8 Ideas for Monetising Your Blog in 2020
You don’t have to rely on AdSense and Mediavine to make money blogging; there are so many creative and unique ways to monetise your blog. But, this doesn’t mean we should abandon the methods proven to earn passive income, instead we should combine traditional methods with other methods, such as eBooks, virtual workshops, and online courses.
You’ve already completed the five steps to start your blog. Now, you’re ready to monetise.
Let’s talk about 8 different ideas for making money online as a blogger:
Table of Contents
1. Ad Networks
If you want to advertise on your site (and make money from it), Google AdSense is something you can setup yourself without having to meet strict eligibility requirements. However, you’ll still need approval and site traffic before you can start getting paid this way.
I know I just said you don’t have to rely on AdSense to make money, but if you already have traffic coming in, this might be a good method to do in tandem with the other options below, to maximise your income from blogging.
When your blog is gaining traction and driving upwards of 25,000 monthly sessions, you can look towards more profitable and tailored ad networks such as Mediavine and AdThrive.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is another way to bring in passive income as a blogger, and steady income, as you start to grow your site traffic. With affiliate marketing, an online retailer pays commission to you for driving traffic to their site, or generating referrals and sales. Basically, the company understands that you can help them make sales, and they reward you for this.
The easiest way to get started is to register with an affiliate marketing network.
My favourite affiliate marketing networks are Shareasale and AWIN but you can read a more detailed overview in my blog post: “Top 6 Best Affiliate Marketing Networks for Travel Bloggers.”
Affiliate marketing can be a great way for established bloggers to increase the revenue from their blog passively; focus on relevancy and place your banners appropriately to maximise your trust and reward from interested readers.
3. Direct Advertisements
If you’re looking for a more profitable way to make money via ads, try direct advertising. If you can partner with brands and companies, you can make more money than you will with AdSense.
You can reach out to brands you’d like to work with (if you have savvy PR skills) or you can create a page on your website that includes your media kit, which will attract interested companies.
Your media kit should include things like your blog’s mission, target audience, website traffic totals, etc. You’re basically showing how valuable your blog is and how many people you can reach, enticing brands to reach out to you.
4. Paid Reviews/Sponsored Posts
Similar to direct advertising, but more interactive, you can do paid reviews and sponsored posts. You want to make sure though, that you trust the brands you’re working with and stand by the products you’re recommending. You don’t want to dilute your content if it’s not worth your readers’ time.
It’s also important to keep in mind that when partnering with brands, you still can and should give your honest opinion. This is why it’s important to partner with brands you love. You’re already using the products, staying in the accommodation, or consuming the content, and now you’re letting your readers know about it, too.
If a brand approaches you and you’ve never used a product before, make sure you test it out thoroughly before promoting it!
5. Digital products
Another popular method for monetising your blog is selling your own digital products! This includes things like ebooks, blueprints/templates, virtual workshops, and other helpful guides.
eBooks
If you’re blogging in a particular niche, chances are you have valuable insights for how to get started. Consider combining your blog posts into a helpful eBook, which you can then sell to loyal readers.
Blueprints/Templates
Have you noticed that people ask you the same questions again and again in your DMs, Facebook group or in person?
Maybe people ask you how to pitch to clients and start making money online. If this is the case, you can create and sell a “pitching template.” Or a blueprint for how to land clients that starts with building your website and follows the reader through until they hit send on their cold email.
At That Travel Blog, I have my Instagram Hashtags for Travel Bloggers eguide that sells for $19.95, and helps save bloggers time and money with proven hashtags for getting their content noticed on Instagram. This additional income allows me to microfinance entrepreneurs in developing countries. I saw a need that people had—getting content noticed on social media—and found a way to meet that need, ultimately monetising my blog.
Virtual Workshops
If you’re looking to interact with followers and readers, consider a virtual workshop. You get to meet the people supporting your brand, and also teach them valuable skills. It’s a great way to personalize your brand, build your relationship with your audience, and make money.
