By: Eden Hensley; Photos by Brooke Dennis for Alt Summit
Now you may be wondering how does one make money blogging. The short answer hustle and diversity.
No two bloggers or social media influencers make their income the same way. Each has a different breakdown of revenue streams based on their strengths.
Here are some common revenue-generating activities.
Advertising
If you’re thinking, you’ll build great content and make money on advertising you may be disappointed. Most of us earn very little from traditional advertising, such as banner ads or sidebar ads.
Mindy of Budget Fairy Tale publishes a blogging and income report each month (latest report was from February) that shows her breakdown across Advertising Networks, such as Google Adsense, Affiliate Programs, such as Amazon, and sponsored content.
Darren Rowse of ProBlogger shares the various ways he makes money: Ad Networks, Affiliate Programs, eBooks, Speaking Fees, and more. Unlike Mindy doesn’t share the actual numbers.
Contributing to Other Sites
Another way to earn money from blogging is to become a contributor for another site. Think of contributing like freelance writing.
Before jumping into contributing, think about types of content you can produce that won’t give up the content you need for your blog. (Google penalizes sites with duplicate content by removing them from search results. If people can’t find you, your traffic will suffer.)
- How do I become a blog contributor?
- What rate should I ask for? (numbers are dated, but advice is still current)
Working with Brands
A third way you can earn money from blogging is to work with brands, also called sponsors. First, make sure your blog is irresistible to brands. Then, as you reach out to sponsors, ask lots of questions and listen. Once you land an opportunity, actively manage expectations and keep the dialog open.
Wondering where to find brands interested in working with bloggers? Alt Summit is a great place to meet sponsors who want to work with bloggers and social media influencers and value their work. Check out some of the sponsors that came to Salt Lake City in January.
The sponsors for June haven’t been announced yet, but you can be sure they’ll be great! There are a few tickets available, grab yours soon before we sell out.
