{"id":20594,"date":"2015-02-04T10:00:44","date_gmt":"2015-02-04T15:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.shareaholic.com\/?p=20594"},"modified":"2015-05-19T15:49:17","modified_gmt":"2015-05-19T19:49:17","slug":"earn-money-blogging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/earn-money-blogging\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Earn Money Blogging"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When I first started blogging, back in 2009, Jeremy Schoemaker of ShoeMoney and\u00a0Glen Allsopp of ViperChill were already making six-figures\u00a0running blogs powered by AdSense revenue. A dream job, indeed. But\u00a0these were edge cases. If earning six-figures blogging was commonplace, the hardest workers among us would be millionaires.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly afterwards, content farms like Demand Media emerged, changing what it meant to be a blogger. These content mills churned thousands of articles and videos\u00a0each day, placing big bets on the expectation that they could capture high rankings for every keyword out there and drive consistent, long-term ad earnings from each piece. In 2011, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/googles-blow-to-demand-media-2013-12\" target=\"_blank\">everything fell apart<\/a>. Almost overnight, Demand Media lost a large portion of its traffic. Google began filtering out content created by Demand Media from its search results\u00a0and the rest is history.<\/p>\n<p>In its heyday, Demand Media paid\u00a0writers, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/02\/08\/business\/media\/08carr.html?pagewanted=all\" target=\"_blank\">on average<\/a>, $15 &#8211; $20 an article &#8212; a pittance.\u00a0That, of course, was for low-quality content most respectable bloggers would hate to have attached to their byline. Since then, the industry has shifted its focus away from spammy SEO-friendly content to high-quality articles &#8212; content that matters.<\/p>\n<p>Bloggers and publishers now push content with a purpose:\u00a0to\u00a0educate or entertain readers. Less fluff and keyword stuffing, more substance.<\/p>\n<p>Writers such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makealivingwriting.com\/really-like-six-figure-freelancer\/\" target=\"_blank\">Carol Tice<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.therenegadewriter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Linda Formicelli<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/contently.net\/2014\/12\/23\/ask-freelancer\/ask-freelancer-rate-last-year-writer\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nicole Dieker<\/a>\u00a0have built successful careers from content. Others are happy making a few hundred dollars each month because blogging is\u00a0a personal\u00a0hobby. Regardless of your ultimate end-goal, there are a number of different (and easy) ways you can earn money blogging.<\/p>\n<h3>Display Advertising<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20625\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/display-ads.jpg\" alt=\"Display Ads\" width=\"480\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/display-ads.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/display-ads-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/display-ads-400x258.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Google AdSense is a popular advertising solution for bloggers everywhere. But other networks are worth considering, especially if you operate within niche categories. Examples include <a href=\"http:\/\/web.blogads.com\/making-money-blogging\" target=\"_blank\">BlogAds<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blogher.com\/marketplace\/opportunities\" target=\"_blank\">BlogHer<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/buysellads.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">BuySellAds<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/introducing-shareaholic-display-ads\/\">Shareaholic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Brand Sponsorships<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20626\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Display_homepage_takeover.jpg\" alt=\"Background takeover ads\" width=\"480\" height=\"291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Display_homepage_takeover.jpg 1565w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Display_homepage_takeover-660x400.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Display_homepage_takeover-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Display_homepage_takeover-768x465.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Display_homepage_takeover-1024x620.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Display_homepage_takeover-400x242.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Of course, finding the <em>right<\/em> advertisements to feature can make a dramatic difference in the quality of the ads and their relevance to your audience. Often, you can identify brands that align with your values who have marketing budgets dedicated to sponsoring influencers (like you!). Most of these ads can replace marketplace-drive solutions like AdSense and can live as top banners, sidebar placements, intext features, and background takeovers.<\/p>\n<h3>Sponsored Posts<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Mashable-Spark-of-Genius-Series.png\" alt=\"Mashable Spark of Genius Series\" width=\"480\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Mashable-Spark-of-Genius-Series.png 560w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Mashable-Spark-of-Genius-Series-438x400.png 438w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Mashable-Spark-of-Genius-Series-300x274.png 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Mashable-Spark-of-Genius-Series-329x300.png 329w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>More and more, businesses recognize\u00a0the power of bloggers and are thrilled to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/old-school-native-advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\">underwrite content you publish<\/a>, as long as it properly aligns with company values. Sometimes, these arrangements include product giveaways or reviews.<\/p>\n<h3>Digital Products<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20627\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ebook-pricing.png\" alt=\"Ebook pricing\" width=\"480\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ebook-pricing.png 1063w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ebook-pricing-700x298.png 700w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ebook-pricing-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ebook-pricing-768x327.png 768w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ebook-pricing-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ebook-pricing-400x170.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A penny for your thoughts? Or $4.99 for that e-book? Good content is not always free &#8212; and readers will happily pay the price for a piece of your mind. Bloggers can charge a fee for\u00a0e-books, online courses and webinars they produce as long as the value readers receive\u00a0is equal to or more than the cost.