Blogs are super popular these days. Heck, if you’re reading this blog I’m sure you already know that. What you may not know, is that blogging can be a great way to earn some extra money on the side or even as a full-time career.
Yes, you read that right. I personally know many bloggers who support themselves full time off their blog income. I have a blog as well that only earns a part-time income right now but it’s been crucial in helping me pay off my debt and improve my finances.
Don’t get me wrong, making your blog profitable doesn’t happen over night and it’s not a side hustle that’s recommended for anyone who’s looking to earn extra money quickly.
However, blogging can be a great long-term extra income strategy because it takes some time to build up your blog. It can also be great if you’re looking to earn passive income in the future too.
If you’ve already started a blog or are thinking about starting a blog, here are 6 things you need to focus on in order to make it profitable.
1. Create Quality Content
Content is key when it comes to making your blog profitable. You want to be able to engage with people and educate and entertain them with your blog content. Quality content will keep readers coming back and help you monetize.
You also need to realize that Google likes longer posts, so aim for blog posts that are 1,000+ words. Also, don’t forget to add in imagery to make the posts easier to read and follow. Use 2-3 images per blog posts and you should even consider creating custom images for social media as well which could be included in the 2-3 images.
I use license free images or pay for stock photos and edit them for free with Canva.
and purchase my photos on Etsy (do a search for stock photos). Join Group Boards on Pinterest and create your own boards (one for your blog and more general ones that are still in your niche). Use Tailwind to schedule your posts on Pinterest.
2. Market Your Blog
Many bloggers can agree that 20% of their time is best spent writing content while 80% of their time is best spent promoting it. Be sure to market and promote your blog daily. You can do this with the help of social media
Pinterest is my second biggest source of traffic (right after Google search), but I still rely on other social media platforms to share my posts including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and StumbleUpon.
Be sure to share your posts multiple times to maximum exposure and create quality images that will capture people’s attention. I actually hire someone to create my images for me and I spend about $5 per image. It’s money well spent because with high-quality images, it’s easier to promote my content and increase my audience. The Small Business Blog has found amazing ways to market themselves on social media.
3. Build Your Email List
This is a step you should focus on as soon as you start your blog, even if you don’t have a lot of readers. I failed to build my email list immediately and I really regretted it after I was more than a year into blogging.
If you want your blog to be profitable, it’s crucial that you have an email list and send regular emails to them. Every subscriber on your email list can be worth $1-$2+ in revenue per month if you do a good job with marketing your blog and appealing to your reader’s needs.
To cash in on this, pick an email service provider then add forms to your site asking people to sign up to receive your emails. You may want to offer a freebie or some incentive in order to get them to sign up for free bonus content, a coaching call/session, an ebook, a checklist, etc.
4. Consider Affiliate Marketing
Once you’ve established your email list, it will be easier to earn money from affiliate marketing through newsletters and on your blog. Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to earn money blogging because the sky can be the limit.
For example, Amazon Affiliates, allows you to recommend products on Amazon and if someone makes a purchase after clicking your link, you will get a commission. With affiliate marketing, you can refer your audience to products and services you’ve used and truly believe in. You’ll receive a trackable link that’s only unique to you.
When someone clicks on your link and makes a purchase, you’ll get paid a commission. Some affiliate commissions are ongoing as well so if you sign someone up for a monthly service, you could receive a payment each month based on that one sale.
I’d recommend going through your most popular blog posts and inserting relevant affiliate links into them for products and service you like and would truly recommend to a close family member if it came down to it.
If you don’t have a ton of posts yet, ask your audience what their interests are and sign up for a few relevant affiliate programs that you believe in. Then promote them in blog posts, on social media, in video content, and in email newsletters.
5. Create a Product
Finally, you might want to create your own product to increase your blog’s profitability. Digital products are all the craze right now and I love them because you can generate semi-passive income by creating one digital/downloadable product that you can sell over and over again.
I created a mini-course earlier this year and a downloadable wedding guide last year. Even though the products are not super pricey, it’s still nice when I bring in some extra income from sales each month without having to do much on my end.
If you want to create a product for your blog, first build up your blog’s audience using the steps above. Then brainstorm an idea for a product. If you have some people on your email list, ask them what they’d be interested in.
You can create a digital course, an ebook, detailed checklist, video course, or even a subscription service.
Following these 5 steps will definitely help you make your blog more profitable over time. Remember, earning money from blogging takes time so be sure to remain patient and keep putting in a consistent effort.
Have you ever thought about making money blogging?
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Chonce is a freelance writer who’s obsessed with frugality and passionate about helping others increase their savings rate, eliminate debt, and work toward financial stability. She chronicles her journey to becoming debt-free on her blog, mydebtepiphany.com.
