Are you looking to make money with a blog? I do it as a stay at home mom and want to help you do it too! Check out these 10 tips to learn how to make money blogging.
Last week I was tagged in a local mom’s group on Facebook. Someone asked if anyone in the group had been successful making money with a blog. I answered honestly that I make anywhere between $1200-4000 a month depending on the time of year and how much effort I put into it.
While I’m happy with my blog income, I’m constantly comparing myself to my more successful blogger friends. I have several friends who make over $10K a month and I’m acquaintances with one blogger who makes over $100K a month, yes a month. When I compare myself to them I think of myself as small potatoes.
Something wonderful happened after that Facebook post. Local moms started messaging me to find out how they could start making money with a blog too. All of a sudden I realized that I’m not just a “small potatoes” blogger. I’m someone who has figured out how to be an active stay at home mom who also runs a small business. My expertise isn’t just how to monetize a blog, but how to manage and monetize a blog while staying home with small children. If I can do it with 3 kids at home, you can make money blogging too! Whether you want to blog on the side, blog full time, or blog while staying home, my tips will help you make money from your blog.
There are a ton of e-books and e-courses out there that will teach you everything you need to know about blogging. I’d love to find the time to write a course or a book so I could make a little extra money, but the truth is I don’t want to take money away from your family in order to provide for mine. Instead, I’d like to share a lot of my favorite information for free.
The only thing I ask is that if you do decide to start a blog and monetize it, please use the affiliate links in my posts. If you buy something through these links I will make money at no extra charge to you. Another thing I ask is that you share this post on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. Please share this with your friends who want to start a blog. The more people who see this post, the more money I can make at no cost to you. This way you get free information and I get paid to give it to you!
One thing I want to emphasize is that blogging for money is a real job. It’s not as simple as starting a website and randomly writing journal entries. Read on to figure out the ins and outs of blogging for income.
How to Make Money Blogging
Do Your Research
Congrats, you’re already doing this step by reading this blog post! Don’t stop here. Keep reading books, search Pinterest, do some Google searching, take an e-course or two, and join email lists from bloggers who blog about blogging (yes, that is a blogging niche).
I recommend that everyone start by reading How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul by Ruth Soukup. Ruth runs Elite Blog Academy (a course that costs close to $1000). I think it’s a great idea to read her book before deciding to shell out that much money for her course. Bonus: the Kindle version of her book is FREE!
Be aware that most bloggers are trying to sell you something these days. Once you are on a bloggers email list they will probably try to sell you something. I only open emails from two of my favorite bloggers who routinely share blogging tips for free:
Definitely visit their sites and get on their email lists!
Start a Blog
After you do your research and know you’re ready to start a blog, you can actually start one!
Read one of my most popular blog posts to learn how to start a blog: How to Start a Blog on a Budget
Once you have everything set up, you will want to write content that is useful and easy to find. What I mean is that you don’t want to waste your time writing something that no one wants to read. You also don’t want to write something that people can’t find. The internet is a big place. Make your content stand out by following these tips:
- Write blog posts that solve a problem, help the reader, or entertain the reader.
- Research your blog topic to find the best search engine optimization (SEO) keywords.
- Read blog posts that teach you SEO tips.
- Get the premium version of the Yoast plug in for WordPress.
- Make your images stand out by taking great photos or using paid stock photography (I use Deposit Photos and buy a discounted package through AppSumo).
When you post on your blog, make sure to share it with the world! If you aren’t confident enough to share your posts on your own social media accounts, how can you expect others to do the same?
Grow Your Social Media Following & Email List
Once upon a time people visited blogs to find out what their favorite bloggers were doing. Now with social media, no one has to visit your blog to find out what you’ve been doing. It’s important to have a good social media following so you can direct people to your blog.
There is no right or wrong way to do this. I know very successful bloggers who only focus on one social media platform or even just their email lists. Personally, I like social media so I like to work on growing all of my channels. This isn’t always advantageous because it means I’m spread a little thin!
MiloTree is a great way to grow your following. It’s a pop up that reminds readers to follow you on social. Learn more about it here.
