This post was most recently updated on July 8th, 2023

[This article was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.]

If you landed here because of the title of this post, this is one of the reasons I started blogging and I know 70% of bloggers will agree with me. Yeah, I truly believe that bloggers can make money no matter what their niche is about. Mommy bloggers, fashion bloggers, lifestyle bloggers – all of them can make money blogging.

But, how?

Here I am going to tell you that when you talk about blogging, it means you’re teaching other people how to start, build their own blogs, and turn their blogs into a business, which makes money. To do this, you need to have experience starting and growing your blog.

This post is going to guide you through everything you need to know, because setting up your new brand blog isn’t all that difficult, right? But, setting up a blog that will actually help you make an impact plus an income? Well, that requires a lot of hard work, research, and time. But, I always believe that hard-working will pay you well.

You will make money from creating and selling your products/services or promoting and selling other people’s products/services that help people start and grow their own blogs.

Is it possible to make money from blogging?

Yes. It is possible, but I will say it’s not easy to make money blogging. You have to know who your audience is, how can you help them, and what you’re talking about. You also have to prove you’re an expert in your field before people buy your products – and that’s not easy to do.

That’s why I recommend you choose a niche that combines your passion and your expertise. For example, if you have a passion for finance management and have expertise in that field, then I believe you can make money by teaching or selling your products. And if you are an experienced and skilled blogger and you want to talk about blogging, surely you can make money from it.

What to do before you make money blogging?

First thing first. Since we are going to talk about making money blogging, of course, you need to start your own blog. So make sure to check how to start your blog before reading this post.

I’m going to share three important points before starting to make money blogging:

1. Everyone’s path is different: We are not going to make money at the same pace and that’s okay. Just because someone makes money within 3 months, doesn’t mean that’s going to happen the exact same way to you as well. Don’t compare yourself.
2. What works for one person might not work for the next or you. I know that there are so many tips and tricks out there, not all will necessarily work for me or you but it doesn’t mean they are wrong. Keep trying. Trial and failure is your daily food. Don’t give up on any strategies.
3. Think your blog like a real business: I have mentioned how to increase your blog traffic. If you want to make money blogging, you must treat it like a real business. You have to think about what you are trying to accomplish in the long term. Are you going to make money blogging to pay your debt? Make this your side hustle that will replace your 9-5 job someday? Or is this going to be your full-time job?

How to make money from blogging

Remember, the point here is going to be selling your own products or selling someone else’s products. It takes time to start earning a steady income, but as long as you’re patient, consistent, know well what you’re talking about, and recommend helpful products/services, you can be a successful blogger.

Before we reach out on how to make money blogging, I will share some basic things you need to do to start a blog the right way. I’m sure you have read somewhere or maybe on my blog, but these are the important things for getting setup:

1. Choose your audience: You should have clear ideas of what your blog is about (niche) and who you want to write for (niche market). Think about who you want to impact the content you write on your blog. Money-making bloggers always write for their audience about useful and relevant to a specific type of reader.
2. Choose your domain name (website address): The name you choose better connects to the content you will write about. Make it clear and straightforward. You can check this on how to choose your blog name to get inspiration for your blog name.
3. Get website hosting with Lyricalhost: If you’re going to make money from blogging, you need to look professional. Self-hosting will give you a plus value to your audience, provide unlimited access for customization and monetization of your blog, and gives you full ownership of your blog.
4. Create an email list management: build and grow your audience with email list management, you can also sell your products or offer your services through email.
5. Install and set up WordPress: get ready your WordPress, change, update, and install the necessary plugins to make it comfortable to use, for both you and your audience.
6. Choose your theme: Pick a clean, clear, and easy-to-navigate theme and make your blog look presentable for your audience. Etsy is the best option to find all those things you need.
7. Protect your blog legally: Protect your blog from any problems or lawsuits in the future.
8. Start writing high-quality content: You can either write educational, informational, inspirational, motivational, or maybe content about entertainment or some variations of these all.
9. Learn more about SEO: Learn about SEO and produce content that will get ranked on search engines.
10. Create social media accounts: creating a blog and making money from it is all about networking and building up a follower base.

Next, the one you’re waiting for. These are some make-money blogging ways that I did from the very beginning. I will keep updating this along with my journey.

Affiliate Marketing

If you want to turn your blog into a money-making business, then you definitely want to go deep into the affiliate marketing world. Affiliate marketing is simply promoting the products or services of other businesses. This is one way that most bloggers choose to start monetizing their blogs.

Don’t know where to start looking?

Enroll in this free affiliate marketing course and learn how to make a passive income with your blog.

