How Do You Make Money With a Blog: 25 Proven Ways

So how do you make money with a blog? There are so many different ways, it can be hard to know where to start. Here’s a comprehensive list of 25 ways to make money from blogging.

Making money from blogging is a hot topic. And for good reason – it’s a great way to make some extra cash (or even turn your blog into a full-time career).

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking for some new ideas, we’ve got you covered!

Note: This content is not meant as professional financial advice; please do your own research before starting a blog or making any financial decisions. This content is for informational purposes only.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase. This helps me pay to keep this site going and to bring all these free resources to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

25 ways to make money with a blog

1. Affiliate marketing – promote products and earn a commission for each sale made through your unique affiliate link.

2. Utilize Amazon Associates to earn commissions from product recommendations within blog posts.

3. Include a “donate” button on your blog for readers to support you financially.

4. Sell digital products, such as ebooks or courses.

5. Create and sell printables or other downloadable products (such as planners or coloring pages).

6. Sell pre-recorded training or tutorials.

7. Include sponsored content in your blog posts, with disclosure according to FTC guidelines. 

8. Product reviews.

9. Sell advertising space on your blog.

10. Host paid webinars or virtual events.

11. Sell advertising space on your blog. 

12. Host paid webinars, summits, or virtual events. 

13. Publish a regular newsletter and get a sponsor. 

14. Create a private paid mastermind.

15. Create and sell physical products through a print-on-demand service 

16. Monetize your email list 

17. Offer membership – premium content and access to resources and community on a subscription basis 

18. Accept sponsored posts or collaborations with brands. 

19. Monetize your YouTube channel 

20. Produce a podcast and get a sponsor

21. Host sponsored contests or giveaways

22. Build a community 

23. Revenue share deals

24. Job board

25. Selling your website

How much money can bloggers earn anyway? (With real-life examples)

It may come as a surprise, but there are many bloggers who earn six figures and even seven figures from their blogs.

If you want to achieve a six-figure blogging salary, you have to make more than $8,334 each month (12 months x $8,334 = $100,008). That’s after expenses.

Of course, how much you make will depend on factors such as your niche, how well you market yourself, how much you spend, and how consistently you work on your monetization strategy.

Here are six examples of successful bloggers.

Profitable blogger example #1: Lindsay and Bjork Ostrom

Website: https://pinchofyum.com/

Niche: Food

This hardworking couple went from making no money to $17,000 a month and amassed a huge following while holding down day jobs. They managed to keep the site growing while volunteering in the Philippines for a full year!

Profitable blogger example #2: Corrina Gordon-Barnes

Website: https://corrinagordonbarnes.com/

Niche: Relationship coaching

Corrina is a well-respected coach and mentor, and she successfully grew her business from scratch through regular blogging. In fact, she increased her hourly rate from roughly $40 an hour to over $400 an hour!

Profitable blogger example #3: Sadie Smiley

Website: https://sadiesmiley.com/

Niche: Making money online

Sadie Smiley went going from living in a homeless shelter to making multiple 6 figures working only a couple of hours a day. Her last income report was published in April 2022, showing that she earned $23,228.44 through her multiple income streams. What I like most is that she donated more than $3,000 to the local community (feeding kids, helping set up businesses, etc).

Sadie has a super-engaged free Facebook group, and her Passive Income Pathways courses on blogging, selling digital products, and affiliate marketing are a great place to start your journey to financial independence as a blogger.

Profitable blogger example #4: Rosemarie Groner

Website: https://www.busybudgeter.com/

Niche: Personal Finance

It took her ten months to go from zero to making a full-time income from her profitable blog. Rosemarie makes more than $100K per month, offering personal finance tips on her blog. As she shared in one interview, it took her 2.5 years to achieve this result.

Profitable blogger example #5: Raffaele Di Lallo

Website: https://www.ohiotropics.com/

Niche: house plants

Raffaele makes over six figures per year from his blog content and has been able to leave his day job and work on his blog full-time. Most of his revenue comes from display ads, with a small portion coming from affiliate commissions.

