Finding ways to make money through blogging is easy and there are a dozen different routes you can take – affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, e-courses, e-books, coaching, VA work, etc. etc. Making good money while blogging, though? Now it gets a bit tricky.

How to Make Money Blogging

Now I’ve been blogging since before MySpace was a thing. I rocked my Geocities site and my Neopets page was out of this world thanks to my mad HTML skills.

Now that you’re super impressed, let me tell you something –

Despite DECADES of experience writing online, I knew NOTHING when it came to monetizing. It had never been a goal of mine. I wrote to write, helped others learn to do the same, and never believed in myself enough to think I could actually make a living doing so.

That all changed when I launched this site and began my journey towards seriously paying down our debt. Within the first month, I knew this was where my passion lay and I was going to find a way to make a livable income from it.

I spent every single lunch hour working on this site and learning about how to make money from it. I was waking up an hour earlier, going to bed hours later, and pretty much working non-stop for months. My innate ability to develop effective efficiency strategies really came into play as I balanced my full-time office job with this nearly full-time digital job, all while still dedicating the same amount of time to my children and husband.

Obviously I do not recommend this “full steam ahead” approach for everyone. Making money from blogging takes time and if you’re looking for a quick buck, it’s probably not the best route for you (especially not long-term).

blogging tips for beginners

Get Those Freebies

One of the best ways to learn is to sign up for free webinars. One of the first webinars I watched was co-hosted by Melyssa Griffin and Addi Ganley and it was a game changer. Both of these women are absolutely phenomenal and are CONSTANTLY offering incredible value FOR FREE. I’ve actually seen people question their paid courses because they’d already given out so much information for free, but believe me when I say these two are both incredibly intelligent women with a warehouse of know-how.

Don’t have time to watch webinars? There are always podcasts! Personally I adore Dana Malstaff from Boss-Mom and her podcasts are wonderful to listen to on your drive to your soon-to-be-former office job.

Make Nice

Another great way to start making money is by making friends. Join those Facebook groups and starting building those relationships! Just don’t join so many that you get overwhelmed and can’t maintain consistency within them. Some of my favorites are: Boss Moms, BTOP, and of course the groups I adminPinterest Pals and Entrepreneurs and Bloggers in the Spotlight. While I encourage you to check out those groups, I also recommend you do a little hunting on your own, particularly once you have your niche established. Find groups that feel like a community to you, one where you want to hang around and get to know people.

No One Is Better At Being You Than YOU

Finally, the best piece of advice I can give you when first starting out is to STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS! I say that as nicely as I can, but seriously – stop.

The woman who claims she makes $100,000/year? She’s either lying or has been working her tail off for years.

The blog that looks absolutely stunning, as though done by a professional? Chances are it was.

The Facebook page that has 30,000 likes while you struggle to hit 100? Probably built through paid ads.

You have countless ways to build additional income streams online, but you’ll only do so if you stay out of your own way. You’ll hear time and time again that most bloggers quit within six months of starting. Don’t let that be you. Keep writing, keep building connections, and keep learning.

If you want to speed up the process or you’re feeling stuck, don’t be afraid to invest in help. Whether it’s taking an e-course, hiring a Virtual Assistant, paying for your logo, or booking a blogging mentor, investments will have to be made. I do not recommend dumping a huge pile of money into your business from the get-go, but you will need to eventually invest if you want to see return.

Take the time to flesh out your blog and develop a rapport with your audience before trying to sell. Along those same lines, don’t clutter up your page with ads and affiliate banners – chances are good you won’t be making a ton of money from those anyway.

How can you make money?

Lots of ways!

Personally, the majority of my income comes from being an efficiency strategist and blogging mentor. My former career (before a cat convinced me to quit my job) involved working with student clubs and organizations, educating them on time management, budgeting, marketing, and strategic planning. I’ve always loved this line of work and now I’m lucky enough to share it with others.

Making money online and through your site will all revolve around what you want to teach or share with others.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT, start a lifestyle blog on everything under the sun and then two months later try to launch an e-course on how to make money blogging.

You. Will. Fail.

That’s not to say e-courses aren’t a great way to make money. My first e-course sold out within a week and was a big part of what allowed me to quit my office job. But you have to first establish authority and prove yourself. Otherwise you will waste so much time building a course only to hear crickets and the sound of your tears hitting the floor when you go to launch.

Put out tons (and I mean tons) of free VALUABLE content and then send out your paid product – whether it’s an e-book, a course, or a digital service, don’t push it too soon only to lose hope when no one responds.

Along those same lines, don’t create a blog only to write up sponsored posts every other day. No one will believe anything you have to say when they constantly see you being paid to say it.

If you are looking to make money online or you’ve already started a blog but have yet to see any real money roll in, I’m currently offering free diagnostic assessments for a limited time.

And guess what? I promise there will be NO sales pitch during this call. I genuinely just want to help and hope that in return you’ll want to write a positive review of our time together.

Meanwhile, get to finding those blogging buddies and continue learning more about how to make money online. And keep believing in your passions. You’ll only fail if you quit trying.

Already a blogger? Comment below with your site and offer up your #1 tip to success for those just starting out!

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