You may have heard people talking about how they make money blogging, but is that so? I used to think it would be the COOLEST thing if I could make money blogging! And then I DID! I’m excited to share here how I made my first $1,000 dollars blogging. If you want to try it, hopefully my tips will help you make your first $1,000 dollars blogging, too!
I first started a “mommy blog” back in 2007, just for fun!
Back then, my childhood friends from Puerto Rico, Carmen and Ana, had blogs where they shared their lives and family photos from Virginia and Canada. I decided to jump in with a blog of my own (I was living in California at the time), and it was a great way to connect and share photos of our lives for FUN! (Yes, I actually think writing and posting photos is FUN!)
And yes, this was before Facebook took over the world. Heck, this may have been before Myspace!
A few years later, a radio station I worked for had a music blog and I loved updating it daily. I learned some HTML and a tiny bit of coding (again, for FUN!) That process cemented my love of blogging.
Fast forward to 2012 when a friend (who made $60k on her best year to date on her blog) invited me to a bloggers conference. I didn’t even know those existed! Out of curiosity, I joined my friend and found myself in blogger HEAVEN! Every single seminar, workshop and keynote I could possibly attend rocked my world. It was new, exciting knowledge I was able to apply to the social media work I was doing for another radio station at that time.
Inspired by that blogging conference, I dared to dream that I could maybe one day, blog and make money for myself.
Could I really do that? Could I launch a blog and make money on the side doing something I enjoy?
The months passed, and I kept thinking, dreaming and praying about it. I talked to my hubby Adam about it. And finally, we both decided “why not?” We took a crazy leap of faith and launched my website! (By the way, you’re on said website right now and I’m THRILLED that this is all still actually happening, three years later!!!)
It was all new and exciting (launching a website, watching all the tutorials, reading as much as I could, asking blogger friends, joining blogging groups online, etc…) And the more I learned, the more excited I felt about blogging as my new side hustle!
Surprisingly, I DID make money blogging my 1st year!
And then I more than doubled the money the 2nd year!
I even wrote an eBook about it!
You can check out the FREE preview on Amazon here:
This was really happening!
A few friends have asked me how I’ve made money blogging. Ready to hear the answer?
Many people (blogger friends and mentors) shared FREE info and advice with me that helped me make my 1st $1000. And I am super excited to share that info here with YOU!
Just call it “paying it forward.”
I affectionately call these blogger friends my “Fairy BlogMothers”. They were the first ones who believed in me, coached me, encouraged me, shared TONS of tips and websites and tutorials. They made me feel like “if they could do it, I could, too!”
I sincerely hope to do the same for you!
But let’s keep it simple. There are a LOT of blogger resources that can feel like they’re WAY over your head when you’re just starting out.
So if you’re a beginner, or even dreaming of being a money-making blogger, I’m glad you’re here to check this out! Keep reading to learn my top TWO tips to making your first $1,000 Blogging!
How to make your first $1,000 blogging!
I’ll break it down here below, but in a nutshell, the TWO MAIN THINGS you’ll need are:
- Have your own blog
- Apply to multiple companies that connect brands with bloggers.
Simple, right?
There’s so much more to those two little steps. SO. MUCH. MORE. For now, let’s start with step one:
How to “Make your first $1,000 Blogging” (with helpful links!)
Step 1: Start a Blog!
- If you already have one, great!
- If you don’t, but want to start one, this site was a HUGE help for me in the beginning (thanks to fairy blogmother Vicki!)
- Once you have a blog, these steps below will help you grow your influence and land more paying bloggy jobs:
- Post regularly. (Whether it’s daily, weekly or however you choose, regular content is a must.)
- Share regularly. (Build your tribe! Start with family and friends. Share your blog on social media channels.)
- NOTE: There’s a WORLD more to learn here, but you have to start somewhere, right?!)
Step 2: Apply to Brand to Blogger companies.
You might be surprised by the number of companies that work with bloggers, vloggers and social media influencers!
- This list helped me out in the beginning: https://beckyandpaula.com/find-sponsored-posts/ (Shoutout to another one of my fairy blogmothers, Paula!)
- As a new blogger, some of these you will be able to apply to with minimum to no requirements, while others require certain numbers of monthly blog views or social media followers before you can apply.
- The sites that I’ve had most success with (read: gotten paid) include: Acorn, Izea, Tapinfluence, Social Fabric, Massive Sway and I’ve received free products (Dermalogica, Maybelline, Barkbox, Pantene, Dove, Browfood, etc…) to review through Influenster. But there are many more options for YOU to try!
- In some ways, this is like applying for work. On these sites, you’ll find out what are the qualifications and what brands are looking for. If you don’t have that just yet, it’ll give you something to work towards until you land that dream blog campaign.
Step 3: You got your first paid bloggy job! Congrats! Now what?
- Happy Dance! Once you land your first paid sponsored post for your blog (Congratulations!), feel free to do a little victory dance!!! (Literally, get up and DANCE!!! You did it!)
- Read up! Different sites will have different requirements. Read ALL THE THINGS! Communicate with your contact person and make sure you have all the answers to any questions you have. Many sites have tutorials to help you out as you navigate how each one and each brand partner works. Every site I’ve worked with has different quirks, time constraints, etc…
- Be Extra (as in “go the extra mile”.) If the paid job asks for 1 blog and 1 social media post, feel free to throw in an extra post or some kind of added value to your client. Add an Insta Story! Give ’em an extra tweet! Keep ’em happy!
- Be professional. Follow up with Thank You emails (or handwritten notes!) Always be courteous and polite (even if they come back with requests to change a photo or the way something is written.) You want to make the brand and the company happy about working with YOU!
So you made it this far! Excited? Overwhelmed? Both?! No problem!
Feel free to post any questions you have in the comments below.
But wait, there’s more!
Ok, now it’s YOUR turn!
Take the next step:
Join me in my Facebook Group to connect with other bloggers. I’m in the group, sharing more about ALL these tips to help set you up for your first $1k blogging (and beyond!)
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And if you’re in the Houston area, I’m doing a blogging class this Saturday, July 14th, 2018!
Shout out to my girls from the very 1st class! #BlogTribeGoals
This blogging class is a 2-hour workshop. It’s perfect for YOU if you’re dreaming of starting a blog, or if you have a blog, but want to learn more about making money on it. Join the FB group above for more details, or comment below!
Let’s make 2018 the best bloggy year yet!
Laughing (and blogging) thru life,
Coppelia