Meagan Rigney

How to diversify your blog income

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I think the big trend out there now is to figure how how to quit your job and just blog, which sounds awesome if that’s your thing, right? While I would LOVE to just blog, I find that blogging for me tends to be more of a part time thing. I write because I enjoy it, and I get paid a bit here and there as well, and that makes me pretty happy. What’s not to love about THAT? 
Here’s the thing: blogging income (for me) does not just come from one place. To be able to call this a part time job I need to make money in a bunch of different places, which adds up over time. I added in what I made in each category this past month so you could see where the income comes from and how much I tend to make . My blogging income is all over the place and not super consistent, but the more I blog and work at it the more I make. Sometimes I have less time to blog, so I make less, and that is okay. I think the scariest thing about blogging (and turning it full time), would be building consistent income that I could count on. For now Ill count my blessings I make any money at all, and call it a great part time job, as it is;)

Here are the main ways I make money blogging, and how you can, too!

Sponsored posts: 

My biggest source of income comes from sponsored posts, meaning I get paid to write content and share it with you. This happens two ways: I either get contacted personally by a company that I negotiate with myself, or I get asked to pitch for posts that come up by the two media companies I belong to (Pollinate Media and Collectively.) For posts that I negotiate myself, I can make anywhere from $50 to $150, based on how much of a post I write. Sometimes I just share clothing items with a link (which is cheaper and less time consuming), and sometimes I write a full blown/multi-part post, which costs more and takes a lot more time to put together. For posts that I write via a media company I belong to, these tend to be highly conceptualized and since I work with bigger companies, I can make anywhere from $200-$500 per post (plus the products I am sent.) 
In November I made $420 on sponsored content.
Affiliate links
These are links that are tied to products I use, and if you click on them and buy something I make money off of that. Some companies and stores give more money than others, with higher priced items making more of a commission. Since I shop mostly at Target and Old Navy, with a random Nordstrom thrown in there sometimes, my commission on these types of links is less. I make about $115 ever 2-3 months on these affiliate links (via Rewardstyle.)
In November I made $35 on affiliate links.

Advertising
Back in the olden’ days of blogging (ha!), there was a high amount of sponsoring. You could make a lot of money selling sidebar space to other bloggers and companies looking for exposure. This has just about stopped from a small time bloggers’ perspective, but I do create content for another site (Mode) that I then support on my sidebar (and get paid to do.) A lot of companies like to enquire about sidebar ads and space available, and it is up to you to determine if that is something you like. I like to keep my sidebar fairly clean, and other than my content for Mode, I don’t really sell this anymore. I make anywhere from $40-$140 on a sidebar ad and creating content this way. 
In November I made $40 on advertising.

Other

I know a lot of other blogger’s make money on the side in a way that fits in with their blogging lifestyle.  One of my fellow blogging gals recently sent me a sample of Monat to review for my blog, and that is all I intended to do, I swear! And then I fell in love. This shampoo you guys…it’s not JUST shampoo. It is pure magic. It makes my hair amazing, which frankly, it has never been. It is all natural and made in the USA and has these miracle ingredients that just make your hair feel better than it ever has. (Full before and after’s HERE.)

Here’s the thing, I never set out to sell shampoo on the internet (as my friend wisely said;), but once you try this stuff you can’t NOT share it. And you know what? The market is wide open for Monat and this type of product. I see a lot of things sold out there that are pretty cool, but no one sells amazing quality shampoo (unless you go to the salon, and this stuff is WAY better. Trust me.) Us blogger’s have a unique way of having a built in audience to share things with, and this is based on trust. I would never say something is awesome here and not mean it. EVER.

I want to share the wealth here. I am building a team of marketing partners to bring this to the next level. Think of it as a other way to add income into your life! There are simple plans to make $500, $1000, or $2000 your first month, how much you make is really up to you. There are also awesome advancement bonuses. If you love something, it is not hard to share, I swear! And think of it this way, you don’t have to be a natural born seller. I am NOT one either. I am shy and stay at home a lot and I’m not pushy. You don’t have to be either! You just have to want it, and be willing to put in some time during the day to get the word out there. That’s it.

If you are curious about Monat, send me an email at becauseofjackie(at)yahoo(dot)com, subject MONAT with any questions or concerns. I would love to hear from you (and have you be a part of my team!)

meaganrigney