This is a guest post by Brandon Laughridge of MontageLoanPlace .
Bloggers have access to an advertiser’s dream – highly-targeted readers. So why can’t you make money off your blog? Maybe it’s time to start thinking outside the box.
There are other options out there that can bring in significantly more income than standard ads.
Below are the Top 5 Non-Advertising Methods you can try today if you’re ready to start better monetizing your blog.
1) Get Paid for “Spreading the Word”
Companies know that to get the word out about their company, service, or promotion, they need to be talked about on blogs.
Blogs represent a very powerful medium for announcing, reviewing and discussing a company’s services or products. But did you know you can get paid to do so? And this isn’t some tired paid review tactic.
A quick search of Twitter and the web shows these current offers:
- Mortgage Loan Place, the site I blog for, is having a Mortgage Calculator design/programming contest where they are giving out $10,000. In addition, they are paying the blogger that refers the winning entry $1,000.
- An online lender, VA Mortgage Center.com is growing and is offering a $20,000 bounty to anyone who refers them a new employee that they hire (for a specific position).
That’s just in the world of mortgages. What about your niche? Search Twitter here.
Keeping an eye out for these offers is an easy way to make a big pay day for your blog. It sure beats $.05 clicks from Google’s Adsense.
2) Sell Content
Create a Subscription-Based Section
This could be in the form of a ‘premium’ service, where you offer exclusive content or benefits to your most passionate followers.
This is a fantastic monetization strategy if you are willing to put in extra effort to create outstanding content. It can become a nice recurring income stream that relies on your talents, not search rankings or affiliate payouts. Examples of successful subscription models on blogs include SEOBook.com and TeachingSells.com.
Develop and Sell an eBook or Guide
Another path to a solid recurring revenue stream is to write a quality guide in your niche and sell it for a fee or add affiliate links and distribute it for free.
3) Consult
Your readers already trust your experience and expertise. If they read your posts consistently, it probably means they value your insight. Regardless of your area of expertise, there is someone out there willing to pay for your advice (if you are a true expert).
Start advertising your willingness to consult on your blog. Ask friends and business associates if they need assistance. Before long, you could have a nice set of client thanks initially to your blog.
4) Free Products and Services
Approach companies in your industry and ask them if they will supply you with free products or services for a review. Remember to provide an accurate review, even if it’s bad, and ensure the company understands this to maintain your integrity.
Companies give away all kinds of free products and services (consulting, event tickets, sports gear, and more) to anyone who will talk about them– for better or worse. This is not a way to bring in a lot of money, but a good way to get free stuff. Be proactive here and contact companies that sell products that make sense based on your blog and readership.
5) Sell Out!
If you are having trouble justifying the time it takes to maintain your blog with the income it brings, you could consider selling it.
Depending on the industry and visitors, you may be able to command a high price. One oft-cited example of blogger riches is BankRate’s $15 million acquisition of the Bankaholic blog. There have been thousands of blog acquisitions over the last few years. Many did not garner the publicity of Bankrate, but the money is there.
One word to the wise – if you are serious about this route, and have a blog bringing in lots of visitors and traffic, talk to an investment banker. They can help bring together the best buyers for your blog and ensure you get maximum monetary value.
Top 10 Search Terms:
• non advertising
Interesting points there. I am not aware of the fourth technique before, thanks. Those 5 can be a good alternative to conventional advertising method.
Thank you for those tips and ideas! I guess, bloggers can earn more than the ppc programs.
Thanks for submitting to my online marketing blog carnival! I just published your submission.
I have belong on travel n tourism. I regularly add text content and pictures in it. It is getting good traffic form Google. But, i need to know, that how can I sell my content to other traveling websites? Or is there any way to share my posting with other blogs?
.-= Custom Essay´s last blog ..Un astudentessa racconta la propria preparazione agli esami universitari a Bari =-.
To sell your content you can try listing your content details on popular webmaster forums like digitalpoint forums. There you list some info about your article and it’s price.
You can also try one site http://www.associatedcontent.com. It might be helpful to you.
Hello brandon,
Well written article. Keep writing!
.-= Jijo Sunny´s last blog ..Start a Discussion Forum with Your Blog =-.
the last option has got my attention….i got an offer to sell my blog a month back..it was quiet tempting amount but i do not think selling the blog will be helpful..if you consider the picture in the long run this will only hamper your image..next time when you will start a new blog, people will not take you seriously….
.-= IndianCashMaker´s last blog ..Blog Life Cycle Day 11- Blogging in Next 6 Months- Part III =-.
Never sell your blog it cannot be the good option for anyone out there…
.-= Lucifer@Blog Contests´s last blog ..Prizes Worth Over $1200 @FamousBloggers =-.
That might be some really cool tricks for sure. I have to say that I am in a situation now not to monetize the blog. But, this ways can help. But I feel personally that we need a good subscriber stats in order to have these ways word for us. Isn’t it? May be the first trick can work. But, even those companies, chk our traffic, visitors and subscriber stats.
.-= Senthil Ramesh´s last blog ..What Does Google Say About These Websites =-.
Great article Brandon! I have a close friend who makes a pretty decent living out of building then selling blogs so thats definitely a powerful strategy!
.-= Alex @ Niche Blueprint 2 Bonus´s last blog ..About Us =-.
Under the “Get Paid for ‘Spreading the Word’ ” blogger is very important. Today blogger is very famous among the internet community. So most of them come to blog to get information regarding such product or services.
.-= kids make money´s last blog ..How Do I Make Money =-.
Yes, I am looking for such persons who can give me a sufficient pay for spreading the word. 🙂
.-= Senthil Ramesh´s last blog ..How To Use Facebook Effectively =-.
Thank you for writing this. I have a blog of my own and am hoping to try and gain some income from it to just pay off the hosting and domain. These tips you have provided me seems to be very good and not ones that I have thought of. I hope they will help me out.
Thank you for this article and I’ll see what works best for me.