When you guys speak, I listen.
A few weeks ago I shared my biggest lesson learned from BBC Charlotte. That led to a lot of the same questions asked in the comments…how do you make money blogging?
Making money blogging was not something that I intended for in the beginning. After the first year of blogging that changed dramatically, I started making a little change from the blog. At first I used to think that only experienced, well known bloggers make money, I am here to tell you that is a myth. Brands are looking for all sized blogs and they are paying them too. I am proof.
So how does all this happen? Glad you asked.
1) Join Networks and APPLY
There are so many networks that pay bloggers for sponsored posts. This includes Social Fabric, Sverve, SITS Girls, Clever Girls Collective and more. Most of these require you apply with your social media stats and wait to see if you are chosen. I’ll be honest, the competition is tough. I don’t get picked that often, but I watch the opportunities closely and if something directly aligns with my blog, I apply. The worst you can get is a no! It is also a good thing to show you are eager to work with the network. If you are really concerned about why you didn’t get a certain campaign email them and find out. (In a nice way of course!)
2) Get out and meet people
My first real sponsored post came from a wonderful friend I met at BlogHer12 just a few months prior. The brand asked her if she knew any other NYC bloggers that would fit the criteria and she passed on my info. I was so extremely grateful so I always try to pay it forward.
If I hadn’t met her and connected with her at a blogging conference, I wouldn’t have had such a great opportunity. Now I know blogging conferences are expensive, so in addition to that attend those brand events if you can. This is especially true if you live in metropolitan areas like NYC and ATL. A lot of the times brand send PR agencies, not actual employees. PR agencies represent a lot of different companies. Make nice with them.
That is just the beginning. Most of my partnerships including being a Brand Ambassador for the GotMilk Protein Fight Club was from attending an event. I took 1/2 a day off from work to attend, but it turned out to be one of the smartest investments that I have ever made. Meeting brands is like speed dating. You get to know them, they get to know you, and if it works you follow up and see how you can work together in the future.
Go to blogger meetup groups. Get to know the people around you that are blogging. These are your co-workers. You can work together to make some money.
3) Exploit Your Social Media
Got an insane amount of twitter followers? Your Pinterest following is enough to fill a small stadium? Even if your numbers aren’t astronomical here is how you can use those numbers to your advantage:
BlogHer currently has a social media influencers program where they will pay you to pin, tweet and/or fb. No blog post required. Easy money! They even pay influencers to go to events and tweet. So you are saying that you are going to feed me, give me great swag and you simply want me to tweet? I do that anyway everywhere I go!
4) Write for other brands
I don’t do this personally but I know so many of my bloggy friends that do. Believe t or not this blogging life is considered to be new media. Old media needs people who already know how to manage blogging, comments and etc. That would be you! You already have a blog so there is your portfolio. You would just be writing about that brand.
Media brands want to align themselves with real authentic grounded bloggers. This is also an excellent way to build your resume for a traditional writing position.
5) Payment In Product/Access
This one is nontraditional but you might want to consider receiving product as payment. Those free tickets that you were comped? Probably would have cost you a lot of money otherwise. The product that was sent to you for review, that you use daily? That is just a different form of compensation. Sometimes it’s not about the physical money, the gifts and access has monetary value as well.
I hope you got something out of this!
I have another post coming about making money without over saturating your readers, stay tuned!
More posts on blogging:
Understanding Twitter Analytics
How to Create An Easy Google Plus Cover Photo using PicMonkey
5 Important Things You Need to Know About Periscope
85 comments
This is great stuff Nellie! I do some of this already but I have yet to attend a blog conference. Bloggy BootCamp is coming to Philly next year and that’s pretty close to me so…I can’t wait!! In the meantime, thanks for the tips!!
I am hoping to come to Philly too, I sure hope its a 2 day conf instead of 1 day. It is super easy for me to get to! FINALLY we can meet!! 🙂
Nellie, what great tips and I try my best to spread myself all over with this and definitely in the last 6-9 months have seen it truly paying off. So, honestly couldn’t agree more with you all of the above and thank you for giving you take on this!!
