In February 2015 when we were invited as a speaker for the “Travel Blogging” session at Social Media Week, Bangalore, we were stoked to see that people were more curious to know how to earn money from blogging and making it a full-time profession.
Monetizing our blog never crossed our mind as we are not full-time bloggers, traveling was always our passion and blogging just happened. So, last year after the session, we thought of giving it a shot.
We know there are so many bloggers making a living from their blog and it has always been very inspiring to see people ditching their 9-5 job and living their dream life. But it could have been an outrageously foolish thing to just take a plunge looking at someone else’s life. You never know if something that works for others it might not work for you. It is always good to be practical and work hard to achieve your dreams with open eyes than regret later.
But one year down and having tasted both the waters, we can happily say that yes it is pretty much possible to earn a pretty decent income from blogging and to travel the world for (Not Exactly ) free. 😉
Having said that, we would also like to add that it is not a cakewalk as it sounds, at times it is more demanding than a 9-5 job, and travel is no more the same. But if you love it then this is the best job in the world.
This post is for all newbies who are planning to make it a full-time profession and have loads of queries on how to earn money from blogging.
Our Journey…
We started this blog on WordPress in 2013 just to share our travel tales but we were never that serious about the whole blogging thing back then. It was when we moved to our own domain ( https://thetalesofatraveler.com) in the month of October 2014, we dived into the world of blogging with all seriousness and gave it all the attention it always deserved. We are happy to reach where we are now, slowly and steadily learning from our mistakes and improving ourselves over the years.
Be it changing the website layout, content presentation, and writing ( PS: We are not amazing writers but yes like all of us we too are – Work in progress.
“Every human being is a work in progress that is slowly but inexorably moving toward perfection. We are each an unfinished work of art both waiting and striving to be completed. God deals with each of us separately because humanity is a fine art of skilled penmanship where every single dot is equally important for the entire picture.”
― Elif Shafak, The Forty Rules of Love
We started monetizing our blog last year on an experimental basis. Since we both have to manage our day jobs and have to keep our blog running, we kept our remuneration for blog posts and social media campaigns pretty high. Unfortunately, most of the PR/ Brands in India don’t pay that high, but, we were fortunate to get loads of emails from PR agencies based out of London, US, and Singapore for digital campaigns and sponsored posts.
Here we share our experience and a few ways that worked for us:
– Affiliate Marketing –
This is one of the best ways to earn and we have been seeing a constant growth in our income from this. The affiliate programs that we are currently part of are Flipkart, Amazon, Booking.com, and Cuelinks .
Joining an affiliate program is pretty easy and anyone can join it for free. But remember this won’t pay you huge from day one, it will slowly grow and if you have considerable traffic then VOILA you might see income flowing from day one.
– Sponsored/Paid Post –
This has been the major source of income for our blog. We were pretty fortunate to work with various brands, review some amazing products, and were paid really well.
Sponsored/ Paid posts are the posts you write about a specific brand or service. You are paid for selling a spot on your blog. It is that simple. The company pays for the blog post and social media updates. At times, the post is entirely written by the brand and you just have to post it on your site and get paid 😀 😀
We always shared the ones which were written well and was about travel. We had to say “No” to too many requests — who wanted to sell a flat on our blog or write a post on Scotch Whiskey 😉 and the list goes on …
When it comes to a sponsored post, we have always been honest with our readers while considering any collaboration and had to reject/ ignore many. We always kept our reader’s best interests in mind while accepting sponsored posts.
– Digital Campaigns –
We were part of numerous digital campaigns for which we were paid.
For the campaigns, we were generally asked to share a post/ update/ participate in a contest on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The amount varied depending on the number, duration, and brand reach. There were brands that paid really good.
Some sponsored posts
- Lufthansa Campaign
- American Tourister India ( You can check details about all the brands we have worked so far HERE )
You can signup on below portal for digital campaigns:
Join FB Groups –
– Selling Ad Space –
If you have good traffic then you can definitely give it a shot. We did sell a few ad spaces in the past. The pay was good.
So, well the choice is yours. Choose what works for you and make sure the placement is perfect.
– Writing Assignments –
There was two major writing assignment that came our way. One was a contract we signed for a leading travel website, it used to be a constant source of income every month of more than $ 800 for more than a year.
We have few invite emails in our mailbox to write for magazines but unfortunately, we don’t have the time nor the so-called amazing writing skills. Maybe this year we can give it a shot, but we know we are not great with words. We just love traveling and sharing our experiences.
So, if you have a flair for writing, then do pitch to travel magazines or newspaper and try your luck earning from that.
– Sell –
Yes, selling products or photographs is also one of the best ways to earn money. But we do lack some serious dedication here. If you want we can share an entire list of apps and websites where you can start posting pictures and get paid really good. The income from this source has not been much as we were not that active but it did add a bit to our travel fund. There are apps that pay starting from 100-500$ for just one photograph.
