How to make money blogging in 5 easy, practical steps (A simple guide)

You can make money blogging.

Bloggers like Pat Flynn and Michelle Schroeder-Gardner have publicly shared verified income reports showing they earn tens of thousands.

But don’t get excited just yet. Because the bad news is that only 21% of bloggers make between $100 and $1,000/month.

And about 45% earn less than $100/month, while 33% earn $0/month.

These statistics may be discouraging, but they don't tell the entire story. The truth is, bloggers who earn less treat blogging as a hobby.

Or don’t set out to learn how to make money blogging.

If you’re reading this guide, then you’ve already upped your chances. Because I’ll discuss 10 ways you can make money blogging with real-world examples.

I’ll also share how much you can earn with each method and how to get started.

Just keep reading.

TL;DR

• To make money blogging, you can

• 1. Sell digital products
• 2. Do affiliate marketing
• 3. Sell physical products
• 4. Partner with brands and sell sponsored posts
• 5. Propose online services
• 6. Display ads on your website,
• 7. Sell private ad space on your site
• 8. Set up a membership program
• 9. Sell backlink placements
• 10. Start a YouTube channel

• You can also:  
  
  • 1. Organize events
  • 2. Start a podcast
  • 3. Sell newsletters
  • 4. License your content
  • 5. Accept donations
  • 6. Create a job board
  • 7. Organize webinars
  • 8. Sell stock photos or original images
  • 9. Become a brand ambassador
  • 10. Sell your blog

How to make money blogging

To make money blogging, you can:

1. Sell digital products
2. Do affiliate marketing
3. Sell physical products
4. Partner with brands and sell sponsored posts
5. Propose online services
6. Display ads on your website
7. Sell private ad space on your site
8. Set up a membership program
9. Sell backlink placements
10. Start a YouTube channel to make more money

Now, let me show you how.

1. Sell digital products

The most common way to make money blogging is by selling digital products. Before I go deeper, let me share a table with the digital products you can sell and their difficulty level based on my research.

Selling digital products is all about creating something valuable and selling it as many times as possible. For example, if you write an e-book, you can sell it 1,000 times.  

Or you create a Notion template only once, and thousands can download it. Perhaps, if you’re a content creator comfortable with teaching, you can create and sell a course. And people will still buy.

The thing is, with digital products, you get paid over and over. That’s why it is so popular among bloggers.

Freelance bloggers and founders of Create and Go, Alex and Lauren, are a perfect example. In 2022, they made $134,000+ selling blogging courses.

The blogging coach Ana is another example. In her blog posts, she shares her own e-book titled The She Approach To Boosting Your Blog Traffic.

So far, she’s already sold $300 worth of copies.

There’s also Amira Irfan. A business lawyer and blogger. She made money selling her digital products on her blogs.

She made $67,375 selling legal templates and other services.

The Starter Legal Bundle is one of the legal templates Amira sells on her blog.

It costs $297, $497, and $997, respectively.

She also advertises many of her other legal templates. You see that she doesn’t waste any of her chances.

Thrive Themes is a WordPress website builder with lots of blog posts.

While going through one of their articles, I noticed they were pushing their digital product, “Thrive Suite.”

If you click the link, it will take you to their offer page, where the product costs $299/year.

You can understand that they all use their blogs to sell and promote their digital products. It’s really scalable.

If you also consider this option, you may need a platform that allows you to sell digital products. But it should be an all-in-one solution, so you can combine many products as you grow without having to switch platforms.

• Best for: Bloggers with useful knowledge and expertise in very specific niches.

• How much you can make: $200–$10,000+/month

• How to start: Identify a specific problem, create a simple solution, upload to a platform like Easytools, and promote it inside your blog.

2. Do affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is another way to make money blogging. Many believe that it is even one of the easiest ways because you don’t need to create anything.

