Since my last post on monetization, several of you have commented or emailed asking for more information on earning money via advertisers. One question especially stood out because it was a challenge I faced early on, and by not addressing it early I feel like I may have left some “debt snowball” money on the table.

How Do I Sell Ads On a New Blog?

That’s the question I received from a Side Hustle Blogger reader.  The short answer is, you can’t.  Think about this scenario from the advertiser’s perspective–you have little to no traffic, no rank in search engines, and very few subscribers.  Would you spend your advertising dollars to advertise on a similar site? Probably not.  However, that doesn’t mean you can’t look for ways to monetize your site early on.

Affiliate networks.  Early on, affiliate networks might be a quick way to earn some money through your site.  I belong to four networks, and can vouch for the quality of their programs, payment system, etc.  Commission Junction and LinkShare.com have been around a while, but upstarts like Pepper Jam Network and FlexOffers.com are giving them a run for their money.  I’ve found each network offers partnerships with a variety of advertisers that will likely fit the niche you are blogging in.

While affiliate banners might add some color to your site, banners do not typically convert well, so don’t have high expectations of ten people signing up for eBay through your banner.  Still, there is some value in adding aesthetically pleasing banners to your site as it does improve the look of the site, and it adds some validity in the eyes of search visitors.

Google Adsense.  Google Adsense is probably the most widely used advertising network by bloggers, and even larger scale sites.  Advertisers use Google’s Adword program to bid on keyword-relevant links that appear on member blogs.  When a visitor clicks one of those links, the advertiser agrees to pay the publisher a certain amount based on each click.

There are two schools of thought on early implementation of Google Adsense.  Some believe you should wait until you have significant search traffic before adding Adsense.  I say why not add it now and be earning some money while your traffic grows.  After all, even $20-$30 a month would be enough to cover many started hosting plans.  You won’t see a payout until you reach $100, which might take a few months from the time you launch.  But don’t despair; it adds up eventually and that first $100 payment feels awfully rewarding!

Amazon Associates.  This is one that I have yet to really figure out. Some months I do quite well ($100+), but others I don’t earn enough to buy a used book.  I do like the program itself, and I imagine for some niches it would do quite well.  Darren Rowse has made thousands of dollars through his Digital Photography School blog by making product recommendations and linking to relevant products at Amazon.

One of the best things about the program is that you earn commissions on everything a visitor buys, not just the things you link to from your blog.  I once earned $30 from a single sale because someone clicked on a book review link and bought a laptop, plus a few peripherals.

Affiliate networks, Adsense and Amazon Associates are my top three recommendations for making money with a new blog.  If you are fortunate enough to attract some serious traffic in those early months you may also be able to attract private advertisers interested in displaying their banner on your site, as a way to increase brand awareness for their product, or in the hopes you will drive traffic to their own site.

However, banner advertisers are interested in eyeballs; that is, how many eyeballs look at your site in a given month. From that perspective, blog advertising is much like any other format–billboards, print media, television spots, etc.  The more eyeballs you attract, the more opportunities to sell screen real estate.  If you continue to write quality content, interact with readers, and engage in social media, those eyeballs will come.

Photo by Rich Moffitt*

*By the way, the billboard in the photo depicts one of my favorite inspirational stories–Team Hoyt.

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