing strategies, it’s possible to burn out and feel overworked by this “passive income” stream. That’s why it’s so important to have the right systems and strategies in place.
2. Online workshops
An online workshop is very similar to an e-course, but is initially delivered live and therefore isn’t divided up into modules as precisely as an e-course is. It also may not come with quite as many bells and whistles as an e-course would and is the perfect medium for new-to-info-product bloggers who want to earn serious money selling digital products without a huge commitment, like creating an entire course.
So how does it work? With an online workshop, you pre-sell your class before it starts. That means that there is an element of scarcity built into this income method, because people know that if they don’t sign up by the deadline, they won’t get to see you live. No other method has that same, powerful level of scarcity.
Also, creating a 2-3 hour workshop takes a whole lot less time than it would to create an e-course, so it feels less daunting for people who want to start creating e-products, but have a crazy schedule. In fact, when I launched my first paid workshop, I planned and created all of the materials in about two days. Two days! It’s very doable.
The awesomest thing about creating an online workshop? Once your class is finished and recorded, you will be able to package those videos into a higher-priced course and sell them over and over again! So essentially, you just recorded an e-course in one day. Sweet, right? Online workshops are what I recommend to any blogger who is starting to dive into the realm of e-products and wants to earn a full-time income from their blog.
3. E-books or self-published books
Creating your own e-books or physical books is a solid way to earn an income through your blog, especially if you prefer writing to speaking. I personally haven’t published any e-books or self-published books because I enjoy the community aspect of e-courses more. Also, consider that it may take you the same amount of time to create an e-book as it would to create an e-course, yet, e-books often sell for ten times less than e-courses. Say whaaaat?
Think of it this way: If you spend 40 hours creating an e-book, but only get 5 sales at $10 each, then you just spent 40 hours to earn $50. Ouch. But if you spent the same amount of time to create an e-course or workshop, still only made 5 sales, but priced it at $247, then you’d make $1,235. Big difference, right?
E-books can be a good form of supplemental income, but if you’re diving into e-products and really want to turn your blog into your full-time job in less than a year, then I’d suggest going with a workshop or e-course instead.
4. Membership site
A membership site is when your subscribers pay a monthly fee to access some sort of “member’s only portal.” Typically, you would update the site every 2-4 weeks with new materials for your subscribers to watch, read, or download. Membership sites can work well for just about any niche out there and are a great way to have monthly recurring revenue.
The reason I haven’t launched any membership programs is the same reason that many other people choose not to: because having a monthly deadline to create new content indefinitely doesn’t sound too sexy. Membership sites certainly work for some people who are willing to maintain the site and consistently add new content each month, but it’s an endeavor I wouldn’t suggest getting into unless you’re certain that you are able to keep it up.
5. Physical Products
Lastly, many bloggers earn a living by selling their own physical products, which can range from yearly planners to high-end clothing lines. Launching physical products is a great way to build awareness of your brand and can be a lucrative method. However, physical products have the largest up-front fees, so it can be expensive to start a business like this one.
In my second year of blogging, I launched a print and greeting card shop on Etsy. The shop grew much more slowly than the other businesses I had started before it and was also costly, since I had to invest in a professional printer (which is now buried in my closet) and plenty of packaging and shipping supplies. Even though I thought that having my own physical products and prints was my “dream,” I quickly got burnt out and didn’t like having to pack and ship each order myself.
Overall, physical products can work if you’re willing to invest in your business at the start and stick through the miscellaneous details, like shipping and inventory.
With ALL that said, I hope this post gave you a solid overview of the different ways to truly monetize your blog. As you can probably tell, my favorite monetization methods are e-courses and online workshops because they are scalable, require low up-front investments, allow you to connect with more people, and effectively grow your brand. They’re kind of the shiz, in case you were wondering. 😉
I love your website. I don’t see thenectarcollective as a blog anymore, because it has grown so much over the last couple of years and it offers even more to its readers. I wish you will keep going and grow stronger 🙂
Awww thank you so much!
Such great suggestions for earning income! I feel like ads and sponsored posts gets thrown around a lot at new bloggers (I know i was personally sucked into the Google Adsense bandwagon!), but now, even as blogger who is just starting out I like the idea of creating my own e-courses, and I hope to do exactly that one day.
Thanks for this awesome post like always Melyssa!
– Juliet from http://www.thelittlejewelsoflife.com
I know, me too! I’m glad this is helpful, Juliet.
I have been really working towards getting away from sponsored posts. As of now they are bringing a few thousand a month in – money I need – but once I launch my course in January I’m hoping to pull away from them all together.
