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How Bloggers Make Money from Blogs

Posted By Darren Rowse 6th of December 2005 Pro Blogging News 0 Comments

Make Money BloggingDo you Want to Make Money Blogging? Subscribe to ProBlogger Today.

My Personal Income Streams

As an update to this post I’ve more recently written one on How I make Money Blogging which highlights the most profitable ways that I use blogs to generate income. I’ve also written extensively on how bloggers make money in ProBlogger the Book.

How do bloggers make money from blogs?

How-Bloggers-Make-MoneyI’ve been reflecting this week about the amazing diversity of opportunities that are opening up for bloggers to make money from blogging.

I’ve long advised that bloggers seeking to make money from blogging spread their interests across multiple revenue streams so as not to put all their eggs in one basket.

The wonderful thing is that this is becoming easier and easier to do 2005 has seen many options opening up. I thought I’d take a look at some of the methods that bloggers are currently using to make money through blogs.

Income Streams for Bloggers – How to Make Money Blogging

Advertising Programs – Perhaps the most obvious changes in the past few months have been with the addition of a variety of viable advertising options for bloggers looking to make money from their blogs. The most common way bloggers seem to earn money online is via the contextual ad program from Google – Adsense. A more recent addition that many are using successfully are Chitika.

RSS Advertising – The past 12 months have seen some advances in RSS Advertising also. I’m yet to hear of any bloggers making big money blogging through it to this point – but as improvements are made to the ad programs exploring this I’m sure we’ll start to see examples of it being profitable.

Sponsorship – In addition to the array of advertising programs that are available to join there is a growing awareness in the business of the value and opportunity that exists for them to advertise directly on blogs. I’m hearing more and more examples of this and have been fortunately to have a couple of ad campaigns of my own in the past month – one with Adobe a couple of weeks ago and another just completed with Ricoh for a new digicam over at my Digital Camera Blog. These are not isolated cases – as I say I know of many blogs exploring sponsorship with advertisers at present and suspect we’ll see more of it in the year ahead. Sponsorship is also happening on a post by post basis with some bloggers being paid to write on certain topics by companies – either in one off or a regular fashion – and they are able to make big money from their blogs doing so.

Affiliate Programs – There are larger affiliate programs like Amazon, Linkshare, Clickbank and Commission Junction but also literally thousands of others from the large to the very small.

Digital Assets – Increasing numbers of bloggers have been developing other digital assets to support and add revenue streams to their blogs. By this I mean that I’m increasingly seeing e-books, courses and tele-seminars being run by bloggers. This type of activity will only increase in future – in fact this week I’ve seen numerous examples of bloggers running courses.

Blog Network Opportunities – with the rise in popularity of Blog Networks – bloggers are also being presented with more places to earn an income from their blogging – by writing for and with others. While it might be difficult to get a writing gig with one of the bigger networks – there are plenty who are always asking for new bloggers to join and who are willing to pay bloggers using a variety of payment models. While there are distinct advantages of blogging for yourself – blogging for an established network who will handle a lot of the set up/promotion/admin/SEO etc has it’s advantages also. More and more bloggers are combining writing for themselves on their own blogs with taking on blog network blogs as additional income streams.

Business Blog Writing Opportunities – as blogging has risen in it’s profile as a medium more and more businesses are starting blogs. Many of these companies have internal staff take on blogging duties – but an increasing number of them are hiring specialist bloggers to come on and run their blogs. I know of a number of bloggers who in the past month or two have been approached for such paid work. Check out the ProBlogger Job Board if you’re looking for this type of work.

Non Blogging Writing Opportunities – Also becoming more common are bloggers being hired to write in non blogging mediums. Manolo’s recent coup of a column in the Washington Post is just one example of this as bloggers are increasingly being approached to write for newspapers, magazines and other non blog websites. Along side this is the rise of bloggers as published book authors – this is to the extent that one blogger I spoke with this week complained to me that they were one of the few bloggers than they knew who didn’t have a book deal!

Donations – Tip Jars and donation buttons have been a part of blogging for years now but this last year saw a number of bloggers go full time after fund raising drives. Perhaps the most high profile of these was Jason Kottke of kottke.org who through the generosity of his readership was able to quit his job and become a full time blogger.

Flipping Blogs – Also more common in 2005 was the practice of ‘Blog Flipping’ – or selling of blogs. This has happened both on an individual blog level (I can think of about 20 blogs that sold this year) but also on a network level (the most obvious of these being the 8 figure sale of Weblogs Inc to AOL).

Merchandising – My recent attempt to sell ProBlogger.net T-shirts wasn’t a raging success, but it is an example of how an increasing number of bloggers are attempting to make a few extra dollars from their blogs by selling branded products through programs like Cafepress. While I didn’t have a lot of success with merchandising – quite a few larger blogs are seeing significant sales – especially blogs with a cult following. I’m not at liberty to discuss details – but I know of one largish blog which will see sales over $20,000 in merchandise for the calendar year of 2005.

