How I earn money blogging

Like most bloggers out there, I didn’t start blogging with the intention to make money. I started this blog because I wanted a creative outlet to talk about the things that I’m passionate about. I used to spend my days working in healthcare communications writing copy about things that didn’t really interest me. This blog was a form of escapism. A chance to talk about my love of makeup with people who also shared my passion. But over the years although my love of this blog hasn’t changed, the opportunity to earn money has.

Now I should make this clear from the start – I’m not a professional blogger. I don’t make enough money from this blog to go full-time. But I do earn enough to pay for holidays, treats and to fund my excessive luxury handbag habit without having to rely on my salary for that. Which I’m really grateful for, but it didn’t happen overnight. I spent the first 18 months blogging with only a handful of readers and no interest from PRs. I had no samples coming through the post, let alone anyone wanting to pay me. In fact, I didn’t get my first sponsored post opportunity until my second year of blogging. And even then it was months before another sponsored opportunity landed in my inbox. So although I’m not earning tens of thousands. I still thought it might be helpful to share with you all how I earn money blogging.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Now, this is one of the bigger income streams. And what might surprise people, is that the majority of these sponsored content requests are for sponsored blog content. Not social media content. Over the past few years, I’ve built up relationships with PRs who consistently reach out to offer sponsored posts. I also apply for sponsored post opportunities through Twitter or in specific blogging Facebook groups – UK Bloggers & Blogging Opportunities are two of my favourites.

When I was first offered sponsored posts I had no idea what to charge. It’s hard to know what your worth is when you just blog for fun. But you have to remember the time, energy, and effort that you put into every blog post or piece of content. For many of us, this is hours and hours’ worth of time. If you’re not sure what to charge, then I can highly recommend joining the Grow and Glow community and speaking to other bloggers about their rates.

COACHING

Last year was a crazy year for many of us. But I decide to start September by launching my own coaching business. Crazy I know! But it felt like the right time. As someone who has spent more than ten years working in the marketing industry. I wanted to use my expertise and experience to break down the jargon and explain blogger to blogger what things like SEO are, how to understand your Google Analytics, and where to start with email marketing. As well as explaining why they’re important and how to actually do them.

Unless you work in the industry or are incredibly patient with Google. You wouldn’t know how to start a blog, buy your own domain, set up your Google Analytics, or know how to do keyword research to boost your SEO. That’s where I come in. And so far, this has been one of the most successful but also rewarding income streams I’ve had thanks to blogging.

AFFILIATE MARKETING

The final way I earn money through blogging is by using affiliate links. You can read my full disclaimer here but essentially by using affiliate links I earn a small percentage every time you click on a link to a product I’ve mentioned and purchase it yourself. These are so easy to use and it’s a great passive income stream. You just add the links and then promote the post. I prefer to use Skimlinks or Awin but there are lots of retailers that offer affiliate programmes direct with them.

I personally keep all the affiliate links I have in the blog saved in a spreadsheet which I’ll go through and update every couple of months. Retailers can sometimes change the link structure or the product might not be available anymore. Either of which could direct your audience to a 404 error. Which is not what you want. Firstly, you won’t earn any money. But also, it’s bas for your SEO to have too many deadlinks on your site.

So there you have it, the main ways I earn money through blogging. If you’re a blogger, how do you earn money through blogging?