Make Money with Blogging
Many of us have heard of the term blog and blogging, but may struggle to explain what it is. The word blog actually means web log, so in simple terms they are like online diaries. Blogging is, therefore, the process of completing this diary.
There are millions upon millions of blogs on the internet. Some of them earn a decent side income or a full time wage for their owners. Bloggers can make money through a range of means which can include anything from writing guests posts for other blogs, recommending products, linking to websites or simply selling directly.
Advertising Revenue
The most common way to make money from blogging is to sell advertising space by signing up for a programme like Google AdSense. To do this, you must own your own blog and meet the requirements laid out by Google. This is the simplest form of selling advertising available and even a complete novice can set it up. A more sensible blog owner would sell advertising space directly to a company or a local business. By approaching companies and service operators who relate directly to the topic of your blog, bloggers can make an admirable sum of money.
Affiliate Marketing
Many bloggers have achieved great success by promoting other services and products through affiliate marketing. The upside to affiliate marketing is that the promoter does not have to stock a product or handle any sales directly. Bloggers would promote another service, embed some links into their site and then continually earn money from any sales that are made via their link.
Guest Posting
Some bloggers earn a decent living without having their own blog. Most will do this by writing guests posts for blogs which are already established. Web masters and blog owners might pay anything from £5 to £300 for a good post on a specialist subject. In order to get a chance to write and be paid for guest posts on other blogs, bloggers should be a specialist on a subject, or should have a portfolio of work to show to web editors. Links to other blog posts should be sufficient as long as they show you name.
Membership
Bloggers with a high number of followers, or with highly sought after content, can create a part of their site which is only available to paying members. Bloggers who do this post quality content regularly and create a loyal following. Membership does not have to cost more than a few pounds but it must offer something 'extra'.
Sponsored Posts
Lots of big companies now recognise the punch that bloggers have on consumers. The personalised nature of blogs mean that buyers trust the opinion of the bloggers and because of this, it is important to marketers that bloggers talk about their product. Sometimes a company will send free products and hope that you'll like them enough to write about them. Other times a company will pay bloggers to write a post about the product. Ethically, bloggers should let their readers know if they are writing a sponsored post. Organisations like E-buzzing organise campaigns for bloggers to get involved with.
Freebies
If you can't make an income for your blog or don't want to sell out with advertising or to promote other people's products, you can still benefit from your blog. Use your influence to get invited to press launches and special events to get free gifts from companies you actually advocate for.