Beginners will love it since it doesn’t require any experience. You simply:

• Recommend a product
• Share your special link
• Earn a commission when someone buys

Writing this second method reminded me of the blogging coach Ana. She actually made her very first $100 blogging through affiliate marketing after promoting an e-book.

Leanne has a blog called Passive Income Superstars. Before diving into her articles, she explains the affiliate links readers will see throughout the blog.

For instance, she promotes Samantha’s e-book.

She does the same thing with Melissa’s course.

And it continues with Dee’s online store.

Like I said before, whenever you purchase through her special links, she receives a commission.

I came across a blog post from Linda, a full-time blogger, discussing a recipe called The Best Chicken Tinga Tacos.

She mentioned in that post that the recipe was from her friend Melissa’s cookbook and then added an affiliate link.

People who create affiliate links use platforms where they can name their affiliate program, specify the commission, and add the partner’s email address.

Then they track all sales of the affiliate program and the revenue generated.

‍Best for: Beginners who enjoy writing reviews and SEO-focused bloggers

• How much you can make: $300–$8,000 + /month

• How to start: Join affiliate programs, write helpful content, add links naturally, and track what works.

3. Sell physical products

You can also make money blogging by selling physical products. In fact, it can turn your blog into a real business brand.

This is something you can easily do when you’ve already built trust, credibility, and perception of expertise.

In a blog post, Mike Lawson shares the difference between beard oil and beard balm. He first discussed beard oil and added the link to the physical product.

You could see all the different beard oils with their prices.

Then, the same thing with beard balm.

And the physical products followed.

Courtney Buteau shares some physical products for “back-to-school” on her blog. One of them is this back-to-school banner.

She also sells a colourful kids' paint splatter apron.

So, is it possible? Yes. You can also do it.

If you want to sell a physical product, use a platform that allows you to name and upload it.

• Best for: Bloggers with loyal audiences

• How much you can make: $500–$5,000+ /month

• How to start: Choose a product idea, use print-on-demand, set up a store on platforms like Easytools, promote on your blog, and improve based on feedback.

4. Partner with brands and sell sponsored posts

Aside from selling products, you can partner with brands and sell sponsored posts to make money blogging.

This simply means companies pay you to feature their products, services, or brands on your blog. Sometimes, they can even offer you the product in return for a review.

At this point, you’re not just writing regular blog posts. You’re selling access to your audience. Brands will pay not just for traffic, but also for influence.

For example, the content strategist and founder of Side Blogger, Maliha, conducted a product review of Shutterstock. But before she jumped into the review, she marked the blog post as sponsored.

Throughout the article, she’d recommend the platform to readers and add links.

TechCrunch published a blog post a few years ago, “Potential Is No Longer Enough: What Founders Need to Know in 2023.”

It’s clearly stated that it is sponsored and paid content.

There is also Ryan Robinson, who wrote this blog post: “5 Steps to Mastering Project Management for Freelancers (How to Manage Freelance Projects).

In the same blog post, he announced he was partnering with Monday.com (a project management tool).

So, because it’s a partnership, the blogger must find a way to recommend the tool or brand to the audience. That’s what Ryan did in that blog post.

The advantages of sponsored posts are immediate and higher payoffs. You’re likely to receive an upfront payment. Over time, you can still negotiate it as you grow your blog.

But it’s also worth noting that it’s difficult to measure and predict how a sponsored post will perform.

• Best for: Bloggers with consistent traffic (1k+ monthly visitors)

• How much you can make: $200–$1,500+ per post

• How to start: Build content in a specific niche, create a “Work with Me” page, reach out to brands directly, join influencer platforms, start small, then increase your rate.

5. Propose online services

If you’re starting from scratch, one of the fastest ways to make money blogging is to offer online services.

You’re no longer waiting for traffic. You’re using your blog as a portfolio and credibility tool. It becomes proof that:

• You can write
• You understand a topic
• You can solve problems

Kat Boogaard is an example of a freelance writer who showcases her blog as a portfolio.