You are very welcome Janine 🙂
number four.
I like to keep it all OFF MY BLOG 🙂
You do an awesome job with that Miz!
Great tips, Nellie.
I still have not attempted to contact any companies – I’m not sue that I would enjoy my blog as much – hard to say. For now I know that I like that lack of pressure that comes from just blogging for fun.
You don’t NEED to contact any companies Kim, blogging at its core is fun and it should remain that way!
Great tips Nellie! It is definitely smart to join multiple networks! And we totally agree with you that there is a fine line to walk between making money with sponsored posts and turning off your readers….looking forward to reading that post!-Ashley
Thanks Ashley!
Great tips girlie! I was hoping a post like this would surface soon on your blog. Thank you!
🙂 You are very welcome dear!
These are all great tips Nellie! I wish I lived in an area that would give me the opportunity to go to events locally to network, but meh…LOL! I have found that networks have been great in getting me campaigns. I LOVE Clever Girls!
haha 🙂 Clever girls is awesome. I always look forward to their emails. 🙂
Great tips! A lot of these I had not thought of before. Another way I’ve found to be kind of successful is when you are interacting directly with a brand and they want you to review something but aren’t willing to sponsor a post is to ask them to purchase ad space. It’s a lot more than the click through ads.
That makes total sense and that is a GREAT tip! I have never done the ad route so this is new to me, thank you!
I love that point about how you’d be walking around, doing new things and tweeting about it anyway! The BlogHer social media program is fantastic. There are some hits and misses. Can I talk candidly about Slim Fast? Not so much. However, when a Canon campaign comes along, I’m their girl!
Yeah I agree, I usually apply when I see them, when I see those I see diapers for the baby! 🙂
Because I’m so darn busy, I like to keep things as automated as possible. Adsense works for me. So do privately paid sidebar ads, as well as Amazon affiliate. Making money while I sleep. Me like it like that. After getting a huge taste of brand relationships, I don’t like dealing with brands or networks too much because of the obligation that goes with it. In the past I’ve committed to stuff that ended up being extremely inconvenient for me. I still do work with brands, very careful about what I commit to.
Despite my weirdness, Nellie, your tips are wonderful. Back when I started blogging there was very little info out there on how to make money, and the big bloggers at that time we not willing to share info. You’re doing us a great service by sharing these tips! xo
I hear you Josie, it makes total sense to do it the way you are doing. I have no objections to making money while I sleep!!
these are really great tips … i have not done any of these things but now that i’m at home maybe i’ll do some research. thank you!
i’m interested in your next post!
You are welcome Faith, look into it, hopefully you will get something good from it 🙂
Great points Ma’am!! And I think I have done 4 out of the 5!! I have made money blogging, but I want MORE!! #greedy
haha, I see nothing wrong with that! You are totally worth the big bucks!
This was a gret post with tips I will def be implementing!!! Thanks for the info!
You are welcome Toya, thanks for stopping by 🙂
Well thank you. I could some extra dough. I’m linked to a few social media communities, and I admit that I haven’t really followed up on the different opportunities until just recently. We shall see if they pay off. Do you use a Pay Pal account?
I do use a paypal account but sometimes I get checks in the mail, I’d say its 50/50
Wow thanks so much for sharing these steps. I have been blogging for the past two years and I just now started making money from it. I have learned at a lot from your post. Thanks a lot.
You are so welcome, glad I could help!
Good post! Straight forward but valuable information. I don’t attend events as much as I should, but I’m going to work on that in 2014.
awesome, you never know who you might meet!
Great post. This blogging life it totally new to some people and they’ll pay you well to work with them. It’s always good when a hobby brings you income!
Exactly, its all about the side hustle!
That social media influencer stuff is real, thanks for sharing that we can use that too. Excellent and unselfish post Nellie! Thank you!
Yes, everyone wants to work with an influencer!You are welcome 🙂 I am happy to share the love.
A lot of companies are hiring also for social media people I applied to one big company and have my second interview with them this week. If you are big int he social world then do it and do it big. Great tips
good luck Kita! Thats awesome! Good Luck with your interview!
