Yes, You Can Actually Make Money Blogging and Here's How
It sounds like a dream job: Blogging lets you share your passions with the world from the comfort of your living room, work flexible hours, and be your own boss. But can you really make a full-time income by blogging? Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, the personal finance blogger behind Making Sense of Cents, proves that it's possible to make six figures: "I earned over $979,000 in 2016 through blogging and I am expecting to grow even further in 2017," she wrote in her annual income report.
Before you quit your day job, though, level your expectations. Michelle's blog took years to build, and her experience is the exception, not the norm. Running a profitable blog takes hard work, dedication, and strong, engaging content. You'll need to know the specific audience you're trying to reach, and be consistent with posting so readers keep coming back.
But the real secret to making money blogging is promoting your content and using your blog to create a brand for yourself. This way you can offer more services to your readers: consulting, speaking gigs, training sessions, products, and maybe even a book down the road. That's where the money is.
Whether you want your blog to be a side hustle, or your full-time money maker, the only way to make it happen is to start writing. Follow these seven steps to create a blog that will bring in the big bucks.
1. Choose a niche.
Since many bloggers say they put in hundreds of hours a week before they even make their first dollar, it's important that you enjoy what you're writing about. And you don't need to be the first person to blog about this topic. "It's almost guaranteed someone else has thought of it before you," writes blogging coach Amy Lynn Andrews. "Don't fret about this, but ask yourself if you have a reasonable chance at making your blog better than all the others in your niche." Even more important is knowing you will have plenty to say on the topic since you'll need a ton of content to keep readers engaged.
2. Set up your blog.
Sure, this step sounds obvious, but the domain name you choose and blogging platform you use are so important! That's because your name is how readers find you, and easy navigation through your stories is why they'll stay on your blog. First, think of a domain name that best explains what you'll be blogging about. This name should be short and memorable, according to bloggers James and Susan of The Savvy Backpacker in their post, How To Start A Blog That Makes Money. "Once you have some names, start plugging them into NameCheap.com to see if the URL is available," they write. After you've found one, choose a web host and buy the domain, then pick a blogging platform, like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix, to work with. The Savvy Backpacker, for example, uses Wordpress because it "has thousands of themes (free and paid) that enable you to easily change the look and feel of your blog."
3. Be active on social media.
As soon as you choose a name for your blog, even before you write that first post, set up accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, and follow your favorite bloggers. Social media is a great way to attract and engage readers, and also make money. In 2015, Danielle Bernstein, the founder of We Wore What, told Harper's Bazaar bloggers can make anywhere from $500 to $5,000 per Instagram post if they have hundreds of thousands of followers. She says that rate can grow to $100,000 a post if they have upwards of 6 million followers. It can feel overwhelming to keep up with posting on your social media accounts, but tools like Hootsuite, Tailwind, and CoSchedule can help you schedule posts across platforms. Then use your social energy to engage with readers.
4. Build a network with other bloggers.
"In order to create a successful blog, you pretty much need to create friendships and connections with other bloggers," writes Melyssa Griffin, a consultant for bloggers and entrepreneurs, in her post How To Grow Your Blog [Like A Boss]. These bloggers can share your content with their readers, and offer support, which is so important since blogging can feel extremely lonely. Seek out bloggers who share your aesthetic, and reach the same audience demographic you do, then brainstorm ideas together. Collaborate on a series and split up the work needed to get brand sponsorships.
5. Track your readership.
Once your blog is live and your network's in place, it's time to track your reach. This information helps you pitch your brand to advertisers, companies for partnerships or sponsorship, and possibly even book agents. Several bloggers suggest adding this information to a media kit on your site. Google Analytics can tell you how many visitors your blog gets and helps measure what the return on investment (ROI) would be for advertisers.
6. Become an affiliate.
Affiliate marketing as the "the first and easiest way" to monetize your blog, writes Money Saving Mom blogger Crystal Paine, the author of Money-Making Mom: How Every Woman Can Earn More and Make a Difference. "You are paid to promote another person's product, coupon, deal, or website," she explains. "It's typically CPA advertising - which means that you only get paid per action. In other words, a reader must take some form of action (purchase something, click through your link and sign up for something, download a coupon or ebook, etc.)."
7. Get advertisers.
You can also use Google Adsense, to allow companies to advertise through links and banners on your blog. "Typically, you'll earn around $1 to $2 per [1,000 page views] with Google Adsense," writes Paine. "That might not seem like a lot, but as you continue to grow your readership, you can see those numbers steadily climb." Once your site has a large enough audience, you can start selling advertising directly to companies and partner with brands for sponsored posts. It all takes a lot of hard work, but once you do it, the money's yours to earn.
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