How To Make Money Blogging: Your Ultimate Guide For 2024

In recent times, when everybody looks for solutions on the web, starting a career as a blogger is a profitable business. But you must take into consideration that blogging is not a fast way to earn money as you have to invest your time and energy into your blog before it will start paying. As a blogger, you are to create blog posts containing quality content and post them on your blog. You aim to gain traffic and engagement, which will later be a medium for you to earn as a blogger.

There are some steps you need to take to create and manage a successful blog. Foundeck in this blog present all the steps necessary for creating and managing a profitable blog.

1. Choose a Name and Niche

Before you consider starting a career as a blogger, you must choose your blog name and blog niche. The name of your blog is the first thing readers come across when they open your blog. It should be a name that gives a hint about the niche of the blog and the topics you will be covering. The name could be your name, business name or a collaboration of names and also could be something entirely different.

In choosing your niche, you should try to pick a niche you have knowledge or interest in or something that resonates with your skill or profession.

The niche of your blog is the area, subject, or topic you will be discussing on your blog. Some examples of niches include; travel, food, fashion, lifestyle, photography, and technology. It is also advisable to include a word or two about your niche in the back of your blog. This helps to tell readers the type of content they should expect from the blog.

However, if you are having struggles coming up with a name for your blog, do not panic. This is normal. You just have to sit down and have a proper rethink and give yourself time and you will come up with a good blog name. Take time to reflect on your interests, likes, skills and niche of your blog and this will help you come up with a good name for your blog.

You can choose to change your blog's name anytime you want. This means that your initial blog name might not be your name forever as you can choose to switch the name if you don't like it or in the case of you selling off the blog to someone else and permitting you to make adjustments to your blog anytime.

2. Create an Email List

To be able to earn from your blog, you need a group of loyal readers who trust the content you produce on your blog. One of the most effective ways of building a group of loyal readers is through the creation of an email list for your blog. When someone subscribes to your email list, you gain permission to communicate with them directly in their inbox, which is the place they regularly check and consider personal, thereby helping you communicate with them easily.

Brittany Berger, the founder of Work Brighter, shares her experience: "Email marketing is by far the most lucrative sales channel for me. I don't even really try to sell directly from other channels anymore, instead directing people from social media, collaborations, and SEO to my email list."

To build an email list, you have to encourage your blog's visitors to subscribe by offering something valuable in return. This incentive could be a free checklist, a list of resources of recommended products, you could even add blog content packaged in PDF format, like printable recipes.

Once you have people who have signed up for your email list, you have to nurture this relationship by sending them valuable content either educational or entertaining content. Over time, tig will build a loyal and dedicated audience that trusts your recommendations and is ready to purchase the products you market or endorse.

Lily Ugbaja, who started her blog FindingBalance.Mom illustrates the power of email marketing. She began her blog to stay home with her son while doing something she loved and making money. Remarkably, it took Lily just two weeks to start making money from her blog. She used emails to promote her products and relevant affiliate products, using strategies like tripwires and Facebook groups.

By adding lead magnets to her site, she encouraged people to sign up after reading her articles. Instead of directing them to a success page after signing up, she offered them a one-time deal on a low-priced product, which in her case was $7. Despite having less than 1,000 monthly page views, Lily managed to earn over $100 in her first month, which soon grew to a few thousand dollars.

Also, you can monetize your email list and consistently provide value by providing valuable content for a subscription fee. Most bloggers charge their subscribers a monthly subscription for their email list and this helps to earn extra income. With platforms like Substack, you can easily publish content directly to your audience and get paid through subscriptions. As w

Once you build an email list and consistently share valuable content, you can create a loyal audience ready to support your blog financially.

3. Write Sponsored Product Reviews

Businesses are always seeking positive social proof to show their customers that their products are worth the price. One of the most effective ways for businesses to achieve this is by paying bloggers to write positive product reviews for their products. This is a good method to earn a s a blogger. You can reach out to these brands and write to ask if they need a sponsored product review on your blog. If you already use this product before the request for a sponsored review, then the approach will cost you nothing. You are simply getting paid for sharing your honest review about a particular product you are using.

However, it's important to tread carefully with this monetization strategy. In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Fashion Nova $4.2 million for suppressing negative reviews, which highlighted the importance of transparency and honesty in sponsored content. The FTC has specific guidelines for e-commerce merchants and bloggers to ensure ethical practices in sponsored reviews.

To avoid having any issues in the future and to maintain the integrity of your blog, you should do the following:

Disclose Sponsorship: always make it clear to your audience that you are getting paid to write a review about the product. For example, you can write that you have been paid and may earn a commission if you purchase the product.

Be Honest: be honest I'm writing your reviews so you need to write high bad and good reviews. Honesty builds trust and if you give your viewers both positive and negative reviews, it will help you in building a loyal audience.