You could also sell postcard prints of your travel photographs or ebooks on Amazon.
There are many other modes and one of the most popular is Google AdSense from which you can earn money. But, we always wanted an uncluttered layout so we never gave any thought about earning from Google Adsense. But yes there is no harm in trying, but be careful don’t go overboard on this, and place numerous ads all over your website. A misplaced advertisement can be distracting and can annoy your readers too.
I hope you could take some cue from our post and earn pretty awesome. We still have a long way to go and this year we are planning to try many other ways. We will keep you posted if any of those works. Keep checking this space for more details and our new blogging series.
Happy Blogging & Traveling !!!
Do you have any other questions? Do post in the comment box below, we will be more than happy to reply back.
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Swati.. awesome post.. so very helpful. I know I have been going back and forth on the idea of getting a pro blog, but this one is really inspiring me know. Thanks a lot for the inspiration..
High time for you to finalize a kick-ass blog name and start blogging babe 😉 :*
Very informative
Thanks a lot 😀
Good hai jee.. good to know you are making money from your blog… 🙂 While doing what you enjoy.. All the best…
Dhanyabad ji … aap jaise banna hai 🙂 🙂
Love the honesty in this post. I think the most important thing a writer can do for his reader is not about having the writing flair but the honesty in his/her writing. Some very useful tips 🙂
Thank a ton Deepika, your comments always brings a smile 🙂
Lovely post, Swati! 🙂 May you grow and grow! Hugs! Wishing you many many wonderful assignments! No greater joy than doing something you really enjoy!
Thank you so very much … made my day !!!! Virtual Bear hug to you 🙂
You are such an inspiration …. can’t wait for the day when my blog turns 13 like yours 🙂 🙂
Very interesting. I earn a bit from sponsored work, but not too much yet.
Happy blogging and traveling ?
You will surely earn much more Alok , cheers to blogging and traveling !!
Hi,
That’s a great post. I would like to know the apps and website to sell my photographs
Thanks
We will be sharing soon 🙂
Really awesome post! I am a big fan of you two!
http://www.docdivatraveller.com
Aww … thank you so much dear.. sending a virtual hug 🙂 😉
Really interesting to hear how you have done it. I have always wanted to earn a little extra income from my blog. Enough to pay for some travel would be enough. You provided some good and honest tips here. Thank you and good luck with your next year!
Thank you so much Jenny 🙂 and ya Extra income doesn’t hurt 😀
A great post! I am new at blogging as well. I have my own travel agency and website which I am trying to grow. I agree with not putting on Google Adsense. Makes it cluttered. I would be interested in knowing apps as you suggested for selling photos or postcards. Good luck and happy travels!
Thanks a lot Laurie and wishing you too tons of travel !!!
We will be sharing this highly requested post soon 😀
Can you name all the apps that buy photographs.
Sure 🙂 Keep checking this space..
Well done. A good guide for a lot of people and lots of useful tips here. Here’s to many more projects…cheers
Thanks Ami 😀 and ya to many more campaigns, on-time payments 😉 and loads of travel !!!!
Nice work, congrats to both of you. I am experimenting and still struggling with my income, so your post is an inspiration. And thanks for that tip to keep reader’s interests over money. Many bloggers go overboard to please sponsors for paltry amounts!
Glad you liked our post and ya payment on time is still a concern. Having said that since we are not full-time bloggers, money from blogging is just an extra income for us and we never thought of earning it so quick. We hardly put an effort of 5-8 hours a week .. we are grateful to god for all the opportunities.
Great post! Very helpful and very informative! Also, I just found you and already like you. I like how your honesty about not being great writers but doing it anyway because you’re doing what you love. Those words are a great source of inspiration for me. Thank you! Can’t wait to read more.
Thanks a lot Mara for such a sweet note … Hope you love browsing our site and joining us virtually. Cheers to loads of travel !!!
Swati, Really great post I have seen in a while.. I like the honesty, sharing of knowledge and ideas about how one can make blogging their core interest of income.. Honesty to the readers is the key when it comes to announcing the partnership, which you always do. Photograph selling is something I have never thought of. It would be great to know some apps as you mentioned.Affiliate marketing and quiet few things I haven’t done from here.. Maybe my agenda was different inregards to my space. Super glad about your ideas towards blogging. We should meet soon 🙂
Thanks a lot Rutavi… You should definitely take some cue and try , we are damn sure you will do wonders 🙂
Thanks for this amazing post! I would be happy if you share the list of apps and websites where for posting pictures for money. 🙂
Thanks a lot Alisa, list of apps and websites is one highly requested post now, will soon share the list.
Nice ready thanks for sharing 🙂
Will you please tell me the list of apps for selling photos?
