How to Earn Money Blogging in WordPress

Owning and operating your own blog, whether for business or pleasure, is an excellent way to earn some extra income.  But how do you earn money blogging in WordPress?  Many people enjoy blogging simply because they like writing about a topic they are passionate about.  But did you know there are ways to generate revenue with your blog?  Professional blogging is not a get rich quick scheme by any means, but with a consistent, long term effort, you’ll be able to work from home and make some extra cash.

Professional Blogging is Not a Get Rich Quick Scheme

The term “professional blogger” has been coined to describe someone who approaches blogging not just as a hobby, but as a professional money making activity.  It is important to remember that while E3 will show how to earn money blogging in wordpress, you must entertain realistic expectations.  Most bloggers are not full time and their profit potential will reflect that.  Sure blogs such as Perez Hilton sometimes explode in the market and earn millions, most professional bloggers steadily earn a gradually increasing supplemental income over many years.  Just like in everything else, the professional bloggers that succeed are the few who put in the effort to make a go over the long haul, whereas most people simply move on to other things before they ever really get their blog going.  Well, with that in mind, let’s learn a little about the direct and indirect methods for earning money with your blog.

Direct Monetization of your Blog

When describing how to earn money blogging in WordPress, most people want to hear about the method of direct monetization.  Direct monetization methods enable bloggers to earn income directly from their blog.  The primary methods include:

• Sponsorships
• Affiliate Commissions
• Advertising

Blog Sponsorships

Many bloggers write about topics of great public interest, such as breast cancer, local politics, environmental protection, financial news and analysis, etc.  Finding sponsors for these types of blogs is typically rather easy.  Contact charities and organizations that may be interested in paying you to expand your blog, especially since it’s about things you already enjoy writing about!

Affiliate Commissions

Often times visitors will contact you directly or leave comments on your blog asking for recommended products, services, etc.  For example, a photographer’s blog might get asked what camera they use or would recommend.  The blog owner can then recommend certain products in a return comment in exchange for a commission on the sale of the product.  Try contacting businesses in your market and see if they would be interested in such an arrangement.  Think of innovate ways to do this, such as a person who goes to a lot of restaurants can start a local restaurant review blog and offer to recommend specific coupons or deals in exchange for a commission.

Advertising

Many blogs contact companies and individuals who operate in a similar market arena as they do in order to sell pay per click advertising on their blog.  For example, a blog about fitness and nutrition might reach out and contact other related businesses, such as a vitamins seller, a local gym, or a supplier of home fitness equipment, and ask them if they would be interested in paying 50 cents or so for every time a visitor to the blog clicks an ad for their business.  Also, one can place the Google AdSense code into their blog, which will automatically display ads related to your blog and pay you a small amount for each click.

Indirect Monetization Strategies

Another method of earning money blogging in WordPress is to do so indirectly.  These methods are the ways in which bloggers earn money because of their blog, not directly from it.  This is a result of your blog building up your authority, credibility, and legitimacy in the particular topic or market your blogging in.  Common methods include:

• Earning freelance business (such as a local chef’s blog getting them a contract to cook for a special event)
• Selling books and ebooks written by you about your blog’s topic
• Speaking engagements
• Consulting
• Running classes and workshops
• Membership sites and paid communities (where people pay a small monthly fee, say $5, to access highly specialized and useful information.  Think of someone paying for access to a video production workshop or how to use Photoshop)

So for someone who is not comfortable selling other peoples’ products or putting ads on their blog, indirect monetization methods offer great potential for earning money.  Much of the design and development work I attract is a result of my blog showing off my expertise in particular areas and skills.

Freelance Blogging to Earn Money

Finally, another method of earning money with your blog is to sell your writing ability to others.  Many businesses are interested in blogging but do not have the time or resources for a full scale blogging effort.  Often times professional bloggers will create a blog, prove their ability, and then earn freelance business to blog for another business.  For example, I may have a popular blog on local politics here in Pittsburgh and a mayoral candidate might hire me to build and maintain their blogging campaign for the upcoming election.