How to Make Money Blogging - Turn Your Blog into a Career (2024)

Last Updated on June 23, 2020 by ellduclos

If you’re reading this, you are probably a blogger wondering how to make money blogging. I asked my Boss Girl Blogger members what they struggle with the most when it comes to making money blogging. Now I am here to answer and hopefully help you make more money blogging this year!

If you are new here, let me tell you a little bit about my journey. I started my first blog ellduclos back in April 2017. When I first started my blog I did it as a way to escape my reality. As a college drop out and a full time waitress at the time, I was STRUGGLING. Most months I could barely afford all of my bills and somedays I would eat one meal (the free meal I got from my job) I am not sharing this with you to make you feel bad, but I am sharing it with you to let you know it is possible to get out of a situation that you feel stuck in. I hated my job. It made me exhausted, I dealt with some of the worst kinds of people and I reached my breaking point plenty of times before. You can read about my lowest point here.

During one of my biggest breakdowns I called my mom and told her “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” I had one of my worst days and I didn’t feel hopeful. People would tell me all the time to apply to different jobs, and I DID! Not once did I hear back from any of the jobs I applied to. That’s when my mom told me, “You know Lauren, you love to write. Write a book!” I nearly laughed at her. Me write a successful book? YEAH RIGHT.

I took her advice in a different sense. I remember being a HUGE Pinterest addict at the time. You know, I would sit there for hours pinning out my “dream life”. That’s when I stumbled upon a pin that said “How to start a money making blog.” This really caught my eye. Other pins would say that it was possible to make money on Pinterest. I thought to myself, Yes please, give me any kind of extra income! Back in 2017 I told my boyfriend that one day i’d be working from home and making money from Pinterest. He laughed but he didn’t doubt me.

It was in that moment I decided to dedicate my time to creating a money making blog. Most days I spent working 12 hour shifts just to come home and stay up until 3-4am to work on my blog. 6 months into my blogging journey I was making $1,500 a month. THEN one year later I was making more money a month than I did at my waitress job. I was so nervous to take that leap of faith and quit my full time job but I finally did January 2019. So let this message give you hope. It is possible to turn your blog into a full time job, but it takes dedication, consistent strategy, and passion.

Now you might be wondering, OKAY ELL – give us the tips! Have no fear, I am about to break it all down for you!

Disclaimer: Affiliate links are used and you can read my full disclosure policy here.

A few things to keep in mind:

Everyone’s path is different: Let’s face it, we aren’t all going to make money blogging at the same pace and that’s okay. Just because someone started making money within 6 months doesn’t mean it will happen the exact same way for you. Don’t let that discourage you.
In order to make money blogging you need to be willing to learn. Take in all the tips and figure out which strategies work best for YOU. Don’t just brush something off because it’s “too difficult!” The excuses will hold you back.
What works for one person might not work for the next. There are so many tips and tricks out there, not all will necessarily work for you but it doesn’t mean they are wrong. Keep trying. Don’t give up on any strategies too soon.

Number one question: Is it possible to make money blogging with little blog traffic?

YES. It is possible depending on the audience you do have. If you create personal connections and trust with the audience you do have, it is possible to make money blogging with little blog traffic.

You need to first build TRUST with your audience and secondly you need to figure out your audience’s pain points. What is it your audience needs? What do they struggle with and how can YOU help THEM?

Example: If you are a fashion blogger, maybe your audience struggles with finding all of the best deals. OR maybe they struggle with putting together a perfect outfit. That’s where YOU come in and share the latest deals, and cutest trends! Stay on top of the researching so they don’t have to!

Example: Maybe you are a lifestyle blogger who talks about personal growth and self care. Your audience might struggle with giving themselves a break, or maybe they struggle with confidence. You can come in and teach them how to be more confident and how to practice self care daily.

Once you figure out your audience and what they need from you, that’s when you can offer solutions and start making the money!

Let’s go back to trust. How do you build that trust with your audience?

