How to make money blogging The real side hustle truth

How to make money blogging The real side hustle truthHow to make money blogging The real side hustle truthOne of the big questions that people commonly ask about abfluging to blog is how to make money blogging.Is it possible to make a full-time living?Is blogging as glamorous as some internet gurus make it seem?Im elend going to address those questions right here, but you will get those answers and mora from this in-depth post.Youll also be able to form your own opinions when it comes to blogging as a side hustle.But, the reason I wanted to address this topic is there is tons of fluff when it comes to making money blogging.I also wanted to write this post to provide the real honest truth about blogging as a side hustle or even as a career.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraHopefully, youll come away with a better understanding of blogging, how to make money from your blog, and the realities of pursuing a money making blog.Shall we dive in?Challenges with blogging as a side hustleYouve probably read some blogging income reports that show $10,000+/month income and you think, Wow, sign me upIts easy to get hypnotized by the profil and dollar signs.Yet what you dont see, is the amount of effort it took these bloggers to get to that level.Im talking years of writing, marketing, and consistency to their blogs which has paid off.(Of course timing and a bit of luck may factor in too).There are always those unicorn bloggers that started crushing it in year one too.But that is nowhere near the norm and their hustle is on another level.And the fact is, most new bloggers only make it a few months before growing tired and quitting.When I started Invested Wallet in June 2018, by the Fall I already noticed many others who started around the same time as me had slowed down or quit completely.The reality is, there is no guarantee youll make a lot of money even if you do every thing right.You can make money, but it may take a year or maybe even longer.Many people have the impression they can get their blog up, create some content, slap some ads and affiliate links, and they are retiring on some island three months later.Or working from their camper at the beach.If onlyBlogging is also tough and standing out can be a major challenge.According to some datafrom 2018 recorded by InternetStats.com, there were more than1,883,637,867websites verbunden.That doesnt even account for all the ones that post content then monthly, weekly, or dailyThe competition is fierceThe other challenge is blogging is time-consuming.Think about all the pieces to this like establishing hosting, building your website, writing quality content every week, promoting content, and other marketing aspects (social media, email, etc).And all that work, wont yield many great results for some time, so the ROI can be ugly based on your efforts.I put probably 20+ hours a week on my blog outside of my full-time job and many others put way more than I doWhy am I writing about making money blogging?While Invested Wallet is more about personal finances and investing, I do enjoy talking about making money too.Whether throughside hustlesorincreasing your salary, its mucksmuschenstill quite fitting.Additionally, Im attempting to use Invested Wallet as an additional stream of income in my pursuits of financial independence.Although Im very passionate about finances, blogging, and marketing, Ive looked at this blog as a profil revenue stream too.Is Invested Wallet Making Money?My blog is almost a year old and Ive now made just over $1,000.You might be thinking not bad, but if you knowmy story, I work full-time in marketing so I have a slight advantage when it comes to growth and getting besucherzahlen to my site.Thats not too brag at all because my besucherzahlen is still peanuts compared to others, but its so you know I have some advantages andblogging is still really effing hardS ince June 2018 and adding all the hours working on this site, Im sure my hourly return is pennies.Im not complaining either because I love growing the blog and excited that in my first year, I am making some money.But this is the reality.If you need to make money sooner, dont have the time, or patience, then blogging my not be a suitable choice for you as a side hustle.How to make money bloggingAs I mentioned above, this is not to completely discourage you from blogging.Its important to confront the realities that just because you start a blog, doesnt mean youll make an insane amount of money.However, even with the amount of competition, the online world continues to grow and there is still room for you.While content might be shifting, its also not dying off quite yet or really anytime soon.And you can make money blogging in various ways.Many of these eventually bring in some decent recurring revenue and you even have a chance to bring more than a full-time salaried job.ExcitingBut pump the brakes if you are getting too hyped again and re-read my above sections to bring you back to the realities.Blogging is HARD WORK.But heres how to make money blogging.Affiliate marketingAffiliate marketing is simply promoting products that you link on your blog or within blog posts that when someone clicks and signs up, you get a commission.I like and dislike affiliate marketing and also cringe when I see blogs for lack of a better term - whore out their content to stuff affiliates all over.However, if you do it correctly, have a strategy, and promote products you actually believe in and fits with your audience, it can work out well for you.I currently onlyhave a fewand dont really promote them heavily.There are a few websites and blogs who are affiliate-based only and are crushing it.Even some sites recently have been bought out for millions because of how much affiliate revenue the blogs were bringing in.ProsIt can be easy income for doing little and as your site grows an d ranks, that traffic all has potential to convert.Pending your industry, some affiliates have great payouts ($50+).ConsAffiliates can shut down or change their pay structure whenever, dumping affiliates all over appears tacky and spammy, making money takes time and there is no consistency.Many affiliates pay very little too.AdvertisingProbably the most standard form of making money from blogging, is running ads.I currently run some basic ads on my site, although I was a bit reluctant at first.Typically, I think they sometimes disrupt the user experience if not targeted well and can slow a website down.I joined a specific network, which offers more tailored ads and better payments for running ads.This is something Id recommend over joining Adsense, which has terrible ad experiences and extremely low payouts.You can also sell ad space individually to brands, which can work too but may be more time-consuming.Pros Little work involved, potential recurring revenue.Cons Can disrupt user experience, income relies on your traffic growing.Sponsored postsThe idea behind this is working with a brand on content that promotes them or educates your audiences about their product or services.Sometimes the brand may write it or you may also write it, either way you charge