Hey y’all! I hope today’s post will be beneficial to you, because quite frankly, it was a difficult one to write! I have been contemplating writing about making money blogging for many months now. And I never quite knew how to say it. Some people are really iffy about ads on blogs, but what I think is that “why not put up some ads and start earning something while writing about what you love?” And the fact is (and it’s no secret), I DO make a little money writing this blog (yay!), and I wanted to share with all of you the companies I use, and how I actually do it.
The blogging community can seem a little hush-hush and intimidating at times. There are a TON of blogs that have ads on them. But have you ever wanted to know how those ads actually got there? Me too back in the day. But all you have to do is ask them!
Whether you are starting out a new blog, or whether you’ve been blogging for years, there may be some stuff you don’t know about advertising, sponsors, ad networks, etc. I had no clue about ad networks up until earlier this year. And from my perspective, they are awesome.
One of the ad networks I am part of is Rivit Media.
They have great campaigns and pay per CPM, meaning per 1000 page views. I won’t get into the logistics of all of that, but the good news is that they are accepting new applicants right now, so you can go ahead and apply if you want! If you get approved, they send you the HTML code and you just insert on your site wherever your ads will be. Easy peasy, and Stacy is a dream to work with! You have a lot of potential to make good money with them, and especially during a good high-paying campaign.
I am also a proud member of Clever Girls Collective.
Clever Girls is awesome because no matter how big or small your blog is, they don’t discriminate against that. They look for all types of blogs too. And besides being one of the largest blog networks, they are so sweet AND hilarious! What’s also awesome about Clever Girls is that great opportunities come from being in their network. They send out a newsletter with available and paying opportunities, and you just sign up if interested. If not, not biggie. Also, recently I was accepted into Federated Media’s DailyBuzz ad Network, through Clever Girls. So see, great things come from them! Just fyi-that opportunity was only through Clever Girls, so I don’t want you to think you’ll just sign up with FM and be good to go. Clever Girls will notify everyone through their newsletters as opportunities like that come up. :) But you can still sign up with Clever Girls!
Another way I make money is through Social Spark.
Social Spark is a network where you write sponsored posts for different companies, and get paid for it. I’ve only done 1 so far, but you set your minimum price and if any available opportunities come up, you’ll be notified. I’m pretty choosy about what I will accept as a lot of them wouldn’t pertain to my blog, but the ones that do, I will accept. And there’s absolutely no obligation to do any of them so there is no hard feelings toward anyone. But you can click that link and sign up with them as well, and be on your merry way to maybe a new lamp or 2. :)
And lastly, I have sponsors over there on my right sidebar under “lovely sponsors.”
Those buttons aren’t just there to look pretty. :) Those are companies that pay monthly for the advertising slot. I love personal sponsors because it helps promote awesome companies–awesome companies that you may not have heard of, but can quickly discover just by clicking their ad button. And those are just screen shots by the way. You’ll have to click them on my sidebar if you wanted to. :) And I only accept sponsors that I love or believe in their product and business. I love my sponsors!!
Don’t forget you can always use Google Adsense as well for ads to start collecting a little bit of money. I use Adbrite instead of Adsense, but anyone can sign up with Google or Adbrite. You never know where your blog will go.
I do need to thank Allison and Nester for helping me out in the beginning with this stuff, and Myra for filling me in on ad networks. I’d also recommend joining in Crafterminds’ chats on Twitter every Monday, or at least read their blog because they are always very helpful with this sort of stuff, and blogging in general.
You won’t get rich from this overnight or maybe even ever, but every little bit helps! And no, I wasn’t asked to write this post or anything. I just believe that successes and opportunities come from giving back. If you have information you know will help others but keep it to yourself, what good will come from that? Nothing will. I just really want to help all of you and that’s it! And if you don’t want to earn a little money from your blog that’s totally fine too. It doesn’t make your blog any less better if you don’t have ads. I just want you to know that the opportunities are available if you change your mind. :)
And my final thoughts…All I can say is that things have definitely been a blessing for me and my family since I began this blog in May of 2010. If you’ve read my about me page, you know I NEVER thought I would have my own blog. I was too scared. And I had no idea home decor blogs even existed until 2 years ago. That’s why I give all of this to God because I really believe this blog was His plan. I definitely know it wasn’t my plan. His plan was a great one and I have the best jobs ever.
I do hope this post was helpful for you and maybe exposed some of the things you’ve wondered about. If you have any other questions feel free to leave them in the comments. Now go sign up and make some money!
Sharing this post at Tip Junkie and Between Naps on the Porch.
xxoo,
Decorchick!
Great advice, Emily!! Thanks for sharing– money’s tough to address sometimes, but you did it gracefully AND graciously. Enjoy your day!
Thank you Heidi, you’re a sweetie!
Thanks for sharing this! Wondered how the ads worked on blogs! And although blogging is fun, ….to make a little money doing what you love would be awesome! :)
yes, totally! :)
Thanks for sharing such great advice. This is something that I’ve been wondering about for awhile. I’m just not quite sure that I’m ready to turn my hobby into work, but your post definitely gave me much to think about;)
Thanks for all of the great advice! This will be a great resource if I ever decided to dive into the world of advertising.