Profitable blogger example #6: Katie Emery

Website: https://katiegoesplatinum.com/

Niche: Helping women transition to natural gray hair

Katie earns most of her $6K/month income through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and advertisements. She was able to achieve this result after two years.

As you can see from these real-life examples, the sky’s the limit – with hard work and dedication, there’s no telling how successful your blog can become.

Now, are you ready for the cold hard reality check?

Most bloggers don’t make a full-time living from blogging.

As Darren Rowse shared on Pro Blogger:

“So of those trying to make money blogging, 10% don’t make anything and 28% are making less than 30 cents per day. A total of 63% make less than $3.50 per day.

Let’s be clear — most bloggers who are attempting to make money are not making a living from blogging.

Having said that, of the 1508 bloggers surveyed 65 (4%) are making over $10,000 per month (over six figures per year) and a further 9% were doing over $1000 per month (which is at least a part-time level of income).”

– Darren Rowse

So does this mean you should give up before starting a blog? Absolutely not.

But it’s important to be realistic and understand that making a living from your blog takes time, hard work, and dedication – just like any other job or business. Don’t give up on your dreams, and continue pushing forward toward success! Who knows, maybe someday you’ll join the ranks of these six-figure bloggers. Good luck!

Related: 30+ Profitable Niche Blog Ideas (and How to Monetize Them!

How long does it take to make money blogging?

Making money blogging can take anywhere from a few months to years, depending on how much effort you put into it and how quickly you see results.

Some bloggers start making small amounts of income within their first six to twelve months, while others may take longer to find success. It’s important to have patience and continue working towards your goals, but also be open to trying new strategies and experimenting with different income streams.

One thing is for sure – the more time and effort you invest in your blog, the sooner you’ll start seeing profits come in. Keep at it! And remember that consistent work pays off in the long run.

To offer another perspective on this, here’s what respected writer Jeff Goins had to say about this topic:

“The reality is making a full-time living online is hard. Not impossible, but hard. This is why they call it “work.” You’re probably not going to make six figures with a blog. Not right away, anyhow. But that’s not to say you can’t make decent money.

I know people who make $20,000-$40,000 (USD) per year, which is nice, but nothing noteworthy. Even Darren Rowse, founder of Problogger.net, said he had to work very, very hard to make $36,000 his first year as a professional blogger, which is hardly stop-the-press kind of news.

In other words, there is no magic bullet. No success-over-night story. And if there is, you shouldn’t count on it. It takes work.

I don’t know about you, but this was a relief to me. I’m not interested in get-rich-quick schemes; I don’t believe they’re the smartest way to accumulate wealth. All the millionaires

who remain millionaires practice something better:

Get rich slow.

If you want to succeed, you should play the long game, also.”

~ Jeff Goins

Related: A framework for slow growth

25 Approaches to make money blogging

I’ve broken down these approaches into four levels based on what I believe are the difficulty level for getting started and the time required to get a decent result. This is a purely subjective ranking based on my experience with these approaches, so results will vary based on your efforts, experience, and abilities.

Level 1: Easy to get started, low time investment required

1. Affiliate marketing

This is where you promote products and earn a commission for each sale made through your unique affiliate link.

Pat Flynn has been blogging since 2018 at SmartPassiveIncome.com and has built over $3 million net worth. Most of his income comes from affiliate marketing.

It’s a common strategy for bloggers because it’s relatively easy to set up, and you can start earning income quickly. It also allows for a wide range of products or services to promote, so you can find something relevant to your audience.

However, it’s important to ensure you’re only promoting products or services that align with your blog’s values and are valuable to your readers. Otherwise, it can be spammy and harm your credibility as a blogger.

2. Utilize Amazon Associates to earn commissions from product recommendations within blog posts.

This is a form of affiliate marketing, but it’s worth calling out here as Amazon has such a large range of products. So, if you frequently talk about or recommend certain products on your blog, joining their associate program can help you earn commissions for each sale made through those recommendations.

Again, ensuring the products align with your blog and offer value to your readers is important. And make sure to disclose that you’re an affiliate for any products or services you recommend (this is a requirement from Amazon to participate in their program anyway).

