Can I Make Money Blogging as a Mom?

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The day I decided to start a blog, I had no idea what I was in for. I honestly just decided that I wanted to record my thoughts, feelings and experiences for future reference. While I realized that I had some unique experiences and insights to share with others – I vastly underestimated the value of also sharing my skills and lessons learned with others, for many years actually. I think I took for granted the knowledge that I had, and didn’t realize how much value this could provide to others!

For years, off and on, I had several “blogs”; Some free, some dot com, where I shared bits and pieces of our daily life. Rantings as a waitress in 2012 and prior over at Hubpages, recipes, reviews and life musings off and on over the next decade on the free WordPress platform, and then I began to share bits and pieces of our story, life and some advice and wisdom I’d picked up over the years just recently. I decided that God gifted me with a love of writing, and the unique skillsets, knowledge and passions that I have for a reason – and it was time to make use of them.

So, let’s address the original question here: Is it possible to make money with a mom blog? Especially in the year 2023 when the blogging world seems so saturated? That was probably my biggest question, even back in 2017 when I really started contemplating the idea. The answer is a resounding yes, of course, but I want to dive a little more into the why, the how and a few other considerations that could save you a significant amount of time, stress, money and even pain.

Saturation

Let’s knock this one out of the park before it even enters.  Worrying about saturation in any field you are truly interested in (and feel called towards) is simply senseless for two main reasons.

• Have you been in a grocery store lately?  Or better yet, on Amazon?  Take a look at the vast variety of Ketchup brands alone. There are probably thousands worldwide, and at least 50 in your local grocer.  Do you think someone considering starting up a ketchup company is thinking “Gee, someone already made ketchup so I shouldn’t bother”??  No!  Especially not if the next bullet point is true!
• You have passion and skill/knowledge.  This is a really deep subject, which I’ll expound upon further another time, however I want to tell you two things that I wish someone had told me years ago.  If you love something – if it brings you joy, makes your heart sing, lights a fire under your behind each morning and fills you with purpose and inspiration –  DO IT!  Also, you are precious and unique.  There is no one like you.  I know, you’ve probably heard it all of your life here and there, and it sounds so cliché at this point, doesn’t it?  But it’s the truth.  A truth I did not realize until recently, and I’m almost pushing 40!  Your specific idiosyncrasies – your exact skillset, knowledge, life experiences, views, thoughts and God-given talents are so distinct, so special and so very unique to YOU and you alone that there truly is no one like you.  If you feel a calling to share things with the world, that is what you will do.  And, like Tony Robbins says “If you say you can’t – you must!”

Why?

Well, we sort of just covered that above, and honestly that needs to be the core of it.  Sure, some people go into blogging (or other ventures) to “make money”, but a lot of times they fizzle out or come up flat.  Some of them make it, but find out that “success” doesn’t = happiness.  And truly if you’re not happy, are you successful?  There are all types of ways and methods to blog nowadays and some coaches/teachers would even suggest having an AI bot write your content or exclusively featuring content from Ghostwriters or hired help.  While having Guest Bloggers contribute to your blog is a beautiful way to collaborate, I can’t help but think – is it really your blog if someone else is doing all of the creative work?  To each their own, I suppose.

I am a firm believer in doing what you love and the money will follow.  Over the years I’ve learned that the old adage “Giving is truly better than receiving” is not only biblical, it applies to every area of life.  If you give immense value to others with no exterior motives other than making the world a better place, you will be blessed beyond measure.

Besides the fact that you can really add value to the lives of others and feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in creating something like a blog, there are some other really valid reasons why you may want to do this.  Having a blog that you’re able to make an income from allows you freedom.  Time freedom mainly.  The ability to work when and where you want, stay home with your children and homeschool them, travel if you choose to and live life on your terms. Time is the only asset that we cannot create more of – when it’s gone it’s gone.

