How To Start A Blog And Make Money In Canada [FREE Course]
Chapter 4
How to Make Money Blogging in Canada
Overview
Now that you have your blog up and running, the next important thing is to explore ways you can monetize it. In the first chapter of this course, I made it clear that money is the reward (not the goal) of blogging. If money is your blogging goal, then you will sooner than later disappear from the blogosphere. In this chapter, you will learn four ways you can monetize your blog while providing valuable content to your audience.
1. Ads display
Ads display is the most common monetization method in the blogging community due to its fast results.
With this method, you allow a given Ad network to automatically display adverts on your blog and you will make money whenever visitors view and click the ads.
How much money you make on Ads display depends on your:
- Ad network
- Niche
- Number of visitors
- Ad clicks
There are different Ad networks out there such as Google Adsense, Mediavine, AdThrive, Ezoic, Adsterra, and so on.
Each of these Ad networks has its requirements but Google AdSense is the most popular network because it has flexible requirements and does not require specific traffic.
You can apply for Google AdSense through the Google Site Kit plugin we discussed earlier. Here is a YouTube guide on how to set it up.
You should publish at least one piece of content on each of your blog categories before applying for Adsense.
Pros of Ads display
- Fast results: You will start making money immediately when your readers view or click ads on your blog.
- Automation: Ads display helps you to make money while sleeping as your Ad network runs everything without your intervention
- Accessibility: The flexible eligibility for some Ad networks makes Ads display more accessible than other monetization methods.
Cons of Ads display
- Low earnings rate: The earning rate of Ads display is relatively lower compared to other monetization methods.
- Strict rules: Ads networks implement their rules strictly and breaking any of the rules consciously or unconsciously can lead to a penalty or ban.
- Less control: You do not have control over what Ads to display on your blog.
2. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is a lucrative blog monetization method with high earning potential.
This method involves promoting the products and services of businesses on your blog and earning a commission for each qualified sale.
There are two major ways you can join affiliate marketing.
- Direct affiliate program: This involves joining the affiliate programs of businesses directly on their websites. All you need is to identify the companies you want to promote and join their affiliate programs if they have one.
- Affiliate platform: This involves joining affiliate platforms such as PartnerStack, FintelConnect, and ClickBank. These platforms connect you with thousands of affiliate products, making it easier to join different affiliate programs and track your performance in one dashboard.
You can use both methods to maximize your earnings. However, the amount you earn will depend on the company you are promoting and the number of sales generated from your affiliate links.
Whenever you include affiliate links on your blog posts, you are expected to provide disclosure to the notice of your readers. Below is an example of an affiliate disclosure.
This post contains an affiliate link. When you purchase with the link, we will earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Most importantly, you should not lure your readers into clicking your affiliate links by providing false/misleading information, fake testimonials, or biased reviews about the businesses you promote.
Pros of affiliate marketing
- Higher earning potential: A single commission from your affiliate marketing can be higher than your total weekly or monthly earnings from Ads display.
- Flexibility: Affiliate marketing is easy to get started and manage compared to other monetization methods.
- Customization: You will decide what companies, products and services to promote on your blog.
Cons of affiliate marketing
- Time demand: You need to actively promote affiliate partners and stay updated about the products and services you promote.
- Slow earning speed: It may take time to start earning commission from affiliate marketing.
3. Sponsored posts
A sponsored post is paid content published on your blog for the promotion of a particular company.
As your blog visibility grows, companies in your niche may contact you to promote their businesses on your blog through sponsored posts.
Some companies may write the sponsored posts themselves and have you published them or you write and publish them yourself.
This means that you can charge differently depending on whether you are writing the sponsored post or publishing it only.
The interesting aspect of sponsored posts is that you are responsible for fixing the price unlike Ads display and affiliate marketing.
As such, you can fix a price that matches the value of your service and cash the payment faster. However, the more affordable your sponsored post’s pricing is, the more clients you will get.
Like affiliate marketing, you are also required to provide a disclosure to the notice of your readers when you publish a sponsored post.
Pros of sponsored posts
- Higher earning potential: You can charge up to $100 or higher per sponsored post depending on the company you are promoting and your traffic level.
- Full control: You will determine what companies to promote and how much to charge per sponsored post.
Cons of sponsored posts
- Traffic requirement: You may need to generate significant traffic before you can start receiving requests for sponsored posts.
- Slow earning speed: It may also take time to start making money from sponsored posts.
4. Personal sales
If you have a product or service, you can advertise it on your blog and make money as well.
By writing educational blog posts that relate to your product or service, you can directly attract the trust of your audience and have them patronize you.
For example, you can create a course like this and monetize it instead of providing it for free.
However, you should not make your blog posts salesy in an attempt to sell your product or service.
Focus on educating your audience about the benefits of your product or service and you will get clients naturally.
Pros of personal sales
- Free advertising: You will advertise your product or service to your target audience at no cost.
- Full control: You will determine how to promote your product or service without external influence.
- Helps buyers: When you create unbiased educational blog posts about your product or service, you will help potential buyers make informed buying decisions.
Cons of personal sales
- Can ruin your blog: If you write biased blog posts just to lure readers to patronize your product or service, that can directly affect your blog’s trustworthiness, hurting your future progress. The same applies to selling substandard products/services on your blog.
Summary of Chapter 4
There are many blog monetization methods and you have just learned about the top four. While you can use all the methods simultaneously, you should not make your blog a marketplace. Instead, you should build a knowledge hub that offers monetary rewards.
