If you aren’t interested in how to make money from blogging then this one’s not for you but never fear, normal ramblings will commence soon. If you are interested in how to make money from blogging then you are in the right place – good start!
In this post, I’m going to share with you everything I know about how to some extra dosh from the power of your creativity. I get asked all the time if I make money from my blog (yes, I do) and how that’s possible so it makes sense to just get it all out here for you. First though, a bit of background…
I started creating A Mum Track Mind in February 2016 so at the time of writing this post, that’s just about 10 months ago. Like most people who start a blog, I used a free WordPress theme and typed away at my laptop hoping that someone other than my Mum would want to read my ramblings. I had no idea that you could make money from blogging or any of the opportunities that could come from it. I had 22 followers on Instagram, a private Facebook account and absolutely no clue what on earth the point or power of Twitter could be. I’d never heard of a Linky, I’d no idea that something called PicMonkey could transform your images into something Pinterest worthy and if you’d said DA to me I’d have thought you were talking about a District Attorney because I watch far too many American sitcoms.
Fast forward ten months and here we are. I’m running a self-hosted blog, have a social following of nearly 12,000 and have even dipped my toe into the murky waters of YouTube. Thousands of people read my ramblings each month (thank you!), I’ve made some brilliant friends and had some unforgettable experiences. That’s the power of blogging.
Now I am by no means making a fortune and I am not the world’s biggest blogging success. I am actually a relative newbie so all I can do is share with you how I make money from blogging. I would have found a post like this useful when I was starting out so hopefully some of you will do too.
How Can You Make Money From Blogging?
Sponsored posts
Essentially advertising within your posts. Most bloggers will do them and they may or may not contain follow links depending on your stance. After much thought on the subject, I decided not to provide follow links on my blog because I get a significant proportion of my traffic from Google and can’t risk being penalised.
It’s worth noting that whatever you accept on your blog will set the benchmark. If you only accept high quality content then you will attract high quality content and offers. If you accept rubbish content with follow links then the same goes.
Despite not accepting follow links, I still get asked to write sponsored content without them, which I will do if the subject matter is a natural fit on my blog.
When writing a sponsored post, I have a few rules: full disclosure is mandatory and I won’t post anything to do with gambling or alcohol as it’s wildly inappropriate and damaging to future work on a parenting blog.
In terms of how I find these opportunities, usually the brand or the SEO company approach me direct via email. Make sure your email is visible everywhere that you are. Don’t make it hard work for them because if they have to search for your email then they probably won’t bother. You can also sign up with agencies such as IZEA and Nuffnang.
Working out what to charge is in my opinion completely subjective. I took into account my hourly rate, my DA, my influence and the amount of traffic that I get on my site and then I made up a figure. After six months blogging I wouldn’t put fingers to keyboard for less than £75. Now, I charge a minimum of £125 for a sponsored post. I’ve had lots of people say no, that their budget is only £30 or £50 (or £10!!!) but that doesn’t mean I lower my fee. Often I will go in a bit higher and let them haggle me down a bit to the original fee I had in my head but setting a minimum charge of £125 has not stopped me getting any work that I want. Big bloggers with huge audiences probably command more like £500 per post. Value yourself and the right people will value you too.
Product Reviews
I charge brands for my time if the value of the product is less than £50 unless I really want whatever it is. Many bloggers simply accept the product as payment. It’s up to you how you work on your own blog and time. Receiving payment in no way obliges me to write a positive review. I am charging for my time only and if I do not like the product then I will say as much. What I charge will vary depending on what the product is and what sort of promotion it requires. If it’s a simple write up with pictures then I might charge £75. If it’s a full post, pictures and social media promotion across all channels then it’s likely to be more like £200.
Guest Posts
Similar to sponsored posts but somebody else is writing the content. Lets be real here, people only want to post on your site because they want a link in the text. I do accept these from time to time if they are well written but as there is minimal work for me, I will accept them for around £50-70. I don’t accept many of them because the quality tends to be a bit rubbish.
Advertising
Many bloggers use Google AdSense or similar to post adverts on their blog. If you have a lot of traffic then this is easy money for nothing. However, I have chosen not to use these type of adverts because I hate the way they look. Vanity I know. I will however sell advertising space on my side bar to brands and websites that are a good fit. I charge £75 per month at the moment. In all honesty, I made that figure up. Nobody has questioned it yet and as my domain authority and influence increases I will adjust it accordingly.
Affiliate Programmes
You can earn decent money from using affiliate links in your posts. It’s quite a complicated subject and probably one for another time but if you are thinking about monetising your blog then getting signed up to some of the bigger agencies such as Affilinet is a good start. They have dedicated account managers to help walk you through what you need to do and how to do it. You can also work with smaller businesses privately and agree between yourselves that you will take a percentage of any sales made on their websites that come through your blog. So for example, I am working with a brand at the moment and each time a sale is made, we have agreed that I will receive 7.5% if the customer comes from my blog.
