Do you think blogging is just a hobby? Think again - it can actually bring in some substantial income. Here's how to get started, find your niche, and turn your blog into a source of revenue.
Let's be honest: blogging is not the easiest way to make money. But the great thing is that anyone can do it, and it looks impressive on your resume.
All you need is something interesting to say and enough patience and dedication to build traffic and followers. But how do successful bloggers make money? We've interviewed two of them to uncover the secrets of income generation.
Our guide provides a concrete action plan to launch and grow your blog into a profitable small home-based business. What's in this blogging guide?
- How to start a blog
- What to write about
- How to increase your blog's traffic
- How to make money from blogging
- The biggest challenges in income generation
You have two main options when it comes to setting up a blog - you can use a free blogging platform, or you can create your own website. We'll take you through both, highlighting the pros and cons of each.
1. Free Blogging Platforms
Best for: Casual bloggers and those not interested in making money from their blogs.
Pros: Easy to set up and completely free.
Cons: Restrictions on customization, limited video/image uploads, often unable to place ads or use affiliate links, no ability to create a custom URL, and the platform reserves the right to delete your blog.
Many basic systems allow you to create a blog for free, and they are very user-friendly. If you're just looking to blog casually at first, this might be a good fit for you.
However, free blogging platforms can be extremely limited. You'll only be able to customize to a certain extent, and your blog will have storage limits, making it difficult to upload large videos and images.
Another drawback is that your blog's URL will look something like "www.maywil.wordpress.com" with the platform's branding. Most free blogging platforms also don't allow you to place banner ads or affiliate links on your site, which are primary income sources for most bloggers.
If these limitations don't bother you, here's a quick summary of the best free blogging platforms online:
- WordPress.com: This is a basic free blog hosting service that is easy to use. You'll have to tolerate WordPress ads and branding unless you pay a monthly fee, and you can't place ads on your site. There are also limited options for customization and expansion.
- Blogger: Google's free blog hosting service, Blogger, is genuinely easy to use. However, customization and design options are very limited, and there aren't many options if you want to add new features.
- Medium: With Medium, the focus is on writing rather than design. It's used by many journalists, writers, and experts as a great way to share their work with a specific community. You can't run any ads, and creating your personal brand is challenging.
2. Create Your Own Website
Best for: Custom bloggers and those looking to make money from their blogs.
Pros: Full control over design and customization, your custom URL, and the ability to use ads and affiliate links the way you want.
Cons: You'll have to pay - first for your domain name (URL), then for hosting, but we have tips on cheap web hosting.
If you're not particularly tech-savvy, thinking about creating your website might seem very intimidating - but it's actually quite easy, and you can set one up in just 20 minutes.
Owen, the founder of Save the Student, has written a step-by-step guide that's easy to follow, explaining how to start a website.
With your website, you can create a unique personal brand (using your custom URL), and there's no risk of your blog being deleted by the platform - you own the site and have complete control.
WordPress offers a crazy amount of templates or "themes" to choose from - take your time to decide on one that suits your personality and your blog's topic.
Choose something clear and simple, with space for large images and easy-to-read fonts (Comic Sans and Courier fonts are not recommended).
Create Your Website."
How to Choose Your Blogging Topic
Selecting a blog topic can be either the easiest or the most challenging part of starting your blog. The crucial aspect at this stage is choosing a niche where you can establish yourself as an authority. The biggest mistake new bloggers in this crowded blogosphere make is starting a blog without attempting to do something surprising or different.
For instance, if fashion is your preferred niche, instead of combining generic fashion content, consider combining your love for clothing with a strong environmental interest by blogging about environmentally-conscious fashion designers. Here are the best ways to find a topic for your new blog:
1. **Look at Other Blogs:**
- Examine successful blogs. What has worked well, and more importantly, what is missing? Identify gaps in the market.
2. **Use Google:**
- Discover what people are searching for. Utilize Google's suggested search operations and auto-complete to understand popular topics. If people are searching for it, there's a demand.
3. **Search Forums for Common Questions:**
- People turn to forums when they can't find answers elsewhere. What are they asking? What advice are they seeking? This helps identify interests and information gaps.
4. **Follow Current Trends:**
- Stay updated on current media topics. While it's good to choose a lasting topic, tapping into a current trend early allows you to establish yourself as an expert before others.
