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How Bloggers Make Money from Blogs

Posted By Darren Rowse 6th of December 2005 Pro Blogging News 0 Comments

Make Money BloggingDo you Want to Make Money Blogging? Subscribe to ProBlogger Today.

My Personal Income Streams

As an update to this post I’ve more recently written one on How I make Money Blogging which highlights the most profitable ways that I use blogs to generate income. I’ve also written extensively on how bloggers make money in ProBlogger the Book.

How do bloggers make money from blogs?

How-Bloggers-Make-MoneyI’ve been reflecting this week about the amazing diversity of opportunities that are opening up for bloggers to make money from blogging.

I’ve long advised that bloggers seeking to make money from blogging spread their interests across multiple revenue streams so as not to put all their eggs in one basket.

The wonderful thing is that this is becoming easier and easier to do 2005 has seen many options opening up. I thought I’d take a look at some of the methods that bloggers are currently using to make money through blogs.

Income Streams for Bloggers – How to Make Money Blogging

Advertising Programs – Perhaps the most obvious changes in the past few months have been with the addition of a variety of viable advertising options for bloggers looking to make money from their blogs. The most common way bloggers seem to earn money online is via the contextual ad program from Google – Adsense. A more recent addition that many are using successfully are Chitika.

RSS Advertising – The past 12 months have seen some advances in RSS Advertising also. I’m yet to hear of any bloggers making big money blogging through it to this point – but as improvements are made to the ad programs exploring this I’m sure we’ll start to see examples of it being profitable.

Sponsorship – In addition to the array of advertising programs that are available to join there is a growing awareness in the business of the value and opportunity that exists for them to advertise directly on blogs. I’m hearing more and more examples of this and have been fortunately to have a couple of ad campaigns of my own in the past month – one with Adobe a couple of weeks ago and another just completed with Ricoh for a new digicam over at my Digital Camera Blog. These are not isolated cases – as I say I know of many blogs exploring sponsorship with advertisers at present and suspect we’ll see more of it in the year ahead. Sponsorship is also happening on a post by post basis with some bloggers being paid to write on certain topics by companies – either in one off or a regular fashion – and they are able to make big money from their blogs doing so.

Affiliate Programs – There are larger affiliate programs like Amazon, Linkshare, Clickbank and Commission Junction but also literally thousands of others from the large to the very small.

Digital Assets – Increasing numbers of bloggers have been developing other digital assets to support and add revenue streams to their blogs. By this I mean that I’m increasingly seeing e-books, courses and tele-seminars being run by bloggers. This type of activity will only increase in future – in fact this week I’ve seen numerous examples of bloggers running courses.

Blog Network Opportunities – with the rise in popularity of Blog Networks – bloggers are also being presented with more places to earn an income from their blogging – by writing for and with others. While it might be difficult to get a writing gig with one of the bigger networks – there are plenty who are always asking for new bloggers to join and who are willing to pay bloggers using a variety of payment models. While there are distinct advantages of blogging for yourself – blogging for an established network who will handle a lot of the set up/promotion/admin/SEO etc has it’s advantages also. More and more bloggers are combining writing for themselves on their own blogs with taking on blog network blogs as additional income streams.

Business Blog Writing Opportunities – as blogging has risen in it’s profile as a medium more and more businesses are starting blogs. Many of these companies have internal staff take on blogging duties – but an increasing number of them are hiring specialist bloggers to come on and run their blogs. I know of a number of bloggers who in the past month or two have been approached for such paid work. Check out the ProBlogger Job Board if you’re looking for this type of work.

Non Blogging Writing Opportunities – Also becoming more common are bloggers being hired to write in non blogging mediums. Manolo’s recent coup of a column in the Washington Post is just one example of this as bloggers are increasingly being approached to write for newspapers, magazines and other non blog websites. Along side this is the rise of bloggers as published book authors – this is to the extent that one blogger I spoke with this week complained to me that they were one of the few bloggers than they knew who didn’t have a book deal!

Donations – Tip Jars and donation buttons have been a part of blogging for years now but this last year saw a number of bloggers go full time after fund raising drives. Perhaps the most high profile of these was Jason Kottke of kottke.org who through the generosity of his readership was able to quit his job and become a full time blogger.

Flipping Blogs – Also more common in 2005 was the practice of ‘Blog Flipping’ – or selling of blogs. This has happened both on an individual blog level (I can think of about 20 blogs that sold this year) but also on a network level (the most obvious of these being the 8 figure sale of Weblogs Inc to AOL).

