How to Monetize a Finance Blog and Build an Investment

Starting a finance blog? Once you've set up your site and started creating content, the real excitement begins: monetizing your blog! Trust me, it's a blast.

Whether you're new to the scene or a seasoned finance guru, I've got some great tips to help you transform your passion into a profitable venture. Ready to dive into the details? Let’s go!

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is the best monetization method for finance bloggers because it hits the sweet spot between time investment and earning potential.

Affiliate marketing is a form of advertising where a publisher (the site owner) links to a product in their content and earns a commission from the advertiser (the affiliate program) if readers click on that link and make a purchase.

Also, since you can add links to your existing content, it’s the perfect method for beginners. You’ve already written content, so you’ve already done the hard part.

How to Start Affiliate Marketing for Finance Bloggers

If you're diving into the finance blogging niche, you've got a slew of cool affiliate products to recommend. Here’s a quick rundown of some popular types:

• Personal Finance Apps: Apps like Mint or YNAB help readers manage their budgets and track expenses. They’re super practical and easy to promote because everyone loves a tool that simplifies life.
• Investment Platforms: Think Robinhood or Acorns. These platforms appeal to both newbies and experienced investors looking to grow their wealth. Plus, they often offer cool sign-up bonuses you can highlight.
• Credit Cards: Recommending credit cards can be lucrative, especially if you focus on cards that offer great rewards or low-interest rates. Just make sure to remind your readers to spend responsibly!
• Insurance Products: Whether it’s life, health, or auto insurance, these are essential products that everyone needs. Partnering with insurance companies can be quite profitable.
• Educational Courses: Offering courses or ebooks on financial literacy, investing strategies, or debt management can not only help your audience but also bring in steady affiliate income.

Choose wisely and align these products with your audience's needs for the best results!

Once you’ve identified which products will solve problems for your readers, you need to sign up for their affiliate programs.

You should start by joining the Amazon Associates affiliate program.

Most physical products in the finance niche will be available on Amazon, and the conversion rate on Amazon is insane.

Yes, Amazon’s commission rates are rough, and they only offer a 24-hour cookie duration, but the conversion rate makes up for it. Plus, you’re nearly guaranteed to get accepted into their program.

For products that aren’t available on Amazon, just Google “[Product] affiliate program,” and you’ll find their program’s signup page.

To save you some time, here are a few of the best affiliate networks for finance bloggers:

1. Vantage

   

   Commission Rate: Up to $800 CPA

   Cookie Duration: 30 Days

   Vantage is a global, multi-asset broker offering a robust and efficient service for trading CFDs on Forex, Commodities, Indices, Shares, and Cryptocurrencies. Vantage has a reputation for delivering high standards of trading to clients by providing a trusted trading ecosystem.

2. QuickBooks

   

   Commission Rate: 10% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 45 Days

   QuickBooks is an accounting software package developed and marketed by the company Intuit. Earn a referral fee by selling QuickBooks software!

3. Xero

   

   Commission Rate: 10% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: Unknown

   Xero is online accounting software that connects you to all things business: accountants, bookkeepers, banks, enterprise & apps.

Once you’ve been approved for the product’s affiliate program, the program will give you your affiliate link, and you can start inserting it into your content.

How To Monetize A Finance Blog With Affiliate Marketing

To add your link to your content, go to your post editor, highlight the relevant text, and insert the link.

Here are a few best practices for adding affiliate links to your WordPress blog:

• Add links where it’s helpful. Adding too many links to your blog posts is just like adding too many ads; it’s annoying. Add links to product titles, images, CTA buttons, and the first time you mention a product. That’s plenty.
• Disclose your links. Every blog post with affiliate links should have a disclaimer at the beginning, and every CTA or product image should also.
• Use direct sales language. When you are writing your call to action, be direct. It’s not rude to say, “Check the price” or “Buy this product today.” Being too passive makes you look unconfident.

Or, take it a step further by creating product displays.

You Can Double Your Affiliate Sales With Lasso Displays

You can create displays manually using the post editor to add links to images and buttons.

However, it can be time-consuming to create these displays and keep them updated if you’re doing it all by hand.

Luckily, monetizing your blog with affiliate links is simplified when you’re using a tool like Lasso.

Lasso makes it super easy to add links and product displays to your posts. You can add product displays to posts right from the post editor; no coding is required. It’s as simple as clicking your mouse three times.

