So, you’ve been running a successful hobby blog for some time now. It gets visitors, it gets engagement and you’re happy with the way things are going. Now, there’s only one thing more you need: some way to earn money from your efforts. If you’re considering monetising your blog, then you need to take into account your traffic levels and the options you have before you for making money from your hobby blog.
As such, there are a number of ways that you can work to monetise your blog, including:
Adsense
One of the easiest ways to start monetising your blog is through something known as Google AdSense. The search giant sells a number of different ‘clicks’ to advertisers and marketers. This can be the first result for a given keyword or even the appearance of ads on certain websites, this is called pay per click (PPC) advertising. And Google will pay you to be one of the websites that hosts these ads, so long as people genuinely click through from your site.
It’s a fairly simple concept, but can be a great way to make money from your hobby blog. All you have to do is apply for an AdSense account and you will be given a code, this can then be installed on your site (via a widget if you have WordPress) to show the ads. The whole process is fairly simple and can have you earning money from your blog in days.
Add a Donate Button
Asking your readers to donate directly might seem like a bold thing to do, but plenty of privately run blogs employ this method of fundraising–’buy me a coffee’. Hosting your own blog costs money, no matter how you host it, so asking for something to support this yearly cost can be completely understandable. You may not make much from this method, but perhaps enough to cover running costs potentially. The more traffic your blog gets the likelier this becomes.
A button is by no means an instant way to make lots of money, but it can be a great way to secure some level of funds.
Sell a Service
If ad space or asking for donations doesn’t fit with your blog, then you could always try selling something outright. On a writing blog, for example, it makes sense to then sell your writing as a service. The same idea can apply to a number of different blog types, like with a technology blog you could advertise your app developer services. You just have to work out the best service to fit your hobby blog in particular.
And if a service isn’t quite the right fit, then you may be able to sell other things via your blog. Products or even advertising things like your very own ebook (on the topic of your hobby blog) are also a viable way to make money via the blog. Not only can you make the banners for these on your site, but you can dedicate full pages/blogs to try to plug these to your readers. When first trying to monetise, this can be one of the easiest ways to do so.
Affiliate Marketing
One of the most lucrative ways for you to start earning money via your blog is through affiliate marketing. This is fairly simple, as all you have to do is advertise a product on your blog. If people then buy this product via your blog, you will earn some of the profits from this venture.
The commissions from affiliate marketing vary widely, from product to product. So you may find your earnings restricted from the topic or context of your blog. If you don’t want to go out and find your own affiliates, then there are plenty of programs you can join–such as Amazon Associates.
If you have a decent-sized following, then this can certainly be a great way to successfully way to earn a profit via your hobby blog.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, monetising your hobby blog can depend on a number of factors. Your niche, the size of traffic on your site and even the tone of your blog can all have an effect. But, overall, monetizing your blog isn’t necessarily the hardship that you might expect it to be. Your hobby blog can easily become a small earner for a little bit of extra pocket money, if nothing else. Just make sure you choose the best monetization method to suit it!