<\/p>\n<h3>Memberships for Premium Content<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20629\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Mixergy-Premium-Membership.png\" alt=\"Mixergy Premium Membership\" width=\"480\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Mixergy-Premium-Membership.png 842w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Mixergy-Premium-Membership-700x298.png 700w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Mixergy-Premium-Membership-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Mixergy-Premium-Membership-768x327.png 768w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Mixergy-Premium-Membership-400x171.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Some bloggers develop libraries of exclusive content, available to readers who pay monthly or annual subscriptions for full access. <a href=\"http:\/\/mixergy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Mixergy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theinformation.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Information<\/a>\u00a0are perfect examples here.<\/p>\n<h3>Crowdfunding<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20630\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Beacon-crowdfunding.png\" alt=\"Beacon crowdfunding\" width=\"480\" height=\"295\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Beacon-crowdfunding.png 929w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Beacon-crowdfunding-651x400.png 651w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Beacon-crowdfunding-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Beacon-crowdfunding-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Beacon-crowdfunding-400x246.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, many writers have turned to crowdfunding to finance bigger projects. Platforms such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.beaconreader.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Beacon<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiegogo.com\/explore\/writing\" target=\"_blank\">Indiegogo<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/pages\/journalism\" target=\"_blank\">Kickstarter<\/a>\u00a0help creatives fund exciting campaigns to bring the world better news, stories and reports.<\/p>\n<h3>Job Boards<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20631\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Job-boards-on-VentureFizz.png\" alt=\"Job boards on VentureFizz\" width=\"480\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Job-boards-on-VentureFizz.png 969w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Job-boards-on-VentureFizz-700x366.png 700w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Job-boards-on-VentureFizz-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Job-boards-on-VentureFizz-768x401.png 768w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Job-boards-on-VentureFizz-400x209.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Niche bloggers may also feature\u00a0and promote jobs for companies in the industry. Businesses constantly need to hire quality talent and a\u00a0blog&#8217;s readers are likely to be incredibly passionate about the subject at hand.<\/p>\n<h3>Affiliate\u00a0Links<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20632\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/affiliate-links.jpg\" alt=\"How Affiliate Marketing Works\" width=\"480\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/affiliate-links.jpg 736w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/affiliate-links-336x400.jpg 336w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/affiliate-links-252x300.jpg 252w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/affiliate-links-300x357.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>CJ Affiliate, ShareASale and Cirqle allow you to plug directly into their network of brands to identify products and services you can help resell. But if you&#8217;re looking for a one-click easy solution, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/introducing-shareaholic-affiliate-links\/\" target=\"_blank\">Shareaholic Affiliate Links<\/a>\u00a0simplifies things by turning your\u00a0existing links into revenue-driving opportunities.<\/p>\n<h3>Native Advertising<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20262\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/promoted-content-on-site.png\" alt=\"Shareaholic Promoted Content\" width=\"480\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/promoted-content-on-site.png 794w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/promoted-content-on-site-686x400.png 686w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/promoted-content-on-site-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/promoted-content-on-site-768x448.png 768w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/promoted-content-on-site-400x233.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To ensure advertising doesn&#8217;t detract from the reader experience and, in fact, enhances it, native advertising has become popular among publishers. That&#8217;s why we launched <a href=\"https:\/\/shareaholic.com\/publishers\/promoted_content\" target=\"_blank\">Shareaholic Promoted Content<\/a>, which seamlessly integrates with <a href=\"https:\/\/shareaholic.com\/publishers\/recommendations\" target=\"_blank\">our Related Content app<\/a>\u00a0to highlight both organic and sponsored article recommendations for your readers.<\/p>\n<p>How do you make money\u00a0as a blogger? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Image source: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ciitmaur.com\/display-advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/publicite.dailymotion.com\/en\/offre-media\/homepage-takeover\/\" target=\"_blank\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/mashable.com\/2011\/10\/10\/giftiki\/\" target=\"_blank\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/nathanbarry.com\/webapps\/#packages\" target=\"_blank\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/mixergy.com\/go-premium\/\" target=\"_blank\">5<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.beaconreader.com\/projects\/the-legacy-of-mass-incarceration\" target=\"_blank\">6<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/venturefizz.com\/jobs\" target=\"_blank\">7<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/41236152808358431\/\" target=\"_blank\">8<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/generate-revenue-shareaholic-promoted-content\/\" target=\"_blank\">9<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/shareaholic.com\/publishers\/promoted_content\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-20529\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Get-Shareaholic-Promoted-Content-now-300x96.png\" alt=\"Get Shareaholic Promoted Content now\" width=\"300\" height=\"96\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I first started blogging, back in 2009, Jeremy Schoemaker of ShoeMoney and\u00a0Glen Allsopp of ViperChill were already making six-figures\u00a0running blogs powered by AdSense revenue.&hellip;&nbsp;<br \/><a class=\"continue-reading\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/earn-money-blogging\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":20680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[606],"tags":[750,772,775,774,771,756,450,773],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20594"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}