Consulting and Speaking – While it has been popular for established consultants to add blogs to their businesses we’re also starting to see bloggers with no consulting background able to make money by charging readers for their time in consulting scenarios BECAUSE of the profile that their blogs have built them. Blogging has the ability to establish people as experts on niche topics and we all know the value of being perceived as an expert. I spoke to one blogger last month who charges himself out at over $200 an hour for speaking and consulting work – his area of expertise was something that he knew little about 18 months ago – but through his blog he’s become a leader in his field and a minor celebrity in his industry.

As time rolls on there are more and more ways that bloggers make money from their blogs opening up. Feel free to suggest your own ideas and experiences in comments below.

Update: Looking for more information on how to make money blogging? Here’s a post I wrote talking about my own experience – particularly looking at the top ways that I make money from blogs.

Also check out these resources on how to set up a profitable blog:

  • ProBlogger the Book – where I and Chris Garrett sum up all of the basic tips about starting up a blog in the one volume.
About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Comments
  1. the only hard part is choosing revenue programs that do not conflict with adsense

  2. I just started my first blog. I can tell i’m gonna learn a lot from problogger!

  3. Hi Robert,

    If you or others are looking for another revenue source compared to Google Adsense you can use Kontera which does not conflict or go against Adsense terms of service.That is another way that you can monetize your blogs and how bloggers are making more money from their blogs.

    Sincerely,

    Jamie Boyle
    Internet Marketer

  4. Allison says: 12/28/2008 at 9:13 am

    I want to start out slow with my blog and eventually learn how to monetize it. What kind of host should I be looking for? Blogspot, for example, is free, but perhaps it would be too limited as I grow? GoDaddy.com offers so much it seems a little confusing for a beginner. Any advice for someone who is smart but has a lot to learn?

  5. This is such a nice article that i ever read, please give us more way to make money online, so i can kick my real job today.

  6. Some interesting information here. I will definitely take some time to look more closely at some of your suggestions.

  7. Brand new for 2009

    I found myworkfromhomepro to be a great outfit, these guys have really applied themselves to helping new members! They use the 2up system which means that you will get $150 over and over again from the sales of other. Making money from home just got that much easier with this home business opportunity.

    They supply new members with email scripts, banners, and “The Academy” designed to help you succeed. There is the FREE 10 day trial to take so that you can see what it is all about!

    Overall, not a bad money making business, and it is easy!

    Simon Butler

    http://www.myworkfromhomepro.com

  8. That’s it..i want to make my own money from blogging…wew, maybe i must work a little harder :(

  9. Allison i have justed started blogging and am using host gator. This provides great service at a great price. I recommend you check it out. Also would just like to say there is some excellent information here which people should take on board asap.

  10. A nice article indeed. Keep it up!

  11. I don’t know whether Google lets adsense ad and non adsense ad appear in the same page.

  12. I think there are many more ways to make money blogging then most see at this point. My favorite has been Sponsorships. Working with reputable companies to promote there brand and add content and value to the show and the over all learning experience. We showcase talent on our Internet radio show.

  13. Web Seo Writers says: 01/15/2009 at 6:19 am

    I just love problogger articles , specially this article helps me a lot when I started my first blog . so buddy keep it up :-)

  14. Another good way to earn money is to start a niche market dating site or social community. You have to find a niche that isn’t being saturated.

  15. Hey A good way to make money is this website call. http://www.maverickmoneymakers.com/?hop=bankman2. This man tell you what to do step by step by video how to make money in different ways online. I made 755$ in 6days.

  16. Being a full time mother of 3 month old baby. I was looking for an apportunity in which I can earn from home so that I can look after my baby as well as earn money. This opportunity was provided by Jeffpaul

  17. In my experience, using adsense is the best use of internet marketing resources when it comes to blogging. WordPress has some cracking adsense plugins that are really easy to use and manage. Of course, to make some really good cash you need high traffic and or several blog sites in the market.

  18. I like how you emphasized on the basic streams of potentially new incoming money makers. This shows a web master the true earning potential of having a website and what capabilities of earning it can have if it has the right advertising and promotion.

  19. The first thing to making money with blogs, websites and any other pages is to rank high, and get organic traffic from the search engines.
    after that anything and every thing can make you money with your page.
    however blogs seems to be easier to rank high, and suck some traffic out of the SE. so it will be easier and faster. but you need to be a good writer to do so

  20. Very good article ,blogs are very good for acheiving search engine rankings and simple to set up.but unless utilised with an affiliate program or cpa it takes avery long time to make tangible income..alot of hard work maybe there is a simplier option?

    Get Paid To Blog

  21. Hi Darren,

    Thanks for the info. I have recently started my own tv show and entertainment blog. It is obviously a popular category, but not profitable. I am using Google Adsense and Chitika like you said, but the CTR is low right now. Only a month old!

    I appreciate your experience and advice on how to drive revenue using blogs. This is a passion of mine, but want to make back some $$ in the mean time. TV Shows are a fun thing to talk about.

    Anyway, nice posts, and thanks again.

