If you’re looking for ways to make money from home, you’ve probably considered trying your hand at blogging. Launching a blog can be a profitable venture, but carving out a niche in a crowded market can be difficult. Although the digital landscape is always evolving, certain blogs have managed to turn a decent profit and carve out a following.
Blogs aren’t just a pastime for those looking to make a quick buck. Many established blogs are now making a steady (and in some cases, wealthy) living from the content that they generate. To give you some inspiration, we have compiled a list of ways that you can make money online for free and how to become a professional blogger. Consider these ideas if you’re looking to kickstart your blogging career.
1. Write and Sell Ebooks
The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and the ebook market is always changing shape, but there are a few tried-and-tested ways that profitable blogs come into being. Writing and selling ebooks is one of the most popular opportunities available to anyone with a talent for writing. Publishing an ebook is free, and the royalties (if any) from the sale of a single copy are usually enough to cover the costs of publishing.
If you’re looking to make quick cash, writing and selling ebooks is a lucrative option. Publishing an ebook is also a great way for an influencer or blogger to build up a digital portfolio of work.
2. Start a Podcast
Blogs aren’t just about sharing your thoughts and adventures – some are quite profitable. One of the most popular ways to generate cash is through creating and selling podcasts. Podcasts aren’t just limited to music either – successful podcasters have covered a wide range of topics, from self-help to business to technology. You can use a tool like Anchor to easily set up a podcast, and you can integrate your podcast with other platforms, like YouTube, to create a hub of content that draws potential listeners in.
There are several ways that you can make money from a podcast. You can sell and ship albums to customers with a service like Podcast Box – or you can take a more direct route and try to negotiate a contract with a major label. Fewer restrictions – and higher earnings – mean a lot in the world of music journalism.
3. Start a YouTube Channel
YouTube creators can make a living off their content, whether it’s a short video featuring funny animals or simply a unboxer-style-let’s-take-a-look-at video of you unboxing a product. The videos are usually a combination of the two, with the occasional speech or song thrown in for good measure.
Creating content for YouTube isn’t as easy as just popping up a blog and sharing your wares – it takes a bit of preparation. First, you’ll need to pick a niche and build a following. Next, you’ll need to monetize the content that you create. You can do this through a combination of advertising and affiliate sales or, if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you can try and go pro and make money off memberships, live chat sales, and subscriptions.
4. Start a Google Affiliate Program
Just like with YouTube, the world of digital marketing and promoting products online is evolving, but there are still a few tried-and-tested ways to make money. One of the simplest and most effective ways to do this is through a Google affiliate program. Working with partner websites and companies that sell a wide range of goods and services, you can earn a commission for directing customers to their sites. When a customer makes a purchase after following your instructions, you’ll earn a small commission.
You’ll need to set up an account with Google Affiliate Program and then follow a few simple steps to get started. You won’t make much money at first, but as you learn to optimize your campaigns and grow your audience, you’ll find that these earnings add up quickly.
5. Start an Etsy Shop
Etsy is one of the more popular online marketplaces where artists and designers can promote their work, whether it’s a unique T-shirt design or a gorgeous painting. While Etsy is always looking for ways to make money, the platform and community are surprisingly supportive of small businesses and independent designers – not to mention that many of the products sold on the platform are one-of-a-kind items, which helps keep prices low. Creating a store on Etsy is free, and you don’t need a significant financial investment to get started. Plus, you can use a tool like Shopify to easily get around the platform’s shipping restrictions and to provide you with a store that looks professional.
If you’ve got a talent for designing or drawing, an Etsy shop is a profitable venture. You can also find freelance work designing logos, banners, and websites if you’re looking for extra cash. Building a customer base is essential if you want to make a living off your art and design work.
6. Start a YouTube Channel Plus Blog
If you’ve got a talent for speaking, why not combine your talents by creating a YouTube channel that features you talking about a variety of topics, from self-help to business to lifestyle? You can use a tool like Blip to easily create and schedule videos – whether you’re doing an unbox video, reviewing products, or teaching viewers how to find success – and you can use your webcam to film yourself giving the lecture. If you want to create a mini-lecture series, you can use a tool like Patreon to support your existing channel, letting viewers participate in your livestreams and encouraging them to become contributing members.
You can also create a separate blog for the channel – which will serve as a hub for all your projects – or you can integrate your blog with your YouTube channel. Either way, having a blog and a channel populated with informative content is a great way to build a following and monetize your work.
7. Write and Self-Publish a Book
If none of the above seem like a fit, consider writing a book and self-publishing it. There are several reasons why this option might be a good fit for you. First, books are typically cheaper to produce than other forms of content. Second, books can still be profitable even if you don’t make much money off of them initially. Third, and most importantly, self-publishing a book isn’t as difficult as you might think it is. It might require a bit of a financial investment, but beyond that, everything else is provided for you.
Creating a book isn’t for the faint-hearted though – it’s a time-consuming process, and you don’t want to get too absorbed in it if you want to maintain a healthy social life. But if you’ve got a burning desire to write and you can find the time, consider the above options, which can help you get there sooner than you know it.