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How to monetize a lifestyle blog

by merlincat
20 replies
Hi, I have an idea for a female lifestyle blog and will put ads on and maybe a click bank offer I'm interested in reviewing.

But I will feature quite a lot of the what to wear type articles, with fashion items or maybe travel articles etc, and I'm interested in how to monetize some off them. First thought is Amazon, but is their another way?

Thank you for any advice
#blog #lifestyle #monetize
  • Profile picture of the author Mack
    Sounds like a pretty competitive niche you're getting into. I'd try to narrow your focus down a bit more so you're not spending years trying to rank your site among the big boys.

    As far as monetizing goes, you never made mention of building a list... this should ALWAYS be your number one priority.
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    • Profile picture of the author merlincat
      Originally Posted by AffMack View Post

      Sounds like a pretty competitive niche you're getting into. I'd try to narrow your focus down a bit more so you're not spending years trying to rank your site among the big boys.

      As far as monetizing goes, you never made mention of building a list... this should ALWAYS be your number one priority.
      My original idea was to develop a very specific fashion/etiquette site, but then started to see more possibilities to expand the idea to other areas of womens lives.

      Maybe I should focus on the first idea and get that moving and then expand later.

      Thanks for your advice
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by merlincat View Post

        My original idea was to develop a very specific fashion/etiquette site, but then started to see more possibilities to expand the idea to other areas of womens lives.

        Maybe I should focus on the first idea and get that moving and then expand later.

        Thanks for your advice
        There are two ways to "niche down" an idea.

        The one that most IM types, especially keyword addicts, go for is to focus on one class of product (i.e., "dominatrix boots").

        The other way, and the one I like, is to focus on your ideal customer avatar (i.e., "women age 20-40, career-minded, with disposable income and an interest in looking their best")

        Focus your content on this avatar and don't worry about losing any of the others. For a fashionista site, I'd probably focus on Facebook and Pinterest for social media, and other related blogs for commenting, guest posting and syndication.

        As for monetizing, look for affiliate programs from outfits like Zappo's, Macy's, Sephora, whatever the hot ecomm sites are in your market. As much as I like Amazon, they aren't exactly a household name in ladies' fashions. Just keep your eyes and ears tuned, and opportunities will present themselves.
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        • Profile picture of the author Dain
          I agree. I think you need to really niche down.

          What exactly do you mean by lifestyle?

          Find your voice... and your market.
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          • Profile picture of the author merlincat
            Thanks for your advice, I was already thinking more in the terms of the demographic of my user.

            I have my domain Knowwhatto.com and will initially target "what to wear to...", thinking my demographic is more women aged 30-45 (ish), middle income etc,however may also appeal to younger women as well.

            I then thought I could expand, so if I wrote What to wear in London in the summer" I could add a "what to see or do in London this summer" and obviously link these articles.

            I also considered a sort of tip of the day...how to. I think that might work well with social media.

            These are the areas that really interest me, and I would have the enthusiasm to keep researching and writing.
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    • Profile picture of the author themdd
      Originally Posted by AffMack View Post

      Sounds like a pretty competitive niche you're getting into. I'd try to narrow your focus down a bit more so you're not spending years trying to rank your site among the big boys.

      As far as monetizing goes, you never made mention of building a list... this should ALWAYS be your number one priority.
      Completely agree. You are targeting quite a broad market and it's going to be extremely tough to build up organic rankings.

      I'd definitely focus on building a series of segmented lists to further narrow down into the interests of your visitors/subscribers.

      A very handy tool built for Aweber is AW Pro Tools which allows you to automatically segment your list based on what your subscribers do when they receive an email. E.g. you can have one mail out that features two different types of offers (indicating different tastes) if they click offer A they are moved to a separate list, and likewise with offer B.

      The more segmented your list is, the more engaged your subscribers will be and the easier it will be to push successful offers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Social sites would be your best bet for traffic, imo. That's a tough one to rank at Google. High competition. But there's likely a whole lot of interest on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter.

    Post some tips and if you can, work on controversy. Go against the standard advice you see everywhere. That's one of the keys to playing the social networks game. You get attention when you stir up some controversy.

    And test on your site once you get some visitors rolling in. There should be a ton of possible ways to monetize in that niche. Try a lot of different things until you find a good mix. I'd also try to build an email list from that traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author alamest
    The best monetize for lifestyle blog is Google Adsense and then you can promote rest affiliate products, don't go for amazon, if you want to amazon go for higher price product so you will get good commission, no point making $1 as commission on amazon it is waste of time.

    First Go for Google Adsenes and then focus of adding new quality content everyday and see traffic coming in Google Analytics then you can thing other monetizing option.