5. **Explore Different Content Types:**
- Consider creating tutorials, guides, opinions, interviews, or lists. It's not just what you write about but how you present it that sets you apart.
6. **Identify Your Interests and Passion:**
- While all the above are essential, blogging about something you don't care about is futile. Write about something you genuinely care about to avoid boredom and convey genuine enthusiasm.
7. **Check Our Extensive Small Business Ideas List:**
- If you need inspiration, explore our broad list of small business ideas. It might trigger unique ideas for your blog.
### How to Increase Your Blog Traffic
Once you've set up your website, defined your blog's niche, and published your initial posts, the big question is: Where are all the readers? You can't expect people to magically find your blog; you need to promote it. Here are the best and easiest ways to get more readers for your blog:
1. **Promote Your Blog on Social Media:**
- Set up pages/accounts for your blog on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and even LinkedIn. Maintain consistent branding, and use these accounts to share new posts and tag fellow bloggers or influencers who might share your content.
2. **Paid Social Media Advertising:**
- Consider paid ads to reach a wider audience or run contests to gain more likes. Once you have followers, keep them engaged with regular posts, not just new blog posts.
3. **Connect with Other Bloggers:**
- Make yourself known to bloggers who write about similar topics. Despite being competitors, the blogging community is likely to support each other. Many bloggers have a "links" page on their sites linking to friends within the community, helping each other improve search engine optimization.
4. **Engage with News Stories on Your Blog:**
- If something relevant to your niche happens in the news, share your perspective. This is known as "newsjacking" and can give your blog great exposure.
5. **Respond to Story Requests on Your Blog:**
- Be active on social media to express your opinions on relevant hashtags, participate in discussions, and even reach out to journalists who may be looking for expert opinions. This could lead to mentions or features in articles.
### Creating Viral Content
Creating viral content will help you reach a new audience and increase readership. While saying this is easier than doing it, the key to creating viral content is to tap into controversial or widely discussed topics related to your blogging niche. As you can imagine, this often involves covering breaking news, or as mentioned earlier, "newsjacking." Given that this is your expertise, be passionate, opinionated, and well-informed to publish content people want to read, share, and talk about.
How to Make Money Blogging
Once you've created and launched your blog, you can finally start exploring ways to generate income from it. Here are some of the best and easiest ways to make money as a blogger:
1. **Use Affiliate Marketing on Your Blog:**
Implement affiliate marketing by adding tracking affiliate links within your blog content. You earn a small commission each time a reader clicks on a recommended link and makes a purchase. Many online e-commerce sites like Amazon, ASOS, and Apple offer affiliate programs. Consider joining a massive affiliate network like Affiliate Window, where you can promote thousands of well-known brands and services worldwide.
We primarily use affiliate marketing as a key revenue source, despite having Google AdSense for a few extra dollars each month. Affiliate marketing naturally suits many bloggers, as you're always recommending products and services. Numerous companies offer affiliate programs, making it easy to find relevant programs to join and start earning commissions. The key is to be authentic and honest in your affiliate marketing efforts. Write reviews and articles with your genuine opinions and encourage readers to make a purchase only if you believe the product or service is genuinely beneficial to them.
2. **Add Banner Ads to Your Website:**
As a more direct advertising method, you can sell ad space on your blog pages to brands relevant to your readers. Ads can be placed anywhere, but they are commonly found at the top of blog pages or in the sidebar. You can earn income through Cost Per Click (CPC) or Cost Per Mille (CPM), where you negotiate a specific payment for every 1,000 ad impressions. With the rise of AdBlockers, click costs and CPM rates may be lower, but the impact depends on your industry.
3. **Write Sponsored Content and Advertorials:**
According to bloggers we've spoken to, one of the best ways to generate income from a blog is through sponsored content or ads. These are paid articles or blog posts promoting a brand or product. For instance, if Adidas releases a new line of swimwear, and your blog focuses on women's sportswear, they might pay you to write an article about their collection, potentially with affiliate links included.
This income method often works best when you have a strong, niche audience. As your readership grows, brands may reach out to discuss sponsored posts.
