10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul?

Written by Jeff Bullas - View Comments
Categories: Blog, Blogging, Monetizing Your Blog


I am in the middle of a project of re-designing my blog . I started this blog just over a year ago because I found social media fascinating and also a touch obsessive and it was started from a passion. The 10 Ways To Make Money Onlineonline audience seems to agree, with my  blog traffic approaching nearly 100,000 hits per month, so I must be doing something right.

Facebook the social media monster has gone from “Mainstream” to “Madstream” and almost daily is mentioned in the mass media for all the right and wrong reasons, from its manic growth to the latest privacy concerns.

Twitter has grown from 8 million visitors per month to over 180 million in 12 months. So where there is obsession and growth there is power, so how do you tap that in a credible and ethical manner?

I recently ran an online survey which  asked the question “Should Bloggers Get Paid?” and 79% said yes. This wasn’t surprising as almost everyone wants to make money and a lot of my readers have a blog so this result  was a bit of a no-brainer.

On the other hand there are a lot of people who blog because they just want a voice and want to change the world.

At the other end of the spectrum there are bloggers who have perfected the art of scamming without offering any value except to rip people off with get rich quick schemes. So how do you monetize a blog and maintain your tribe, subscribers and followers.

So I have started to research how to monetize this blog. The challenge is?

  • I don’t want to be spammy,
  • I want to offer real valuable information
  • I want to help other bloggers be successful
  • I want to help companies optimize their website to drive leads, enquiries and sales and consequently make great revenue from their website whether that be an eCommerce site or a dynamic and content rich online presence that is compelling and keeps their sales teams so busy, productive and successful that the CEO looks forward to waking up each day.

So if I am able to make this fly then the next step is to help you have fun and monetize “your” blog or website.

So here are just 10 initial ways ways that I could monetize my blog. (this is what I would call an open discussion on possibilities)

1. Affiliate marketing: This is done on a Cost Per action (CPA) basis meaning the customers have to take some kind of action from signing up to a newsletter to actually buying a product. This where you can sell other people’s products that you trust and know that offer great value to potential buyers.

2. Write Sponsored Reviews: This where you can write a review about a product, site or service and you are paid per review. John Chow says that this is his blog’s biggest money maker and uses ReviewMe. ReviewMe allows advertisers to buy sponsored reviews on your blog. Review prices are based on your blog’s Alexa, Technorati and estimated RSS numbers. The only requirement is that a review post must be at least 200 words long. Below is an example of a sponsored review from JohnChow.com

10 Ways To Make Money Online Sponsored Reviews

3. Kontera Content Link: Kontera ContentLink allows you to make money from advertising without giving up any current advertsing spots. Their technology reads your posts and turns certain words into an ad. The highlighted are double underlinesand an ad pops up when you hover over it.

4.Text Link Ads: This is done by selling text links you see under “Featured Sites” . The links offer advertisers traffic and search engine benfits and readers don’t seem to mind because they are not intrusive.

6. Google Adsense: Google Adsense displays simple text and and image ads on your blog and they are targeted  to what you are writing about.

7. Create Your own premium content whether that be online training and courses and sell it on my blog. The upside to this is that you increase your margin and have much more control. TimothySykes.com provides an example of how this is done with his high quality learning systems and DVD’s.

10 Ways To Make Money Online Premium Content and Training Courses

8.Selling Banner Advertising on my blog: This can be banners that generally measure 125 x 125 . It can provide a recurring source of income month after month.

9. Selling Monthly Memberships to  to premium content: TimothySykes.com provides an example of how this is done. Tim is well known for turning his $12,415 in Bar Mitzvah gift money into $2 million and starteda hedge fund during his senior year at high school. Timothy’s site shows how to invest in the stock market by following what he is doing.   Membership rates range from $49.95 per month to $1,497 per month

10. Promote My Presentations to obtain more keynote speaking bookings.

How do you think I should monetize my blog without compromising the content?



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  • http://www.everydayeater.com Carolyn Schlicher, The Everyday Eater

    Actually, Jeff, I don’t have any ideas for you. I just enjoy your posts and find them very educational as I continue to learn this art form. But monetize away–why not?!?!

  • http://www.ahacreative.com Paul Holman

    Great post as usual. Keep them coming Jeff! Will be tweeting this!!

  • http://twitter.com/tweakitguy Brent Patroch

    Great article, Blogging is an art form and when people are good at it they should receive compensation for all of their time and effort.
    An additional way to be paid for blogging can be to actually be “gifted” products and services so that you can test them and advertise them on your blog.
    Receiving something like a forth generation iPhone would be a great way to be paid for a days work.

  • http://www.linknami.com Andreas

    An alternative resource is linknami.com, where you as blogger can make money by publishing articles, writing and publishing reviews your website, products or services as well as by publishing contextual links in blog content.

  • http://lovehateadvertising.wordpress.com Mitch Devine

    Thanks for this, Jeff. I always learn a lot from your blog. I hope to apply some of your tips soon!

  • http://newraycom.blogspot.com Ray Hiltz

    I was reviewing some of the postings that I have saved to read later and it would seem that I could just as well create a Jeff Bullas folder since so may that I have favoured have been yours.

    Thank you very much for helping me find my way through the social media maelstrom.

