{"id":12283,"date":"2024-04-19T11:08:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T17:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discover.com\/online-banking\/banking-topics\/?p=12283"},"modified":"2026-01-30T14:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T20:35:29","slug":"how-to-monetize-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discover.com\/online-banking\/banking-topics\/how-to-monetize-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"How to monetize a blog: Tips from successful bloggers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Taylor Stanford started blogging, she and her husband were living on food stamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe thought of being able to buy whatever I wanted from the grocery store seemed like a dream I’d never accomplish,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford wanted to inject more purpose into her life and make a little extra cash (one of many reasons you need a side hustle). So, she started a blog. As she consistently published blog posts, she built an audience. Steadily layering in a mix of website monetization tactics, Stanford was able to bring in about $10,000 a month after a year and a half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On her blog, she still publishes posts about her daily life, provides lessons on how to monetize a blog, and offers other advice and motivation for aspiring bloggers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome days, it still feels like a dream when I get to roll through the drive-through on a Tuesday at noon and order a $5 coffee,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how do you make money from a blog? We asked Stanford and some other pro bloggers for secrets and strategies that have helped them succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 ideas for how to make money blogging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people wonder what types of blogs make the most money, but there are plenty of different types that can be lucrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bjork Ostrom, who along with his wife runs a food blog, says that no matter what type of blog you have, you won\u2019t earn any meaningful income until you\u2019ve built a dedicated readership. If you\u2019re just starting out, Ostrom says, \u201cHold off on monetization and instead focus on the content, building an audience, and figuring out what really works to engage with fans of your work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do have a fan base established, then he says now\u2019s the time to think about revenue generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are four effective strategies for how to make money blogging, recommended by professional bloggers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Display advertising<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Those ads you see in the margins of your favorite websites? That\u2019s display advertising, and it can be an effective way to monetize your website if your blog is already drawing a steady stream of visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James Hills, who runs a travel and lifestyle blog and an online blogging community, found that there weren\u2019t a lot of blogs for adventurous men who prioritized a healthy lifestyle when he first began blogging. However, there were plenty of advertisers looking to reach that audience, and he has been able to make money from both sites thanks to display advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how much blog traffic do you need to make money? Hills says you can monetize your blog in a meaningful way through advertising and brand partnerships once you reach 10,000 unique visitors per month, but he advises bloggers to aim for at least 25,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When deciding how to monetize a blog, many content creators choose to work with a managed ad network because it handles all the complexity that comes with connecting advertisers to websites like yours. Ostrom points out that many of these managed ad networks have traffic requirements. Some large managed ad networks require as many as 50,000 monthly sessions<\/a> to qualify. Other networks offer their services at lower traffic thresholds, so Ostrom encourages you to do your research and pick the network that works best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Affiliate marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes bloggers will link to other websites, where their readers can go to buy products or services. That\u2019s a valuable source of sales for those third-party sites, which can further incentivize bloggers to link to them through an affiliate marketing program. With affiliate marketing, brands and online retail platforms make it easy for bloggers to use affiliate links on their sites. When a reader clicks the link and makes a purchase, the blogger gets paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt could be opening a credit card, signing up for a service, or buying a product on their website,\u201d says Jim Wang, who runs a personal finance blog. Affiliate marketing is the main revenue driver for Wang\u2019s blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAffiliate marketing is all about trust,\u201d says Amanda Williams, who runs a travel blog. \u201cWhether you’re recommending something to longtime readers who already know you or you\u2019re trying to sell something to someone landing on your site for the first time, you have to find a way to earn their trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford, who also monetizes her website with affiliate marketing, agrees that maintaining trust is critical. To keep your affiliate marketing true to who you are, she recommends first reflecting on all your favorite brands and then checking to see if they have affiliate marketing programs. Those that do typically provide straightforward instructions for how to leverage them, Stanford says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the board, these bloggers emphasize that affiliate links can help you monetize your website, but they should always add value to your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Sponsored content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to how to monetize your blog, sponsored content is a popular tactic. When advertisers pay you to create content about their brand or provide you with content they\u2019ve already created and approved to publish, that\u2019s sponsored content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you\u2019re a food blogger, a salad dressing brand might pay you to include their Thousand Island dressing in your next burger recipe. Or let\u2019s say you\u2019re a lifestyle blogger. A sunglasses company might create a listicle of the \u201c10 sunniest destinations to visit in the middle of winter\u201d that you can feature on your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, professional bloggers say it\u2019s important that you clearly label your sponsored content as such, because that transparency will build trust between you and your readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To obtain these kinds of partnerships, pro bloggers recommend creating quality content that brands would want to associate themselves with before you even have the traffic needed to monetize your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get their attention, Stanford says it helps to nudge potential partners through tools like social media. She recommends tagging them in your social posts and also reaching out to them directly via email and by sending them your content. Taking that initiative, she says, can prompt them to ask you about a partnership or improve your odds when you eventually propose a deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, though, brands will reach out to bloggers and ask their rate for a certain type of post, says Georgie Morley, whose personal blog helped her launch her photography career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She typically receives a flat fee for each piece of sponsored content, regardless of how much traffic it gets. \u201cHow much you earn is based on your audience size, the kind of content, if the brand is able to license the content for their own use and a few other variables,\u201d Morley says. She notes that the final price you land on can vary depending on the brand\u2019s budget and how influential you\u2019re perceived to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams, who runs the travel blog mentioned above, notes that the proliferation of influencers and bloggers has made it more difficult to pitch brands on partnerships than it used to be. Hills, who runs the travel and lifestyle blog mentioned above, has some advice for how to differentiate yourself when reaching out: \u201cThe key is to present the brand contacts with a way that you can solve a problem or help them reach an audience that they need to engage with,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you can offer that, then there could be opportunities to work together.”<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\u201cWhether you’re recommending something to longtime readers who already know you or you\u2019re trying to sell something to someone landing on your site for the first time, you have to find a way to earn their trust.\u201d<\/p>\n