Start Blogging

Not too long ago, the FCC ruled that bloggers would have to start disclosing when they received compensation for a product/service review. Why did they do this? Partially to protect the public from greedy bloggers out there in the blogosphere ready to talk about whatever someone pays them too. And partially because the practice of paying bloggers has become so prevalent (I have spent thousands on promotional campaigns for clients via blogs - and it is money well spent if you know where and how to spend it).

There are multiple other streams of revenue you can generate with a blog - such as CPM advertising models (for banner ads and such) or just Google Ads. There are services like BlogAds, but unless you're running a giant blog network - there's no point in giving them a cut of your ad revenue - when your blog is good enough, advertisers will come to you.

Then there's affiliate marketing. Talking about a particular industry? Most retailers and e-commerce sites offer affiliate programs. You'd probably have to carry some legitimacy to make money of it - just linking to lots of products doesn't add much value for the reader. But if you can describe an honest experience with it (and get that blog post some traffic) then you can create an extra source of income.

Of course, before you attempt to monetize a blog - you should have something authentic to blog about. You won't succeed at forcing yourself to blog about something you don't care. But if you choose something you actually enjoy, regardless of how crazy that thing is, you can find people who enjoy it just as much as you do and will become loyal e-Pals.