How to Blog: Five Ways to Make Money Blogging
Top: Hutch // Skirt: Amazon // Purse: Kate Spade // Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection (similar here, under $40 here) // Lipstick: Younique in Wealthy
Location: Downtown Historic Bryan, TX
Lately, I’ve been getting a ton of questions about starting a blog and how to make money on social media. I figured it was a sign to start a new series here on Three Heel Clicks to help answer these questions I’m getting in my inbox. I love hearing from you guys! Please keep the questions and comments coming - it brightens my day so much! Here we go into a new journey together titled, “How to Blog” - this is the first of many posts. I’ll be sharing more about my blogging journey, what tools have helped me grow and what the industry looks like right now. I will also share with you how-to guides to build your blog, monetize it and build a business around it. For exclusive content, post updates, and more you need to subscribe to my newsletter ASAP! You’ll get access to content I will not be sharing anywhere else. You can sign up here or use the form below! Okay now, let’s look at how to monetize your blog. I’m jumping ahead in blogging because most people want to know what the money looks like to see if it’s worth their time and energy as a trade-off. I’m breaking down monetization for your blog into five basic categories below.
Affiliate Links
The first and I think the easiest way to get started with little investment is signing up to be an affiliate with a company. An affiliate is simply a person who will share content from a brand or product to their following in exchange for something. Sometimes it’s free products and services. Other times it’s product commissions and cash. There are large platforms like Amazon Influencer, Shopstyle, Like to Know It, and others that will let you share links for a variety of brands across multiple retailers. You can also sign up with companies like Younique, an MLM organization to host a party link for 10 days and earn free y-cash to go towards future purchases. In all cases, you are given a rewards link or affiliate link to track your progress and share with your audience. As your audience grows and you engage more your affiliate link commission run rate will increase.
Sponsored Content
This is where most of the most are in blogging but takes the most time to build! Sponsored content is when a brand pays you a commission to share their product or services. That commission can be upfront and for a single post, or it can be a term length for a period of time. The larger your social media following, the more valuable you become as an asset for brands. This is also similar to celebrity endorsements. For a blogger just getting started you can find opportunities through platforms like Social Native or 8. Both will pay you $5-100 a post (and even more) for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and others. They have you connect your social media to their site and then offer brands for you to apply to work with on a single post basis. You’ll submit Reels, videos, IGTV, TikToks, and photographs. It’s a great way to get exposure and make a little cash on the side. You’ll learn a lot about what brands are looking for as you submit (and re-submit) content. As your following grows, companies will also reach out to you directly to make offers.
Ambassador and Influencer Programs
As my blog grew, I started getting approached by more and more people offering me opportunities to consider. Review everything case-by-case and ask yourself if it fits with your personal brand. If not, it’s not a good opportunity for you. If it does, then apply. Never hurts to try. The more applications you submit for campaigns, the more likely you’ll have opportunities to fill. Be patient and consistent. It pays off! I promise! Also, be authentic. Brands will look for your point of view to share their products with your audience. I was recently approached in a DM by Sarah Flint. I shared a little about my journey with this brand in this post and this post, but it was for her Ambassador program. I scheduled a call with her PR team and had a contract finalized with them about a week later. Since that partnership began I’ve already earned two rewards! It’s amazing! By Sarah Flint, the shoe collection has quickly expanded. That’s just one example but there are tons of Ambassador Programs out there. Usually, you sign a contract for a length of time or you enroll in a program with them. Each program has different requirements, but you share content on social and your blog as you wear their products. These give you exposure to others in your market and oftentimes brands will feature you on their social media!
Direct Selling
Direct selling companies have been on the rise these past few years. It’s a huge industry that has really helped many people cover losses from the global pandemic and life changes. You can go a couple of routes here but basically, you sell a product for a specific amount of commission. Most direct selling companies give you additional perks for being a customer of their products and anywhere from 10-50% commission. Younique is a great example of an MLM in Direct Sales. You sign up for $35 and the only requirement to stay active is to purchase/sell $125 every three months. That’s it. No fees. No monthly minimums. No auto ships. Simple. Then you start building a team and making 20-25% commission on all of their collagen, skincare, and makeup products. You can run affiliate links of your own for other ambassadors and you can add people to your team. As your team grows, your income does, too. It’s a great way to zone in on one product line. I chose to use Younique for all of my skincare and makeup. I love their products and mission so it was easy for me to integrate into the blog and my social media. Anytime a purchase is made on my Younique website (that I don’t even manage) I receive a commission on a debit card within 3.5 hours. It’s amazing. Somedays I’ve already earned my lunch before breakfast.
Product Exchanges and Freebies
Last but not least one of the biggest benefits of blogging and sharing on social media is the sheer amount of freebies I’ve received. Sometimes I’ll do a product swap with a friend on social media just to get it in their hands. Other times, I’ll purchase from someone else and they will purchase from me. Some companies who have an allotted budget for marketing will reach out and ship you a free product and give your customers a code to put in during check out for a discount. That code tracks sales and they test to see how well your sharing worked for their brand before investing further. I’ve done this with both Coach (see this post, this post, and this post) and JORD watches (see this post). Both companies reached out via email after seeing my Instagram profile. Make it easy for people to get in touch with you!
My recommendation is to start by making a list of the brands and products you love daily. Start tagging those brands on your stories and social content. Sign up for an affiliate or ambassador program and just start sharing. As you build relationships online and share content consistently, you will build an income. More brands will find and feature you. Your business will grow. Please drop me blogging questions below or email them to threeheelclicksblog@gmail.com! I can’t wait to share more in this series with you and answer your questions!
