Two years ago, I was a new blogger and was struggling to even make a cent out of my blog.

Two years forward, I am no longer a new blogger, but I feel like I still am. Now, my blog makes more than $20,000/mo and I spend no more than 5 hours a month on it.

Time really flies. I can't believe I've been blogging that long. I can't believe that I'm only blogging, at most, 5 hours a month.

It took me a while before I became the blogger who spends 5 hours a month (this is another story for next time) and still makes over $20,000/mo (with 5-10% of my blog income from blogging about blogging). So, roughly I make around $18,000 purely from other sources. I'm so happy I got to this point so early.

Blogging is such as rewarding hobby (I still call it hobby). It's the one hobby that keeps on giving even when I'm not doing anything new to it. I'm telling you this because it has changed my family's life for good. See post here.

If you want to make money from blogging, you need a blog. If  you want to start one, you can start with Bluehost for $2.95/mo. This is my affiliate link and I get paid a commission at no cost to you if you sign up using my link. I'm being direct on that one.

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How I Make Money From Blogging Without Blogging About Blogging

While there are bloggers who make money from blogging by blogging about blogging, I make most of my money using other sources.

For those who want to start blogging to make money, you're probably are tired of reading bloggers explaining the way they make money when in fact they make money by blogging about blogging.

I'm saying that because before I started, I had read a ton of bloggers whose main income was blogging about blogging.

If you want to start blogging and make money later on, I want you to know that there are endless income opportunities out there. You don't have to stick with blogging about blogging to make money, which many bloggers do.

Here are some of the income sources you can use to make money from blogging.

1. Product affiliates

When you see a link in a post and it's a product link, chances are it's an affiliate.

You will come across with a ton of products out there with different levels of commissions. You have the option to promote different products but you have to choose the ones you are willing to vouch for to your readers.

So, the question remains, that is, how do you really get paid from product affiliates? Here's the answer to it.

For example, I get paid a set fee when someone signs up for a blog. I don't just recommend Bluehost, my affiliate product, just because of the commission. I support it because I believe in it. I have been using it for over a year now, and I still love it.

You will come across with a ton of product affiliates as you grow your blog. You will try new things, like some of them, and hate some of them.

The secret to how bloggers make money blogging is promoting high-quality products that you won't hesitate to try and share even with your loved ones.

You'll see that in January 2018, I made $6,017 and $3,389.35. These are products other than blogging products.

The ones I listed below offer various products you may find suitable for your niche. These ad networks are:

• iGain (I make hundreds from this one network)
• Offer Juice
• FlexOffers (I make hundreds of dollars from this one network)

Read: How To Start A Blog In 15 Minutes or Less

2. Ad networks

Ad networks are the best way to go when you are starting and want to make money from blogging. As a matter of fact, a lot of top money-making blogs make a decent pay from ad networks.

Some of the popular ad networks are Google Adsense, Media.net, and AdThrive. I like all of them because you can place ads of any size just about anywhere in your blog.

There aren't a lot of the ins and outs when it comes to ad networks.

Once you set the ads up, then, you are good to go. You don't have to constantly check them unlike if you are promoting some affiliates.

Do ad networks pay in the same way? The answer is no.

Many of ad networks, if not all, pay a certain amount per click or amount per thousand impressions or in some other ways. Always remember that the devil is in the details. Always ask the question of how you get paid for displaying ads in your blog. The image below is my ad network, which pays per thousand impression.

Read: Earn Money Blogging: How I Earned Over $39,000 In 2 Months

3. Sponsored posts

As your blog grows, business representatives will contact you to promote their businesses in exchange for fees.

The payment you received from these posts can range from $50 to thousands of dollars, all depends on your blog traffic, engagement, client requirement, and other factors.

What I do recommend is only work on sponsored posts or products that you believe will be helpful for your readers. Don't just entertain sponsored posts just because of money.

So, why is it important to weed through the potential sponsored posts? Here is the reason.

I've had so many offers in the past but declined a lot of them because the products didn't seem to fit my overall blog theme. Money is good so is retention of avid readers.

You want to keep your readers entertained and keep them coming back. To do this, you need to provide them valuable and high-quality posts.

Not all of the sponsored posts are of quality. So, you need to ensure that you only work with high-quality sponsored posts.

I don't focus on sponsored posts as much as I need to. My sponsored posts only account for less than 5% of my blog income. May be someday I will reach out to more businesses or promote my blog to them. For now, I'm ok with what I receive from sponsored posts.

Read:  25+ Survey Sites That Will Add $600/Month or More

4. Your products/services

Blogs are not just meant to sell other businesses' products and services. You can definitely sell yours. Period.

Some of my friend bloggers created their websites because they want to market their products and services. It's a smart idea if you ask me.

If you allow non-competing businesses to do sponsored posts in your blog aside from running your own business on the same blog, you could make money. Add on top of that are the ad networks. Then, you may be looking at even higher passive income.

That is also one of the secrets on how bloggers make money from blogging.

Just think about big businesses. They have their own websites selling their own products, but they also run ads from third-party partners and make money doing that. This is also how some of the top money-making blogs earn more money.

Whether it is a book or a tutorial or something else, you can use your blog to sell your products and services.

Currently, I sell 15+ Strategies To Skyrocket Your Blog’s Page Views, editable MS Excel budget worksheet, and budget printables. These products bring me around $300 per month.

Read: How I Made $23,520.50 In Just 9 Months As A New Blogger

5. Investments

I am an investment-nerd at heart. That's why a big chunk of my blog income money gets placed in the stock market.

While some bloggers invest money back to their blogs, I invest my blog money in the market. I believe in diversifying income sources. This way, when one goes down south, there are still other sources that can bring in money.

Of course, investing is not for everybody and is not for the faint of heart. If you are not into investing but want to diversify your income sources, you can do freelancing, coaching, among others.

The sky is the limit when you have a blog that generates revenue month after month.

Final thoughts:

These are the major sources of my income for my blog. There are small stuff here and there that may only bring a couple of dollars, but when they are grouped together, they make a whole lot of money.

See, you don't need to blog about blogging to make money from blogging. There are so many ways to bring in money.

If you already have your blog up and in need of getting more traffic organic and social media-wise, I highly recommend my own “15+ Strategies I applied to skyrocket my blog's page views in just 9 months“. In this e-book, I detail the steps I took to get my blog from 0 views to 170K views.

Want the e-book for FREE? If you start your blog through this tutorial, just email me a receipt of your Bluehost purchase and I will send you a copy of my e-book for FREE. It normally costs $19.99, but it will be yours for FREE. Can't beat that!

Are you ready to create your own blog? Do you think that being successful at blogging means blogging about blogging?

Related Posts:

• My Blog Pays For Everything
• Best Blogging Tools For Beginners
• Truths About Blogging