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You have a passion that you want to share with the world. Now is the time to make money doing something that you love. Here is how to make money with a passion project blog.
Back when I started my blog, I knew I wanted it to be a money-making blog, but at the same time, I was equally interested in it just being an outlet for me to connect with other people while I stayed home to raise my daughter.
These days, the path to monetizing is a whole lot clearer than it was back then. But the same principles that I used to make money with a passion project blog back when I started, still apply. Today though, they are a whole lot easier to execute!
If you are thinking of starting a passion project blog, that might not monetize in the same way as other blogs. This is for you!
What is a passion project blog?
A passion project blog is one that has a very personal niche. Some examples are sobriety, recovery, infant and pregnancy loss, abuse survivorship, mental health, grief, loss of a loved one, etc.
Why should you start a passion project blog that can be monetized even if you don’t care if it makes money?
This is the most often question we are asked when it comes to passion project blogs. Most people start a passion project blog because they want to share their passion or have a calling to do so.
They want to raise awareness, inspire change and provide help to others. They want to create a supportive community that understands what they are going through.
I was in the same place when I started my blog, so I very much understand this.
One thing that can often be forgotten is that passion projects can and often do evolve into income-producing blogs without even realizing it or planning for it. Of course, faster and better results come from planning for this, but even those that don’t plan, often find themselves in this situation. It can also be very upsetting to look back and not have things set up correctly from the beginning. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Why should you monetize a passion project blog or at least set it up from the start to be able to monetize?
There are many reasons to monetize a passion project blog. It can be to help bring in income for your family and yourself. It can be to reinvest in your blog. It can be to help a cause financially with your profits- especially the one that you are passionate about. For those who need to work from home for medical or any reason, this is a way to do that too.
Why do passion projects monetize differently?
Passion project blogs often have many of the same monetization methods. One exception can be the opportunity for brand sponsorships (sponsored posts on blogs and social media). This might be a bit more limited in the quantity of opportunity, but not the quality. Meaning that even though some of the subject matters from passion project blogs might not have as many opportunities, the opportunities do exist and they can often be very well paying. An example of this is a passion project blog about a disease. Because the blog is about a specific disease, there might not be as many sponsorship opportunities for this niche, but when one is available, it can often be a well-paid one because there aren’t as many blogs available to advertise on and they will want to work with someone that has a unique knowledge of the disease.
The even better news is that sponsored posts are just a small way to monetize. There are countless opportunities to make money with your passion project blog that doesn’t depend on being offered a sponsored post.
What are the 10 most popular ways to monetize a passion project blog?
- Display ads. Having ads on your blog can be one of the most passive ways to earn an income and it is effective in almost all niches.
- Affiliate sales. Earning income from affiliate partnerships means that you promote products that fit within your niche and earn a commission at no cost to your readers, and often times by offering your community a special price. There are endless opportunities for all niches to earn affiliate sales.
- Support groups and Paid community memberships. Passion project blogs often have a community component that can be monetized. With niches that others are a part of, this can be a great way to earn income.
- Ebooks. If you are knowledgeable in your passion project niche, selling an ebook is a great way to monetize.
- Courses. Have you learned something you can share with others to help them in the subject of your passion project? If so, creating and selling a course on your blog is an excellent way to monetize your passion project blog.
- Sponsored posts. Although there are not as many opportunities for some passion project blogs, the ones that are available can be very lucrative. This really depends on your niche topic and how universally friendly it is, meaning that the more family-friendly the topic, the more sponsored opportunities that are usually available.
- Mentorship. Passion project blogs normally grow from a deep connection to a particular niche. Because of this personal connection, offering one-on-one mentorship to others in that space can be a very good way to earn an income from your passion project blog.
- Group coaching. Want to increase the way that you help others and reach a higher income potential? Offering group coaching can be a great way to do this with your passion project blog.
- Write (and sell a book). – This can be a fun and lucrative way to tell your story and to provide helpful information and inspiration to your passion project blog readers.
- Selling articles. You can also use your passion project blog to create credibility, foster a community and sell articles within your niche to other publications.
As you can see, starting a passion project blog can be a great way to earn income online. Even if you are not clear on the plan you will use to monetize, or even IF you will monetize, one thing you want to do regardless is to make sure that you start your blog on a self-hosted platform.
Having a self-hosted platform means that you own your blog and all the content. It also means that if and when you do start to monetize (remember when I said that it can happen when you least expect it) you will be set up on the right platform to jump right in!
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