My monthly online income reports that I publish (where I show everyone how I make over $30,000 a month blogging) each month are some of my most popular posts. I love reading income reports on websites so that I can learn more about making money from blogging and it seems like all of you do as well!
Side note: If you are looking to start your own blog, please check out my tutorial How To Start Your Own WordPress Blog. Please keep in mind that it is usually much harder to make money on a free Blogger blog or a free WordPress blog than a paid WordPress blog, so I HIGHLY recommend that you switch to WordPress if you want to start making money from blogging.
Almost 100% of my income each month comes from blogging or services related to blogging. Due to this, many of the questions from readers that I receive are all about how I make money blogging.
That only makes sense, of course.
When I first found out that you can actually make money from blogging, I emailed a few bloggers who posted income reports as well. I knew I loved blogging, so if I could make some money from it without annoying my readers and still getting the same enjoyment out of blogging, then why not?
Blogging is something that I still love doing, and luckily it pays my bills now. I don’t know how my life would be right now if I never would have started blogging. As a reminder, I started my blog as a way to keep track of my finances and improve my life, and everything happened form there.
Like I always say…
Blogging is not an easy way to make money. There is a reason why most bloggers quit after 6 months and that is because most people do not realize how much work goes into blogging. Also, many people do not make a single cent from blogging, and those who do make money usually pour their heart and souls into being able to do so.
There is a reason why I named this article Ways To Make Pennies, Hundreds or Thousands A Month By Blogging, and that’s because some will only ever make pennies. That is the honest truth, and I’m not here to sugarcoat things. I made a very small amount when I first started out, but luckily I didn’t give up and it grew from there.
I will say that I love blogging. It’s something that you won’t know if you love or hate until you actually start. If you want to learn how to make money from blogging, you first need to start a blog.
Read these other blogging related articles here on Making Sense of Cents as well.
- How To Start a WordPress Blog on Bluehost – This article is more of a technical article about blogging. It shows you how to get started with your hosting, picking a domain and starting your blog. If you are interested in starting a blog, you MUST read this 🙂
- Blogger or WordPress – Tips on How to Move – I started out on Blogger, and around one year after that I made the switch to WordPress. I highly recommend that EVERYONE switch to WordPress. Don’t believe me? Read this article to find out about the many reasons.
- Tips for Beginner Bloggers Part 1 – The Basics – Everyone makes mistakes when blogging. Read this article to learn from my mistakes and improve your blogging skills ASAP.
- My Monthly Online Income Reports – I show you exactly how I earn a living each month along with valuable tips to help you along the way.
Below are different ways for you to make pennies, hundreds or thousands of dollars each month by blogging:
Affiliate income is great for those who want to learn how to make money with a blog.
Affiliate income is something that I mention in my income report each and every month. It is an area where I really wish I was more successful in each month.
How do you make money through affiliates? Affiliate income is where you place an affiliate link in a blog post and try to make money from people buying the product through your link. This can be a good way to make money because if there is a product out there that you love, all you have to do is review the product and hopefully others will be interested in the product as well.
This income can feel passive as well because all you need is a review article and hopefully people will read that article for years to come.
There are many different affiliate programs out there that you can check. These include Flex Offers, Commission Junction, EJunkie, Amazon, and so on. If you enjoy a product, there is probably some sort of affiliate out there for it.
OfferJuice – This is the affiliate program I use for a lot of the survey companies that I promote. Highly recommend them!
Avant Link – This is an affiliate company that I highly recommend. They have many different companies that you can sign up for.
EDIT: I recommend checking out my online course for bloggers, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I earn over $50,000 a month through affiliate marketing and I share my exact strategy and tips in this very informative online course. If you’re a blogger (even if you’re a new blogger!), then you NEED this course. If you don’t have a blog yet but you are interested, then please check out my free blogging course first.
Paid posts/advertisements/sponsorships for making money from blogging.