This is really great advice – and speaking is something that I would really like to get into. First I need to work on stage fright!
Thanks, as always, for your fantastic advice!
I am so glad that this has been helpful to you Morgan!
I love the way you laid out the info in this post. I’ve been a little irritated with my blog lately. It felt like I was writing and talking to myself. I made a whole whopping 8 cents with Adsense. It was already feeling like a chore and I barely started. I’m going back to my original love of drawing and crafting and I already feel so much better. I love the idea of an e-course so that will be my next focus! Looking forward to reading your linked post on that, next!! 🙂
That is so great to hear Rhoda! It can get really frustrating when you feel like you are working with no return. So glad to hear you are back to your first love.
Thank you so much – it’s inspiring to think I could create materials for a workshop in just a couple of days. I love the clever way you’ve stacked the use of your content. Well done and thank you for always being a great resource!
I’m glad to hear that this is inspiring you! Thanks for stopping by, Kate.
Loved this post Melyssa! I’m currently working on an ebook/guide and then soon after an ecourse! I’d love to have physical products someday. I know they’re much more difficult for business but I’ve so many ideas and I’d love to see something I create in physical form 🙂
Hey Monica, that is still such a great goal. Your digital product could truly help you to move toward funding your physical one too.
Wow! This was so detailed and I loved it. I read every single word and loved how you shared your personal experience and hinted at what you recommend but gave exposure to every type of making money. I liked the e-courses the most but they’re so daunting!
xo Anisha | http://empoweredinternetwomen.blogspot.com.au/
Hey Anisha, thanks so much for your comment! It can feel daunting, but totally go for it. 🙂
I love these tips Melyssa! I’m always inspired whenever I read a post of yours. I love the idea of creating an e-course as right now I’m selling an e-book and while it’s done pretty well, I definitely could be getting more $$ with an e-course. I just don’t know exactly what I want the course to be about and I’m not sure people will want to even buy it. BUT, I think I’ll feel differently after your webinar tomorrow 😉
Thanks again for another lovely post!
That’s awesome do you have a site you started that’s really inexpensive?
I do have a site and it’s fairly inexpensive. I use Squarespace as my platform.
Thank you I’m going to take this week to figure it out and make a planner.
Thank you for reading, Kelly. When you position your product well and find the right niche, you can definitely sell it!
Hey Kelly, so sorry I missed this! Thanks so much for this sweet comment! You can definitely do it!
I recently have been thinking of trying consumer surveys. I’m still not sure if I want to sell anything, yet, so until I get to that point I think I’m going to try and aim for passive income.
You can just put surveys on your site (like ads), and gain money when readers click to answer (they don’t have to if they don’t want to, though).
I think I’m pretty biased, though, since I started working for a startup that provides the surveys and pays the bloggers lol (http://hellotoken.com).
Gemma | http://activelygemma.com/blog
Thanks for this Melyssa! They are really helpful. I’m thinking of putting affiliate programs now on my blog. 🙂
That’s awesome Kim!
I really really want to build an e-course but I’m a bit intimidated and not sure where to begin. I know what I want to do but I’m not sure exactly how to do it.
Hi Ashley, it can be intimidating, but also super fun! I would definitely recommend finding something that will guide you to the perfect product.
Thank you for this post, it’s great to get an overview of all the options! 🙂
— LisaLDN.com
You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
I used to be one of those bloggers who took any and every sponsored post. As I’m launching my new site soon (about five weeks out at this point, yay!) I’ve decided that I’m only going to do collaborations with that I really like and believe in but, more importantly, that I think my AUDIENCE will really get some benefit and use out of. I have one lined up that is a new company that I believe has an awesome service that will help not only people in business but will also help bloggers and creative entrepreneurs, so it’s a natural fit.
I’m still thinking about my first e-course but I have an idea for it, as well as for a second one, just working through the mechanics of modules and doing my research since I would never want to put something out there that I don’t fully stand behind 100%. Thanks for helping to reaffirm my belief that this is the way that my creative life needs to head and I look forward to the webinar later!
That is definitely a good idea. It is easy to take any post, but as you build your own business, you need focus and clarity. I am so glad this helped you, Erika.
I’m so glad you wrote this!! Your posts are always so helpful. I’d like to get into sponsored posts or e-courses, and this post was definitely a huge help. I’m still trying to determine how to go about those things, especially since I’m a fairly new blog.
Thanks for stopping by Ashlee! It can be difficult to figure it all out but you can definitely learn and grow pretty quickly!
