If you have a blog that attracts regular readers, do not underestimate how much money you can make. Sure, some bloggers do not treat their website as a way to make money because they are more interested in having a platform to express themselves and share ideas with the rest of the world.
On the other hand, there are those who pursue blogging with the intention of making money. And when there are multiple available monetization methods, it would be a waste not to try them to see how far you can go.
Start Custom Merch Store
Let’s start with custom merchandise. Content creators often create merchandise stores and make money from selling t-shirts, hoodies, face masks, backpacks, and other goods.
For the most part, sticking to a limited collection of available goods is a common strategy. At the same time, some bloggers try to offer freedom to their audience. For example, if someone is interested in choosing a backpack style with a more personal touch, offering such an option should be there so long as it makes sense.
There are dedicated merchandise marketplaces, meaning that you do not have to worry about starting an online store from scratch. No, instead, you can advertise your merchandise store on your blog and social media pages to redirect interested fans.
Invite Guest Posts and Link Insertions
One of the oldest blog monetization methods is to offer guest posting opportunities. Some blog owners also go for an even simpler approach, which is to insert links into already published articles.
One thing to note about this particular method is that it is easy to lose track of all the links and guest posts you add to your blog. And if the overall quality of the content is too poor, it will not take too long before your blog’s metrics go down, leaving you in a worse position long-term.
Be thorough and check every article and link that you add to the blog. Even if someone overpays, there is no reason to jeopardize the blog to make extra money.
Create a Patreon Page
Your website does not have to be a direct source of income. Content creators rely on third-party platforms a lot, and Patreon is a great example of that.
Direct support from readers requires a lot of work on your end in terms of publishing quality articles. Incentivizing the support via other means is also an interesting consideration.
You could try to add perks and exclusive stuff. For instance, let your supporters have early access to the next article. Or, consider writing something exclusive to patreons. Letting supporters suggest topics for the next article is also something to consider.
It might take a while to get a grasp of how you can maximize Patreon, but if you have a loyal audience, it can prove to be quite great.
Add Affiliate Links
Affiliate marketing is not that popular these days, but it still offers a solid method to monetize content on a blog.
You can choose from multiple affiliate programs, but Amazon seems to be the go-to option, considering how many different products you can choose from.
At the same time, your blog might be the opposite of what Amazon affiliate partners usually have, which means that you will need to find an alternative.
Affiliate links can look out of place in the content, so make sure that you are smart about how you insert them. Also, do not go overboard with too much because it will make the blog look spammy, which will result in negativity.
Try Ad Networks
Running ads on websites is not as popular these days because of the ad blockers internet browsers offer to users.
Nevertheless, not everyone who surfs the net has an ad blocker, which means that ad networks are still a consideration.
Try as many different ad networks to see which of them bring the best results. Also, be sure to test how ads affect the overall speed of a blog. Sometimes, ads make it almost impossible to navigate a website because of how much they slow it down.
Sell Digital Goods
Selling digital goods like e-books or webinars is also popular these days. Some bloggers come up with the products themselves. Others, meanwhile, seek third-party content creators.
With the latter option, you are not in control of the content, which means paying extra attention to what you sell, so be mindful of that if you ever consider selling digital goods on your blog.
Expand to Other Platforms
The last method to suggest is expanding your brand to other platforms. If you establish yourself as a blogger, you can look to start a YouTube channel and monetize it. Streaming on Twitch TV is also an option.
Other platforms will be different from a blog, so prepare to put a lot of effort into making it work. You will have a head start against other beginners because you have an established audience backing you up, but do not expect anything easy.