10 Amazing Ways You Can Monetize Your Blog

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I hang out in blogger groups on Facebook quite often (including the Blogging for New Bloggers group!), and there are two things I see a lot of bloggers struggle with the most:

Growing their blog… 

… And monetizing their blog.

Today, I’m not going to dive into the solution for the first issue. You can find excellent guides on Tiny Love Bug here and here already. 

And if I’m being honest, growing and getting traffic is not that hard if you have the right tools. 

Monetizing, on the other hand, it takes some time to nail it and make it sustainable and not just occasional $200 every six months. 

Hear me out:

It’s very easy to earn pennies here and there, but if you’re serious about making money with your blog, you need systems. 

And today, I wanted to show you how to create those systems and start monetizing your blog in ten different ways. 

So, let’s jump in!

How To Monetize Your Blog And Start Making 6-Figures

You know that saying:

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket?

Well, this is so fitting for any business venture, and your blog is no different. 

It’s essential to have multiple ways you’re monetizing your blog. 

While if you’re very new to blogging, you might not want to start with creating only one income source and then expanding, you need to plan in the future and think about different ways you can diversify later. 

Just take a look at ladies here on Tiny Love Bug and Blogging for New Bloggers:

They have multiple ways they’re monetizing their blog and making thousands of dollars a month:

They offer paid products, courses, services and incorporate affiliate marketing. 

They make $20K+ blogging every month.  You can read their last income report here. 

I, personally, have multiple streams of income as well: 

I offer freelance writing and content marketing services, where I overhaul other online entrepreneurs’ blogs, and I have an online shop where I sell my templates.

Diversifying is critical for long term success; don’t ever forget that. 

Now, let’s get to the good part now, shall we?

#1: Offer Freelance Services

The first way you should try to monetize your blog is by providing some skill-based service.

Now, if you’re not sure what I mean by that, here is a list of most popular skill-based freelance services:

• Freelance writing
• Freelance graphic design
• Freelance consulting
• Freelance illustration
• Freelance video editor
• Freelance podcast editor
• Freelance content curator
• Freelance social media manager
• Freelance content marketer
• Freelance digital marketer manager

I personally think this is the easiest way to monetize because you can do this from the first day of your blog launches, you don’t need massive traffic. 

If you intend to sell your freelance services, your blog serves the purpose of being your portfolio, showcasing your skills that you’re selling. 

You’ll have to do a lot of work to get your name out there and get your first few regular clients. 

The best way to do that is by using cold emailing:

Research what companies might need your freelance service, find their emails and start sending cold emails. 

It can be a long and daunting task as many people will either ignore you or say no at first but don’t give up. 

If you are persistent and good at what you offer, you’ll get clients in no time. 

I have a little resource recommendation for you here:

If you’re not sure how to go about getting your first client or you’re not sure how to use cold emailing, I recommend you check out Jorden and her blog.

She used to be a freelance writer and managed to start making $10,000 with freelance writing in less than a year. 

Jorden has tons of free resources and paid courses that teach you everything you need to know about starting out as a freelance writer. 

And if you need help with setting up your freelance agreement to work with client, check out this plug-and-play legal template by Lucrezia of TinyLoveBug and Blogging for New Bloggers. 

#2: Offer Pinterest VA Services

Another great way to monetize your blog is by becoming a Pinterest Virtual Assistant.

If that’s your first time hearing about Pinterest VA, let me quickly explain what that is:

Pinterest VA is a person that offers virtual assistant services for Pinterest management for online entrepreneurs and bloggers. 

I didn’t include it with freelance services because being a virtual assistant is a bit different from being a freelancer. 

If you understand Pinterest and love using it, it might be a great option to monetize your blog. 

I mean, instead of pinning for yourself only, you get to do that for other people, and they pay you!

There are a few ways you can go about starting this hustle:

You can either position yourself as a Pinterest expert and offer more than just VA service. 

For example, you can offer Pinterest audits, business account setup, pin design service, and optimization on top of monthly maintenance. 

Check out Heidi from This Top Life here. She offers a more complex Pinterest VA service, not just monthly maintenance:

However:

If you don’t feel like you know Pinterest that well yet, you can start by only offering the monthly maintenance of your client’s Pinterest accounts, and then add more as you learn more. 

I recommend you take a course on Pinterest before you jump into this venture to get more understanding about Pinterest. 