Read this post to learn how to grow your social media following: How to Become a Social Media Influencer
Read this post to learn how to monetize your social media following: How to Make Money as a Social Media Influencer
Join Blogging Networks and Influencer Programs that Pay
Once you have started a blog and have a good size following, you will want to apply to blogging networks and influencer programs that pay you for sponsored posts. Here are the ones that I work with:
Join Affiliate Networks
Affiliate network give you links to include in blog posts or social media. When people make a purchase through your link you will get a percentage of that sale at no extra cost to your readers
You can sign up to be an affiliate for some of your favorite stores or websites. Then you can share your favorite products from those specific stores and websites. Some will even email you directly when they have great deals. This means you’re able to share deals with your social media following before they even know about it.
I currently make most of my money through ShareASale by promoting Shutterfly, Cents of Style, Tervis, and used clothing websites.
Here are three of the most popular affiliate programs to help you make money as a social media influencer:
If you want to learn more about affiliate marketing then you should take Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I don’t often recommend buying e-courses but this one completely changed my affiliate game. I’m making twice as much through affiliate links than I did before taking the course!
Sign up for Ad Networks
When you first get started you will want to sign up with Google Ads. It’s the easiest way to make passive income. You get paid per impression which means even if someone is only on your site for one second, you will make money because they saw an ad that Google placed there.
After you get to a certain number of views you can sign up for larger ad networks. Learn more about ad networks here.
Network with Other Bloggers
Working from home can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to! Networking with other bloggers is one of the most satisfying aspects of my job. I’ve made some of my best friends through my blog.
The best way to network is to join blogging groups on Facebook. My favorites are Bloggers Get Social, Blogging with Becky and Paula, Awesome Bloggers, and my own group, Share your Blogging Influence.
These groups allow you to ask questions and share your content.
The groups are also a good place to find out the best blog conferences to attend. Once you start making money it is important to attend conferences so you can network even more. Personally I make it my goal to make money from the conferences. I make sure to network with new sponsors so I can make more money throughout the year. For example, I made $700 from this post through attending BlogHer 17.
You Do You
There are tons of e-courses, e-books, and blog posts out there that promise to share a secret formula for blogging success. I’ll be honest, most of them are scams!
There is no formula for blogging success. The more bloggers I meet, the more I realize that each successful blogger has a different strength that helps them be the most successful blogger in their niche. No one can tell you your unique blogging genius. You have to figure that out on your own through trial and error and be smart enough to find out what works for you.
Some of my blogging friends take every paid blogging job they can get. Others are picky with brands they work with. There are many ways to be successful!
Hustle, Hustle, Hustle
In order to get the most out of blogging you have to hustle. You have to work a lot and you have to constantly be looking for the next opportunity. Yes, companies will contact you for sponsored posts and ads, but the best jobs come from you applying to them or contacting your favorite companies directly. Don’t be afraid to contact your favorite companies and ask what it takes to work with them! Hustle!
Keep Learning
Never stop learning. Social media literally changes daily. The algorithms that allow people to see your posts can change on a whim. Stay up to date with social media news so you can be one step ahead.
Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask more experienced bloggers how to do something.
Always try new things. Two years ago I never would have thought I’d dabble in video, now I make a new video every week and oftentimes get paid for my videos. Keep getting out of your comfort zone!
I like to keep up with new trends by buying discounted creative e-products and services through Creative Market and AppSumo.
Good luck! I know it can seem overwhelming, but I promise it is all worth it when you find a creative career you love.
Please pin the image below to Pinterest if you found it useful!
Thanks for ALL of these GREAT tips!! I took notes & plan to utilize as many as I can.
Yay! Let me know how it goes!
One thing I did when I was still starting up was knowing what my visitors like and dislike about my blog. The feedback helped me a lot in maintaining my blog. Anyways, great post! This is really helpful.
That is a great tip! I felt like it was a lot of trial and error with finding what my audience liked.
I recently started out my own blog, and your post is a very helpful guide with my blogging. Thank you so much for sharing this, very informative!