10 BEST WAYS TO MONETISE YOUR BLOG...

You can get paid blogging in several ways, here are my top ten.

1.     Google AdSense provides a way for website owners to earn money from their online content. AdSense works by matching text and display ads to your website based on your content and visitors. The ads are created and paid for by advertisers to promote their products.

2.     Create a paid online course. You are already teaching your visitors through your blog so why not make it into an online paid course, bringing together virtually any type of content. They are a great way to build passive income long term.

3.     Paid reviews are those in which the person giving the evaluation has been paid to do so. Some people question this practice, wondering if people who write paid reviews can remain impartial but if you give an honest review you will get repeat business.

4.     Banner Ads are ads placed in a banner style on the sidebar of your blog. The business sponsor usually pays a monthly fee to have the add on your site and this can be very lucrative as it allows you to cut out the middleman and charge what you want for other people to advertise on your site.

5.     Writing an eBook is another great way to make some money from your blog. Self-publishing through Create Space is a simple process. Create one aligned with the content of your blog.

6.     Sponsored blog posts are another way of earning some money. Joining a blogging company like Get Blogged make it really easy for bloggers to monetise their blogs, and for brands, businesses and agencies needing help with, or wanting to outsource their outreach in a cost-effective way. They do all the work for you and send you a list of potential jobs. Getting paid blogging is the icing on the cake.

7.     Affiliate Marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor brought by the affiliate's marketing efforts. There are lots and lots of companies you can work with. A popular one is Amazon Associates due to the number of products it must sell.

8.     Host a Webinar, which is a live workshop online. People go on to Webinar’s to hear you talk about your specialist subject. This is great for people that live overseas that can’t get to one of your workshops. You make money from Webinar’s by charging for a virtual seat on your presentation. They pay to watch you perform your presentation online.

9.     Offer a Membership area. Your most loyal readers are your clients and could be willing to pay to read more of your work. You can create a members-only area for them to share more in-depth blog posts, downloads, videos, audio content, and more.

10.  Offer a Freelance Service, you’re already an expert on your niche. Earn an income by offering your skills and expertise as a freelancer, create a Hire Me/ Work With Me page. 

WHAT IS A SOLOPRENEUR?

What is a solopreneur  - well according to Wikipedia the word does not exist, but some say it means starting out on your own.

It takes a lot of guts to set up a business on your own and can be extremely lonely but more and more people are giving it a go.

Research says that they are seeing a huge growth in the number of fifty something's (women in particular) who are setting up as one man/woman bands,

Many who start up don't know their own value but setting the right rate is the key first step and something you should review and research well before going on your own.

If you cannot stand to work alone at home and only need a desk then there is always the option to hire a desk, companies like neardesk.com, and deskcamping,com to name a few can help with available spaces where you can work from.  Of course a library is another good free place to set up your space and not feel alone. The Independent Newspaper has written a great article on 'Don't want to work alone, rent a desk instead'.

One important thing to remember when you are working alone is to make sure you have time off, book it into your diary, have a coffee break and a lunch break otherwise you will just burn out and begin to think it was not the best idea to work alone.

Don't forget when you start up that you need to register your business with HM Revenue. Another place for advice when setting up is the Gov UK who offer free help for start-ups.

HOW TO MAKE #MONEY FROM ENTERING COMPETITIONS ON YOUR COMPUTER...

Would you like to earn a little bit of extra money simply by using your computer? Well, this is an extremely easy way to earn some extra money, simply by sitting with your laptop, tablet, or computer once a day and checking out what is available online.

We've covered blogging and article writing which is one of the biggest money makers online at the moment, but if you are not that keen on this sort of work online there are other ways to make some extra money.

Competitions is something anyone can do. You see them on the back of soup packets, in magazines, and of course online. A few useful items to buy before you start competitions is a rhyming dictionary, quote books, and any other type of competition book you can find on the shelf. Often all entering involves is filling in an online form or sending a postcard, sometimes answering a question or tie-breaker.

There are a number of excellent sites online which are well worth investing in if you fancy giving this a go. UK Competitions  is a free site to get you going but you can also become a member for access to more competitions. Competitions Time  is another free online resource who collect details of the best free online UK competitions from websites that are offering prizes for you to win with new competitions added daily. Another well known site is The Prize Finder which offers 3,000+ FREE competitions every month and they also track all the competitions you have entered. Simply Prizes has been established  for more than 15 years and has a handy handbag size Magazine with 48 pages of competitions to go through. Finally NOW Daily Magazine  which has daily competitions and prize draws to enter.

The well know Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert's  site has a lot of information on Competitions and he even has a Comping Forum. Super Lucky Me is a brilliant site and lists UK competition companies and written by a serial comper who has won over £250,000 in prizes !!!! and has written her own book 'SuperLuckySecrets' - the essential compers handbook, no on its 2nd edition, packed with her winning tips. Another great book is 'Win Competitions Online' by David Fuentes, this book is an essential guide to take with you on a journey into the world of comping and may well be your key to a fortune.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR #FREELANCE WRITING/BLOGGING JOBS...

Have you spent hours on end looking through websites to try and find a freelance writing/blogging job? Well I hope I can help you by suggesting some of the best places to look for this kind of work.

People Per Hour is UK's No 1 Freelancing Community, This one works by you (the blogger/writer) advertises what you can offer and how much it will cost the client. For example,' I can write an engaging 400/500 word blog article in 60 minutes for £10'. If a customer finds that interesting then they pay a down payment to start the job. Then if they are happy you then finish the job for them.
Jobs are also advertised whereby you can send a proposal for the job.

Fiveer is another great site and under their 'Articles and Blogs' section state that you can 'hire professional writers for your blogs and articles. You advertise what you can blog about like People Per Hour, although I did notice the hourly rate was a tad less on this site. One advert said 'I will write top quality content for you up to 500 words for £3.51' and there is a page full of these!!

Guru  has lots of blogging/writing jobs. They have a global network of over 1.5 million gurus listed on their database. The client pays Guru then Guru pays you which is a win, win situation as they will make sure they get the payment and save you any problems.

All you do is join Guru and create a profile and define the freelance services you want to offer. Employers will then find you by these services when they search for freelances to hire. You then apply for jobs that interest you. Guru also showcase previous work you have completed to back up your proposals. They also provide job matches daily so you don;t miss out on an opportunities.

They also give you all the professional tools you need to define milestones, set tasks, communicate with employers, share files, and agree upon payment schedules.

Freelancer which is well established and has a good reputation. They have freelancers on their list for any kind of job such as: Logo Design, Business Cards, Graphic Design, Website Design, Market Research, Telemarketing, Search Engine Optimization and lots more.

You sign up, create a profile then check out the thousands of jobs listed and if you see any you like the look of then make a bid for them by offering your service and the fee you would charge per hour.

A few more sites to take a peak at are Blogging Pro  Whatever you write on you will find a steady stream of employers looking for a blog writers versed in many subjects.

Freelance Writing Jobs other sites say that Craig's list is Craig's list but this site does try to exclude any posts that look like scams but check the postings well.

Media Bistro have a freelance section which covers a whole range of jobs from TV, PR/marketing and book publishing and social media.

Finally the Pro Blogger's board is one to check on, on a regular basis. It's always full the brim of freelancing jobs.