You can start by taking this free course from TinyLoveBug & Blogging for New Bloggers ladies here. 

Your next step:

Once you take a course or two on Pinterest and being a Pinterest VA, the easiest way to find clients is by finding bloggers and online entrepreneurs who have Pinterest and might need your service. 

Make a list of those bloggers and start reaching out to offering your services. 

It might take you a few clients working for free to build your credibility and get enough data to back up that you’re good at what you do. 

But once you have a few client testimonials, you can start charging money and monetizing your blog. 

#3: Create And Sell An Online Course

The first two ways to monetize your blog are great for beginners who want to make money in the same way before they have decent traffic and audience.  

I also think it’s great to use #1 and #2 to monetize your blog while working on building your audience for your blog. 

And once you have built that audience, you can then start looking at other ways to monetize like #3:

By creating and selling your online course!

Creating online courses and selling them is one of the best ways to monetize your blog, and it can bring in a lot of opportunities.

Just look at Jenna Kutcher, and how selling online courses, she managed to build a 7-figure business and turn herself into a household name in less than ten short years:

Of course, not everyone might want to have a 7-figure business with their blog and online gardening courses, and it’s OK. 

But, if you have a decent audience and expertise in something, you should get to creating a course ASAP!

Quick warning:

I know that it might be tempting to create an online course and put it up on Udemy or Skillshare and call it a day.

Please don’t do it. 

It’s not going to make you a lot of money, and it only works if you’re partnering with Skillshare or Udemy because you’re an expert in your field, which doesn’t happen often. 

Rather than doing it on platforms like that, take the time and set everything up on your website. 

Use Teachable or other online course tools and promote it as a standalone product.

This way, you can charge a more premium price for the information that you’re sharing, and it will be better for your blog in the long run. 

As I’ve mentioned before, if you have expertise in something, you should create a course ASAP!

Ladies from TinyLoveBug and Blogging for New Bloggers have a great course about building a GDPR compliant blog that you can find here. 

They had the expertise and saw the hole in their audience’s needs, so they created an online course. 

Check out  their landing page for the GDPR course with all the information, testimonials, and reviews. 

You should be aiming to create a sales page for your online course as well as it will make sure that people trust your expertise and invest in what you’re selling.

#4: Create And Sell Digital Products

Another great way to monetize your blog is by creating and selling digital products. 

Now, there are different types of digital products you can sell:

• Templates
• Contracts
• Checklists
• Content Calendars
• Printables
• Illustrations
• Planners
• WordPress themes

Here are just a few ideas for what type of products you can create. 

What’s great about this type of monetization way is that it’s very easy to execute, there are no upfront costs (or they’re very minimal), and they’re easy to sell. 

You know, selling an online course needs a whole launch plan, a long sales page, and lots of warming up as they can run up to a few thousand bucks. 

With digital products, the investment is way smaller, so it’s easier to sell it to your audience. 

If you’re not sure how selling digital products would look like (I totally get you, I’ve been there myself!), let me give you a few real-life examples:

Ladies at TinyLoveBug and Blogging for New Bloggers are a great example. One of their income sources is selling digital templates for bloggers. 

They have a legal bundle that includes several different legal templates every blogger needs to have. 

They also offer Privacy Policy Template and Terms Of use Template separately for those who need only one of the templates. 

Because they’re known as bloggers who specialize in making your blog legal, having these low-cost offers is excellent. 

I have an Etsy shop where I sell digital products such as CV templates, business cards, and Pinterest pin templates. 

I’ve just recently launched the shop, and I haven’t been paying too much attention to it, but it’s great to have small additional income each month. 

Digital products of this nature are great if you’re looking to build some passive income. 

There is not a lot of maintenance involved (comparing it with selling an online course), and it can be a great way to start making money with your blog. 

#5: Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the most liked and popular ways of making money with blogging in the blogger community. 

And I agree, it can be a very lucrative way to monetize your blog. 

If you’re not familiar with what affiliate marketing means, let me quickly explain: 

Affiliate marketing is the type of marketing where a brand pays a small commission to influencers and bloggers for promoting their product. 

Bloggers usually have an affiliate link with trackable code, and they always insist that you use their link as once you buy something, they get the commission. 

I think that every blogger should include affiliate links for products that they recommend and generously use themselves. 

It doesn’t cost your audience extra money to purchase through your link, and it can be an easy monthly income for you. 