3. Include a “donate” button on your blog for readers to support you financially.

I don’t see this one being done often, but it’s a great way for readers who appreciate your content to support you financially. Especially if you have a loyal following or offer something valuable, like an online course or eBook, readers may be willing to donate money to show their appreciation and support your work.

Plus, it’s easy to set up with platforms like PayPal and Ko-Fi. This can provide another source of income for your blog, and you never receive it if you never ask, right?

Level 2 – Easy to medium difficulty to start

4. Sell digital products, such as ebooks or courses.

The biggest benefit of selling digital products over recommending affiliate products is that you have full control over the product and how much it sells for. Plus, there’s no limit to how often a digital product can be purchased, so it can continue generating income long after the initial effort of creating the product.

This approach takes more time and effort to create a valuable digital product that will sell, but once it’s created, it can provide a consistent income stream for your blog.

If you have a food blog, you could create an e-book with healthy and delicious recipes; or if you have a personal finance blog, you could create an online course teaching people how to budget and manage their money.

To sell digital products you can set up an online store section on your site or sell through platforms like Shopify and Gumroad.

One example of a digital product that I purchased recently is an online course called “The 2 Hour Writer“. The product contains a series of lessons, some with embedded video, that teaches you how to develop your digital writing skill and build a content ecosystem that grows your audience and helps you sell online. With only around 2 hours of work per day.

I’m still going through the course so I’ll do a proper product review later, but I’ve already received tremendous value from the lessons. It’s practical and the course creator provides real examples from his own work as well as other peoples’ work to aid in the learning. I’ve since implemented a routine to help me produce a high-quality weekly newsletter for my subscribers, and I’ve been getting positive feedback which I’m stoked about.

Additional ideas for digital products include printables, online courses or workshops, and templates. We’ll expand on each of these next.

Related: How to Launch a Successful Online Product With Steph Smith

5. Create and sell printables or other downloadable products (such as planners or coloring pages).

You may be wondering who would want to buy printables or downloadable products, but there’s a huge market for these types of products.

Just think about how often you’ve bought a planner or printable to help organize or decorate your home office. And if you create something valuable and unique, it can sell repeatedly.

Printables related to your blog niche are popular options – for example, if you have a fashion blog, how about creating printable planners for organizing outfits or a budget tracker for shopping?

Not only can you sell these products on your own website through an online shop or plugins such as Gumroad or Easy Digital Downloads, but you can a

Some examples of printables include daily or weekly planners, to-do lists, budgeting sheets, wall art prints, coloring pages for adults, and desk organization templates.

Again, this approach takes effort to create a valuable product that will sell well. But once it’s created and set up for sale on your blog or on a platform like Etsy, it can generate passive income.

6. Sell pre-recorded training or tutorials.

Can you teach somebody how to solve a specific problem, use a specific tool, or learn a specific skill? Then consider creating and selling pre-recorded training or tutorials on your blog.

This can be done through video, audio, a PDF guide, or a combination of the three. And once it’s created, it can continue to generate income for you as people purchase it over time.

Some ideas include how-to guides for DIY projects, how to use certain software or tools, how to start and grow a specific type of blog or business, how to improve skills like writing or photography.

Again, this approach takes effort upfront to create the training material. But once it’s done, it can provide a consistent source of income for your blog. And as you continue creating more training in different areas, you can expand your offerings and income potential even further.

Pro tip: consider offering an affiliate program for any digital products you sell so that others can promote them on their own blogs and social media channels and earn commissions for each sale made through their recommendations. This expands your reach and potential sales even further. Win-win!

7. Include sponsored content in your blog posts, with disclosure according to FTC guidelines.

Sponsored content is when a brand pays you, as the influencer or blogger, to mention their product or service in your blog post. This can be done through an explicitly sponsored post where the brand is featured throughout the post or through subtle mentions and recommendations within your regular content.

It’s important to disclose any sponsored content on your blog according to FTC guidelines. But if you have a loyal following and align with brands that fit well with your audience, sponsored content can provide another source of income for your blog.

So how do you find sponsorships? One approach is to reach out directly to brands that fit well with your niche and audience demographic, letting them know about your blog and pitch potential sponsorship opportunities. You could also join networks made to connect influencers and brands, such as Tapinfluence or Linqia.

