Hey ladies! I wanted to take a different spin on today’s post and answer a few of the blogging questions I’ve received lately. One of the most popular questions I get is, “How do you make money with your fashion blog?” So today, I am going to share what has worked for me in making my blog profitable and the top affiliate programs that you should definitely sign up for!
HOW TO MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR FASHION BLOG
There are lots of different ways to make money from blogging but these are ways that I’ve seen success or currently pursuing.
1. Affiliate Links
2. Sponsored Content
3. Brand Collaborations
4. Product Sales
5. Event Hosting or Speaking Engagements
6. Advertisements on Blog
7. Consultation
Now let’s go a little deeper on each of these topics.
1. Affiliate Links:
Affiliate networks allow you to make affiliate commission by adding links and widgets to your site and give you access to thousands of retailers around the world. This is great because it saves you from having to sign up for a different affiliate network with each individual brand. It keeps things streamlined and makes creating your content quick and easy and getting paid is easier too!
There are multiple sites that allow you to become an affiliate at no cost. Just make sure you understand how their affiliate commission works before signing up (for example: are you getting paid per click to a brand’s site or paid a % per sale made?). Depending on how any respective affiliate program works, you can devise your marketing strategy accordingly.
There are tons of affiliate networks out there and I’ve tried a lot of them to see what worked best for my brand. My favorites are Reward Style & Shop Style Collective, but there are definitely others that have helped me in securing brand partnerships and are worth signing up for. I shared my entire MUST list of Affiliate Programs for your blog on my last post. Check out the list here.
2. Sponsored Content:
This is one of the most popular ways bloggers make money and also helps to build traffic to your website and email list. Brands will pay fashion bloggers for a sponsored blog post, Instagram post and/or Story, Twitter, & Facebook posts. Most of the time, its combination of all. When you’re starting out, you might not get paid for all sponsorships, but brands will pay you with free items or services in exchange for social media coverage & brand promotion. My suggestion is to accept non-paid opportunities in the beginning to build a relationship with the brand. As your blog gains more traffic, you can charge a fee.
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3. Brand Collaborations:
As a blogger, you want to make sure you are collaborating with fashion brands or retailers that fit your personal style. It’s easy to pick out bloggers that accept any contract that comes there way when they promote items that don’t fit their personal brand. Authenticity is key and it’s painfully obvious to your readers when you aren’t staying true to your style. A great place to start when you are new to blogging would be collaborating with local brands that you already shop and establishing your name.
I would also suggest creating a media kit before sending your pitch to any brand or business. I will be talking about media kits in one of my upcoming posts so stay tuned!
4. Product Sales:
Creating your own product line, either with an existing brand or yourself, can be very lucrative. Many of my favorite bloggers have gone on to create something of their own, such as clothing lines, lip gloss, nail polish, home decor items, online boutiques, templates, books, and podcasts. I haven’t made money through this method yet, but I have something pretty exciting in the works and hope to launch over the next few months.
5. Event Hosting or Speaking Engagements:
Brands and boutiques often make use of bloggers by enlisting them as key speakers, stylists, or hosts of an event. This is a lucrative partnership because brands know that a blogger’s name would drive them targeted traffic and bloggers benefit by charging for hosting or providing a service for the event.
When first starting out, I would suggest to do a few events for free so you get your name out and can list events on your media kit. Once you have some experience, I would start with $500 – $1,000 to host an event.
6. Advertisements on Blog:
Many bloggers make a lot of money from targeted advertisements. They either get paid per click, which can translate in to affiliate dollars, or they get paid per impressions. I have experimented with this some, however I am not hosting any paid advertisements on my blog at this time.
7. Consultation:
This is a no brainer and one of the first ways I made money as a blogger. Think about it. You wear many hats as a blogger. You are your own boss, web designer, secretary, SEO specialist, stylist, marketing department, photographer, writer, and social media manager. You can easily leverage your skill set as a blogger to consult on topics, such as:
- Photography
- Styling Services
- Social Media Management
- Brand Management
- Website Development
Not all of these options might be for you, but these were all avenues that I found beneficial in generating cash from my blog. How do you use your blog to make money? I’d love to hear in the comments! Thanks so much for stopping by!
