Today, there are many reasons to start a blog. Blogs are more than just online platforms. They're also a way of displaying your knowledge and expertise for all to see. For some entrepreneurs, they're a source of income as well, provided they know how to activate the right levers and monetization strategies.
A blog can be transformed into a profitable business: it's just a question of choosing the right niche and knowing how to develop and maintain a loyal community.
Understanding blogging
Making money with a blog doesn't mean making headlines with your personal life. Being a blogger is also different from being an influencer... Sponsored articles, affiliate marketing, SEO... Blogging is much more complex!
What is blogging? What is a blogger?
Blogging is the activity of creating and maintaining a blog. One of the many benefits of blogging is that it can start out as a passion and turn into a lucrative business!
On blogs, bloggers regularly share content for internet users in the form of articles, photos, or videos. Blogs are organized according to specific themes, with entertaining and informative article formats to keep web users entertained and informed.
The subjects covered can be very varied. Bloggers often also have a strong social media presence, bordering on influencer marketing.
To become a blogger is to become a passionate expert in a field. Blogging not only enables them to share their knowledge and experience with their website visitors, but also to earn a living from their blog.
This communications professional also has the opportunity to interact with internet users, through website comments or by subscribing to the blogger's newsletter, who can chat with them by email. The blog thus becomes an ideal platform for self-expression, a pillar of an ecosystem linked to an influential personality, enabling him to generate income.
How do bloggers actually make money?
Bloggers have several ways of getting paid for their work via their blog. Depending on the nature of their collaboration, they may be paid in gifts or cash.
The way bloggers are compensated can vary according to their niche, audience, and influence. Some bloggers even diversify their sources of income by combining several remuneration methods, while others focus mainly on a single method.
Some of the main methods of remuneration with this online business idea are as follows:
- Advertising and affiliate marketing: Brands use blogs to display their advertisements and promote an offer. In return, they pay a commission to the blog author after each sale or click.
- Selling products or services: Bloggers can also create their own products, such as clothing, cosmetics, nutrition programs, a line of home decor products, a book, etc. Their blog can enable them to sell these products.
- Donations or crowdfunding: When the link between the blogger and their community is very strong, some visitors might opt to make donations to thank the blog owner and support them financially.
- Paid subscriptions and exclusive content: Some blogs have both free and paid content. These offer exclusive access to certain articles or more advanced tutorials, in return for payment of a subscription fee.
- Sponsored articles and partnerships: Sometimes bloggers are paid by other media or brands, in return for creating sponsored content. In this case, their role is to write articles or reviews to promote certain offers.
How much can a blog earn? How can you make a living from it?
Blog earnings can vary considerably depending on a number of factors, such as traffic, blog niche, content quality, engagement, monetization strategies used... So it's impossible for me to give a concrete answer to this question. The truth is, a blogger's salary can range from 0 to thousands of dollars!
Nevertheless, some bloggers have succeeded in turning it into a significant source of income. Take the inspiring example of Garance Doré. Her blog has become a highly influential platform, attracting the attention of brands and sponsors. Garance Doré was then able to monetize it and multiply lucrative opportunities (newsletters, brand partnerships), followed by the release of a best-selling book and the launch of her Doré cosmetics brand.
You may have also heard of Virginie Grimaldi, a well-known French novelist. She began her career with a writing blog. This medium enabled her to develop a community, and it was thanks to this visibility that she eventually published a series of hugely successful books! In a way, her blog was her launch pad!
How many visitors does a blog need to become profitable?
It's a question everyone asks: how many visitors does a blog need to become viable? There's no precise answer. One person can make a living with a fairly small but highly committed audience, and another with lots of visitors... It all depends on the levers chosen and the monetization strategy, as well as a number of other factors:
- The blog's niche: Some niches are more interesting to exploit in terms of revenue. In general, the more targeted the blog, the better it performs. Certain subjects, such as finance, marketing, travel, or health, are also very popular.
- The monetization method: Many bloggers don't hesitate to multiply different levers to increase the profitability of their blog;
- The conversion rate: The percentage of visitors who carry out a desired action plays a central role in blog profitability. Sometimes, a blogger with fewer visitors can earn a higher return than another professional with a larger community, but whose members are less active.
Taking all these factors into account, the profitability of a blog is studied on a case-by-case basis. Some sites generate revenue with just a few thousand visitors a month, while other blogs require hundreds of thousands of visitors to be financially rewarding. The key is to find the right balance between traffic and monetization methods.
Choosing a profitable niche
Importance of niche in blog monetization
As with making money in ecommerce, the niche in which a blogger chooses to position themselves is central!
First of all, focusing on a particular niche, rather than opting for a generalist blog, attracts a more engaged audience. The more passionate visitors are about a subject, the more loyal and active they are!
Similarly, whenever possible, try to focus on a specific niche with little competition. If you concentrate on a less saturated subject, you will have a better chance of standing out and being perceived as an expert in your field, giving you a valuable competitive edge.
In this context, a specialized niche also gives you a greater chance of being able to collaborate with brands and establish beneficial partnerships.
Just as when a retailer sells a product, a blogger needs to understand the expectations of their target audience. By studying your readers' behavior, you will be able to offer them the right content, combined with monetization methods that are all the more effective!
Techniques for choosing a profitable niche
Choosing a niche for your blog is a key step in maximizing your chances of success and profitability. To do this, I recommend doing, for example, the following:
- Perform keyword research on Google: Start by conducting a thorough search using relevant keywords related to your area of interest. Explore the search results to see what topics are popular, what questions are frequently asked, etc. This will give you an idea of what topics people are most interested in and what has the potential to attract a larger audience.