Including sponsored content can provide another income stream for your blog, but make sure to only partner with brands that align well with your audience and fit naturally within your content. And remember to always disclose sponsored content according to FTC guidelines.

8. Product reviews.

Product reviews are a great way to provide valuable information to your readers and earn income through affiliate links or sponsored posts.

When reviewing a product, make sure it’s something that fits well with your niche and audience. And always be honest in your review – providing genuine feedback and opinions will help build trust with your readers.

Include affiliate links within your review where applicable – for example, if you’re reviewing a cooking tool, include an affiliate link where readers can purchase the product. Or reach out to the brand being reviewed and pitch a sponsored post opportunity where they provide the product for you to review on your blog.

Pro tip: you can also share this content with your email subscribers or on social media, expanding your reach and potential income even further.

9. Offer done-for-you freelance services, such as writing, graphic design, or social media management.

The freelance or gig economy is rising, and it’s predicted that by 2027, 50% of the US workforce will be freelancers. So it goes without saying that offering freelance services can be a great way to make money from your blog.

Think about how your blog or your skills developed through blogging could translate into freelance services. This could be writing or copywriting for other businesses, graphic design work, social media management, or virtual assistant tasks–endless possibilities.

Include information about your freelance services in your sidebar or create a separate page on your blog. Network with other bloggers and businesses in your niche and let them know about your services. You can also join freelancing platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr to connect with potential clients.

Offering freelance services is a great way to diversify your income streams and a fantastic opportunity to further develop and use your skills.

10. Offer coaching or consulting services.

If you’ve got experience and expertise in a certain area, offering consulting or coaching services can be another great way to monetize your blog.

Do some soul-searching and reflect on how your experiences and skills could translate into consulting or coaching opportunities – this could range from general life or business coaching to specific areas such as blogging, social media marketing, or public speaking.

Consider creating an opt-in freebie related to your area of expertise – for example, a mini e-course on how to start a successful blog – and use it as a lead magnet to grow your email list. Then offer relevant paid services through email marketing campaigns or by creating a separate page on your website.

Offering consulting and coaching services is a great way to make money and a fantastic opportunity to share your experiences and help others.

Related: How Deborah Zahn got started helping other consultants

Level 3 – Medium difficulty to start

11. Sell advertising space on your blog.

Selling advertising space on your blog can be a great way to earn income, but it’s important to make sure you choose the right advertisers.

First, determine how much traffic your blog receives and how that translates into potential ad impressions. This will help you set your advertising rates. Then carefully consider which brands or businesses would be a good fit for your audience – think about how their ads would align with the content and vibe of your blog.

You can sell ad space and banner ads directly through reaching out to potential advertisers or by joining an advertising network such as Google AdSense or Mediavine.

Just remember not to overcrowd your website with too many ads – this could deter readers and impact user experience. Aim for quality over quantity when it comes to advertising on your blog.

12. Host paid webinars, summits, or virtual events.

Online courses aren’t the only way to teach online and make money. Hosting paid webinars or virtual events can also be a fantastic opportunity to share your expertise and make money from your blog.

Think about how you could use your skills, experiences, and knowledge to create valuable content for a webinar or virtual event. This could range from teaching a specific skill or strategy related to your niche, hosting an interview with an industry expert, or even just organizing a fun virtual hangout for your readers.

These types of events can be live or pre-recorded, and you can charge a fee for attendees to participate. You can also offer additional paid bonuses, such as access to a recording of the event or an exclusive Q&A session after the event.

Promote your webinars or events through email marketing campaigns, social media posts, and the relevant pages of your website.

13. Publish a newsletter and get sponsors.

What makes a newsletter different from a blog, and why would someone pay to read or sponsor it? A newsletter typically has a more specific focus and is sent directly to subscribers via email, while a blog can have many different topics and is available for anyone to read on your website.

Think about how you could use your blog to create a unique and valuable newsletter for your audience – this could be weekly musings on the industry or niche, updates on events or new products related to your blogging niche, or even just curated content from around the web that’s relevant to your readers.

