Blogging is something that more people than ever are doing. They integrate it with social media, their own videos and skits, and can often make it their only source of income. It’s an incredibly liberating move when you can finally make some dollars off of the post you spent the entire night writing and making perfect. It used to be you published it to the fanfare of a few comments and a few hundred hits, and now you’re getting paid per click and might even have a free copy of a product in the mail to keep. Does this situation sound like something you’ve been after?
So once you’ve got your website up and running in a state you’re happy with, it’s time for you make the money you deserve when it comes to creating daily content on an ever changing and ruthless platform. Constantly being able to churn out relevant content readers are happy with is an artform after all; here’s the ways you can monetize your blogging effort, and honestly, why you absolutely should.
Know Who Your Readers Are
When you know who you’re writing for (and let’s face it, it’s not just for you anymore), you’re going to be able to generate much better content. Of course there’s nothing wrong with what you write now, but if you’re not getting the hits you want, it’s clear something is going to need to change. Not to mention, when you chase the readers to collect them, anyone willing to pay you for taking to them will chase you in return.
Just like a business would create a marketing persona in order to sell a product better, make a reader persona to make sure you really get into the heads of the people you really want to write for. Maybe it’s people with lives similar to yours? Maybe it’s people with a similar hobby? Maybe it’s someone who is just as clueless as you when it comes to looking after a kitten and thus you start an advice blog to collect information those people can use whenever!
Get in Touch with Affiliate Marketing Programs
Affiliate marketing is relatively new to the online world, but it’s also one of the main ways an influencer can make the money they need from their craft. Being sponsored to write a post or make a video means you can live quite comfortably over the next few content pieces you create without having to worry if they’re going to make you any money or not. So look into this as your first port of call.
There are all sorts of programs out there that can help you get on your feet with this, as sometimes a simple contact email on your ‘About’ page doesn’t go as far as you hoped it would, despite it being a strong option. Signing up to something can bring a lot of benefits to your door, and even if you have to wait a while for it to pay off, you’re still in with a much better chance of making money. Try out something like Bloggers Connected if this method interests you, and it should if you’re serious about what you’re good at.
Stay Accessible to Everyone
And a lot of the time, to promote this, you’re going to have to go in search of the communication you wish was coming your way. Being accessible can mean a lot of things, but mainly it means you should always stay in contact with the readers you do have. Get their opinions and let them describe their own experiences in the comments section, and reply as much as you can.
You can easily get guest bloggers this way, if the person you’ve interacted with is someone you really like and has a story you want them to be able to tell. And that promotes a healthy online community, and more and more people with an internet connection are in search of that. Offering incentives like this is a good way to make sure people know you’re valuable, and have the kind of readership companies desperately need to be able to market towards.
Ready for Your Side Hustle?
If you are, you’re going to be in the best position possible if you take these tips into account. Of course we don’t start to blog simply to make money, but it should make you money when you devote your life and soul to it! Not to mention you can enjoy your life some more!
