Do you struggle to learn the secrets to blogging for money? Be aware: there are many blogging “gurus” that are not practicing what they’re “teaching”.
In my 5+ years blogging online for a living I learned a ton of things. I know what works and what doesn’t. I discover and test new things on a daily basis.
In my quest to find how other pro bloggers make money online, I’ve dug deep on the Internet through hundreds of Google pages and forums. I even asked my closest friends to refer me top bloggers who are trust worthy.
I searched for the right (and stumbled on the wrong) blogs. I’ve spent 60+ hours looking for the right candidates. And here’s what I’ve found:
A ton of newbies… some fake “gurus”… a few scam artists.
I dug deeper and found exactly what I was looking for: real bloggers who were blogging for money, directly or indirectly.
I’ve compiled a list of 50+ bloggers and asked them three simple questions:
- What is your blog’s best money-maker (method, product or program)
- How much it generates for you per month (or week, etc)
- Share a comment (or tip) about your method so that others
can learn from your experience and blog like never before
I selected the best answers and only 22 finalists made it into the list you’re about to read next. You’ll discover bloggers who make money online with…
- Adsense/ads
- Affiliate marketing
- Consulting services/writing
- Sponsors/reviews
- And other money-making methods you’ll find interesting. Let’s start…
These guys are making anywhere from $200… $1,000 and up to $6.000 a month from their blogging activities. However, nobody started making this much the next day they setup their blog.
Some are making a lot more either per project or client, as an indirect result of their blogging.
Pay close attention to each word these pro bloggers are saying, and if possible, go beyond that.
Try to understand what they are really saying, and why. Go beyond the concept, and ask yourself how you can adapt what you’re reading to your particular situation or blogging niche.
Alex Fraiser www.blogussion.com
“My #1 money-maker is definitely selling my own blog designs. It makes me about $x,xxx a month, and I am trying to increase that figure big time. I feel that by selling you’ve made personally, something that you really put yourself into and sell with extreme value, will make you money every time.”
Annabel Candy www.successfulblogging.com
“I’ve connected with new clients around the globe because of my blog. Previously I could never get a web design or copywriting job unless I met someone in person. Thanks to my blog I now have clients all over Australia, in the UK and in North America. In fact I am probably better known in California than in my small home town in Australia! Blogging has proved to be a very effective way to market my services. Even though my first blog Get In the Hot Spot was about travel and completely unrelated to what I do for a living, people liked my story and writing style and wanted to work with me because of that.
I can’t put a figure on that but in addition to getting more clients for my services I’ve been able to set up other income streams because of my blog by recommending the best products around and selling my book Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps.
Many people like me aren’t comfortable with hard sales techniques but what I’ve learned, purely by accident, is that being genuine, building trust and developing strong relationships is more important than actively selling something.”
Brody Dorland www.allurenewmedia.com
“Method – Using a specific content strategy, my blog makes me money by communicating my level of expertise and building the necessary level of confidence in prospects who are looking to hire an online marketing consultant.
I’d say on average, my blog brings in at least one qualified project per month, which could range from a $10k consulting engagement to a $60k website development project.
We utilize our proprietary content strategy process called “The Publisher Method” that helps us to identify the informational needs of our buyers and produce the ideal content that will resonate with them. “
Cathy Larkin www.WebSavvyPR.com
“My blog, acts as a lead generator helping to sell my services. It is a resource of useful info for my prospects and customers, that also shows my approach to PR, social media & blogging coaching and consulting. How I talk/blog about a topic is a part of what sells my services. I just launched a “Create a Strategy & Build a Blog in 6 Weeks” coaching program for established small business owners & solopreneurs. I already have my first two clients, so I expect it will become a strong income generator as it fills a need.
The key for service businesses is identifying your client’s or prospective client’s core needs – then developing a program or product around that, along with blog posts that support that core need with useful information. In reality – that program was not the only business my blog helped me generate this/last month, but it is a newer program that codifies what I have been doing into a clear program, which so far seems easier to sell. “
Dino Vedo www.dinovedo.com
“My best money maker method is affiliate marketing, but in terms of blogging, it is definitely building a list. The list is very important, and if you aren’t doing it, you are leaving money on the table!