Paid posts and advertisements are where you place an ad on your blog in exchange for money. This might be in the form of a sponsored review, a guest blog post, a sidebar link, an advertisement within a newsletter, and so on. There are many different forms of paid advertisements on websites.
There are advertisers out there who want to gain new customers and just want no follow links. But there are other advertisers who just want link juice and purely want do follow links. If you are interested in paid posts and advertisements, head on over here to read further.
Use Izea if you want to learn how to make money from blogging.
IZEA is a company I used a lot when I first started blogging. If you already have a blog or social media accounts such as Twitter, then signing up for Izea is a great way to make some extra money. All you have to do is sign up and wait for opportunities to come your way. It’s easy, but if you have any questions just shoot me an email and I can try my best to help you out.
With Izea, you are getting paid for whenever a company wants to advertise themselves through your blog and/or social media accounts (such as your Twitter account). You get paid electronically, and they always pay. They partner with big name companies such as Marriott, Netflix, Walmart, Kraft, Lego, and more. It’s an EASY way to make money through your blog, so I highly recommend you check Izea out.
Click here to sign up for Izea. It is free to join and free to use. To get started, sign up, connect at least one social media account, and validate your email so that you can start earning extra cash.
Use AdSense if you want to learn how to make money with a blog.
AdSense is an ad service that I have always used, but haven’t really seen results until recently. There were several months (over a year) where I only earned pennies each month.
It felt like it took forever it reach my first payout (that happens once you have $100 accrued). However, once I reached my first payout, it was very exciting. I have AdSense ads on many of the websites that I own.
What is AdSense exactly? AdSense is an advertising network within Google that allows website owners to place advertisements on their websites. These ads are picked out by Google, and you just place the size and type of ad widget that you want on your website. You are then paid per-click and per-impression.
Where should I place the ads? This is a question I often receive. I am no expert when it comes to AdSense. However, I do know that each and every blog/website out there is different, and different placements work for different people. I would experiment and see what type of AdSense layout works best for you if you want to learn how to make money from blogging through Adsense.
Write an ebook to start making money from blogging.
I haven’t written an ebook yet, but it is something I am working on.
If you are an expert in an area or have something to share that you know others will read, then an ebook may be something that you are interested in. However, I will say that most people do not profit largely from an ebook because so much time needs to be devoted into creating it. An ebook though can be a good way to expand your audience, offer a free product to your readers, and so on.
There are a few people out there who makes thousands and tens of thousands of dollars each month from writing an ebook though.
Are you interested in learning how to make money from blogging? How are you currently making money from blogging? What tips do you have on how to make money with a blog?
How To Start A Blog Free Email Course
Want to see how I built a $5,000,000 blog?
In this free course, I show you how to create a blog, from the technical side all the way to earning your first income and attracting readers. Join now!
Leave a Reply
Awesome break down! This is one of the most comprehensive I’ve read online 🙂 I make a pretty decent income from blogging, but I didn’t for AGES. That’s the thing, those who are successful a) believe it’s possible and b) keep chugging on through all the lows.
I would like to diversify my income. I make $0 in affiliate income which is a bit of a bummer. I’d also like to write an Ebook but I need to think of a unique story first 😉
Great break down – especially for someone who’s contemplating starting a blog to hopefully earn an income
An ebook from you would be cool – I love your story and what you are doing, and I’m sure others would be interested:)
Hi Michelle,
It’s a great encouragement to read your post with your report. I am new to blogging and thank you for the nice and impressive blog post.
Thank you Alberto 🙂
Fantastic post! Although I’ve only been blogging 9 months I am now starting to implement things that are bringing a trickle of income. I believe you should try as many ways to earn an income as possible and then concentrate on the ways that shine.
Just last week I made my first affiliate commission through Amazon and it has motivated me to implement a proper strategy. Diversification is the key.
Some of the things I have planned for the next 6 months are more freelance writing, collaboration with high profile brands in my niche and the creation of a give-away eBook for new subscribers. My plan is to grow my list to a point where I can sell sponsorship of my newsletter.
