Last Updated on Mar 5, 2020 by James W
There are lots of ways to make money blogging. You’ve already found the method that works best for you (which is typically a topic-specific blog that rakes in bucks through its advertising spaces). But what if you want or need to earn more? Here are some great ways to supplement your blogging income:
1. Merch!
Selling blog-branded merchandise is a great way to bring in some supplemental blog income. It only takes a few minutes to set up a shop through a portal like CafePress or Zazzle. Then you take the code you’re given, put it up on your site and viola! You have your own merch shop! This is definitely the easiest way to sell merchandise on a blog.
You can also keep physical inventory on hand and send it out to people who order it on an order-by-order basis. For example, you can order custom shirts from https://www.ooshirts.com, take a picture of yourself wearing it and put it up on your blog. When you sell the shirts yourself you get to keep more of the profits. You also have the ability to build the buyer’s connection to your brand by including other stuff in the shirt’s package when you send it out (like stickers, buttons, etc).
Other popular merchandise items include mouse pads, coffee mugs, pens, sweatshirts, hats, buttons and posters.
2. Freelance Writing
Use your blog’s reputation to help you get paying writing work (or visual art or design work, depending on the type of blog you run). If you have a good sized audience you can use that as a selling point for getting people to pay you to compose content for their own sites. Guest Blogging/Freelance Writing, if you “work it” correctly, can lead to full time income.
3. Your Own Book
You have a great audience built up around your blog. Why not publish your own book? Independent publishing and self publishing are on the rise. Thanks to the popularity of eReaders and programs like the Kindle self publishing program, you can create and sell your own eBooks relatively easily. The great thing about this is that you stand, if you market your book correctly, to bring in an even bigger audience for your blog which can be used for more merch sales, more freelance work, etc. You can even have printed and bound copies of your book printed up through portals like Lulu.
4. Guest Speaking Gigs and Classes
No matter what your blog’s topic, you can probably put together a small class or use it to help you land some well paying guest speaking gigs. You can also use your success to teach classes in the art of blogging itself. These classes can be run online or in person, depending upon what works best for you. Darren Rowse, for example, runs his through his website and a series of emails.
For Guest Speaking you might have to do some extra work. It’s okay to manage yourself for now but if you’re popular, it will be easier to hire a manager, agent or publicist to help you find and book these jobs.
There are all sorts of ways that you can create supplemental blogging income. These are the most common. Really, though—if you’re creative—you can do pretty much anything you want!
Guest post by Becky