As an entrepreneur or freelancer with expertise, you can add your services as a way of monetising your blog.

The business lawyer, Amira Irfan, and founder of A Self Guru, adds links to her blog posts so people can book a call with her.

When you click the link, you will see a list of her coaching and legal services.

For instance, she offers 1:1 coaching sessions for business owners who want to form an LLC. The service is priced at $500 an hour.

The business coach John Olivant wrote an article on business strategy and decision-making. Towards the end, he allows readers to book a 1-2-1 session with him.

This will lead you to his three event types: a review, a general 1-2-1, or a 15-minute coaching session.

The examples I shared below should help you understand that if you’re a coach with a blog, you should hurry up and offer your coaching services.

The same is true for all the other services you can offer.

• Best for: Bloggers with skills and expertise

• How much you can make: $500–$5,000+ /month

• How to start: Pick one skill, create a simple service page, add blog posts (portfolio), reach out to customers, deliver results, and get testimonials.

6. Display ads on your website

If you’re looking for a passive way to make money blogging, you should probably consider displaying ads on your website.

This works best when you already have a large amount of traffic. You earn money when people view ads and when they click ads.

The blogger Sophia Lee shared in one of her blog posts that she generated $7,558 in ad revenue through Mediavine.

When reading her blog, you will notice that she heavily relies on ads. For instance, she advertises Fusion Markets.

That’s not all! You will also see ads for Zoho and GoDaddy.

I only recommend this method if you have high traffic.

Say you do, the next step to display ads on your website is to use an ad network like Google AdSense.

You will do the whole setup, and the system will automatically suggest ads based on readers’ interests. The more they see and click, the more you earn.

Another platform is HiltopAds. It also helps create ads and monetize traffic.

• Best for: Bloggers with high and consistent traffic (10k+ monthly)

• How much you can make: $100–$2,000+ /month

• How to start: Build traffic through SEO, apply to an ad network like Google AdSense, place ads on your website, optimize content, and upgrade to better networks later.

7. Sell private ad space on your site

In the previous method, we discussed making money blogging, you’d rely on ad networks to display ads. Now, you can sell ad space on your site.

An ad space is simply a place in your site that you make available for advertising. You can sell those spaces to businesses to promote their products or services.

The most common are:

• Pop-up ads
• Banner ads
• Sidebar ads
• Video ads

They are all ad spaces you can sell. But many factors are taken into account when determining the value of each space: format, visibility, and traffic, to name a few.

Not all websites sell ad spaces, but it could be a great way to generate extra cash while blogging.

If you read “Your Guide to Mental Health Leave,” a blog post published by The Muse, you will notice pop-up, sidebar, and banner ads from different brands all over the screen.

There’s even a video ad that automatically plays.

Publift, an advertising technology company, shared a guide to core web vitals for publishers. In the blog, I could see a sidebar ad.

Still on Publift, they posted a YouTube video explaining how to sell advertising space on your website.

You can check it out below.

If you’re really interested in selling ad spaces, you first need to improve the quality of your content. Share guides, reviews, and blog posts that you know your audience loves, use SEO basics, and optimize your site.

Also, improve the quality of your website design because, whether you like it or not, it influences how long visitors spend on your site.

• Best for: Bloggers with authority sites and steady traffic.

• How much you can make: $200–$10,000+ /month

• How to start: Build niche traffic, create ad spaces, reach out to companies, offer monthly pricing, and track results.

8. Set up a membership program

Another way to make money blogging is to set up a membership program.

It involves transforming part of your content into an exclusive, gated experience, allowing you to monetise your expertise and build a loyal community.

This is what guarantees having a recurring income. In fact, it’s an additional revenue stream worth considering.

Membership programs can include:

• Exclusive content
• Downloads
• Courses
• Webinars
• Private communities
• Facebook groups

The goal is to add more value to a specific group of people while securing a recurring income.

