10 Ways to Make Money With a Mom Blog
You probably didn't start your mom blog to make money but bringing in some extra cash isn't a bad perk of blogging. Making money on your blog probably won't have you raking in enough dough for your spouse to quit his day job. But with a little bit of effort, you can write a blog that makes money while you sleep.
1. Add an Advertising Program
This is one of the easiest ways to make money with your mom blog.Include ads, such as Google's AdSense links, to your site.
You may think, "No way! No ads on my blog." But Google AdSense allows a lot of customization for your ads. You can have banners, buttons or simple text links. You can also alter the text colors to fit in with the color scheme of your own blog.
Advertising programs pay you when someone clicks the ad's link. This is called pay-per-click advertising and it's a really simple way to make money with your mom blog.
2. Offer Your Own Ad Space
Your blog's layout probably has some space you could turn into paid advertisements. Create an advertising info page so visitors can find our more about advertising on your blog.At the very minimum, advertisers will want to know how much the ad will cost, how long their ad will appear on your blog and if you're offering a flat fee for a certain time period or CPM rate.
You can advertise your own ad space by creating a sample ad on your blog with the text "Your Ad Here," which will link to your newly-created advertising info page detailing your advertiser info.
3. Use an Affiliate Program
Affiliate programs are another way to sell products through your site. Instead of offering your own blog's merchandise, though, you're actually selling a huge variety of products and getting a small percentage of the sale.For example, Amazon has an affiliate program that allows you to showcase specific products related to your blog, such as diapers, or you can use a general banner or button. Whenever someone clicks through and completes a sale at Amazon, you get a portion of that money. This can really add up as your blog grows.
Other affiliate programs let you feature everything from posters to magazine subscriptions on your blog and the principle is the same. Every time someone clicks through your link and buys something, you get a percentage of the sale.
4. Sell Your Own Merchandise
So many online stores, such as Zazzle and CafePress, now offer you the ability to sell everything from bumper stickers to T-shirts on your blog. You set your prices, they make and ship the products and you take a cut of the profit.The types of products you create within your own shop are completely up to you. Just don't get caught in the trap of only offering products specific to your blog.
In other words, your blog logo may look great on a mug but a funny saying about motherhood will appeal to more people. It could also turn a higher profit for you. Offer unique products and you'll see better results than just offering products related to your own blog.
5. Accept Donations
If your blog has a loyal following, you can set up a donation button so readers can donate a dollar or more to your blog. Don't expect donations to pour in like you're running a telethon, though.A donation button is a nice option to offer your readers who want you to stick around in the blogosphere since we all know it costs money to buy your own domain name, host a blog and run it while also having a life outside of blogging.
Also, if a situation arises where you needed donations to cover certain expenses, such as a little one who unexpectedly becomes hospitalized, set up a donation page and blog about it. Although people will be wary of you asking for money if your blog is new, more established bloggers have been able to pull together funds from their readers in certain circumstances -- for everyone from sick babies to moms who've come upon hard times.
6. Land a Sponsorship
Sponsorships can be hard to come by, but if you get one you'll quickly find out they can pipe in a good amount of money. Sponsors pay you to distribute their messages to your readers.A sponsorship deal is primarily for bloggers who have a decent following. If you're new to blogging, it's going to be hard to attract sponsors because they know their message won't reach as many readers through your blog. But if you can attend a blog conference and meet sponsors in person, that's a game changer.
Another way to land a sponsor for your blog is to write a post announcing your availability. Contact companies to let them know you're seeking a sponsor and how you can help them. Follow companies through your social media accounts, interact with them and establish yourself as a pro who can deliver their messages to the right audience.
7. Sign Up Through a "Pay You to Blog" Site
Many sites actually pay you to blog, mainly through writing reviews. You may review a website, service or even a product and then write a post with your opinion.You're paid for your reviews based on the site's guidelines. You will need to let your audience know you were paid to write the review to stay in line with the FTC's blogging regulations. The downside to this form of making money with your blog is that a lot of readers won't take your review seriously because you were paid for it. You have to weigh the pros and cons before going down this road because you lose some of your loyal readers.
8. Get Paid to Guest Post
Most guest blogging spots are free. Bloggers don't usually pay for someone to write a guest post on their blogs. However, paid guest blogging posts do exist.Actively keep your eyes out for these type of paid opportunities and also write a post about how you're available as a guest blogger, what you bring to the table and why you should be the next guest blogger for that person's blog.
Search blogging job boards. Contact marketing companies. Use your PR contacts. Set up a Google Alert to notify you of new guest blogging job announcements. Manage your social media accounts daily and post your availability every now and then while also monitoring tweets and Facebook posts to find paid guest post opportunities.
9. Write and Sell an Ebook
You have a story to tell. You just have to figure it what it is. When you do, write an Ebook and sell it through your blog.You may have been a personal trainer before kids and then you gained 70 pounds during pregnancy. Share your journey of weight loss while encouraging others to take off those post-baby pounds.
Or maybe you're super neat and you've discovered the secret of staying organized even with a house full of kids. Write your tips and tricks and share them with other parents who would happily like to know how to keep a house running smoothly when the kids are busy tearing everything apart.
10. Offer Premium Content
As your blog grows in popularity, you may be tempted to put more content on your blog. This will take up even more of your time, of course.Consider offering premium content on your blog. You may offer a weekly webisode, podcast or a Vlog that's different from your blog's content.
Your visitors can view most of your blog for free. But you can set aside some of your content as premium so you can charge your visitors to see it. Make it $1 or $5, depending on the content. It's a risky move to make money with your blog and not everyone will pony up the money. The ones that do, though, will more than likely keep coming back and paying you if you're offering something unique.
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