Great post Emily! I’m so thankful for this wonderful, crazy thing called blogging! :) Thankful for your friendship too! XO
Great post Em! Thanks for sharing your business secrets!
Thank you so much! That was very helpful!
I really needed this post right now! Last week, I went from wordpress.com to .org in hopes of gathering more opportunities. I am trying to learn a little bit each night when the kids go to bed….ya know, when I am REALLY exhausted ;) It is slow moving, but posts like this really help out. THANKS
Great post, Emily! I love hearing a little bit about topics like this. And thanks for the Clever Girls info- I’m headed over to sign up with them now!
Thanks for sharing! It is really great when more experienced bloggers share what they know. I learned about Rivit from Cassie!
Have you ever had a problem with ad networks displaying an ad that you disapprove of?
I just started having sponsors on my blog and it was SOOOO exciting to get paid for the first time for something I love to do!
Kelly, only the adbrite ads are kind of annoying at times, but they are getting better. There isn’t anything I can do about them. :-/ They are bad about having video ads on one particular size (the 200×350), so I took that size ad off just to eliminate it altogether.
Yay for you! It was an awesome feeling huh??!!
Emily, Thank you so much for your advice and for your blog. You are such an inspiration to me. I have just started my blog and haven’t quite gotten into the habit of posting. I have so many things in my head that I need to say, so I know it will come easier once I get used to it. Like you, I am continually updating things in my home. Unfortunately, I don’t have before pictures for everything, but I know now to take pictures whenever I make a change to something. I hope to one day have my blog to your level. Thanks again for all of the inspiration and advice!
Great blog. You did a great job and gave a lot of great advice and ideas. Thanks!
Great post, Emily! and thanks for hooking me up with Rivit!! I’m in Clever Girls too, but I’ve never done anything with them yet. I was starting to wonder if I was missing something?? And Social Spark…I’ve actually done a few, and one is posting today! yay
Great post! Thanks for sharing! I just tried to fill the form for the Rivit Media but it does not seem to accept my URL. “invalid url” it says. Do you have any idea why? I also tried the Clever Girls but I dont find any form to fill. How can I do it? Do I have to pay to them? Thanks in advance for your prompt reply.
Did you try inserting the URL with and without the http at the beginning?..and on clever girls you just click up top where it says “join the clever girls collective” and that takes you to the join us page, and then you will see what to do. Hope that helps.
Hey Emily! Great tips!! Also, thanks for mentioning me. That was really sweet of you.
xoxo
Allison
Thanks for this information! I appreciate your being transparent about ads. And I’ve learned something today!
Thanks so much for all the info Emily. I have not ventured into all of that as of yet. But I have been thinking about it! It was all very helpful. How much activity would you say you should have before you start?
Well for adsense and adbrite, I’d start from the get-go and just start accumulating a little pennies. Traffic doesn’t matter with those. I definitely think your site is a great candidate to sign up for those other companies I mentioned as well.
As far as the ad networks go, if you can get in early on (even if you don’t have tons of traffic yet) I would since ad networks change their policies and/or stop accepting new publishers sometimes. Then you’re on a wait list. So if you can get in, I would! Keep in mind with the CPM networks that pay per 1000 page views, obviously you won’t make a ton if you have less than 1k views a day. Make sense? But your site will always grow if you put the effort into it, so it will eventually get to that point. :)
Thank you so much for sharing! This is definitely one of those “unspoken” things about blogging. I really appreciate the info!
Many thank you’s for sharing this information. In today’s economy money making opportunities are hard to find and every penny adds up.
Blessings, Lori m
Thanks so much for sharing! I have recently started my blog and feel overwhelmed at times trying to figure it all out! I love your blog and appreciate all you do to encourage others.
Ahhh I know–it’s a lot to figure everything out. If you ever have any other questions on anything feel free to email me!
And thanks so much for the sweet compliment. :)
Thank you so much for sharing! I just joined the BlogHer ad network, so I’m just now learning about this stuff!
Wow – what an informative post – thank you so much for sharing your experiences and insight! Your blog is a huge success story after just a year and a bit. congratulations!
As a blogging newbie I can’t thank you enough for this post. Not that I’d ever blog to solely make money, it would be nice to get some change for what I love doing anyway. Thanks so much!!!
Oh no, no one should EVER blog just to make money! I should have put that in the post but I was already pushing an almost 1k word post. LOL.
Hi, Emily
Really enjoying reading this post, I really appreciate it.
Vanessa
This is just what I needed. I know getting readers all takes time, and getting those that do well to share, reply, and notice new blogs is not easy. I signed up for each of these and hope to receive positive responses. Thank you for your willingness to share these tips. There really is an art to increasing readership and driving attention. I”m proud of my new adventure and hope to share more. Now if I can just figure out why my subscribe feed never formats the pretty way I planned it! :)
Hi Julie congrats on your blog!! I’m glad you signed up too. I wish I had an answer for you about the feed thing but I’m not very good at that stuff. :( But have fun in your new adventure! :)
Emily- thanks so much for the fabulous insight/advice. I’ve been wondering about these very things for a while now but have never really looked into them until today thanks to this post. And, just for the record, I’m always ready for another ‘Real homes, Real messes…’ party. (Hah!) Hope you’re having a fabulous day!
hahaha! I always think of having another one! I could have one pretty much every day. :)
and….how in the world did I not know you were on Pinterest?? I’m a total addict. Sheesh…
THANK YOU! I’ve been wondering about all this! Us newbies really appreciate all the advice!