You can also automatically import product info from retailers like Amazon. Just paste the link into the Lasso dashboard, and Lasso will populate the display with the product title, image, and price.

With all of this, remember to follow the guidelines in the affiliate program’s terms and conditions. Amazon, in particular, is pretty stringent.

But everything Lasso does is compliant with Amazon Associates’ TOS, so you never have to worry about being booted from the program.

That’s just scratching the surface of what Lasso can do to help you monetize your finance blog. If you’re ready to start making a serious affiliate income from your finance site, sign up for Lasso today.

Affiliate Marketing Pros and Cons for Finance Bloggers

One major advantage of affiliate marketing for finance bloggers is the ability to generate passive income. By promoting products or services related to finance, such as budgeting tools or investment courses, bloggers can earn commissions on sales generated through their affiliate links. This can provide a steady income stream without the need for continuous content creation or sales effort.

However, affiliate marketing also has its drawbacks. For finance bloggers, maintaining credibility while promoting affiliate products can be challenging. It's crucial to promote only those products that you genuinely believe in and that align with your audience's interests. Failure to do so can lead to a loss of trust among your readers, which is detrimental in the finance blogging niche where trust is a key component.

Additionally, the success of affiliate marketing heavily depends on traffic and conversion rates. For finance bloggers, this means you need a large and engaged audience. Building and maintaining this audience requires not only great content but also effective SEO and marketing strategies. Without these, your affiliate links might not reach enough potential buyers to generate significant commissions.

Finally, there's the issue of market saturation. The financial niche is highly competitive, and many products may have multiple affiliates vying for sales. This competition can make it harder for newer bloggers to get noticed and succeed in the affiliate marketing space.

2. Display Ads

The second best way to monetize your finance blog is with display ads. Ads are the internet's favorite monetization method, but they have severe drawbacks.

How to Monetize a Finance Blog With Display Ads

Monetizing a finance blog with display ads couldn’t be easier.

First, choose an ad network to join. Networks have traffic requirements, so here are the best ad networks to join based on your site’s page views:

• 100,000+ Visitors per month - Raptive
• 50,000+ Sessions per month - Mediavine
• < 50,000+ Visitors per month - Ezoic

Once you’re accepted to an ad network, follow their instructions to integrate their ads into your site. They will have documentation for every type of content management service (WordPress, Joomla, Ghost, etc.).

If your chosen ad network has a dedicated accounts manager, they will guide you through getting their ads on your site.

And… that’s it. Let the ads run and wait for your deposits to hit your account.

Display Ad Pros And Cons For Finance Bloggers

Display ads are a staple in digital marketing, especially for finance bloggers looking to monetize their sites. They're visually appealing and can effectively attract clicks when placed strategically. By partnering with financial brands and services, you can generate a steady stream of revenue. Plus, with tools like Google AdSense, setting up display ads is a breeze, allowing for automation and customization based on your audience's behavior.

However, there are downsides to consider. Display ads can often lead to a cluttered website appearance, potentially turning off readers who seek a clean, straightforward informational experience. There’s also the risk of ad blockers, which are widely used and can significantly decrease the number of ads seen by visitors, thus reducing potential earnings. Furthermore, if not well-matched with your audience's interests, these ads can have low click-through rates, making them less profitable than anticipated.

For finance bloggers, it's crucial to balance ad placement and content quality. Ensuring that ads are relevant to your audience’s interests and maintaining a site design that prioritizes user experience can help mitigate some of the cons. Regularly analyzing ad performance and tweaking strategies are also key steps to maximize display ad effectiveness.

3. Digital Products

Selling your own digital products is a great way to increase your earnings per visitor in the finance niche.

A digital product is anything you can sell on your finance blog that the customer will receive via download.

• E-books on Financial Literacy: Comprehensive guides on budgeting, investing, and managing debt. Perfect for beginners!
• Exclusive Investment Reports: Detailed analysis and forecasts for various markets. Ideal for savvy investors looking to stay ahead.
• Budget Planners and Spreadsheets: Customizable tools to help track and plan personal finances. Great for anyone wanting to take control of their money.
• Online Courses: From stock market basics to advanced trading strategies, these courses cater to all levels.
• Finance Webinars: Live sessions with finance experts. Real-time insights and Q&A opportunities.
• Membership Programs: Offer premium content, exclusive tips, and community support. Builds loyalty and engagement.

