8 Ways to Make Money Blogging

turn your blog into a money-making business in 8 simple steps

Make money blogging details the eight main avenues of blog monetization so you can make blogging a full-time career no matter your numbers.

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The first year you feed your blog.

The second year your blog feeds itself.

The third year your blog feeds you.

Starting a blog is starting a business. Like all businesses there is the investment phase. It takes some capital, and it takes some time. You have to build it and invest in it like any other start up. How much it costs and how long it takes until you see profits varies tremendously and really depends on how hard you are willing (or able) to work. Once you have enough traffic you can start to make money blogging. You can focus on one or two of the following income avenues. However, most agree that the best way to ensure monetary success is to diversify and pursue as many as possible.

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How to Make Money Blogging

1. Make Money Blogging with Display Ads

  • These are the billboards of the internet
  • You are paid by page views and number of impressions (by the 1000)
  • Based on your site’s Google Analytics
  • In-screen Ads (sits at bottom of your site)
  • In Image Ads (come up in photos)
  • Content Ads (pay higher because they fall in the flow of content)
  • Video Ads (pay even higher)

There are definitely debates about display ads. They can be annoying and drive followers away. But they are like any form of advertising, a necessary evil. No one wants to watch tv ads, but we all realize that television comes with a cost. Everything must be paid for somehow. Bloggers can only survive so long without drawing an income from what is often a full-time job. By the time a blog has enough traffic to even qualify for display ads, you have likely built a loyal fan-base that will stay for the awesome content and “deal” with the ads.

Blogs should not have to apologize for making money.

Also, for most display ad companies you will be required to have a consistent track record of a minimum number of page views per month. This minimum varies from company to company.

Here are a few examples:

Mediavine (who we use) requires a minimum of 25,000 sessions, which equates to approximately 30,000 page views. You need to have a track record over a certain amount of time with this being your minimum. There are other requirements, and the process can 3-6 months to complete.

Google Adsense is another option. Your blog needs to be at least six months old and have all original quality content.

2. Sponsored Post

  • Writing for brands that fit your niche and your authentic voice
  • These can be product reviews
  • or Product placement woven into your personal stories
  • Often you receive a one-time fee
  • Some are paid based on traffic (number of clicks)

3.  Brand Ambassador

  • Do not wait for brands to come to you. You can pitch your ideas to them.
  • Research your dream brands and pitch them
  • Choose brands that match your niche
  • It should feel natural
  • On-going contract, usually 3-12 months long
  • These are a fantastic way for your blog to make money earning a steady income.
  • Not always just based on numbers. Brands are looking for:
    • Fabulous Photography, that they can repurpose
    • Authentic voice, engagement with their ideal customer
    • Numbers (3rd place priority)

4. Make Money Blogging with Affiliate Links

  • There are some you can start using the day you publish your blog, so this is your first opportunity to make money blogging.
  • Amazon is great. You can add a link for a product you recommend right inside your post. What is great is anything your reader buys after clicking through you get commission on, not just the item you linked.
  • Target is another affiliate program that is easy to apply to and easy to begin using right away.
  • Rewardstyle links many brands under one system. It monetizes Instagram and the blog, and allows you to create “shop the post” scrolling bars inside posts, on the blog, and a separate shop. You have to qualify. This is mainly what Jodie and I use to monetize our blog currently.
  • Sharasale is another company that represents many smaller companies and allows you to create affiliate links with their retailers.

5. Become a Voice of Authority

Your blog is your platform, it’s a starting place. From here you can write, showcase, teach, and publish. You can do this in simple blog post formats of course. But you can take this further and make money blogging by monetizing your knowledge and expertise. Here are some examples:

  • Create E-books or E-courses, give them for free, or partly for free and then charge to upgrade or to receive the full/continued lessons
  • Become an author and publish a printed book.
  • Become a consultant or service provider, on-line or in person.
  • Provide coaching services, on-line or in person.
  • Speak at conferences or other live events.

