Though many people maintain blogs simply because they enjoy it, it's also possible to make money by blogging. Some people make a living through writing posts for one or more blogs on any number of subjects. If you'd like to make money by blogging, here are some issues and tips to consider.
If you have your own blog, before you can make money by blogging, you have to build an audience for your blog. Then you can either solicit for paid advertisers, or take part in a contextual ad program such as those offered by several search engines. With these programs, when people click on the links, you will earn money for each click.
There are also many professional blogging companies that allow you to make money by blogging. With these companies, you generally write blog posts every day, or sometimes more than once a day, on the specific subject that the blog deals with. There may be a base rate for your work, or it may be solely based on the amount of advertising revenue brought it by your blog. Generally, you will take a percentage of the advertising revenue, often between 25% and 50%. Depending on the blog's popularity, this profit can range from several dollars to thousands.
Another way to make money by blogging with a personal site is simply to put a link to make a donation on your main page. Generally, however, it is quite rare that you will make much money this way.
Depending on the topic of your blog, you may be able to get free products, even if you can't make money by blogging. If you're writing reviews of food products, manufacturers may offer to send you products for review; you can also solicit them directly asking for samples to review. This could also work for books, CDs, DVDs, or other low-cost products.
For most people who make money by blogging, writing for a blog is not their sole source of income. If it's something you're interested in, you will probably have to diversify and write for several different blogs in order to bring in a reliable stream of income. However, if you're able to make money by blogging, it's a great way to have a flexible career working from home.