blogging

October 12, 2021

Twenty Great Ways to Make Extra Money From Home

Nick Making Money competitions, writing, blogging 4 Comments

Updated 25 May 2023.

Although the pandemic is now largely behind us, many of us are seeing bills rise as a consequence of lockdowns and other government measures, world-wide supply chain issues, gas/electricity and petrol price rises, the war in Ukraine, and so forth.

So today I thought I would set out some ways you may be able to make a few pounds extra to help defray the rising cost of living. None of these is likely to make you a fortune, but together they can certainly help keep your bank balance ticking over.

I have linked to relevant posts on Pounds and Sense for further information where appropriate. I have direct experience of all the methods set out below and therefore know that they work and are not scams.

1. Prolific Academic

Prolific Academic is a platform used by academic researchers world-wide to recruit participants for online studies/surveys. These are varied and often surprisingly interesting. They require anything from two minutes to an hour to complete, with payments based on how long (on average) they take. I’ve earned almost £400 to date from Prolific. For more information, see my blog post Make Money and Help Academic Researchers With Prolific Academic.

2. MobileXpression

If you have a smartphone, this is an easy way to make money from it. Just install this app (which tracks your browsing anonymously) and every few weeks you will receive a £20 Amazon voucher for your trouble (Amazon vouchers are pretty much as good as money, as you can of course buy almost anything there). You can read my full review of the MobileXpression app in this post.

3. Shop and Scan

Shop and Scan is a market research programme run by Kantar Worldpanel. Anyone can apply to become a panelist, and when you are accepted (which may be immediate or after a few weeks) you receive a barcode scanner and guidebook in the post. You are then required to scan all your shopping when you bring it home (or it’s delivered) and scan and submit your receipts..For doing this you get points. When you have enough, these can be converted into vouchers for a wide range of online stores (again, I normally pick Amazon). You can earn extra points by performing other tasks such as completing online questionnaires, so it doesn’t take long to earn enough points for a £10 voucher. For more information, see my blog post Make Money From Your Shopping With ShopandScan.

4. The Viewers

The Viewers is another market research company always looking for new members for its (paid) audience panel. As the name suggests, they research people’s TV viewing habits via surveys and focus groups. They pay participants in cash (via PayPal) or Amazon vouchers. They run ‘real world’ focus groups in large cities, and online studies of various types. For more information, see my blog post Make Money Watching TV With The Viewers.

5. People for Research

This is another opportunity to make money taking part in consumer research. People for Research are constantly recruiting people to take part in studies. Some of these take place in large cities (London and Bristol especially) but many are done remotely via the phone or the internet. The studies cover a huge range of topics and are for the most part interesting and enjoyable. But the best thing is that they are fairly (and sometimes generously) recompensed – usually in cash, though sometimes Amazon vouchers. For more information, see my blog post Earn a Sideline Income with People for Research.

6. Populus Live

Populus Live is a survey website that wants your opinions and pays cash for them. You can sign up free of charge and will then receive email notifications any time they have a survey you may be eligible for. Each survey is worth a set number of points. Once you have accrued 50 points you will be paid £50 (each point is worth £1, in other words). Admittedly it can take a little while to reach the payment threshold, but £50 is undoubtedly a useful sum to have when you receive it. For more information, see my blog post Make Extra Money From Populus Live.

7. Selling on eBay

One great way to generate some extra cash is to have a clear-out of things you no longer need and put them up for sale on eBay. All sorts of things sell here, and if you have never tried selling via the site you will be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is. What’s more, as long as you are selling your own possessions (and not buying stuff to resell) it’s tax-free too. For more tips about this, see Twelve Top Tips for Selling on eBay, a guest post on PAS by my money blogging colleague Luci Olivia.

8. Matched Betting

In the last year or two matched betting has undoubtedly become harder, partly due to the pandemic and partly to bookmakers becoming less generous with their offers. If you haven’t yet tried matched betting, though, there is still money to be made.

For those who don’t know, matched betting involves taking advantage of online bookmaker offers (especially welcome offers) to generate a guaranteed profit. It is emphatically not the same as gambling (which I don’t recommend at all). As per my blog post Can You Make Money from Matched Betting? if you are new to this field I recommend starting with the matched betting support and advisory service Outplayed [referral link] previously called Profit Accumulator. You can earn up to £45 (tax free) by taking advantage of the offers available to free members. You could then leave it at that or sign up as a full member with unlimited profit potential.

9. Trading 212

This online share trading platform is offering anyone who signs up and deposits a minimum of £1 a free share. This is chosen at random but could be worth up to £100. You can sell this after three days if you wish and withdraw the proceeds (including your initial deposit) after 30 days. I got a share in Ford Motor Company which was worth about £8. Obviously this wasn’t as exciting as I might have hoped, but it was still – in effect – free money for almost no time or effort. And, who knows, the value of my share could skyrocket in future if the ‘internal combustion engine’ really catches on 😉 For more information on Trading 212, including how to get your free share, see my blog post Get a Free Share Worth Up to £100 With Trading 212. Note that the current free share offer closes on 8 June 2023.