A lot of people search for simple checklists and guides related to different topics. They’d happily pay you for them.

Pros and Cons of Selling Digital Products for Finance Bloggers

One major advantage of selling digital products as a finance blogger is scalability. Once a digital product like an ebook or course is created, it can be sold repeatedly without additional production costs, making it a highly lucrative revenue stream. This allows finance bloggers to focus more on content creation and less on inventory or shipping logistics.

However, the digital market is crowded, and standing out can be challenging. Finance bloggers need to invest significantly in marketing and SEO to ensure their products reach their target audience. Additionally, creating high-quality, engaging digital products requires expertise and time, which might divert attention from other blog activities.

Another pro is the global reach of digital products. As a finance blogger, you are not limited by geographical boundaries; your products can be purchased by anyone around the world. This opens up a vast market and can significantly increase your potential earnings.

On the downside, digital products are prone to piracy and unauthorized distribution, which can lead to revenue loss. Protecting content can be difficult and sometimes costly, requiring additional resources that some bloggers might not have at their disposal.

How To Monetize a Finance Blog By Selling Digital Products

The first thing to do is create your digital product.

Look at which content your audience interacts with the most, and brainstorm digital products to help serve their search intent.

That’s what I did when I created our Ultimate Blogging Guide:

Then, create the product using whatever tools are at your disposal. For example, use Microsoft Word to create an ebook PDF, or Google Sheets to create interactive spreadsheets and checklists.

Next, you have to figure out how to distribute your product. The easiest way to distribute PDFs is by uploading them to your WordPress media library. Then you can give customers the link, and they can download the PDF from there.

Lastly, you’ll have to set up payment processing and order fulfillment. A plugin like Woocommerce can automate most of this, but you’ll have to tie it to a processor like Stripe or PayPal.

Woocommerce can even connect to an email tool like ConvertKit, so as soon as your customer finishes their checkout, they’ll get an email with a link to their download.

Barring any issues, you won’t have to do anything but watch your bank account grow.

4. Email Newsletter

One effective way to monetize a finance blog is by creating an email newsletter. This method allows you to build a loyal audience and engage with your readers on a more personal level. Let's explore how to monetize a finance blog with an email newsletter and the pros and cons of email marketing for finance bloggers.

How to Monetize a Finance Blog with an Email Newsletter

Email newsletters are a powerful tool for finance bloggers looking to build a steady revenue stream. By regularly sending curated content directly to subscribers’ inboxes, you can engage with your audience on a more personal level. Here's how you can monetize such a strategy:

First, build a solid subscriber list by offering incentives like free e-books or exclusive financial insights only available to subscribers. Once you have a loyal following, introduce premium newsletter options with advanced financial tips, in-depth analyses, and early-bird alerts on investment opportunities, which can be accessed via a paid subscription model.

Another strategy is to include sponsored content within your newsletters. Partner with financial service providers or investment platforms that align with your blog’s theme and offer to feature their content for a fee. Ensure these partnerships are transparent to maintain trust with your readers.

Lastly, use your newsletter to promote your own products or services. This could be anything from one-on-one financial advising sessions, seminars, or online courses you create. Since the promotion is coming directly from you, it enhances the trust and value perception among your subscribers.

Pros and Cons of Email Marketing for Finance Bloggers

• Pros:
  • Targeted Audience: Subscribers to your finance blog have already shown interest in your content, making them a receptive audience for your email campaigns.
  • Increased Engagement: Regular newsletters keep your readers engaged, which can lead to higher traffic and more opportunities for monetization.
  • Control over Content and Ads: You control the content and frequency of your newsletters, including how and when ads are integrated, allowing for strategic monetization.
• Cons:
  • Time Consuming: Creating valuable and engaging content for newsletters on a regular basis can be time-intensive.
  • Risk of Unsubscription: Over-promotion or irrelevant content could lead to higher unsubscribe rates, potentially reducing the effectiveness of this channel.
  • Dependence on Email Algorithms: Changes in email service providers' algorithms can affect deliverability and open rates, impacting your monetization efforts.

5. Consulting and Coaching Services

Consulting or coaching is exchanging your expertise and time for a fee. Your customers need an expert, and you’ve proven yourself to be that expert.

As you become an authority in the industry, people will reach out to you with questions about topics they consider you an expert in.

Now, you don’t have to charge for being helpful, but you should place a dollar value on your time.