Melyssa-
This is perfect. My moochy roommate blog days are slowly becoming a thing of the past, but what a beautiful and accurate way to put it!
Thank you for what you said about ads. I’ve spent months toiling over why my traffic is steady but my ad revenue is horrific- so I was just about to spend more money on an ad optimization expert (after I spent a WEEK researching how to do it myself!) I’m not going to bother!
Hey Lisa, haha yes! I’m glad this helped you.
This post is super helpful, Melyssa! I was just thinking about this today and then your post sprung up. I love how clearly you broke everything down to help everyone find their own starting point.
Hi Josephine, I am so glad to hear that this was so helpful!
I love this post, as a first year blogger, it’s all making sense now! You make want to get rid of my ads right now, eek! I’m definitely going to dive into an e-course/program for the yoga world, thanks for the great article babe!
Oh great, Allie! I’m so glad to hear this is helpful.
Your experiences with each of these streams are so detailed. You listed all the possibilities perfectly and gave very realistic points of view. Thank you so much Melyssa!
Thanks for your comment, Jen. I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Hi Melyssa!
Your recommendation about an e-course is an interesting idea! We sold an e-book on our website and did well, but I do like the way you compare the price of a book vs. a course!
Curios about the topic you chose and how you decided to market the class to sell?? Could you give me some ideas about that? Maybe you used only your email list? I would so appreciate any advice!
Thanks!
Hey girl! First time commenting here, though I’ve already read tons of your posts, watched all your periscopes and attended the webinar yesterday 🙂
Just wanted to say, all your content is pure value, I’m so thankful you exist.
Hugs from Spain!!
Hi Polina, so glad you decided to comment! Thank you so much for being here and on Periscope.
I remember when I first started my blog, one of the first things I did was put ads on my site. I can vouch for you when you say that ads can be one of the worst ways to earn money as a blogger. Not only was I not making much money from them, but as you stated, I growing someone else’s brand (and sending people away from my site).
Thanks for sharing so many great tips Melyssa! I really appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing that Tiffany!
Thanks for all the info. Just finished watching the workshop. Great advice! Hoping to implement yours tips and grow my blog: http://gatheringtable.net
I’m so glad to hear this is helpful Sheena!
Great post! No matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned blogger this content is much needed. Thanks for putting this together! xx Larisa @ weheartbeauty.com
Thanks for your comment Latisa!
omg, I cannot imagine being copied on that email! ouch. How did they not know that you’re amazing with both views and social 😉
Thanks Nicole! I hope you never need to imagine it 🙂
Great explanations. Will definitely watch the webinar tomorrow!
http://www.pippihepburn.etsy.com
Awesome, I hope you enjoy it!
Oh my!! What an amazing post! I think I almost cried it was so good. Thank you for the content and the help!! I just started my blog earlier this year, and I thought I’d have to wait for it to pick up and gain a huge following before I could really make a go of monetizing. But, Melyssa you have given me so much inspiration and confidence! Thank you thank you!!
Ari you are too sweet! I am so happy to hear that you are inspired. You can totally rock this thing!
Hi love, thanks so much for this post! It’s nice to hear that you gave up ads and sponsored posts, as a newer blogger it feels that this is my only monetization method right now. I’m hoping to give them both up much sooner, than later. Also, thank you for the link to the affiliate how-to, it clarified a lot of thoughts for me.
Question for you – do you recommend skipping e-books all together and heading straight for a course/package or is it a good stepping stone to learn and grow?
Last question – I have zero graphic design experience. As someone who does, do you think it’s a must-have skill that should be learned for future growth of a blog?
Sorry for the insanely long comment/questions, I appreciate the insight. Love what you do, please keep doing it 🙂
Hi Allie! E-books are great, it is just that a lot of people have e-books. Sometimes, the content that you can put in an e-book can be folded into a course and have higher value. It is also a good idea to break an e-book into an email course that is dripped out over time! They are actually easier to create.
You can definitely get around not being a designer. There are so many tutorials out there that can help you, and honestly you will learn as you go. I would recommend simplicity. Solid backgrounds, great stock photos with text overlays. Then find a good friend who will tell you exactly like it is – it will help improve your visual skills!
Thanks so much for sharing this info. I’m bookmarking this post (along with a few other) for future reference.
Kathy, that is great to hear. I’m so glad this is helpful!
What a great insight in each point! Love it, Melyssa. Different methods work differently for each person & I am excited to see which one could work for me. Thanks for all the wonderful advice you got there!
