Are you a social influencer or aspiring influencer? Do you have a blog or Instagram account with thousands of followers? You can get paid to advertise. Advertising is big business.
It’s estimated that the internet makes up $200 billion in revenue for companies each year, and it’s no surprise why. The average person spends almost 2 hours a day on their smartphone alone! That’s a lot of time spent looking at ads. If you are an influencer or aspiring influencer with thousands of followers, you can get paid to advertise products online and make money from your social media accounts.
1. Accept Sponsored Posts on Your Blog
Sponsored posts are exactly what they sound like: companies paying you to promote their products on your blog. You can find companies that are interested in sponsoring posts by doing a Google search for “[company name] sponsored blog posts.”
If there’s not an existing section on your site with this information, I would suggest adding one by creating a new page and giving it the name “Sponsored Posts” or something similar. This will make it easy for readers to find all of the sponsored content you’ve created over time.
To avoid looking like paid advertising, make sure each post includes unique, useful information that isn’t available elsewhere online—this way, readers don’t feel like they’re being manipulated into buying something because you’re telling them about it (and if they do end up buying from the company that sponsored your post, then great!).
The best way to get paid for writing sponsored posts is through payment per click (PPC), where advertisers pay each time someone clicks on their advertisement but does not necessarily purchase anything from them. If advertisers aren’t offering PPC rates yet and instead want flat fees per month/year/whatever else arrangement makes sense between both parties then consider using a service such as PayPal; whatever method works best.
2. Sell Ad Space on Your Website
Find advertisers: Finding the right advertiser is key to selling your ad space. Start by listing the types of companies that you would want to advertise on your site, and then reach out to them through email and social media. Make sure you are very clear about what kind of advertising you will be offering, including any restrictions or guidelines.
Negotiate the best deal: Once you have found an interested party, it’s time to negotiate a deal for the services they’ll provide in exchange for posting their advertisement on your site or app. Both parties should make sure that all terms have been agreed upon before finalizing any arrangements or signing contracts (if necessary).
Use Google Analytics to track effectiveness: When setting up Google Analytics, choose whichever tracking code works best for each individual situation (such as if you’re running ads from multiple sources). Once this has been established, use those tools instead of just guessing how effective their ads are based off intuition alone! They can help give insight into what works best when placing different kinds of advertisements on different platforms too so make sure this step isn’t skipped when trying out new strategies!
3. Submit Your Blog to Ad Networks
What is an ad network? Ad networks are websites that allow you to display ads on your blog or website. You choose the ad network, upload your ad code, and they place ads on your site in exchange for a cut of the revenue.
The most popular ones include Google AdSense (which has been around for over 15 years), Media.net (formerly known as ValueClick), and Amazon Associates.
How can I find ad networks? You can search “ad network” in Google or Bing to find a list of sites that offer these services—just be sure to check out reviews first, It’s also helpful to ask friends who have used them before what they thought of the experience: did they get paid on time? Did they have any major issues with customer service?
4. Review Sponsored Products on Social Media
If you’re active on social media and like to share your opinions, this is a great way to get paid to advertise. Many companies will pay bloggers and other influencers to try their products and then write reviews about them. By writing honest reviews, you can earn some extra income while also helping other consumers make informed buying decisions.
5. Get Paid to Write Sponsored Posts for Other Blogs
Sponsored posts are a form of native advertising where you get paid to write about a brand or product. You’re essentially acting as an unpaid advertiser, but the difference is that the content you create is approved by the company and posted on their website.
This type of writing opportunity can be found on blogs like The Penny Hoarder, who has featured plenty of sponsored posts from companies like Minted and Tom’s Shoes. You should also look toward freelance sites that specialize in matching freelancers with companies who need their services (such as Upwork).
The key here is knowing what to look for when browsing through job boards or websites offering sponsored post opportunities: Ask yourself if it seems legitimate and legitimate, not just because they say they are.
Take the time to check out their website before applying (you should do this anyway), read through some past articles they have written, and check out other writers’ work at this publication(s). If there seem to be any red flags—if it looks too good to be true—don’t apply.
Once you’ve been accepted by a blogging site/company looking for writers willing do whatever kind of content they need done professionally without compensation then fill out an application on their website detailing why someone would want to hire you over another writer.
6. Become a Social Media Influencer
Being a social media influencer is one of the easiest ways to get paid to advertise. Social media influencers are individuals with a large follower base on social media, such as Instagram and Twitter.
These people can be bloggers, celebrities, or just regular people with an active online presence who want to make money from their following.
The idea behind this form of advertising is that if someone sees something on their friend’s Instagram account or Facebook feed, they will be more likely to buy it themselves because they trust the opinion of the person who recommended it.
“Social media influencers often have hundreds or thousands of followers on various platforms,” said Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding and author of Me 2.0: 4 Steps To Building Your Future (Wiley). “They build up trust in their audience by posting daily content that resonates with them.”
7. Participate in Affiliate Marketing Programs
Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money online. Affiliates promote products or services for a commission on sales generated by their efforts, and you can do the same thing!
How it works: You’ll receive a special link (affiliate link) from the program, sometimes through an email sent by your affiliate manager. You share that link with others and when they purchase the product or service through that link, you earn a commission on any sales made through that unique URL.
Benefits: Easy way to make cash online without having to quit your day job; weekly paychecks; low cost entry level into affiliate marketing; learn how to sell online while building skills needed for advanced marketing opportunities in future endeavors.
Find programs: A simple Google search will turn up numerous options for finding these programs, but here are some ideas of where you might look:
Amazon Associates Program – Amazon offers commissions based on what people buy from them when they click through from one of your websites or blogs (usually 4-10%).
Shareasale – Shareasale is another popular affiliate network that offers a wide variety of programs to join, including some that are specific to certain niches. There’s no signup fee and the application process is quick and easy.
ClickBank – This is another popular option among webmasters who want to monetize their content without having an actual product/service on their own site. It allows affiliates some flexibility in terms of where they want to send traffic because there are no signup fees incurred by using this program.
Cj Affiliate – Cj is a popular affiliate network that offers many different programs for affiliates to join. The signup process is quick and easy, and you can choose from several different options depending on your niche as well as how much traffic you’re bringing in.
Impact – Impact is one of the largest affiliate networks in the world. It features several different programs and offers affiliates plenty of flexibility when it comes to choosing which one they want to join.
Conclusion
With these strategies, you can earn a nice supplemental income from your blog. You can sell or rent out banner ads that appear on your website. You can write a review of an existing product or service, then promote it on your blog via an affiliate link.
If you write a sponsored post, which is content that’s been written specifically for the advertiser and usually takes quite a bit of time to create, then you will receive compensation for this post. The compensation may be monetary, or it could come in the form of products/services (i.e., if the company is looking for feedback on its new product).
Simply put, if you have a blog or social media account that gets regular traffic and engagement (even if it’s small), then you have the opportunity to make money from advertising on it.