As a finance blogger, you extensive knowledge of the industry. If a reader reaches out to you asking for help, you should get paid for that effort.

How To Monetize A Finance Blog With Consulting Services

Monetizing a finance blog with consulting services is similar to selling sponsored posts.

Put a “Coaching” option in your nav bar that goes to a landing page outlining your consulting services and your hourly rate. This will help head off some of the people looking for free advice.

Then, wait for requests to come in, evaluate them, and propose your offer. If the customer accepts, send them an invoice using PayPal or another payment processor, and schedule the call.

Pros and Cons of Selling Consulting Services for Finance Bloggers

One major advantage of selling consulting services as a finance blogger is the potential for higher income. By leveraging your expertise and audience trust, you can offer personalized advice or strategies, which often commands a premium price. Additionally, consulting can diversify your revenue streams beyond traditional blog monetization methods like ads or affiliate marketing.

However, selling consulting services also comes with challenges. It requires a significant time investment, both in terms of actual consulting hours and the time needed to manage your business. This can detract from content creation, which is the core of your blogging success. Moreover, the pressure to maintain a high level of expertise and stay updated on financial trends can be demanding.

There's also the issue of scalability. Unlike digital products that can be sold repeatedly without much additional effort, consulting is inherently limited by the number of hours you can work. This can cap your earning potential or lead to burnout if not managed properly.

Finally, establishing credibility is crucial. Potential clients need to see clear evidence of your expertise and successful outcomes. Building this reputation takes time and consistent effort, which may initially slow down the growth of your consulting wing.

Finance Blog Monetization FAQs

What Is The Best Way To Make Money From Finance Blogging?

If you want to build a successful finance blog, then affiliate marketing is the best way to monetize it. It’s the least intrusive way to make a lot of money from your site without much extra effort.

Can I Make A Full-Time Income From Finance Blogging?

Absolutely! Some finance blogs, like Money Crashers and Get Rich Slowly get hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors. That’s enough for a full-time income for a small team of people.

How Do I Start a Finance Blog?

Learning how to start a finance blog is the first best way to use your expertise to start an online business.

You need to register a domain, install WordPress, and publish great content. It's a lot of work, but totally worth it!

How Do Finance Bloggers Get Paid?

Most finance bloggers make money through affiliate commissions and advertising fees. Both of these monetization methods pay out one or two months after the fees have been generated.

Some finance bloggers also sell sponsored posts, consulting services, or their own products. In these cases, a payment processor like PayPal or Stripe is necessary.

Is Finance Blogging Easy?

Nothing worth doing is truly easy, but that doesn’t mean finance blogging isn’t fun.

As a finance blogger, you’ll get to go places, try new things, and meet new people. And it will be part of your business! What could be cooler than that?

Is It Worth Starting A Finance Blog?

It’s absolutely worth it to start a finance blog. Not only can you make a living from it, but you can also build a community and control the conversation.

Once you’re an established authority, people in finance-related industries will take you seriously.

Final Thoughts on Monetizing a Finance Blog

Now you've got the playbook for making money off your finance blog. Here's one last piece of advice: mix it up with your income sources!

Spreading out how you earn - through affiliate marketing, ads, and your own products - means you're safe if one stream starts to dry up. By using a layered approach, staying dedicated, and planning wisely, you're setting yourself up to reap the rewards your online business deserves.

Why You Should Trust Our Finance Blogging Content

You may be thinking, "that's all great, but what does Lasso know about finance blogging?"

Quite a lot, actually.

Here's why you can trust our process for building a successful finance blog:

We've Built Wildly Successful Blogs

Lasso is built for affiliate marketers, by affiliate marketers. We're not gurus; we've walked the walk.

Our team members have built multiple blogs from the ground up, some of them earning over seven figures in revenue.

We put that experience into every guide we write, so you can trust we're giving you a process that works.

We Talk To Finance Bloggers Every Day

Lasso's WordPress plugin is installed on over 8,000 websites, including a lot of finance blogs.

Our team supports those bloggers every day as they create awesome content and earn lots of money.

These communications give us a bird's-eye view of what's new in the finance industry. We take that information and use it to keep these guides as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

We're Super Nerds

We've put a lot of company focus into learning everything we can about blogging, affiliate marketing, SEO, and anything to do with online entrepreneurship.

We attend conferences, collect high-level contacts, read tons of books, and distill all of that information into our content. We pass information onto you that was previously only available to industry insiders.