6. E-Store or E-Commerce

  • Make money blogging by selling products you make.
  • Curate a collection of products to sell.
  • Sell products via a network like RewardStyle through links and/or a shop on the blog.

7. Make Money Blogging with Video Ads

    • Video ads are the wave of the future.
    • They are higher paying than still ads.
    • In-content video ads are the highest paying.
    • Side bar video ads are a less obtrusive, lower paying way to make money blogging.

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8. Social Media Posts

As you grow your blog you will also be growing your other social media channels (hopefully). One feeds the other. As you grow your other channels you can earn money creating and featuring sponsored posts.

Educate Yourself

Just when Jodie and were feeling completely overwhelmed we met an amazing, knowledgeable, generous woman named Monica, who offered to “hold our hands.” She invited us to join her class, “How to Rock Sponsored Posts,” and it literally changed our blogging world! It covers a HUGE wealth of information, not just what the title says. And it can be helpful for seasoned bloggers and newbie bloggers alike.

Jodie and I were earning next to nothing (all free product), certainly not earning enough to cover our blogging expenses. We needed to learn how to make money blogging. By the end of the two-month course we were making over $3000/month. We cannot recommend Monica enough. Don’t waste another day just hoping for success. Take action.

Make Money Blogging

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to make money blogging. That’s the good news. The challenging part is you can see that blogging is not a narrow field. It turns out to be a lot more work and a lot more complex than just publishing a post or two a week.

It’s okay. Take a deep breath.

If you’re still trying to decide if blogging is right for you read our post about the pros and cons of blogging. This post talks about what to know before beginning and will help you decide when and if to begin a blog.

The great news is you can take it one step at a time, one post at a time. You can take on new projects when you are ready. No boss is going to say you must do this today. Another bit of good news is there are many, many resources available on-line to help you discover what to do and how to make money blogging.

Are you excited? It may just be the greatest challenge you never knew you wanted like it is for us.

Wishing you great success and JOY along the way.

Happy Blogging!

jodie & julie

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Summary
8 Ways to Make Money Blogging
Article Name
8 Ways to Make Money Blogging
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Make money blogging details the eight main avenues of blog monetization so you can make blogging a full-time career no matter what your numbers.
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The Design Twins
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  1. Edith says:

    You both are so inspirational! I would love to win your consult for an hour:). My formal dining room connects to a formal living/sitting area and needs major help. Would love to win! Edith Porter

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Welcome to our blog, Edith! We are thrilled to have you here. We really hope you will make a habit of visiting us whenever you can. We would love for you to be our winner, but it will be up to God…good thing…we could never pick…we want everyone to win! We truly hope you enjoy our blog and look forward to hearing from you again soon. With love and gratitude, Julie & Jodie

  2. Natalie says:

    Julie and Jodie,
    I love your posts – you provide valuable information and I always learn something new that helps me grow my business…
    Thank You!

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Wow, Natalie! That’s a great compliment! We feel like we’ve gone back to school…blogging school. But instead of having a class we have the internet with seemingly endless information. The real challenge is sifting through and digesting pieces bit by bit. We never imagined there was so much to learn. Good thing we find it all fascinating. We wish you great success, dear friend, and we hope you will come back often to learn more! With gratitude, Julie & Jodie

  3. Dee says:

    Thanks for the info that is concisely written, and for all the resources as well. I would like to write a blog it is been on my heart for about 2 years. I appreciate everything that you shared!

