Is Blogging Still Relevant in 2020?
In an age where video content is ruling the internet stage, many wonder whether blogging is becoming outdated. However, blogging is just as lucrative as it ever was. There is more opportunity than ever to make money blogging – especially as more business is done online every day!
PLUS: Stick around for my personal secret to blogging success – the one thing that changed everything for my blogging business.
Who Reads Blogs?
“77% of internet users regularly read blog posts.”
Impact
You might not think of yourself as a blog reader, but you’ve probably recently read one without even knowing it. After all, blogs account for over 35% of the internet! Thanks to platforms like Pinterest, it’s easy for even the newest blogger to grow their audience. The traffic is out there for the taking!
Why Do People Read Blogs?
“60% of people cite purchasing a product after originally reading a blog post about it.”
Demand Metric
Every day, customers make purchases based on the information they consumed online. Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, or a blog post, people want to get input from sources they trust. This means that the market is wide open for bloggers to work with brands they trust to suggest products and make sales. We will talk more about affiliate marketing later, but keep in mind that it is still a hot business for bloggers!
Is There Any Money in Blogging?
“More than 92% of marketers consider content as a valuable asset worth investing in.”
Content Marketing Institute
Across the world, businesses are increasing their content marketing budgets every single year. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the affiliate marketing industry is worth over $12 billion. Companies realize that partnering with content creators (bloggers) works and is cheaper than traditional methods. These budgets are only growing – at a rate of 10% a year!
What Is a Blog Exactly?
The concept of a blog can be confusing because there are several ways blogs are used.
Blogs can function as a personal diary or professional business venture.
Related: How to Start a Successful Blog in 2020
What you’re reading this very moment is a blog. It’s simply written content that exists online. The blog is the place that the content exists.
I like to think of my blog as my office space on the internet. It’s where I create meaningful content, help my clients, and develop my brand!
What is Blogging?
Blogging means to write posts and articles and publish them to your website regularly. However, blogging is a lot more than a tedious cycle of writing and publishing.
See, the great thing about blogging is that you get to choose what to write about. It’s best if your topic (or niche as it’s called) is something you’re passionate about. There is an emotional connection in blogging that is hard to find in many careers.
Personally, I write about how to thrive as a millennial woman. Growth mindset, health, and starting my own business are all topics that resonate with me. Writing about what I’m passionate about makes me excited to wake up in the morning.
The best part? Seeing my readers connect with my content and make positive changes in their lives.
Blogging can be whatever you want it to be. But it’s at it’s best when it’s meaningful to you.
How to Make Money Blogging
So the big question is, how can I make money blogging? That’s why you clicked on this article after all! These days, the sky is the limit for making money online. In fact, there were so many ways to make money blogging that I couldn’t fit them all in this post!
Keep in mind that while many people find blogging success quickly, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Building traffic and learning the ins and outs of the trade take time, energy, and focus.
Many bloggers, like me, have tried and failed repeatedly before finding something that works. That’s why I encourage all new bloggers to invest in their learning with a top-notch course.
Taking the right course can help you avoid the pitfalls that all baby bloggers face and get ahead of the game.
Ad Space
Selling ad space on your blog is the most obvious way to generate passive income. Most people don’t know that ad space is usually a pretty low earner – at least in the beginning.
Ad space pays bloggers per click made on each ad. This pay per click rate is meager. Usually, it’s no more than a few cents per click!
This isn’t to say that ad space can’t be a great source of passive income once you reach thousands of views per month. It’s just that there are many more ways to make money blogging that earn you more and that work with a smaller audience. Let’s check them out.
Affiliate Links
Here’s where we talk about affiliate marketing – the cash cow of making money online!
Affiliate marketing means selling a company’s product on your blog and earning a commission. That commission is received when someone clicks your sales link and makes a purchase from that company.
For example, I’m an affiliate of Create and Go courses. When someone buys a course from Create and Go, I earn a percentage of that sale.
There is a golden rule to affiliate marketing: believe in the product you sell.
I have no problem promoting these courses because I’ve taken them and my business changed dramatically. Of course, I would want to offer that same transformation to my readers!