Noor | Noor’s Place
Hi Noor, thank YOU for being awesome. I appreciate you stopping by.
This was the best and most informative post I’ve read on how to make money on your blog in …. Like EVER. THANK YOU !
Kissingtheshorelines.com
Wow that is so honoring! Thank you Suladys
You’re so good. Love this post!
Aw, thank you Ashley!
You are fabulous, Melyssa! I get so much great info from your posts, FB community, and webinars. I’ve been working on my first ecourse and have had plenty of ups and downs throughout the process, but when I see that it IS possible to make a blog something big, then I get motivated again. Thanks for keeping me inspired!
Me too Tori! I’m working on my first course at the moment and there can definitely be highs and lows but it’s SO inspiring and motivating to see people who have successfully created what I am hoping to create. Just knowing that it’s possible makes a huge different! This was such a great post 🙂
Sam xx
http://www.smart-twenties.com – how to make the most of your twenties
I’m going to be following you!
Thanks so much for stopping by Sam. I am so glad to hear that you find motivation through these posts!
Hi Tori, thank you for this comment. I am so happy to hear the content is inspiring you!
Wow! so much detail and so valuable! Taking so much of this and putting it to good use. Sooner than later forsure. #yourthebest
Hi Eve! Thanks so much for this comment. You are too sweet 🙂
I’m imagining this info being locked into a vault in my brain. My goal is to make more money blogging than my husband makes. This advice will get me there. Melyssa, you are an angel.
That is such a great goal! Thanks for dropping by and for your sweet comments.
I always look forward to your new posts – they’re so helpful and inspiring! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! xx Kristjaana
http://www.kristjaana.com
Thank you Kristjaana! I am so glad to hear that they are helping you.
This was a great post I loves reading it and educating myself, I have been blogging for three years and In a few weeks you have helped me see blogging in a different way and it has helped me learn about ways to improve myself.
Thank You
Wow, that is the best comment ever! I am so happy to hear that Leslie 🙂
I don’t do ANYTHING to monetise my blog at the moment… I have my own business selling festival headdresses which goes hand in hand with the blog but I really need to get on the affiliate programs…. Thanks for another great post! x
dulciedulcie.com
That’s sounds AWESOME! Good luck with your blog and selling those ultra-cool headdresses 🙂
This post was so informative and helpful. I just started my blog and I’m hoping to monetize in the future (hopefully sooner rather than later) and these tips are going to really help me out. I would love to eventually produce my own content like ecourses, but I feel like I’m going to have to work on growing my audience first (right now it’s mostly friends and family and I doubt they’d be interested in such things). Do you have any tips for monetizing a very small blog or do you think it’s best to wait until the audience has grown?
xo thanks Melyssa! You’re such an inspiration 🙂
honeybeejoyous.wordpress.com
Hi Emily, thanks for stopping by. The tips here are applicable to any blog size! Build an email list, and launch something in your niche! You can grow your audience at the same time that you are building your list as well.
Great post..extensively informative.I created my first e-mail course last month, and turned it into e-guide. Although it wasn’t a HUGE success, I did receive some great feedback and it presented me with more knowledge and room for improvement.
http://www.menelliavalcent.com
Hi Menellia I am so glad that you found this post helpful! I hope you relaunch 🙂
When doing affiliate programs or marketing, when they ask for a social or EIN, which do you recommend? Should a blogger get an EIN for taxes?
Hey Jordan! Getting an EIN is definitely helpful, but not always necessary. If you are a sole proprietor, you will not need one. If an LLC you will get one because you will be operating separately form your personal finances.
Hi, Melyssa. Thank you for posting this, found it very helpful and inspirational! (I have a feeling I wrote something veeeery similar in my previous comment on your site, oh, well 😀 ) I really appretiate you sharing your knowledge in a qualitative posts for everyone to read. So, thank you. 🙂
Madara
http://lookforsmile.com
Ha! I appreciate that, Madara. You are too sweet. Thanks for being awesome 🙂
THANK YOU!
This was super informative to me, and I am def jotting down so many notes for my blog.
http://www.stilettosandstandards.com
Thank you so much for this post. Very informative and encouraging!
-Tia
http://retouchingblog.com
Melyssa, I can tell you how much I agree with you about dealing with physical products… my first biz was a handmade skincare line. Initially, it was so fun and I really did love it. Then I started getting burned out and I started losing the passion for physically creating things… it sucked! Then I started learning about how to make money blogging and I was immediately sucked in…. I’d advise anyone going into the physical product space to make sure that it’s absolutely something you want to do because it takes tons of time and effort.