Some people need more inspiration than just reading an eBook to actually get started. Talking with someone face to face can be the accountability that person needs to get started on their blog or online business. You can be that motivation for someone, and make money at the same time. It’s a win-win!
6. Online courses
The next step—an online course! If you can write an eBook about “becoming a travel blogger” for example, you can probably turn the chapters of this book into course modules. Add some video and interactive content, and you can now market your first online course!
Reading a book can be inspirational and motivational—but a course is more interactive. Creating an online course is more than just making modules. It means creating a community through teaching the material.
This might mean that when someone signs up for your course, they also get one-on-one coaching calls with you once a month, or are sent a link to join a private Facebook group, just for the course! It means they also get downloads like worksheets, templates, and motivational screensaver downloads to keep them focused on finishing the course and implementing that knowledge.
Online courses are becoming a popular way to make money online and are great for again, connecting with your audience. Rather than just responding to a comment on Instagram, you can actually talk with your supporters face-to-face, while helping them build their businesses!
Platforms like Kajabi, Udemy, or Teachable can help you get started building your course, especially if you’re building one for the first time.
If you’re worried about not having enough signups, consider using Facebook or Instagram ads to reach a larger audience. These ads are relatively affordable and the detailed results will help you learn a lot about the audience you attract.
You can also ask trusted influencers and coaches to look through your course to offer you feedback and provide testimonials, which you can then use to advertise the course.
7. Offer online skills-based services
If you’re not looking to teach, you can also use your skills to help other online business owners. This doesn’t mean you have to apply for a remote job! You can offer to ghostwrite for other bloggers, set up and manage their websites, or help them create their online course.
By listing your services on your website, you’re showing that you not only offer helpful articles for readers, but can also help business owners who need your expertise.
Ideas for Skills
- Blogging with SEO
If you’re already monetising your blog or getting a decent amount of site traffic, chances are you know your stuff! So, why not offer your skills to bloggers who are just getting started, or pitch to businesses who should have a blog but don’t?
- SEO Update
Some bloggers know how to write—but they aren’t sure how to optimise their site for search engines. Sometimes their site just needs a quick makeover (that’s where YOU come in.)
- Graphic Design
This can be anything from blog images (for Instagram, Pinterest, the website) to images for a blogging website’s landing page, contact page, etc, that are created using Canva.
- Website Creation/Management
If you’ve created an online platform for your own blog using WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, or any other similar website hosts, chances are there is a business owner out there that could use your skills and help getting started. They might just need you to get their site up and running, or they might need you to manage it on a monthly basis too.
- Competitor Analysis
Every growing company can benefit from learning about their competition. A competitor analysis is a deep dive into the competition’s marketing strategies, content schedules, and audience. With this information, you can help your client understand where they can improve their own offerings, how to attract new customers or a loyal audience, and which mistakes to avoid.
- Help Create Digital Products
If you’re not interested in designing your own online course or eBook, maybe you’d like to help another entrepreneur who does want to do this.
Helping someone else can also give you the confidence to eventually create your own products.
8. Physical products
Lastly, consider selling physical products. This could be things like merch (tshirts, hats, etc.), notebooks, stickers, planners, and more. You just want to make sure you make things that are easy to ship, or partner with a company that can do the shipping for you.
Merch is a great idea if you’ve created a popular or budding lifestyle brand, or have catchy motivational sayings that are specific to your brand. Stickers are a great thing to send out as a “freebie” with any products purchased from your site, or again, can be motivational sayings or mottos you and your readers appreciate.
Physical products require more planning and steps to get into the hands of readers, but if you think you have the right audience, this is another option for monetising your blog.
Are you ready to start making money online, but don’t think you have what it takes? Check out my post “Make Money Online With No Experience” and I’ll convince you otherwise!
4 thoughts on “How to Make Money Blogging”
Great Ideas for bloggers. Amazing Article
Thanks for all of the tips. Super helpful!
Hey,
Great list! I have already started with ads and affiliate marketing. But my end goal is to have an online course and also publish an eBook in the future.
Loved reading this post.
Pooja
hey, been trying to get through via email. drop me a message 🙂