This is great Nellie. One day I’ll make it to a blog conference. I joined a few networks but haven’t even checked to see what opportunities are available. It so awesome that you share this information. I can’t figure out where to find additional time needed to monetize my blog. Gah!
I know the time is a big factor, but as long as you continue to create great content you are all good. Most likely the opportunities will find their way to you!
These are all great tips and I would know because I do all of them! Especially #1. That’s been the main source of my income thus far!!
you go girl!!
Great list! One thing I’ve always said and loved hearing it reiterated at Blogalicious5 was that there is enough room for everyone. So many people I try to share tips with say, “Oh but there’s soooooo many bloggers out there!” While there are a lot of bloggers there we each have a unique voice and there are definitely ways to stand out from the crowd and position yourself as a brand and expert. Just gotta make the effort!
There is SO enough room for everyone and you make such a great point! The effort is really the foundation of any single successful blog.
Nellie this is some good information. Due to my job, I can’t do anything money-wise as yet on my blog, but it’s good to know what’s available for when I can actually pursue monetizing.
Yes, whenever you need it the information is here waiting for ya 🙂
Great tips! Someday I may make the jump…but for now it’s all about creating content and developing relationships. Keep up the good work, Nellie…you deserve all of the comps you get!
Thanks so much Leslie!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
No problem!
Thanks for answering our questions, Nellie! One of my goals for next year is to attend some blogging events (contingent upon selling my house or making more money blogging. 🙂 ). I think that’s one of the biggest things I’m missing right now.
The events are fun, I personally love to meet new people so its a win win
This is so cool. I hadn’t thought about making money through blogging but you got me interested. We’ll see. Thanks for sharing
You should look into it 🙂 The possibilities are really endless.
Thanks so much for the great article and the shared points. There are so many great ways to monetize your site it’s mind blowing (especially in the beginning). The thing I learned over the years is that each blog is different, therefore its monetization differs. For some, it’s sponsored posts for others it’s affiliate marketing.
I’m not a big fan of approaching companies, I want them to contact me either personally or through some respected platform, especially when it comes to sponsored posts. As soon as I get approached by a company and/or site, I want to make sure that they fit my site and gives my readers additional value. I can recommend linkworth and teliad in addition to some of the sites you mentioned.
Keep it up 🙂
This is the perfect comment!! 😉 I love what you said about making sure it is the right fit for your readers. So very true!! Thanks for stopping by!!
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These are wonderful tips! Thanks so much for sharing them 🙂
Wonderful ideas, Nellie. I was not aware of BlogHer’s program. I am going to look into that. I am all about monetizing my blog and am always looking for ways outside of ads. Pinning this to two of Pinterest boards. Thanks for sharing.
All of these are great tips, though I have to admit I have a bit of a sour taste in my mouth with things like Sverve, Massive Sway, Clever Girls, etc. I’ve read that they want to see quality content/good writing but then they put emphasis on numbers only. You can be a so-so writer with thousands of fans and views and get the campaigns. Without those numbers, you don’t get selected, even if you are a good writer. Makes no sense to me.
Very informative Nellie thanks for the great tips! Stop by sometime and enjoy our blog posts at Lush-Fab-Glam.com
Thanks for all your information and hard earned wisdom Nellie! I am wanting to really monetizing my blog- but have yet to find any sponsored post material but ONE that fit my blog- according to my ‘numbers’, and where I place my value as a whole on my site. I wish it were easier… it all seem SO hard to find good stuff to make money with – I must be missing some major opportunities that I am not aware of. I sure wish they would just come a knockin’ on my door!! (Don’t we all?)
I really need to spend more time investigating more resources I think. Will see what comes of it!
Competition is tough on those network sites, but they are still worth checking out. I’m working on getting out and networking more. I’ve joined a few local blogging groups and am filling my calendar up with meetups I can attend on the Mr’s days off.
These are very good tips! I am quite new to blogging, but would love to earn something from it in the future! Your tips are practical and very clear. Thanks for sharing!