Offer free VALUABLE content. If they know you offer content that is worthy for FREE, they will be more likely to purchase from you in the future.
Don’t be salesy. You want to talk about products as if you are talking to your best friend. Let it flow naturally. DO NOT PUSH IT.
Engage with your audience. Don’t ignore them. Building that connection is KEY.
Show results! If you want them to purchase your recommendation, show RESULTS! I’m more likely to purchase a skin care product if you show me before and after results. Same with e-courses that magically grow your blog traffic or make your sales go up. I am not going to purchase unless there is evidence of it REALLY working!

Maybe you are wondering, when can I start monetizing? Is there a point when I should or should not?

To answer this, I would say you can start RIGHT NOW! It really depends on the affiliate marketing program that you apply for. Some have specific requirements but others don’t! This goes for brands as well. Some brands require you to have a specific amount of followers but some brands will give you deals if they notice you have an engaged audience!

My first brand collab I had about 4,000 monthly blog views and 2,000 Instagram followers. I’ve seen others work with brands who had lower stats than that. If you are confident in your content, you have the potential to score a partnership!

There is no better time to start monetizing than now! I have a money making mindset strategy that might help you feel better about monetizing your blog here.

Now that we have the basic foundations of making sure you have an engaged, trusting audience. Let’s talk about the different ways to make money blogging and actionable steps to take to make each of them happen!

1. Affiliate Marketing

This is one way that almost every blogger chooses to start monetizing their blog. I wouldn’t say it’s the easiest way though. Affiliate marketing can be really tricky! Essentially you join an affiliate program and receive an affiliate link for a product/service you use and love. When you mention that product/service in your blog post, you can link to it (using your affiliate link) If a reader purchases the product/service via your affiliate link you receive commission! WOOP!

A huge question Boss Girl Bloggers members had was HOW CAN I MAKE MORE AFFILIATE SALES? WHAT CAN I DO TO EFFECTIVELY SUCCEED AT AFFILIATE MARKETING?

The first step: Joining affiliate programs.

In order to make money with affiliate marketing you need to join some affiliate programs. USUALLY, high paying affiliate programs is ideal. Some programs will have smaller commission.

For affiliate programs (depending on your niche) I recommend checking out:

Share A Sale (they have some high paying programs)
Shop Style Collective (good for beauty and fashion if you can’t get accepted into rewardstyle)
Creative Market (Digital products, themes, graphic designs)
Amazon (ideal for all niches!)
Flexoffers (more high paying programs)
Convertkit (email list builder)
Ebates (good for talking about saving money/shopping)
Swagbucks (good for saving money/shopping)
Teachable (for course creation)
Tailwind (Pin scheduling tool)
Awin (similar to shareasale)
CJ Affiliate (similar to flex offers)
Siteground (hosting company)
Style Stock (stock photos)
Ivory Mix (stock photos)
Pixi Stock (stock photos)

These are all programs I have been apart of.

Tips for getting accepted into the program

Have a professional self-hosted blog with your own domain name. You can check out Name Cheap if you haven’t purchased your own domain yet. It’s unprofessional to have a url for example: (www.yourblogname.wordpress.com) you will want to have ownership of your domain name (www.yourblogname.com)
Have a disclosure and privacy policyon your blog. These are both crucial if you want to make money with your blog. If you use ads or collect information like emails you will NEED to have a privacy policy as well. I got my policies drafted by a lawyer here.
Have a few posts up before applying. I recommend a solid 5-10 posts to show that you have content and are a consistent blogger.
When applying, (if you are able to) talk about how you plan on promoting the links.

One question I see get asked a lot is: How is it possible to make money blogging if you don’t talk about how to blog?

It seems there is this theory that you can only make money blogging if you talk about how to blog. This is SO FAR from the truth. There are so many successful fashion, beauty, DIY, food, mommy bloggers out there.

If you want to make money blogging you need to change your negative money mindsets! Starting with letting go of the idea that you can’t make money blogging because of your niche.

BONUS TIP -> CREATE A RESOURCE PAGE

Every blogger can create a resource page and it can be EXTREMELY helpful. This is a great way to use affiliate links that bloggers who blog about blogging use! This is a page you create that links to all the products you have used in the past to help build/grow your blog. When linking to these products, use your affiliate link!

