Want to start today making money from your blog?  Well, what if you don’t have a huge following or just don’t really know where to start?  Well, I’ve got a few ideas for you.  This will be the first of a series of posts talking about how to make money with your blog.  The first ones have to do with Affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is when you talk about someone else’s product and then if your audience buys that product with your link, then you get a commission.  It is a really effective way to make money because you are use products every day and you are interacting with your audience every day.   Sharing products that you like is natural and easy.  Here are some of the top affiliates you can use:

Amazon Associates  

Being a mom to 5, I do as much shopping on Amazon as possible.  Becoming an Amazon affiliate is simple and free.  You could sign up in five minutes and then you just use your special links when posting about products.  When someone click through and purchases, you get a percentage.  AND if someone clicks through and buys the product you feature and they buy other items in the same checkout, you get a percentage from everything they purchase, not just your one item.  You can also set up an Amazon “store” of your items that you love and put a widget into the sidebar of your site.   Amazon affiliates are a must!

Like to Know it

And

ShopStyle Collective

Like to Know it and Shop Style are subaffiliate networks that you apply to and once you are accepted to the site then you can place links from a lot of different advertisers and stores.  Places like Gap, Nordstrom, Old Navy etc…

You’ve probably seen #liketoknowit on your favorite fashion blogger’s post.  Followers can sign up so that when they like a post with that hashtag, they get emailed details for the items in the picture.  It is pretty amazing but you do have to apply and you are accepted based on influence and reach.  So, if you are just starting out, ShopStyle Collective is probably for you.

ShopStyle Collective is like Like to Know it, but you get paid per click.  So, if you get people to click on the link, you get paid. It isn’t based on purchases.  ShopStyle is an easy one to get up and going and is one to get you started in affiliate marketing.

Posey and Pence

Posey and Pence is a new one for me, but I have checked it out and really like what I see.  It is an affiliate take on LuLaRoe but with clothes that are more my style, no big buy in and you don’t have to deal with stock.  You just sign up, promise to promote their clothes three times per week across your social media platforms, you give your followers a 10% off coupon code, they buy and you get 20% commission on every purchase.  I love the idea of this!  AND get this!  If you sign up between now and December, you don’t have to pay the registration fee (which is usually $350).

An MLM

Now, I don’t want to lose you on this one, because I’m NOT talking about joining an MLM and then starting a Facebook group and then selling to your friends.  The way I see it, if you are building a brand and blog around who you are, then you should choose an MLM that matches your brand, then you can easily incorporate it into your posts.  When choosing an MLM, make sure that it fits you and your style, doesn’t require handling the product (leave the shipping to the experts) and doesn’t cost too much to get in.  You know I’m a Maskcara girl, but if that doesn’t fit you, find one that does.  One of my friends uses essential oils all of the time.  She became a distributor to get the discount, but because she uses oils daily, she talks about them naturally with friends.  She makes $400 a month by doing it and she doesn’t do anything that she wouldn’t be doing already.  She is basically treating it like an affiliate program.  That is the way to do it.

Those are today’s five ways you can make money with your blog.  I’ll be posting more ideas soon.

Haven’t started blogging yet, but want to?  Click here for my step-by-step guide.  It takes only minutes.  

(This is one of my favorite ways to use affiliate links.  Bluehost hosts my website and if I someone signs up through my link I get a payout. Awesome, right!)