them for this.I actually like this option and its a great way to make money blogging.Typically, if you have a good audience and can provide value, you can charge a few hundred all the way to a few thousand to do so.However, you need to followFTC guidelinesand also ensure you follow Googles rules so your website doesnt get penalized and deranked.This has been my main source of income on the blog so far, but I havent put much focus on on it either yet.These can also branch out into brand partnerships, which are longer commitments but can generate great income.ProsPotential to make great money, not always as much work pending how you approach sponsored content.ConsNo consistent revenue when you are starting, a lot of spammers ask to do this for cheap.Doing this too much can turn audiences aways.CoursesThis has also been a popular trend among blogs and bloggers, is creating a paid course.These are a lot of work to set up, plus you need to ensure you actually are providing real value first.A lot of information can be found online for free and are things you can teach yourself.However, if you can provide value and you have an engaged audience, courses can bring in some good recurring revenue once they are published.Pros Can bring in huge sums of money and can be on a recurring passive basis once courses are created.Cons Tons of up front work, you need an engaged audience willing to pay, you need to prove you are an expert and have something worth to say.Selling digital productsA great way to make recurring passive income is with digital products.Things you create that you have for purchase on your website.Think of items like ebooks, toolkits, documents, plugins, photography, etc.Here is some more aboutdigital products.ProsLow overhead costs, potential automated income, higher profit margins for you.ConsYou need to create something worth paying for, can take time to create, need an audience engaged enough to purchase from you.Contract workIf you focus on a particular blog niche, you may start offering your services and knowledge to other companies.For example, I can offer marketing and digital marketing services since that is my background, but doesnt always translate well since most of this site is all about finances.But a lot of bloggers actually make their first bit of money this way.Pros Great earning potentials, can work on your time and availability, no commutes.Cons No consistency guaranteed in revenue, can take time to find clients.Freelance writingAnother cool option for making money from your blog, is freelance writing opportunities that are paid.This may depend on your niche and many times it may not be paid, but this does happen.Your blog is a great content training tool and shows off your writing chops.You might be able to apply for freelance writing gigs or brands may reach out to you.Pros another revenue source, expands your brand and personal brand reach.Cons Not always easy to get paid writing gigs, not a consistence source of revenue to rely on.Selling your blogYouve heard the cool stories of former bloggers selling their websites for six-figures and then someAgain, this takes a lot of time and many factors in order for this to work in your favor, but it can be done.Marc over atVital Dollarhas done it a few timesBut you can also buy, build up, and flip blogs for money too.Netting a few thousand dollars each time.ProsYou can get a nice lump sum or if you buy and flip can make decent money from that as well.Cons Extremely time-consuming, you have to know how to build up websites so they are worth something in the future, even great websites have no guarantee that anyone would want to buy it.Finding a buyer takes time or youll need a broker to help.Can you make good money with your blog?Absolutely you can, but you need to be realistic.Good money and blogging income reports you have read do not come easy and it takes a lot of work.But, the cool thing about blogging is there are multiple streams and ways to monetize your work and efforts.This besides additional opportunities you might get as well from being a thought leader in your blogging niche.Some bloggers also get paid speaking gigs and others have gotten book dealsIts pretty cool where blogging can potential take you.But even if you dont make money or turn blogging into a full-time career, you will learn a lot.For me, it taught me so much more about marketing and is also a great resume booster.When I had a music blog, many job interviews I went on at the time loved that I created something and grew it on my own.I think if you go in with the realities that blogging wont make you rich overnight or even in a year +, then you have a good shot of succeeding and making some money.And just because the odds might be slightly stacked against you, doesnt mean you should not give a shot.My best advice if you do get into blogging to make money, is ignore the noise and income reports.Stay focused on your blog and be patient.If youd like to learn how to set up a WordPress blog in a few steps and grow it,I wrote this post which might be valuable to you.Why I chose blogging as a side hustleIve been blogging since 2010, when I started a music blog on the simple platform called Blogger.I had no clue what I was doing, but I created it for a few reasons.I loved music, I wanted to share great artists with people, and want to learn more about blogging and building websites.I also did not know how many music blogs were out there or that you could make money from a blog.But I loved writing, making connections, getting set cool music, and other perks.The same thing applied with Invested Wallet.Im passionate about personal finances and investing, helping othe rs, and writing about these topics.But I approached this one as a business from day one, as a way to potentially make extra money.After reading all the above, you might be wondering why I chose blogging still, especially knowing it takes time to make money.Even though it is time consuming and there is no guarantee to make money quickly, there are many potential opportunities with it regardless.For me, Ive learned how to start an LLC, open a business bank account, get a business credit card, use Quickbooks to manage business finances, and grow my marketing skills.Ive previously always been nervous about doing these things or afraid too, but after learning it I feel more confident in my entrepreneurial endeavors.So while there are thousands of personal finance blogs out there, I still love blogging, growing a site, writing, and earning some extra income.Will it take off and make six-figures?I really dont know, but Im loving the journey with it so far.If you love the idea of blogging, passionate about the topic, and are okay with putting in the work and potentially not making money for awhile, then blogging might be for you.Some additional blogging resourcesBesides my nuggets of insight, there are a few blogs I dig that help bloggers grow and tips on how to make money.Im sure there are more to include, but these are two that I dig.Check them out hereBreaking the One PercentDigitalMarketing4BloggersThis article originally appeared on Invested Wallet.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people