You can also get a free ETF share worth up to £200 by signing up with DIY wealth-buiilding app Wealthyhood!

10. Selling Your Old Tech

Most of us have old gadgets we no longer use that are just gathering dust. They include mobile phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, games consoles, and even desktop computers. They may still work, but we have replaced them with new and (hopefully) better products. If that sounds like you, there are lots of ways you can make money from your old tech, even if (in many cases) it doesn’t work any more. Check out my blog post How to Make Money From Your Old Tech for a range of methods for doing this.

11. Freelance Writing

This is a subject close to my heart, as for many years I was a full-time freelance writer (I’m semi-retired now). It’s a competitive field, but there is still lots of money to be made. You don’t need to be Shakespeare either, just have a reasonable grasp of written English and be willing and able to write what the market wants. Check out my blog post My Top Ten Tips for Making Money as a Freelance Writer here. You can also read my posts Should You Write a Book? and How to Publish Your Own E-book on Kindle.

12. Cashback Websites

I’ve mentioned cashback sites a few times on PAS. These are sites such as Top Cashback and Quidco, where any time you make a purchase with a certain online store, if you go via the cashback site, you get some money refunded to your account. Obviously you aren’t actually making money in this case – but if you were going to make the purchase anyway you get some money back, and over time this can add up to a tidy sum. In addition, there are some offers listed on the sites where you can get ‘cashback’ without actually making a purchase. For more information, see my blog posts Save Money With Cashback Sites and Six Ways to Make Money With Cashback Sites. You may also like to check out my recent posts about Cashback Angel, a cashback site comparison service, and My Money Pocket, a new and upcoming cashback site.

13. Comping

Okay, comping, or entering consumer competitions, isn’t a guaranteed way of making a sideline income. Nonetheless, there are stacks of cash and prizes on offer at any time, and somebody has to win them. There’s no reason it couldn’t be you! There are lots that you can enter online – just check out competition listing website Loquax, for example. For hints and tips on getting started, see How to Win Cash and Prizes in Consumer Competitions, a guest post on PAS by Cora Harrison. I also highly recommend the book Superlucky Secrets by my UK blogging colleague Di Coke (also known as Superlucky Di). You can read my review of this in-depth guide to comping here.

14. Free Online Lotteries

This is obviously another opportunity where returns are not guaranteed. Nonetheless, there are various online lotteries you can enter free with a chance of winning (in most cases) cash prizes. Typically you have to return to the lottery site every day to see if you are a winner. My favourite such site is Pick My Postcode [referral link]. This site offers multiple chances to win every day, with prizes ranging from £10 to over £1,000. I have a particular soft spot for PMP, as back in the days when it was called Free Postcode Lottery, I was lucky enough to win £614.53 on it. You can learn more in my blog post titled How to Cash in on Free Lottery Websites.

15. Website Testing

If you enjoy trying new apps and websites and putting them through their paces, there are various sites that will pay you for doing this and reporting back. One I wrote about a while ago is What Users Do. Another, newer website testing site with a strong community angle is Crowdville. For more information about this, see my blog post Make Money Testing Apps and Websites with Crowdville.

16. Blogging

I make money this way, and there’s no reason you couldn’t as well. Blogging is by no means a get-rich-quick opportunity. But if you are prepared to put some time and effort in, the rewards will come. You can blog about any subject you like (though some subjects are easier to make money from than others). Once your blog is up and running you can earn from it in various ways, including advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and so on. To get an idea how this works, check out this guest post by Ruth Hinds titled Five Things You Really Need to Know About How to Make Money from Blogging. In addition, my UK blogging colleague Emma Drew has an excellent course about making money from blogging called Turn Your Dreams Into Money, which i reviewed here.

17. Online Design and Print

This is a great home-based sideline earning opportunity. No special skills are needed beyond a little imagination; although if you do have art and design skills, so much the better. I’m talking here about designing and selling clothes and other products, from tee-shirts to tote bags, hoodies to coffee mugs. By designing I mean coming up with slogans and/or graphics to adorn these products that will appeal to a particular target market. This opportunity has been opened up by web-based companies such as TeeMill that allow you to design and sell your products online. They provide all the back-end services, including taking payments and fulfilling orders. They charge you a set fee for this, which is covered from the fee paid by your customer. You charge your customers a bit more, and your profit is (of course) the difference between the two. For more information, see my blog post How to Make Money with Online Design and Print.

18. Virtual Assistant Work

There is a steady demand for virtual assistants who can perform a wide variety of tasks from home via the internet. The sorts of things VAs do may include research, writing, proofreading and editing, graphic design, publicity, data entry, programming and other technical tasks, and much more. Social media management is another very popular area. You can read my in-depth blog post on how to make money as a virtual assistant here.

