How To Make Money Blogging: 5 Videos And Their Insights
I looked at five recent Youtube videos and here’s the summary.
Ever dreamed of turning your blog into a cash cow? You’re not alone!
Today I’m turning to YouTube’s top creators for some wisdom. Let’s unpack their actionable strategies for building a profitable blog.
We’ll explore niche selection, keyword research, platform choices, and monetization tactics — fueled by the insights of Mike Vestil, Adam Enfroy, Katie Grazer, and more.
Get ready to transform your blog from a passion project into a income stream.
PS: At the end of this article I’m delivering an example of a great blogging niche.
1. How To Start A Blog & Make Money From Day 1 (Step by Step) by Mike Vestil
This video is about how to start a blog and make money from day one. The speaker, Mike Vestil, says that most people start a blog and then figure out a way to make money, but it’s actually better to figure out how you’re going to make money first.
Here are the steps that Mike recommends:
- Choose a niche. Figure out what you’re passionate about and what you could sell affiliate products for. There are many affiliate programs out there, such as Amazon Associates, Skillshare, and Freshbooks.
- Do your keyword research. Use Pinterest and YouTube search to find out what people are searching for. This will give you ideas for content to create on your blog. For example, if you’re passionate about editing software, you could create a blog post or video about the best editing software for photography.
- Launch your blog. Once you’ve chosen a niche and done your keyword research, you can launch your blog. Mike recommends using a platform like Bluehost or Squarespace.
2. How to Make Money Blogging in 2024 (The NEW Way) by Adam Enfroy
According to this video, while some blogging strategies that used to work in 2022 might not be as effective anymore, there are still new opportunities for bloggers to rank for informational content.
The video argues that focusing on long-tail keywords with lower competition is a better approach in 2024.
The speaker uses two websites as examples: foodtruckempire.com and howtostartellc.com. The first website ranks well for simple informational content such as prices, menus, and names of food trucks.
The second website seems to be doing not so well according to HRE (a website that estimates traffic based on backlinks) because it used to rank for keywords with high search volume but a lot of competition, such as “Godaddy login”.
In short, the key takeaway from the video is to focus on finding informational seed phrases with low competition and high search volume.
You can then create content around those phrases to build topical authority in your niche. The video also mentions that these won’t be the most profitable keywords but will help you build a foundation for your blog.
3. How To Start a Blog in 2024 / How I make over $10,000 a Month Blogging by Katie Grazer
In this video, Katie Grazer, a blogger with almost 10 years of experience, shares her journey and provides useful tips for beginners:
- Pick a niche. It should be something you enjoy and that has a target audience. Profitable niches include food and DIY.
- Set up your blog. Get a domain name, hosting, and a blogging platform like WordPress.org (recommended in the video).
- Design your blog. Choose a free or paid template to get started.
- Create high-quality content. This can be informative blog posts, videos, or podcasts. Focus on providing value to your target audience.
- Promote your blog. Utilize social media, Pinterest, and SEO to attract visitors.
Once you have a decent amount of traffic, you can explore monetization options like:
- Ads: Displaying ads on your blog and earning revenue when people click on them.
- Affiliate marketing: Promoting others’ products and earning commissions for purchases made through your affiliate links.
- Digital products: Selling your own ebooks, courses, or templates.
The speaker recommends affiliate marketing or creating a simple digital product, like an ebook, to start generating income from your blog.
4. Make money blogging in 2023 ⎯ times have changed (advice from a six figure blogger) 💸 by she dreams all day
According to this video, the speaker, a six-figure blogger, argues that the best way to make money blogging is through online courses.
While there are other ways to monetize a blog, like display ads, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships, the speaker says these are not the most lucrative options. Display ads pay very little unless you get a lot of traffic, affiliate marketing commissions can be low, and sponsorships take time and require trading your time for money.
The speaker recommends creating and selling online courses instead. This way, you can create a product once and sell it over and over again, and scale your business to unimaginable heights by helping more people.
The video outlines 7 steps to follow:
- Launch your blog
- Create consistent content to build your audience and email list
- Sign up for relevant affiliate programs within your niche
- Create a freebie and turn that freebie into a low ticket offer
- Turn your low ticket offer or affiliate program or product into an online course
- Consider display ads (but don’t focus on this from day one)
- After creating your first online course, create a new online course building off of the first course.
5. How to Start a Blog That Makes Money | How I Make $120,000+ a Month Bloggingby Perfecting Blogging | By Sophia Lee Blogging
According to How to Start a Blog That Makes Money | How I Make $120,000+ a Month Blogging by Perfecting Blogging | By Sophia Lee Blogging, the video is about how to start a blog that makes money.
The speaker, Sophia Lee, shares her experience of growing her blog from ground zero to a business that makes over $120,000 a month.
Here are the key takeaways of each year:
- Year 1: Focus on Pinterest and take blogging courses. Sophia learned that Pinterest is the most effective way to drive traffic to a new blog. She also recommends taking courses from successful bloggers to learn from their experience.
- Year 2: Focus on affiliate marketing and SEO. Sophia explains what affiliate marketing is and how to get started with it. She also talks about the importance of SEO and how to optimize your blog for search engines.
- Year 3: Focus on email marketing, grow your team, and diversify your income streams. Sophia emphasizes the importance of building an email list. She also talks about hiring full-time employees and starting new business ventures that are related to your blog.
Picking A Niche: Advice Summary
Now, several of these videos suggest you pick a good niche.
Here’s what they have in common when it comes to picking a niche for your blog:
- Pick a niche you’re passionate about: All the videos emphasize the importance of picking a niche that you’re genuinely interested in. This will make it easier to create content that you’re enthusiastic about and stick with it in the long run.
- Consider the niche’s profitability: While all the videos recommend picking a niche you enjoy, some videos also mention that it’s important to consider a niche’s profitability. Ideally, you want to pick a niche that has affiliate programs or other monetization opportunities.
- Look for niches with low competition.
- Focus on evergreen niches that have consistent demand.
- Research what people are searching for online using tools like Pinterest and Youtube search.
Example: A Niche That Would Tick All The Boxes
Let’s take the niche:
Plant-Based Baking for Beginners
This niche combines passion (baking) with profitability (growing vegan and health-conscious food market) while offering the potential for:
- Passion: If you love baking and enjoy experimenting with plant-based alternatives, this niche allows you to share your creations and knowledge.
- Profitability: There’s a growing demand for plant-based recipes, with many people looking for easy-to-follow baking guides. You could offer affiliate links to vegan baking supplies, cookbooks, or even create your own e-course on mastering plant-based baking.
- Low Competition: While baking is a popular niche, there might be less competition in the specifically plant-based baking for beginners space.
- Evergreen Content: Baking is a timeless topic, with people always looking for new recipes. Plant-based baking trends are likely to stay relevant for the foreseeable future.
- Research with Pinterest and Youtube: You can use these platforms to see what kind of plant-based baking questions beginners are asking and tailor your content to those needs.
