One of the most frequent questions we get as bloggers is “How can I make money doing that?” It’s not surprising that everyone who creates a blog wants to make money with one. That’s why I was so excited that Lauren McManus reached out with this free guest post that teaches 6 ways to monetize. So without further ado, I’ll let Lauren take it from here.

6 Ways You Can Monetize Your Blog

Although my goal for this post is to be positive, the reality is that most bloggers will never earn more than $100 from their efforts. The good news, however, is that the internet is ever-changing, and with these changes comes innovative ways of doing things.

Not so many years ago, bloggers who wanted to turn their hobby into a money-making machine had limited options. Email marketing was quite rigid, not to mention the fact that building and maintaining a website was costly.

These days the barrier to entry for starting a blog is relatively inexpensive, and virtually painless to do. In fact, you can start a blog in less time than it takes to have a pizza delivered! And, the ways to monetize a blog are aplenty.

Bloggers aren’t restricted to Google AdSense, and you don’t even need thousands of page views to make money. With that in mind, I thought I’d share 6 of the best ways you can use to earn money through blogging.

1. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is, by far the most common way of monetizing a blog outside of using ads to earn income. By promoting other businesses’ products, you can earn a sizable sum in commissions. All you need to get into the affiliate marketing game is have is a niche, an audience, and an affiliate product to promote.

Okay, fine, it’s a little more complicated than that, but it doesn’t take too much more to get into the game. Many bloggers opt for affiliate marketing as a means of monetization because they don’t have to create anything. There are hundreds of digital and physical products for virtually every niche, so it’s easy to find one that fits your audience, sign up as a partner, promote said product and cash in.

Learn more about affiliate marketing on my website.

2. Creating online courses

Take what you know, and package it into a presentation, and before you know it, you have a course that you can sell. Your courses should be in line with your blog content, and you should be as much of an expert as possible before you create your lessons. However, the good news is, even if you’re not the end-all, be-all expert in your subject, you can still create a course for the students who aren’t as far along as you. Just make sure that you keep learning and improving your course so you can keep teaching your audience.

If you’re considering creating online courses, I highly recommend checking out the Teachable Blog. It is filled with awesome ideas for creating slide decks, recording your videos, and even getting students to buy!

3. Digital products

Digital products include eBooks, audio files, and video training. Digital products can earn you some good money. Again, they should be in line with the topics you are covering on your blog. I’ve seen spiritual bloggers sell audio files of guided meditations, weight loss coaches sell video training of the best workouts, and even accountants sell ebooks on how to get the most tax deductions. The possibilities are endless

4. One-on-one coaching

Depending on your niche, experience, and skills, you can offer coaching services as a way to monetize your blog. If your online courses or eBook provides value to your customers, it is highly likely that some will be willing to pay for personalized instruction. Who knows? That one-on-one coaching could give you some ideas for group coaching programs, or your next digital course.

5. Monthly memberships for premium content

One way some bloggers are monetizing is to create paid membership for their visitors. Members who subscribe to a paid plan get exclusive benefits ranging from in-depth instructional webinars and ad-free content to in-person meet-ups and masterminds with like-minded people.

6. Creating physical products

Creating physical products is another fabulous way bloggers can monetize their blog. However, it’s important to note that this is a more costly way to monetize if you don’t plan it the right way. For example, if you order 1,000 t-shirts with hopes of making a lot of money, you could end up giving most of your inventory as Christmas or birthday presents. The better way might be to create a store on Zazzle or a similar platform that offers print-on-demand options. Of course, your eCommerce store could also be filled with custom jewelry pieces or commissioned art. If you find a gap in the market, you could create the products that your readers want and turn your blog into a money-making machine.

Start thinking about the ways you can monetize your blog

This list is far from an exhaustive one. We’ve barely scratched the surface on ways you can make money with your blog. Open a word processing document or get a pen and paper and let your mind run wild. You may come up with an idea for monetization that hasn’t been tried yet.

Remember, even the guy who invented the pool noodle is a millionaire. If you had told me six years ago I’d be running a million dollar a year blogging company, I might not have believed it. You can do it. It might not be easy, but I can promise you that it will be worth it!

Lauren McManus is a traveler and blogger at Create and Go, where she teaches people how to start a blog the right way and make money blogging. Learn more about how to do just that by clicking here! You can also grab her free course on creating a successful blog here.