3 Easy Ways to Make Money Blogging for Beginners

It is true; there are tons of ways to make money blogging for beginners. It is difficult to know where and how to start. Begin simple and build upon a strong foundation. Success in monetizing your blog takes time, education, trial, and error. Plus a bit of creativity.

If your goal is to become a full-time blogger, affiliate marketing is one of the easiest and quickest ways to start monetizing your blog.

You can make money as a rookie blogger. Be methodical in the process by educating yourself and creating a plan.

Affiliate Disclosure: There are affiliate links throughout this post. This means if you click on a link and purchase a product through that link, then I will receive a small commission for the referral. And that is kinda cool.

The first step to making money blogging for beginners is to make sure you are self-hosted.

Here’s a quick process to set up your blog with Bluehost.

Why do I need to be self-hosted?

• Your content is yours.
• Control over the customization and individualization of your blog is all yours.
• You can add multiple plugins to enhance the look and functionality of your blog.
• Create a professional look and feel in order to easily be approved by affiliates and ad networks so you can begin monetizing your blog.

Why Bluehost?

• Bluehost is relatively inexpensive at $3.95 per month. However, you will be required to pay for the whole year of hosting upfront.
• Bluehost is user-friendly. If I can do it, so can you!
• One free domain is included for one year (if the domain is available).
• You can upload WordPress with one click, and that is a true statement.
• Tech support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• You will be self-hosted, therefore your content is yours.
• You will have the capability to monetize your blog with advertisements and affiliates immediately.
• And most importantly, you will look like the real thing!

Glossary of Affiliate Marketing Terms

Affiliate Marketing ~ Earning commissions for marketing and recommending a company’s product or an individual’s course. For example, you place an affiliate link on a blog post; your reader clicks on the link. The link directs the reader to where they can learn more about the product, purchase the product, enroll in a course or provide their email address for further communication. You earn a commission if they purchase through your link.

Affiliate ~ An affiliate is a person who promotes a product or course for a fee. The fee is often monetary. Sometimes the commission is a discount for themselves on a course or a product.

Affiliate Network ~ Let’s call networks the “middle-man.” An affiliate network is a company that hosts a multitude of affiliate programs. Some of these networks have thousands of affiliates available. If you are part of the network, you will have access to these programs. You must apply to each affiliate individually through the network.

Affiliate Link ~ A specific URL that contains an affiliate’s username or unique ID. Affiliate programs use affiliate links to record the traffic generated from the affiliate to their website.

Conversion ~ When a person clicks your affiliate link and actually follows through with a purchase, signs up for an account, or provides their email address to the company.

Three Easy Ways to Make Money Blogging for Beginners.

1. Amazon Affiliate.
2. Ad Networks.
3. Affiliate Networks.

Become an Amazon Affiliate.

Becoming an Amazon Affiliate (AKA Amazon Associate) is simple and the perfect place to start for new bloggers. Sign up, get approval, and place your Amazon Affiliate links on your website. When someone purchases through your link, you receive a commission on the purchase.

You may not end up using Amazon much in the end. I assure you, however, the process will teach you a lot. For example, you will learn how to place an affiliate link or banner, how to market your product, plus what works and what does not.

Pros of the Amazon Affiliate Program

• Amazon is addicting, and everyone has an account.
• Becoming an Amazon Affiliate is easy. You can get started in minutes.
• Amazon has millions of products to choose from and is bound to have something pertinent to your niche.
• The entire process will help build confidence in your affiliate marketing skills.
• User-friendly links that look appealing and clickable.

This is how an Amazon image and link look.

The image below and the text are my affiliate links. Click on the image or link in the text below to purchase this cute little guy on Amazon.com. If you do, I earn a small commission. See how easy that is. My son had to have Lola, the tie-dye unicorn, imagine that.

You can post cute images like this one here. This is a Squishmallow Purple Tie Dye Unicorn/Pillow Pet. My kids love these stuffed animals/pillows. They are perfect for travel.

Cons of Amazon Affiliate

• You must make three sales within six months, or Amazon will close your account due to a lack of activity. However, it is easy to reapply and be accepted so you can try again.
• Difficult to make good money, although it is possible.

Tips on how to market Amazon links.

• Write a product review post.
• Write a thorough “How To” post.
• Generate a comparison post.
• Gift guides (my favorite). Tip: Create your gift guide in a way that you can promote this for many different holidays, instead of specific to one particular holiday. By doing this, you can use the gift guide year-round.
• Learn more about how to market your affiliate links from Michelle’s course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. She will have you generating cash in a flash!

A few more bits of advice for the Amazon Affiliate Program to work.

• Choose the right products to promote. If your niche is travel, then promote travel-related items (luggage, books, maps, travel guides).
• Promote products that you have used and loved.
• Make sure the price points fit your audience.

Things you CANNOT do with Amazon Affiliates.

Pay attention to this.