SO helpful…. thanks so much for sharing! I am so curious as to this but had no earthly idea as to where one would start with this! Good to know for hopefully the future? : )
Thanks so much, Emily, for shedding light on this. I have really been wondering about everything you talked about! I knew there had to be people out there to do this, but had no idea what/who to search for to learn about it. Thanks so much for sharing with us.
Great! I hope I took some of the guesswork out of it, so everyone doesn’t need to reinvent the will over again. :)
Thank you sooo much for this!
You’re so welcome!
Just found your blog and immediately added it to my favorites. Cannot thank you enough for this post. Great to hear others were scared to start blogging, and I cannot believe I actually started last month. Can’t wait for this to be added to my morning “must reads”
It’s so wonderful when people share their knowledge. Thank you for doing just that.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share. Even though I’ve read as much as I can about making a few $$$, I still had questions. I’m already signed up with Social Spark (haven’t reviewed anything yet). After reading this, I signed up for both of the other sites that you recommended. If I get accepted to either one of these does that mean that I can’t be part of the BlogHer network? Can you elaborate a little on why you use Adbrite instead of Adsense? One more – do their ads always appear at the top of your blog or can you control where there are? Thank you so much – your time is very appreciated!
Hi Suzy, BlogHer is a totally separate ad network. If you wish to apply with them, you can. They are very strict so I choose not to use them. But you most definitely can apply with them!
Me and Google just don’t get along, so I chose a different alternative to adsense, and adbrite seemed to be the next best thing. Sign up with adsense if you want–there’s no problem with that.
You control where your ads go. If you need to move them around you can do so. But ad networks like for ads to be above the fold, or as close to as possible, so keep that in mind. Your paid impressions tend to be better when your ad placement is closer at the top of your page.
Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for this great information and tips. I’m a relatively new blogger, and just learning about the different money making opportunities. Have a great week,
Babs
Very informative about so many possibilities. Definitely food for thought – thank you.
Very interesting. I’ve just started blogging for fun, but it’s helpful to have this info.
Thank you!
Sara
I really appreciate you writing this post. Very valuable information!! My sister and I blog together, and we have been wondering about this “stuff”!!
God bless!
Thank you so much! I had questions and you’ve answered them!!!
Thanks for the great post! Lots of great advice! I am joining the Clever Girls Collective and I Googled it to make sure I should and I saw your post. Super job! :0)
Thank you for sharing your information. I too, am trying to figure out how to take my blog to a new level. I would love to figure out how to use what I do as an income source for our family. My husband has been so supportive. He even supported the cost of the site. Not to mention the trips to Michael’s Craft Store, and Grocery Bills for making all of those kid friendly crafts, and recipes! I did stumble on the clever network, after my husband talked to a web designer. He suggested, I join social networks to get myself out there. I did apply, and was accepted. I am so proud of that! Now, I think I have the confidence to ask for sponsors. But, here is the delicate question, I am hesitant in asking anyone! How much do you charge for those little squares? Even if they were happy with the idea of advertising on my website. How much do I charge? I’m sure the cost would go up, if my # of visits went up. I know it gets complicated. But, I’m just looking for a middle price. Of course, there must be some cost in getting their logo set in place. I would figure that in up front. I guess??? Thanks for making this easy to ask. I am so used to helping people with things, and even though I cringe when I have to pay for supplies out of my pocket. I never ask for reimbursement. But, that has to change. I have to do this! Thanks again.
I was wondering about Rivit- I followed the link and signed up. But does it mater where I place the code on my blog? Thanks Emily!!
xo Becca
Thanks for the post! My blog, MomHomeGuide, is really new (I launched in February 2012), and I am new to advertising, etc. Your post is really informative — thanks!
I love this post! Thanks for posting about this topic. I just started my blog a week ago and I wanted to have ads on my blog. It’s about living life as a single mom but doing it stylish and cheap. I would love some pointers on how to get my blog feet off the ground and make some money! Thanks again! : )
What a great ( honest) post full of great information. As a fairly new blogger these are questions I have often wondered and thought I should know. I am bookmarking your page so I can dig deeper.
Thanks !
Robyn Smyles
http://robynsmyleshome.blogspot.com
Hi Emily! Thank you very much for this very informative post. It’s always inspiring to meet people who have found success with their blogs. I have been blogging on and off these past two years. Aside from being so busy with work, I also have this great fear of speaking (both literally and figuratively). My blog will turn three this May but if you’ll ever get around to checking it out, there’s nothing much to read (OMG so embarrassing). But I do plan to continue blogging because, believe it or not, I too have found it an unexpected blessing.
Hi Claudine I’ll have to check it out! :) Keep on blogging–it’s great. And I’m glad you have found the blessings too!
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