AD | If you’re a blogger and someone asks you, “So, can you make any money from blogging?” what would you say? Because just stop and consider some of the skills you’ve acquired: creative writing, SEO, photography, graphic creation, social media promotion. Surely it must be possible to use those blogging skills to boost your income, wouldn’t you think? Well, blogging isn’t the easiest paying gig but it’s certainly not one of the hardest either. Here are five ways I’ve found you can use your hard earned skills and experience for financial gain.
How to boost your income using your blogging skills
#01 Sponsored or collaborative posts
This is perhaps one of the most straightforward ways to boost your income. You can either write the content yourself or host a pre-written guest post. That said, it does depend on your writing skills, domain authority, viewing figures, and the popularity of the links you include (whether backlinks, affiliate links, or pay-per-click links, like Google AdWords or Ezoic).
Keep an eye on Twitter for the hashtags #bloggerswanted #bloggersrequired and #prrequest as PRs and brands often post opportunities you can apply for. You can also request to join some Facebook groups, which is where I’ve found a lot of my paid opportunities too.
Most PRs and brands will want your blog to have a certain domain authority and may also ask to see your media kit (basically your blogging CV with all your social following numbers, Google Analytics views, and examples of previous collaborations).
#02 Write an eBook
If you’ve got a particular niche or you’re known for expertise in a specific subject, this is something that once written, you can make money from again and again. Yes, you do have to put the hard work and time in up front but, provided you keep promoting your resource(s), then you can keep on making passive income for as long as you wish.
One thing I have found is that bloggers tend to buy from other bloggers or digital businesses. There’s an innate sense of trust there, I think.
One of my favourite bloggers, Kayleigh Zara, is the Queen of monetising your blog and cracking Pinterest. Whether you need help pitching to brands, or affiliate marketing, or Pinterest help, she’s got your back. I can hand on heart say I’ve bought and read ALL of her eBooks and they’ve honestly helped me no end.
You can browse and buy all her resources here*
#03 Create an online course
Similarly to eBooks, if you have the expertise in a particular area, why not consider creating an online course? Again, you’ll have to invest the time and work up front but then once it’s done you can make money from it time and time again.
Jenni and Joe are pure gold, and their expertise and knowledge is second to none.
And if you’re wanting to up your SEO game (which let’s face it, is an absolute must for getting Google traffic) then you should definitely check out Lyrical Host’s
And, of course, if you’re looking for reliable hosting with excellent technical support 🙂 here’s a sign up link for you*. Plus, if you use my code LISASNOTEBOOK10 you’ll get 10% off your first year’s hosting too.
So, if you really want to invest in your blogging skills but don’t have quite enough ready cash, then then you might consider a loan over a shorter term through a well-established and reputable online broker like Cash Lady*. Just make sure you read and understand all the information they send you though, for your own peace of mind.
#04 Freelance content creation
If there’s a particular aspect of blogging you love – creative writing, photography, graphic design, social media – then you could consider selling your time and talents on sites such as Fiverr, People Per Hour or Upwork. They’re free to register but, a word of warning, do proceed with caution as you could end up completing projects for ridiculously low amounts or, even worse, for free. Work out how long it would take you to complete a freelance project and price your rates accordingly. In the simplest terms, know your worth before you pitch.
#05 LinkedIn
If you don’t use LinkedIn yet, then you should start doing so straight away. Whether you’re a full-time, part-time or hobby blogger, this business networking site is your online CV and much more besides. And you absolutely should include your blog and related skills on your new CV as a showcase and portfolio of your blogging skills.
In case you’re wondering about the boost your income side of things, being able to display my blog and social media channels allowed me to garner some blog writing jobs for a few freelance clients. And it was also once instrumental in landing me a salaried job (which is a whole other future blog post…)
Other ways to boost your income using your blogging skills
So these are some of the easiest ways I think you can use your blogging skills and experience for financial return. While I haven’t written an eBook or an online course (yet!) I’ve certainly invested in both. Have you tried any of these ideas? Do you have any more suggestions? What advice would you give to a fellow content creator or copywriter to help them boost their income?
* This is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links (please see my Disclaimer).
These are some great tips! I never thought about using LinkedIn to do with m blogging, that’s such a good idea! I will definitely start doing that soon. I would like to write an e-book but not too sure people would be interested in it! Thank you for the tips Lisa xxxx
Thank you, I’m glad they were helpful! And yes, LinkedIn is great, it’s not the stuffy old dry site it used to be at all 🙂 I know what you mean about an eBook – I’d love to write one but I’m not sure of my topic yet! xx
Freelancing content sounds like a great idea and I hadn’t really considered it before. It’s a great alternative, especially since sponsored content doesn’t come easy because I am not UK/US based.
Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I’m so glad this was helpful – just make sure you price yourself properly so you don’t end up working for peanuts! 🙂
I have never really thought to use Linkedin to showcase my blog, i will definitely be doing this moving forward x
You should, it’s such a great site and it’s completely free to use too! x
Great list, thanks for sharing.
And good luck with your new dream job 😀
Thank you, and thank you! 🙂
I’ve never even thought about LinkedIn! As I have a different job on the side of my blog, would I have two separate accounts or the same one?!
You can only have one LinkedIn account but I don’t see why you couldn’t mention that you blog too? You could set up a LinkedIn company page for your blog but pages don’t really get much traffic. Provided there’s no clash, I’d just add your blog as a link to your About me section 🙂
I never really thought about using LinkedIn as a blogging opportunity, but now I`ll look more into it. So far I haven`t tried making any money from my blogs, but it has something I`d like to do in the future. Great post!