19. Fiverr.com

As you may know, Fiverr is US-based site that lets anyone advertise ‘gigs’ they are willing to perform for five dollars (hence the name, of course). Gigs range from the serious (e.g. write a press release) to the creative (e.g. write a customized solo piano track) to the downright quirky (e.g. write a message, name or URL in chocolate). Most gigs are services delivered electronically, though there is nothing to stop you selling physical products if you wish (you can charge extra for postage). Obviously $5 isn’t a lot, but if you can perform your gig in just a few minutes it can still work out as a decent hourly rate. It’s also possible to charge additional amounts for ‘extras’ such as rapid delivery or upgraded features. See my blog post How to Make Money on Fiverr for much more information about this.

20. Investing for Income

This is obviously a different take from the preceding ideas. If you have money in the bank earning a derisory rate of interest (or nothing at all), however, you might like to consider investing some to provide an additional income stream for you.

This is obviously a huge subject and I can’t go into detail about it here. There are lots of possibilities, though. One would be to invest some of your money in dividend-paying shares. This subject was covered in an excellent guest post for my blog by Lewys Lew titled How to invest For Income From High Yield Share Dividends.

Of course, you should research any possible investment carefully and be prepared to lose money in the short term at least (see below). Note also that some companies – e.g. the big banks and oil companies – cut their dividends during the Covid crisis, so it’s important to pick your sectors carefully.

Regular readers will know I am also a big fan of the robo-adviser investment platform Nutmeg. They are primarily aimed at helping people build a savings (or pensions) pot rather than providing an income, but you can of course withdraw money from your account as and when you wish. You can read my full review of Nutmeg here.

Of course, all investment carries a risk of loss, so you should always do your own ‘due diligence’ and take advice if in any doubt before deciding to invest. You should also ensure you have enough cash and/or easily accessible savings to get you through a period of three to six months in case of emergencies.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below. And keep reading Pounds and Sense for more money-saving and money-making ideas in the weeks and months ahead.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post (and elsewhere on PAS) include my referral links. That means if you click through and make a purchase (or perform some other defined action) I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the price you pay or the products/services you are offered.

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

January 19, 2021

Why Bloggers Need a Media Kit (and What Should Go In It!)

Nick Making Money sponsored post, blogging 10 Comments

Today I’m discussing a subject that will be relevant to any of you who have blogs yourself or are thinking of starting one.

I’ve been blogging for almost twenty years now. I started off blogging about freelance writing and moved on to personal finance with Pounds and Sense. I make money from my blog by various means, but the most important (and lucrative) is through collaborations with businesses and agencies on sponsored posts, sponsored links, and so on.

Companies are always on the lookout for ‘influencers’ who can help get their message across to their target audience. They have budgets for this purpose, but before sending any money your way they will almost certainly want to see your blog’s media kit (also known as a press kit). If you don’t have one – or it’s not up to scratch – you can expect to lose out on many paying opportunities.

So What Goes Into a Media Kit?

As a blogger, your media kit is an advertisement for you and your blog and the services you can offer. It will typically consist of one or two pages you can send (or hand out) to anyone enquiring about potential advertising opportunities or collaborations

A good media kit will ensure you create a strong and professional first impression. Everybody’s media kit is different, but here are some things you should consider including in yours…

Biography

In this section you provide a brief account of yourself, including such things as your age, location, occupational background, hobbies and interests, family, and so on. Companies want to know whom they will be working with, to reassure themselves that you and your blog will be a good fit for their target audience. Let your personality shine through, therefore, quirks and all! You should also include a good-quality portrait-style photo of yourself (see the example in the header image).

Blog Description

In this section you talk about your blog itself – the subjects you cover, your target readership, and any other information that may interest potential advertisers. You may also wish to include your blog’s logo.

Stats

Advertisers want to know the size and nature of the audience you can deliver for them. So it’s important to share some key stats, including such things as total unique views, social media following, email newsletter subscribers, and so forth. Clearly you will want to pick the most impressive-looking stats – so if you don’t have many Instagram followers (for example) just leave that out. But don’t exaggerate either. Clients can and will check your stats, and if they don’t appear to correspond with the figures you have quoted, they are unlikely to want to proceed further

Collaboration Options

Here you list ways brands can collaborate or advertise with you. Some possibilities include:

Sponsored Posts
Sponsored Links
Product Reviews
Contests and Giveaways
Banner Ads
Social Media Campaigns

You can also include prices for these services in your media kit if you like. Personally I don’t do this, as I like to leave room to negotiate over price.

Testimonials

If you have worked for business clients before, I would strongly recommend including any testimonials you may have received. And don’t be afraid to ask for testimonials after a successful collaboration. This type of social proof provides invaluable reassurance for would-be clients that you can deliver on your promises and achieve good results for them.

