The Quick Start Guide to Building a Blog to Make Money by 2021
If you have been following along with me for a while, you might know by now that our family used this little blog to not only help people simplify their lives and finances but also to pay off over $10,000 of debt for our family! When I started the blog, I started with the intention of making it a profitable blog. In this post I will lay out the exact steps that it takes for you to create a money-making blog. Let’s dive in and I’ll tell you how it’s done and answer some bonus questions you might have!
*This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission on recommendations at no cost to you.
What you really need to start a blog
I’m gonna lay it all on the line here, ok. There are a few things you need to start a quality, money-making blog, but probably not as many things as you think you need!
Hosting
This is your first step in starting a blog. While I started mine with BlueHost, which is the most affordable route to start a blog. More recently I switched to SiteGround because they tend to be better at managing larger amounts of traffic.
Basic computer/typing skills
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you do not need to be a writer to be able to start a blog. Some people will even write a blog while they learn about a new topic (like how to care for a pet snake). I started sharing our minimalist and debt payoff journey! When I learned something new, I wrote about it! Easy as that.
Pinterest skills
If you have a Pinterest account, you are basically half-way prepared to start making money from a blog. While I could hop on a soapbox and talk for hours, let me recommend my free course, How to Make Your First $1,000 with a Blog — this course is especially helpful if blogging is something you’re super interested in learning more about and will fill you in more on the benefits of Pinterest.
How do you make money with a blog?
This right here is always a hot-topic question and one I am going to dive right into. There are 4 most common ways to make money with a blog and they are:
- Affiliate Marketing
- Your own products
- Sponsored posts
- Advertisements
I’ve listed them specifically in the way they can be most beneficial to helping you make money when you are first starting a blog.
Affiliate marketing is the best way to make money with a new blog
I love affiliate marketing so much because I am a natural sharer.
When I find a new show, read a new book or try a new restaurant I will rave about it in a (probably) super obnoxious way.
This is essentially affiliate marketing, although I recommend not being obnoxious if you can help it. (But then again, I still made it work so…)
With affiliate marketing, you’ll receive a special code to share with readers from a company or brand that you choose to work with. Then, you can use that code by linking to it in your blog post. All you have to do is start talking about how awesome that particular product or service is. No need to be salesy. Just honest.
You are probably already using affiliate marketing
An example of affiliate marketing that you have probably already seen is when you have an app that tells you, “Share your special code with a friend! They get $5 off and you get $5 free!” — That is an affiliate link!
They give you a link to share on social media, via email, text or by copying the code! With your blog, you can simply copy the code and start sharing with a bigger audience!
Now, the company or brand makes money because you have recommended a new customer, and to thank you, they give you a commission. You are an affiliate!
Again, if you are wanting to understand affiliate marketing a little more, check out my How to Make Your First $1,000 Blogging training.
Browse some affiliate posts:
You can sell your own products!
Whether or not you are someone who has an Etsy store set up or you just love creating online digital products like ebooks, printouts, or training, your blog can be detrimental in helping you turn a profit with these things!
By the way, if you have no idea how to do any of these things, you can get started with most of them totally free on Canva!
This could also be a service that you are offering virtually! Having a blog can be a great way to inform potential clients on certain topics you have a lot of knowledge about.
How to pitch your product (without pitching)
For example, say you are a cake decorator and have digital training on how to start frosting, you could write a blog post talking about the best frosting to make when you are first getting started. Then, throughout the post link to your training!
This way readers get beneficial information from you, begin to see that you are an expert in your field and therefore just might buy from you! Get more tips on how to establish yourself as an expert.
Honestly, this could even work if you run an MLM. Whenever I see a Facebook friend promoting her MLM products, all I can ever think is how much easier it would be for her to just write a blog post and share it to Pinterest!
Getting sponsorships!
Full disclosure…I’m not a big fan of sponsored posts. I can definitely fill you in on how they work, they are just an area of blogging that I have chosen to (mostly) opt-out of due to the minimalist nature of my blog.
What they ultimately are is having a brand or company pay you or give you product in exchange for a quality blog post talking about their products.
When you are first starting a blog this will usually mean you are only receiving free product because your audience is probably not big enough yet.
However, once you start to establish your blog, you are more likely to begin getting paid for sponsored posts.
Simple start sponsored posts
One great (and easy) way to get started is through sites like Linqia. This is a company that connects bloggers to brands so you don’t have to do anything more than fill out a profile.
If Linqia has a brand that might be interested in working with you, they will reach out to you!
While this is super hands-off and awesome, keep in mind that this means Linqia will be earning a chunk of your commission!
Browse some sponsored posts:
- 10 Simple Tips for Styling Your Minimalist Jewelry
- How to Get Professional, Affordable, Teeth Whitening at Home
Advertisements
When I first started the blog I started with advertisements through Google Adsense. This is a helpful way to start bringing in income through ads, however, once you have grown to over 25,000 page views per month, I highly recommend switching to Mediavine.
Some bloggers will even recommend skipping Google Adsense altogether since the set up is just taking time away from you mastering your blogging skills and is a hassle to get rid of when you are ready to up-level your ads.
Personally, I think skipping it is a good mindset shift as well. Just assume that you will reach 25,000 page views in no time and you don’t even have to sweat missing out on potential income.
Um. That was a lot of info.
If that felt overwhelming, it was. There is a lot to learn with blogging, but know know that getting started with actual money-making practices is not as difficult as it seems.
If you really feel like this is something you are meant to do, take my training, How to Make Your First $1,000 Blogging to learn how to … you guessed it … make your first $1,000!
In the training I will lay out for you the 5 things you need to actually get started making money. The most important thing is taking baby steps.
Most people read posts like this and they feel like they have to jump all in. Good news…if you try to take on too much it won’t work…so save yourself the stress and start small!
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