When it comes to blogging, making money isn’t everything. It’s important to have a voice, and provide a service first. For those of you that are ready to take it further, here are some tips for starting to earn money through blogging.

Running a good blog with an authoritative take on informative or insightful content should be the number one concern. Building a relationship with your readers by injecting authenticity and personality, and maintaining that relationship to build up a consistent readership comes after that. However, if you’ve started getting that readership, then it may indeed be time to look at getting a little payout for your efforts. But how do you make money from blogging? There is a very wide variety of ways to do just that and here are a few.

Run ads on your blog

The “classic” method of monetizing just about any site on the internet. A lot of websites run ads, be it in their banners, pop-ups, or otherwise, connecting their sites to existing ad networks (such as the Google Ad Network). Following that, any clicks that you get on an ad on your website will translate into a little share of money for you. Making money off ad revenue has been more difficult over the past years, thanks to the growing widespread use of tools such as ad blockers, but as far as passive income goes, it’s an easy way to build it into your site, so long as you can ensure your ad placement and choice of advertisers aren’t too obnoxious or irrelevant for your reader.

Get sponsored directly

If you want to keep ads off of your website, then one of the most reliable ways is to do a little marketing work for the brands, themselves, rather than having them visually interrupt your website. Basically, writing sponsored posts means that a company will pay you to talk about, promote, or review its products or services. Different sponsorship programs will have different caveats on what you can and can’t write if you want their money, so be mindful of that. You may not necessarily need to direct traffic to them online, but some can offer more if you do.

Join an affiliate marketing campaign

One of the most popular ways for bloggers to start making some money is to make use of affiliate marketing. Basically, this means adding affiliate links to the text of your blog and then, much like with ads, you get a little money every time that a reader clicks on that link. One of the things about affiliate marketing is that, unlike with ads or sponsored posts, you don’t necessarily need to try and talk positively or show the benefits of the thing that you’re marketing. However, it’s still important to make sure that you’re choosing affiliates that are relevant to your content and readership. Gaming websites are more suited to join high paying affiliate programs in the igaming space than to work with companies that sell household products, for one example. Otherwise, you can turn the reader off with content that’s not meant for them.

Sell your own ebook

Do you have enough insight to put into a book? Are people willing to pay for it? If that’s the case, then your blog can effectively act as a marketing tool for your paid works. Writing a good ebook isn’t easy. You have to be able to demonstrate that you have value in what you’re saying, enough that people will pony up the cash to learn what you’re not telling them for free. This is particularly effective for those who have experience within a certain industry and can sell that experience through their writings. Of course, you can publish your ebook in other spaces, as well, so it doesn’t have to be tied exclusively to your blog.

Branch into other kinds of media

As the webinar suggestion highlights, your writing isn’t the only way to profit off of your blog. If you’re using your blog to grow a following, then you can produce other media that can allow you to monetize that following. This can include starting your own YouTube channel or running a podcast. You can then monetize them through subscription or Patreon models as mentioned above, or by having sponsors, ads, or reads that you do for companies. You can combine all of these together to make sure that you have multiple revenue streams, increasing your chances of profiting with each piece of media that you produce, as well. Don’t just think of yourself as a blogger, but as a creator that has every opportunity to make money in other spaces, too.

There are certainly bound to be plenty of ways to make some money from your blog than just those mentioned above. Creativity is always vital for a blogger and this counts for how you get paid to do it, too.

Host webinars through your blog

Similar to an ebook, if you have insight and people are willing to pay for it, then you can also sell it through a webinar. The big difference is what kind of medium you think your content is best suited for and what kind of audience you’re speaking to. Some topics and content might work better if it’s heard rather than read. If you have a commanding presence and personal charisma, then you should capitalize off of that, as well. You can have people pay for a “seat” for each digital webinar that you present. If you feel like it, you can publish your webinars sometime after as free content, offering more of an early access deal to those who want to sit in while it’s live.

Offer paid subscriptions for premium posts

If you’re able to get a consistent readership, especially one that clamors for new posts when they go up, then you should capitalize on the demand for your voice and insight. You can create blog subscription plans, allowing your most loyal readers (at least those who are willing to pay) to get access to exclusive content. You want to be careful that you don’t gate off all of your best content, as putting out regular free, high-quality posts is the best way to advertise your premium posts, as well. Subscription tiers can also include things like ebook and webinar access, as well.

Start a Patreon

One of the most popular ways that creative individuals and thought leaders are making money has nothing to do with the specific content that they’re providing, but rather the way that they ask for money. Setting up a Patreon isn’t too different from offering a paid subscription. However, it is true that there’s something of a culture of supporting through Patreon that has built up. A lot of people are more willing to put money towards content and creators that they like through that site since it feels like they’re part of a larger community providing support. You can still do all the things of offering exclusive access to content, as well as stretch goals that can incentivize increasing support and spreading the word.

Use it to advertise your services

Your blog is your online home, so why not use it to spread the word about services that you can provide directly? If you’re running a finance blog, then you can advertise your services as a bookkeeper or accountant, if you’re qualified, for instance. Or, you can sell the skills that make the blog great in the first place, whether it’s copywriting, marketing, social media management, creative consulting, or something else entirely. A lot of people attach a blog to their business because content helps to drive conversions. You can attach a business to your blog to benefit from exactly the same relationship, just in a slightly different order.