    I hope this helps you
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    • Profile picture of the author jwmann2
      Google Adsense is always best for blogs that are just starting out. Even a few clicks each day will add up over a few months and give you some capital to put back into the business. Best of luck to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author xpesos
    Amazon + Adnsense could be best option
    You can also build email list by giving them some kind of Lifestyle Magazine and then later sell Clickbank stuff to your subscribers
    I think that direct banner CB ads wont do much
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    • Profile picture of the author Devilfish168
      Originally Posted by xpesos View Post

      Amazon + Adnsense could be best option
      You can also build email list by giving them some kind of Lifestyle Magazine and then later sell Clickbank stuff to your subscribers
      I think that direct banner CB ads wont do much
      :confused:

      actually what does monetize mean ..if you mention about amazon?
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  • Profile picture of the author figuringmoneyout
    If you are planning to do a lot with fashion (you mentioned it several times) then you can definitely earn quite a bit with affiliate marketing and adsense combined. With fashion you can join affiliate programs for most major fashion retailers (Macy's, Target, etc.) on sites like Commission Junction and FlexOffers and ShareASale. Even online fashion sites like ModCloth run their affiliate programs through sites like those. So I'd recommend that avenue. Also, someone mentioned ignoring Amazon, but I think that's silly advice as it could be a great play for a fashion/lifestyle site. People buy lots of clothes/shoes/accessories off Amazon, sometimes stuff that is several hundred dollars.

    Like others said though, you need to nail down your niche a little bit more. It's hard to give specific advice if you have a really broad site about fashion! travel! london! all the ideas!
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  • Profile picture of the author spwerewolf
    Try out Google Adsense, its definitely the best , it has been serving me for a long time now.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    More focus definitely needed IMO. A 'lifestyle' blog seems kinda vague to me, I'm not even sure what that really means.

    John has given you some good advice. Either niche down and focus on something with one very specific interest or target a demographic and create an ideal character and market specifically to them covering things people that fit your ideal character like.
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  • Profile picture of the author mpollak450
    Hello, a great approach is too stick with list building. Regular monitization with adsense is not attractive. If you make compelling content, use it to build a list and market to your list. Also, in your compelling content, refer your readers to affiliate products. Think value to your readers and they will follow what you say. And stick to a super targeted audience for maximum results. This way readers will feel like you're speaking just to them. Best of luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author Forteam04
    You know any takes a fair amount of time (and sometimes, money) to create the kind of interesting content that keeps visitors coming back—or to entice others to contribute to it. Getting a return on your investment can be challenging.
    adsence and affiliate marketing are the best ways to earn with any blog.
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  • Profile picture of the author jessiewriter
    I wouldn't make it my primary monetization method but I would include it: create simple printables - think worksheets, checklists, and display-ables.

    As in a Winterize Your Wardrobe worksheet, your emergency makeup kit checklist, and inspirational quotes for self-esteem made to be displayed in certain places like positive body image quotes by the mirror or a feel-good treat yourself kind of quote in your closet, etc.

    These wouldn't be expensive. They would be smaller items. And you'd want some permanently free options as well. Build a library, give it a nice name that fits your branding, and make it part of your monetization plan.

    Just my idea. A few printables won't make you rich, but they can be an attractive item on your site that earns you some income.

    Also, it is rather intensive, but consultations can be a good monetization option if you have some knowledge in this niche that you're drawing from.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by jessiewriter View Post

      I wouldn't make it my primary monetization method but I would include it: create simple printables - think worksheets, checklists, and display-ables.

      As in a Winterize Your Wardrobe worksheet, your emergency makeup kit checklist, and inspirational quotes for self-esteem made to be displayed in certain places like positive body image quotes by the mirror or a feel-good treat yourself kind of quote in your closet, etc.

      These wouldn't be expensive. They would be smaller items. And you'd want some permanently free options as well. Build a library, give it a nice name that fits your branding, and make it part of your monetization plan.

      Just my idea. A few printables won't make you rich, but they can be an attractive item on your site that earns you some income.

      Also, it is rather intensive, but consultations can be a good monetization option if you have some knowledge in this niche that you're drawing from.
      This is what the OP needs to hear. This is spot on demographically. This right here is an example of why straight men should not suggest ideas about fashion related sites.

      Branded site, blog, and product. In regards to dealing with primarily women demographics, you want to determine your "Actual" target, you are suggesting 25 to 44 as your target. You want to actually go after the 18 to 24 market. The basic reasoning behind this is Older women want to be and look younger, and Younger women want to look and appear older.

      So your actual reach with a 18 to 24 demographic covers you from 18 and under to 25 to 44. Shy away on your page design from the Hot pinks Purples and greens, that is more towards your lower portion of the demographic. Look at the websites of stores and services you like, as a guide with that.

      I'm not so sure you will need to worry about your niche, being to wide. If you have passion and have fun with what you do, you will make it. Social marketing will without a doubt be the key to your success.

      PS Im a straight guy, not in a million years would I have thought of the printables, etc... but I do know my demographics!

      Hope that Helps!
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by Devilfish168 View Post

        :confused:

        actually what does monetize mean ..if you mention about amazon?
        To "monetize" a site or list means to add a component or process to make money. Adsense ads, banner ads, affiliate links, links to your own sales pages or shopping cart are some of the ways to monetize a site.

        Specifically to Amazon, it means to add affiliate links to pages on the Amazon website containing your associate code.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    Google Adsense is best when starting out? Not really considering the relatively low payouts on most clicks. I'd not even consider adding adsense to a site until I had significant traffic to make it worth while.

    Affiliate programs are a much better choice IMO to begin with. Higher payouts.
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