If they are thinking of setting up a blog then this is a question that is pretty much on the forefront of a person’s mind. Well, is it really possible to make money using a blog? And if so how?

Well, the first thing that has to be realised is that you cannot make money if you don’t put thought in to your blog- you need to think clearly about what you want to do and what you want to achieve in order to get there. Making money from a blog can be pretty hard unless you know the right way to go about it.

If you have an existing business then a blog can be a fantastic use of your time. You can not only talk about all the services that you offer and reach a wider range of people who could use them, but you can do something that many businesses do not actually think about. You can interact with your existing clientele. One useful factor of a blog is the ability to comment on the posts, if you can get good feedback from customers, and in an impersonal way like a comment that can be anonymous, then you can start actually improving your company and thinking of advancements that will get you more customers and more money in the long run.

Think about any what a blog actually is. You are writing for people to read. You could set up your own little business, for example offering to write for money, and start earning pretty instantly. Blogs are a great way to show off your natural affinity for writing and if you are the type of writer a person likes then they may hire you. Plenty of businesses want people who can blog for them and raise their profile, so why not try and get in to this market?

More simple ways of making money if you do not have anything to sell or want to offer to do work is to sign up for things such as affiliate programs and advertising schemes. Adsense, Adbrite, Bidvertiser and suchlike are all schemes you can use to earn money on the side of your blog. Sponsorship is also a possibility with adverts so have a look in to these ways of making money if you want a blog. It may not pay a lot, but it is a start. The adverts will generally keep to the theme of your blog too so you are more likely to get clicks if a person comes looking for information on something and sees an advert relating to it.

If you are an expert in an area or just know a lot about something then start a blog on that topic. If it is something quite unique then it is even better. Off the back of this you could then start hiring yourself out as an expert on the topic. If you know a lot about motivational schemes then offer your services out to companies at a set fee and you may get some appointments to go and give workers a motivational talk.

If you are clever and can think of a niche to tap in to, then blogs can be very lucrative for you. Even if you cannot do this then adverts can get you a little money and offering yourself to affiliate schemes will boost this further.

If you use a free blog, such as one at choseit.com, then you do not have to pay to actually make a blog. That way you optimise your earning potential even further as anything you earn will be profit.

So the answer is yes, you can make money from a blog, but how much depends on you.