How to Earn Money from Blogging

Love to write? Rephrase that -- do you blog? Gone were the days when people wrote notes on personal journals or diaries for private reading. Today, thanks to the viral world of blogging, people now write so they can share with an audience, whether it is about a personal story, an opinion, news flash, product review and others.

And the great thing about belonging to the Blogosphere (the summation of the millions of blogs in the world) is that there is an excellent opportunity to express yourself while making money! Yes, doing what you love the most, you can use your blog to earn income.

Earning money from blogging does not require a degree in computer science or even in journalism. There is no minimum or maximum age for those who want to venture into it, either. All you need is a computer, internet access, and the innate uncontainable desire to be heard. Of course, in line with expressing one's thoughts comes the ability to put them into words. These words should be easy to understand, in tune with the target audience, and most importantly relevant. It may take time before you find your niche and be able to naturally blog about things you like, but it's a learning process you will enjoy.

Once you have gotten the hang of writing and posting blogs, the bigger fun begins! So you've got several dozen readers coming to your blog every week, checking out your posts and adding comments. Now how do you monetize your blog and make it work better for you? Here are a few helpful hints to get your started.

1. Pay Per Click advertising. Nuffnang, Kontera, Chitika, and Google Adsense are some sites that let you post their ads on your blog to help you convert your readers to cash! As you place their ads, banners, and links on your blog, you get paid for every click your blog visitors make. The key here is to create relevant content to drive as much traffic to your blogs as possible, thereby increasing the chances of getting paid for ad clicks!
2. Affiliate programs. You can also join affiliate sites like Amazon, Clickbank, and Paydotcom, to name a few. By becoming an affiliate, you use your blog to promote the products of other companies. Whenever a buyer locks in a sale after coming through your blog, you receive a hefty commission. Techniques used in the blog industry range from excellent content, strategic ad positioning, strong link building, positive product reviews, and many more.
3. Referral programs. Just like affiliate programs, referrals help you earn commissions when you encourage your blog readers to sign up for a newsletter, join a discussion group, become a site member, answer a survey, and others. Most pro-bloggers have mastered the art of convincing to their readers, effectively encouraging them to do any of the abovementioned tasks. To add more value to your blog, you can explore the writing techniques to make your blog convincing and money generating.
4. Sell your content! Did you know that as the writer of your own blog, you can sell the usage rights of your content? If you have interesting, timely, and highly informative blogs, then chances are someone may be interested in reposting your content for a price, while still crediting you as the original author. You can showcase your finest work and check out content selling sites such as Constant-Content, Text Broker, and Daily Article.
5. Sharpen the saw. You should know by now that earning money through blogging is not an automatic thing. It won't happen without your proper management. Because there is a constant demand for fresh and relevant blogs, you should also update and keep your blog running well. Keep writing interesting posts and be in tune with what your audience likes to read about. In that way, you can be assured of a positive traffic flow to your blog.

As you can see, blogs are no longer static and text-related only. They are now content-rich, informative, and efficient traffic drivers. As a matter of fact, there are about a million new blog posts created every day. As a blogger, don't just settle for being a part of that statistic. Why not create effective blog posts that can help you earn money online every day? Now that's what you call a brilliant money making opportunity!

Summary:

Blogging can be more than just a hobby for those who love to write. It can actually be a great way to earn income! Learn more about how blogging can be a fun and effective way to make money, while still doing what you like best - writing!