I usually am able to get around 1-2K new optins every month from just subscribers to my blog. Imagine sending an email to an offer that is highly targeted to a list of over a thousand loyal readers? Its all a numbers game.
My best tip or advice to give someone is to start building a list straight away. This way you will be sure to have something to rely upon when your not getting huge amounts of traffic or just starting out.“
Keller Hawthorne www.fresheventure.com
“My blog’s best money-making method is definitely writing product reviews or recommending products in articles. Each article makes anywhere from $20 to $500 per month. The trick is writing about a product or service you have experience with and that has a great price point (products $100 and under do very well).”
Geno Prussakov www.amnavigator.com/blog
“Most of the money that I make from my blog is not made through ads, product placements or paid posts. Ads do bring in some cash (and I don’t do PP or paid/sponsored blogging), but my biggest money-maker is the brand-building that my daily blogging greatly facilitates in. This brings in clients — in my case, companies interested in having me manage their affiliate programs, or consult for them.
Due to the above-quoted specifics I’ve actually never counted it. I should! You’ll have to ask me again a few months down the road.
The core of my blogging method is simple: respect your readers’ time, and blog about things that are truly interesting and add value. I don’t re-distribute other companies (however large or influential) announcements and press releases. I put myself in the shoes of my readers, and try to be interesting, practical, relevant and thereby engaging.”
Gideon Shalwick www.GideonShalwick.com
“If “best” in your question means what activity I engage in that provides me with the best return on investment, I would say running paid webinars. The return on each hr I spend on that has been as high as anywhere between $2,000 and $6,000 per hr. Obviously this includes only the time that I spend on promoting and running the webinars.
If “best” in your question means making the most amount of money in the shortest possible time for the least amount of work, I would say affiliate promotions. For these, I would often just send out a few emails, and maybe a video as well if I get a bit more behind the promotion. For my best affiliate promotion so far, I sold close to $100,000 worth of product from 4 emails, and one YouTube video. This was only a few hrs worth of direct work from me.
If “best” in your question means making the most money as a whole, I would say launching one of my own products. Not only can this bring in a truckload of money in a very short period of time, but it also allows you to build your email list very fast, which becomes the backbone of your whole business.
I think the key thing to remember for blogging or video blogging, is that it’s essentially a list building and people relationship management tool. If you can use blogging or video blogging to successfully build a responsive email list, you’re going in the right direction.
I’ve now successfully set up three businesses using video and video blogging as the main components. One business is getting around 40 new optins a day, another is getting around 30 new optins a day, and the third one is getting around 80-100 optins a day.
Getting a steady stream of optins allows you to set up a sustainable business for the long term. And while launches are great for setting up new businesses, it’s not a great business model for long term sustainability.
Focus on long term traffic and long term quality lead generation. That way you will set up a long term sustainable business.
To learn how I use video blogging to turn my video views into cash, please download my FREE 92 page report, Rapid Video Blogging, here: http://RapidVideoBlogging.com”
Gabe Young www.freebloghelp.com
“Selling links on existing articles or home page. On average, I make about $300/wk. My best tip: increase your PR for your site.”
Henri Junttila www.wakeupcloud.com
“At the moment I have two courses on my blog, which both sell well. I do not do any promotion or pushing to sell more of them, but the best producer is my Article Marketing course.
It varies between $100-$300 and sometimes over per month.
My tip is to follow your heart and do what feels good. Avoid getting stuck in thoughts of overwhelm and confusion. If you’re just starting out, you’ll probably be scared. The only way to get through that is to take action anyway.”
Ian Lurie www.conversationmarketing.com
“Conversation Marketing makes me money by building potential leads for my company, Portent. It earns about $10,000/week that way. Conversation Marketing’s done well because I write every day. Sometimes I don’t post what I write, but I’m always in-practice and producing ideas, even if only for 5 minutes.”
Jeremy Litwicki www.ProfitAddiction.com
“My blog’s best money-maker: The community
How much it makes per month: The long-term value may just be priceless, it grows month by month though.
Comment or tip: Worry more about building a community than squeezing every dime out of your brand and the money will surely come. This does not mean to forget about monetization, but worry more about creating great content and building a community that cares.”