4. Sell Advertising Placements

Another way to earn money from your blog is by selling advertising placements. Companies or businesses pay bloggers to advertise their products or services on their vlogs, which is a good way to monetize your blog. There are two primary approaches to this strategy:

Negotiate with companies individually: You can contact these companies directly and offer them advertising space on your blog, always make sure they are companies within your niche. This method, however, requires a good negotiating skill and can be time-consuming, but it has the potential to bring in good revenue if don't do well.

Use an advertising network: if you prefer a less stressful method, you can use platforms like Google AdSense, Mediavine, and Raptive. These platforms handle the billing and placement of ads on your blog. You just need to embed the code on your site and you will get paid based on the address impressions.

Emily Brookes, a blogger at Emily May, finds display ads to be her most successful sales channel. She says, "About 60% of my blog's revenue comes from display ads. Ads make me money consistently each month, even when I haven't published any new content."

To earn from advertising, your main priority should be driving traffic to your website. Ad networks like Google AdSense typically pay per 1000 impressions (CPM), with the average CPM display ads being around $1.25. This implies that the more visitors you have to your website, the more revenue you will generate. Some platforms, however, require a minimum number of views before you can join to earn, but you should always remember that if you invest your time and effort, with time, it will pay off.

Monica Lent, the founder of Not a Nomad Blog, also highlights the importance of traffic for generating revenue through blog advertising. She has successfully made this a significant source of income for her blog.

Afoma Umesi runs her book blog, Reading Middle Grade, as a side project. She explains, "I had no experience and started blogging as a hobby before seriously deciding to monetize the site. I needed something passive, so I chose ads and affiliate links. I don't want to make or sell digital products or services right now and I'm not a huge fan of sponsored posts, so ads were the perfect fit. All I need is traffic."Reading Middle Grade earns between $800 and $1,000 per month, with three-quarters of that income coming from advertising. Afoma advises, "Don't be afraid or ashamed to use ads. They're inconvenient for some users, but if you provide value and use them reasonably, most users barely notice the ads."

Writing sponsored product reviews and selling advertising placements can help you monetize your blog effectively while providing valuable content to your readers.

5. Join an Affiliate Program

Affiliate marketing has been one of the ways bloggers earn money simply by recommending products to their audience. When their readers buy a product from their custom affiliate link, the bigger receives a commission from the original owner of the product.

This method, however, is a very effective way to earn for bloggers because their content can have a great influence on their audience's purchasing decisions. By creating quality and informative content, bloggers can build trust with their audience, making them more likely to purchase a product based on their recommendations.

One advantage of affiliate marketing is that the bloggers do not need to create these products, instead, they form a partnership with existing e-commerce businesses and act as a virtual salesperson for them. This implies that the bloggers do not have to worry about tasks like creating marketing materials, shipping products or handling customer service issues.

To start earning money through affiliate marketing, bloggers can join affiliate programs such as ShareASale or Click Bank. These affiliate platforms offer a variety of affiliate programs in different industries. Bloggers can apply to join these programs, generate their custom links, and track their affiliate revenue through the platform's dashboard.

Bloggers, however, can also explore high-ticket affiliate programs offered by merchants selling expensive products like electronics, jewelry or software. By recommending these products to their audience, bloggers can earn a good commission. For example, Shopify affiliates earn up to 100% commission on the first two payments of any subscription plan.

6. Offering Services

As your audience grows, more people begin to relate your name to the topics you cover in your blog. The association between you and your audience fosters authority, a quality people find out with service providers.

Mushfiq, the founder of the Website Flip, states the significant revenue potential of offering consulting services, particularly in the B2B sector. Consulting however presents a good opportunity to monetize your expertise, especially when your content resonates with your audience.

Services that can complement your blog include consultancy services, graphic design, freelance writing, virtual assistance, and educational lessons or workshops. Make easier the process of scheduling appointments and handling payments using platforms like Acuity and Calendly. Promo your services through your blog, whether through a dedicated landing page, or sidebar ads, to attract new clients and expand your business.

7. Sell Digital Products

Selling digital products alongside your blogging career frees you a better approach to generating income. Unlike service-based businesses, you are not trading your time for money and unlike selling physical products, you don't need to worry about shipping or manufacturing costs. Digital products can be created and once it is created, it can be sold indefinitely through your blog.

Dylan Houlihan, the founder of Swift Salary, chose to diversify his income by adding digital products such as printables. While his revenue numbers haven't skyrocketed, he's proud of the over 800 downloads he's achieved. This demonstrates the potential for success in this avenue.

