Before there were Instagram and TikTok influencers, there were mommy and food bloggers. In the early days of social media, and actually, before social media, entrepreneurs that wanted to make money online often started blogging, and many success stories have been written. With the popularity of social media and the emergence of A.I., you might be wondering if it is still possible to generate a nice passive income from blogging. The answer is a resounding yes, and this guide on the exact types of blogs that make money aims to analyze those blogging niches that you should target should you wish to generate an income from blogging.
It is important to note that blogging takes months and months to build up an audience, and it’s not easy to improve your search engine rankings, so whatever you decide to blog about, my advice is that you should focus on a profitable niche with a topic that you are truly passionate about or at least interested in and can talk about for months or years to come.
Before we analyze the niches, though, let’s first answer this critical question:
How Much Money Do Bloggers Actually Make?
Fortunately, there is some data that we can pull from to make some educated guesses.
One of the oldest studies comes from ProBlogger, who surveyed 1,500 bloggers from his readers. The results?
- 63% generated less than $100 a month in income
- 13% generated more than $1,000 in monthly income
The survey was done before the emergence of the creator economy, so it is safe to say that there are simply more website visitors and ways to create profitable blogs today.
More recently, IndieBounty has done a great job compiling various blogger income reports from profitable blog niches, and they found that:
- 53% make less than $100 a month in income
- 15% of bloggers make over $2,500 a month
So clearly, as time goes by, more types of blogs can make money through blogging on a variety of popular niches.
Finally, my friend Brandon Gaille over at RankIQ analyzed more than 800 blogs in a variety of profitable blogging niches and found:
- Successful food blogs and those about personal finance had the highest median monthly incomes of any niche at over $9,000 a month
But how do these bloggers generate so much income?
The Top 4 Ways Bloggers Make Money Blogging
Let’s take a deeper look.
Google AdSense and Other Ad Platforms
For most professional bloggers, this is the first thing that they try when monetizing a blog. Here, you’re simply selling advertising space on your blog. Advertisers pay Google or an ad platform of your choice, and they place the ad. Then, you get paid according to the agreement you’ve reached with the platform, normally based on advertisement clicks.
There’s more than one way to do this. Depending on the platform you choose, there’s a varying amount of control in terms of what ads get placed.No matter how much control you choose, however, the ads are supposed to match the keywords that are written in your blog and web content. This helps ensure that ads presented to your readers are relevant.
Affiliate Marketing
Next up is affiliate marketing. This is where a blogger places links on their blog, often with specific product promotions. When a customer purchases something after clicking on that link, the blogger gets a commission. Affiliate programs are an important way for bloggers to make money, and they’re a real win-win for websites as well. The most famous of these programs is the Amazon Associates platform, where you can make money from Amazon purchases. In fact, blogs run by product experts are among the types of blogs that make money.
Sponsored Content and Advertising as an Influencer
These are two techniques rolled into one. As a blog gains popularity, many of its readers are inspired by the recommendations made by a blogger. In turn, the items involved often see increased sales. Sponsored content is one way to harness the power of blogging influence. Here, the brand pays a blogger to write about their product, or they pay for advertising space on a particular post. Typically, blogs are chosen for this when the topic and audience match the market that businesses are interested in reaching.
Want to take this even further? Consider having a social media account where you advertise your blog content. This increases your audience, but it also offers the opportunity to produce more than one content type. Then, from a profit perspective, you can make even more money through influencer marketing. Marketers often pay more for this, especially when the social media audience is larger than your blog. You can check out a more detailed post on what is influencer marketing here.
Digital Services and Products
Finally, some bloggers make money by developing, and then using their blogs to sell, various physical and digital products services. When a blogger goes this route, they typically use the blog to share their professional expertise. Then, the idea is that people will hire them to perform services. Alternatively, they might be selling a physical or digital product that teaches people how to do something.
One example of this is Gina Horkey. Horkey is a freelance writer and virtual assistant who sells her services using a blog. This is so successful for her that she doesn’t even need to sell advertising. Rather, product and service sales make up 95% of her income.
Keep the above in mind because some types of blogs will make it easier to generate one type of income over another. For instance, in the Food blog niche, for which there is a lot of website traffic, advertising is the key revenue generator:
But for a majority of blogs, affiliate marketing seems to be the way to make a steady stream of income:
With all of this in mind, let’s dig a little deeper into the niches and examples of blogs that can help you start to generate income from ads as well as affiliate income today.
Further Reading: The 11 Best Ways Bloggers Can Get Paid $$$
10 Types of Blogs That Make Money with Examples for Each
Of course, not every blog type is a goldmine. If you’re just going to write poetry, then your audience and revenues are likely to be limited. Rather, blog examples that make money tend to have a broader appeal together with affiliate opportunities. Keep in mind the type of blog you write can be related to any of your personal interests so long as you have enough potential content to talk about!
