There’s nothing better than reaping the rewards of your hard work. And for bloggers, monetizing your craft is often much easier said than done.

However, it’s not impossible.

There are many writers out there who’ve found success and profited through blogging alone. But what’s the secret? And how can you replicate their results?

You can start by writing the “right type” of article. While opinion or narrative pieces are great for communicating with your readers, they don’t tend to generate that much income. Instead, you should opt for more buyer-centric articles and combine those pieces with an affiliate marketing strategy.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is when you are in a direct relationship with an online retailer (such as Amazon or Walmart) and receive compensation or commission for each item sold through your particular gateway.

For example, if you’re writing a blog post on hummingbird feeders and you direct your readers to one for purchase, you should receive payment for each hummingbird feeder sold through your affiliate link.

However, you need to be selective when it comes to affiliate marketing. You should never affiliate with companies that you don’t believe in or use yourself. Do not underestimate your readers’ ability to detect dishonesty. If you come across as too salesy, there’s a good possibility you’ll lose subscribers and potential earnings.

4 Blog Posts to Start Monetizing Your Blog Today

Placing affiliate links within your blog writing is a great place to start, but the key is knowing how to do so effectively. You’re not going to make too many sales through a link buried within a narrative article.

But there are article types that you should be writing to maximize your potential profit margin while providing high-quality information for your readership.

“Best Of” Articles

These articles aren’t strictly “best of”. They can be found labeled as “Top Ten”, “Editor’s Choice”, or even “Cheapest of”. These articles provide your reader with your expert analysis, review, and recommendations for a particular product or service.

In these posts, you should create a list of products or services that are pertinent to your area of expertise that help to solve or alleviate your reader’s issues.

And with each of these products you list, there’s another chance to add an affiliate link. Just be sure that you’re doing each product justice by providing a legitimate review and explanation as to why they made the cut.

“Best of” articles are generally frequented by casual buyers. These are people who are in the market for a new good/service but aren’t committed to making a purchase. They’re like the window shoppers of the internet. But if you do a great job of showcasing your products, they may be more inclined to buy.

Here are some excellent examples of “Best of” articles:

• Best LitRPG Books (TopSciFiBooks.com): If you’re looking for a perfect example on how to write a “best of” books list, this is it. Along with providing brief enticing summaries, the buy buttons are clearly defined to really promote maximum purchasing. Also, there’s supplemental information below to help explain the genre.
• Best Erasable Pens (NerdyBookGirl.com): In this article, the author is able to showcase the products honestly and effectively through the use of pros and cons graphics.
• Best Bug Out Bags (OutdoorMagnet.com): This is a great article if you’re looking for a simple to read explanation of each product.
• Best Camping Hatchets (PracticalWilderness.com): PracticalWilderness really makes the features, pros, and cons of each product very clear.
• Best Binoculars for Hunting (OpticsMag.com): Overall, this is a top-notch article. It’s formatted nicely with easy to see buy buttons and a great buyer’s guide for the bottom content.

Product Reviews

Dedicated product reviews are an in-depth look at a singular good/service. Well-written review articles should be extremely detailed and provide all the information your reader would need to make an informed decision when purchasing.

While this is an excellent way to convince potential customers to buy, this tactic can backfire very quickly. The biggest reason why some product review campaigns are unsuccessful is because of dishonesty or exaggerated claims. Your job isn’t to just move product, but to give your reader a sense of security when they go to purchase. Not every product is worth it, and it’s up to you to let them know.

However, that doesn’t mean the sale is lost. Instead, direct them to an alternative that you’ve reviewed that would be much better instead. Being honest with your reader not only creates trust between them and your blog but maximizes your potential profit.

Readers who frequent product reviews are generally more inclined to buy than those reading “Best Of” articles. While “Best of” articles help to generate interest, product reviews are directed at individuals who already have a keen interest in a particular product and are further along in the buying process.