Once you’ve built up a solid subscriber base, reach out to potential sponsors who align with the content and vibe of your newsletter. Offer sponsorship packages that include things like ad space in each issue of the newsletter or shoutouts within the content.

Matt Ragland has been able to sell sponsorship spots for his regular newsletter.

You can find examples of popular paid newsletters here and here.

Recommended platforms for starting a paid newsletter: beehiiv and substack.

14. Create a private paid mastermind.

Mastermind groups are a fantastic way for individuals to come together, share experiences, and learn from each other. And you can use your blog as a platform to create and offer paid masterminds for your audience.

Consider how you could facilitate a virtual or in-person group experience that offers valuable content and support for members – this could be through regular meetings, personalized coaching sessions, exclusive access to resources or materials, and more.

You can promote your mastermind on your blog by creating a separate page with all the details about the program and how readers can sign up. You can also mention it in relevant blog posts or email marketing campaigns. Just remember not to oversell – focus on offering value above all else when promoting your mastermind group.

Level 4 – Medium to high difficulty to start

The next few ways to make money with a blog also require some initial investment or work but can potentially generate even more income in the long run.

So if you’re ready to take your blog and income generation efforts to the next level, consider these options.

15. Create and sell physical products through a print-on-demand service

We’ve spoken about digital products, but physical products can also be a great way to monetize your blog. And with print-on-demand services like Printful, Merch by Amazon, or Redbubble, you don’t have to invest in inventory or handle the fulfillment process yourself.

Think about how you could use your blog’s unique voice and aesthetic to create merchandise that appeals to your audience – this could be t-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, or any other type of product.

You can promote these items through posts on social media and even include links in relevant blog posts or email newsletters.

16. Monetize your email list

You can monetize your email list by offering special deals to subscribers, promoting relevant products, and including affiliate links in emails.

So how do you go from people reading your blog to making money from your email list?

First, make sure you have an email opt-in on your blog and offer something of value to entice people to sign up, like a free guide or mini-course related to your niche. Then regularly send out valuable content in your emails – this could be linked to new blog posts, updates on events or promotions, or even just curated industry news that would interest your audience.

Once you’ve built up a solid relationship with subscribers and established yourself as a trusted source of information, start including promotions for relevant products (whether they’re your own or affiliate products) and special deals exclusively for subscribers.

And don’t forget about including affiliate links in emails – if someone clicks through from one of those links and makes a purchase, you can earn a commission.

17. Offer membership – premium content and access to resources and community on a subscription basis

A membership site is another way to offer exclusive, premium content for your audience – and potentially generate a steady stream of recurring income in the process.

Memberships can offer various benefits to members: access to exclusive content such as training or courses, a dedicated community for networking and support, personalized coaching or consulting sessions, and even physical products like swag or how-to kits.

You can promote your membership site through blog posts, social media campaigns, email marketing efforts, and more. And don’t forget to include an opt-in on your blog so readers can easily sign up for updates and information about the membership program.

Some examples of membership communities that have done well are:

• Passive Income Pathways – for newbie bloggers and folks wanting to learn how to create passive income.

• Rachel’s List – job board, resources, and community for freelance writers in Australia.

• Freelance Jungle – community, events, and resources for freelancers in Australia.

• Ness Labs – a learning community with thousands of mindful makers.

• James Schramko’s community (formerly Superfast Business) – community, coaching, and resource for online business owners.

• Dynamite Circle – global events, mastermind groups, and forums for location-independent entrepreneurs.

Level 5 – Difficult to start/advanced strategies

18. Accept sponsored posts or collaborations with brands.

Brand partnerships can be highly profitable for bloggers as long as they align with your niche and audience.

Reach out to relevant brands and pitch how a sponsored post or collaboration could benefit both parties – for the brand, increased exposure to your audience, for you, an opportunity to earn money, and potentially establish a longer-term partnership.

What are sponsors looking for from your blog? A strong, engaged audience, a well-designed website with good aesthetics, and content that aligns with their brand image. Some bloggers report that brands and sponsors typically require a minimum monthly traffic volume of 10,000-100,000 visits before considering a collaboration.

You can also go through a site like Mediavine, they require that your blog traffic is over 25,000 monthly page views to apply.