- Use Google Trends: Google Trends is a valuable tool for assessing the popularity of a topic over time. Use it to look for trends in keywords related to your niche. See whether these are rising, stable, or declining. This will give you an indication of user interest in your topic.
- Browse social networks: Visit every inspiring page on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, etc. to find accounts or groups dedicated to topics similar to yours. Observe the engagement, number of followers or even interactions on these accounts. This will give you an idea of the target audience, the current market and the demand for this type of content.
- Listen to podcasts and watch videos: Podcasts and videos are excellent sources of information for understanding audience needs. Watch the hottest YouTube videos or explore streaming platforms to see what current discussions and topics are generating the most interest.
- Analyze the competition: Observe how they approach the subject and the monetization methods they use. Don't try to copy, but rather to stand out: to create links with an audience, it's not enough to copy the content of companies or other influencers identically... It's up to you to find your own tone, based on elements of the web that appeal to internet users!
On the other hand, don't try to choose a niche just for the money. Blogging takes time and commitment. So consider your personal skills and interests too. Choose a niche in which you feel comfortable and passionate enough: your blog can become a regular internet business, earning you money on a daily basis. The more certain you are about the world you've chosen to develop in, the better work you will be able to produce.
Travel, lifestyle, cars, books, photography, etc.: Finding your niche
When it comes to choosing a niche for your blog, be aware that it's often better to specialize in one area rather than take a broader approach. Here are a few examples:
- Travel: Focus on a niche such as eco-travel, family travel, luxury travel, solo travel, or even travel to a particular region or country. You can write about these topics on your blog, share links to specialized sites, and even collaborate with companies on travel-related advertising.
- Lifestyle: The lifestyle field is very vast on the internet, so it's important to find a niche you're passionate about. Concentrate on ethical fashion, sugar-free food, eco-friendly interior design, minimalism, etc. Writing about these topics can attract advertising and links to sites and businesses that share your values.
- Automobiles: Focus on vintage cars, luxury cars, electric cars, converted vans, and more. Your blog can become a reference on the web, attracting automotive-related businesses and advertising.
- Books: You could specialize in classic literature, fantasy, historical novels, self-help books, or even children's books. Writing reviews on your blog can earn you money through affiliate partnerships and advertising.
- Photography: Here again, think specialization! Why not focus your blog on landscape photography, portraits, wedding photography, travel photography, or even culinary photography? With a well-designed site, you can attract business and targeted advertising, generating money from your passion for photography.
Fashion, beauty, decoration, news, cooking, TV, DIY... Any topic can be covered, but once again, don't forget to focus on a specific niche!
Most profitable levers for a blog
When it comes to monetizing a blog, there are several levers that can be particularly lucrative to help you make money from your website.
Using SEO to attract more traffic to your blog
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important ways to increase a blog's visibility in search engines. By optimizing your content with relevant keywords, creating quality backlinks and providing an optimal user experience, you will attract the most qualified organic traffic. What's more, the higher your traffic, the greater your chances of generating revenue through various monetization levers.
Advertising with Google AdSense
Google AdSense is an advertising platform that enables ads to be placed on blogs. The blogger earns money every time a visitor clicks on an ad. Google AdSense is easy to set up and can be an effective way of generating revenue, especially if your blog or webshop blog attracts a lot of traffic.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing involves recommending products or services in blog content and earning a commission when readers make a purchase via one of the affiliate links. Of course, for this to work, it's important to choose offers that are relevant to your niche!
Selling products or services: ebooks, PDFs, online courses, etc.
Don't forget that you can also create and sell your own products or services directly from your blog. This can include the sale of ebooks, PDF guides, online courses, one-to-one consultations, physical products, etc. The main advantage of this monetization method? You can sell your own creations, your own work, to an audience already loyal to your blog, to further develop your income.
Sponsoring and sponsored posts
When a blog becomes popular, it naturally attracts the attention of brands wishing to publish sponsored posts. This usually involves promoting a specific product or service in the blog's content, in exchange for a fee.
Donations
Some bloggers manage to generate income through donations from their community. By providing quality content and engaging your community, some of your readers may want to support you financially through voluntary donations. So don't hesitate to integrate donation buttons on your blog or use participatory funding platforms to facilitate this process! Ulule for products, Kickstarter for your projects... It's easy to set up a fund to support your ventures.
Developing and maintaining an audience
Importance of a loyal and committed community
A loyal community means that readers return to the blog regularly, interact with it, and are more inclined to support the blogger's initiatives. Even better: the most loyal readers can become ambassadors for the blog, sharing its content with their network. Good news: this attracts even more visitors!
Lives on social networks and emailing: Choose authenticity
Live broadcasts are increasingly used by bloggers. They humanize the relationship and enable direct communication with web users, in real time. Question-and-answer sessions, advice sharing, topical discussions... any way you can to maintain the link!
Email marketing is another powerful tool for maintaining a constant relationship with loyal blog users. That's why it's absolutely essential to collect your readers' email addresses to build your email list! That way, you will have everything you need to send them exclusive content and stay in touch.
Adapt to trends and evolutions to stay in place
Everything evolves very quickly on the internet: blogging is no exception to this trend! New things are constantly emerging. So stay on the lookout and adapt accordingly! New features on platforms come and go, but they're never the same: it's up to you to adapt, to train yourself on a daily basis to meet the new demands of the algorithms.
Ready to start a blog and begin making money as a blogger?
In all cases, whatever your chosen niche and the content you write on your website, choose authenticity! Readers are always more attracted to sincere bloggers who share their true personality. Don't be afraid to express your emotions or reveal yourself with sincerity! It's an unrivaled technique for building trust with your community. Simply be yourself!
