By Fatunbi Mitchel Oluwasegun Mac/2018/1091
Though blogging has become seriously saturated in 2023, there are still ways to turn it into a lucrative revenue stream. Blogging is a small business idea with the potential to make thousands of dollars per month, whether by driving product sales for your own brand, earning commission from affiliate programs, or creating a space for digital ad sales.
This guide shares how you can make money blogging, with 11 revenue streams used by professional bloggers who earn a full-time income through their websites.
How much money can bloggers earn?
The potential for blogging is virtually unlimited. Well-established bloggers like Ryan Robinson—who runs a blog about blogging—can make upward of $30,000 per month. Adam Enfroy, who started blogging about the business of blogging in 2019 as a side hustle, generated $1.5 million from his blog just two years later.
It’s not just monthly revenue that bloggers can cash in on. Marketplaces like Flippa list blogs for sale, many of which come with hefty six-figure price tags. Bloggers cash in when their creativity project is acquired.
Unfortunately, not every blogger can make millions through their website. The income potential of your blog depends on two factors:
Your niche. Do people spend large sums of money on products in your industry? The software industry, for example, can be lucrative, since many companies pay recurring commission. Bloggers can earn small amounts each month, long after the customer made the purchase. (More on this later.)
Your monetization strategies. Some blog monetization methods are off the table for new bloggers who want to stick to their core values—like not being paid to post content you don’t agree with. This can impact earning potential in the short term.
How to make money blogging: 11 ideas
Looking for a creative side hustle to generate extra income? Whether you’re starting a new blog or growing an existing one, here are 11 ways to make money blogging.
- Choose a profitable niche
A niche is a specific topic within a broad topic, such as vegan recipes. By choosing one for your blog, readers build an association with your site. They know exactly what they’ll get when visiting, improving your chances of being their first port of call when looking for advice.
“Before monetization, it’s all about quality and expertise if you want to stand out,” says Mushfiq, founder of The Website Flip. “First, figure out what your niche is and why you should be writing about that, and make a persona for yourself to be who you are in that topic. Once that happens, you’ll build a following over time. Monetization follows later.”
Raechel Pilner tweets about the poor quality of SEO content
You’ll find bloggers making money in a wide variety of niches, from business software to pet accessories. Though not all niches are good ones.
A profitable blog niche meets three criteria:
It’s something you’re skilled at and/or interested in. Blogs need a lot of consistently high-quality content to build an audience and become monetized. Not only will it be more enjoyable to blog about something you have a genuine interest in, but you’ll increase the likelihood of generating money. It’s easier to stick with a hobby we enjoy.
There’s low competition. Popular blogs, brands, or forums in your niche indicate others are making money in it. Similarly, do a Google search to assess keyword ranking difficulty. It’ll be harder to drive organic traffic if big-name brands (with even bigger marketing budgets) are dominating the first page of search results.
There’s clear monetization potential. Look at monetization opportunities for each niche on your shortlist. Do companies in that niche pay to advertise their products on other blogs? Are there many affiliate programs that sell products in that industry? Both are telltale signs of a profitable blog niche.
- Build an email list
To make money from your blog, you need loyal readers who value your recommendations.
One of the best ways to do this is by building an email list for your own blog. When someone opts in to hear from your blog, you’re given permission to reach readers in one place more sacred than all others: their inbox.
“Email marketing is by far the most lucrative sales channel for me. I don’t even really try to sell directly from other channels anymore, instead directing people from social media, collaborations, and SEO to my email list,” says Brittany Berger, founder of Work Brighter.
Encourage blog visitors to sign up to your mailing list using a pop-up box. The goal is to make anyone visiting for the first time opt in to to hearing from you using an incentive, such as:
Free checklists
Lists of resources or recommended products
Blog content packaged in a PDF (such as printable recipes)
Free checklists
Lists of resources or recommended products
Blog content packaged in a PDF (such as printable recipes)
Once they’ve signed up, continue nurturing that relationship with educational or entertaining content. You’ll build an audience ready to buy products off your recommendations.
Take it from Lily Ugbaja, who initially started her blog FindingBalance.Mom “because I wanted to stay home with my son, do something I love, and still make money.”
It took Lily two weeks to make money from her blog: “I used emails to promote my products and relevant affiliate products with tripwires and Facebook groups. You add lead magnets to your site so people sign up after reading your article. Instead of a success page, you share a one-time offer—a low-end product at a super discounted rate, $7 in my case.”
Despite the blog seeing less than 1,000 monthly page views, Lily says she ended her first month earning over $100, which soon became a few thousand.
You can also charge your email list for access to exclusive content. Many bloggers monetize through monthly subscription fees which grant subscribers access to extra content. You can use a platform like Substack to publish directly to your audience and get paid through subscriptions.