This can include: Your host, stock images you use, your theme, any courses you have taken and enjoyed, SEO tools, plugins, email list builder, social media scheduling tools etc.

Add this resource page to your main menu! Any blogger who comes across your blog will find it super helpful. You can also promote your resource page on Pinterest to boost the views and chances of the link getting clicked!

Step Two: Getting those clicks

Now that you have your affiliate links, how do you get those clicks?

Talk about the products naturally in every blog post you can.
Use text links instead of banners. Banners look like ads and people won’t click them. Text links are more natural and less spammy. They get clicked more often!
Promote your affiliate links on Pinterest – For a Pinterest marketing strategy check this course out.
Throw your affiliate links in naturally when sending out a newsletter to your e-mail list. (always disclose they are affiliate links though. Some programs like amazon are strict about where you promote them!)
If you have the swipe up feature on Instagram, share your links via instagram stories.
Do you have your own facebook group? Promote your affiliate links in your facebook group. I only recommend sharing affiliate links in facebook groups if they are allowed. Double check group’s rules before sharing an affiliate link. That’s why I love having my own Facebook group! Here’s why you should create your own FB group!

The number one key to getting those link clicks and sales is to make sure you are promoting them in a way that isn’t forceful and spammy. Make sure to only recommend products you use and love.

How to Promote via Pinterest

If you didn’t already know, I am a HUGE fan of Pinterest marketing and SWEAR by it. If you are a blogger and haven’t put in place a proper Pinterest marketing strategy, you are missing out on potential traffic and sales!

Did you know you can pin your affiliate links and make sales via Pinterest?

Example: I am a part of ShopStyleCollective, I can pin my affiliate link directly from Shop Style Collective

NOTE* – When you share affiliate links on Pinterest you must disclose in the description that it is an affiliate link. ALSO – not all programs allow you to pin affiliate links so please double check their rules!

Create a Pin

Another way to share affiliate links on Pinterest is by creating a pin for your link, just like you would a blog post. Rather than linking the pin to a blog post you would upload the created pin to Pinterest and link it directly to your affiliate link!

If you are a fashion blogger, take images of you in the product you are linking to and pin outfit of the day shots or outfit flat lays, Pinterest LOVES outfit shots.

I am going to give some affiliate product suggestions for a few different niches just to get your creative juices flowing.

Fashion

Clothing you wear (brands you wear frequently, shopstyle and rewardstyle are great for this. Maybe Target and Amazon?)
Shoes
Handbags and fashion accessories

Beauty

Makeup products you use/brands (again shopstyle, target, amazon)

Lifestyle

Planners
Journals
Candles
Home decor

(Amazon is great for lifestyle bloggers, think of products you use everyday and love, Shareasale)

Mommy

Baby toys
Any baby products
Clothes for kids
Books

(Amazon is HUGE for mom bloggers)

Food

Meal companies like Hello Fresh
Meal prep and kitchen supplies
Crock pots

(Again Amazon has it all)

These are just a few examples. Get creative. WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU USE DAILY AND LOVE? Find the affiliate link or see if a brand has an affiliate program. Almost all products are on Amazon.

BONUS TIP* – > Create a “Shop my Favorites” Page

You can create a page that links to your favorite products! If you are a fashion blogger you can link to outfits you love. If you are a lifestyle blogger you can link to products you use every day. Get creative with it! Add this “shop my favorites” page to your main menu!

Types of posts you can write to incorporate your affiliate links

Round up posts
Monthly favorites
Product reviews
Top favorite ____

It really is all about getting creative!

Step Four: Disclosing

Now that you are using affiliate links, you need to protect your blog legally! You need to make sure you make it clear that your blog post contains affiliate links AND you should have a disclosure policy on your blog (especially if you will be doing sponsored posts with brands)

When disclosing links, the disclosure should ALWAYS be stated BEFORE the affiliate link is mentioned. NOT AFTER.

I got my legal policies drafted by a lawyer. I love her Legal bundles! Definitely worth it if you want to make sure your blog is protected legally.

2. Sponsored Posts

A second way to make money blogging is through sponsored posts. This is when you work with brands! They can either send you free product to feature in exchange for a post OR you can get PAID to feature their products in your blog posts/Instagram posts.