Great post, as always, duh!
Stephanie w/ http://bossladydreams.com
This is probably the best article that I have read on this topic. Thank you so much for posting. I am just starting out with a blog (stephtanner.com) and am about to launch my first e-course. I am curious, what platform do you use for your e-courses? I have looked into Udemy and Gumroad, but are there other options out there? Thanks for sharing!
This is probably the most helpful article I’ve read about creating a successful blog. I recently started my blog over cmvernon.com geared towards providing help and advice for designers through my own personal experience and thoughts. I’m going to start working on a free e-book soon that will help build an email list that I can use to throw right hooks in the future! I’ll be coming back and reading this post several times!
As always your posts are so helpful. Whenever I read one post I always get sidtracked into another post. I have been contemplating ads for a while now, I think to myself, I work so hard created quality content, while allow someone else reap the benefits? no not me, I’m inspired now to create a magnificent ecourse.
Affiliates and dropshipping.
This was a great post. Very honest. Cheers!
I’ve been reading your blog for years and just added your Pinfinite Growth link to my site. I was wondering if you’d share the affiliate program that’s been so profitable for you.
Hey! Sent you an email about this yesterday 🙂
Thanks Melyssa! This was a good post that sparked more ideas. I recently just started narrowing down my training sessions to be business coaching and technology training as those are the 2 I get asked about the most. My pages still need work but they are headed in the right direction!
Way to go!! That’s awesome 🙂
Can’t thank you enough for these information. I am a new blogger (actually just launched my site lovebeinginspired.net) and I want to know everything about blogging. I don’t know where blogging will take me in the future, but I really enjoy the whole process of it. It is like, a live journal, diary or I dont know how to describe it 🙂
That’s so wonderful to hear, Nefeli! Blogging is definitely a powerful and fun journey. Have a blast! 🙂
this is a great article Melyssa. I currently offer a physical product and the shipping is getting to be a lot of work especially as I grow. I am definitely look into adding a few more income streams and really let the passive income grow. I still plan to continue with my phyiscal products but am looking at other revenue sources.
I love that you’re branching out! Good luck, and I hope this post helps inspire some ideas 🙂
Wow, that’s amazing. What do you think about my method? If anybody is looking for a product that lets you keep 50% of the
profit from its sales and is the most in demand product in the world,
then take a look here, and give me feedback, thanks:
http://anaezine.webs.com/mom.htm
I also really appreciate all you do here, Melyssa. You are so inspiring and have done such a remarkable job with your business. Could you let me know about which affiliates have been most helpful for you?
Hey Sonia! Thank you so so much 🙂 For affiliates, definitely decide what industry you want to be an affiliate for (tech, physical product, etc.) and search from there!
It’s always a painful issue. Here’s one option: If anybody is looking for a product that lets you keep 50% of the
profit from its sales and is the most in demand product in the world,
then take a look here, and give me feedback, thanks:
http://anaezine.webs.com/mom.htm
I am still working with the affiliate links! But I am planning to design content like planners and an eBook!
That’s awesome! Sending you lots of good energy and luck 🙂
Hello Melyssa,
Thank you for the article. I do have. A question about affiliates vs advertising. Isn’t it, kind of, the same thing? What is the difference? With both you are partnering to promote ‘not your product’. Can you please elaborate on the difference in favor of affiliate programs?
Thanks again.
Hi Julia! They are kind of similar. Advertising is often when you place a graphic or ad somewhere on your site and receive money when people view or click it. It could also come in the form of sponsored posts, where a brand pays you to write about them.
Affiliate links are similar, but allow you more autonomy and personally, I feel like there is a much bigger opportunity to make more money since you’re only promoting a handful of products you use and love and can therefore more easily convert people into customers.
Affiliates means that somebody else is advertising your product for you… “actively” which is awesome! Advertising means that there’s a sign on the road and most people are ignoring it. Advertising doesn’t work. Very rarely, and as everybody knows is the most expensive part of running a business and yet provides little results. An affiliate isn’t a sign. He/she is a sales person who can make all the difference, especially if they have thousands of clients already, or millions, to whom they can feed your products! The only problem however is trying to find an affiliate like that. Most affiliates today are not really doing their job. They’re selling thousands of products from a thousand different people, and are banking on that tiny percentage they get from each sale, which collectively can be a lot, but individually if you’re only giving him/her just 2% of the profit they’re obviously not putting that much effort into selling your product. I prefer having a dedicated affiliate who only sells my product, not anybody else. And I give 50%, here’s a great example: If anybody is looking for a product that lets you keep 50% of the
profit from its sales and is the most in demand product in the world,
then take a look here, and give me feedback, thanks:
http://anaezine.webs.com/mom.htm
Thank you so much for explaining. I knew the defining for both but now I have a clear picture.