Contact Information

The most important one of all! Don’t forget to include your contact details so that potential clients can get back to you. You will probably want to include your email address, phone numbers (home and mobile), postal address, and so on.

Media Kit Design

As a blogger you aren’t necessarily expected to have an all-singing, all dancing, media kit, but the smarter and more professional it looks, the better. Your kit should work both electronically (e.g. as an email attachment) and when printed out in colour.

Fortunately you don’t need to be a design guru to produce a great-looking media kit. There are lots of free and inexpensive templates available, which you can edit and personalize to your heart’s content. A great place to look for such templates is the Design Bundles website – just put “Media Kits” in the search box on that website.

Win a Design Bundle!

Here’s a great opportunity to win a media kit template and any other design resources you would like too 🙂

My friends at Design Bundles are running a giveaway to win a prize worth £100. This comprises a £50 credit for Design Bundles to use on Media Kit templates and any other products you’d like from them, along with a four-month premium subscription to Canva. As you probably know, Canva is a brilliant design website you can use to create a media kit and other amazing graphics for your blog as well. You can enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anyone world-wide can enter. All fields are optional, so you can choose which ones you’d like to complete. But obviously, the more you do, the better your chances of winning.

The contest is open now and will close at midnight on Tuesday 26th January 2021. The winner will be contacted by the end of that week to arrange their prize.

Good luck in the giveaway, and with creating an attractive and compelling media kit!

As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for which I am receiving a fee.

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

Start Cooking! UK Bloggers Share Their Favourote Kitchen Tools, Apps and Websites

November 1, 2019

Start Cooking! UK Bloggers Share Their Favourite Kitchen Tools, Apps and Websites

Nick Everything Else food, blogging 8 Comments

Today I have something a bit different for you. I’ve been asking around my fellow UK bloggers for their favourite kitchen tools, apps and websites.

I was genuinely curious about this myself, but hope it will also be of interest and value for PAS readers who enjoy cooking (or possibly don’t but still have to!). And if you are looking for a gift for the cook (or cooks) in your life, hopefully you may find a few ideas here.

Where possible I have provided links to the resources in question. In some cases these are affiliate links, so if you click through and make a purchase I will receive a commission from the store concerned (Amazon). This will not affect the product or service you receive, or the price that you pay.

Note also that with kitchen tools and devices, multiple brands and versions are often available. I have tried to link to popular models, but they may or may not be the same as the one the blogger in question uses.

Okay, let’s get started then. 🙂

Blogger Recommendations

Tanya Barrow from Mummy Barrow says: ‘It isn’t cheap, but my favourite device is my Thermomix. It does the job of 12 other kitchen appliances and helps me cook healthy meals for my family without using a load of other kit or pans, and quickly. I couldn’t live without it now.’

Ruth Gray from Slimming Violet says: ‘My favourite kitchen device is definitely my Actifry. I thought for ages about whether I should buy one as they’re a bit on the pricey side, but I’m so pleased that I did. It makes it really easy to cook so many different healthy meals, though I must admit that Actifry chips have to be my favourite. With just a drizzle of oil, they’re so much better than their oven chip counterparts!’

Fiona Elizabeth Hawkes from The Somerset Foodie writes: ‘One of my favourite cooking resources is the Yummly app. It’s full of recipes and you can search by ingredient or meal type, exclude recipes with ingredients you don’t like and then save recipes you like the look of. You can even photograph ingredients and it’ll suggest dishes you could try to use them up. It’s great for times I’m struggling with ideas for dinner!’

Keiran Potter, who blogs at Keiran Crying, says, ‘My favourite device is my spiraliser. It’s such an easy and fast way to get vegetables into things like pasta and pies. But also it makes things like potato cook a lot faster because it makes it so thin. I love experimenting with it, it helps me keep meals interesting.‘

Jupiter Hadley, who blogs at JupiterHadley.com, writes: ‘My favorite cooking website is Allrecipes.com – everyone submits recipes and pictures, so all of the recipes are made previously and they have a good selection of simple recipes. When searching for something there, you can easily read the comments from people who have tried to make the dish (and they have a big community, so it’s normally a lot of comments with the best ones on the first page) sometimes these comments let you know the recipe isn’t sweet enough or it needs a different ingredient, while others tell you little twists you can make. It’s a great community and is really full of great recipes and feedback.’

Petra at Be Healthy Now says: ‘There are so many good websites that I use for cooking inspiration, and one of my favourites is The Flexitarian. I love this website so much because the recipes on there are simply amazing: really healthy, with interesting flavours and a little bit different to what you commonly find online. They are all vegetarian or vegan, so perfect for those who are looking to reduce their meat intake. Annabelle also shares food news and reviews, which all come in really useful.’