Sponsored Social Media
The higher my social reach is the more offers of sponsored tweets or Instagram images I get. Instagram in particular is massive and still growing. Don’t underestimate the power and influence it has as a blogger.
Again, it’s difficult to know what to charge but as a trusted blogger you are holding the cards on this one. Be sure to only accept offers from brands who you like and would use yourself otherwise you are conning your readers and I hate that and your readers will hate it too. So, if it’s a brand I love then I will tweet for around £55 per tweet. If the brand wants a bundle then I will offer them a deal of 5 tweets for £200.
Instagram is my pride and joy and I am VERY selective about how I use my images on there. If I do accept sponsored posts then I’m charging £65 per image here with 5.5k followers.
Instagram take-overs are becoming really popular with brands too. I imagine for a day of this I’d charge around £150-200.
Video Content
This is becoming an increasingly popular request from brands and fortunately it’s something I love to do. I only have a modest following on YouTube currently but as it’s fairly labour intensive (preparation, lighting, filming, editing, re-editing etc) I charge a minimum of £250 for sponsored video content. Many bloggers are easily charging double this amount and I will be doing that too once I become more confident.
Freelance Writing / Social Media Management
Ok, so this isn’t strictly on my blog obviously but once you get yourself out there and people become familiar with your writing, then you can approach or be approached by other sites who want your creativity. I charge an hourly rate of £30 for any freelance writing. The same goes for any brands who ask me to help them with their social media management. If you can show that you have successfully grown your own following and engagement then you have shown that you know how it is done. You can use these skills to help brands achieve their social media objectives.
There are many more ways you can monetise a blog but I just wanted to write about the ways I use at the moment.
A few tips if you do want to monetise your blog:
- Be visible as I mentioned earlier. Do not make people search for your details. You need a clickable email link in a highly visible place on the landing page of your blog. Same for all social media profiles – email address should be in your biography.
- Read and comment on other people’s reviews. Often PR’s will look and see who has commented and expressed interest and then get in touch with you that way.
- Get signed up to all of the blogger programmes – there are lots out there who will put you in touch with PR’s and offer you review opportunities. Leave me a comment if you want to know the ones I use and I’ll get back to you.
- Don’t be afraid to pitch to brands you love. A quick Google will usually put you in touch with the relevant PR person. Be polite, professional and show them exactly what you can offer their brand and why they should work with you.
- Network – ugh I hate that word but some of my best experiences and work have come from introducing myself to PR account mangers at blogging events and taking them for a coffee. They remember you as a person and not just as yet another blogger. Be friendly, talk to them on a human level and without pound signs in your eyes. Be enthusiastic about your blog and never ever under sell yourself.
- Create good, regular content in your own voice and the brands and PR’s will come to you in time. I heard that a lot when I started out and I used to wail to myself and think “but when?! It’s never going to happen to me!” It did though. Be patient – blogging is not a get rich quick scheme, it’s a lot of work but making money is possible if you are willing to put the work in.
I think I have waffled on for long enough now so I will leave it there but if you do have any questions just get in touch either on here or social media. I have had an awful lot of help and advice from bloggers whilst starting up and I still do to some extent so I will always take the time to help anyone else out if I can.
Until next time
xxx
This is a really interesting post, very helpful to would be bloggers who want to make some money as well as enjoy writing
Great advice Fi. I do think all of us bloggers need to remember our value and worth when quoting for jobs!
Carol Cameleon recently posted…Back to the drawing board ~ when your plans go off course
A very helpful post. I have totally been undercharging myself! I would love a list of all the blogger programmes you are signed up to, to see if they can help me. You have come so far in a short amount of time. Well done! Xx
Rachel Bustin recently posted…Saving Money With Discount Codes, Vouchers And Freebies
This is great! I’d love to know how you grew your social media following so successfully. I have been blogging since June 2016 and generally post something on each of my soc med channels daily but have lost some steam lately and now it is more like every couple of days. Thanks 🙂
Interesting post! The amount you charge sounds quite reasonable, I think id charge similar amounts too.
Fantastic, well written blog. As a month old blogger it has been very helpful.
Could you send me a link to the blogger programmes you use, please? I have joined a few and wanted to check if I’ve missed any. Any other advise for a newbie would be great xx
great post Fi and really interesting to read all the different areas. you are completely rocking it! well well done ! xx
Emma me and b make tea recently posted…Visiting Father Christmas – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly…
This is such a great post, you’ve done so well. I love your writing style which clearly speaks for itself as it much be why brands want to work with you.I would also ask about how you managed to increase your social following, I too am posting once a day (at least) on my platforms and i’ve followed some of your previous advice for instagram but I’m really struggling, I find people just follow me then a few days later unfollow me. It’s making me all depressed…what am I doing wrong? xx
Susie at This Is Me Now recently posted…Instagram – who cares what I’m eating?
