$200 per month. $3000 per month. $15,000 per month. $170,000 per month.

These are just a few of the figures jumping around the blogosphere. Bloggers are making a killing with their words, online communities and traffic.. It’s not pocket change. In fact, it’s income that supports their families, businesses, and lifestyle. All of this passive income means bloggers can ‘retire’ much earlier. Can you imagine pulling in high five figures each month just from writing a few posts on your blog?

Ok, so maybe it’s not as easy as that but it is that simple.

Can you do it too?

If they can, so can you. Right?

Yes, anyone can make money blogging but not everyone will.

Blogging is more than just publishing a few posts each week. The bloggers making a living from their words and promotions have a strategy in place, and audience who loves them, and the ability to sell themselves.

While there is still a lot of opportunity to make money online through blogging, it’s by no means a get rich quick scheme. It takes effort, time, dedication and perseverance. Cash flow isn’t guaranteed and it’s likely that you’ll have to spend money to make money but that’s like any business, isn’t it?

So can you really make money blogging?

Yes, you can. But you have to be willing to treat it like a business from the get go. Sure hobby blogs might earn a couple of dollars here and there from Adsense. Some might even grow to be hugely successful and evolve into businesses. But why take the chance?

If you want to be a successful blogger making money you need to be in it for the long haul, with a topic you enjoy, and the willingness to experiment.

Here are just a few blogs who are making money blogging. Some have been at it a few months, some many years, they come from various backgrounds, but all share their love of blogging and helping others.

• 30Streams – made over $17,000 in April
• Making Sense of Cents – made almost $70,000 in May
• Make Money Your Way – made $7,000 last month
• Horkey Handbook – earned over $16,000 in a month
• Pinch of Yum – made around $60,000 in April
• Smart Passive Income – brought in more than $170,000 in January alone
• The Restless Worker – made over $200
• Matthew Woodward – earned over $20,000
• The Wandering Gourmand – increased his income to over $2,000 per month

If these bloggers/writers/travellers/entrepreneurs can do it, so can you.

How are they making money?

Affiliates

The one thing that all of these have in common is that they earn money through affiliates. You can affiliate yourself with a company or brand and sell their products or services through your blog. When someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase you receive a portion of that. Sometimes it’s 4% sometimes it’s 50% depending on the affiliate you are recommending.

Freelance writing

Another income stream is freelance writing. Write blog posts and articles for publications and you can make anywhere from $20 per article to $2000 depending on your experience and who you are writing for. If you want to be a freelance writer, check out 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success Course at Horkey Handbook.

Adsense

Adsense used to be popular. While it doesn’t generate as much income as it once did, it’s still a source of revenue worth trying if you do it properly.

Private ads

If you have a wide readership you might find companies or organisations willing to spend the extra buck to place ads on your website. You can charge whatever you like for these but obviously the higher your traffic the more you can charge for ad space.

Products

Why not create your own product? You can offer a service (eg. coaching) or a product (eg. course or ebook) and have a passive income stream that keeps on paying. Once you create a product you can sell it for as long as you want. There’s no time frame. Classics still sell today. Courses might need updating but you can continue offering them year after year with just a few tweaks.

Virtual Assistant Services

With more blogs popping up in the blogosphere, there’s been an increase in the demand for virtual assistants. If you enjoy helping others, are good with words, have strong attention to detail, know your way around social media and wordpress among other things, you might want to offer VA services through your blog. If you’ve been thinking about becoming a Virtual Assistant and working from the comfort of your own home working with business you’re genuinely interested in, why not sign up for 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success today.

These are just a few little ways bloggers make money. Some are stepping stones to something bigger, others are permanent gigs that provide variety, and a few might even become semi-passive income streams.

There has never been a better time to get started with a blog. Want to get started today? You can start your own blog in less than an hour! Click here to find out more.

What are you waiting for? Have you made any money blogging this month? What’s your most successful revenue stream? How long did it take you to start earning an income from your blog?