Check out these top-notch product reviews:

• Glock 48 Review (GunUniversity.com): This gun review is an extremely in-depth and informative piece. The author discusses both pros and cons and uses a wide variety of visual aids to help teach the reader. The article also provides an actual hands-on video to further built trust with the viewer.
• Best 308 Rifle (GunandShooter.com): This article although labeled “best of” follows the ideals of a quality product review. It compares certain rifles to the standard set before them and draws reasonable conclusions for each product mentioned.
• American Journey Dog Food Review (DoggieDesigner.com): One of my favorite product review setups comes from pet website reviewing dog food. In this review, the writer provides pros, cons, and recall information along with alternative choices and even competitor review. All the while making the product itself easy to access and buy.
• HelloFresh Review (FoodDeliveryGuru.com): What really stands out about this product review is the shared personal experience. The author takes you through the preparation of two different meals that they actually prepared at home. There’s nothing manufactured about this review, and she even provides tips learned while preparing the recipes.

Product Comparison Articles

Product comparison articles are very similar to product review articles. However, instead of focusing on the pros and cons of just one good/service, you’re reviewing and comparing two products against one another.

And these are where you’ll probably see your highest conversion rate of customers. That’s because the readers who frequent these articles are generally ready to make a purchase. They’ve narrowed down their choices to two similar options and are looking for the one best suited for their needs. If you can help them solidify their decision and provide an avenue to buy, there’s a much higher chance of them using a provided affiliate link.

This doesn’t mean that you have to slander another service though. After all, each is probably a very good option which is why they’re being compared in the first place. However, you should set a clear winner based on your criteria. For example, a more feature-rich (and expensive) service may be better for more advanced buyers, while the more basic of the two could be better for those on tighter budgets.

For more insight into great product comparisons, check out the following examples:

• Thinkific vs Teachable (Kindlepreneur.com): In my Thinkific vs Teachable comparison, I wanted to break down what might be the most useful and important factors that would help my readers make a decision. One of the biggest things I wanted to make clear throughout writing this is which course creation platform won each category. I accomplished this through multicolored text and graphic tables.
• iMac vs MacBook Pro (Macworld.co): Technology can be some of the hardest things to review. And that’s because each platform often has several different models. In this article, the writer made two separate product comparisons and did so between competing models of each. This provides a comparison for those interested in the base models and one for those looking at higher end availabilities.
• Publisher Rocket vs KDSPY (JordanAlexo.com): This article takes a unique approach when it comes to incentivizing the reader to make a purchase. The author offers a free guide written by himself. He’s not only trying to make the affiliate sale but increase his own related product following as well.

Lists of Resources

Out of all the other types of articles to monetize your blog, this is probably the easiest to write. This article is just a comprehensive list of tools, software, and equipment that you use to create your content.

If you’re loyal to a particular word processor, put that down and state why. Or if there are any books that you’d recommend to your readers to help them do what you do, mark that down as well. This type of article is an amazing chance for you to get in a bunch of honestly well-reviewed affiliate links.

However, if you’re expecting this article to rank high in Google (or other search engines) search results, you may want to curb your expectations. This isn’t one of those high-ranking types of articles. But that doesn’t mean you should discard it.

When properly placed on your site—such as the main menu where it’s easily visible—a list of resources can easily become one of your most profitable pages.

Here are some examples of Lists of Resources including my own on Kindlepreneur:

• Best Resources and Tools for Self-Publishers (Kindlepreneur.com): On my list of resources, I’ve provided my readers with tools that I actually love and use. Not everything on this list I’m affiliated with either. My goal is to give my readers a real snapshot into what I’m using.
• The All-Time Best Resources for Creative Writers (The Write Practice): This resource page is great because it just isn’t a list of affiliated resources. There are several internal links that direct the reader to another review or article within the website. These breadcrumb trails can ultimately provide for a better Google ranking and more opportunities at detailed affiliate marketing on their other articles.
• Survival Clothing Essentials (SASIOnline.org): This excellent article helps to guide you in exactly what’d you need in a survival situation.

What Should You Expect from These Articles?

Although these articles can help you profit from your blog, they do not guarantee success alone. You’ll still need to find ways to promote your articles, gather backlinks, and drive traffic to them.

But once you develop a growing, thriving readership, you’ll start seeing these income-generators in action.

And if you’re looking for more ways to monetize your website, there are plenty of great resources available such as Side Hustle Nation.

Image by Jess Bailey on Unsplash