Blogging has long ceased to be the means of pampering one’s ego or sharing some random ramblings with the world. Instead, it turned into a lucrative business where anyone with experience in a certain subject could make a living. On the other hand, many beginners who understand the importance of a blog for driving traffic and boosting awareness have little idea of how to actually monetize their blog ideas. Below, we will discuss six blog monetization ideas that work especially great in PR and marketing but are also suitable for other writing niches.
Idea #1: Promoting your freelance writing career
Using a blog to promote your writing skills is one of the most obvious ideas for monetizing your website. If you are writing about PR or marketing, you can still earn some money crafting an entrepreneur’s biography or sharing your professional experience. Editorial Freelance Association claims that an hourly rate on freelance writing may reach $60, while a single word earns up to a dollar.
Of course, using a blog to promote your writing skills is not exactly a passive kind of income, but it is still a good start. If you’ve never worked as a freelance writer before, consider charging per project or article instead of setting an hourly rate which can be confusing sometimes.
Another piece of advice: take a proactive approach and reach out to potential clients instead of waiting for them to contact you. Once your blog has around a thousand visitors a month, you can start contacting clients who could be interested in paying for your services in exchange for quality content. Just start searching for similar platforms in your niche or look for companies who would be interested in your marketing experience.
Idea #2: Offering paid membership plans
Depending on your blog type, you can offer some articles (white papers, reports, analyzes) at a price. Alternatively, you can have all of your content available to people who pay a monthly membership fee. Sure, this is not one of those simple blog ideas for teens because to make people pay for your content, you must offer them something of quality. Here, it would be very useful to carefully consider your target audience—who will be ready to pay for what you have to offer? Why? How much? Not that you do not have to consider your target audience when dealing with other blog monetization ideas, but in this case, you must be extra attentive and unprejudiced when figuring out your target reader.
Idea #3: Displaying ads & affiliate marketing
Displaying ads is not a new blog monetization idea, and neither is affiliate marketing. But, as blog ideas for 2021 go, it is important to make your ads relevant and, if possible, unobtrusive. We’ve all had enough of annoying pop-ups that have nothing to do with the blog’s topics and ideas, so do not make this mistake. If you’re writing in the IT niche, your content can mention the Best App Review website, but such an approach will not make any sense if you’re in nutrition or fashion. The point of quality affiliate marketing is about offering value to your blog readers—even when you include links to other platforms and products.
Idea #4: Selling physical or virtual goods
Practically every website today tries to sell you something, so don’t be shy to explore this lucrative blog monetization idea. No doubt, what you sell will once again depend on your niche—while offering shoes or hand-made jewelry are great fashion blog ideas, the same idea will never work for PR and marketing blogs. You can, however, try selling virtual goods—books, podcasts, even webinars. Again, the choice will depend on the blog content ideas you’re comfortable with.
Idea #5: Hosting sponsored content
Blogs with plenty of subscribers and traffic can host not only affiliate links but also sponsored content. Here, the logic is pretty much the same—you need to make sure the blog content you host is in line with your own blog niche ideas. Otherwise, you risk losing valuable subscribers, which would be damaging to your reputation and your blog income. Similar to offering paid content, monetizing your blog with guest posts is definitely not one of the blog ideas for beginners because you’ll need not only traffic and subscribers but also credibility. But, if you manage to gain your subscribers’ trust, you’ll get a lucrative opportunity to turn this to your advantage. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, over half of businesses already invest in influencer marketing and plan to increase their spending,
Idea #6: Offering consulting services
This suggestion is one of the top-notch blog monetization ideas for high-end professionals. If you are an established marketer, run a company, or work as an independent consultant, creating a blog to promote your expertise is one of the best ways to boost your reputation and attract more clients. As long as your blog topic ideas are in line with the services you’re offering, a consulting business could be an excellent way of monetizing your website and your professional experience. Note, however, that with this monetization model, it is very important to invest not only in content but also in quality web design—everything from blog logo ideas to button placement should be neat and professional.
Those are the primary means of turning your blog into a source of income, but of course, you’re not supposed to choose just one. A combination of several monetization methods that work best for you is an even better idea as long as you don’t overdo it. Ideally, two-three monetization means would be a perfect balance between infotainment and reaping its benefits.