Ramit Sehi does well with it. Aside from blogs, he set up membership programs, such as 6 Figure Consulting, Mental Mastery, and Success Triggers.

To get instant access, you need to make a $29 monthly payment for 12 months.

Pat Flynn, the founder of SPI, wrote a blog post about the holistic goals to avoid burnout. In the post, there is a “Click here” link to his SPI community.

Clicking the link will take you to a page that encourages you to join the community.

The message is clear! Exploring is free, while joining the SPI community costs $99 per month.

Another example is Copyblogger. It’s a content marketing and copywriting company.

It encourages readers to join its academy throughout its blog posts.

You can join the academy for $1 and access all the materials.

However, there is a $49 monthly subscription.

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Some readers may decide to stick a little longer and join your membership programs because they love what you propose.

• Best for: Bloggers with loyal audiences who want a recurring income.

• How much you can make: $300–$3,000+ /month

• How to start: Identify premium content, choose a platform to help you create a membership program, offer clear benefits, promote to readers, and stay consistent.

9. Sell backlink placements

Making money blogging involves another quiet but powerful monetization strategy: selling backlink placements.

To put it simply, you get paid to mention or link to another brand or website inside your blog content. When reading it this way, you may think it is very simple:

• A company pays you
• You add a link to their website
• They benefit from better SEO

Now, here’s the reality.

This method is very different from affiliate links or ads, which, by the way, are public monetization methods.

To use this method, you must be very professional and discreet. The reason is that search engines like Google are against paid links that manipulate search rankings.

In other words, if you openly say “I sell backlinks”, it can:

• Reduce trust in your site
• Hurt your SEO
• Stop serious buyers from working with you

But don’t be scared! Google still understands that buying and selling links is a normal part of the web's advertising and sponsorship economy.

Now, you may be wondering what the best way to make money with this method is.

First, if you have a good Google ranking, real traffic, and a clear niche, you have something companies want.

They will naturally reach out to you, asking if you can mention their brand in one of your articles and, if so, what you want in return. Then you can send them a media kit explaining how much you take.

The other approach is to list your site on platforms where companies actively buy links. Bazoom, for example, is one of them.

Another popular platform is Linkatomic.

On these platforms, you can set the price per link, choose your preferred topics, and accept or reject offers.

But the truth is, selling backlinks can really make you extra cash, especially if you already have a strong blog.

• Best for: Experienced bloggers running high-traffic sites with authority.

• How much you can make: $250–$3,000+ /month

• How to start: Build domain authority, get organic traffic, accept only quality links, set pricing, and avoid spammy practices.

10. Start a YouTube channel to make more money

The last method I will share with you to help you make more money blogging is to start a YouTube channel.

Here’s why a blog and a YouTube channel make a great combination: while some people prefer reading, others prefer watching.

Which means, you’re winning on both sides. But before I go any deeper, you can watch this step-by-step guide to create your YouTube Channel.

Adding videos to your blog makes it interesting. It shifts the attention from a long, boring text (sometimes) to a more fun and engaging one.

Copyblogger, for instance, (the company we discussed earlier) adds YouTube videos to its blog posts.

Ana also uses YouTube a lot on her blog, “The She Approach.” For example, in an article discussing 20 common blogging mistakes, she linked her own YouTube video on the same topic.

In the same article, she added another YouTube video titled “How to start building your email list.”

That’s why it's important to have your own channel. You can also add YouTube videos to your articles, which can significantly boost your traffic.

Now, let’s talk about making money.

There are many ways to make money with a YouTube channel. First, it’s worth noting that YouTube has a list of features to help you earn money.

• Advertising revenue
• Shopping
• YouTube Premium revenue
• Channel memberships
• Super Chat and Super Stickers
• Super Thanks

These are the official ways through which you can earn money on YouTube.

But to enjoy those features, you first need to apply to the YouTube Partner Programme and be accepted.

Watch the video below to learn more about this programme.

