5 Proven Ways to Make Money with Your Blog (Besides Ads)

• Originally broadcast October 28, 2024 via email •

In recent years, many bloggers have become obsessed with the number 50,000.

Why?

That’s the magic number of readers you need each month to qualify for Mediavine ads, a goal many see as the first real milestone in blogging.

With 50,000 readers visiting your blog, you’ll typically earn between $1,500 and $3,000 per month from Mediavine ads, depending on their audience and niche.

But here’s the thing…

You don’t need 50,000 sessions to make money from your blog.

And honestly, you shouldn’t rely on ads as your primary income source anyway.

Ads are great passive income, but there are many other ways to earn, even with a smaller audience, and those streams should far exceed your ad revenue in the long run.

Here are some proven ways to make money before you hit that 50K threshold:

1. Affiliate Marketing

Promote products, services, or tools you love, and earn a commission when your audience makes a purchase through your links.

Whether it’s travel insurance, booking platforms, or gear you personally use, affiliate marketing should bring in steady revenue. And when done strategically, it has the potential to *easily* out-earn what you’d make from Mediavine ads.

As a comparison, we make anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 per month in ads income from Mediavine, and anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 per month in affiliate income.

Affiliate marketing tip: Nearly ALL major companies and most medium-sized companies have affiliate programs already set up for you. Simply Google the name of the brand/company + affiliate program.

You can also start with an affiliate network like TravelPayouts or a good tool like Stay22.

2. Itinerary Planning Services

Many students in our Scale Your Travel Blog program start by offering itinerary planning services to their readers. This allows them to monetize quickly while still working toward getting accepted into premium ad networks like Mediavine.

What’s great about this approach is that you don’t need a massive audience to make it work.

In June 2023, I decided to create a case study on how my blog could sustain a business through itinerary planning services alone.

Within one day of adding a section about these services to my website, I had my first paying client. The inquiries kept coming, and before I knew it, I had to pause the service because I couldn’t keep up with the demand!

Your blog acts as a billboard; when people visit, grab their attention with info about your itinerary planning services and make it easy for them to contact you.

You never know who’s ready to pay for your expertise.

Itinerary planning tip: Create content on topics that naturally lead into promoting your itinerary planning services.

For example, writing about “How many days is enough in Paris” or “How to plan the perfect honeymoon in Thailand” sets the stage to offer your readers customized itineraries and positions you as the go-to expert they can trust.

3. Sponsorships

Sponsorships aren’t just for Instagram influencers.

In fact, bloggers have a lot more to offer than social media creators and here’s why:

Long-Term Results: Social media posts have a short shelf life, often disappearing after a few weeks. Blog posts, on the other hand, can show up in search results for years and deliver continuous value to sponsors.
Targeted Content: Blogs allow you to create niche content that aligns perfectly with a company’s ideal customer, making your audience highly relevant to the brand.

Sponsorships tip: My most lucrative sponsorship deals happen when I bundle cross-channel offerings.

My secret weapon? My email lists.

I have two lists with thousands and thousands of engaged readers, and I use them to sweeten sponsorship deals. When I pitch to companies, I include detailed insights like open rates, click-through rates, and past results to show the value I bring. This not only helps me land deals but also ensures my sponsors see real returns.

4. Digital Products

When I mention digital products for travel bloggers, I’m typically talking about things like:

Pre-made Itineraries

Example: “10-Day Travel Itinerary for Bali”

These detailed itineraries are a great way to sell your expertise and save your audience the hassle of planning.
Courses

Example: Thai 101 – How to Communicate with Locals and Navigate Common Travel Situations

Courses can cover anything from learning a language to mastering travel hacking and everything in between.
Ebooks and Guides

Example: “How To Stay Safe While Backpacking Mexico”

These are quick wins for your audience that offer practical travel advice in an easily downloadable format.
Printable Checklists or Planners

Example: A “Pre-Travel Checklist” or “Monthly Travel Budget Planner”

Printables are simple yet useful products that travelers can print out and use as they plan their trips.

Digital Products Tip: Create content that naturally funnels into the sale of your product. For example, a blog post titled “Basic Thai Phrases for Beginners” can easily lead readers to your Thai 101 course. Another example is “The Perfect 3-Day Bali Itinerary,” which can spark interest in your more detailed, paid itinerary.

5. Tours and Experiences

This is one of the most exciting ways to monetize your blog because it not only allows you to travel (and get paid for it) but also helps you build a community with your readers.

It helps you create meaningful connections and lifelong friendships, which (at least to me) is one of the best parts of traveling.

You have flexibility in the types of tours you offer:

Multi-Day Tours Abroad: Lead an adventure through a popular destination you love.
Local Hiking Tours: Host a hike or camping experience in a national park.
City Tours: Create a half-day experience showing off the hidden gems in your hometown.

Tours Tip: Building your email list will be crucial for promoting these experiences. Having a list ensures your offers land in front of the right audience.

Additionally, consider starting a Facebook group for travelers; this allows you to connect with your readers on a personal level, nurture relationships, and build excitement around upcoming tours.

How To Get Started 💲

All of these ideas are just the beginning of what’s possible with your blog.

To make your blog truly work for you, you’ll need not only readers but also a clear marketing plan to convert those visitors into revenue.

If you’re ready to make money with your blog, we dive deep into these strategies, and much more, in Scale Your Travel Blog.

We offer two options to fit your needs:

👉 Course & Community

👉 Course, Coaching, & Community

My Favorite Content This Week

30 Ways To Grow Your Email List (For Free) – Matt McGarry
How To Grow A Newsletter Empire – Sharath Kuruganty & Chenell Basilio
10 AI Business Ideas From The Queen of AI with Sarah Guo – My First Million

Coming Up Next…

🚨 How to get paid to grow your email newsletter (these techniques make us $50k/month)

🚨My favorite newsletters right now (that will help YOU make money, too)

Keep an eye on your inbox for these email updates.

Have a great week!
Laura

P.S. Here are my top recommended blogging resources.

(Links in this email could be affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase through them, we will make a small percentage without ANY additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting our newsletter!)

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