There are many networks for different bloggers in different niches where you apply to join and then get access to affiliate codes for various brands. 

This way, it’s great to get started; however, the commissions are usually very low. 

So, I generally don’t recommend wasting your time joining those networks and playing with a small commission. 

What I recommend you do instead is find and join affiliate programs for other bloggers created courses and digital products. 

It might take you more time to find bloggers who offer affiliate programs. However, it’s so worth it as they usually offer commissions as high as 50% of the product sale. 

Here are a few options for you:

• TinyLoveBug + Blogging for New Bloggers has an affiliate program that you can find here for their products, and they offer a generous 40% commission on sales. 
• Carly from Mommy on Purpose also has an affiliate program that you can find here. 
• Anna from The She Approach also has an affiliate program that pays 35% commission, and you have multiple products to promote. 

These are just three programs that I know off, but I’m sure there are many more bloggers offering their affiliate programs. 

Quick note:

I understand that this approach to affiliate marketing might be harder for those in a lifestyle or fashion niches.

Your best bet might be to sign up to affiliate networks as not many bloggers in those niches sell their products and have their affiliate programs. 

#6: Offer Coaching Services

Another thing you can do once you’re more established as an expert in your niche is to offer your coaching services to your audience. 

Now, I recommend you start offering to coach only when you’re more established because people will want to see a reason why they should hire you. 

What credentials allow you to charge $50, $100, or even #300 an hour for a coaching session? 

You need to build up your experience before you can coach other people on something. 

Have you managed to build your blog from scratch and make 6-figures from your blog? Then you can be a blogging coach like Anna here. 

Have you built multiple businesses and want to help others do the same? Then, you can be a business coach like Dovile here. 

Of course, you don’t need to be Tony Robbins before you start offering this service, but you need to be ahead of other people at least a few steps for this to work. 

Vanessa Lau is an excellent resource if you want to learn how to grow your blog by offering coaching services. 

She used to be a business coach, and she started from scratch, learning as she went and taking up clients who needed her support. 

This business model helped her skyrocket her blog and Youtube channel, and now she’s teaching other people how to do it right. 

Finally, you need to make sure you have the right coaching agreement in place. Check out this done-for-you coaching agreement template by Lucrezia of Tinylovebug and BloggingForNewBloggers.

#7: Write And Sell An Ebook

Another way you can make money blogging is by writing and selling an ebook. 

It’s a very effective way to monetize as it’s a low-cost product, it’s very easy to self-publish on Amazon, and it builds up your credibility.

It can also be a great way to test waters and see what your audience is interested in before you roll out a more sophisticated offer like an online course. 

Your ebook doesn’t have to be 1000-pages long, and it shouldn’t. 

If you write an ebook that is too complicated and has too much information, people will be overwhelmed and won’t take action.

And you want them to take action as. Otherwise, your content sucks…

What I recommend doing is creating a workbook to go with your ebook. 

This will ensure that people have a way to directly take action and use your advice from an ebook while they’re reading it. 

It encourages them to take action and give you extra points for that. 

Quick note:

While I mentioned that an ebook is usually a low-cost product, it doesn’t have to be. 

If you feel like your ebook is worth more than the average $10-$15, then you can package in a way that makes it more special. 

Blog-Doo founders Lauryn and Erica are great examples of this with their ebook that costs $90.  

It’s one of the most expensive ebooks I’ve personally seen. However, their pricing works with what they’re selling. 

They’re not selling your average blogging ebook. They’re selling THE ebook. 

It includes everything you need to know about being a blogger (from two very successful bloggers), tutorials, resources, and case studies. 

This simple ebook packaging makes it worth the higher than average price and works well with their brands. 

So, if you don’t want to sell a simple, low-cost ebook, you can create something like Blog-Doo ladies have. 

#8: Sponsored Posts

Another easy way to monetize your blog without putting too much effort is by doing sponsored posts. 

It was one of the first ways bloggers were monetizing their blogs back in the day (together with affiliate marketing), and it can be a great way to earn additional income. 

Now there are two ways you can go about this:

#1: You can join blogger networks that connect brands with bloggers and get sponsorships this way.

#2: Or you can create your own media kit and start reaching out to brands yourself. 

Of course, the first way is way easier if you’re a new blogger with a small audience, but the second way will be better for you in the long run. 