I’ve picked up a few blogging opps from LinkedIn but also some freelance writing gigs too – it’s an underappreciated site, I think – and thank you 🙂
I never thought of using linkedin for blogging but that’s a great idea! I should be more active there. An e-book could be a good idea too, although i would not know what to write about!
Definitely check out LinkedIn for connections and opportunities, it’s such a good way to showcase your blogging skills!
Brilliant tips! I really want to start putting more effort into monetising my blog. Most of all though, I really want to be able to help other bloggers who may be struggling!
Looking forward to reading about your new dream job! Best of luck, I hope it all goes well
Hayley || hayleyxmartin
Ah, that’s so kind and yes, helping other bloggers is such a lovely thing to be able to do, not that I can really do much! Thank you, I’m loving my new job, so happy 🙂
Great post Lisa and thank you for the mention! It’s amazing how many doors blogging can open for you, isn’t it? I’m currently working on a course and I’d love to get into freelance writing but that’s the one thing I’ve really struggled with as I don’t really know where to start. I have a profile on Fiverr but never had much luck! Might have to pay you to get me started! x
Thank you, Jenny, and you’re very welcome – oooh, how exciting to hear about your course, I can’t wait to see what it is! Freelance writing is a hard field to get into. TBH I’d favour building up your profile (About me with a link to your blog) on LinkedIn over Fiverr, you’re such an established blogger now that you could attract more interest from other businesses on here, I’m sure! X
These are great tips! Websites with freelance job like Guru and UpWork like being able to link to (or let you log in with) LinkedIn so it’s really beneficial for bloggers
Thank you! And I didn’t realise you could use LinkedIn to log in to other sites too, that’s even more reason to use it!
This is just the post I was looking for! I’ve been hoping to get some freelance work but I had no idea where to find any. I’ll check out the sites you suggested! Thanks for sharing 🙂 x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Oh that’s wonderful, I’m so glad it’s helpful, great timing and best of luck with your freelance work! x
I just connected my blog to LinkedIn-so good. Great ideas! x
Fantastic, and thank you!
There are some amazing tips here, and there are so many ways to boost your income!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
Thank you, Amie, I’m so pleased it ws helpful 🙂 x
I’d love to write an EBook one day, once I’m finally done with my uni and have a bit more of a following. I’ll be bookmarking this post for future reference when I need some Inspiration and tips <3 xx
I would love to write an eBook too, just not sure what topic to pick, haha. I’m so glad this post was helpful 🙂 x
Thanks for all the info — I’m thinking of publishing my poetry which I share on my site (among other things) and I should look into an e-Book or similar!
Oh yes, an eBook sounds ideal for you!
Great list! You’re right, definitely not the easiest way to make money but I can’t think of many other jobs that can get you paid work by literally dropping your email address in response to a tweet either. Freelance content work is a great idea providing you can find some good opportunities that don’t want the earth for £10. Excited to hear more about the job!! x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Yes, Twitter is definitely one of the easiest application methods, isn’t it! And freelance sites can be good, provided you know your worth. That’s why I like LinkedIn, it’s more of a business showcase. Thank you, I’m very happy! X
This is a brilliant post Lisa and so helpful!
Thanks for sharing.
Louisa
Ah, thank you, Louisa, I’m so glad it’s useful! 🙂
I am trying to think how to use collaborations for my blog, which is about music. Most of it is free collab with artists. But, trying to make that into a paid thing is hard. Also, I never heard of the LinkedIn trick. I have to try to find more freelance jobs there.
I’m not sure what to suggest, I’m sorry but perhaps if you set up a LinkedIn profile you might be able to reach out to record companies or agents and find paid work that way? Good luck!
I have a profile already, just need to bring it to the right audience
These are brilliant ways of boosting your income- I actually find that a majority of my sponsored work comes through Instagram! I don’t use LinkedIn but definitely need to look into it. Ooh a new dream job? That sounds super exciting, I’m looking forward to that blog post but until then congratulations!
Soph – https://sophhearts.com x
LinkedIn is fab, I love it. I’m probably not as active on it as I should be but it’s a great way of showcasing your blogging skills and also finding helpful connections – and thank you! x
Fab tips I definitely need to look at boosting my income and actually finding sponsored work
Thank you – and yes, finding regular sponsored work is something I’m definitely aspiring to!
Some great tips I wasn’t aware of here, especially LinkedIn,
Thank you for sharing
You’re very welcome, I’m glad it was useful 🙂
This is a really useful post, for bloggers old and new! I’ve been considering affiliate links but have no idea where to even start! Take care, Steff x
Thank you, I’m so glad it was helpful – and I’m still struggling with affiliate links myself, haha xx
Great post. I’d come across some of these ideas but wasn’t sure how to get started. You’ve made me have a good think about monetising as I’m rebranding my site currently. It does seem that you may have to spend money to make money but if the balance is right it seems worth it!
Thank you so much, I’m so glad it was helpful and how exciting to be rebranding. Yes, you’re right, you do have to invest, I think, but it’s worth it!
Thank you Lisa, great post! I’ve just signed up for LinkedIn, I had no idea about this site until now 😊I’ll give it a go and see how it goes, thanks for the suggestion♡
You’re welcome – glad it was useful – and please do send me a LI connection invitation as well 🙂
LinkedIn? Never thought about that. Very interesting idea. Thanks for sharing all of these!
It’s a really good networking site, full of good stuff!
I’ve read of Linkedin for blogging but I’ve never actually used it before. I definitely want to explore that and see if it could also land me more blogging work.
Not to brag but I picked up an new client last month, who wants new blogs written and older blogs updated for SEO – so yes, it’s definitely worth getting on LinkedIn 🙂
I’ve read of Linkedin for blogging but I’ve never actually used it before
It’s worth looking into for sure.