5 Ways To Monetize Your Blog Directly

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could blog and the money would come in without you having to do anything? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but if you are in the beginning of your career, there is no chance of that happening. It’s true that super bloggers do get away with things that others don’t and can’t, but that’s another story for another post.

There is no shame in monetizing your work. You work hard, and it’s only fair to get paid for your work. Here are 5 ways that you can monetize your blog to make a living without having to commit to 9-6 rat race:

• Contextual Advertising: whether you are using Google Adsense, YPN, or Chitika malls, you can make a few bucks here or there depending on your niche. But remember that Contextual advertising can not be the corner stone of your business plan.
• Affiliate Programs: you can make a lot of money from affiliate programs if you do it the right way. You need to find products that address the needs of your users and share them with your readers in a way that is not too salesman-like.
• Paid Reviews/Posts: writing paid reviews are nothing new and many folks do it these days. It’s true that the market has become a bit saturated but if you have a talent for reviewing things effectively, there is money to be earned here (take a look at PayPerPost).
• Sponsorships: when your blog is more established, you can actively seek out sponsors. There are many companies that are willing to sponsor competitions and blogs that have enough traction in their niche. If you are just starting, this could be difficult to pull off, but I have seen stranger things happen.
• Sell banners: selling e-real estate is very popular among pro bloggers. You’ve got to have decent traffic to pull this off, but selling banners can nab you more money than Adsense or other forms of contextual advertising if you get the right CPM deal going. Some folks settle for fixed banner fees per month while others have the leverage to ask for high CPMs. Either way, I would start with affiliate banners until I have enough content and visitors to actively market my blog for private banners.

There are a few more ways that you can monetize your blog. The above methods are mostly direct ways of monetizing your blog. You can use your blog to push your consulting services or grow your list, but those are discussions for another day, so stay tuned.