When it comes to building and managing a blog, creating content is the fun part. Making that content profitable is a whole other story. When your content doesn’t return dividends, managing a blog may seem like a full-time job, but without the income.
However, your content could end up becoming your biggest asset, whether you’re trying to push your personal brand, or you are using it to build a clientele for your main business. Thankfully, there are tons of different ways that you can make your blog content profitable, and some of them are pretty simple. Let’s take a look at some profitable ways that you can monetize your blog content.
Offer Restricted Content
One of the ways that you could monetize your blog’s content is by creating a paywall and only giving free access to certain pieces. Doing so will not only allow you to make cold hard money from your posts but will also allow you to build a solid list of paying customers – the most valuable type there is. You can decide to have a hard paywall that will block your entire content or a metered paywall that will block content after a certain number of reads.
You also have “freemium” paywalls to allow for a mix of free and exclusive content or hybrid paywalls that allow only a portion of your visitors to check out your content for free. What this does is give you the ability to monitor their activity and hone different product, editorial, and consumer marketing strategies.
Also, note that paywalls don’t necessarily need money; you can also change the call to action behind the offer. In some cases, you might ask readers to sign up for your newsletter or sign up as a user, for instance.
Syndicate it
Syndication is when you create a piece of content and it’s redistributed to other outlets. By using syndication, you have the chance to have your piece of content published on major publications around the country and get your content in front of their audience.
If you manage to get your article published on Entrepreneur, it will look just like any contributor post. The only difference is that the source will usually be credited, and there will also usually be a canonical link included. This option is a great way to repurpose your content, but also build authority. Being able to say that you were published on a major publication could allow you to charge higher fees if you’re offering a service.
Get a Google AdSense Account
Adding paid ads to your website is probably the simplest and most straightforward way to monetize your blog. However, you have to make sure that people will actually want to click on them.
Google Adsense allows you to display text ads on your pages that are related to your content. This is a CPC (Cost-Per-Click) program where you’ll get paid every time someone clicks on them. The amount of money you get paid will largely depend on the niche.
Publishers get around 60% commission on the amount the publisher paid and pay per click can range from a few cents to a few dollars in some cases. Niches like marketing and advertising, for instance, can pay you as much as $6 per click, so this can easily add up over time and make for a nice additional income stream.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is another great way to monetize your content. We’re not talking about placing banners or text ads on your blog wishing that one of your visitors makes a purchase. Instead, what you want to do is carefully weave affiliate product mentions into your content in a natural and meaningful way.
However, you have to make sure that you let your readers know that a particular post may contain some affiliate links, and you have to display it clearly. Failure to comply could get you in trouble with the FTC, so don’t treat this lightly.
Affiliate marketing becomes even more powerful when your content is interwoven together and one piece sends readers in different directions. They could then stumble onto a product that they’re interested in or commit an action that could translate into money later on.
Build a List
If you’ve been in internet marketing circles for a while, then you may have heard the phrase “the money is in the list.” And though it became something of a cliché, it is still undeniably true.
Your mailing list could be your single most important and powerful advertising tool. It allows you to contact and mobilize a whole client base with little to no effort. It can be used to generate buzz about a new product. It can be used to send affiliate offers, or simply work as a resource and help you build trust.
Directly Ask Your Readers
You should never overestimate the devotion of your audience, and if you’ve managed to be a valuable resource to them, they won’t hesitate to respond in kind if you solicit them.
Platforms like Patreon are making it easier for content creators to ask for sponsorship, and it’s much more than a donation system. Patreon allows you to set tiers and offer certain privileges or perks to your patrons, either in the form of exclusive or early access, or exclusive offers. This offers people a real incentive to pay and will also give you an additional stream of monthly income since it uses a recurring payment model.
While Patreon tends to do better with people who already have established blogs, it can also work for people who have just getting started with blogging, especially if you have a previous audience. Whatever the case may be, make sure that you offer worthwhile rewards, and make it clear that you have a Patreon both on your blog and your social media pages.
As you can see, there are tons of different ways that you can turn your blog content into money. It’s really about being creative and combining as many methods as possible to create as many revenue streams as you can.