Rachelle Strauss of The Health and Wellness Grid writes: ‘My favourite kitchen gadget is my Nutribullet. It’s a reasonable price and is excellent for my morning smoothie (it works well on frozen fruit) and I also use it to grind seeds which I then sprinkle into most meals. So it saves me money on buying smoothies (and helps me reduce food waste by using up fruits that are coming up to being past their best) and I can buy a big bag of seeds which I blitz and hide in foods! I’ve needed to replace the blade once in a few years, but the motor remains strong despite daily use, so it’s excellent value for money overall. I also use it for soup, after the ingredients have cooled – again saving money on shop-bought products and using up old veggies.’

Hayley Muncey, who blogs as Miss Manypennies, writes: ‘My favourite gadget is my pancake/crepe maker (hot plate). Obviously totally unnecessary, but it means we can pop on the table and no one has to be the one standing cooking, it’s quick and the pancakes always end up the right shape! It’s easier to experiment with toppings too ‘

Kim John of Life Can Be Toff says, ‘My favourite kitchen gadget is my soup maker. It is a simple way for me to create quick and tasty soups, particularly at this time of year. The fact it is so quick (around 30 minutes total including prep) also means I can be quite adventurous and try different things. It is great for making in bulk and with little washing up!

Nick adds: ‘I have an electric soup-maker as well and get a lot of use from it, in the cold winter months especially. I wrote this blog post about it not long after I bought it.’

Melissa Williams, who blogs at The Diary of a Jewellery Lover, writes: ‘My favourite kitchen gadget is my slow cooker. I like putting all the ingredients in at the beginning of the day and having a delicious meal ready for me in the evening. It makes the meat so tender and delicious. I would definitely recommend getting one if you don’t own one. It will change your life!’

Afshan Nasim of Afshanesque writes: ‘My favourite kitchen utensil is my Hinari Genie blender. It is great for making smoothies and milkshakes. It also helps me chop my onions and puree my tomato for use with my curries. It’s like the Nutribullet, but cheaper.’

Nicole Shroff from The End of the Fork writes: ‘I love my cast iron skillet, it is what I reach for the most in my kitchen. Nicely weighted, it distributes heat evenly retaining it well, so food cooks faster and you do not need to move it around the pan as much. The more seasoned it becomes with use, the better it’s non-stick qualities. It is extremely hard-wearing and easy to care for as long as it is dried well before storing. A good cast iron skillet improves with age and will last generations!’

Jo Jackson, who blogs at Tea and Cake for the Soul, says: ‘ I have an ancient Moulinex Masterchef and love it. I can grate and slice vegetables in it, make cakes, pastry, blend and chop with it. I have a much newer all singing all dancing device but I can’t bear to part with old faithful.’

Jo Jackson also says: ‘I do like the BBC Good Food website. It has photos with clear instructions and sometimes videos. I like a lot of the features including ratings by others who’ve tried the recipe, timings, levels of skill, nutritional values etc. I especially like the print option. I’m a bit old school and if I find a recipe I like, I will print it off, laminate it and keep it in my cook book file.’

Melanie Edjourian, who blogs at Melanie’s Fab Finds, says: ‘I love my Russell Hobbs mixer. It’s great for making all sorts of cakes as well as pizza bases and bread. I also love my Lurch Spiralo Spiraliser as it helps me make all sorts of healthy recipes using veg, like courgetti carbonara.’

Cath Bambi Drews, who blogs at th3secretlifeofme, writes: ‘We have a Gourmetmaxx tower airfryer, which is a bit different to an Actifry. We are a family of six so this means we can actually cook sides or fries/wedges/home-made chips in one go. It cooks crispy chips/wedges. Amazing bacon. Little pizzas. We have even cooked a chicken in there.’

Paulina Borowik from UK Everyday says: ‘One of my favourite kitchen devices is my Morphy Richards Stand Mixer. It ensures that all ingredients are mixed perfectly and my kitchen stays clean. This mixer is very powerful and looks stylish. I would highly recommend it to anyone.’

Jax Blunt, who blogs at Making It Up (as we go along) writes: ‘Can’t believe no one has recommended https://cookingonabootstrap.com or https://utterlyscrummy.blogspot.com . These are my two favourite budget recipe sites. Both are written by people who actually live this life making every penny work to feed a family healthily and cheaply.’

Finally, Sally Allsop from Life Loving says: ‘I know it sounds very insignificant but my favourite kitchen gadget is my olive spoon/pickle picker. It’s perfect for getting pickled veg/olives out of the jar and draining them as you are doing it. Normal spoons make such a mess when you are dealing with pickling liquid or brine.’

Thanks again to all my UK blogging colleagues for an inspiring selection of ideas. I shall definitely be adding some of the items above to my Amazon Wish List!

Please do check out also the blogs of everyone above who contributed suggestions. They are an amazing group of talented writers and bloggers!

My Recommendation

I thought I should share a recommendation as well, so I’m nominating my Salter Aquatronic digital kitchen scales (see below). I was lucky enough to get this product free as an Amazon Vine reviewer, and was very impressed with it.