Things you can learn from the free 5-day email course:

• What Affiliate Marketing is and why this is the best way to make money blogging
• The first 3 steps that you need to take when you’re getting started with Affiliate Marketing
• How to find profitable Affiliate Programs in your niche that you can promote without feeling “salesy”
• How to implement an Affiliate Marketing strategy or plan from start to finish
• How to increase your clicks and boost your traffic to make your first Affiliate Sale

This course is perfect for you if you want to make your first Affiliate Sale this month and craft a long-term strategy. After joining this course and you don’t know what affiliate program to join, allow me to save you hours of research and give you access to 770+ high-paying affiliate programs to choose from.

Join the affiliate program that fits your niche and get their product’s link, then you share these product’s links via your own trackable link. When someone clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase, you will earn some commission. If you are helping someone to start and build their blog, you can promote various products that they need for their blog journey.

Here are some ways to get accepted into the affiliate program:

• Have a self-hosted blog with your own domain name
• Have a professional email address
• Have legal pages on your blog (this is crucial if you want to make money blogging, you need a disclaimer, privacy policy, and terms & conditions to protect your biz)
• Have a few posts (5-10) on your blog before applying (to show that you have content)
• Tell them about how you plan to promote the products/links

There are many affiliate programs you can join. You can make a list of all the resources and tools you want to promote and sell. Sign up for their affiliate program and create content around those products. 

Recommend products/services that you use and love. Share your success with the products with everyone. A successful blogger will recommend products that helped them to grow and make money from their blog. Don’t recommend it just for making money. You need to earn the trust of your audience and recommend products that really benefit them.

If you’re interested to make money with affiliate marketing, this Affiliate Marketing Training Bundle will help you monetize your online presence and get started with affiliate marketing the right way.

From teaching you the foundational strategies that lack from free content out there, to helping you make affiliate sales in your sleep (literally!), this training is an invaluable resource for bloggers who are struggling to make their first affiliate sale or who are stuck at under $1,000 in earnings and want to grow their income.

Selling Your Own Products / Services

When you’re talking about blogging, you can create and sell your own products to help your audience reach their dreams.

Next, if you have expertise in some areas, like SEO master, Amazon sales, creating Pinterest templates, or Pinterest VA, you can always make money by providing those services to your audience. If your niche is about blogging, you can always produce content that helps bloggers solve their problems and you can weave your services into that content.

With your experience and skill, you can use those to come up with a service that you can offer to your audience. This is always a great way to make money from blogging.

Pro tips: Don’t copy people’s work. I have seen many of us blogs about blogging. We write about similar things/content and then share it with our audience. We can have the same ideas, but that doesn’t mean you can copy someone else’s work. In this case, includes blog posts, pages, email templates, etc. If you don’t want to face lawsuits because of illegally using others’ work without permission, it’s important to create your own content with your own unique voice plus your experience.

Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts are another awesome way to make money in any niche. You will write sponsored content on your website, promoting the products and services of another business. You can do this even when you’re talking about blogging. How?

You need to work with companies that sell products that are helpful or relevant to your audience. You need to give some thoughts on what bloggers need. For example, graphic design, planners, computers, workspace decor, etc. There are various things you can think of, be creative!

Here are the two best platforms to find brands you can work with GetBlogged and Intellifluence. I have made around $400+ with GetBlogged and $1,000+ with Intellifluence. After you know which company you want to work with, start reaching out to those companies and pitching your ideas to them. They will respond when they think you fit with the campaign.

Some companies might reach out to your first. I received some emails from brands to review their products, add their links or offer me their premium account. That’s why I always say that your contact page is important. People or brands who want to work with you will definitely reach out from the contact page.

Create A Resources Page

All bloggers have to create their own resources page. This is a great way to use affiliate links that are helpful for bloggers. On this page, you create links to all the products you have used to help build your own blog. Keep in mind, when linking to those products, use your affiliate links!

I’m adding this resource to my main menu so any bloggers who come across my blog will find it extremely helpful. You can always promote your resource page on your social media platforms and Pinterest to boost your views and chances that your affiliate links get clicked.

Make A Few Investments

You don’t need to invest a big amount of money in blogging. You can still make money with very little investment. With that, there are a few investments that a new blogger needs to level up their biz.

Things like website hosting, a domain name, affordable themes, a computer, a camera, and some basic education.

Don’t be afraid to invest a little bit of money if you want to make money from blogging. When I started, I already had a laptop and a phone. So, I need to invest in my blog hosting, a domain name, themes, and some educational courses.

Here are my investment recommendations for your first year of blogging:

• A laptop
• Website hosting and domain name
• A website theme or font or any graphic designs
• Legal pages

I’m just going to say, remember why you started your blog and have fun with your blog. 

You need to truly love blogging, have a passion, and love sharing valuable experiences with your audience if you want to make money from blogging. Don’t force yourself to love what you don’t like.

You will need to spend a lot of time caring for your blogging baby and growth won’t always happen as quickly as you wish. You will always have a hard time blogging, but along with this reminder, I want you to enjoy your blogging business and embrace the bad and good times.