Note: I may earn money or products from the companies, products, or links mentioned in this post.
I get asked a lot how I make money blogging, and believe it or not there are a lot of different ways. Every person and every blog is different but below are the ways I have found best to make money blogging. I hope that by being transparent with you in showing my 2013 earnings that you can find more ways to make money blogging that are creative and unique!
How to Make Money Blogging:
1. Blog Ads: $523.97
As you can see, blog ads were my number one source of income for 2013. The best way to get more ad purchases on your blog is offer discounts often, promote your sponsors creatively, and make sure you work to promote your own blog as well. More blog views also equals more views for your sponsors! Click here to read more about getting advertisers on your blog: 8 Steps to Advertising on Your Blog.
2. Sponsored Posts: $392.58
Sponsored posts were my second best source of income this past year. Sponsored posts are an awesome way to get the word out about a brand, company, or blog and may include a write-up, a review, or even a giveaway. One of the best ways to make money blogging with sponsored posts is to sign up with websites that help set up bloggers with brands looking for sponsored posts. You can a few see examples of these sites here: 7 Sites to Help You Make More Money With Your Blog.
Another way to get sponsored posts is to offer them on your site. Let everyone know that you offer this option and keep it at a lower price to help with the competition of other bloggers. Show what brands you have worked with in the past and let people know why it would be a great idea for them to do a sponsored post with you. You can see an example of how I offer my sponsored posts on my advertising page.
3. Coaching Packages: $303.82
This was my own unique way of making money on my blog in 2013. I offered (and still do) blog coaching packages and Pinterest coaching packages. Since my blog is successful and I was receiving so many emails asking me for help, I decided to start my own little business in helping others with their blog and social media. I also decided to do Pinterest coaching because of how successful I have been with Pinterest. I have over 9,000 followers and it still goes up each and every day. I love helping others be successful with these areas too!
Find something you are good at. Can you do crafts or sew? Start an etsy shop. Are you good with a particular popular website? Offer your help for a small fee. Find your own unique ways to make money blogging!
4. Virtual Assistance: $181.64
Virtual assistance was something that I have wanted to do for a long time, but getting started kind of happened by accident. One of my blog coaching clients loved my work and asked if I would want to do some virtual assistance work for her. We did a trial run, and I loved it! Now I am offering my assistance to others and am earning money from it too! I started this late in the year so It doesn’t really show how much money I really would have made after a full year, but this kind of work is good money!
Virtual assistance can range from anything from social media and blogging, to answering emails, finding clients, contacting companies, and more! This is something easy you can do from home and it can be fun too. For more info check out this article on How to Become a Virtual Assistant!
5. Sponsored Gift Guide:$141.50
This was another unique way I used to make money blogging. I love supporting small businesses and I decided Christmas would be the perfect time to help them out! I contacted as many small businesses as I could, and asked them if they wanted to be featured on my blog’s Christmas gift guide for a small fee($5.00). It is basically like a small ad in a magazine. Then I worked hard to promote the post and each business as much as I could, You can see an example of the gift guide here: 2013 Small Business Christmas Gift Guide.
6. Google Ad Sense: $136.57
I started kind of late in the year with this, so it really does not show well how much money you can make, but this one is HUGE. I was a little wary about it at first, but once I figured it out it has worked great and I love it! You can sign up for it here: Google Ad Sense.
7. Sponsored Tweets:$50.00
Sponsored tweets are a great way to make a little extra cash. Again, I started this later in the year, so I didn’t make as much as I could have, but I love how easy this is and you can make money by referring others too. Check it all out here: Sponsored Tweets.
8. Amazon Associates:$42.55
I didn’t make as much as I wanted to with the Amazon Associates Program this year, but I am making more money with it than I have in the past. In order to make a substantial amount with this program, you have to think of new and creative ways to get Amazon links on your site. Whether it’s book or product reviews, or your own personal recommendations on different items, coming up with new ways to fit these links in can be hard, but not impossible.
9. E-book:$25.60
Writing and selling an e-book is another great way to make some money. I published mine at the end of 2013 and still have not been paid for all purchases of the book, so the amount above is small. You can write an e-book on just about anything these days and self-publishing is now easy as ever. If you have something to say or would like to compile your best blog posts, consider writing an e-book, you may be surprised at just how much money you can make from it!
10. Sponsored Mentions:$25.00
This was something I did not plan on making money with, but was approached at the end of the year by two different companies asking if I would share their links on my social media profiles in exchange for some money. I decided this was a very easy way to earn some money and now offer this option on my advertising page. Just keep in mind that any mention you make on any social media outlet must be marked with #ad or #advertisem*nt.
11. My Recipe Magic:$9.60
My Recipe Magicis a site full of delicious recipes! You can earn money by uploading your recipes and getting paid for the views that you get. You can also direct traffic back to your site so that people come to your site to view the entire recipe. This is an easy way to make money, but can be a lot of work in order to make a substantial amount. You have to keep up with the links and constantly be posting them on your social media outlets so you get more views. I have over ten different recipes on there and as you can see I did not make a ton of money, but hey, every bit counts!
My total earnings for 2013 on my blog were:$1,869.78.
Not bad. Each year my goal is to beat my own record and make a little more. I love being able to help my family out earning extra cash and I enjoy doing it too.I also received$746.27 worth of products to review on my blog in 2013. If you combine the total amount of the money earned and the products I received it comes to$2,616.05.
For more tips on how to make money blogging or make money online visit my Pinterest board full of ideas and tips: Making Money Online.
How did YOU make money blogging in 2013?
