So you want to start a blog. Or maybe you already did, but you have no clue how to earn money from it. There are a lot of ad networks and affiliate programs that are huge and would fit for pretty much any subject you’re blogging about, but there are also a lot of ways to earn that are more unique to certain types of blogs.
Today, I’m going to break down different types of blogs you could start and then list some ways to monetize that are unique to that specific niche. But first I want to just quickly list some of the more popular ad networks and affiliate programs you can use that are very general. The ones I’ve listed below are usually a good fit for any type of blog.
Note that I could for sure go into more detail regarding everything listed here, but if I did, this post would be about 5000 words long! So just consider everything a jumping off point/place to start, and feel free to ask me any questions you have about anything regarding what I’ve posted in the comments below. There are a lot of options so it’s overwhelming, but you’ll just have to experiment with what you find and see what works best for your blog.
General Ad Networks – Affiliates
Google Adsense
Media.net
Chitika
Infolinks - In-text ads
Kontera - In-text ads.
Commission Junction - Affiliate network. Different advertisers listed across multiple categories.
Share a Sale - Affiliate network. Different advertisers listed across multiple categories.
Amazon Associates – Get paid for promoting Amazon products. This works with any blog niche because Amazon sells everything under the sun.
BuySellAds – Sell ad space on your blog.
Note that there are many other “general” networks/affiliates. These are just the more popular ones.
Work at Home – Jobs Blog
Indeed - Job search site. They have a job search board you can build into your site plus customizable widgets.
Simply Hired - Job search site. They have a job search board you can build into your site plus customizable widgets.
Elance - Network for freelancers. Earn money when your blog visitors sign up as job seekers.
Freelancer - Network for freelancers. Earn money when you refer job seekers to Freelancer and they make money working.
Beyond - Another job search site you can promote on your blog.
Snag-a-Job - Job search site.
Careerbuilder - Job search site. They have an affiliate program, but I’ve applied here multiple times and never heard back.
Monster - Job search site. They have customizable widgets you can embed with job listings.
Donanza - Their publisher program gives you widgets where you can link to jobs posted at oDesk, Elance, etc., but you only earn money if people who click through your widget/job board actually bid on a job, so it’s not pay per click.
Escalate Network – A good affiliate network if you promote survey panels. They have some of the better quality panels listed.
Panthera Network – They are another affiliate network with lots of survey offers, but note that some of their survey offers are NOT worth the time, so do your research on specific panels before promoting just anything you find here.
Write an e-book about work at home (something I should do!) and advertise it on your blog.
Provide work at home mentoring/coaching services for work from home and advertise them on your blog.
Food Blog
BlogHer Advertising Network – I’ve seen many food blogs utilizing BlogHer ads. This is a network very focused on women-oriented content.
Daily Buzz – Another popular network among food bloggers. This one appears to be run by Federated Media.
Cooking.com – Huge cooking/cookware website with lucrative affiliate program.
ZipList Recipe Box
FoodBlogger Pro
Foodie Blogroll – An ad network for food bloggers.
Platefull – Another ad network for food bloggers.
Gourmet Ads – Another ad network for food bloggers.
Write an e-Book – Many bloggers write and promote e-books on their websites, and recipe e-books tend to be super popular.
I found a ton of great information on making money with a food blog here at Pinch of Yum. Very impressive with lots of detail!
Savings/Freebie Blog
Escalate Network – Affiliate network. Tons of offers to promote that fit with savings/freebie blog, including printable coupons.
Logical Media – Affiliate network. You’ll find very similar savings/freebie offers here that you can promote.
MySavings Media – Affiliate network. MySavings is the other popular affiliate network for savings/freebie bloggers.
Coupons.com – The major affiliate networks listed above have Coupons.com affiliate links you can use for coupons, but you can also go directly through their site.
SmartSource – Another big coupon network you can become an affiliate for.