Ensure the content is high quality, adds value for your readers, and adheres to any advertising disclosure laws in your country. And always disclose that it’s sponsored content in accordance with FTC guidelines.

19. Monetize your YouTube channel

Growing a YouTube channel is a popular path for many creators, but be warned – it’s not as easy as it looks! Building up a strong audience takes time, consistency, and dedication.

A nice way to get eyes on your youtube videos is to embed the videos in your blog posts. This also creates a better user experience for your blog readers.

You can monetize your channel by including affiliate links in video descriptions and creating sponsored videos.

Related: Youtube Content Blueprint with Rob Balasabas

20. Produce a podcast and get a sponsor

Podcasts have grown in popularity in recent years, and can provide another avenue for monetization.

Producing a podcast requires equipment (such as a microphone) and hosting fees, but you can potentially earn income through sponsorships or offering premium content.

As with your blog and social media channels, creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience to attract potential sponsors or premium subscribers is important. You can also consider offering advertising spots within the podcast episodes themselves.

It’s common practice to create a “show notes” page for each podcast episode on your website, where you embed the podcast audio and link to resources mentioned in the episode.

To take this one step further and optimize for search engines, you can transcribe the audio and include it as written content on the show notes page. You can use the podcast episode as a source for an article on a given topic, taking your content strategy one step further. This can also make your podcast more accessible to a wider audience, including those who are hearing impaired.

Related: How to grow your podcast audience ft. Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation

21. Host sponsored contests or giveaways

Contests or giveaways are great for building excitement and engagement with your audience.

Reach out to brands that align with your niche and pitch how a sponsored giveaway could benefit both parties – for the brand, increased exposure to your audience, and an opportunity to earn money and potentially establish a longer-term partnership. This can also generate buzz around new products or services from the sponsor.

Make sure to adhere to any legal guidelines for contests and giveaways in your country, such as clearly stating the terms and conditions and how winners will be selected. You can also consider requiring entrants to follow or subscribe to your blog or social media channels to participate.

Recommended tool for giveaways: Kingsumo

22. Build a community

You can monetize a community through membership fees or sponsored partnerships, but building a successful community takes time and dedication.

Offer your audience valuable content and resources, create guidelines for respectful discussion and engagement, actively moderate the community to ensure a positive experience for all members, and regularly engage with members to foster a strong sense of belonging.

Related: How Building a Community Can Supercharge Your Business with Tara McMullin

23. Revenue share deals

If you get very good at growing and monetizing your blog, do you think other businesses might want your help?

The revenue-sharing model lets you earn based on your performance. It’s also referred to as performance-based deals.

In one way, this can be viewed as combining a done-for-you service with a performance-based twist.

If you want to offer your expertise for revenue sharing, find a business owner whose company is growing and needs your skills to grow further. In return, you get paid a percentage of the revenue as a royalty fee.

24. Job board

Consider creating a job board if your blog is focused on a niche like freelance writing, app development, community management, or web design.

You can charge businesses to post job listings and earn a commission if they successfully hire through your job board. This can also provide value for your audience, as they can access relevant job opportunities in their industry in one place.

Dynamite Jobs was launched in 2017 as a way to connect members of the existing Dynamite Circle community looking for remote roles with other members who ran companies that were hiring.

25. Selling your website

One option you might consider for monetizing your blog is selling it. This can potentially bring in a significant return on investment, especially if your blog has grown to have high traffic and consistent income streams.

Before selling, consider how you will transfer ownership of any products or services offered through the website and how you will ensure a smooth transition for current customers or subscribers. It’s also important to have all necessary legal documents and agreements in place.

You can use a website broker or list your blog for sale on marketplaces like Flippa, Micro Acquire, and Empire Flippers. Alternatively, reach out to potential buyers directly if you know who might be interested in purchasing your website.

How do you make money with a blog – FAQ

Ready to get started making money blogging?

So now that you’ve got a comprehensive list of ways to make money blogging, which one will you try out first?

Remember to always put providing value to your audience first – focus on creating valuable content and building relationships with readers or potential customers before turning to monetization strategies.

Good luck!

(Blog featured Photo by Andrea Piacquadio)