Monetize Your Blog in 3 Steps

So you’re ready to take your blogging to the next level? Maybe you have a well-established blog or maybe you’re just starting out – either way it’s never too early to think about monetizing your blog.

You may be wondering what the method to monetize a blog would be at this point. For me, I’ve found the most success with affiliate marketing. Essentially you provide links to different products and services that will give you a commission should your readers choose to purchase.

That may seem easy enough but before you start throwing links out on your blog like crazy you’ll have to think about what you want to post. For me, I’ll only promote products that I have tried and would recommend. The last thing you want to do is make bad recommendations in an attempt to make commissions. Finding trust with your readers is key so I will only post about something that I believe will benefit them.

In this post I’ve outline 3 steps that I took to successfully monetize blog posts. Of course there are smaller intermittent steps along the way but if you hit these 3 milestones you’ll be in great shape!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your support to this blog is greatly appreciated and commissions go towards bringing you the best content possible!

1. Sign up for an affiliate program

This step is the biggest step you’ll need to take. In order to apply to a program you’ll need to provide them with a link to your blog. Be sure that you have enough content on your blog to show you are established enough in your blogging. I applied to both Awin and ShareASale when my blog was on the newer side and was approved.

Speaking of those programs – I’d highly recommend looking at both Awin and ShareASale. In fact, Awin recently acquired ShareASale so both programs are run in a similar fashion and have great options for finding programs.

I like Awin because there is a $20 minimum threshold to get paid out and it also includes the Etsy (which I am totally obsessed with so it’s perfect for me.) The challenging piece with Awin is that they seem to be a little more particular with their affiliates. Be sure to have enough content on your blog before applying to this one.

ShareASale is great because a few of the programs I’m involved with is pay per lead so a sale doesn’t necessarily need to be made. This helps me to balance out of portfolio of programs. The challenging piece is that ShareASale has a minimum of $50 to get a payout which can be harder to reach when you’re just starting out.

2. Find a brand

Now that you’ve applied and been accepted to an affiliate program you’ll need to apply to individual brands. I’ve listed out a few of my favorites on both Affiliate Marketing programs that I enjoy. Depending on your niche you may find that other individual programs are more suited towards you.

Awin

Etsy – As an Etsy shop owner (yes you can own a shop and be part of the affiliate program – you just don’t make commissions from your own shop) I absolutely love this program. I spend so much time browsing and buying from other shops that it makes sense for me to be part of this one. There’s so many great products to blog about from all the creative shops!

FabFitFun – Who doesn’t love a great subscription box? This program gives a flat payout per referral which is nice. If you haven’t tried out a box yet I’d recommend going to their website and grabbing one to see what it’s all about.

AliExpress – There’s so many things on this site that you’ll find a ton to blog about. Plus they tend to run a lot of deals and have new products so you can always pass along that info to your readers.

Lonely Planet – I was really excited to see this one as part of the program. As an avid traveler this one is a great way for me to talk about my actual experience with their guides in the places I travel!

Top Villas – Another great program to look into if you like to travel. They have the most incredible properties around the world. I love blogging about them!

ShareASale

Warby Parker – I’ve been buying glasses from Warby Parker for years and love their product. They offer commisoins on purchases as well as referrals for their home try on program.

DollarTree – Do you blog about crafting or party planning? Or just great deals? DollarTree has just about everything and of course it’s all $1!

Cricut – If you’re big into crafting then the Cricut program is a great option. For me, I do a lot of vinyl cutting and use their products all the time. Having the ability to make commissions of sales I refer to them is amazing!

Julep – Another great brand I’ve been using for years. I may be a bit nail polish obsessed so I had a ton of experience with their nail polishes before ever considering joining their affiliate program.

3. Use Tailwind to schedule your posts

If it wasn’t for Tailwind I wouldn’t be as successful with affiliate marketing. Essentially you can schedule posts on Pinterest and Instagram. If you have posts that can potentially make you money you’ll want to make sure that you are continually promoting them and getting them in front of people that matter. On any given day I have pins set for Pinterest that will link to my affiliate posts.

I wrote an entire post with more details on exactly how it works for those interested!

Sounds easy enough, right? Give those programs a try to monetize your blog and let me know how it goes in the comments!

Let’s stay connected!

If you need Mouse Ears for your next trip, check out my Etsy Shop: AdventurelandEarsCo

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