How to Monetize a Pet Blog and Paw Up Some Profits

So, you've nailed the basics of blogging - now it's time to make some money from your pet blog!

Trust me, monetizing your pet blog is going to be a blast!

Whether you're just starting out or already a pet influencer, these monetization methods will help you turn your blog into a full-time business. Let's dive into each one.

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is the best monetization method for pet 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 Pet Bloggers

Some different kinds of affiliate products to recommend in the pet blogging niche include:

• Pet food and treats: Recommend high-quality, nutritious options for different types of pets.
• Pet toys and accessories: Suggest fun and engaging toys, as well as practical accessories like leashes and grooming tools.
• Pet healthcare products: Promote supplements, grooming products, and other items that contribute to a pet's health and well-being.
• Pet training resources: Share books, online courses, and training tools to help pet owners train their furry friends.
• Pet insurance: Provide information about different pet insurance options and their benefits.
• Pet-related books and merchandise: Feature books, clothing, and other merchandise related to pets and pet ownership.

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 pet 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 pet bloggers:

1. Innovet Pet

   

   Commission Rate: 20% - 40% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 30 Days

   Innovet Pet is a pet supplement marketplace full of specialized products designed to fit the unique needs of different pets.

2. Chewy

   

   Commission Rate: $15 Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 15 Days

   Chewy has everything you need for your pet at amazing prices, every day. Explore more than 1,000 favorite brands, all from the comfort of home.

3. Petco

   

   Commission Rate: 2% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 7 Days

   Petco is a big, general pet supplies retailer. Join their affiliate program with a 2% commission and 7-day cookie duration.

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 Pet 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 pet blog. If you’re ready to start making a serious affiliate income from your pet site, sign up for Lasso today.

Affiliate Marketing Pros and Cons for Pet Bloggers

Affiliate marketing can be a great way for bloggers to monetize their content. One of the biggest pros is the potential for passive income - once you set up your affiliate links, you can earn money from them without much ongoing effort. Additionally, it can be a way to provide value to your readers by recommending products or services that you genuinely believe in.

On the flip side, one of the cons of affiliate marketing for bloggers is the potential for a lack of trust from your audience if they feel like you're only promoting products for the sake of making money. It's important to strike a balance and only recommend products that you truly believe will benefit your readers. Additionally, it can take time to see significant earnings from affiliate marketing, so it's not a quick fix for bloggers looking to make money.

In conclusion, affiliate marketing can be a valuable source of income for bloggers, but it's important to approach it with transparency and authenticity to maintain the trust of your audience.

2. Display Ads

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

How to Monetize a Pet Blog With Display Ads

Monetizing a pet 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 Pet Bloggers

Display ads can be a great way for pet bloggers to monetize their content. They are relatively easy to set up and can provide a steady stream of passive income. However, they can also be intrusive and affect the overall user experience on your blog.

On the pro side, display ads can generate revenue for pet bloggers without requiring them to actively sell anything. They can also be targeted to your specific audience, making them more relevant to your readers. Additionally, display ads can be a good way to promote products or services that align with your blog's content.

On the con side, display ads can slow down your website and potentially drive away visitors. They can also be seen as annoying or irrelevant, which may negatively impact your blog's reputation. It's important to weigh the pros and cons carefully before deciding whether to incorporate display ads into your pet blogging strategy.

3. Digital Products

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

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

Here are some digital products to sell on a pet blog:

• Pet training e-books: Comprehensive guides on how to train different types of pets, from basic obedience to advanced tricks.
• Custom pet portrait digital downloads: High-quality digital files of custom pet portraits, perfect for printing and framing.
• Pet care webinars: Live or pre-recorded webinars on topics such as pet nutrition, grooming, and health care.
• Pet-themed printable planners: Digital planners with sections for tracking pet appointments, medications, and activities.
• Pet photography presets: Filter presets for editing pet photos, providing a consistent and professional look.

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 Pet Bloggers

One of the main advantages of selling digital products for pet bloggers is the potential for passive income. Once the product is created and marketed, it can continue to generate sales without much ongoing effort.

Additionally, digital products allow for a wide reach and can be easily distributed to a global audience. This opens up the opportunity to connect with pet lovers from all over the world.

On the flip side, creating and selling digital products requires time and effort upfront. It's important to ensure that the product is high-quality and valuable to the target audience in order to generate sales.

Furthermore, there can be challenges in standing out in a saturated market, so it's crucial to have a strong marketing strategy in place to effectively promote the digital products.

How To Monetize a Pet 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 pet 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 pet blog with an email newsletter and the pros and cons of email marketing for pet bloggers.

Before we dive into the specifics of monetizing your pet blog with an email newsletter, let's quickly go over what an email newsletter is and why it's a great tool for pet bloggers to generate income. An email newsletter is a regularly distributed email that contains content, updates, and promotions related to your pet blog. It's a direct way to communicate with your audience and can be highly effective for driving traffic and sales.

How to Monetize a Pet Blog with an Email Newsletter

If you have a pet blog, you can monetize it with an email newsletter by offering exclusive content, promoting affiliate products, and selling your own products or services. Start by building a list of subscribers who are interested in pet-related content. Then, create valuable and engaging content for your email newsletter that includes promotions for affiliate products or your own offerings. By providing value and building trust with your subscribers, you can effectively monetize your pet blog through your email newsletter.

Pros and Cons of Email Marketing for Pet Bloggers

• Pros: Email marketing allows you to build a loyal audience, promote affiliate products, and sell your own products or services directly to your subscribers.
• Cons: It can be time-consuming to create engaging content for your email newsletter, and you'll need to find a balance between promoting products and providing valuable content to your subscribers.

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 pet 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 Pet Blog With Consulting Services

Monetizing a pet 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 Pet Bloggers

One of the pros of selling consulting services for pet bloggers is the opportunity to share your expertise and help others succeed in their endeavors. By offering valuable advice and guidance, you can make a positive impact on the pet blogging community and build a reputation as a go-to resource.

On the flip side, a potential con of selling consulting services is the time and effort required to effectively communicate your knowledge and provide personalized support to clients. It's important to be prepared for the demands of client interaction and the potential challenges that may arise in the consulting process.

Another advantage of selling consulting services for pet bloggers is the potential for financial gain. If you establish yourself as an expert in the field, you can command higher fees for your services and generate a steady income from consulting work.

However, it's important to weigh the pros and cons carefully and consider whether selling consulting services aligns with your personal and professional goals in the pet blogging industry.

Pet Blog Monetization FAQs

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

If you want to build a successful pet 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 Pet Blogging?

Absolutely! Some pet blogs, like Blog Paws and Pawsitively Pets 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 Pet Blog?

Learning how to start a pet 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 Pet Bloggers Get Paid?

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

Is Pet Blogging Easy?

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

As a pet 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 Pet Blog?

It’s absolutely worth it to start a pet 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 pet-related industries will take you seriously.

Final Thoughts on Monetizing a Pet Blog

Now that you've got all the different ways to make money from your pet blog, here's one more tip for you:

Try using multiple ways to make money!

Diversifying your income is the best way to protect your business's future. If you promote affiliate offers, use display ads, and sell your own products, it won't hurt your business if one method takes a hit.

With this multi-tiered approach, hard work, and careful planning, you'll be on the fast track to earning what your online business deserves.

Why You Should Trust Our Pet Blogging Content

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

Quite a lot, actually.

Here's why you can trust our process for building a successful pet 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 Pet Bloggers Every Day

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