The link to the site that you provided doesn’t show a result. It says there is an error. Also, if I were you I would redesign the site because it is very hard to read and stay on it. It is not mobile friendly which makes it even worse.
I hope you find as a constructive criticism and that it actually helps.
Oh my gosh, I finally found a blogger that brings light to everything i was seeing. And let me add that I love coming into a site and seeing no adds popping up and in my face non stop. To me it’s more legit. I do agree with you on your emphasize to sell your own brand, yet every where I read, everyone’s emphasize is promoting other’s brands. Thanks for this article, I feel I can now refocus my strategy to my original plan.
Hi Monica! I’m so glad you found this post helpful 🙂 Thanks for sharing your thoughts and best of luck to you!
Hi Melyssa, Just wanted to say thank you for giving me some clarity with your beautifully written blogs, eloquent videos, total transparency and above all your generosity and positivity. Who says that you can’t make a decent living doing what you love, helping people with kindness and compassion? DD x
Thank you so much for the incredibly kind words, David 🙂 That means so much to me and I wish you the best of luck on doing what you love to do as well!
I am THROWING UP excited and even more passionate about pursuing my blog thanks to you. (Sorry for the graphic- but lets be real with each other) You are such an inspiration. THANK YOU. seriously.
Hi Dana! Thank you so much for the graphic but kind words 🙂 Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your blog’s progress!
Well, that would be awesome! Hope all is going well with your blog. Here’s something that might help motivate you even more: If anybody is looking for a product that lets you keep 50% of the
profit from its sales and is the most in demand product in the world,
then take a look here, and give me feedback, thanks:
http://anaezine.webs.com/mom.htm
Well, in no small thanks to you I am now SERIOUSLY looking into creating my first e-course in Squarespace web design! I am already giving ‘real life’ workshops and love doing that (and will probably continue it) but it all comes down to scalability and I am getting very excited now about the prospect of moving my business into a different direction that I know I will enjoy more (I love teaching) and that has the potential to increase my profits, too. THANK YOU!
That is amazing to hear, Kerstin! It sounds like you have a clear vision on what you want to create and I believe you’re going to do great. Best of luck 🙂
This was the most helpful post I’ve read on how to monetize your blog. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. In struggling a lot to get traffic to my website. Even though is fairly new, I feel like it is growing too slowly.
I’m so glad you found this post helpful 🙂
Growing traffic is definitely a hot topic and one that I’d love to help you with. If you haven’t taken it already, I created a free 6-day course that teaches you how to do just that. It’s called The Blog Audience Blueprint and you can find it by going here: http://thenectarcollective.com/blog-audience-blueprint/
Best of luck!
This is exactly what I needed! Thank you!
Many people have been making e-books about blogging/entrepreneurship. What if that’s not your niche, though? I know alot about health but I feel that I’ve already said a lot in my own website.
That’s totally okay if blogging/entrepreneurship is not your niche! The health industry is booming as well and is a very profitable niche. Hopefully this post sparked some ideas for you, Blossom 🙂
Hi Melyssa I sent you an email to this email add hi@thenectarcollective.com on the 22/6/16. This is email sorry to paste it here. I had a feeling you probably didn’t get it because you seem to be quite good with responding
Hope you are well. I was checking your site about the above mentioned course. I am looking at designing and launching an e-course and online workshops so I was just wondering if your course covers this. I would like to know the price as well.
Please send me a link if you can so that I can check this course. I am a trainer already so I can design courses but I would love to design online courses and workshops for my site.
You can email me the details at encountercs@gmail.com
Thanks
http://encountercs.com.au/
I am just beginning to think about monetizing….still in the very early stages of my blog but trying to do the research beforehand. Reading your post makes me think that either affiliate programs would work for me….or that’s it! I don’t have a “product” to sell. How am I going to make any real money without a product of my own? Nor am I a pro at anything enough to have an e-course or e-book or e-anything! lol. I am an artist and writer…is there any other way to make money with a blog that I’m not considering?
Hey Meredith! Hm, you could sell your artwork, sell your writing services, sell your eventual written products, teach people how to do artwork, teach people how to sell, etc.
You don’t need to be an expert to get paid to teach, you just need to be one step ahead of your customer 🙂
Those are some great starting ideas…I’ll keep working on it. Thank you so much for the feedback!