Question number one: How do you even get brand sponsorship opportunities?

Join Influencer marketing platforms
Pitch the brand directly

Let’s talk about different Influencer marketing platforms. I have used these platforms in the past but SOMETIMES it’s hard to make money on them. Some have small pay commissions and others require you to have a huge following. BUT, some do allow you to choose your own price.

Here’s a few that I am a part of:

AspireIQ (REALLY LOVE THIS ONE!)
Social Native
Influencerher Collective (Fashion/Beauty Bloggers)
Octoly (only free product)
Activate
Clever
Socialix
Social Fabric

My favorite way to reach out to brands for sponsorships/pr is by emailing them directly. I have gotten most of my previous sponsorships as well as PR by doing this.

Where do you find the email?

A quick google search for (brand name’s pr email) will most of the time bring up the PR email. That is the best email to reach out to. It goes directly to the right person. If the PR email isn’t listed you can use the general contact email. Most of the time they will forward your email to the PR team.

I’m not going to lie, is pitching to a brand nerve wracking? YES. Is it time consuming? DEFINITELY. Do you always hear back? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Most of the time you don’t hear back and that’s okay. Don’t let it discourage you because sometimes they WILL respond! The amount of pitches brands receive daily are probably A LOT. PLUS, brands have a specific budget to work with each month. So don’t get discouraged.

The number one question is HOW DO I PITCH?

Now I am going to tell you this, I am NOT an expert with pitching but I don’t mind sharing what I have done in the past with you. I haven’t taken any pitch courses but I have heard lots of great things about Julie Solomon’s Pitching course.

When I first started my blog I remember one of my first ever brand collabs was with Tuft&Needle (a mattress company) Being a lifestyle blogger who was in need of a new mattress I thought why the heck not?

At the time I had about 2,000 ish Instagram followers and about 3,000 – 4,000 monthly blog views. I was probably a 4 month old blog. YES, it’s possible to score a collab with stats like this.

Here is a rough example of a past email I sent:

Hello! My name is _____ I am a beauty + motivational blogger over at _________.
I am reaching out to you because I absolutely love _____! Your eyeshadows and lip products are to die for, so pigmented and gorgeous! I have loved every single one of the Naked palettes and always look forward to your new product launches!
My audience is beauty obsessed and they love hearing about your latest launches, especially product reviews. I would love to collaborate or have the chance to let my audience know about any upcoming product launches. Especially with the holiday season fast approaching, I would love to help you announce some of your holiday sets and products!
I would be willing to create instagram story un-boxings, blog posts featuring products, and Instagram stories/posts sharing created looks!
(I added my social media and blog stats BUT some recommend not doing that, however it didn’t affect my chances at the time, YOUR CALL!)
Thank you for taking the time to consider! I look forward to any response and hopefully having the honor to work with you further!
– Ell
(added my address)

This pitch worked for multiple PR opportunities. It wasn’t too long, straight to the point. I made sure to mention why I loved their products.

You can edit the pitch to make it more so about paid sponsored opportunities too.

Example:

Hello! My name is _____ I am a beauty + motivational blogger over at _________.
I am reaching out to you because I absolutely love _____! Your eyeshadows and lip products are to die for, so pigmented and gorgeous! I have loved every single one of the Naked palettes and always look forward to your new product launches!
My audience is beauty obsessed and they love hearing about your latest launches, especially product reviews. I would love to discuss a possible sponsorship. Especially with the holiday season fast approaching, I would love to help you announce some of your holiday sets and products!
I would be willing to create instagram story un-boxings, blog posts featuring products, and Instagram stories/posts sharing created looks!
Let me know your thoughts and if this is something you’d be willing to discuss further.
Thank you for taking the time to consider and I look forward to your response!
– Ell

Short and sweet. Make sure to mention why you enjoy their products, pick a few that you love, and why you know your audience is a good fit! Be confident.

Their time is limited and their inboxes get swarmed with pitches (i’m sure), get creative but don’t make it too long.

I don’t like to put any prices or rates in my initial pitches because you never know if you are pitching too low. Give the brand a chance to respond back. I also don’t attach media kits as an attached file because this can flag the email and send it to spam. Wait for them to ask for your media kit. Sometimes you won’t need to use it!