Corlie
Great article, thank you for sharing.
I’ve been blogging a little over a year now, and I just started making a few bucks here and there. Thank you for sharing what you’ve learned. I didn’t read all the comments so I’m not sure whether anyone mentioned this, but Tomoson is a great site that send you free products for a Blogger’s review. BTW I’m working on my last 15lbs also, 🙂
Great set of tips and very straight forward! I think joining networks and getting out and meeting people are essential. I can’t wait to go to a conference and be able to connect with other bloggers.
Thanks so much for sharing!
awesome tips!!! I’m still playing the #s game trying to figure out the whole blog game out, I blog because I would love it, the Hubs says he would love for me to get a part time job, bam, blogging for $$ make sense now, I just am trying to figure out how… great article, thanks for giving me a startarting point. ~A~
Great article! I am a new blogger and focusing on finishing a book at the moment. I do have a large family vacation planned for next July to travel across country by train with my family of five ~ including 3 teens. I will blog about this trip as I have other trips in the past but I was wondering how I might go about approaching Amtrak or a hotel chain to see if I could be compensated or even barter tickets or reduced rate. Any suggestions, greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Great tips! I’m definitely going to check out the BlogHer social media program. I tweet regardless of where I go as well, so being paid for it, that just seems too good to pass up!
I guess you have to get your dollar out of everything :D. Nothing wrong with that i say.
Son of a! I don’t think my last comment went through….
Anyway, just wanted to say that I think I need to attend more bloggy conferences and meet-ups. It’s amazing the kinds of connections and opportunities that are just around the corner.
Thanks for a great post!
Thanks Nellie – Great tips! I especially love the one about exploiting your social media presence. I had no idea that was possible. I will definitely have to look into that. Thanks again!
Thanks for the insight. I have a few blogs on the go, but I’m focusing now with the one linked here, which I hope to monetize in the future, and my design/illustration blog, which I will not likely monetize. I guess my goal right now is to build up readership before chasing revenue. These are great tips to keep in mind though, thanks.
Blarg, the above link is broken (in my name). Try this one, thanks!
Great info! I had never really thought past the “ads.”
Wonderful tips! I think Sverve is great because it levels the playing field-you have people endorse you and then your score goes up, if you fit the minimum score you have a shot on applying.
I have heard of BlogHer’s program but when I go on their site I have a really hard time finding it-idea on where it is on the page? I have looked everywhere. Not sure why I am having trouble with this.
I just started a little over a month ago. I have the advantage of living in a big city-how do you go to Brand events? Could you explain more? How would you go about finding them?
[…] Active Mama, 5 Easy Ways to Make Money on Your Blog. Do you want to make some money on your blog? Nellie has some great tips to get […]
I am proud to say, that I do all of these things!! 🙂 I read your mind!
Great tips. Another way to make money is by speaking at conferences and events. I also wrote a book based on a year’s worth of blog posts and earn money from the sales of the book.
[…] about blogging. Especially when that blogging puts a little cash in your pocket. Nellie talks about 5 Easy Ways to Make Money Blogging. The one I struggle with the most is getting out and meeting people. I’m pretty comfy on the […]
Awesome post, loaded with good info! How do you find out all the monthly visitor stats that Sverve wants for your score? I’m on Blogger.
[…] their stuff, to the crazy drama, it gets pretty hectic sometimes. Since this blog has become a legit business for me, I have accept the good with the bad. But BABY! sometimes I see somethings on these […]
All great tips, thanks for sharing as we all want a profitable blog or at least a little compensation for all of our hard work!
Wow! Where has YOUR blog been?? I love it! It’s full of useful info for both beginners and advanced bloggers and the cherry on top? It’s easy on the eyes!
Lol, thanks for sharing your tips and advice, as a new blogger, it’s hard finding information on the web that doesn’t go over my head.
I’ve only been blogging since March, but after reading this I feel so inspired!
Thanks for the pick me up! Setting up my newsletter was stressful and it took me hours to figure things out. After that, I feel like I can do anything.