  22. Dustin Lee says: 01/28/2009 at 1:52 am

    The popularity and credibility of blogging has seen huge growth over the past year. Anyone who can create compelling content has the opportunity to create revenue. Thanks for the great article!

  23. Well these days bloggers have more than one income streams. It is a good help to list the opportunities available. The development of Internet as a medium to make money augurs well for people who love to make more money. Identifying the opportunities to make money is the most important and right step. Thanks for helping ..
    http://makemoneyideas.in

  24. problogger is the master example of the fact that money making should be both advertising networks as well as affiliate system..
    As I have seen some of bloggers who uses only adsense to monetize their blogs..just a penny from me..

  25. Hi Darren, we share the same first name. :-) It’s great to learn something from this post. Cheers! Still have tonnes to go through your blog. Argh… It’s a pain… but pain for good.. :-D

  26. I have issued a challenge to all get rich, make money blogs. If your system works so well the why don’t you set me up at no cost to me and I will share the profits with you. Money for not working

  27. Nobody will give you anything in this life, it’s work, work and more work i’m afraid. The only consultation is that some enjoy their work!! here’s to the learning curve!!

  28. If you are using Adsense, I suggest to try a lot of combinations to find the best layout for your blog and increase revenues.

    Bye

  29. To make money is the goal!!! You sure are a pro blogger my friend. Im learning tons on your site!

  30. Really good post and very informative. Making money online from blogging can be a very time consuming process to get off the ground but worthwhile in the longer term if you can make it pay.

  31. Thanks for your article from Problogger. I always to wait for your articles via email that I have been subcribed.

  32. This is great information! I have never thought blogs can do so much. I have learned a lot from this article and I find it to be insightful.

  33. This information is just great. As newbie to blogging at http://travellinginthecaribbeanblogspot.com I am just grateful for the many tips offered here.

  34. I loved your article. I will keep it in mind when I am building my website, so hopefully I will make some money. If anyone want to check out my website, the address it http://www.educateaboutobama.webs.com.

  35. Thanks for your article.I am a newbie in blogging and i hope your tips will definitely help me to make some bucks from my blog http://immortalmemoirs.blogspot.com/.

  36. When it comes to finding out how to make money with blogs, I think your site has alot of usefull ideas. Its also well laid out with alot of articles that are of great help.

  37. Thanks for your article from Problogger. I always to wait for your articles via email that I have been subcribed.suggest to try a lot of combinations to find the best layout for your blog and increase revenues.

  38. Its not that hard to make money online. 80% of us loose hope at the point where money was almost about to start coming either we stop believing in the program or we are out of marketing budget

  39. My first time to read your article about making money through blogging.

    Wow! Good tips here to monetize my blog. That’s awesome! I Can’t want to read more brilliant post from you. Great Work Man…

  40. Blogger could earn money from their website/blog. But the most important thing before one could get their money is they need to consistently promote their blog. This is the most difficult part i think and this is where most of the newbies surrender.

    For example, i’m now promoting best survey site my all the proof and all the facts. But i fail to have a good rank in search engine or i dont have enough time to promote my site. Even with good blog, i still fail to attract people and eventually a fail to make money.

    Thank for your sharing on this article.

  41. 4 year old and still the best article on this topic!
    I’m just trying to catch up… :)
    http://diduknowabout.blogspot.com/
    Cheers

  42. If your a network marketer, Blogging should be in your top priorities, the internet is constantly evolving , to stay at top you must use every tool that’s available to you, for some reason search engine love blogs and they get place higher in search engines, so if you have a website i suggest you blog anywhere you can
    http://www.passtowealthmachine.com

  43. i’ve been blogging for months before the google pagerank updates and i still get PR0 and up to now, i’ve not really earned much from this blogging thingy :( does it really work for anyone?

  44. Hi Darren,

    I do not have a lot of experience with blogs. I have been using websites online for a while now and have a few content sites. reading your blog today has me seriously thinking of converting some of my websites to blogs.

    Re: Google adsense income. I was of the understanding you could only place three ad’s on any page, however I count nine on your blog home page.

    Is this correct and if so how would one manage to do this?

    Kind regards,
    Ken mathie

  45. Really good list of online money makers. There are so many sites out there now claiming to be able to show you how to make money on the internet, it’s nice to find a blog that explains the HOW part of it.

  46. Jones says: 03/05/2009 at 4:47 am

    Great infor about make money from blog. I’m really interested! Thanks for you post.

    Jones
    Jobs For 14 Year Olds

  47. Thanks for this post, it is very useful and I’m glad I ran into it! I use both AdSense and WidgetBucks and I am very pleased that I learned about the possibilities with WidgetBucks especially after visiting their site!

  48. I wonder if you’re readers actually click on your links as a form of tipping?

  49. This blog post gives most of tips about making money from blog by some program. But fact is that, making money from blog is not easy one. You need to continuously posting on your blog and have to increase traffic on your website. More traffic = more money.

    If you have really good traffic on your website than can make money from blog.

  50. Making money from blogging cannot be easy. I think it takes hard work in order to make money online.

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