Amazon Associates – Amazon has some amazing deals from time to time. You definitely want to be signed up as an Amazon affiliate if you’re going to run a savings/freebie blog.
Groupon – Groupon has lots of great deals all the time, and they do have an affiliate program.
Ibotta – This is a cash back grocery shopping app with a lucrative referral program. The three affiliate networks listed at the top also occasionally have Ibotta listed as an offer you can promote and get paid.
BlogHer – A lot of savings/freebie sites use BlogHer ads.
Are you an expert couponer? Offer coupon classes and promote them on your blog.
Write an e-book about couponing or frugal living.
Crafts or DIY Blog
Rivit Media – This is an ad network geared towards craft and DIY sites.
Craftsy – This is a very popular crafts site offering patterns, online classes, and more. They have a lucrative affiliate program.
BlogHer - A lot of craft/DIY bloggers use BlogHer ads.
Blueprint Social – This is a network you can join and apply for sponsored post opportunities. It appears to be geared toward craft/DIY bloggers.
Sell your patterns on your website.
Write an e-book about crafts/DIY and promote it on your website.
Sell your crafts on your website.
Offer online crafting classes and promote those on your website.
Product Review – Giveaway Blog
If you become a product review and giveaway blogger, you can get in on a lot of sponsored opportunities through various brands. Sometimes your only compensation will be the free product to test out and review, but sometimes you’ll also get paid. Here are popular networks to join if you’re interested in starting a product review/giveaway blog.
Clever Girls Collective – This one is not as easy to get accepted into, but I hear they have some pretty lucrative review opportunities.
Sverve – This is a newer site with lots of different sponsored opportunities. I love how it is set up like a social network for bloggers.
Double Duty Divas - Product reviews, sponsored posts, brand ambassadorships and other unique opportunities for online influencers.
Mom Central – They’ll send you product review and sampling blog opportunities via email and you can just apply to the ones you’re interested in.
Simply Sassy Media
Beauty & Fashion Blog
Reward Style – An invitation-only web tool that helps top tier style publishers find and monetize their content.
BlogHer – I really should have listed BlogHer at the top under “general.” This is another one that’s a good fit for beauty blogs.
Style Coalition – Offers influencers a simple, efficient way to get their names and blogs out to major decision makers from global agencies and brands.
Glam Media – I have always had a hard time figuring out exactly how you apply to this one. It’s a popular network for fashion/beauty bloggers.
PopSugar Select – This is a new program for bloggers (not just in the beauty niche). Receive one-of-a-kind access to paid opps and programs through the network.
Subscription boxes are all the rage right now and there are a ton of beauty-related ones. Also, many of these have affiliate programs you can join and then earn money for promoting the boxes on your site. Some popular boxes with affiliate programs include Beauty Box 5, Glossy Box, and Birchbox (through the Linkshare network).
If you’re an expert on the subject, consider writing an e-book on beauty/fashion and sell it on Amazon.
More Tips
Another way to figure out options to earn money with your blog is to closely examine other popular blogs in your niche. See what ad networks/affiliates they appear to be using and try to use the same ones.
Can’t get in with one of the networks above? Don’t fret too much. Many of them are going to have specific monthly page view requirements and/or age requirements for blogs before they’ll approve. Just keep up the regular posting and upkeep on your site and re-apply at a later date once you do meet the requirements. If you’re having trouble getting accepted by one of the affiliate networks above, you can always just use Viglink or Skimlinks on your blog. These are sites you can join that will affiliate links on your blog without you having to go through a network.
Not finding your niche above? In the future I might add a few other niches, but in the meantime you can easily find the info you need by doing a simple Google search for how to make money with blogs in your niche. My blogging page in my directory also has multiple ideas for making money with your blog, and many of those are great ideas for any type of blog.
I hope this gives you some ideas. You’ll notice that a lot of these monetization options are interchangeable and as stated above, just experiment with different things and see what works best for your site. I always welcome your feedback, so please let me know what other options you would suggest for different types of blogs.