• You, your family, or your friends cannot purchase from your link. How they will know, I have no clue. But they will know.
• You cannot use images from Amazon unless they are from the link you generated or the stripe.
• Do not use Amazon links in email marketing.
• And you cannot post Amazon links on your blog without disclosing first.
• It is not acceptable to use someone else’s review of a product as your own.

Make Money with Ad Networks.

Displaying ads on your blog can be an excellent source of passive income. Many ad networks, however, require a certain amount of page views before they will approve a blogger, which may prove difficult for newbie bloggers. Luckily, some don’t require tons of page views.

Here are some examples of ad networks many bloggers use:

• Google Adsense
• Mediavine
• Infolinks
• Monumetric
• Adthrive
• Sovrn

I am not a huge fan of ads on my website. I am forever worried that it is a turn off for people, arriving at my blog for a specific reason and then bombarded with ads popping up.

The truth is, ads are everywhere you look. And you can tastefully place them on your website where you want them with most ad networks. Plus if you have awesome content, people will not run away because of the ads.

Be mindful of how they look. AND, equally as crucial, how the ad pertains to your blog niche and your audience.

Affiliate Networks

Affiliate Networks are the “middle-man.” An affiliate network is a company that hosts a multitude of affiliate programs. A few examples of Affiliate Networks include ShareASale, Flex Offers, and CJ Affiliates.

If you are a travel blogger, read about the best affiliate programs for your niche here.

ShareASale is an affiliate network that has been in business for almost twenty years, with more than 2,500 programs that allow you to earn a commission. ShareASale, an easy way to begin monetizing your new blog, is user-friendly and includes multiple banners and text options. You must apply individually within the network to each program you wish to join. It typically takes a day or two to receive your acceptance (or denial in some cases). Click on the link below to join ShareASale now.

Advice:

• Do not apply for too many affiliate programs at first. You will be surprised by how many accept you. It is easy to become overwhelmed trying to keep up with too many.
• Focus on a few at first.
• Learn how to properly place the link, market the product and see what works for you and what does not.
• Grow on this foundation.

This is a banner for Grammarly through the ShareASale Affiliate Network. If you click on the image, you will land on the Grammarly website and can sign up through my affiliate link. See how easy that is?

You can do affiliate marketing without being annoying, without looking spammy, and without appearing desperate to make a sale.

Just believe in it.

Q & A: Making Money with Affiliate Marketing.

The Burning Question: Can you make money as a new blogger with affiliate marketing?

Yes, absolutely. Amazon Affiliate Program, Ads, and Affiliate Networks are the three places to start learning and perfecting your affiliate marketing skills. Continue to educate yourself, gain experience, and build confidence. You will be on your way to some serious cash flow in no time.

How do I get started?

• Find a product, service or course that you believe in that is relevant to your blog post or niche.
• Apply to become an affiliate.
• Get accepted.
• Insert the affiliate link into your blog post.
• Market your affiliate link.
• People start clicking on your recommended product or course.
• They purchase the product, course, or service.
• Receive commission.

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a course by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Cents. The course provides step-by-step instructions on how to succeed in affiliate marketing. Michelle will give you the knowledge and confidence to go for it.

Learn more about her in-depth course by clicking HERE or on the image below (my affiliate links, of course).

Do I need an established blog with tons of page views in order to monetize?

Nope! You do not.

Whereas some companies do require a certain amount of page views, many do not. Amazon Associates and many companies in affiliate networks will approve you without lots of traffic and pageviews.

You have to try; some will accept you and some won’t.

Is it really that easy?

Yep, it is that easy. Follow these six steps.

• Find a product, course or service that you believe in.
• Apply to become an affiliate.
• Get your approval email.
• Copy your affiliate link and place it in your blog post.
• Promote the link AND your post.
• Get Paid.

Affiliate Disclosure.

An affiliate disclosure informs your audience or potential customers that you will earn a commission if they purchase the product you recommend through your link. Make sure that you place an affiliate disclosure before you place any affiliate links into your blog post.

Are there any other ways to make money as a blogger?

Absolutely! I have listed a few below.

• Create and sell digital products such as an eBook, an online course, or a monthly membership to your resource library.
• Offer 1:1 services or mentoring.
• Become a freelance writer.
• Write sponsored posts.
• Learn how to be a virtual assistant.
• Sell physical products such as t-shirts, mugs, planners, jewelry

Here are my parting words of advice on your journey to making money blogging for beginners.

• Be real, be genuine, and be helpful.
• Build trust and credibility by being honest.
• Know your product and believe in it.
• Be creative.
• Don’t overdo it, don’t be spammy, and don’t be pushy.
• Quality over quantity, always.
• Always disclose your affiliate link.
• Pay attention to holidays because gift guides are the best, they are popular in all niches, and everyone is looking for a gift.

Educate yourself and don’t be scared to try new things.

Stay strong and committed.

The sky is the limit.