How I Made My First $100 Blogging: Advice from a Veteran

I’ve been blogging for over five years, and I can confidently say that it’s not easy to make money blogging. But the good news is that if you are willing to put in the work, you will eventually see some results.

I’ve tried many methods, including affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, advertisements with Ezoic, and more. After trying all these different things hoping that one would work out for me, I finally found something that actually worked.

How it all started

So, back in time when I started my blogging blog in early 2020—just right after the COVID-19 outbreak, I tried everything to monetize that blog. I tried affiliate marketing, Ezoic, Amazon Associates program, and more.

Still, none of them worked well for me. I still could earn money here and there, but it required a lot of work. Sometimes, I had to write a post and then spend hours finding the right affiliate product or creating an ad, and guess what? That post was a flop!

In fact, the blogging niche has been saturated for years, and it’s tough to make money by blogging about something everyone else has already been doing—and they’re doing way better than I did. I was frustrated and running out of options until one day.

I decided to write an article about setting up a WordPress website with Bluehost. It was a very detailed guide with screenshots and everything. I published it on my blog and then shared it on various online forums and groups.

The article was a hit! It had been shared by dozens of people within days and had amassed hundreds of views. However, all the views, shares, and comments didn’t convert into any sales! Argggg!!!

But I kept sharing and promoting it because I knew that the potential was there, and I just had to try a little bit more.

In October/November 2020, Bluehost ran a promotion program for affiliates only. Within that month, all sales would result in a commission of $100 instead of their standard $65.

So, I quickly wrote another blog mentioning Bluehost as my current hosting registrar and why I moved from my previous service provider to Bluehost, et cetera et cetera. I later shared that post on my Facebook page.

And then, something totally unexpected happened…

Somebody actually clicked on my link and made a purchase. Ka-ching! I got a referral of $100—the first $100 I’ve ever made from that blog with affiliate marketing!

That very sale gave me the confidence to continue writing more guides and articles about Bluehost. I tried to mention the company (with my affiliate link, of course) whenever I could as long as it doesn’t sound too sales-y and irrelevant.

I gradually became an authority in my community regarding hosting and Bluehost. The more I wrote about it, the more confident I got, and the more convinced I got, the more authentic and authoritative I sounded. People started to look at Bluehost as the solution for their hosting problems, and they ended up buying it.

I’m going to be honest with you: I had a hard time writing about Bluehost because my affiliate link was everywhere—on the sidebars of that blog, on some articles, on the Resource page, etc.

However, this is actually working in my favor! People trust me more because everything sounds genuine and not like a blatant sales pitch, which resulted in more sales.

Fast forward to now, I make $1,500 – $2,000 per month from Bluehost referrals alone, and I’m still scaling up. I’m not making millions or anything like that, but I’m satisfied with what I have.

And the only reason why it’s working is because of my blog post content and authenticity! People know they can trust me because everything feels real—the struggles, failures, and successes; sharing business advice from a friend who happened to be successful in affiliate marketing.

Long story short—How to make your first $100 blogging

So, if you’re looking to make your first $100 from blogging, these are three important things I know will help: be genuine, helpful, and patient!

Blogging about something you care about and are passionate about goes a long way. When you’re writing with intention, it’s easy for people to see that in your words and be more likely to take action.

Start by finding a product or service you believe in and write about it honestly. Share your experiences—the good and the bad—as a consumer, and include your affiliate link whenever it makes sense. People won’t mind clicking on it if you give them a good reason to!

Don’t be afraid to share your personal experiences that are helpful and useful to your readers. They’ll appreciate your transparency and be more likely to take action as a result.

And lastly, be patient! It takes time to build trust and authority with your readers, but it’s worth it in the long run. Sales will come if you stick with it and produce valuable content they cannot find anywhere else.

To sum up

Blogging and making money from your blog is not easy, but it’s definitely doable. It takes a lot of hard work and patience, so don’t expect to become an overnight success or anything like that (sorry!).

However, just remember: you’re not alone! Many others are in the same boat as you, and if you stick with it for a few years, then I can totally promise that your blog will become profitable.