When I started my blog I had no idea what I was doing. Truthfully, all I knew was I loved writing and I wanted to create my website showcasing to the world my passion. However since I didn’t know how to make that happen, I had to do a lot of research on how to start up my website and the best options for me. Well, I am proud to say after tedious research, I was finally able to establish my website LexPaige.com in February 2016; which has in return flourished into a growing success.
How it Works
So how can you do it? Well, the first piece of advice I give everyone is to be a truly successful and influential blogger: you have to love to write. I have been writing ever since I was a child, so it’s something I have continuously shown interest in and loved. When you are a blogger, your main activity is writing. Sure, you also take photos, videos, and such, but your key focus is writing high-quality articles for yourself, your readers, and the companies you work with. If you don’t love to write, it’s simply not going to work out.
Step 1: CREATE YOUR BLOG USING WORDPRESS
So I love WordPress. This is how I created my first blog and then transferred everything over to my new site LexPaige.com. WordPress is super easy to use and I taught myself how to make layouts work with SEO, and everything in between. WordPress allows you to get creative and learn as you go, so I recommend starting with this platform when creating your blog.
Step 2: BUY YOUR DOMAIN NAME!
This is super important because if you want to earn rights and revenue for your website you must own your domain. I purchased my website domain through Bluehost for three years (Then I’ll renew) for only $3.49 per month. That is insanely cheap. They also offer great benefits like Options, technical support, and email hosting. Buying my domain was the best choice I ever made because I can honestly tell you if you want to monetize your blog, then you 100% want to be self-hosted.
Step 3: MEDIA KIT!
So people always ask me how I get sponsorships on my blog with different companies. Well, being a Communication and Marketing Major I went to school to write scripts, press releases, and produce media kits. So, I did the only logical thing I could think of and made my website its own media kit. A media kit for those of you who don’t know is a package of information assembled by a company to provide basic information about itself to those inquiring. This is a great tool for you to utilize as you can see from my photos below because it helps build trust and validation with your blog and the services you provide. For me, when I send my media kit to different companies it gives them a chance to see what my website is about, why they should work with me, and how it’s beneficial to both parties.
Step 4: Apply to Blogger Verification Programs
For me, a big leap was being verified as a genuine blogger. I feel this is a very important step because you want your readers and the people you work with to feel comfortable with you. After researching, I found several outlets that do this for bloggers, and trust me it helps. Not only does it look good to potential sponsors, but if you are like me and use your blog as a part of your resume building, it backs up your dedication and determination as a blogger. Also, some of these programs help you get different campaign opportunities which are a great plus. Currently, all the programs I am verified with have badges on my website as well as I listed them below for you.
The Influencer Programs You Should Use!
- BrandBacker
- Peersway
- ApexDrop
- Later
- Tagger
- Intellifluence
- Activate
- Palm
- Insense App
- BabbleBox
- Aspire
- Find Your Influence
- Collectively
- PopularPays
- #Paid
- Influencer
- Cr8or
Step 5: Apply to Affiliate Programs
So besides getting some help from my blogger programs and reaching out to organizations independently, I am a part of affiliate programs that help me generate revenue with my blog. Basically how this works, is either advertisements are generated on your website which when clicked will give you revenue or advertisers will use these platforms to find bloggers to review their products or services. Some of these advertisers pay in products or cash depending on their regulations. Based on how many readers, social media followers, and the quality of your writing, these programs vary in their success. However, as I always tell others who are looking to start blogging, the amount of effort you put in will ultimately affect your results. Also, some of the programs I am a part of are directly from the sponsor. These are the Brand Ambassador Affiliate Programs. I have listed my current affiliate programs below for you.
Overall, if you truly want to monetize your blog and make an extra income for yourself, you have to make sure you not only follow these tips but also deliver substantial blog posts, earn trust, learn and understand the needs and wants of your readers and most importantly enjoy what you are doing. I don’t think I would be able to write every day and put my heart and soul into posts if it didn’t bring me happiness, so just make sure you write and influence with desire.
With Love,
Lex Paige