Please also note that the monthly income figures below are often of their best months or when they first announced a good month of income. Their monthly income today might be more or less, but each of their income reports (clicking on each “monthly income” link) will give you a good feel for how they generate money from blogging to inspire you!
Further Reading: 12 Tips to Help You in Becoming a Full Time Blogger
1. Food Blogs
One of the best types of blogs that make money is the food blog. Food blogs talk about everything from recipes to the best restaurant in town. Some of them will even discuss a particular food ingredient that’s highly nutritious or one that serves a special function. Let’s take a closer look at some top food blogs.
Pinch of Yum
If you are always looking for new healthy and easy-to-make recipes for your kids, Pinch of Yum will be a great blog to bookmark. Here, you can find the simplest recipes that will make your family love eating at home. Starting from quick and easy recipes to tacos, soups, and vegan recipes, Pinch of Yum covers a lot of ground.
Monthly Income: $95,000+
A Sassy Spoon
Like every other blog on this list, A Sassy Spoon started small to begin with but has now grown into a successful Cuban diner delicacy. The focus on this blog is all about classic Cuban recipes and Cuban-inspired dishes from Miami. All of A Sassy Spoon’s recipes are authentic and easy to prepare. You can also go shopping for some utensils that are used on the blog.
Monthly Income: $17,000 to $21,000
Green Thickies
Finally, let’s look at this freshly made green smoothie blog. Green Thickies focuses on creating vegan and gluten-free blender recipes. It is also packed with all types of smoothie recipes that you can prepare at home at any time of the day.
Monthly Income: $15,000+
2. Health & Fitness Blogs
Other popular types of blogs that make money are in the health and fitness sphere. Health and fitness is a wide topic that includes specific sports, nutrition, and medical conditions.
Hot Beauty Health
Hot Beauty Health is all about helping you to stop worrying about your stress and make your day better by following the self-care prompts and ideas from this blog.
Monthly Income: $9,000+
Nerd Fitness
This is an off-beat name for a fitness blog, but the name fits its mission very well. Founded by Steve Kamb, the idea behind Nerd Fitness is to help people with desk jobs and a bit of nerdiness get physically healthy. Besides blog posts, they have a coaching service and subscription-based workout routines. It’s hard to believe, but this thriving business all began from a blog!
Monthly Income: $100,000+
3. Personal Finance & Investing Blogs
Among the types of blogs that make money, personal finance blogs are also very popular. Here, you’ll find several niches, including credit card blogs, financial planning tips, and retirement planning. All of them are intended to help readers navigate the world of financial services.
Millennial Money
Millennial Money provides tips and tricks to help level up your life by utilizing your money wisely today. The blog also gives ideas on how and where to invest your money and how to best save money for your future.
Average Monthly Income: $33,000+
The Savvy Couple
This is a blog that focuses on family financing in a fun and approachable way. They have a team of finance experts that show you more practical ways to improve finances and rightfully create a better life. Their only mission is to help families live life to the fullest.
Monthly Income: $43,000+
The Money Ninja
Maximize your personal finances with The Money Ninja, a blog all about finances, money, and investment.
Monthly Income: $7,000+
4. Parenting Blogs
So long as we have children to raise, there will always be a need for parenting blogs. Through these blogs, new parents can find advice from those that have been there and done that.
The Soccer Mom Blog
The Soccer Mom Blog is all about inspiring moms around the globe to live positively. The blog has lots of very practical advice that can help you make the most out of the day with your family.
Monthly Income: $11,000+
The Realistic Mama
Mothers know best, but being a mom has its own special stress. And that’s the goal of this blog, to ease the stress for every mother out there, enjoying life as it is and spending more time happily with their family. You can find some helpful tips for being the best mom out there and more recipes to feed your kids at home.
Monthly Income: $20,000+
Mommy On Purpose
If you are a mom that still hasn’t yet found a purpose in life, perhaps Mommy on Purpose can help you with that. The focused mission of this blog is to help new moms find their light and embrace the importance of being a mom to make it count each day.
Monthly Income: $5,000+
5. Travel Blogs
Although they were less relevant during the pandemic, travel is high on the topic list for blogs that make money. And for most of us, travel is something we’d like to resume ASAP, whether it’s for business or pleasure. To that end, niches include luxury travel, business travel, and family vacations.
Local Adventurer
Local Adventurer is a blog for explorers and adventurers. It contains sophisticated guides and resources that can help you with all of your journeys around the world. It also includes practical travel advise such as photography tips and ideal travel gear.
Monthly Income: $41,000+
The Atlas Heart
Started by Mimi, who has spent most of her life in California, The Atlas Heart is all about all things The Golden State. From popular tourist spots to the best beaches in every coastal city, The Atlas Heart is filled with fun and exciting adventures that you can do whether you a local resident or traveling to California.
