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When I created my money and lifestyle blog Making Sense of Cents in 2011, I had no idea what I was doing.
I was a 22-year-old financial analyst making $40,000 a year and struggling to pay off my student loans. But my debt was actually a large part of why I started blogging — I wanted to track and share the progress of my financial goals.
My husband and I have reached financial independence, and we’ve saved enough to retire whenever we want. This has allowed me to live my ideal lifestyle: I work just 10 hours a week and travel full-time on our sailboat. I am regularly out snorkeling, exploring and hiking.
Best of all, we have plenty of time to spend with our six-month-old daughter.
How I make $760,000 a year in passive income
Making passive income from a blog doesn’t mean that you never have to work. You are always going to have to manage the accounting side of your business, maintain your website, and create fresh content. But you can do a lot of work upfront and earn money for years with little maintenance.
I have three main passive income drivers: RMP, course sales and advertising.
Referral marketing commissions make up about 50% of my revenue. I’m paid when I direct traffic or sales to partner brands through links on my blog — including on posts that were created months or years ago and are still discoverable via Google, my social media channels, and my blog.
About 20% of my revenue comes from course sales. I have two blogging courses that I sell to my blog audience and email subscribers.
I created my first course on Teachable and did all of the planning, writing and recording work. I commissioned the graphic design elements to freelancers.
I sell Making Sense of Cents for $197 and Making Sense of Sponsored Posts for $159, both cost much less than what my competitors charge. Nonetheless, I have earned over $1,000,000 over the years from these two courses.
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My top tips for earning passive income
I’m always trying to increase my passive income. On top of blogging, my husband and I invest in both individual stocks and investment accounts to add our retirement fund.
Since I live and travel on a sailboat, there’s not always reliable internet. So without passive income drivers, my family and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this wonderful nomadic lifestyle.
1. Write like you talk.
On Making Sense, I discuss financial topics using language that’s easy to read and understand. People walk away feeling like they’ve learned something instead of feeling patronized or confused. This makes them more likely to return or to share my blog with their friends.
Make sure your social media language is engaging and personable, too. A good trick is to write as if you’re casually talking to a friend over coffee.
2. Diversify your income streams.
Affiliate marketing, display advertising and digital product sales are some of your best bets for making passive income.
Diversifying your income streams allows you to not be reliant on just one way of making money or just one of your traffic sources. Instead, you will have balanced income streams to mitigate risk.
3. Post consistently.
While your old blogs can earn you income for years down the line, it’s still a good idea to keep generating fresh content. This helps you attract new readers or followers while also maintaining your loyal ones (who don’t want to see the same stuff over and over).
4. Be as helpful as possible.
The goal is to make people want to come back to your blog. You want them to trust you enough to buy a course or affiliated product that you recommended.
Ask readers what they want to read more of or what questions they have. Conduct your own research on what’s trending for fresh ideas. Include actionable tips that they can use right away. And lastly, only promote and sell products that you personally believe in.
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