Strategy

Ok, so the big How.  As with any business venture, you want to make sure your Why is solid first, and then comes the How, the strategy, the method… Obviously just typing whatever is on your heart into a word document and uploading it to the World Wide Web isn’t going to result in a check coming to your door the following week.  There is always strategy involved if we want to create something valuable for the world, the marketplace and ourselves.  So, how do these moms make money blogging?

You’ve gotta solve problems.  Having an online diary is nice and all, but you likely won’t make money this way.  Figure out who Your Person is (your: Target Client, Niche, Avatar, etc.  Everyone has a different name for it).  Be specific, down to their gender, age range, pain points, hopes and fears.  Many people like to generalize when they’re blogging, as to “not exclude anyone” and this is the worst thing you can do.  When you speak to everyone no one hears you.  You want to be so specific that your reader feels like you’re in their head, & speaking directly to them.  Trust me.

Want an Easy Button way to figure out what you should be talking about and who your Target Audience is? Download my free mini workbook today, and you’ll be on your way to getting crystal clear on both of those criteria!

Some Things to Consider

Make sure you actually enjoy blogging, please.  Here are some questions you can ask yourself before continuing:

• Do you love writing?  Have others even told you that you have a knack for writing? Did a friend ever comment on one of your posts/musings and say something like “I feel like you’re inside of my head!”?  Those are great signs! If you don’t love “writing/typing” but you have a lot to say, perhaps you could talk and use a Talk to Text program to convert what you’re trying to get across into Blog format (or opt for Youtubing or Podcasting instead)
• Do you love sharing things you’ve learned with others?  What about your personal life and experiences?  Not totally necessary, but the more real you are, the more relatable you’ll be.
• Do you constantly get asked questions about products or services that you’re using, or for advice?
• Do you love giving advice?  Sharing helpful tips, tricks and methods with others?
• Would you do all of the above without getting paid a dime?

If you answered yes to all of the above, I’d say let’s continue!

What kind of income can you expect?

Honestly, the sky is the limit, as with anything: you get out what you put in.  There are moms that make a few bucks a month here and there, and then there are moms that have retired their husbands, created a full time income and even furnished their wildest dreams with income from blogging.  There are so many ways and bunny trails involved in this, but we will discuss several of the most popular methods below. Just know that you’re going to do more than just typing some words and clicking Publish, if you’re going to do this as a source of income.

I’m not going to tell you that blogging is a cakewalk, in fact, being “motivated” to blog (or do anything) alone is terrible fuel to keep you going.  You may love writing and sharing your skills, knowledge and advice with others, but there will come a day (or many days) when that motivation doesn’t always show up.  It happens to all of us, and only the strongest survive.  Meaning, are you willing to put in the work when you don’t feel like it?  Are you willing to be a lifelong student and never stop learning, never stop improving yourself and your skillset/knowledge?  Because those factors (after working on your State and Mindset) are what determines success in any venture. 

If you commit to improving yourself constantly, you’re going to be lightyears ahead of 96% of people in this world.  Being in that 4% sounds special, and it is, but it’s hard work.  It’s building up the self-discipline to wake up and do things you don’t always feel like doing.  It’s pushing yourself to the limit and then going a bit past that, utilizing the power of one more rep. It’s reading the books, listening to the podcasts, finding mentors & role models, asking questions, doing the research, reaching out and helping others, touching lives and giving of self when you may feel like there’s nothing left to give.  It’s beautiful and difficult and so, so worth it.

How do you Earn Money with a Blog then??

Let’s discuss a few of the top ways bloggers are earning money, but with some creativity you could probably even come up with a few of your own!

Affiliate Marketing

In a nutshell, you’re pointing to products and services that you love (and hopefully personally use!).  Referral Marketing is another way to put it.

