I’ve spent many years at home now because I’m unable to go out to work. I’ve researched and tried out many ventures and I’ll be totally honest with you from the start. Earning from home is not easy.
Since Covid a lot of people have discovered that work, I mean actual jobs, can be done from home and working from home has increased. So if you have a job you could continue working from home with then you are lucky. If not, then I hope I can give you a little advice and tips.
My list is not extensive and I will continue this as a series of working from home posts. For now I am going to focus on blogging and influencer opportunities.
Blogging
It’s not easy earning money from blogging. First you need to build your blog and get it to a reasonable readership. When I first started blogging there were many ways of doing this and blogging was pretty popular. These days, it doesn’t hold so much influence because there are so many other forms of Social Media and ways of people getting advertising across.
It’s still a good way to earn though. You have to register your blog with PR companies that are looking to place articles in return for cash. The bigger and more established your blog then the more you will be paid. There has always been a big debate on how much you should actually get paid for a job, but if you need to earn then you may find yourself accepting much less than your blog is worth in the beginning. This can improve over time. It’s always worth coming in high and hoping you get a good deal. A lot will ask to post for a very small fee, it’s up to you whether you accept or not. You don’t have to.
A lot of sponsored posts are generally a copy and paste article, which can be an easy way of earning a little extra cash, but they can’t be relied on. You may get four or five a month, or wait a few months before getting any at all. Then there is the point of whether you want to put them on your blog in the first place. You do need to put a disclosure in your post that you have been paid for posting it. It’s only fair to your readers too, they will respect your blog more if you disclose that the post is a sponsored one.
There are different specifications that a company will look for to ask for posts on your site, but the main objective will always be the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) you can offer them. This increases with your Domain Authority which can be found on sites such as Moz Domain Analysis You can increase you DA with good keywords and backlinks from other sites with a good DA.
If you are looking for help with your blogging then you may wish to look for sites such as Blogging Bread. Or groups on Facebook such as Top Blog Coaching.
Social Media
You can earn money from your Social Media accounts but it all depends on your content and number of followers. To get paid you will need thousands of followers and you need to work hard to build up an account that is worthy of advertising on.
I have never made a successful Social Media account. I do have accounts that compliment my blog but I’ve never put the work in to making my accounts big enough. I don’t really have the energy and time, or even the imagination. For some it comes natural but I discovered long ago that this was not for me.
It could be for you though. particularly if you have a specific theme or niche subject to post about. Some people are just better on camera too, I am not. I hate the sound of my own voice so I couldn’t even make a podcast. (Although I probably would have a lot to say!)
Once you have built up your account then you will easily find companies that will be willing to collaborate with you. You can get free products to try out and even get paid for promoting them. Of course, full disclosure is required.
Affiliate Programs
It’s good to join affiliate programs that you know you can promote. I choose mine carefully and place ads whenever I can. I even write entire posts which promote the things I hope my readers will buy or subscribe too. Affiliate programs can bring in a regular income if used properly. The ads can be used on blogs, in sidebars, and on Social Media.
There are many affiliate programs to join. My favourite is Awin where you can choose as few or as many programs to join and they will decide if you are suitable.
Choose Ads that are relevant to your readers and you will do well.
There are other Affiliate programs to try. I also use Webgains
A good way of becoming an affiliate is to find a product or company you truly love and checking through their website to see if they offer an affiliate program.
Getting the Work
You will probably be thinking where do these opportunities come from? Well, if you are popular or have a platform then you will be contacted. At first you’ll probably just be asked if you will post something with no mention of renumeration. The best option would be to reply with your fees.
It’s really important to have a contact page available on your blog. Showcase your work, let people know who you have already worked with. Make your e-mail or contact form readily available for people to get in touch.
It’s good to have a media kit which gives anyone who is interested details of all your social media accounts and other relevant information. I use Webfluential to make my media kit.
I hope you have found this post useful, if you have any questions or ideas of your own then please let me know in the comments. Also, if there is anything you’d like me to talk about in the future let me know.