If you’re thinking about joining blogger networks, here is the list of the ones that I recommend:

• CLEVER is a great network with opportunities for bloggers and influencers to work with cool brands (check out their case studies).
• Acorn is perfect for bloggers with all types of audiences, and they even work with newbie bloggers.

There are way more networks you can join, but these two are the ones I personally know the best. 

Each network has its own rules of working with bloggers, so you have to always check specific guidelines, and each network has a different acceptance rate as well. 

Don’t get upset if you don’t get accepted into a network the first time you apply, try again when you build up your audience even more. 

Now, if you have a larger audience and want to find better-sponsored post opportunities, you need to create your media kit. 

Your media kit is a file with all the information brands need to know before they decide on whether or not they want to work with you. 

You don’t need to get too fancy, just write your social stats, page views, and what your brand is all about. 

Once you have your media kit, it’s time to reach out to brands that you like and let them know that you’re interested in working with them. 

This process can be hard as it’s basically cold emailing clients when you’re a freelancer, asking to get paid, but it can be very rewarding. 

This way, you build a more personal relationship with brands, which can bring more exciting opportunities as you grow in the future. 

Just make sure you are covered legally and have all the details of your partnership agreed in writing. Most brands will have their contract for you to sign. If they don’t have one, you can use this sponsored post agreement template by Lucrezia of Tinylovebug and BloggingForNewBloggers to protect you legally. 

#9: Blog Ads

Blog ads are one of the most popular ways to monetize, and it’s the first monetization way that bloggers choose to take. 

And yes, registering for Google Ads or other ad networks and placing a few banners on your website can be very easy. 

However, you need to have a lot of traffic coming to your website if you want to earn a lot of money with your ads. 

I think it’s OK to combine the ads together with other monetization ways (like ladies at Tiny Love Bug do), but don’t rely on ad income solely. 

Here are some of the best ad networks to join according to Financial Wolves: 

• Google AdSense
• Mediavine
• Media.net
• ProperllerAds
• Infolinks
• Monumetric
• PopAds
• BidVertiser
• Sovrn

You have quite a few networks to choose from, but as I said, I wouldn’t rely on ad income alone as it’s never guaranteed. 

If you decide to have ads on your blog, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Too many ads can slow your website and make it hard for people to read your blog.
• Too many pop-up ads can ruin your user experience, and people will leave your site. 

So, don’t go nuts with your ad placement. 

Think about your audience and their user experience as there is nothing more annoying than not being able to use the website properly because of too many ads. 

#10: Host A Mastermind/Retreat

The last way to monetize your blog is to host a mastermind. 

Boy, oh boy, that sounds fancy, doesn’t it?

Yes, hosting a mastermind might sound very Tony Robbins, but it’s a great way to monetize your blog and build a community. 

Alice Benham is an excellent example of a blogger who is organizing retreats for her audience. 

It’s an excellent way for her to bring in a lot of women entrepreneurs who all have similar struggles and experiences and help them with their business journeys.

It also cultivates the community for her, so people recommend her retreats to their friends after having a great experience. 

Now, organizing in-person retreats with many people can be very hard and not for everyone. 

It also requires time and money to organize them accurately, so I get that it might not be for everyone. 

However, if you like the idea of organizing a mastermind, but you don’t have the means or organizational skills, you can do one online. 

Thank god for the internet connection and Zoom, right?!

But really, an online mastermind can be a great way to monetize your blog without hustling with the logistics of organizing the event. 

Marisa Corcoran has an online mastermind she’s running right now, where she has multiple people talking about different topics relevant for her audience. 

This mastermind is free while it’s happening; however, you need to pay for it if you want to access the recording later, and I think it’s genius. 

Marisa also has a Facebook group where she hosts the social part of this mastermind by communicating with people who are inside the mastermind. 

This example is an excellent way of organizing a mastermind that is effective, allows you to monetize your blog, and builds a closer relationship with your audience. 

Final Thoughts

Congrats, you’ve made it till the end!

It was a long post, I know, but I hope that you’ve found some new ideas of how you can monetize your blog and start calling yourself a full-time blogger.

I’ll repeat myself, I’m sorry, but I feel like I have to:

When it comes to your blog monetization, don’t rely on only one income source and try to diversify as soon as possible. 

Blogging is essentially a business, and with business, you need to be very smart if you want to make a lot of money and have the security we all crave so much.