monetize your blog, make money bloggingInfo Carnivore has now been in existence for just over five months. I’ve been exploring different options to monetize the blog, so here are a few of the programs I’ve tried so far. Right now I’m looking forward to the day that I can change the image in this post from some coins to some bills! Some of the income sources are directly implemented on the blog and others are related indirectly. My most recent implementation is an Amazon Affiliate Store, which hasn’t earned me any money yet. I’m wondering if having an affiliate store on a blog is a good idea or not. I can’t think of a reason not to, but I’m wondering how to market it and make it successful.

In Site Advertising

Google Adsense – This was the first program I implemented. It has been largely inconsistent, some days resulting in a handful of clicks and many days resulting in none. I’ve tried various placements of ads within the blog and posts but haven’t been able to pin down a specific method that is more effective than another. To date I’ve earned $46.18 with adsense.

Kontera In Text Advertising – This program seems like it has potential, in-text ads are implemented into pages and posts. They are marked with the double underline and readers can click on them. Clicks earn money. I implemented Kontera at the end of July and to date it has earned me .90 cents! I can earn extra income by referring others to Kontera, so if you’d like to give it a try sign up with this link -> Kontera Referral… Thanks!

Off Site Advertising

Sponsored Tweets – This program allows me to tweet out ads and earn based on clicks. (PPC) You have full control over what is tweeted, and get ads which are targeted to your keyword selection. I don’t utilize Sponsored Tweets as much as I could – and for that reason I’ve only earned $5.22 with it in about 3 months. I can also earn for referring people to Sponsored Tweets so if you want to check this program out please sign up with this link -> Sponsored Tweets Referral

My Likes – Is a program that allows you to like pretty much anything you want and share it with others. Clicks on targeted campaigns earn you money! You can share your likes on twitter, on your blog, on facebook or pretty much anywhere you want. I’ve not taken full advantage of the power of My Likes yet as it requires an investment of some time. To date I’ve earned $2.32 with My Likes. If you want to give this program a try sign up with this link here -> My Likes Referral

Sponsored Posts

Social Spark – You register your blog and await approval. Once registered you can take a look at available offers which include paid posts and affiliate posts which will pay you per sale. I’ve only written two posts through Social Spark so far and have earned $18.50. Find out more about Social Spark.

Pay Per Post – Is another part of Izea’s network (Same company that runs Social Spark), and provides similar opportunities. Advertisers can target specific blog niches to get paid posts up. Once registered you will be notified of any potential opportunities. I don’t get a whole lot of opps through Pay Per Post, but the two I have got that fit with my blog have been good and easy to write for. So far I’ve earned $7.75 with Pay Per Post.

Affiliate Programs

As many bloggers know the real money is in affiliate programs. The key to success in an affiliate program is a strong reader base where you have gained their trust and are able to exercise your influence. I feel that infocarnivore is still young and as such has not built a wide reader base where I would have great success with affiliate programs. In addition Infocarnivore has gone through a niche change / expansion recently, causing perhaps some confusion in terms of what affiliate programs to target and what my reader are after. I have recently signed up for a few but other than simple 120×120 ads on the sidebar I’ve not really done anything to market these programs to my readers. The Amazon Affiliate Store which I set up is also brand new. Do you think having an affiliate store on a blog like this is a good idea? As a relatively new blogger, and especially new to affiliate programs I need your advice and tips. Now you know what I’ve been doing, what could I do better? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.