Are you looking to start making money from your blog? Here I am sharing how to make money from a blog for beginners. Even if you don't have a lot of traffic or something to sell online you can still make good money blogging! This is how I went from losing money blogging to making six figures from blogging in just two years.
I will be the first to admit that I am definitely not the most successful blogger out there. And when I first started my blog 6 years ago (how has it been that long?) I had no idea what I was doing. I made a ton of mistakes which I totally regret now but it was all a part of the learning process. I also had no intention of making any money from blogging. I started my blog simply as a means to share my recipes and connect with other people eating a paleo style diet and healing their bodies through food and healthy living (because back then it was still a pretty foreign concept).
However, a couple years ago I realized that if I wanted to continue blogging in the long run I was going to have to start making money from my blog. I was spending too much time on this hobby and actually losing money doing it.
So I started doing research on how to make money blogging. The problem is that most of the advice out there didn't apply to me. I didn't have a product of my own to sell, I didn't have huge traffic that would bring in good income through ad networks, and majority of the sponsored posts I am offered I turn down because the products or opportunities don't fit with my beliefs or values (and I never promote something that I don't use myself or 100% believe in).
I was feeling pretty discouraged at this point. I actually thought about quitting blogging altogether (even though I truly do enjoy it) and I know many people benefit from the recipes and information that I share. But then I found out about affiliate marketing and affiliate networks. That changed everything for me. In the past 2 years I went from losing money on the blog each month to making between $10,000 and $13,000 a month from the blog. I'm not sharing these numbers to brag, but if you are a blogger who is struggling I totally get it. Blogging is hard work and making money as a blogger is HARD! I wish people had been more honest with me on how much money they were making from blogging and exactly how they were doing it without having huge traffic or products to sell.
I am going to share the affiliate networks that I use to make money from my blog. Keep in mind that depending on your audience these particular affiliates may not be an ideal fit for you, but what I recommend is looking for affiliates with brands you already use and love. Does your favourite skincare company have an affiliate? How about your favourite clothing brand? Or workout wear? If you already use and love certain products, talking about them and sharing about them comes naturally. It won't seem forced to your audience and you won't have to change anything you are doing since you are already using these products anyways!
Below are the affiliates that I use that have allowed me to start making a 6 figure income from my blog.
How to make money from blogging for beginners - the affiliates I use to make money:
The majority of my affiliate income comes from Beautycounter because they pay such a high rate of commission compared to other brands. As a blogger looking to make money, this is basically the ideal affiliate because they pay us 25-35% commission on anything that people buy through our links, which is WAY HIGHER than any other brand that I'm aware of (you will be able to compare the percentages below). I already used and loved the Beautycounter products, so why not share them with my audience as well? I mean, they helped me heal my acne so I will be forever grateful to them! Plus, based on the research I have done their products are safer than any other brands on the market, a fact which is extremely important to me.
If you're curious about how to sign up as an affiliate with Beautycounter just let me know and I'd be happy to chat.
Primally Pure is my second highest earning affiliate. I had used their deodorant (it is honestly the BEST natural deodorant out there), dry shampoo and body butter for years so when they opened up their affiliate opportunity last year I jumped on board right away. Again, sharing and talking about these products is easy because I use them every single day.
They also give us a 10% discount code for our readers to use when they shop which is another great perk and they pay us 15% commission on anything that people buy through our links.
Butcher Box is another perfect affiliate for my audience. I talk about the importance of eating pasture raised meat all the time and Butcher Box is a service that delivers this type of meat right to your door. They could not make healthy eating any easier!
If you are looking to learn why I think eating grass fed and pasture raised meat is so important I wrote this post: The biggest mistake you can make on the paleo diet.
Butcher Box is also great because they are constantly running promotions and they treat their affiliates really well and make it very straight forward and easy to work with them. They pay $10-$20 commission for every person that signs up and I have friends who are making 6 figure income just from Butcher Box alone.
If you follow me on Instagram you know that I drink a lot of bone broth. The health benefits of bone broth are incredible. And while I like to make it myself most of the time I know that a lot of people don't and want another option. That's where Kettle and Fire fits in. They are a bone broth company that delivers to your door, again, making healthy eating and living so much easier.
They pay us 20% commission on orders through our links which is a great rate of return.
Amazon
I make the least amount of money from Amazon. Although I do link to products on their site quite a bit they pay a very low percentage (somewhere between 1-3%) so to make good money from them requires you to have a lot of traffic on your blog, which I don't have. However I do like them because it's easy to link to such a huge variety of products. Everything from books to food to kitchen utensils are all on there and no matter what type of blog you run I am sure you could easily find things to link to on Amazon.
The SIBO Solution
This is an e-book written by Sylvie McCracken. Obviously this is a pretty niche topic, but ever since I started sharing my SIBO story on Instagram and posting about SIBO I have been getting so many questions about SIBO. And this book is the best resource I have come across for SIBO thus far (I am currently working on my own book as I do think an even better resource is needed) so this affiliate has done well for me.
But even if this book isn't in your niche, I am sure you have friends who have published other e-books or courses that are relevant to you. If they offer an affiliate program join it!
Other affiliate networks I wish I could join:
Being a Canadian, even though most of my blog traffic comes from the US, there are a couple companies that I am unable to work with which I would actually love to join because I love their products and the companies themselves. Those brands are Thrive Market and Branch Basics. So if you are in the US and these brands fit with what you share on your blog they are two other options for you to consider as well.
How to make money from a blog for beginners- How do I actually earn money from these affiliates?
I earn money from these affiliates multiple ways.
First is to simply link to various products in my blog posts. You can see some examples here:
- Deodorant health risks
- How to choose a safe sunscreen
- How I healed my keratosis pilaris naturally
- Is there mercury in your mascara?
- What is SIBO?
- The biggest mistake you can make on the paleo diet
Second is to make use of my newsletter list and drip campaign. Starting a drip campaign was a game changer for me. If you aren't familiar with a drip campaign, it is an automated set of emails that people get when they sign up to your newsletter list. It's great because after you set it up it's all hands off. I am constantly adding new emails to my drip campaign as I create more content, which means that the passive income that I am generating just keeps growing and growing.
The third way I make money though these affiliates is from Instagram. Now, I don't have a huge following on Instagram but I actually really like that platform and think it's a great tool to use to help engage with my audience and followers. Now, with all of the algorithm changes that keep happening this may not be a great long term strategy but for now, as long as it's still working I will continue to use it.
If you want to see how I make use of affiliates on Instagram you can follow me here.
Now, depending on what type of blog you run, the affiliates I have listed in this post may not work for you. That's ok. Look for others that fit with what you do share and love. But if any of these affiliates do interest you and you want more information feel free to email me. I am happy to chat and answer your questions. I am an open book! As I mentioned, I wished people had been more open with me when I was looking for ways to earn money from my blog.
And be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook too!
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Megan
Wow thanks for this candid information. It is so helpful! How do you qualify to become an affiliate for most businesses? Do you have to have a certain amount of followers or other criteria?
Raj @ www.ThePrimalDesire.com
That depends on the affiliate program Megan. Most do not have minimum requirements to sign up, but most will require that you make a minimum amount of affiliate income before they pay you out (eg. if the minimum is $10 owed to you and you only make $3, they will not pay you until you hit the minimum $10).