  • http://www.edathomedad.com Edathomedad

    One of the blogs I run is focused on my time as a stay at home dad. I have noticed many of the followers of it are put off by ads. I haven’t added any or any sponsored reveiws. In that community of “dad bloggers” those who are seen as running their blog with heavy ads/sponsored post are seen as lacking integrity. I would love to earn some income off of my blogs. I just don’t know how to strike the right balance and not turn away readers. @edathomedad @E_XCelerate

  • http://twitter.com/globalbloggers/status/16759880486 Global Bloggers

    RT @jeffbullas 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://twitter.com/runawayjuno/status/16760307214 Jiyeon Juno Kim

    RT @GlobalBloggers: RT @jeffbullas 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://betterlifecoaching.wordpress.com Darren Poke

    A great post with lots of solid ideas.

    I’m not at the stage to start monetising my personal development blog yet, but plan to in the future.

    If you’re providing great content to your readers, I see no reason why bloggers shouldn’t make money out of their passion.

    Cheers,

    Darren

  • http://twitter.com/prazhari/status/17063871414 Praz

    RT @jeffbullas: 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://twitter.com/joefblaze/status/17064097835 Joe Blaze

    RT @jeffbullas: 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://twitter.com/msdanilia/status/17064883288 Dani Lia

    RT @JoeFBlaze RT @jeffbullas: 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://www.ferreemoney.com James Neil

    All good tips that every Blogger should know and use. I’ve used Kontera in the past, but somehow s nasty guy from China somehow got into my WP blog admin and pointed every page to his site in the mainland, so I had to kill the link. I might try it again now though.

  • http://www.earn40kamonth.com ianmalone

    interesting post.. not just you will earn money for that. you could also help advertisers online promote their product and services as well as their site.. and it’s a great way of earning money online..

  • http://twitter.com/vmgdesigns/status/17936020732 Vishal V. Kaura

    RT @jeffbullas: 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://twitter.com/rockytravel/status/18042153432 Rocky Travel

    RT @jeffbullas: 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://twitter.com/rickstuddard/status/18444098103 Rick Studdard

    RT @jeffbullas: 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://twitter.com/the_write_one/status/18444174317 The Write One

    RT @jeffbullas: 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68

  • http://twitter.com/neerajkumar_/status/18446472450 Neeraj Kumar

    10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul? http://bit.ly/cOia68 RT @jeffbullas

  • http://www.kndino.com KnDino

    Thanks for having such a willingness to share the knowledge that you’ve gained Jeff..It is a testimony as to why you have so many followers and sponsors.. Something for us all to aspire toward.. Keep on keepin on!

  • http://Selloutyoursoul.com James

    Take your most popular post, expand it into a 40 page ebook and sell it for 1.99….your market are information hounds…give them great info and they want to buy more….sell it in email or just put an order after the post….I currently read anything on storytelling and copywriting…a monkey could sell me an ebook on that topic as long as it isn’t close to the price of a real book.

    Ps your blog is awesome

  • http://www.personaljudaica.com/bar-mitzvah-gifts Bar mitzvah gifts

    Hi,

    It’s really very helpful article, and I likes to read your 10 Ways To Make Money From Your Blog Without Selling Your Soul.

    Thanks for sharing it.

  • Karyn Climans

    I just launched an Affiliate program for my business, Tail Wags Helmet Covers: http://www.tail-wags.com. Hoping it will be a win/win for my affiliate partners and my business!
    Great article: I liked the fact that you didn’t promote spammy ideas.

  • Anonymous

    Well, Jeff, your post gives me pause. A well-reasoned, intelligent, soulful post, for sure. I have been on my own personal “anti-monetization” bandwagon for a while know, though everyone and their mother is telling me to monetize, monetize, monetize. I do sell some of my products (in the sidebar), so I am obviously “monetizing” to some degree. It’s just that I cringe when I see blogs that are so blatantly sold out — like those people who literally get their foreheads tattooed with a company logo or the Nascar drivers whose uniforms are nothing but plugs for mega corporations. Anyway, I like how you are thinking through this and will noodle on my choices some more. In the meantime, here’s the link to my rather one-dimensional way I’ve been looking at this phenomenon. I think you’ll be able to relate. http://tinyurl.com/6lx36xx

  • http://findrealaustin.com/real-tips/preapproval-home-loans-stonger-buyer.htm Alison Shuman

    I agree that good bloggers should be able to monetize their work! On your list above, the one I *really* don’t like is #3. When I see a link in-line, I expect it to take me to good content that author has specifically linked to. I hate realizing it’s just an ad!!!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6WX2C2B3OR5G3AXG7A5J4CTKGM Prateek

    Affiliate Marketing and Google adsense has been well known sources!!!

  • http://twitter.com/dandellion dandellion Kimban

    I don’t find ads profitable. One has to have tons of traffic and pretty aggressive posting schedule to see some income from that way. And then, with tons of traffic one can do much better. Not to mention that on many blogs aggressive posting is turning to “sell your soul” side. 

    My preferable stream of income is to advertise my Zazzle store http://www.zazzle.com/dandellion?rf=238324308783739188 on my blog. I know, it’s not income made directly from blogging, but as I enjoy photography and painting those two mix together just nicely. 

    Also, e-books are doing just fine on many blogs, and I’ll probably start working on one, though, as my blog is more opinion than advice, it might be a harder thing to sell. 

  • http://www.bloggingshiksha.com/2011/09/make-money-online-%E2%80%93-earn-millions-through-world-wide-web/ making money online

    Use AdSense at your blog so that you start getting money by each visitors…

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