You guys, blogging is hard work. And if you’re trying to make money off a blog in a saturated market, it can be even harder, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing! Well, I’m here to tell you that there are several ways you can make easier money than by blogging.
Seriously. And you can start today!
Now, to preface things, I’ve done all these things and currently do them to make money. Some take more research than others, but none take quite as much time and effort as blogging does. I know- I’ve been blogging for about 5 years now and I have 2, going on 3 blogs. It’s fun, but it can be a lot of startup! Let’s start!
Become a Pinterest VA
I love Pinterest so much, especially now that I understand the ins and outs of it. I worked as a Pinterest VA. It can be lucrative and put on auto-pilot once you’re up and running! I found my clients in Facebook groups and worked on keywords, images, and growing their business. It was fun to see how much I can help them!
Tailwind also made it super easy. Tailwind is a scheduling app for Pinterest and it can put your most popular posts and best-selling products on a rotating schedule that automatically pins for you… and you would get paid for doing this. I mean, really. If you sign up through my link here you get a free month of Tailwind (but it’s totally worth it even if you don’t get the free month). This is one of the few things I have upgraded to “pro” in my life because it’s that good.
How can you start doing this, you ask? First, create your own Pinterest account and start noticing what you pin and how the pins look. Listen to the podcast Simple Pin Media and keep your eyes open. That’s what I did! The best examples are the ones at the top of Pinterest searches so search for your cookie recipe and see what the top pins did to get there! Then, try to do it yourself and create your own pins in canva.com which is free and awesome!
Invest in Stocks
I was sitting in my car, about to go into Chipotle for lunch listening to NPR on the radio when I heard that Chipotle stock was going public. I thought, I like Chipotle. I’m about to eat Chipotle. Other people like Chipotle. This would be good stock to buy. Of course, I never did and I’m still kicking myself for it. I did the same train of thought for Facebook stock. But no longer! I am into stocks and whenever I feel that tickle again, I go for it.
OK, stocks are not for everyone because you can lose all your money (ouch!) and you have to have upfront capital. Also, if there is even a hint of an addiction to gambling in you or someone close to you, proceed with caution. Stocks are certainly a gamble!
I really got into stocks by reading about them front and back and upside down. But, when you start a blog you do the exact same thing. When you want to make money from home? Same. You get pregnant… how many blog posts did you read to see if your morning sickness was actually morning sickness and not something else? We read a lot, so why not read and watch videos that will help us put the right for forward to save for our futures?
If you’re interested, my favorite websites to follow for stocks are:
I use etrade.com for my investments and they have so many cool things, like a watchlist. How it works? Basically, you choose what stocks you would be interested in buying and put it on the watchlist (no money down) and the list tracks your stocks to see what you could have made if you invested and see what potential your choices have. Do some research and consider investing!
Self-Publish Books
Unlike what you might read online, it is possible to make a steady income on self-published books. I’ve self-published 4 books, contributed to 1, and published 1 traditionally… in different genres!
I make a steady, monthly income on my books with no work on my end, especially because I advertise them through Tailwind/ Pinterest! 🙂 It requires no effort on my end after I created the books and uploaded them to KDP (Amazon).
But, you know what? Having a platform for blogging really helped. I had readers help me proof read, handed out free copies of my books, and asked for reviews. My readers rock!
On top of that, traditional publishers were interested once I could tell them about my online presence and told them how many self-published books I was selling per month. Quantifying how much they could sell with me was awesome!
If self-publishing is something you’re interested in, I have more tips coming out soon so be sure to sign up for my emails! And believe in yourself! That’s the first step. If you don’t start, how can you ever finish?
These are 3 ways you can make easier money than blogging from someone who does it! Have you tried any of these? How did it work out for you?