I am here to show you the 5 simple steps on how to make money by blogging. Even if you are only doing the CEO Teacher® thing part-time blogging is still a viable option as an alternate stream of passive revenue. Are you ready to start or expand your online teacher business? Then let’s buckle up and take our ideas to the next level. 

How to Make Money by Blogging In 5 Easy Action Steps

1 – Set up your blog on WordPress.org 

The biggest question I am always asked is why WordPress.org and not another platform that might have an easier user interface. The answer is simple! SEO.

You know I am always going to go back to our golden ticket. WordPress is the way to go when trying to incorporate SEO with your blogging efforts. In the CEO Teacher® Podcast with Shannon Mattern, we chatted about the difference between owning your own space on the internet and renting. With WordPress.org (not .com) you are able to customize your home on the internet. You can diversify your income using the .org version. And you can apply concrete SEO strategies rather than rely on hopes and wishes to get your content seen.

2- Use SEO when writing your blog posts to help them get seen on search engines. 

But Kayse I have no idea what to write about. SEO or search engine optimization helps us define what our audience is really wondering about. And then we teach our students inside the CEO Teacher® program exactly how to use that data to write compelling blog posts. But Kayse I get stumped when I am trying to write consistent blog posts. That’s why I brought in Chanti Zak, copywriter extraordinaire to show us the secrets to creative writing. I also love to show my students how mind-mapping their ideas really leads to an entire year’s worth of content! 

3- Use the 80/20 rule to serve before selling

The 80/20 rule is when you share at least 80% of your content for free and only charge for the really juicy 20%. This helps you build a relationship with your audience. Rather than always coming at them with a sale or only showing up in their inbox during certain times of the year. (Hello holiday email overload). Share tips, tricks, and strategies to help them navigate the tough parts of teaching. Show them how to simplify their own lives through organization hacks, and storage recommendations. Give them teaching tips showing them what they need. Save the “how” as your 20% of paid content. 

Growing your email list is key in how to make money blogging. Selling your products and services is great but you need a platform and an audience. This is where your email list comes in. The sooner you begin to strategically grow your list, the faster you will make that money blogging. Did you know that growing your email list is even more important than being on social media? So next time you are mindlessly scrolling, sit down and write a blog post, optimize it, and then send a reminder to your email list all about your new helpful content. Looking for an email provider? Have you looked into Convert Kit as an option? Or Flodesk?

Did you know that in order to write successful blog posts and emails that teachers will read there is a strategy? And I am willing to share that strategy with you so that you can make connections and eventually sell. This is another avenue for making money as a teacher blogger. Value over everything! “Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about. The nature of their energy is positive, enlarging and magnifying, causing their Circle of Influence to increase.” Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

4- Set up a Woocommerce shop to make money by blogging

Woocommerce is a way for you to generate income using your own website. Remember how we chatted about WordPress.org, the self-hosted option of WordPress? Well, this is reason #1 as to why you need the self-hosted version. WooCommerce allows you to create a storefront on your own website where you can sell your teaching resources, courses and programs, eBooks, and even subscription boxes. 

One of the things I teach inside the CEO Teacher® is how to diversify your income. WooCommerce allows you to not only sell resources on TPT but also on your own platform. 

5- Become an affiliate and use affiliate links in your blog posts 

What is affiliate marketing? It’s basically a way to gain a small commission on the sale of a product that you have shared with your audience. Most platforms like Amazon, RewardStyle, Liketoknow.it, etc. has specific terms for how to disclose affiliate links. But if you are sharing products and services you are passionate about or use in your own life, your delivery is much more genuine. As a result, you are more likely to have conversions on affiliate sales than if you start randomly promoting everything under the sun.

Each platform has its own signup process and qualifications. I spoke with Brandi Mowles about affiliate marketing as a form of passive income. She reminds us of the best ways to share affiliate links with customers so we don’t come off as sale-sy. I know that is a concern for many teachers who are trying to generate more income and make money by blogging. They want to create sustainable businesses without the “in-your-face” sales approach. 

When sharing affiliate links, ask yourself how am I serving my audience? When you are sharing the “how” portion of your content include your affiliate links. Share the storage containers you use to make your small groups more organized and streamlined. Share the photo storage boxes you have created with your resources in mind. You know the ones that allow your task cards to fit perfectly inside? Or maybe you are a health and wellness teacher. Then you can share your favorite workout clothes or at-home workout bands. Or perhaps you are a fashion blogger. Then Liketoknow.it is a great place to start sharing your favorite clothing items and outfit of the day links. 

Bonus Tip for How To Make Money By Blogging: 

Be consistent and persistent

One of the key components of growing your income is the consistency factor. Are you showing up regularly? Does your audience know where and WHEN to find you? Make it easy for the people who want to hear what you have to say. The same day, same time, every week, show up and the people will come! 

Are you persistent in your pursuit of greatness? The only way this business doesn’t work is if you give up or stop being persistent. I encourage my students every day of the week and year because I want them to succeed. And the most successful ones are those who consistently show up for themselves. In the coaching calls, in the weekly lives, and through the lessons. They are persistent in their efforts and it is paying off exponentially!

Are you just getting started with blogging and aren’t quite ready to make money with a teacher blog yet, but need help to just get started? 

7 Tips to Blog Like a Boss

Why Blogging is Important for Your Teacher Business

Teacher Blog Challenge

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