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Dee, We love to see you back on our blog. You have such an amazing voice and spirit. You should have a blog because we know it would touch people’s hearts and lives. With God in charge who knows where He will lead you…wherever it is, we know it will be great. So honored to call you our friend. With love & many blessings, Julie & Jodie

  4. Hi Jodie and Julie, These are great ideas for bloggers and I learned a lot from it. You are inspiring me to go back to my blog.
    xo xo
    Marie

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Marie, That is wonderful news! Attitude is everything, Marie. You can create your own reality…in fact, we do. It’s just that many people aren’t aware of this power, so they let other forces direct them. Jodie and I pray that we can positively influence and inspire people to create and embrace their God-given gifts, and make the most of every single day they are blessed with. We are so very happy to have you join us on this journey of joy and discovery. With love & gratitude for your kind support and friendship, Julie & Jodie

  5. Yeaaaaah! I found the comment box ❤️????????
    So happy to see you two growing.
    I love your live Instagram the most.
    I’m always looking for you lol
    Praying I win !!!! But if I don’t it’s okay, because you guys are great at replying ❤️❤️❤️
    Thank you
    Jessica Salas Ross

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Jessica, What a love! I’m sorry the comment box is a struggle to find…ugh! But way to stay committed haha! We have a lot of fun on IG and we love all the new features they’re constantly adding to make it a fuller experience. We struggle a bit because we are so “distracted” by IG…for us, we go off easily on tangents, you know, “Squirrel…” and we’re off in another direction. EEK! We certainly are excited about the blog and all that we will be offering and sharing here, so we pray that you will join us on this joyful ride! With love & gratitude, Julie & Jodie

  6. Thank you for all the fabulous information! I learned a lot and I’m excited to keep learning! You ladies are so inspiring. Thank you for sharing!
    -Love, Tarah

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Tarah, Welcome to our blog, Sweetheart! I love how our giveaway provided the motivation (I’m guessing), but how it sounds like you’ve felt your time well spent. Yay!! We hope you will come back often, because honestly, Jodie and I are just getting warmed up! Many blessings to you, Julie & Jodie

  7. Angela Patea says:

    You both are amazing and so inspirational!! I would love an instragram strategy consultation 🙂

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Dear Angela, Thank you for reading and your kind reply! So sweet of you. We just love having you visit our blog and we really hope you will make it a regular part of your routine. Since you are looking for IG strategy we highly recommend reading our 7 (or is it 8?) Instagram related posts in which we share our best advice, our most insightful information, and the latest up-dated strategies to make IG work for you (and not against you). It’s the next best thing to a personal assessment. There is a lot of value to what we have put up already on our blog, and it is yours for the taking. Wishing you all the best. Your friends, Julie & Jodie

  8. Monica says:

    This is great, so much valuable information! You both are so inspiring and I’d love to learn from you!????????❤️

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Oh My Goodness Monica, You are SO sweet! Wow…it’s very generous of you to say so. We are struggling because we seriously want everyone to win…EEK! But if you happen to not be the winner you really can continue to learn from us. We put all our best advice and insights into our blog posts. We try to make each and every post full of information and yet easy to grasp and implement! We hope you will visit us regularly for continued friendship and inspiration. All our best, Julie & Jodie

  9. Holle Lancastee says:

    Glad I read this. Made me realize blogging is not for me to create, just to read. 🙂

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Holle, That’s interesting to hear you say. I’m not entirely sure we would have begun had we known the full scale of what we were getting into. And mind you, we are 2 people, and I’m working at it full-time, and Jodie is part-time. We are growing pretty fast but we have only so far spent money. I heard the statistic that there are 2 new blogs launched every second…OMG! Those are crazy numbers! So you really do need to be ok with a) not necessarily earning money and b) spending a lot of time doing other things besides writing. Most people just imagine creating content. It is definitely not for everyone. All that being said, Jodie and I truly do love it. We hope you will enjoy reading and sharing this journey with us together. Your friends, Julie & Jodie

      • Bobbi says:

        Again and Again your posts and blogs give me information and inspirations. . I have to agree that blogging is not something I would be interested in. I enjoy reading your blogs and want you Both to know I am one of your biggest fans!

  10. Janneth says:

    Hi ???? I love love love your IG stories, the design ideas are beautiful, I need so much help to decorate my 100 year old cute home, hope to win, thanks for the chance! ????