Merchandising – My recent attempt to sell ProBlogger.net T-shirts wasn’t a raging success, but it is an example of how an increasing number of bloggers are attempting to make a few extra dollars from their blogs by selling branded products through programs like Cafepress. While I didn’t have a lot of success with merchandising – quite a few larger blogs are seeing significant sales – especially blogs with a cult following. I’m not at liberty to discuss details – but I know of one largish blog which will see sales over $20,000 in merchandise for the calendar year of 2005.

Consulting and Speaking – While it has been popular for established consultants to add blogs to their businesses we’re also starting to see bloggers with no consulting background able to make money by charging readers for their time in consulting scenarios BECAUSE of the profile that their blogs have built them. Blogging has the ability to establish people as experts on niche topics and we all know the value of being perceived as an expert. I spoke to one blogger last month who charges himself out at over $200 an hour for speaking and consulting work – his area of expertise was something that he knew little about 18 months ago – but through his blog he’s become a leader in his field and a minor celebrity in his industry.

As time rolls on there are more and more ways that bloggers make money from their blogs opening up. Feel free to suggest your own ideas and experiences in comments below.

Update: Looking for more information on how to make money blogging? Here’s a post I wrote talking about my own experience – particularly looking at the top ways that I make money from blogs.

Also check out these resources on how to set up a profitable blog:

  • ProBlogger the Book – where I and Chris Garrett sum up all of the basic tips about starting up a blog in the one volume.
About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Comments
  1. Great article and even better, the hundreds of comments it has attracted. All very helpful indeed for newbies like us.

    Thanks people!

  2. good income on problogging is not that hard!

  3. Can anyone suggest a good blogging platform if I want to integrate one into my site?

  4. Even though this post is years old, it is still awesome!
    The key to making money online is through multiple streams of income.

    You have to treat it like a business and promote it like crazy. Act hungry and be persistent! The big money is in affiliate marketing, I highly recommend article marketing, don’t waste your money with PPC….build for the long term! Recently, I have even been making nice money flipping domain names on Ebay. I would buy a domain for $500-$1000, add some value to it by building a little PR and than I would list it for a high price with the MAKE OFFER option selected. I always get nice offers.

    With focus and determination, making money online is not that hard…thanks again Darrin for this incredible post!

  5. Wow, its a Gr8 Post.

    Danx 4 D Infos on Blogging Income.

    M too makin a Blog on Blogging Incomes.

    Keep up D Gr8 Work.

  6. to get more money from blogging…what are you need just a hard work, this place not for lazy mind,soooooo….get your more income $$$$$$$$$$$ with your idea’s….that’s all guy’s

  7. thank’s for your tips..

  8. You mentioned ClickBank under affiliate programs. I consider it one of the best affiliate programs out there and have been an affiliate since 2002. I’ve been recently using cbprosense on my blogs. It matches clickbank products to the content automatically, much like adsense. The combo surpassing adsense earnings by two folds lately.

  9. Thanks for this great article, its very helpful especially for new bloggers out there.

  10. Phil- thank you for the tip! Appreciate it highly and I’ll make sure to include it in my program on blogging.

    Scott

  11. Hey, thanks again for all the tips, I had a site set up, but just started posting on a blog. Check it out and give me some feedback, I can always use any advice from anyone who knows what they’re talking about!

  12. This post is great, thanks so much!

  13. hayden says: 01/19/2008 at 6:39 am

    this is awsome how do i sign up to get the cash

  14. wow. I really love your entries. I am a new blogger and I am fascinated and intrigued with this kind of monetizing. I’ll keep on learning through your blogs.. thanks..

  15. I like your post.

    There are new ways to make money in advertisement. One of them is ad flyers. Customers can create an ad flyer and instantly load it/pay for it and see it running on your website. Only works if your website has valuable content and its a niche. Not good for websites that solely want to redirect visitors through affiliate networks. The only service that I’ve found is adcreatepublish.com and they also allow customers to upload their existing advertisement banner to your website.

  16. Great post. A must for everyone to read.
    Will recommend.

  17. i have put some ideas together on how to make money online. I am still working on more money making jobs. Check and see if it helps you too.

  18. Since I have a blog about airsoft, I have only found one ad service that accepts airsoft content blogs. It is WidgetBucks. I have made over $1,000 and I haven’t had to pay a penny this entire time!

  19. Blogs seem to always have a way of generating income for me and the best part about it is telling things like they really are. If your honest about the information you bring to the table, your readership will increase over time.

  20. Blogging seems to be the best hardearned, legit online money-making ideas.

  21. Hi all,

    It is useful generating an income with a blog and the methods you discuss are certainly viable. More importantly thoughm is the aspect of having tons of traffic that visits your blog otheriwse monetizing it is simply in vain.