When you promote products you’ve never tried, your audience can tell. You lose credibility in their eyes, and that’s the worst thing that can happen for your sales!
How Do I Become an Affiliate?
Every company has its own criteria for approving affiliates. Most beginner bloggers use Amazon Affiliates because they have no minimum view requirements. ClickBank is also a popular method for beginners.
After choosing your blog topic, you’ll want to make a list of brands you want to work with.
For example, if you’re going to blog about make-up, you would research smaller make-up brands to reach out to as your blog grows.
Many companies have affiliate applications linked to the bottom of their websites. It’s easier than ever to sign up and start promoting!
Image of the page with the affiliate button circled and arrow.
Sponsored Posts
Another way to work with brands you trust is to write sponsored posts about their products. This is a better strategy for bloggers with big audiences. Most brands won’t pay for a sponsored post if you don’t have the reach to make it worthwhile.
Once you have your traffic going, sponsored posts can be an excellent strategy for bringing in additional thousands of dollars each month. Many prominent bloggers make money by writing sponsored posts for a variety of brands.
Online Courses
One of the most lucrative ways to make money blogging is to design and sell a course. Your course should be a topic that you know a lot about. This could be anything from “how to take better pictures” to “write a book that sells.”
Many people think they don’t have the qualifications to create an online course.
I remember feeling the same way.
But the truth is, we all have an area of expertise that fills a knowledge gap for someone else. What seems like common knowledge to you is a mystery to thousands of people online. If you can break down a process into easy-to-understand steps, then you’ve got what it takes!
With learning platforms like Teachable and Udemy, it’s easier than ever to put a course on the internet.
Membership Sites
People who take your courses are going to want more from you. Why not give them a community with exclusive insider tips, resources, and group discussions?
Membership sites are perfect for clients who have already taken your courses and want to stay connected to your expertise. They are also great for those viewers who aren’t ready to commit to big-ticket products. A small monthly payment works better for their budgets.
A benefit of a membership site is that it generates recurring monthly income! It is a great way to make money blogging.
Digital Products
Creating digital products to sell on your blog works for many reasons.
The first benefit is that there is no overhead cost! Digital products can be downloaded by the buyer immediately, which means no shipping costs either.
Examples of Digital Products:
- Presets
- eBooks
- Email templates
- Fonts
- Logos
- Printable journals
- Stock photos
- Instagram story templates
- Pinterest templates
- Classroom teaching worksheets
- Habit trackers
- Calligraphy worksheets
- Printable planners
- Wall art
- Budget kits
- Media kit templates
- Party printables
- Organization templates
- Weight loss trackers
- Road trip activity bundles
- Chore charts
- Printable cards
- Invitations
- Coloring sheets
- Stickers
- Recipe books
And so many more!
All you need is a handy designer tool like Canva, and you can start creating.
The second benefit is that digital products are simple to design. Whether you want to create Lightroom presets or Pinterest templates, the time investment is usually not too high.
Make your products high quality, though, of course!
Not only can you sell digital products on your blog – you can also set up an Etsy shop! Digital products are a massive market on Etsy. Many creators make a full salary with their Etsy sales.
Coaching Services
Anyone with an area of expertise can start a coaching business from their blog. I know many people who coach on several topics – from health and wellness to becoming a full-time traveler!
All you need is a stable internet connection, a Zoom account, and a sign-up sheet!
Of course, you will need to nail down what it is you offer. The key to a successful coaching business is to be clear about the transformation your client can expect.
Consultation Services
Consulting is similar to coaching but is more business-oriented. Perhaps you are a communications specialist offering branding consultations to small businesses. Or maybe your expertise is in finance, and you help entrepreneurs increase their cash flow.
Whatever the case may be, if you have the professional expertise, then consulting might be your way to make money blogging!
Related: 51 Affirmations for Entrepreneurs
Resources Page
Building a resources page goes hand in hand with affiliate marketing. This a page on your blog that is all about connecting readers with products you recommend. All of your affiliate links can live on this page where your audience can easily find them.