No bowl is provided with these scales, but because of the way they work you don’t need one. You can place any container you like on the scales and press the button to zero the display (so the scales disregard the container’s weight). You can then add your ingredient and the weight (or liquid volume if you prefer) will be shown. If you want to add further ingredients, you can zero the display again before doing so. Once you get the hang of this, it’s amazingly quick and simple. I use it all the time now, and even weighed a parcel on it recently 😀 I also like the way it hardly takes up any space at all in my kitchen when stored on its side.

As always, if you have any comments or queries about this article, please do post them below. And if you have any other favourite kitchen device, website or app, please do share it in the comments!

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

Review: How to Smash Affiliate Marketing by Emma Drew

January 30, 2019

Review: How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger by Emma Drew

Nick Making Money reviews, blogging 2 Comments

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger is an online course by my colleague Emma Drew, one of the UK’s most successful bloggers. I recently reviewed Emma’s comprehensive blogging course, Turn Your Dreams Into Money, in this blog post.

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger is – as the name indicates – a more specialized course than Turn Your Dreams Into Money. It is aimed specifically at UK bloggers, and reveals how they can boost their income from blogging by means of affiliate links and relationships. The course is hosted on the popular Teachable platform.

Emma kindly allowed me reviewer access to How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger, so here’s what I found…

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger is a multimedia course organized in 10 main sections, as follows:

Getting Started
Affiliate Marketing Disclosure
How to Find Affiliate Programs
How to Serve Your Audience and Get Them to Buy From Your Affiliate Links
Different Ways to Advertise Your Affiliate Links
The Money is in the List
Tools That Have Supercharged My Affiliate Earnings
Other Important Information About Affiliate Marketing
Creating Your Affiliate Marketing Strategy
Affiliate to This Course

Each section is further divided into anywhere from one to eight parts. Each part contains instructional text (with graphics where relevant), and in most cases a video as well. The videos cover the same ground as the text, but may be a better option for those who learn best by looking and listening rather than reading.

For example, the section titled ‘How to Find Affiliate Programs’ is in five parts, as shown in the screen capture below:

As you will notice, the first four parts have timings in brackets after them, e.g. 1:56. These refer to the length of the video in the part in question. The videos generally consist of Emma talking to camera. She speaks clearly and not too rapidly, and the sound and picture quality are excellent. I thought the written content was of a high professional standard as well.

Another feature I particularly liked is the PDF workbook for students to print out and complete. This is a great way to ensure you take on board Emma’s advice and apply it to your own blog.

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger takes you through everything you need to know to make money from affiliate marketing as a blogger. It’s all useful stuff, though as a long-time blogger myself (I started my original freelance writing blog over ten years ago) I was familiar with the basic concepts already. I did though find the section ‘Tools That Have Supercharged My Affiliate Earnings’ especially interesting. There are some great resources listed here, several of which (e.g. Easy Azon) I hadn’t come across before. It is very informative to see which tools Emma uses herself and have proven to be successful (and profitable) for her. I found her advice on arranging affiliate relationships with companies directly eye-opening as well. That is something I probably need to do more of.

A further benefit of signing up is that you get access to Emma’s private Facebook group for students on the course, where you can discuss all aspects of affiliate marketing with fellow students (and Emma herself).

How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger costs £49 at the time of writing. For a limited period, however, I can offer readers of my blog a £5 discount if they enter the coupon code SENSE when ordering. This should change the price showing to £44 (if it doesn’t work, please let me know).

And as an extra bonus for anyone buying via my link, I am giving away a 2500-word report by yours truly titled Affiliate Marketing for Profit! This report looks at affiliate marketing from a broader perspective than just blogging (although it does also cover blogging) and includes more top tips and resources for making the most of this powerful money-making method. To receive my bonus report, just message me with your receipt/order number for How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger. I will then send you the report by email

As always, if you have any comments or questions about How to Smash Affiliate Marketing as a UK Blogger, please do post them below.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the terms you are offered or the price you are charged.

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January 24, 2019

Review: Turn Your Dreams Into Money by Emma Drew

Nick Making Money reviews, blogging 0 Comments

Turn Your Dreams Into Money is an online course for anyone who would like to make money as a blogger. It is sub-titled ‘How to build a six-figure blog and live the life you want’.

The course has been created by my colleague Emma Drew, one of the UK’s most successful bloggers. In a few years Emma went from being homeless and penniless to being a six-figure blogger. She now blogs full time at EmmaDrew.info and employs her husband in the business.

The course is hosted on the popular Teachable platform.