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Hi Janneth, Welcome to our blog! We are so glad you made it here, and while we know you came for the design giveaway we sincerely hope you’ll stay and become one of our friends on here. We put so much of ourselves on the blog…we think if you love us on IG you’ll love us even more over where we are able to share our stories and teaching. In our posts we share all kinds of things but mostly we teach our ideas about DIY projects, how to decorate in different ways, tips and advice, and Instagram advice. So, if you don’t win you can read our free decorating articles in which we break down what we do and how we do it…we share our best advice, and it’s all free. We hope you will take advantage. Best wishes, Julie & Jodie

  11. Sharon Scott says:

    I would live to win the hour long consult to learn how to build my instagram account, appeal to more people through a blog and learnmore about starting a blog that will be fun, but earn something for me too!

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Good Morning Sharon, Welcome to our blog! We are so happy you are here! Our blog is all about you…inspiring you, teaching you, connecting with you! We hope you will come back and visit us as often as your schedule allows. I have good news and not so good news…firstly, our giveaway ended at midnight last night…I’m sorry. We are so excited, the first thing we did (at 5 am our time) is choose our winner. But, the good news is that our best IG advice (as well as decorating advice) is compiled and presented here on our blog in our Instagram posts (you can use the search bar “Instagram). If you read one article each morning for the next 7 days you’d know (almost) as much as we know. Well, you would…but to put it into practice is to embody it. So we highly recommend reading (it’s all here and it’s free!) And always feel free to ask us specific questions in the comments and we will happily reply with a personal letter within the day…usually within the hour. Again, we are so happy to welcome you to our blog and hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. With love & gratitude, Julie & Jodie

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Sharon, Oh, I almost forgot to say…we have just begun our series on blogging, so stay tuned. We have so much more to come! Blessings, Julie

  12. Andrea says:

    My first March Madness entry! Love you ladies!

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Yay Andrea! It’s going to be a month of celebration, that’s for sure! We are thrilled to have you join us. Besides the opportunity each day to win a gift, we hope that reading our blog posts will provide some unexpected gifts…we hope you are inspired, motivated and lifted up each day when you choose to visit us! We hope that in so doing we’ll be “old friends” come March 31st! What a gift that would be! With love & gratitude to be joined on this journey, Julie & Jodie

  13. Marie says:

    Love you ideas and excited about the March Madness giveaway ????????????

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Marie, we are excited too! We are excited that you made it to our blog! Welcome dear one…we hope you leave inspired in some way. We hope that you will soon be joining us on our blog to visit with us and to grow with us even after the giveaways are over. But until then, 31 days, 31 chances…we hope you will make the most of this crazy giveaway and come and leave a comment each day, and we wish you all great things. By the end of the month we hope to be great friends. With love & gratitude, Julie & Jodie

  14. Patti says:

    Hi girls, while I have no plans to start a blog, I found this very interesting. It must be fun to approach stores and websites with beautiful product and the thought that they may give you something to “test” or “style” in a way that promotes their product! I do understand the time and effort you two put into your blog and Instagram accounts….. It shows! They’re beautiful, informative and inspiring.
    Thanks, Patti

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Oh Thank you so much Patti! Yes….we thought about the idea that not everyone wants to write a blog and in fact, only a small number of people who follow us have likely considered it, but we were guessing that people might be curious about what goes into it. It’s sort of a “behind the scenes” of a blog!

      Thanks so much for your feedback and your thoughts. It really is so helpful to us and we appreciate your support more than you know!!

      With love and thanks,

      Jodie & Julie

  15. Abigail freund says:

    Love reading your blog, your Instagram posts, and watching your live feed the other day with your kiddos! You are both truly an inspiration of hard work, joy, and kindness!

    Excited for march madness too!

    Have a blessed day!

