20 Ways to Monetize Your Blog

The big question on most bloggers mind: “How do I make money with my blog?” Well here’s 20 answers that will hopefully help you solve this important question. 10 of the suggestions were created by David Risley, who boasts an informative blog on monetization. I’ve added an additional 10 ways to help you convert those pageviews to money.

1. Advertising networks

Good news: ad networks are the easiest way of monetization. Bad news: ad networks are the least effective way of monetization. Think about the logic of making money with ad networks. You work so hard to get people to your website, but you only get paid when they leave. That’s no fun at all.

2. Direct advertising sales

You may find it more profitable to attract direct ad sales over ad networks. This will take a bit more time, but the payoff should be worth it. Your daily pageviews will probably need to be in the thousands or tens of thousands before you can approach interested advertisers. Make your offer more appetizing by offering a package deal: promise promotion through e-mail blasts, social network plugs, and a YouTube video review or commercial.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Each sale that was originally referred through your blog will earn you (the affiliate) a commission on any product sold within that business’ catalog. One of the easiest affiliate marketers is Amazon, but again, easiest isn’t necessarily the best route as it might not be niche enough. With HostDime’s affiliate marketing program, you can earn up to $150 with each sale!

4. Info Products

Instead of sending people away from your blog for pennies, find an effective product to sell, which will net you all the revenue. Obviously this is easiest said than done, but the product doesn’t have to be huge.

5. Membership Programs

Pay for info products like paid newsletters, e-Books, and digital magazines are all ways to grab some coin weekly, monthly, and yearly. If you give away enough great free information on your blog, readers may be inclined to pay for even more knowledge.

6. Freelancing / Coaching

Becoming a freelance consultant will get you paid for the time you put in. You also establish expertise and gain recommendations that will help you and your blog in the future. Bonus points if you can score some quality backlinks to your site.

7. E-Commerce

Your blog is not a business, but it can be a great marketing tool and SEO helper. Create an e-commerce store to sell your products.

8. Build and Sell

View your blog as a piece of real estate that can generate one big lump sum. Be willing to have a price, and don’t be afraid to sell. Normally your blog will sell for 2 or 3 times the annual income it brings in. Check out Flippa.com to negotiate a site sale or invest in a website broker if you have a giant site.

9. Events

Webinars are not only a great way to bring in money, but time specific events can also bring great relationships and repeat customers. Webinars and events provide live feedback to your ideas. You can even record your event and turn it into a product later. GoToWebinar is a great do-it-yourself webinar service that can connect you with up to 1,000 people for one flat rate.

10. Combination of 1-9

Obviously not all of the above ideas apply to your blog. Some you will be able to accomplish, some you won’t. The best way of monetization is not putting your eggs in one basket, rather creating multiple streams of income to create a more developed sales funnel.

Follow David Risley on Twitter and thank him for his expertise. If 10 ways are not enough, here’s ten more suggestions that I’ve come up with.

11. Teach a Course on Udemy

If you are an expert on a niche topic, consider teaching online with Udemy. You can charge whatever you want, and you keep 70 percent of revenues and 100 percent of intellectual-property rights to the course. Post your course on your site and link back to Udemy, making addtional money as an affiliate.

12. Create a Podcast

Once you have an audience for your podcast, there are numerous podcasting networks like PodTrac, that will sponsor your podcast. Or go out and grab your own advertisers that fit your niche. Create a paid smartphone app that will play all of your podcasts.

13. Merchandising

Do you have any superfans who would like to rep your blog? Awesome sites like Zazzle and CafePress let you put your website logo on shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

14. RSS Feed Ads

Google Reader will outlive us all. (How wrong I was. RIP Google Reader) There’s a good chance some of your readers never even go to your page. They get all the information they need while staying in their RSS feed. RSS ads give bloggers a way to monetize these feeds. Most readers react to RSS ads the same way as website ads, so keep them small and relevant.

15. Host Polls

Gain opinions from your readers and make money at the same time. Place surveys and polls from certain companies on your blog that will pay you for the privilege of answering their questions.

16. Private Forums

Members of your site pay a fee to see premium content and get access to intimate conversations with you. This may prove difficult, as most online forums are free of charge. Make sure you offer advice and knowledge not seen on other free forums.

17. Sell Your Theme

Do you have a custom theme for your site that you created? Name and sell your theme to admirers. Price the theme according to how advanced the web design is.

18. Interview

Share your knowledge on a new medium like television, radio, or print. Never turn down an interview. If someone wants to take the time to talk to you, you should show respect and grant them that wish. This will get your name and blog recognized by a new group of people.

19. Create a “For Hire” Page

If you are an expert, sell your services on your blog. Create a “For Hire” page to let interested parties know that they can use you to help them out. Occasionally post about current promotions to show you are available for a reasonable fee.

20. “Ain’t to Proud to Begggg”

When all else fails, get on your knees and beg for donations, politely of course. A subtle way would be to add a Paypal button or start a Kickstarter campaign. There’s also “Buy Me a Beer (or Coffee)” plug-ins that will probably convert more than a normal Paypal button.

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Jared S. is HostDime’s Technology Writer. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

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