What is a media kit?

Essentially it’s a pretty organized display of your stats! You can see mine as an example here. I made mine for free on Canva!

AGAIN – I AM NOT A PITCHING EXPERT. This is just what has worked FOR ME in the past. If you want expert tips, check out Julie Solomon or other pitching pros out there! (:

Brand Collab Scams to stay clear of

When they want you to pay for their product and then promote it (even if it’s a discounted item)
When they want you to pay for shipping
When they want you to buy their product and promote it but give your audience a “discount code”

These are a few ways that brands try to take advantage of new bloggers.

At the end of the day, work with brands you LOVE. It’s up to you if you want to work in exchange for free product or in exchange for product and payment. Ultimately it’s YOUR blog and you can run it any way you’d like to but it doesn’t hurt to get paid for your time and content!

How can you ask for payment if a brand reaches out to you?

There have been a few times when a brand has emailed me directly asking if I wanted to collab in exchange for product to feature. Since I am very picky about the collabs I accept and have been wanting to get paid for my time and work… This is what I usually respond with

Thank you so much for reaching out! ____ sounds like a lovely product that I would love to review for my audience! They would love to hear about it especially since _____(explain why they’d love hearing about this product)__. Do you have any paid sponsorship opportunities at this time? I would love to discuss more if so!
Thank you for your time!
Ell

You can wait for their response back. A lot of the times they will probably come back with (sorry at this time we don’t have a budget for sponsored posts etc.) which is okay! At least you tried! At that point you can decide if what they are asking for is worth your time or not. Sometimes they will say, yes!

Other ways to get brands attention

Tag them in your Instagram posts and stories. (if you are wearing their products or using their products in a post, TAG THEM!)
Use their hashtags.
Create stunning images that make the product come to life. Brands love lifestyle shots of you using their products. Tell a story with the image.
Do product reviews in the meantime and mention products you love even if you aren’t sponsored.

REMEMBER TO DISCLOSE

If your post is sponsored or you received free product in exchange for a review, you MUST disclose that at the beginning of you blog post or social media post. It is extremely important! You should also have a disclosure policy on your blog. These are the templates I use.

3. ADs

I have a love hate relationship with ads! On this blog I do not use ads but on my other blog I am a Mediavine member. When I first started my blog I decided to use Google Adsense and to be honest, it wasn’t worth it for me. The payout was extremely small and you couldn’t get paid until hitting $100. Essentially if you never hit that $100 mark, you won’t get payment for anything you made below that.

My suggestion is to grow your blog traffic to 25k sessions in the past 30 days so you can qualify for Media vine! Their payout is more and can get you making hundreds to thousands of extra dollars a month depending on your blog traffic.

This is the one form of monetization that requires you to have solid blog traffic. If you struggle with growing your blog traffic, I suggest checking out this content marketing strategy and these Pinterest marketing strategies. I wouldn’t have been able to qualify for Media vine without the help of Pinterest marketing!

The great thing about Media vine is they set up all the ads for you and you don’t have to do it yourself! They also have a ton of options that can control how your ads are displayed and how often they are displayed!

4. Create A Product To Sell

This is one of my favorite ways to make money blogging! Create a digital product to sell. This could be anything! AGAIN – you do not need to blog about blogging in order to make a digital product. Your digital product does not need to be an e-course. SO GET THOSE NEGATIVE MONEY MINDSETS OUT OF YOUR HEAD.

You might be wondering OKAY, then what product should I create?

Here’s some examples:

Stock images (if you are good at photography)
Presets (if you are good at photo editing)
Ebooks (based on any niche)
Recipe book
Journal
Planner
Printables for organizing, journaling etc.
Graphics (logos, etc if you are good at graphic design)
Templates
Style guides

These are just a few examples. For the sake of this blog post getting too long, I have a separate blog post with actionable steps to take when creating and selling your digital product! You can read that free step by step guide here.

5. Offering Services

Another great way to make money blogging is by offering services. Are you REALLY good at something that your audience might NEED?