Thanks for writing an awesome post. I’m sure it will motivate and inspire everyone who reads its.
Congrats on your first affiliate sale! It’s great, isn’t it?
Hi Michelle, thanks, It’s brilliant!
It’s made me see that the options and possibilities of the affiliate model, and if you have killer content, you can make a killing!
We are so lucky to live in an age where you can you can make money from the comfort of your own home. It’s true that it isn’t easy but if you are determined, you really can make a success of whatever niche you are in. The world is our oyster so to speak.
– Ricky
Yes, I am so grateful that I am able to sit in my bed right now and actually be able to work and make money. It’s a wonderful thing 🙂
What a helpful and informative post 🙂 maybe one day I’ll make a few pennies from mine but for now I’m really enjoying the process of blogging and connecting with others 🙂
Yes, blogging and connecting with others are what I enjoy most about blogging 🙂
First of all, nice redesign! I like the clean look with similar color tones from the old design 🙂
Second, my goal is to be able to work full time online, so I’ve also been looking into it. One way that I always read is to make money from the mailing list using affiliate programs. I’m still researching about it but it seems like what many big bloggers (according Pat from Smart Passive Income) regret in the past was that they started collecting subscriber emails quite late, so I guess this is also a nice income channel.
Thanks! I’m loving my new design as well 🙂
I really need to work on creating a newsletter, it’s something that I have been lazy with.
You really made a good income on June Michelle! Right now, I’m still enjoying my work as a freelancer, but I’m thinking maybe in the future I would have my own blog too. Anyway, I really do enjoy reading your blogs because I learned a lot from you guys!
Thanks Kate! 🙂
Great overview Michelle! I think many think it’s easy and thus is a big part as to why so many give up around the six month mark. My main income driver is affiliate as well as some freelance writing on the side. It didn’t happen overnight and requires regular attention, but it’s well worth it. 🙂
I’m jealous that your main income drive is affiliate income. I really need to work on that and stop being so lazy!
Love the title! That’s me, the pennies stage! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the breakdown and sharing your monthly reports, they are definitely encouraging!!
Thank you Stephanie!
Thanks Thomas! Good job on making enough to cover your expenses.
Blogging is a lot of fun, so I don’t blame you. Good job on becoming a virtual assistant and writing for others!
As someone who offers Blogger to Wordpress migrations, I wholeheartedly agree that Wordpress is the way to go to monetize and grow your site! Excellent points.
I would LOVE to earn what you’re earning per month. That’s amazing!
Thank you! 🙂 Yes, I forgot to mention that if someone wants to make money blogging, then it is much harder to do so on Blogger.
I removed adsense because the returns were so pitiful, but someone told me it also helps with SEO so I’m considering adding it back
I didn’t know that it helped with SEO. That is interesting! I will look into that.
Yes, affiliate income is where it’s at! 🙂
I would like to start using Amazon affiliates. I have read about a lucky few who have been super successful with it.
The great thing about Amazon affiliates is you get commission for that entire session….not just the particular product. In the past, someone linked to Amazon from my old site, shopped around and bought some other stuff (not related to my article mind you) and I was able to reap the benefits.
That is awesome! Yes, I love how Amazon affiliates is like that.
I am someone in the hundreds category who would like to move to the thousands category, so I thank you for this post. I think I’ve read on your blog that you’re in the St. Louis area. I’m in Kansas City and my son is starting at SLU in the fall. Maybe someday we could arrange a quick coffee date to talk blogging if you’re up for that. Congrats on your success!
Thanks Julie! I hope you are able to make it into the thousands category, and I’m sure that will be of no problem for you.
Yes, I’m from the St. Louis area. Yes, a coffee date sounds great. Good luck to your son at SLU – I have a ton of friends who went there and loved it. I took a few classes there as well (there was a partnership program with my college with SLU) and loved it.