One of the great things about the blogosphere is innovation, and the fact that there is an almost unlimited number of ways you can make money blogging.
One glance around the web shows such variety in terms of the way bloggers approach their audiences and provide them with value.
Image courtesy of stock.xchng user danzo08
The thing is, all that choice can be overwhelming. Those looking to being monetizing their blogs can be put off by the profusion of choices. Those who are thinking of extending their current monetization strategies can often fall back on tried and tested—but not necessarily optimal—methods simply because it’s so difficult to navigate the information around new ones.
So this week, we’re going to look at some of the more common blogging business models in depth.
The five six blog business models
Starting today, six pro bloggers will explain the ins and outs of the business model they’re successfully using to monetize their blogs.
Their insights will give you valuable ideas about how different business models might work with your own blog, niche, and audience.
Here are the business models we’ll cover—and the individuals who’ll share their experiences with us. Each day I’ll be updating this list with the link to the current days’ post, so you can bookmark this post to access them all:
- Landing public speaking gigs through your blog, with Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion
- Selling your print book through your blog, with Kevin Cullis of MacStartup
- Selling electronic products, with me, focusing on dPS
- Affiliate marketing, with Anshul Dayal of Nichesense
- Selling training and courses, with Jules Clancy of The Stone Soup.
Update: we’ve just received a bonus post for the series:
- Selling consulting services, with Ash Ambirge of The Middle Finger Project.
I’ll also be supplementing these articles and interviews with resource lists for further research for those interested in finding out more about that business model.
I hope you’ll find this advice useful, and that it inspires you to look at your blog’s money-making potential in a fresh light.
Before we begin, let us know if you’re already monetizing your blog, and how. Share your strategies with us in the comments.
I use a mixture of affiliate marketing and cpc advertising to monetize my website. I think they compliment each other nicely.
Discreet text links can be used within the content so it doesn’t spoicl the look of your site and cpc advertisments placed strategically in the sidebar and header. Works for me anyway.
Getting a constant flow of clients enquiring me about my brand identity design services is the main reason behind my blogging activities, but reading this post does makes me consider other options I may have in hand, specially the one related to selling electronic material on site. Thanks for the tips Darren!
Thanks Darren for sharing insights for realistic ways to monetize a blog. Let’s keep spreading the word about the value of bloggers. they have deep immersive knowledge about their audience -that brands or startup companies could pay for.