This post has been a great help. I do want to earn a bit from my blog but I was a little lost with what to do. This post has helped me to see what I need to work on. Thank you .
Such a helpful post thanks chick x
Fi – Beauty Baby and Me recently posted…A Letter to Me from Me!
I’m so glad you posted about this today! I love your blog – I found very useful info in here, thank you! Having only just started 6 weeks ago, you’re real inspiration for me! Amazing work, congratulations!
We started blogging at around the same time, I remember seeing you crop up everywhere when I was just starting out! You have done SO well for yourself. This is a wonderful post. I’ve been a bit lazy with my blog, I am a technical disaster and have no idea what I’m doing but I will be following a lot of your tips. Thank you 🙂 xx
This is so useful – thank you for sharing your insights. I feel the same about IG, I would be really fussy about what goes on there. I would love to know which blogger programmes you use please.
Anther insightful post! Posts like this one can be so helpful if that’s the direction you want to take in blogging.
#fortheloveofBLOG
The Tale of Mummyhood recently posted…Fuel Your Dreams with Sun-Pat
Wow, you’ve worked really hard to grow your blog and all your social media so quickly. I can’t imagine being at a stage when I could charge for writing a sponsored post.
#fortheloveofBLOG
suz recently posted…Haynes Thomas the Tank Engine workshop owners’ manual
This is extremely interesting and detailed. Thank you, I will be saving this link. Most of this is news to me !#fortheloveofBLOG
fancy recently posted…How to Theme a One Year Old’s Party for Halloween…
Wow. I am doing some things right….but some things wrong. I have only been blogging for four months and I am struggling to make a consistent income.
Great post and super helpful.
Thanks.
#fortheloveofblog
This is such a good post and so useful to new bloggers. You have done so well too, which is an inspiration to new bloggers like myself. I would love to have even half the success you’ve had so far, but I really need to pull my finger out I think and start putting a little more effort in. I’d also love to know what blogger programmes you use if possible, for future reference. Thank you so much for the amazing advice.
#fortheloveofBLOG
Sam recently posted…Don’t Worry, Be Happy
This is brilliant advice! I hadn’t thought too much about the money side until recently where I have had some really great opportunities come my way. Nothing major but I have enjoyed doing it and like yourself that is mostly because it has been stuff that fits well with the blog.
#fortheloveofBLOG
This is fantastically helpful, thank you so much for sharing. I see so many posts about this topic but this is the first with honest and realistic actual numbers! xx #fortheloveofblog
Claire recently posted…Hand Decorated Advent Calendar Trees!
I think this is a very generous post and great advice for anyone who wants to monetise their blog. It has always been a bit of a mystery to me 😉 #fortheloveofBLOG
I’m bookmarking this now!! I want to monetise my blog (but have a five year goal and im only on month two!) I need to rework my blog to put the email more accessible and need to look into Adsense.
I have PicMonkey and snapseed already so I’m glad I got something hahha!
Any tips for little me would be amazing! Xx
#fortheloveofblog
I literally love this post!! It’s fantastic and exactly what I’ve been thinking about and trying to figure out during the past 5 months of blogging – I’m bookmarking it now! Thanks so much 🙂 #fortheloveofblog
Cherry – The Newby Tribe recently posted…9 Things Not To Say To Adoptive Parents
This is a really great post, a lot of others I’ve seen have been quite vague but you have made it all very clear! So far I haven’t done any paid work, I was approached for some sponsored posts but I turned them down due to them not being a good fit for my blog. I would love to know what blogger programmes you use! #fortheloveofblog
Louise recently posted…I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award 2016
This is a fantastic blog post and I can see how you’ve done so well in such a short time. I would love to know what companys you use. #fortheloveofblog
A really helpful post, thank you for sharing your wisdom. I always find i go months with no work and then loads of oops come in all at once!xx #fortheloveofblog
Really helpful post. I am looking to try to make money from mine and am struggling to find time while holding down a (more than) part-time job! These pointers have given me a better starting point and hopefully I’ll be able to channel my efforts more effectively. Thanks xx #fortheloveofBLOG
Sonia recently posted…Why We Are Learning Spanish as a Family
So good of you to share this. I don’t expect/intend to make money from my blog, but you never know. If I end up going that way I’ll be sure to come back here and check these tips again #ForTheLoveOfBlog
Lucy recently posted…5 tips for taking your baby to work
You are one very clever lady. What you have achieved in such a short space of time is totally commendable. You must have put so much thought, time and effort into building this database of knowledge and it is fantastic that you have shared for the benefit of others. Alison x #fortheloveofblog
Alison (MadHouseMum) recently posted…A Cacophony of women
So glad I read this post. Thanks Fi. Started blogging a couple of months ago and I still have so much to learn but loving it so far. #ForTheLoveofBlog
I love having a bit of a nose at what other bloggers are up to 🙂 This is really useful for me, it’s nice to see how you are making money and what you are doing, it fills me with hope #fortheloveofBLOG
Briony recently posted…How we use Heinz Soup
Great post and really helpful. I’m bookmarking it for future reference!! 🙂 #fortheloveofblog
Jaki recently posted…What I’ve Learnt Since Becoming A Huff Post Blogger
I’ve found this so helpful! Whilst I think you’re totally correct in that income and fees we charge are subjective, it’s good to know I’m on the right lines! #FortheloveofBLOG
Wow 10 months! That’s impressive. Thanks for the tips. #fortheloveofBLOG
Helena recently posted…Word of the Week: Beginning
Brilliant post, so informative. You have done such amazing stuff in such a short amount of time. I would love to know which blogger programmes you follow. You have the knack with Instagram! And thanks for being so open about the fees you charge, there is no blue print, no manual on how to do this! It’s just case of learning from the experts like you!!!
