Creative Ways to Earn Money from Your Blog

Once you’ve decided that you want to turn your blog into a business, one of the first questions that probably comes to mind is, “How am I going to earn money?”

If you’re a member of the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™, you already have access to the sponsored campaign opportunities we offer our network bloggers and social media influencers. If you’re not a part of our network, a great first step is to become a member. You can sign up here.

But as much as the discussion around monetizing your blog is frequently centered on sponsored content, there are other creative ways to earn money. In fact, there are seemingly endless opportunities every day! Being creative and approaching each day with an open mind will reveal doors you never knew existed! Today, I’m going to share three ways to earn money from your blog!

Freelance Writing

Freelance writing for other publications (or blogs!) may not seem like an obvious way to earn money as a blogger, but it is an option for anyone who is serious about the art of writing. Sure, you aren’t earning money directly from the content on your blog, but you are getting paying gigs because of the work you’ve done on your blog.

Think of your blog posts as part of your portfolio as a writer. You can then leverage this content as writing samples. Reach out to local publications or shoot for the stars, and contact national websites or print publications. Find out if they use freelance writers and to whom you should send your story pitch.

Reference some your standout blog posts as examples of your writing. It is probably best to avoid including sponsored content in your portfolio and instead focus on educational content or other freelance articles you have written.

Personally, freelance writing has been a great way for me to supplement my income as a writer and blogger. I find it especially rewarding to pitch a story I’m interested in writing, some of which may be content that does not fit authentically on my blog, producing quality content, and then seeing my work in print! When my check arrives a few weeks later, that is the cherry on top!

For each freelance article you write, you are establishing relationships with editors and content publishers, you are expanding your portfolio, you are adding to your bank account and you are increasing your presence in the pet space. You can also market and potentially increase traffic to your blog by including your bog’s name name with a link in your author’s bio.

Affiliate Marketing

The concept of affiliate marketing is very simple. By inserting a relevant affiliate link into your blog post, you can earn a commission any time your readers click and purchase the product or service.

One key to success with affiliate marketing is to make sure the link is to a relevant and beneficial product or service. Aimee Beltran, BlogPaws Director of Community Education explains, “Add an affiliate link or two to posts in a natural way that flows with your content. For example, if you’re writing about grooming your pet, add a link like this, ‘I really love the Furminator because it reduces the amount of shedding.’ Then, where it says Furminator, add the affiliate link. It’s that simple!”

Affiliate links are great way to supplement your income. Sure, you’re probably not going to get rich from the commissions you earn, but every dollar adds up! Many of your fellow BlogPaws influencers are successfully using affiliate links to earn money from the content they are working hard to create and promote.

To learn more about affiliate links, check out the BlogPaws Intro to Affiliate Marketing challenge!

Brand Ambassadorships

Though this technically falls under the category of sponsored content, working with a brand as an Ambassador is unique and has a lot of benefits. It is consistent work with a brand that you truly believe in and one that believes in you! The brand is more likely to share your content, which can increase traffic to your social channels and blog and many Brand Ambassadors, especially those working with smaller brands, find they have a lot of freedom and input into the content that is created.

Before I joined BlogPaws, I worked as a Brand Ambassador for an all-natural, holistic pet food company. I worked with the brand to craft a content strategy and specific pieces of content that supported our goals but also were relevant to my readers and followers. I experienced a freedom and creative relationship that I miss to this day.

Every Brand Ambassador relationship will be different, depending on the how the relationship is defined, the size and goals of the brand and what works best for you and your followers.

Each month, I knew that I had revenue-producing blog posts or paid social promotions on my editorial calendar. As much as I enjoyed the bankable income and opportunity to offer my input on content, for me, the most rewarding experience of being a Brand Ambassador was developing a relationship with the brand and their team. One reason this relationship worked for me personally, was that I truly believed in the company, their values and their products. Though I no longer work with this brand, I still have a relationship with them and I still use their products!

I hope these three monetizing opportunities get your creative juices started and help you increase your revenue as a professional blogger. If you have other ideas or tips, please join the conversation by sharing a comment below. If you have any questions, please know I’m here to help! You can reach me at bernard@blogpaws.com.

In addition to his role as the BlogPaws Campaign Manager, Bernard Lima-Chavez is a deaf dog pet parent, blogger and freelance writer. He shares his life with with deaf dogs, two hearing dogs and a whole bunch of cats. You can find him at Dog & His Boy.