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Abigail, Thank you, dear one, for those kind words. That really means so much to us. No matter how many followers we have, each and every one is a blessing. We struggle with enough time in the day because when someone comments we feel not just an obligation to reply, we have an honest DESIRE to reply…my son said to me the other day, but mom, you might get too many one day and not be able to reply to everyone….well, it happened yesterday, and we were in a panic haha! It was a good problem to have, but still…we could almost not sleep knowing there were unanswered people. Moral of the story is, we care. We truly do. We thank you for joining us on this wonderful journey, and we hope along the way we all gain inspiration and friendship. with love, Julie & Jodie

  16. Patti says:

    Jodie and Julie, I forgot to post “March Madness” in my last post???? Patti

  17. Rebekah says:

    Jody and Julie I love your pictures and your sister hood and how sweet and loving you are! You are an inspiration! And I’m excited about your March madness !!! Love ???? rebekahbottazzi@hitmail.com

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Hi Rebekah,

      Thanks for your visit and your sweet sweet words! We are so happy you are here!!

      Good luck on the giveaway!

      With love and gratitude,

      Jodie & Julie

  18. Corey says:

    Wow! You shared so much great information. Thank you for giving me a lot to think about, in terms of blogging. I appreciate how clear and straight forward your post was. I always look forward to reading your posts. Have a fabuoulus Tuesday and let the March Madness continue! ????

  19. meli says:

    I think i found it… yeahhh.. in love with your talent.. march madness. .

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Melinda!

      Yes, you did! Navigating blogs for the first time can be very confusing. You are not alone! We are so happy you are here and that you took the time to visit us!

      We wish you luck in the giveaway and invite you to return! Each day in March is a new chance to win!

      With love and blessings,

      Jodie & Julie

  20. Stephanie says:

    Fascinating! I’m always so curious about this kind of thing. March Madness.

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Stephanie, We are happy to pull the wool off and educate people. I find it fascinating to get behind the scenes looks at things…so we figured others would enjoy it as well. We are so happy you made it to our blog. (31 days, 31 chances…come back and leave a message 31 days if you can to be entered each day). By then, we’ll be besties! As an added bonus, we hope you will learn, grow and be inspired. with love, Julie & Jodie

  21. Rebecca Carroll says:

    Thank you for the step by step instructions. Love your homes❤️ This is my kind of March Madness!

  22. Sue says:

    A lot to think about for sure!! Thank you for sharing your experiences & tips. Love what you both are doing spreading kindness through the March madness it’s amazing!

  23. Piper says:

    I am just now getting into blogging and these couldn’t have been more timely. Thank you both for sharing your wisdom! March Madness.

  24. Kim says:

    Love that you are both so generous w/helping us out..:when most people treat this info like it’s taboo. Thank you so much for being so generous. So excited about your March Madness Month! ????????

  25. Kelly Gillespie says:

    Love all this information! Thank you so much! Happy for “March Madness” as well!

  26. Robin says:

    Great blog guys. Love the live Instragrams. Happy March Madness

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Robin,

      Thank you so much! We are so happy to welcome you to our blog! Thank you for following along and for all your support!

      This enters you in Day 2 giveaway. Good luck!

      With love and gratitude,

      Jodie & Julie

  27. Andrea says:

    March madnessssssss!!!!!

  28. Marsha says:

    Great Blog post ! I am really enjoying your blog and will share it with friends:). This is a great “March Madness” idea.

  29. Jovita Chicki Montezuma says:

    Enjoyed reading your Blog, but most of all watching your new ideas on Instagram..Thrilled about March Madness. 🙂

  30. Regina says:

    Great read!! Love all your inspiring blogs! March Madness!!!! ????

  31. Emily says:

    Thanks for sharing your expoerence and advice! March Madness

  32. Cici Bule says:

    There is so much involved in the background of blogging/IG!
    ???????? great job ladies, your hard work is paying off, and thank you for your generous hearts! ????
    MARCH MADNESS!

  33. Jovita Chicki Montezuma says:

    Keep the Blogs coming…Love you guys!!! March Madness

  34. Dori Fiedler says:

    Very interesting read! Did not know a lot of this. Thanks for sharing!
    MARCH MADDNESS!!????