4. **Manage Social Media Sponsored Posts:**
If you have a robust presence on social media, you can be highly appealing to brands. Some individuals actually earn their entire income from blogging through promotional posts on social media. You can charge fees for each post or repost, and fees can be surprisingly high.
Building a substantial follower base is crucial. Brands often see your social media following as a "social proof" that your readers will also appreciate what you share on social platforms.
5. **Handle PR-Sponsored Newsletters:**
If you have a strong social media presence, you might attract attention from the press or even brands with their own blogs. If you're an expert in a particular topic, they might approach you to contribute to their website. For instance, if you're knowledgeable about budget cooking, a food magazine may ask you to contribute budget-friendly recipes to their cooking section.
Don't hesitate to pitch your ideas to publications. A quick email introduction can be an excellent way to promote your blog's name.
6. **Collaborate with an Agency to Grow Your Blog:**
Believe it or not, blogging has become so prevalent in the advertising world that there are now agencies exclusively dedicated to promoting bloggers to major brands. Working with an agency can be highly profitable and provide security, but you'll need a significant and engaged follower base.
Agency fees can be incredibly high, meaning only large brands will be able to afford to work with you, and smaller independent brands might shy away.
Depending on the type of blogging you aim for, this could either work in your favor or not – using ethical fashion blogging as an example again, agency fees may prevent you from working with small independent designers you truly want to promote.
**Selling Digital Products on Your Blog:**
If you have skills or advice to offer, another option is charging fees for access to e-books, video lessons, training courses, or workshops. To make this option work, you must demonstrate that you excel in what you do, or that your content has proven to be incredibly valuable. It's not an easy task, as convincing online communities to pay can be challenging due to the prevalent belief that everything online should be free. However, it's worth a try, isn't it?
**Selling Newsletter Ad Space on Your Blog:**
Another option is to charge a brand for advertising space or a mention in your weekly/monthly newsletter (if you have one!). This doesn't take much time to set up, and you can get a reasonable amount in return. However, building an email list of an adequate size is necessary for brands to consider this.
**Attracting Employers as a Blogger:**
Using your blog to promote your own business or even land a job for yourself is another (albeit indirect) way to earn more money through your blog. If you are one of the many students selling things online, your blog is the ideal platform to promote what you have to offer.
You can also use your blog as an online resume – building your credibility, showcasing your skills, and hopefully securing a good job opportunity.
Think of it this way: Your blog is like your small business project. By showing potential employers that you can succeed, you demonstrate entrepreneurial thinking and know how to achieve success through it.
**Major Challenges When Earning Income from Blogging:**
Nothing worthwhile comes without hard work and a few challenges. Don't expect monetizing your blog to happen overnight. Many bloggers earn only a small amount each month after working on their blogs for a while.
To have a chance at making a full-time income through blogging, you must have multiple income streams from a selected range of sources. It takes time and relies on having a decent amount of traffic. The more readers you have, the more attractive you become to advertisers.
Many bloggers decide to monetize early in their blogging journey. Ursula Makowska, a blogger, explained, "I started blogging [...] when I was in college. I decided to monetize my blog because I spent a lot of time and effort creating posts, paying photographers for photos, and I also wanted to become a full-time blogger. I love blogging, and I wanted to follow my passion full time. It brought me happiness."
Another significant challenge bloggers face is competition. Kelle from Kelle’s Space, a lifestyle blog, suggested, "It's a challenge competing with many bloggers in the same position I have for opportunities; working for bloggers is very rare."
The blogging market is full of ambitious bloggers fighting for their spot. However, if you work hard and consistently, it's possible.
Ceri Jones added, "Blogging is a challenge for sure because it requires a lot of commitment and consistency to be able to earn income from it properly. The only thing I regret is not starting earlier. I managed to make my first $500 in my first month of monetizing, and this month I've made just over $2000. I'm now being approached by companies for sponsored posts, so I hope the monthly income continues to increase!"
**Can You Really Make Money Blogging?**
As we've seen, the answer is yes! However, the amount of money you can earn from blogging is variable. This is the nature of blog monetization in the beginning, but over time, bloggers can do exceptionally well.
Making money from a blog takes time and depends on having some traffic. The more readers you have, the more attractive you become to advertisers.
To achieve a decent income from blogging, think about having multiple income streams coming from different sources and through different mediums.