Starting a blog can be a great way to share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with the world. But did you know that it can also be a way to make money? There are a number of proven ways to make money with your small blog.
With the right monetization strategies, even a small blog can generate significant revenue.
I will explain several ways to monetize your small blog, including affiliate marketing, sponsored posts and brand deals, advertising, and selling products and services.
Can a small Blog make money?
Yes, even small blogs can make significant money. The size of your blog doesn’t have to be a barrier to making money. In fact, small blogs can be especially profitable because they are more focused and niche specific.
This can make it easier to attract a dedicated audience, which can be more valuable to advertisers and brands. Additionally, small blogs often have lower overhead costs, making it easier to turn a profit.
How much money does a small blog make?
When monetized correctly, a small blog can make anywhere from $10-$200 per 1,000 pageviews it receives. Meaning if the blog gets 10,000 pageviews a month it will bring in between $100 – $2,000 a month.
Getting Started Making Money with your Small Blog
Many bloggers start their blogs as a hobby, not realizing that they can make money from it.
The truth is, small blogs can be just as profitable as larger ones, especially if you’re strategic about monetization. There are many ways to monetize a small blog, and different strategies will work better for different niches and audiences.
Let’s get into your money making options.
Monetizing a small blog
There are many ways to monetize a small blog. Let’s check some of those ways out!
You can do these in any order, but the order I have them here is most likely the best way to start (if starting from 0).
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a way to make money by promoting other people’s products and earning a commission for every sale made through your unique referral link.
It’s an excellent way to monetize your small blog because it requires no upfront investment and can generate a significant income stream when people use your link to purchase products or services.
How affiliate marketing works for a blog
The basics of affiliate marketing on your blog go as follows: You write a blog post with great information that actually helps the reader, and you add in relevant links to products or services that will actually benefit the reader. Do not just riddle blog posts with affiliate links for the sake of having them.
Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts.
You can also put affiliate links on other pages in your blog, and just have them there forever, for example on my homepage when you look at the bottom, I update and promote my current favorite investing and budgeting apps.
As an affiliate, you promote a product or service through your blog and earn a commission for every sale made through your unique referral link.
The commission percentage varies depending on the product or service, but it can be as high as 75%.
Finding affiliate programs for your small blog
There are many affiliate programs available, and finding the right ones for your blog can be a bit overwhelming. One of the best places to start is with companies that you already use and love.
Many companies have affiliate programs, and you can usually find information about them on the company’s website. Another great place to find affiliate programs is through affiliate networks such as Commission Junction, Shareasale, and Clickbank.
These networks act as intermediaries between merchants and affiliates, making it easier to find and join affiliate programs.
How to succeed with affiliate marketing even if your blog is small?
To be successful with affiliate marketing on your small blog, you need to be strategic about the products and services you promote. It’s important to choose products that are relevant to your niche and audience and to be transparent about your affiliations.
Additionally, you need to have a good understanding of your audience and be able to effectively communicate the value of the products or services you’re promoting.
Sponsored Posts and Brand Deals
Another way to monetize your small blog is through sponsored posts and brand deals. These are posts or articles on your blog that are paid for by a brand or advertiser. They can be a great way to generate revenue, but it’s important to disclose these relationships to your readers.
How sponsorship and brand deals work for a small blog
Sponsored posts and brand deals are a type of advertising where a brand pays you to create content that promotes their product or service on your blog.
This can include writing a review of a product, creating a tutorial using a product, or sharing a discount code with your readers.
The compensation for sponsored posts and brand deals can vary, but it can include cash payments, free products, or a combination of both.
How to find and negotiate with brands
Finding and negotiating with brands can be one of the most challenging aspects of monetizing your small blog.
However, there are a few ways to increase your chances of success. One way is to reach out to brands that you already use and love.
Many brands are open to working with influencers and bloggers, and a personal recommendation can go a long way. You can also use influencer marketing platforms such as AspireIQ, Influencer.co, and Upfluence to connect with brands.
How to disclose sponsored content on your blog
It’s important to be transparent about sponsored content on your blog. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that influencers and bloggers disclose any sponsored content or affiliate links.
The easiest way to do this is by including a disclaimer at the beginning of sponsored posts, such as “This post is sponsored by [Brand].” Additionally, you should always use hashtags such as #ad and #sponsored to indicate sponsored content on social media.
Display Advertising
Another way to monetize your small blog is through display ads.
How display ads work on a small blog
Display ads are basically just the banner and sidebar ads you see on most websites. You sign up to an ad network, link them to your blog and easily pick and choose which posts and pages will show display ads.
How to set up and manage display advertising on your blog
Setting up and managing advertising on your blog can be a bit overwhelming, but there are a few tools that can help.
One popular option is Google AdSense for new blogs, which allows you to place ads on your blog and earn money for every view, but AdSense pay is quite low.
My favorite option for smaller blogs is Ezoic, they pay multitudes higher than google and you don’t need significant traffic to be approved.
Tips for maximizing display advertising revenue?
To maximize advertising revenue on your small blog, it’s important to choose the right articles to put display ads on. My best tip would be to choose high information posts that get a lot of traffic, and don’t have much room for affiliate links.
Selling Digital Products and Services
Another way to monetize your small blog is by selling your own products and services. This can include creating and selling e-books, courses, and consulting services.
How to use your small blog to sell products and services?
Your blog can be a great platform to promote and sell your own products and services. You can use your blog to build an email list, create a landing page, and promote your products and services through social media and on your blog.
There are several ways to use your blog to sell products and services. One popular method is to use your blog to build an email list, which you can then use to promote your products and services.
Another option is to create a landing page on your blog specifically for your products and services, and promote that page through social media and other channels. You can also use your blog to offer consulting services and create a paid membership area for premium content.
Tips for creating and promoting your own products and services
To be successful in selling your own products and services, it’s important to have a clear understanding of your target market and to create products and services that meet their needs.
Additionally, you should focus on building a strong brand, creating valuable content and positioning yourself as an expert in your niche.
Monetizing your small blog
Monetizing a small blog can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. By exploring different monetization options and experimenting with different strategies, you can find the best way to make money with your small blog.
Remember to be strategic about the products and services you promote, be transparent about sponsored content and affiliate links, and focus on providing value to your readers. With the right approach, you can turn your small blog into a profitable business.
All in all, starting a blog and making money from it is a long haul. Take it from me, you cannot be an overnight success with blogging, but you can make a great income if you stick to it and stay consistent.