    Thanks for great informative ideas though…

    Rich

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  23. Thanks for the information. I’ve just started my blog and I’m looking forward to making some extra cash.

  24. Very good article. it is useful for bloggers. i am a new blogger and i will use your informations. thanks…

  25. I personally am making decent money off of affiliates programs and advertisements. For paying nothing at all I am proud of my results.

  26. I am new to blogging. This is one of the best sites I have seen about making money. I did get my page indexed on Google. I do wish with the expertise shown by the author and those commenting on making money with a blog, that some of the energy would be put toward getting visitors, that is something a beginning blogger can understand.

    You have an awesome blog, BTW.

  27. Hi Darren, thanks for sharing this very informative article. Just what I was looking for. Now I’m off to “how to write an about me page” as I need to update my current one. By the way, I like your new home/office, looks great. I like the minimalist look!

  28. Chris says: 01/29/2008 at 3:27 pm

    I dont even know what a blog is but i am a go getter and if there is money to be made than im in. Im tired of busting my ass all day for pennies. Can u help me get aquainted with yhe start up process? Thanks chris

  29. Hi,thx for sharing a nice articles. i looking for way out that help me to make money ^^. i am beginner for making money with internet so something that i can do –> read read and read . finally thanks for your articles .

  30. I have recently started my own blog and i have really benefited from your posting.
    Keep on posting more of this.

  31. Please keep those articles coming. I look forward for more. I currently started a blog and i can see the results.

  32. Very comprehensive post Darren! The problem is that most new bloggers stick to only Adsense, and thus make very little money. It’s VERY important to diversify your income streams.

  33. very good post darren. good stuff.

  34. Wow Darren, your post is very comprehensive and has tought me a lot!

    Thanks for sharing your tips with us, it just goes to show you never can learn so much!

  35. Surely it IS best to use a combination of various types of advertising content, and not just one. And of course the ads should cater to the reader. Advertising 101 right? What about too much advertising?

    This is my challenge: At what point does a website or blog contain too many ads on it? What would be a standard gauge, if there is one?

  36. Robert says: 02/08/2008 at 9:40 am

    I loved reading the comments more than the article itself :)

  37. Interesting Tips! Nice Job.

  38. Thanks for the great tips. To me, making money from blogging is like becoming like an addictive sport :) Some times I think of it as a gamble too, since it takes me a lot of time. I am trying to use my expertise in advanced IT topics to write interesting articles and your are my main reference. Thanks again.

  39. Read also the website about being creative with your money: http://www.slimmetjegeld.nl/english/index.html

  40. This is exactly what I have been looking for in terms of nuts and bolts direction on building a revenue model for my blog.
    My blog started as a c ommunity portal of sorts for my membership site, but I found that just by adding Adsense alone ( I useWordPress, so I just added the Ad Manager plugin) I was seeing from $25 to $75 each day.
    The lights went on, and I have since started heading down this very road. Thanks for the great tips!

    Ron Davies
    The ProfitMart Portal

  41. I’m currently just starting out with this with a Frugal Living Tips blog, and to be able to get a domain and hosting that my blog would pay for would lend itself to the theme of the site. Great tips, and I will be visiting often.

  42. Basically , it is another great article from the great pro-blogger.
    I may add that bloggers are also making money through selling their blog.
    Dan

  43. Hey Darren. Nice post.

    I like the list of programs for monetizing. Will use. Thanks.

  44. Thank you for sharing the resources for the sake of fellow bloggers.

    As your poll says very few bloggers makes decent money on blogging .

    It is because they are definetly good at respective subjects but new stuff like SEO techniques has to be larned to make some good money.

  45. Thank you for the great info this site is very usefull for me as i am quite new to blogging.

  46. As a relatively new blogger, I appreciate the super helpful outline you have given. This is a great website and I hope to use these valuable tips to earn my piece of the blogger pie :) Thanx!

  47. Being new to blogging the information I have read here and on your other posts is very helpful. I was wondering what is the best blogging site to blog with. I am using Google currently. Where is the best place to “host” your blog?

  48. I can believe that even though i’ve been into generating income with blogs and adsense sites for over a year now I have never come across this blog before.

    Once I finished reading it i read it again, not because I didn’t understand it but because I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

    You’ve just earned another subscriber, keep it up ;)

    Jonathan

  49. This year I started blog from first time.I read article about blogging and making money and I ask does anybody know more about digital Assets ?

  50. Thanks for sharing your stuffs here. I did enjoy and learned a lot from your articles.

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