As a blog owner, you have a platform to make money. Sure, some bloggers might not be interested in that because they treat their website as a way to connect with an audience and express themselves through writing.
Then again, it is no secret that many bloggers are pursuing ways to make money, and it comes down to what methods one uses. For the most part, bloggers try to incorporate multiple monetization methods to maximize their profits. However, going overboard can have a negative impact. If a blog focuses too much on monetizing rather than content quality, it does not take too long before even the most loyal readers stop visiting the website. Thus, it is necessary to find the right balance.
With that out of the way, let’s cover some of the most popular blog monetization methods and how you can include them to your blog.
Custom Merchandise
Custom merchandise is a popular monetization method among different content creators. Streamers on Twitch TV and YouTubers often promote their own merchandise to an audience by redirecting them to a marketplace selling the merchandise.
From cool fashion hoodies and t-shirts to face masks and pillows, the product range for custom merchandise is wide, meaning that you do not have to focus entirely on one or two types of merchandise.
Your blog should have social media pages. Start by advertising custom merchandise there. If there are other platforms that you can utilize for marketing, do that as well.
There should be a section on your blog that visitors can click on to get redirected to the merchandise store. However, do not make the merchandise store stand out too much because visitors will get the wrong idea. Instead of a blogger, they will treat you as someone who wishes to promote and sell merchandise.
Ad Networks
Running ads on a blog does not feel that attractive these days. For one, many people who surf the net are running ad blockers on their internet browsers, and these blockers make ads obsolete.
In addition, ads slow down the overall website performance, which is obviously a negative you want to avoid.
With that said, there are still plenty of blogs that rely on ads, even if the ads are not a primary source of income. So long as you can find a good ad network and not clog your blog with ads, you should still be able to make some money from the ads. After all, not all your blog readers will have ad blockers enabled.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding platforms offer a different approach to monetizing your content. Instead of burdening your website with various advertisements and unrelated links, you can leave everything in the hands of your audience.
Fans can pledge their money on Patreon. But then again, persuading them to just give you money might be a challenge. You will need to come up with some perks, such as early access to new articles. Nevertheless, you can still try and see how it goes.
Affiliate Links
Joining Amazon’s affiliate program or another affiliate site gives you access to landing pages you can redirect your readers to. If your blog reader clicks on an affiliate link and completes a call to action (purchasing, downloading, watching), you get a commission.
The tricky thing with affiliate marketing on blogs is that you might struggle to insert affiliate links without clogging the content. If the promotional offers become too obvious, they will backfire, similar to how it is with regular ads on the website.
If you pick affiliate marketing as an option, be smart. There is only so much creativity you can accomplish on a blog when it comes to affiliate links.
Digital Products
Ebooks, webinars, and various video tutorials are some of the best examples of digital goods that you can promote on your blog.
The question is whether you want to create these digital products yourself or have someone else do it for you. With the latter option, you will need to find the right person and check the content thoroughly. Meanwhile, taking on the task yourself means investing time.
Regardless of the option, you want to make sure that digital products promoted on your blog are high-quality. Otherwise, you risk damaging your reputation.
Guest Posts and Links
Offering guest posts and link insertions on your blog is the final method to mention. You can invite brands and individuals that are interested in building links.
Charging for a link insertion into an already published article is pretty simple. With guest posts, though, you want to make sure that there is no plagiarism. Not to mention the overall quality of a guest post. Do not excuse lackluster writing if it jeopardizes your blog’s quality, even if you are receiving money.
