Making money from blogging is certainly possible but many people don’t know where to start or what their options are. Truth is it’s certainly possible to make money from a blog. A few lucky people have left their 9-to-5 jobs to pursue a career as full-time bloggers.
These days blogging is amongst the most popular online jobs. However, just like any other income source you need to put in lots of time and effort before you reap the benefits.
Opportunities for Making Money from Blogging
Blogs generate money in several ways and the effectiveness of each approach is influenced by the blogger’s competency, niche market, industry trend and more. Notable opportunities include the following:
- Expertise: if you have particular skills and/or qualifications you may have something of a head start. Expert sites like About.com provide a blogging platform for a wide range of topics. Look for the ‘Write for About’ link and you’ll see the current openings. About pay a stipend each month to their bloggers but depending on the success of the blog the potential to earn good money is huge.
- Google Ad Sense: Most bloggers set up their own interest sites. If your site provides good content and is well established you can apply for Goggle to advertise via their blog sites and get paid for it. The ads may be paid through Pay per Click (PPC) or Cost per click (CPC).
- Private Ads: This is similar to Google ads only that is directly comes from the client. There is no ad network or middleman in between. You as a blogger negotiate with the company, small business, or individual.
- Giveaways & Reviews: Bloggers get paid for reviewing or running a survey on behalf of a company. You will ask people reading the blog to give out their opinions.
- Podcast/Newsletter Sponsorships: Bloggers also reach out to sponsors and advertisers via podcast or newsletter. They (sponsors) pay a small fee for using the forum.
- Guest Posts: Bloggers may write a blogpost on behalf of another company or accept to be a guest in their forum. You may choose to write about their product or service, or link their product to your blog. The host or sponsor pays a fee for the service.
- Affiliates: There a many companies who provide ads for placement on your blog. You pick the items most suited to your site and if a sale is made you receive a percentage of the sale. A quick Google search will identify several. Many new bloggers find that Amazon provides a helpful platform with masses of products to choose from.
- Underwritten Posts / Series: Unlike sponsored posts where blogger writes as directed by the sponsor, in underwritten posts, he/she writes what they feel like. The only catch is to include a note that directs the reader to the sponsor’s site or service. For instance “brought to you by….”
- Selling eBooks, digital products (video/music), hosting webinars/e-courses, or workshops, selling apps, themes, plugins, domains, flipping blog sites are some additional approaches you might consider using.
Pros of Blogging
-Be your own boss
-Work from anywhere
-Many avenues of generating income
-Doesn’t require many resources to start
-A good source of passive/residue income
-You don’t have to work from 9-to-7
Cons of Blogging
-Requires lots of self-discipline to start
-Finding clients or advertisers is always a challenge
-Need to constantly keep your audience engaged
-It is a slow and gradual process hence may take you years to realize the benefits
– It can get quite lonely at times