Justin Germino www.dragonblogger.com
“The single largest earning program for my site is AdSense, I was able to double my AdSense earnings consistently in the last six months. But I use a variety of programs to make money from my sites.
Currently I earn between $120 and $150 per month in AdSense earnings and this is increasing as my site traffic increases.
Tip: experiment with banner sizes and placement, leverage the 3 banners per page but don’t place them so they intrude too much on post content. It took over a year to find the placement and sizes that worked best for my site.”
Kiesha www.WeBlogBetter.com
“My best money-maker is the services I offer – freelance writing, editing, blog designing and consulting. I’m able to work from home because it generates enough income to keep the bills paid. Anyone can offer services, almost everyone knows how to do something useful that others are willing to pay for.”
Krizia MissK www.WomenEntrepreneursHQ.com
“Product reviews are the best money-making method on my blog. It makes $2,500-$5,000 per month
It’s amazing how one well written review post about products people are looking for online can generate income and even passive income. Some review posts have brought me revenues on a monthly basis for up to one year.”
Mark Schaefer www.businessesgrow.com
“I do not make any money off of my blog directly, meaning that I don’t carry paid advertising, affiliate advertising, or the like. My blog strategy is entirely dedicated to sharing insanely great content that will enhance my reputation and attractiveness as an author, speaker and consultant. This strategy has worked beautifully as my business has doubled each of the last three years without a single penny of paid marketing or advertising to support it. “
Martin Osborn www.finchsells.com
“What is my #1 money-maker?
Regular trustworthy content – so that readers are more likely to listen when I have a genuine product to recommend.
How much do I make?
It’s a snowball effect where each month earns more than the last.
My best tip?
It’s better to promote only the best products, than to sell your word for anything with a commission attached.”
Murray Lunn www.Murlu.com
“At this time, Clickbank has eclipsed my previous revenue (Amazon Associates) which all work around a very specific hobby niche that I’ve been active in for many years. Despite my work on Murlu.com, it’s my other hobby blog that generates the majority of my online income (roughly $900 – $1200 a month). My biggest advice is to pick something that you’re already consumed in (such as a hobby) and find others that equally enjoy what you do – bridge the gap between beginner and advanced levels with great content and appropriate, related products and you’ve got a winner!”
Onibalusi www.youngprepro.com
“I make the bulk of my income online as a freelance writer and I presently make an average of $3000 online from it monthly.
My advice to anyone wanting to make solid income from offering his/her services to others is to focus on providing genuine value to people by offering the best of his/her service – not because of the money. By doing this you will be able to get more results.”
Pradeep Kumar www.HellBoundBloggers.com
“Best Money Maker Method: Sponsored/Paid Reviews
I can’t disclose the exact amount, but it is 3 figure (USD), sometimes 4.
It depends on your interest whether you disclose Paid/Sponsored reviews to your readers or not, but make sure you write those reviews useful to them, because they are citizens of your country (blog)”
Nikki Parkinson www.stylingyou.com.au
“My personal styling one-on-one services are my blog’s best money-maker; but only one part of the income stream for my blogging business. For the blog to be a successful business, I rely on income from a number of streams, including privately sourced advertising, affiliate advertising, network advertising and affiliate sales
The one-on-one bookings earn me about $2000 per month.
My greatest tip is to blog about what you love (for me, that’s fashion and beauty). Readers like my information and have a relationship with me before they book in for any of my services. They understand the way I work and what I recommend before outlaying any money. A blog does this better than any business card can because the reader (and potential customer) can get to know you first.”
Tyler Cruz www.TylerCruz.com
“My blog’s biggest money maker is private ad sales. They generate between $15K-$20K per year. My tip would be to not worry or focus on monetizing your blog but rather on providing quality content that is consistently updated.”
There you have it.
Blogging for Money: 22 Pro Bloggers Confess How They Make Money Online
Proven money-making models you can follow. Inspiration and motivation. You have zero excuses not to start (or continue) blogging and get paid for your effort.
Today’s tips are useless unless you implement what you’ve read so far. The easy part is to start with just one money-making model or method. Don’t complicate yourself.
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