For example, I am a strategic Pinterest manager. I love Pinterest marketing and it’s something I consider myself to be good at. I offer Pinterest services.

Other services people like to offer:

Coaching
Social media management
Graphic design
Web Developing

Think about your audience, get to know them and figure out what they are struggling with. If you can provide a solution, DO IT!

If you have the determination to learn Pinterest marketing, you can CRUSH it as a Pinterest manager.

You might be wondering, how can I find clients?

Build connections with your readers through email marketing
Use your social media to engage with your audience through twitter and IG stories (more social media tips here)
Create a Facebook community to connect with your audience on a more personal level and get clients that way. (Learn how to grow a successful facebook group here)

You can’t be afraid to talk to your audience. If you show your audience proof of REAL results, they will TRUST you. If you want to learn more about growing a trusting audience, check this post out!

Taxes

I saw a few BGB members had questions in regards to taxes. This is something I don’t like to give tips about because I am not a tax professional. I do recommend finding someone in your town/state who can handle all the legal taxes for you. It’s best to go to a professional to make sure you are filing your taxes properly.

I use PayPal business to collect payments. It also tracks my income for me which really helps! A lot of people suggest turning their blog/business into an LLC and doing taxes quarterly. These are all things you can ask your financial supervisor/tax guy!

When it comes to tax write offs, these are some expenses you can write off (but again talk to a tax professional before doing so)

tools you pay for annually to run your blog/business (host, tailwind, themes, scheduling tools)
ads or marketing
e-courses you’ve purchased
business trips you’ve taken
(check into this BUT) part of rent for home office, internet, cell phone bill
if you bought a new laptop that year or camera for your blog/business
If you drive for business (mileage for gas)
Membership fees that you pay related to your blog/business

I get a lot of emailed receipts and put all of them into a Tax folder.

I put aside .25% of my annual pay. PayPal business helps me do this. Every month I look at the “year to date” to see how much I have made so far this year and put aside .25% of that.

If at the end of the month my overall sales are for example $25,000 I multiply that by .25 and know that I need to have at least $6,250 saved. Sometimes I over estimate and that’s okay because it’s like a pleasant surprise come tax season! I’d rather over estimate than scramble to get the extra funds.

Again, this is just how I do it and I 100% suggest talking to someone who does taxes for a living to make sure you are doing everything legally and properly!

What’s a schedule look like for a full time blogger?

This is a great question and I would say it all depends! Some days are more chaotic than others.

For me I typically like to:

Wake up, have a little bit of “me time”
I then start with my Facebook group, go in and interact, approve posts, etc.
Then I go into social media and catch up on any notifications.
Then I work on client work for an hour or two.
Respond to emails
After that, I will work on writing a blog post if I feel inspired at that moment.
Try to do some more engaging on social media and take any photos I may need for the week.

Every Sunday I usually dedicate it to scheduling my Pinterest pins on Tailwind for the week. I swear by Tailwind for Pinterest. It has saved me so much time! Manually pinning throughout the day is too time consuming.

Each day includes different tasks depending on what needs to be done. I like to create a monthly blog vision as well. This helps keep me organized and meeting deadlines for blog posts. If you want to learn how to create a monthly blog vision then check this post out!

Having a schedule in place is helpful! Use a planner and schedule out your time. If I don’t set a time for me to put everything away, I will stay up working all night! I actually share some insight on what it’s like to be a full time blogger here.

How did I know I was ready to quit my job and blog full time?

It took me a lot of guts to finally let go of my waitressing job. I had a security blanket by holding onto that job, but it was also stealing my peace.

Before I finally quit my job I made sure to have 2 months of my bills saved up. This made me feel comfortable enough to quit my job! Having a savings was a must for me because you never know, there are always bumps in the road.

I haven’t looked back since! I love blogging and running my business full time. Having the opportunity to create my own schedule and work from anywhere makes me feel blessed. It’s not easy and it’s not for everyone but I believe in you!!!

I hope you found this post helpful!!!! Would love for you to share it if it helps! Love hearing from you in the comments too! Drop a “HECK YEAH!!!!!” in the comments if you are ready to take your blog to the next level and make money blogging by next year!