Sure Girish 🙂
Wow – I’m so happy for you. Your photos are amazing and so is your generosity in sharing your tips. Thank you 🙂
Thanks a bunch Kalpana 🙂 Hope it helps newbies
Wonderful post! Quite informative too.
Thank you so very much 🙂
Great informative post 🙂
Thanks a lot Rupam 🙂
Hi Swati and Sam,
We too are a family travel and lifestyle blog. I totally loved reading your article on earning from your blog. Have been toying with the idea of monetizing it, thanks for making the journey a bit easy.
Would love to know more about the apps where we can sell our pictures.
Thank you so much guys … will be sharing the list soon 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I’ve realised that I’m not as good as monetising my blog as I am at writing. Writing is my vocation but commercial blogging is a completely different ballgame. There is money, but not enough. I hope I can accomplish earnings of this scale.
Amen to that and wishing you loads of travel, writing and money 😉
I came to your blog via one of Anuradha Goyal’s post on a forum. Thanks for the article. I like your down to earth way of telling your story.
What are those apps that you mentioned about selling photos? I guess many people have the same question in comments. 🙂
I came on your blog via one of Anuradha Goyal’s post on a forum. Thanks for sharing the wisdom and knowledge. I like your down to earth way to speaking.
What is the app you are talking about to sell photos? I guess many people have the same question in comments 🙂
Thank a lot Gaurav for liking our post … We would be sharing the list soon ..
Good to hear that you guys are able to make money through this blog. Over the years, I have also tasted different modes of earning but felt that consistency is important and which is bit difficult with a busy job.
Thanks for this inspiring post !
I second you, on time payment for every assignment is also a myth in the blogging world…But if could crack a long term deal then yes quite possible.
Managing with a day job is also quite hectic 🙁 More the experience , more the responsibility kicks in 🙁 We still are struggling to manage both.
Thank you for sharing such an informative post. It will be really be a great help for those bloggers who want to convert their passion into a full time profession.
Hope it helps and they earn pretty good , just wanted to share the thought that blogging is not an easy task and it is as demanding as any other job 🙂
Great post Swati and congratulations on doing so well! I am a better writer than a blogger, so always struggle with that piece. But its important to take my blog to the next level to get to travel more and then end up writing more! 🙂
Awesome and I am glad some one wrote about earning through blog so confidently. Yes, I earn too and I believe even if my tickets are sponsored to a certain place where I want to go, even that’s my earning.
There is scope for everyone to excel and grow, what is needed that we work honestly.
Now, I am inspired all the more to take up more collaborations and campaigns.
And great wishes to you two to keep shining, to keep inspiring and keep growing bigger an better…
Thank you so much Manjulika for your generous words and kind wishes. 🙂
Inspirational post for new bloggers! Although we are also not into travel blogging full-time, but it surely is good to see what can be done in this space. Great going!
Thank you so much Purba.
Hi there, thanks for sharing the insights of earning money from blogging. I’m also a travel blogger and have started to enjoy earning a small sum of money from creating travel custom guides for a brand, and recently I was approached by a brand for a sponsored post. However, payment was never brought up. What’s the industry rate for a sponsored post (min 500 words) plus social media sharing and promotions? I honestly believe there’s a lot of hard work and efforts in writing and putting a post together, not to mention the sharing & promoting on social media. Unfortunately, the industry is not recognising that especially for bloggers who have smaller number of social media metrics but have excellent writing content. Hope you don’t mind sharing with us. Many thanks. Cheers!
Hi kat, Thanks for stopping by ..
Income varies every month. Since we are not full-time bloggers we do charge a bit more for sponsored posts and digital campaigns. We could suggest that you keep writing and money will eventually follow 🙂
Many thanks for this blog. Like the honesty in this blog and some very useful tips. I’m not into writing and all, but try clicking some pictures during my travels and of the 100s of pics I click, I usually like just a handful of them. Would be great if I can get more insights on how to make use of the pics in an efficient manner. Looking forward to your suggestions. As I write this message, I’m pining to hit the road in a few hours; perhaps Hampi (also inspired by your blog :-))
What honest post. I do earn from my blog, but not that much that I can write a blog post like this. Thanks for sharing the post. Great tips for many. I should start concentrating on monetization as well. It’s quite encouraging.
thank you for sharing this post,Liked the honesty you put here
It is pathway to newbie like me.
Loved your new post … answered lot many questions for the new bloggers., also like your honesty. We are budget traveler, but have to standardize the blog first before even thinking to earn. Love the way you guys manage work & travel together.
This is very informative. I could never learn how to monetize my blog, will need to look at this again 🙂
Thanks guys for this post. The detailing is perfect. Didnt knew some of the things you mentioned. Very informative. Good luck. 🙂 🙂