Make sure that all products on your resource page connect to your niche. You won’t want to link to a yoga course, for example, if your blog is all about finances!
Keeping your blog aligned with your niche (or main topic) develops your brand. Readers like clear brands because they know what to expect, which builds trust and leads to sales.
Webinars
Some people express themselves better through video than through written content. And some people do both forms of content exceptionally well! For those that feel comfortable on live camera, webinars are an effective way to make money blogging.
Plenty of bloggers offer webinar workshops for members of their audience who want to learn a specific skill. Free webinars are also helpful in building trust with a client before pitching them an online course.
I once attended a webinar by travel bloggers, Nate and Hannah, from Wired Creatives. The webinar was free, which was a big draw for me.
Halfway into the webinar, I started thinking, “Wow, this is excellent information. I can’t believe the value I’m getting from a free webinar!”
Nate and Hannah built trust with me by offering me valuable information in the free webinar. By the time they finished with their call to action – buy our blogging course! – I was hooked. I purchased the course and learned so much I didn’t know about blogging.
Of course, you can charge for webinars, as well. Just don’t forget to use them to build trust with your audience, too!
eBooks
I’ve become a big fan of eBooks since writing my first one just last month! An eBook can be as long or as short as you like – as long as it provides value to your readers. (Plus, they’re just so much fun to design!)
You can sell your eBook straight from your website or mailing list. With the ease of Amazon publishing, you can also sell your eBook for Kindle!
Again, the freedom here is choosing to write about what you love.
That’s what makes blogging the best job in the world. 😉
How to Get Started
Baby Blogger Pit Falls
I don’t use the term “baby blogger” just because it’s cute. Learning to blog is honestly like learning to walk. It takes a lot of practice, and there will be many obstacles in your way (mainly, your own inexperience!).
I’ve totally been there. Right where you are.
Wanting to make a change and start an online business, but afraid to start.
Frustrated with blog themes and plug-ins and SEO.
Feeling like I’m doing twelve things at once, and none of them are working.
Seriously, guys. I lived there for three years.
I figured out the secret of walking: someone to hold your hand and guide you along the way.
Meet my guides: Alex and Lauren
Blogging Business Success Story
Alex Nerney & Lauren McManus from Create and Go and Avocadu
Perhaps you’ve heard of Alex and Lauren, as they’ve been featured on Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Yahoo!Finance. If not, I’m more than happy to introduce them to you.
The Dallas-based pair started their first blog in 2015 which failed, miserably. After learning some hard lessons and starting over, they found success with their health and wellness blog – Avocadu. Within seven months, they scaled from $120 a month to $10,000 a month. They now make upwards of $200,000 every month. A good chunk of this income comes from their renowned blogging courses at their new site, Create and Go.
Not only are Alex and Lauren six-figure bloggers, but they’ve also helped the students in their courses earn six figures as well. Natalie Bacon, a life and business coach, made her first $5k/month within weeks of taking the Six Figure Blogger course. Countless other bloggers have made their first $1,000 with brand new blogs with the Start Your Blog Biz course’s help.
Personal testimonial:
After failing with three blogs, I enrolled in the Pro Blogger Bundle. This is Alex and Lauren’s top tier program that includes all three of their five-star courses: Start Your Blog Biz, Pinterest Traffic Avalanche, and Six-Figure Blogger.
Within my first month, I scored 2k+ sessions on my baby blog and grew my email list by 1100% in 30 days. Pretty Little Grind gets tons of hits from Pinterest every day, which has allowed me to enter several high-paying affiliate programs. Create and Go courses are the blogger’s university I’ve been needing all these years, with action steps that produce results!
– Natalie (from PrettyLittleGrind.com)
A full review of Create and Go courses is coming soon!
Want to start your own blogging business? Save time, earn money, and get a head start on the competition. Read more about Start Your Blog Biz HERE.
Have a blog, but are struggling to make a steady income? Increase your traffic, create sales funnels that work, and turn your passion to profits. Check out Six Figure Blogger HERE.
Or, if you’re ready to dive in like I was, check out Pro Blogger Bundle HERE.