Tooting Mama recently posted…A feminist manifesto in 15 suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Thank you so much for sharing this! As a newbie blogger (well, nearly a year old now!) I am contemplating stepping up my blogging.
I’ve admired your blog for a few months now and really like the integrity you have regarding sponsored posts (I’ve unfollowed several other blogs because they review anything and everything!!!)
I hope I have the confidence to take the plunge next year!!
Abi recently posted…How To Be A Grown Up
I was so caught up in your amazing post I forgot to add the hashtag! #ForTheLoveOfBlog
Abi recently posted…How To Be A Grown Up
Hi there, Thankyou for this fab post – really informative and very interesting. I’m just starting out with my blog – it’s my maternity leave ‘project’ so I’m not sure where it is going to take me but I’d be really interested to find out more about the blogger programmes you mention.
Thankyou again for the advice and look forward to hearing from you
Koni x
This is perfect for me , Great tip;s #fortheloveofBLOG
Becci – The UnNatural Mother recently posted…Hotel Chocolat Christmas Giveaway
Really helpful tips! I make a bit of money blogging but would love to increase it. My blog is quite niche, so it’s hard to do some of the more general things, like sponsored post or review products, but this has given me lots to think about. #fortheloveofBLOG
Kate recently posted…Why Distracting Your Child From Having Tantrums Makes Parenting Harder
A really helpful post, lots of things I didn’t know. I’m definitely going to follow your tips! #fortheloveofBLOG
Mummy and the Mexicans recently posted…Bilingual Toddler Update at 31 months
Really useful post, thank you Fi! *Goes to look up what DA is and what follow links are…*
Kimberly recently posted…Marmite Babies.
I have chatted to you on Twitter about this great post but I am actually on a proper computer and everything right now, currently looking at my blog and working on getting it finally up and running, properly! You have inspired me and given me the kick up the bum I needed! Thank you!
Thanks for the tips! I’d love to know what programmes you use. I’m starting to monetise but wasn’t really sure on rates etc so it’s been an interesting read! x
Fab read, lots of good tips I’ll take on board thanks. I’d love to know which blogger programmes you use please. Hoping to monetise my blog this year! X
Great Read and very practical tips as well, I am determined to start making money from blogging this year so your tips are very practical and handy. I would also love to know about the programmes you use. Thanks
Really helpful post – I’d be interested to know the blogging programmes you’ve signed up for? I’ve been blogging over a year now and despite having a large social influence I’m yet to secure any paid opportunities at all. I always seem to be met with silence whenever I mention my (very low) rates. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks so much
Author
I use the Blogger Programme and Blogger Hub the most. Get yourself on Facebook blogging groups as well as they often share opportunities x
Really found this blog super interesting. My blog is 10 months old now and up until now I have just enjoyed using it as my therapy! However the more confident I am getting and the more I love blogging I would love to start making a little money from it if possible! I would love to know which companies/programmes you use x
Hi Fiona a great post ….please could you send me the blogging programmes you use.
Excellent advice! I just started my blog last week and I’m having a blast! I’m a bit overwhelmed with all this information overload, but I’m trying to take it all in. Any advice on getting your followers to actually comment on your blog?
This is so so useful.thank you! Can you please let me know which blogger programmes you use? X
This was an interesting read! I’d love to know the blogger programmes you use please! X
Great to read such an honest article! Thanks @amumtrackmind for sharing
What an insightful and interesting blog post – thank you so much! I’ll be bookmarking this and coming back again and again. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and congratulations on your success!