Most likely, you’ve visited a blog before after searching for a solution, recipe or even casually reading a post, and you’ve seen a clickable link in the text.  9 times out of 10, that link is what’s known as an Affiliate Link.  At no extra cost to you, the blog owner is receiving a small commission for “referring” you to that product or service.  The product creator or service provider pays the blogger for sending traffic their way.  It’s a win, win and a great way to support content creators that you enjoy.  So many of us are leaving money on the table when we talk about our favorite hair-care products, perfume blends, restaurants and more!  Friends ask Friends for Affiliate Links.  FAFFAL!  Remember it.  Next time your friend says “You’ve just gotta read this book!  It was amazing!”  Ask her for an affiliate link.  

Most programs are super easy to sign up for, for example – Amazon’s Affiliate program has you sign up, and as long as you get 3 clicks (and follow through sales) within 180 days – you’re in!  Now, Amazon is only giving you pennies on the dollar usually, but those things add up over time – Affiliate Marketing is a Long Game strategy and perfect for adding to your Multiple Income Stream Plan, and that’s just the tip of the Affiliate Marketing Iceberg.  A simple brainstorm of all of the products, services and websites you frequent could give you a plethora of ideas for ways to share things you’re already loving, and lots of inspo for blog posts, too!  

You can also promote other blogger’s products and services (such as courses, coaching & digital/physical products) and get referral bonuses that way.

Product/Service Reviews

This one has several avenues.  When you’re just starting out, you’re likely going to be buying these products with your own money, or reviewing products and services you already use and sharing Affiliate Links to get commission that way.  However, once you amass a following and get your name out there, you can reach out to companies and ask to review their products in exchange for an honest review.  Eventually, you may even have companies reaching out to you asking you for a review!  Sometimes you’ll just receive the product for free or at a discount and sometimes you’ll even get paid for the review!  Make sure you’re doing this ethically and honestly.  Never give a good review on a junk product (or a product you’ve never even used) in exchange for free stuff/money – that’s shady and dishonest, and people can smell it a mile away.

Ads

This one is usually drop in the bucket income, until you have quite a following.  If you’re not getting tons of website traffic, you probably won’t qualify for many ad services.  Google Adsense is a great beginner way to get ads on your blog, but you will just make a few pennies here and there.  Once you have lots more traffic, you can apply for Mediavine and several other companies that pay a significant amount more.

*I do want to add here, some bloggers choose not to use Ads on their website because it creates a different experience for the reader.  It’s totally up to you what you choose to do with this route.  I know many successful bloggers who don’t use Ads at all – on their blog or even advertising their own services – and do great without them!

Digital Products

Digital products are great because you don’t have to worry about stocking, shipping or handling physical products.  You can also offer paid memberships and advanced content to readers who want to dive further into what you have to offer.  This is a great way to offer advanced content to your readers and build a loyal community who loves what you already have to offer.  You’re going to want to have a ton of valuable free content out there already before you even consider this, and many coaches will tell you that you should be giving away your best stuff for free!  This is a great approach, and especially early on in your blogging career, you can and should considering giving away and/or heavily discounting your digital content.

• Courses & Memberships – exclusive access to a Member’s Only portal or area, access to a Facebook group or other community specific to whatever niche you’re specializing in.
• eBooks:
  • Recipes
  • How To’s
  • Low Content Books (journals, planners, notebooking pages, etc)
  • Fiction or Non-Fiction
  • Lesson Plans for homeschoolers
  • Anything you can imagine!
• Printables

*There is also the option of creating digital products and utilizing a Print-On-Demand service, like Printful, Printify, Sellfy, or even Amazon. to print & ship physical products for you.

Services

Coaching has become huge the past few years, and depending on your state laws and specific skillset, you could offer Life Coaching or a variety of other coaching.  If you have skills and knowledge in a particular area, you can offer your services to others.  1 on 1 coaching and Group Coaching (via Zoom, etc.) are two popular options here.

You can use your blog as a Resume or Portfolio of sorts, showcasing your work and discussing what you offer.  You can offer Freelance writing or blog creation and even offer your services as a Virtual Assistant for others.  If you have technical know-how this is a great route to take to get your name out there and offer your skillset to the marketplace.