Emma was kind enough to allow me reviewer access to Turn Your Dreams Into Money, so here’s what I found…

Turn Your Dreams Into Money is a multimedia course organized in 22 main sections, as follows:

Turn Your Dreams Into Money With A Blog
Before You Start – Tutorials for Brand New Bloggers
Laying the Foundations For A WILDLY Successful Blog
Protecting Your Blog
Writing Kick-Ass Blog Posts
Images For Your Blog
How to Get Traffic to Your Blog
Becoming a Social Media Whizz
Pinterest
Growing & Serving Your Tribe
The Money Is In The List
The Business of Blogging
Making Money With Affiliate Marketing
Make Money With Sponsored Posts
Make Money With Adverts
Products to Sell
Make Money as a Brand Ambassador
Improving Your Top Ten Posts
Dealing With Trolls
How to Continue Growing Your Business
Blogging Hacks
Affiliate Section for Turn Your Dreams Into Money

Each section is further divided into anywhere from one to thirteen parts. Each part contains instructional text (with graphics where relevant), and in some cases a PDF and/or a video.

As an example, the section titled ‘Improving Your Top Ten Posts’ is in five parts, starting with ‘Why You Should Improve Your Top Ten Posts’ and finishing with ‘Improving Your Top Ten Posts Checklist’. There are also two instructional videos. One of these explains how to identify your top ten posts, while in the other we watch Emma as she goes about improving one of her own top posts. I thought both the written content and the videos were of a high professional standard.

Another feature I particularly liked is the PDF workbook for students to print out and complete. The workbook is referred to throughout the course, and is a great way to ensure you take on board Emma’s advice and apply it to your own blog.

As you will gather, Turn Your Dreams Into Money is a comprehensive guide to every aspect of setting up and running a money-making blog. Emma strongly recommends creating a self-hosted blog using the popular WordPress platform, which I agree with (my blogs Pounds and Sense and Entrepreneur Writer are both hosted this way).

There is a section about setting up a self-hosted WordPress blog which covers the essentials, including recommended plug-ins, how many (and what) categories to have, legal requirements, and so on. If you are brand new to WordPress, however, you might want to do some additional studying on the technical aspects yourself. Of course, there is lots of information about this available free online, and I also recommend this regularly updated ebook by Dr Andy Williams about setting up a WordPress site, which I found very helpful myself when starting out.

Where the course is especially strong is about marketing and monetizing your blog. Although I am a fairly experienced blogger myself, I found this a real eye-opener. There are some great resources listed, some of which I hadn’t come across before. It is very informative to see which ones Emma uses herself and have proved to be successful (and profitable) for her.

A further benefit of signing up is that you get access to Emma’s private Facebook group for students on the course, where you can discuss all aspects of blogging with fellow students (and Emma herself).

Turn Your Dreams Into Money costs £197 at the time of writing. Obviously that’s not cheap, but if it helps you set up a profitable blog that generates a growing monthly income, then it will clearly be money very well spent.

For a limited period, I can also offer readers of my blog a £50 discount if they enter the coupon code POUNDS when ordering. This should change the price showing to £147 (if it doesn’t work, please get back to me). And as an extra bonus for anyone buying via my link, I am giving away not one but two mini-reports by yours truly. One is titled ‘50 Niche Blog Topics With Big Earning Potential’ and the other ‘How to Write Irresistible Titles for Blog Posts‘. To get your hands on both of these valuable resources for bloggers, just message me with your receipt/order number for Turn Your Dreams Into Money. I will then send you the reports by email 🙂

As always, if you have any comments or questions about Turn Your Dreams Into Money, please do post them below.

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

November 27, 2018

Review: Blogging Secrets by Jenny Lord

Nick Making Money reviews, blogging 0 Comments

Blogging Secrets is an online course for anyone who would like to earn money as a blogger.

It has been created by UK blogger Jenny Lord, who runs a blog called Midwife and Life. The course is hosted on the Teachable platform.

Jenny was kind enough to allow me reviewer access to Blogging Secrets, so here’s what I found…

Blogging Secrets is a multimedia course organized in 12 main sections, as follows:

Welcome and Introduction
My Blogging Story
Before You Start
Setting Up Your Website with WordPress (.org)
The Business and Legal Side of Blogging
Blog Writing Secrets
Social Media Secrets
Where to Find Paid Blogging and Writing Work
Affiliate Marketing Secrets
Hosting and Running Giveaways
Scaling Up Your Blog Business
Bonus Section

Each section is further divided into anywhere from one to seven parts. Each part contains instructional text and/or a video lecture from Jenny.

As an example, the section titled Affiliate Marketing Secrets is in three parts: Affiliate Marketing and Affiliate Networks to Join, which are in written form, and a 16-minute video lecture titled The Secret of Making Affiliate Links Work for You in Your Sleep. I thought all the course content was very well written and presented. There is also a downloadable workbook to print out and fill in.

As you will gather, Blogging Secrets takes you through every aspect of setting up and running a money-making blog. Jenny recommends creating a self-hosted blog using the popular WordPress platform, which I would agree with (my blogs Pounds and Sense and Entrepreneur Writer are both hosted this way).