To determine the type of products that will fit with your blog and be good for your readers, you can consider conducting a reader survey. You can try asking questions like, "What challenges are you facing that our blog isn't addressing?". The feedback from your audience can help you with ideas on digital products such as eBooks, printables, workbooks or online courses.

Benjamin Houy, who has been running the blog French Together for nearly a decade, has succeeded with digital products, particularly a French course that drives 90% of the blog's revenue. He stated that creating a product doesn't require it to be perfect from the start; it simply needs to address a genuine need within your audience.

8. Sell Physical Products

If your blog has a good number of followers, you can consider selling physical products to your audience. Loyal readers often transform into supporters, who are eager to show their support for their favorite influencer while also providing a source of income for your blog.

The print-on-demand business is good for small blogging businesses as it allows for minimal upfront investment. With this approach, there is little to no manufacturing cost and so it helps the bloggers with starting a profitable business. With this type of business, there is no need for excess inventory, storage fees, or large upfront manufacturing expenses.

With platforms like Printfu or Printify, bloggers are enabled to create customisable merchandise, ranging from mugs, and t-shirts to stickers, posters, tote bags and phone cases. Alternatively, bloggers can take a more clear approach to establishing their online store and look at Audi as their initial customer base.

Richard Belton, who has been blogging about maple syrup on his blog Kaiti Ridge for almost eight years, initially relied on Amazon affiliate commissions for income. However, he later changed to a Shopify store to have greater control over his blog's revenue stream.

9. Create a Membership Community

As a blogger, you can consider offering a membership community for your readers, providing them with a VIP experience in exchange for a small fee. These membership communities play an important role in harboring social connections which are increasingly valued in today's world. Research shows that communities not only enhance mental well-being but also tend to encourage increased spending by members who share common values with the brand or blog.

Michael Keenan, who operates a membership community alongside the Peak Freelance blog, talks about the benefits of creating such a program. By offering exclusive content like handbooks, courses, and special offers, as well as providing platforms for interaction like Slack channels, bloggers can establish a consistent revenue stream while adding value for members.

Membership fees can be structured t to be paid on a monthly or yearly basis, with discounts offered to those who want the annual subscriptions. This, however, provides a steady income stream that can be reinvested in developing good and new content and products which help to further enhance the membership experience.

10. Monetize YouTube Videos

You can expand your revenue streams by monetizing YouTube videos is a good option to complement your blog content.

Adding video marketing into your blog strategy can significantly increase affiliate commissions, with research indicating that a high percentage of consumers are persuaded to make purchases after viewing the brand videos. By creating tutorials, reviews or hauls on YouTube, you can use your influence to earn rewards when viewers make purchases based on your recommendations.

You can increase your earnings by considering each piece of content as a foundation for a video script. Record yourself discussing the same topic covered in your blog posts, then you can skillfully edit and upload the video on YouTube. For example, the creator of A Beautiful Mess used this approach by publishing a YouTube video demonstrating how to create built-in shelves, with the video description directing viewers to the corresponding blog posts containing affiliate links to the features and products in the tutorial.

This strategy offers multiple benefits. Firstly, providing a diverse preference for video content alongside written text helps you to reach a wider audience. Secondly, by sharing content on vogue Google and YouTube, which are the most popular search engines, you tend to increase your content's visibility enhancing the chance of potential customers to find you and purchase your affiliate products.

Additionally, your ability to leverage Google's algorithm can further boost visibility since YouTube videos appear on search engines' result pages for relevant questions. An active YouTube channel opens up various money-making opportunities, which include participating in a YouTube partner program. Once you meet the criteria of 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours, bloggers can also monetize their content through advertisements displayed before the videos. This additional income stream will serve as a valuable supplement to blog earnings.

11. Produce a Podcast and Secure Sponsorship

Podcasts have become very popular, with a survey suggesting that over 100 million US citizens will tune in by 2024.

These audio episodes of the podcast serve more than just entertainment during the daily commutes. Research also indicates that a significant portion of listeners of the podcast take action after hearing about products during podcast sponsorship. To be specific, 70% of listeners are inclined to visit a brand's website, while another 67% engage in conversations with friends about the item that was advertised. These statistics make podcasts a good advertising avenue for brands seeking to add their audience reach.

To get your audience's attention, you should consider starting a podcast. It is better to record discussions on topics that are relevant to your niche and share each episode across streaming platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Next, you can try out the sponsorship opportunities by reaching out to brands that are within your niche. Offer space within your podcast episodes, providing companies with an easier way to their audience in exchange for a sponsorship fee. The mutual benefit shared by the arrangement allows brands to increase their visibility while also supporting your podcast financially.

Form Your LLC with Foundeck Today

Foundeck offers a range of fast and efficient online company formation services, allowing you to register a business structure of your choice quickly. To get started, kindly contact us here.