Since I get numerous emails about week about blogging, this information should be a useful tool to those of you looking to maximize your earning potential with your blog.
First of all, you have to content that people are interested in. My friend, Andrea, Mommysnacks.net, has created a wonderful “Beginning to Blog” series, which offers helpful advice on how to get started blogging. My best advice is to blog on something you are passionate about.
So once you have your niche and have built up a audience, how do you make money on your blog? This is a common question.
Sponsored Posts
Work with companies and brands directly or you can sign up through Social Spark, a company I’ve worked with for the past two years and earn money through sponsored posts opportunities.
Ad Networks
If you have any traffic, you need an ad network as it is the easiest way to make money on your website or blog. Ad networks pay based on cost per click (CPC) or cost per 1,000 page impressions (CPM). For example if you have 10,000 page impressions, you would divide 10,000 by 1,000 = 10. If your CPM was $2, you would earn $20 (10 x $2). So basically, advertisers pay either when users click on ads on your site or when the ad is shown on your site.
You will also want to check out the rules for the ad network you joining. For example, some ad networks will not allow you to do any pay per post, post about events you attend for companies, or use company logos in your posts. You will want to consider these factors when you sign up for an ad network. Other ad networks will want you to sign a contract for exclusivity. Others have certain placements where they want you to feature their ads.
Google Adsense: Google Adsense is usually the first ad network websites start to use. You can use Google Adsense with other networks. You can integrate Google Adsense into your blog RSS feeds as your email newsletter. On my site by setting up channels to track different ad codes, I’ve found the 300×250 size maximizes my revenue.
Chitika: Can work alongside Google Adsense. This network can be set up so only users who find your site through a search engine see ads related to their search. Obviously, the more search engine traffic you have, the better results you will have. Put the ad nearest the top as possible to get the most impressions.
Burst Media: Similar to Google Adsense. They also have premium networks available.
SyndiGo: These ads show content from the network such as the Today Show as well as advertisements.
Kontera: Kontera offers in site relevant links on your site. You get paid per click with this network. Any double underlined in blue links you see on my site on Kontera in site link ads.
Affiliate Networks
Affiliate networks offer publishers the opportunity to earn money off referrals of some sort, such as a purchase at an online retailer, signing up for a freebie, or various other reasons usually with CPA (Cost per Action). With affiliate networks, you really have to know your audience to maximize the revenue. For example, on my site any freebie, coupon, or way to earn money is going to work well.
Recommended Affiliate Networks:
- FreeFlys
- HERE
- Panthera Network
- Share a Sale
- Link Share
- Commission Junction
- Google Affiliate Network
- Max Bounty
- Escalate
- Amazon Affiliate Program
Any other affiliate or ad networks you use?
Wow I had no idea there were so many more ways to make money blogging than strictly ad sense. Thanks for opening up my eyes to so much more! :) Great article, thanks for sharing!
Thanks alot for this post it will help me out alot to make my site better. :)
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m still new to the blogging world, so I appreciate the help and advice from a great, seasoned blogger like you!! Thanks again!
Thanks for sharing. I will have to check out some of those affiliate networks you listed.
Thank you for these such great website and tips to make money online, I wish I can start the new year off and make some money to spend for the next christmas :)
I am new here and have a few questions on couponing, I save a few hundred a month but want to do better, I am clueless to how the tv people get so many paper towel coupons, Does anyone know how this is done? I just ordered that Neat receipts desk scanner to help me organize my receipts and keep track of what I am saving, so I hope this will help, I do order from Ebay so that helps, I need a better way to organize my cpns. I am always dropping them all over at the stores. Is there a website that answers questions like mine with helpful tips, thanks
Google Adsense works well but integrating it with my blog RSS feeds has worked out really well.
Thank you so much for the list of advertisers and affiliates. It’s hard to find all this information in one place.
Briana, you should add Impact Radius to your affiliate network. We use their platform.
Thanks Briana! @ffandfn
I didn’t even know Google had an affiliate network. Definitely have to check it out.
My question is now that I am home because of health problems with my back, I wanted to know how to find a job from home. I have been through the scam’s and I am 58 and I have worked for million dollar campaigns and I had my own business as an “event planner”. I wanted to ask you as your site really is wonderful and I truly don’t know how it came to me, but I am glad you did. I can’t tell you how many e-mail’s I have been “unsubscribing ” to for thelast few days. I absolutely can’t tolerate it anymore.
If you have any info at all on what I can do on the pc at home, or anything that can help me bring in an income, I would be so grateful.
Thank you,
Janice
Mission of SIRI STOCKS..make money,save it,
try to generate or make growth, give it….
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Hi Briana. I found in the past that adsense worked the best for my personal blogs. What ad agencies do you use on this blog, and how are they working out for you?
Briana, is there a difference between setting up a blog vs. a website? I look at all the coupon sites like yours and they don’t look like a typical (beginner’s) blog, they look more like websites. To get started, would you recommend one go somewhere like blogger.com to set up a blog or create an actual website? And to create an actual website, is that something you pay a monthly fee for?
Thanks so much for your input!
Blogger is free meaning you have a .blogspot.com url. I’m still a blog, I just use the WordPress platroom and I pay a monthly fee to host my web domain. Hope that helps!
thank you so much for this resource! I have been learning as I go and I feel like I have run into so many gimmicks! THis is great info! I had google ad sense, but I knew there had to be more we could do – thank you so much for letting me know!
Kate
Commission Junction took me when I was a newbie:)
.-= Simplify with Sybil´s last blog ..Feed has moved =-.
Has anyone ever been rejected from these sources because of not enough traffic? Can newbies join as well?
Marsha
Thanks for posting. I never heard of Max Bounty before–I will check it out. I also list the ones I use here:
http://www.swapsavers.com/profiles/blogs/affiliate-and-rewards-programs
I was wondering Which network does the (brick) coupons com?
Also your Favorite networks? I went to your Facebook your doing great!!