There’s still a lot of confusion about how bloggers make money — especially if you’re not a blogger yourself.

It’s a question I’ve been asked countless times and I decided to write this post today to add some ideas that may not readily come to mind when it comes to making money from a blog. Apologies if you’re not a blogger, but feel free to read through if you want. 🙂

Currently, the standard and most popular ways to make money as a blogger are: sponsored content (blog posts, IG posts, etc.), ads, selling a product (e-book, course, etc.), and affiliate sales. Although these are some of the biggest, they are by no means the only ways. Today’s post goes over a few of the ways that you can use your skills as a blogger to help bring in a little extra revenue.

This post is sponsored by Reside Living.

Offer relevant skills

If you run a blog, you’re in charge of everything: writing, editing, photography, strategy, marketing, and everything else that goes into making your content successful. All of these skills are marketable outside of your own blog.

Reach out to businesses or brands to see if they may be in the market for any of the above. I have done photographs for companies, social media, and written for several websites on a freelance basis. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you’re interested!

Think outside the box

Currently, one of the companies I work with is Reside Living — an apartment rental agency here in Chicago. At first it might not seem like a congruent relationship, but this is the second year we have worked together and it has definitely been a mutually beneficial one.

I help contribute content to their website and social media, while also sharing about the events they hold in the city. I’m able to use my personal training credentials to write fitness and health-related posts on their blog and in addition to a predictable monthly income, I’m able to utilize their spaces for things like photos and events. They have a ton of properties all over the city, so this works out well for both of us! Plus hello — this kitchen?!

Build relationships

I already wrote this post about my frustration with bloggers shaming other bloggers for working for free, so I won’t go into a ton of detail here, but I will reiterate that it’s YOUR blog. YOU make the decisions. If writing a post for product (instead of money) is worth it to you, then do it. If you know that you’re not getting paid now, but value a company and wish to work for free with the understanding that as the company grows, you’ll go along for the ride, then go for it.

The relationships that I’ve made with photographers, bloggers, and other content creators have been extremely helpful in growing this business. I have a friend who is a photographer and sometimes asks me to be in shoots that she is doing for her clients. I’m not paid and it takes time from my day, but she always offers to take a couple extra shots of whatever I’d like as well as giving me access to the entire shoot when it’s ready. This way I can help her out and also save $$$ on professional photos.

The bottom line is to value yourself and your time. Think about everything you do. What are you good at? What can you offer as a service that can help you bring in an income that is related, but not exclusive to, your own blog?

Often, we don’t give ourselves enough credit and fail to realize how much this work entails. Reach out to brands, companies, and businesses to see if your skills are needed. The worst someone can say is no, but the best they can say is yes!