Actually Starting the Blog

Ok so we discussed all the “back end details” and now you want to actually take this idea and run with it.  The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second best time is now!  Tony Robbins (I’ll probably mention him a lot since I’ve been taking some of his Seminars and learning all I can from his coaching) says that you should make big decisions when you’re in your Peak State!  When you’re feeling that inspiration – that pull – when you’re gravitating towards something and you feel the call, jump on it!  That’s the best time to do it, when your emotions are involved and you really want to make a change in life.  So let’s go.  This part is pretty fun!

Step One: Decide on your Topic/Niche

This is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.  Likely, if you already decided you want to (and should) blog, you have an idea of what your topic will be.  If you feel led to write, you probably have already been writing in some way, shape or form or at least have a topic that you’re passionate about.  You can find lists online of the “Top subjects to write about to make money” etc, but I’m here to tell you that you could write about your love for toast and do great IF you target people who also love toast and could talk about toasters and bread until the cows come home.  You can write about whatever you want, but make sure it’s something you love, something you’re knowledgeable about and something you could continue learning and talking about forever and ever (even if you didn’t get paid – cause you might not, for awhile).

That little chart in the download above was priceless to me early on to figure out who I was talking to, and it’s going to help you get crystal clear on who you’re talking to so that you can help them solve their problems.  A good place to start if you’re kind of unsure in this area is to think about what was a pain point for you 3-5 years ago.  What kept you up at night searching the WWW for answers.  What did you pray about endlessly?  That’s what your Target Client is searching for and praying about, those are the answers she needs.  Who did you need to step up and link arms with you and tell you everything was gonna be alright, and here’s why and how, etc?  BE HER.  

Pick a Name

Depending on what you’re going to be blogging about, you can make this real simple or real hard.  A lot of people nowadays use their first and last name as their “Brand”.  This is especially great if you’re selling your services such as coaching, courses, etc.  It’s an easy way to “make a name for yourself” and for people to find you.  Of course, if your name is difficult to spell, you want to be a little more discreet, or you just already had your heart set on a name then go a different route.  Many have been successful by selecting a name that points to subject of their blog.  Make sure it’s available, on topic, and easy to spell & remember.

My blog name took me awhile to come up with, but when it came to me it felt like a lightbulb came on.  I have huge dreams, but I want to ultimately point to Jesus and always remember to stay humble while working towards achieving them.  I think I did pretty well selecting a Domain Name, eh?

Pick a Domain, Host & Platform

Domain

I’m not tech savvy, I won’t lie.  When I started blogging casually years ago, I went with super easy sites to set up such as Hubpages & WordPress dot com, but with those you don’t get your own dot com URL and you don’t have nearly as many freedoms or opportunities.  Choosing a Domain name with a dot com at the end makes you stand out.  It says I care about my blog and my image, plus it looks cool and way more pro when you have your own email address!  The cost is minimal, especially when you consider you’re getting a free domain name with a Hosting package purchase, and – when you pay for 12 months (vs 1. or 24) you get a stellar discount! What other business can you start up with such a low entry fee?

Host

Choosing your Host is going to be so important because it affects how quickly your blog loads, how any technical issues are handled and also if/how often downtime occurs.  If your blog loads slow or is glitchy, you’re going to lose readers and trust.

Siteground is the third professional Hosting service I’ve used (the first two being Bluehost and Dreamhost) and I’m sold.  Their customer service is excellent.  Prior to switching to Siteground I had my Domain (same name as now) over at Getoiling, which is good in some aspects because it integrates well with Young Living’s website and offers many back end tools that are helpful in Network Marketing such as Email Marketing, Vaults for courses, Member Areas & helpful reminders.  However, the monthly fee was too high and the website wasn’t as customizable as I’d hoped.  I love Young Living & my Network Marketing business, but it’s only one aspect of who I am, and I wanted my website to truly reflect that in it’s entirety.