No problem! Best of luck, Meredith!
This post was the best one I read about monetizing a blog. Thank you so much for sharing so much from your experience 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad you found this post helpful, Raluca. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Thank you for sending me here! My husband is an IT guy and he was just discussing Office 365. I said “well webinars and e-courses are the way to go”. I had read another blog that stated they used Udemy, but I didn’t like having to hand over money to them. I like your idea on the e-course.
That’s great to hear! If you’re interested in creating an e-course, this post will help you get started on the right foot: https://melyssagriffin.com/create-prepare-info-product/
Good luck! 🙂
So many great methods here! I am actually in the process of writing a course on horse related passive income streams as horses and passive income are my passion! Looking forward to being able to promote it at http://equus-blog.com/ once it’s set to go in the near future!
I love online courses and ebooks – they are my main focus points. As an educator, I also create lots of equine educational downloadable products to sell over and again 🙂
Wow, that is such a unique niche! I love it! Definitely keep us posted on your progress 🙂
Thanks Melyssa, I will!
It is indeed unique – I hope not too small a focus area! Though there are a lot of people who work with horses and love them; hopefully many will be interested in passive income streams relating to them!
This is an amazing post for an infant blogger such as myself! Loved all of this content and excited to study this post more and figure out what is going to work best for me. Thank you!
Madison Crowley
forgeafrenzy.com
Yay! I’m so glad you liked this post, Madison! Good luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress 🙂
Great advice Melyssa, thanks so much!
I’m also in the beginning stages of writing my own blog. I like the way you write, as you “keep it real” -which to me is very important 🙂
I’m gearing more towards the affiliate marketing option, but at some point would love to publish an e-book and sell a “product.” But like some other bloggers, I’m not really a “professional” as such. I would like to consider drawing and painting as one of my talents. But don’t know how I can incorporate this into a product or writing?
Hey Wendy! Have you considered creating a product that teaches people how to draw and paint? If you haven’t checked it out already, this post might help jog some more ideas in your head too :]
https://melyssagriffin.com/create-prepare-info-product/
Great post! Although I’ve been online for some time, the changing of my brand truly changed everything..including traffic to my site. Now I’m starting over and truly working to monetize my site. Thanks again, I look forward to learning lots from you 🙂
Yay! Congrats on your big rebrand, Daisy! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress 🙂
This is so helpful for me! I launched my travel blog last month, with a focus on personal growth through travel, so it’s been a little complex trying to think of ways to monetize, but I definitely got some ideas from this! (eg. a workshop/e-course on creative travel journaling to help explore and tackle your inner demons. intense, but so important for personal growth). Thanks for all your awesome, educational content, Melyssa!!!
No problem! I’m so glad this post was helpful for you, Claire! Best of luck and please keep us posted on your progress. 🙂
Hey Melyssa! Thank you for all of the awesome content. YOU ROCK. I have a question – I have a food blog, and have been trying to brainstorm webinar/e-course ideas, but it’s tough. It seems that everything in that space is blogger-to-blogger, and I’m not sure if I want to move in this direction. Do you think it’s possible to be successful in that space as a food blog?
I 100% think it’s possible to be successful if you have a food blog! Have you ever heard of simplegreensmothies.com? If not, give them a peep for some inspiration! 🙂
I love your blog!!!I have learned so much from you! I am a fitness trainer and I offer online weight loss coaching on the side. It seemed like a good idea but turns out it is soooo time consuming. I don’t have time for it. I started a weight loss blog for moms but haven’t had any success with it (I just signed up for your free business plan wrobook). I am going to start another blog specifically for fitness professionals. I recently started selling products for a fitness company I love (affiliated marketing) and made my first sale a few days after I signed up. Unfortunately, I haven’t made a sale since. I am trying to learn all I can about affiliated marketing. I want to do this right. I came across a free worksheet you were giving away (about affiliated marketing) and that’s how I found this blog. I feel inspired and motivated to make this work! Thank you for sharing all this wonderful information!
Thanks for your comment, Jessica! That’s awesome that you just keep pushing forward and trying new things. I hope my worksheet helps you reach your goals and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
Such amazing Post!!! Thank you so much this info was so helpful.
Yay! I’m so glad this post was helpful for you! 😀
Thank you so much for all these resources! You are Awesome! I can’t wait to get your emails in my inbox! I want to become an ambassador for a book company and I’m looking at creating a blog around teaching and the company. Do you thing this venture could be successful?