  35. Jackey Johnson says:

    March madness… Blogging and Instagram in is a very time consuming job it takes a special kind of person to do that twins thank you.

  36. Rebecca says:

    Lots of great information! Feels overwhelming but as with everything…one step at a time!

  37. Great info! After teaching myself a lot (huge learning curve), designing my graphics and launching everything…I then lost all (my articles, etc..due to being away at the hospital and not realizing I needed to renew with my hosting site. Bummer. (I sure learned!) So, I started it all again ie New domain and with a free WordPress site this time, but I sure would like to self-host again and monetize someday. My health is “iffy” at best, so it’s hard to take the leap to really throw myself into it all. Yay for #MarchMadness

  38. This is such great info!! I wish I could sit and have 1 hour with you two! There is so much potential for making money, My husband would be so happy, so I stop asking him!
    I want to grow both IG and the blog simultaneouslay! Great stuff ladies!????

  39. Marilyn says:

    I enjoy reading blogs and using the recommendations to make wise purchases. I never knew there were so many people that had really good blogs! (March Madness)

  40. Lauren says:

    Your posts are always so detailed and informative! Thank you for being such a help! March madness:)

  41. Kristopher says:

    Awesome post Thank you for sharing

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Kristopher, Welcome to our blog! We’re very happy you think found this post helpful. We hope you will visit our blog again for more blogging insights. Our newest blog post, How to Master the Art of Instagram Collaboration, can also be applied to collaborating with brands on your blog, so you might learn helpful tips there as well. Good luck on your journey, Julie & Jodie

  42. Anjali says:

    Thank you so much for this post!! It was so helpful! Not all blogging posts give examples of good sites to try and as a beginner it helps to have somewhere to start! Thank you!

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Anjali-
      We are so glad you enjoyed our post! We can’t wait to see the progress you make and hope to inspire you in the future!
      Lots of love, Jodie & Julie

  43. Harish Kumar says:

    Thanks for the article, it’s really useful for a newbie like me,I am getting some positive vibe her,most of the unsuccessful bloggers are shouting that you won’t make money on blogging, its waste of time, I never gonna hear them,I never give,I know money will not come at overnight, keep sharing.

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Harish,
      We’re so glad you enjoyed this post! We love inspiring newbies like you to keep reaching for their goals! Thank you for the sweet comments dear!
      Lots of love,
      Jodie & Julie

  44. Patrice Tate says:

    I am not a blogger, but I always enjoy your blogs and Instagram posts and stories. I just enjoy following you and your family! God Bless!

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Patrice, We love that. It makes us so happy to know we have caring followers. Becuase we care back. We feel so blessed to be in a position to hopefully bless others. Wishing you all the best, Julie & Jodie

  45. This is a great post and something I need to analyse. It’s overwhelming to hear all the things I need to do to get paid. I do get paid some but it’s asking for sponsored posts that scare me the most. Are y’all seeing a downward trend in blogging? I read the other day on an IG post that many people only look at IG and Pinterest now and never read blogs anymore. This made me sad and surprised at the same time. I don’t want to go through doing all of this if that’s the case. What do y’all think?

  46. uk writer says:

    Thank you very much for such a motivational and inspiring post. Now I want to monetize my blog, but I do not know how much it will be profitable, because it has about 10,000 visitors a month. I hope that you will continue to share your experience and knowledge in blogging.

    • jjdesigntwins says:

      Hey there,
      You are so welcome sweet friend! We are so glad you found it helpful and inspiring. You will absolutely get there. It takes time, but you can do it. Yes we will, lots more where that came from! Take care and good luck with your blog!
      Lots of love,
      Jodie & Julie

  47. Revglue says:

    Hi, Good day. This is a perfect guide for any beginner in the world of blogging and want to make money online throgh the blogging. It can often be super confusing when you are new to blogging and you may not be aware of how to go about things. This article is great as it talks about the various factors that can make blogging good. I agree with every single point that has been mentioned above.

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