Monthly Income: $6,000+
Two Wandering Soles
Two Wandering Soles is a know-it-all travel blog site that can help you kickstart your journey around the world. This is an award-winning blog that focuses on being a responsible adventurer rather than wasting a lot of resources. Here you can find the best guides to cross off your bucket lists as a dedicated traveler, even with a small budget.
Monthly Income: $16,000
6. Fashion Blogs
Fashion is always in fashion. So there is always room for blogs that cater to those who are passionate about the pursuit of knowing about and buying the trendiest outfits, styles, and clothing in general.
Chic Pursuit
Coming first on the list is Chic Pursuit. With its motto, shop less, but buy better, Chic Pursuit brings you the trendiest fashion you can find on the Internet. It also contains beauty tips and home decor to complement your fashion sense.
Monthly Income: $11,000+
Affordable by Amanda
Even if you are tight on budget, it is still possible to be fashionable with the fashion reviews and accessories talked about on the Affordable by Amanda blog. You can search for lots of things under $100 and get some outfit ideas coming from Amanda herself.
Monthly Income: $4,000+
The Modest Man
Fashion blogs aren’t exclusive to women. The Modest Man is the best example of that. This blog shows off the best practical advice for men, including men’s fashion and popular hairstyles.
Monthly Income: $30,000+
Further Reading: What the Kardashians Taught Me About Creating a Killer Blog
7. Lifestyle Blogs
One of the things about lifestyle blogs is that there is a wide range of lifestyles represented. You’ll find blogs written by the stereotypical “mommy blogger” as well as those representing the LGBT community. Lifestyle blogs come in all colors.
Abby Organizes
Abby Organizes is all about helping to keep things tidy and organized at your home. Whether you are looking for help to fix your daily schedule or find home solutions to every problem, Abby Organizes has you covered. This blog is a true gem that provides helpful tips and practical pieces of advice to help make your home – and mental health – better.
Monthly Income: $41,000+
A Modern Homestead
If you want to explore more things about homesteading, A Modern Homestead is your best adviser. From gardening and crafting to everyday life hacks, A Modern Homestead cures your curiosity for a sustainable lifestyle.
Monthly Income: $12,000+
It’s Claudia G
This is a blog geared towards college students which features beauty tips, lifestyle advice, and fashion inspiration.
Monthly Income: $2,000+
8. Blogging, Entrepreneurship & Business Blogs
Since you are reading a business blog, you might be wondering how these types of blogs make money. Actually, this is a very broad category of blogs that are still very popular today, and they all have one thing in common: Teaching you how to make money online as an entrepreneur, often through teaching you how to blog, how to monetize your personal blogs or other types of online or Internet marketing.
Neal Schaffer
While I don’t share my monthly income, I can honestly say that it is my blog that empowers my entire business. While there are other blogs in this genre that generate most of their money from their own courses, affiliate income, or advertising, my income has overwhelmingly come from consulting and speaking. This just goes to show you that there are many ways to create your own “product,” and it can be anything from a digital course to dropshipping physical products or selling merch to more traditional consulting services.
Smart Passive Income
Smart Passive Income talks about how to generate multiple income streams in a positive and plausible way. Run by a brilliant entrepreneur, Pat Flynn, Smart Passive Income also houses a number of courses to help kickstart your business in the shortest amount of time. Master your entrepreneurial skills and unlock your skillset while learning faster through this blog.
Monthly Income: $166,000+
Create and Go
Are you a first-timer in blogging or finding it hard to build an audience to monetize your content? Create and Go can teach you the basics and help you start that online business you’ve dreamt of. This blog site is run by powerhouse bloggers that give proven strategies and tips to help you get started with your own blog site. Their comprehensive resources are proven and tested while their content is also filled with inspirational stories and achievements.
Monthly Income: $32,000+
9. Pet Blogs
Blogging is not only for humans. They are for pets as well. Pet blogs are suited for pet lovers who seek advice on being a pet owner. Topics include pet care tips and grooming, cute stories (of course!), pet handling, and pet health and training.
You Did What With Your Weiner
This blog is all about improving the lives of dachshunds and dachshund owners. From getting general information about certain breeds, training your dogs to live an awesome life, and recommendations for pet food and products, this blog offers everything you need to know about dogs in general.
Monthly Income: $7,000+
Dog Food Advisor
This blog is the place to be when you run out of ideas on what food to give to your dog. They feature a plethora of dog food product reviews, suggesting what is best for your dog based on their breed. They offer facts and figures about each product in the market and continuously live up to their reputation as one of the best go-to sites for dog food advice.
