Top 3 ways I monetize my tech blog! 💸

by Asur Bernardo

Many people romanticize the idea of becoming a freelance blogger, being your own boss and reaching location independence. It is definitely possible, but it is not simple nor easy.

In this post I present you the 3 ways I use to monetize my tech and software blog with no initial traffic requirements, this doesn’t mean you won’t need traffic to make money, traffic is always good, but you will be able to set up this streams of income since the very beginning and they will scale as your blog grows gains traction.

DISCLAIMER: None of the links shared in this posts are referred, feel free to choose the products you like assured there is no monetary bias from my part.

Table of contents:

Displaying ads

This is the most obvious option, but may be the most difficult to monetize. The reason is you need a great amount of traffic to make a decent amount of money.

Displaying ads

There are many ad networks to work with, you can choose your own, I went with the most common one: Google AdSense.

Advertising is highly traffic dependent, but AdSense doesn’t have a minimum threshold, they just review your site to make sure the content is good and legitimate.

#ad

No ad for you!

To register just sign up and follow the steps on Adsense official page. You will need to add a script to your web, they also have a Wordpress plugin that does it automatically.

A typical AdSense CPM can be around the $2-3, not a huge amount as I said but better than nothing. Keep in mind that the goal is to create multiple streams of income and let them add up, don’t be discouraged.

If you already have a good amount of traffic and your niche is tech and software, there is a network I love called CarbonAds. Their motto should be ads done right, only one ad per page, with no animation or flashy elements and really nice products, I’m a huge fan!

Referral and affiliate programs

This one is my personal favourite, you can provide value suggesting really good products and make money at the same time, it’s a win-win situation!

Referral & affiliate programs

Personally, I only feel comfortable recommending things I’m using or have used in the past. This is also the best way to preserve credibility with your readers.

I would suggest making a review of these products as well, this way people can see more in-depth the reasoning behind your recommendations.

My top choices are:

Tips and patronage

This is a direct way of support and requires a high trust from your audience.

Tips and patronage

It is the most direct way of income because it is cash (or crypto 😜) and doesn’t require a minimum amount to widthdrawl unlike many of the affiliate programs.

My personal choices are:

Some platforms that offer patronage I really like are Patreon and GitHub Sponsor. I don’t use any of them myself but I know people who do and these can add up to the point they become a small salary.

Another tip service I have heard good things about is Buy Me A Coffee. It is a fun and fast way of donating, and you pay in coffees, not in dollars, so it doesn’t count right?

To wrap it up…

Well, that’s it. I’m sure there are many other really good services and programs out there, this is just my take on it.

Keep in mind all of these sources will compound with sufficient time and effort. The most important thing is adherence, remember not to quit and let that snowball effect build up! I wish you the best of lucks!

If you have any suggestion or feedback feel free to hit me up on Twitter. See you soon!

Asur Bernardo

Back end developer with no aesthetic sense. I love programming, tinkering and technology in general. Always trying to learn new things.

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