Aside from that, there are other strategic ways to make more money with your YouTube channel. You can do so through ads, promotion, and affiliate marketing.

Let’s take the example of Ana in her video, “How to start an email list for your blog.”

In the video, she seems to encourage subscribers to use the MailerLite platform for their email list. At one point, she spent a few minutes talking about the platform.

That’s certainly not for free!

In the video description, you can find all the affiliate links to the resources she mentioned (of course, including MailerLite).

Another thing she does is promote her products and services. You can book a 1:1 call with her and shop for her e-books and courses.

You see that the sky is the limit. There are so many ways to earn money using a YouTube channel. You shouldn’t just rely on the YouTube Partner Programme.

But like Ana, you can do affiliate marketing, ad placement, or even promote your own products and services.

• Best for: Bloggers who love creating content and are comfortable on camera.

• How much you can make: $200–$5,000+ /month

• How to start: Repurpose blog content into videos, keep video simple, upload consistently, link back to blog, monetize with ads + affiliates.

Additional ways to make money blogging

There are many other ways to make money blogging. Here are 10 more methods.

11 . Organize events

If you’ve been running a blog for some time, it’s safe to say you’ve acquired some knowledge. You can organize paid events to make extra cash.

That’s what Problogger does. They organize training days and meet-ups for different levels, from beginners to advanced.

Before people can participate in those events, they have to secure their seats (a nicer way of saying “pay”).

‍12. Start a podcast

Starting a podcast can also be very rewarding. It drives traffic, helps you promote your blog, and can bring in more deals.

Justin and Cody do so well with it. They created The FI Show, a podcast centered around financial independence.

They did not want to just rely on their blog.

13. Sell newsletters

You can monetize your email content by charging subscribers for exclusive content or high-value information.

Stratechery publishes articles every week on technology and media, and their impact on society. The articles are free, but you must be a subscriber to receive three daily updates a week.

To subscribe, you pay $15/month or $150/year.

‍14. License your content

You license your content so that other websites can pay to republish it.

The New York Times Licensing shared a guide on how to properly repost articles.

One thing it says in there is that there should be an agreement in writing. Companies or individuals won’t be able to republish your content under the agreed-upon terms.

‍15. Accept donations

Creating a donation space on your blog can motivate readers to donate.

The blog Wait But Why, for instance, uses the reader support model at the end of every post.

It’s a very simple thing to do. You can use any platform that lets you embed a “Buy me a coffee” widget on your website.

‍16. Create a job board

With a job board on your blog, companies can list jobs there at a fee. The more they post jobs, the more money you make.

On Problogger, for example, there is a job board. Posting a job there starts from $80.

‍17. Organize webinars

You can hold webinars for your members and share valuable knowledge. Anyone who wants to attend must first register and pay.

Pat Flynn regularly hosts webinars accessible only to members. Once again, you pay to attend, which is extra cash.

18. Sell stock photos or original images

That works best if your blog uses original photography(travel, food, lifestyle). You can sell those images on stock platforms like Shutterstock.

19. Become a brand ambassador

When you have a blog that attracts lots of visitors, brands see it as an opportunity to become more visible and, therefore, get more customers.

This reminds me of Aimee Song, the founder of Song of Style, a fashion blog. A few years ago, she served as a brand ambassador for a cosmetics brand for a year.

She was responsible for posting the cosmetics brand content and promoting it on her blog.

20. Sell your blog

You don’t need to own your blog forever. Selling it is also an option. Not because it failed, but simply because you want to make more money.

You can sell your blog on a well-known platform called Flippa. It’s a marketplace for buying and selling blogs.

Start making money blogging online

Quite a journey! After reading this article, it becomes evident that making money blogging is not a myth.

I shared with you so many ways to monetize your blog. Whether you want to sell digital products, do affiliate marketing, partner with brands, propose online services, or even start a YouTube channel.

The options are just endless!

Now get to work and start making money blogging.