10. DIY Blogs
These blogs contain more tips and tricks on doing various DIY projects. Typically, DIY blogs focus more on crafts, fashion, beauty, cooking, and home improvement. These include comprehensive tutorials on how to build and create these projects. And yes, they are doable at home. If you want to save money, DIY blogs are your treasure.
Arts & Classy
Arts & Classy teaches you how to create home decor and provides solutions to make your home more livable than ever, even with a tight budget.
Monthly Income: $3,000+
How to Become a Successful Blogger
Now that we’ve talked about the types of blogs that make money, I’d like to give you some of my tips on blogging.
Use the right blogging platform and tools
First, having the right tools for blogging will make your job much easier. The most important tool, of course, is a blogging platform. I use WordPress.org because of its popularity and flexibility. There are some that might use Squarespace while others that prefer Wix, but outside of those 3 I would probably steer away from other solutions at this point in time.
Further Reading: Blogging for Beginners Tips: 5 Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE Starting a WordPress Blog!
Consider your target audience and what products and services might appeal to them
When monetizing your blog, it’s easy to lose track of your core mission and accept every opportunity. Unfortunately, this is a bad idea. If you want your blog to remain profitable over time, it’s important to ensure that you only endorse products and services that appeal to huge audiences in your niche. Generally, this applies to affiliate links and some other advertising options as well.
Make your content valuable
Among the types of blogs that make money, most of them appeal to people who are busy. For that reason, their time is valuable, and they’re unlikely to waste time-consuming blog topic content that doesn’t provide value. My recommendation is that you create evergreen blog content and educational tutorials in your niche. Ideally this should be based on your own experiences. Remember, if you aren’t creating value for your community, you’re not going to get far in the long run.
Learn search engine optimization and dominate your niche
Remember, the goal is to have people find your content so that they can read it. The best way to boost your online presence, by far, is with search engine optimization (SEO). SEO tactics help your content rank higher in search engine results, leading to more views and organic traffic. Do this right, and you’ll dominate your niche. Best of all, domination means more readership and better monetization options.
These days, most bloggers want to make money from their efforts. Although it’s easy to get a little bit of money, getting higher returns requires a lot of work. Fortunately, by following these tips, you can turn your passions into successful blogs that can help you make money to support whatever lifestyle you wish to pursue.
Further Reading: How to Monetize a Blog in 2024 (4 Proven Ways)
Hero photo by Katie Harp on Unsplash
Types Of Blogs That Make Money FAQs
While there are a number of different types of blogs that can be quite profitable, the type that makes the most money depends on a number of factors, including the niche and the level of traffic. While there’s no surefire formula for success, there are some general patterns that tend to lead to financial success. For one, successful bloggers typically choose a niche topic and stick to writing about that subject. This helps them to build up a loyal following of readers who are interested in what they have to say.
A profitable blog is one that offers unique and valuable content that resonates with its target audience. The most successful blogs are those that have a clear niche focus and provide high-quality content consistently. Building a loyal audience takes time, effort, and patience, but it is essential for turning your blog into a profitable venture. Additionally, monetization strategies like affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and advertising can help you earn revenue from your blog.
While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of what type of blog is the most successful, there are certain characteristics that tend to be present in all of the top-performing blogs. Successful bloggers are diligent, creative, and committed to producing high-quality content that resonates with their readers. They have a deep understanding of their target audience and can engage with them in a way that fosters meaningful connections.
Here are the steps on how to start a blog and get paid:
1. Choose a niche that you’re passionate about and knowledgeable in. This will help you create content that resonates with your audience and establishes you as an expert in your field.
2. Once you’ve defined your niche, set up your blog using a platform like WordPress or Squarespace.
3. Create high-quality content on a consistent basis, and be sure to promote your blog on social media and through other channels.
4. To monetize your blog, consider offering sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, or selling your own products or services.
Personal blogs can indeed make money, but it takes time, effort, and strategic planning. The key to monetizing a personal blog is to first build a loyal readership. This can be achieved by consistently producing quality content and engaging with readers through comments and social media. Once there is a dedicated audience, bloggers can then explore various monetization avenues such as affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and advertising.
Thanks for this. I would just like to add that there is a downside to some of these niches. Particularly personal finance, make money online, and food. I won’t argue that they have the potential to make a lot of money but that is why there are so many outstanding, high-authority sites out there. You will need a ton of backlinks, a ton of content, and outstanding SEO (and a lot of time) to rank. But if you think you can go for it, go for it! If you hit the big time you will have earned it.
If I was starting today, I would go for something less competitive.
Best,
Jean
Thanks for the feedback Jean. Indeed, I would say with almost any niche there is competition. Still, if you have a passion for it and your own unique perspective, there’s no reason that you can’t find your own unique way to do well in it. And there are more than just those 9 types of blogs out there, for sure. Which niches would you recommend if you started today?