In one of my recent posts here on Shoemoney, I discussed blogging in detail. Specifically, how bloggers get paid.

It sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it? You live your life however you want, document the journey, and get paid for it.

Sure, this is great. And the reason it sounds like a dream is because it usually is.

Fortunately, there are other ways to make money that use your blog as a foundation. And here are a few ideas that have actually worked for people.

Freelance Writing

Do you think I started off as a marketing professional? No.

Do I have a degree in marketing? I don’t.

I started as a blogger, believe it or not. And once again, that blog had nothing to do with marketing or SEO. They came much, much later in the game.

I just wanted some pocket money. Mostly because I was poor. I applied for freelance writing gigs the same way everyone else does and I got lucky. My blog was enough to get me in the door. The content manager liked it so much she hired me with no portfolio to speak of, which was nice of her. <3

Freelance writing changed my life, gave me the freedom to explore new opportunities, and the money to chase my dreams without being afraid of failure. Even though it wasn’t on my own website, I was still able to get paid to blog.

My blog, to this day, doesn’t make much. Freelance writing is what truly next leveled my life.

Coaching

There are a lot of really smart people who are stuck in really crappy jobs. They don’t have the time, money, or resources to find alternatives to their current problem. This is where coaches come in.

And many coaches started with a blog talking about how they became successful. They give out quality information for free and if you want some one-on-one time with them, then you need to pay up.  Some of them still maintain their blogs and even YouTube channels to help bring in new clients. This helps to keep organic traffic and new people rolling into the site on a daily basis.

Some coaches even create their own products as an alternative income stream. They make courses and sell them online, hosting them on their own website or a site like Udemy.

Marketing

SEO and social media management are in-demand fields. Social media managers are expected to see 10% growth until 2026, which is higher than the national average. The pay is also not bad, with an average of around $50k a year.

SEO and content marketing related jobs have seen a sharp spike over the last year.

All of the experience you get from running your own blog can transfer into high-demand fields like these. The funny thing is that no one thinks about it when they first start their blog. They just say, “But I don’t have a portfolio!”

Yes, you do. If you built a blog from the ground up, took the DA to 50 in two years and have 20k hits a month, you have results. And that’s what hiring managers want to see.

Conclusion

The chances of you living the full-time blogging dream are pretty slim.

But if you can create a nice looking site with great content that has decent traffic, you may find yourself in a completely different field.

The best part is a lot of these jobs are remote, meaning you can work from home. That’s the real dream.