Yay! I’m so glad this post was helpful for you. That sounds like a great idea. Best of luck! 😀
Do you think monetising after only a few days of blogging is a good idea? I want to put ads and also do affiliate marketing on my brand new blog but I always read it’s best to start when you have a lot of posts on your blog and traffic as well.
Would doing sponsored posts work for a new blogger?
If you can monetize after only a few days, that’s great! I’m not the biggest fan of ads or sponsored posts simply because they don’t generate much income unless you have massive amounts of traffic and they also negatively affect the credibility of your site. Affiliate marketing can be very successful though. My favorite, of course, is creating and selling online courses. 😉
Hi Melyssa! I’ve just about read every inch of your website and, silly enough, this is my first time commenting. Anyways, I am starting a lifestyle magazine-style website, with a sub-niche of sorts, promoting businesses that make products made in the USA – telling their stories and their creative processes. How can I eventually turn that into a course or webinar? Thank you, Karina
Hey Karina! It sounds like you are doing more promoting rather than teaching though so I’m not sure how your content could be turned into a course. This post I wrote a little while back might be able to help you right away though:
https://melyssagriffin.com/profitable-ecourse-idea/
Good luck!
One of the best, most specific articles on blog monetization. Thanks so much!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, Desta! 😀
Did I miss the two to avoid?
You’ll want to avoid the first two if possible – ads and brand sponsorship/sponsored posts.
Thank you for sharing Lady Melyssa. I truly enjoyed reading this article. I am now been thinking too ways to monitize my blog.. ecourses, online workshops, membership sites sure do sound interesting. I wish you all the best with your business. Jas from Malaysia.
I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Jas! Best of luck and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
🙂 and I just cross new info I never tried before. That is to include PAYPAL icon on our blog to receive payment anytime online. Been thinking to do that for myself. How about you? Which is your preferred method in accepting payment from your clients?
I use both PayPal and Stripe. 🙂
AMAZING advise. Than you so much. I will be researching more about e-courses and growing my email list.
Best,
María Elena
http://www.ambinityblog.com
No problem, Elena! I’m so glad this post was helpful for you. 🙂
Great post with so much rich and helpful content! I always admire someone who’s willing to share and help a sister out instead of keeping it all to themselves
victoria | http://www.thesoutherntrunk.com
Thanks for the kind words, Victoria! I’m so glad this post was helpful for you. 😀
Soooo glad I found this post! Thanks so much for the information.
Yay! I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Tania. 😀
Hi Melyssa — great post! One question: How do you tell the difference between ecourses/ebooks people will pay for and those that belong as regular pages on your blog that also teach people something? Thanks!
I usually try to give away 20% of amazing value in the form of free content and I keep the other 80% behind a paid gateway. I hope that helps! 🙂
Hi! this is such a wonderful post! Do you have any posts specifically geared towards SEO? Or do you know of any good ones I should check out? I’m trying to learn as much as possible before deciding to pay someone to do something I may be capable of doing myself…. I hope that makes sense haha
Hey Kelsey! This SEO guide by Moz is the best one I know of. Good luck! 😀
https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo
I don’t usually comment on others post but i actually enjoyed the content and thought it would be helpful. I agree with the article and it makes me think on my strategies and approach to monetizing my Blog.at http://onemoreentrepreneur.com. (sorry for the moment of selfless promotion) I am in the process of developing a blog and membership site and I appreciate the article you have written and i will incorporate some of your thoughts and strategies express.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/84e362e6f0d951caffcc3b8dcd3daa71af2433998d9e5a79b3d01811450a2ad4.jpg
This was an amazing posts. Wow! Thank you so much for going into detail. This really helps alot!
Yay! I’m so glad this post was helpful for you, Lisa. 🙂
Every time I read one of your posts, I am amazed at how much I learn (and how much I realize I NEED to learn) about blogging! I am at the beginning of my monetization journey, and am a bit stumped on exactly where I want to take this blog. I have been thinking about an e-course for a while but I know very little about them, save what I read here and a few other posts. I am glad to get the reassurance that they are the most lucrative. Now I’m off to brainstorm!
I’m so glad this post was helpful for you, Ashley! Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
My niche market lends itself to creating ebooks/courses. The problem is that my target audience (teachers) are not that great on paying for content. So I am scared to put a lot of effort into creating a ecourse and nobody’s willing to pay for it. Any suggestions on how to test the waters?
Hi there! I would recommend pre-selling your idea. If you get orders, you know that people want it and you can create the content with confidence. If you don’t get any interest, then you will have saved a lot of time and energy. I hope that helps!