Platform

WordPress is the “Platform” that you’re basically accessing on the backend that allows you to customize your website, install “plugins” and “widgets” to make your site even more customized and it just has a really easy feel to it, I was able to set up my website the way I wanted it within a few hours of focused work (with the help of a few Youtube tutorials).  WordPress is the industry standard, and they even have an app that you can use on your phone/iPad to write posts on the go!  This might all sound confusing, but if you sign up using Siteground you’re going to have access to tutorials to show you the way. Not to mention, their customer service is excellent, it was one of the things that sold me on the spot.  I contacted their Live Chat to ask a few questions and the woman was very concise and I felt seen & confident in my choice to go with them for my blog’s new Forever Home.

Once you click the link and the page opens, you’ll want to choose a Hosting Package.  The features vary, but StartUp is more than sufficient for new bloggers and at the time of this post is only $2.99/month.  If you currently have a Domain or a blog, their customer service can help you transfer it over to them seamlessly, it’s wonderful.

Once you grow your audience and get more visitors, you can always upgrade your plan!

When you choose your plan you can choose the option that works for you.  The plans start at “Billed Annually” so you’re paying up front for your first year at a minimum.  Keep in mind there are costs associated with starting up any business, and this is one of the lowest startup costs in the industry.  Think about it, what other business can you start up for under $100 and take off running?  It all depends how much time and effort you put into it, and more importantly – yourself.  Remember:  _{“The most valuable thing in life is not what you get it’s what you become.” – Jim Rohn}.  Great advice and so true.

After you choose your Hosting plan, you’re going to either select a Domain Name (remember, the one you decided on earlier?) or if you already have a Domain Name you can use that one!  I had one which had about 5 months left before I had to renew, and I chose to transfer it to Siteground so that everything was in one place.  The customer service rep in Live Chat made it so easy for me to do so (I just had to “unlock” it on my old Host, and change the “Name Servers” on the backend)!  I highly recommend contacting them with any questions you have!

You’ll be able to choose the extension at the end of your name, but dot com is the most common – remember you’re going for easy to remember here!

Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis here, it may be difficult to pick a Domain name right now and that’s OK.  Another reason Siteground is amazing is that you can choose to build your website on a temporary page and pick your Domain name later!  This is great because you can start designing your website and adding some posts, getting a feel for everything… And then, who knows, inspiration may strike and there’s your name!  Remember, Done is better than Perfect.

I definitely recommend adding Domain Privacy at checkout, this keeps you safe from solicitors and spammers.

Finish Checkout & Set it Up

Once you get everything squared away, you’ll get an email from Siteground with your login and some instructions that are relevant to your next steps.  Once you log into you should see Start a New Website.  Click it and choose WordPress.  From there just follow the prompts, install a theme and get going!  There are lots of free themes, and also some paid ones.  I chose to go with the Ashe theme and I love it.  It looks great and allows me to customize fonts, colors & locations of things.

I recommend choosing a theme that is Mobile Optimized which just means that your blog will look great both on desktop and mobile devices.  This is especially important these days,  because a majority of your viewers are likely using mobile devices.

Take off

That’s it!  You’re in!  You can find free tutorials on Youtube and various other places online on the ins and outs of setting up your blog (WordPress has some great free ones!), and a lot of it just involves trial and error.  

Go Get It

At the end of the day, starting is what matters.  Everything doesn’t have to be perfect or even polished.  The hardest part of any venture is taking that first step, and the next hardest part is the next one, and so on… One year from now you’re going to be one of two places.  If you move and take action, you’ll be closer to realizing your goals.  However, if you let fear, doubt or uncertainty paralyze you, you’re going to be exactly where you are now – which is fine if you’re good with that, but if you’re ready to make some real, lasting changes I encourage you to take big, scary, messy action.  Your life could look completely different one year from now.

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