Be aware that the course doesn’t go into great detail about WordPress itself, though. The section about this includes a recommended list of WordPress plug-ins, but if you are brand new to WordPress you may need to do some additional studying on the technical aspects yourself (see below).

Where the course is particularly strong is about marketing and monetizing your blog. Although I am an experienced blogger myself, I still picked up some valuable tips and discovered a range of free and low-cost resources I hadn’t come across before. I found the sections about affiliate marketing and hosting and running giveaways especially eye-opening. Expect to see more of these on Pounds and Sense soon!

There is also a bonus section containing a variety of useful resources. I have listed these below, although as the course is constantly being revised and updated new ones may well have been added by the time you read this.

Pinterest Magic Ebook
Editorial Calendar
Email Template Swipe File
Blog Checklist
Weekly Blogging Sample Schedule
Pinterest Group Board List
Facebook Mastermind Group

There are some great resources here. I especially liked the Pinterest Magic ebook, which you can download and print out if you like. This explains how you can use this popular social bookmarking service to boost traffic to your blog. I have never entirely got my head around Pinterest , so I found this particularly helpful.

Blogging Secrets costs £118.80 at the time of writing. Obviously that’s not cheap, but if it helps you set up a profitable blog that generates a growing monthly income, then it will clearly be money well spent. There is lots of great content on the business and creative aspects of running your blog. Personally I would like to have seen a little more on the technical side, but of course there is plenty of advice about this on the internet. I also recommend this regularly updated ebook by Dr Andy Williams about setting up a WordPress site, which I found very helpful personally when starting out.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about Blogging Secrets, please do post them below.

If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:

September 21, 2018

Guest Post: Five Things You Really Need To Know About Monetizing Your Blog

Nick Making Money guest post, blogging 3 Comments

Today I am pleased to bring you a guest post from my fellow UK money blogger (and freelance writer) Ruth Hinds, who blogs at Ruth Makes Money.

Ruth’s post is about blogging, a subject I haven’t previously got around to covering on Pounds and Sense. But, of course, it’s a major way I make money myself these days, and it’s also an option that is both accessible and appealing to many older people.

Over to Ruth then…

Have you ever thought about starting a blog as a way to create an extra online income stream? Or do you have an existing blog that you write just for pleasure, and sometimes toy with the idea of turning it into a money-making machine?

Though I’ve been a freelance writer for the past seven years, it’s only around 12 months since I took the leap and created my own blog, dedicated to documenting my journey towards creating a full-time income online, and what’s worked for me along the way.

Whilst it’s relatively early in my blogging journey, I’m happy to admit that monetization was on my agenda from day one. As well as help people to create their own freedom away from the constraints of a traditional job, I was eager to learn the ropes quickly and add another income stream to my box of tricks.

It’s safe to say that I’ve reached that goal, and I’ve also learned a ton of valuable lessons along the way when it comes to creating a profitable blog. Here’s what you really need to know if you’re thinking about taking a similar path…

1. It’s a steep learning curve, and it pays to get started ASAP

I often see people saying that they intend to monetize their blog one day in the future, but they don’t yet feel ready to make that leap. They feel that there’s more to learn, or more experience they need to get under their belts, or they just find it all a little overwhelming. Though I completely understand – because there’s certainly a lot to get your head around – I do also disagree with waiting.

You see, making money from your blog takes trial and error. There are strategies to become familiar with, tactics to master, and you’ll undoubtedly get plenty of things wrong along the way. This is why I believe that it pays to start that learning journey sooner rather than later.

There’s also a valid point here that as you build your audience, it makes sense that they’ve seen your monetization efforts from the beginning. This way, you’re being transparent from the start, and there’s not a point where your readers can suddenly bring your integrity into question.

2. You don’t need a gigantic audience to start making money

We’ve all heard about the big name bloggers who are pulling in hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, and of course, these people often have millions of followers. It’s important to recognise though that there are plenty more bloggers with relatively small readerships who are earning a decent chunk of cash along the way.

What it really comes down to is the methods that you use. I personally decided to really drill down on affiliate marketing, and put my efforts into promoting my favourite matched betting software. By creating content that explained the matched betting process, answered common questions, and gave an insight into my own successes with leveraging free bets from online bookies, I started earning commissions within my first few months as a blogger, and they’ve continued to grow throughout the year.

3. Though some monetization tactics are definitely more realistic than others!

Though I’ve had great results from affiliate marketing, there are still some blog monetization techniques that my readership is simply too small to tap into effectively. A great example of this is running adverts in the sidebar. These typically earn me about $15 per month. They’re never going to make me rich, though they do cover my hosting and domain costs.

When you’re blogging, it can seem like your to do list is never ending. There are posts to write, content to promote, social media channels to keep on top of, and the reality is that you need to selective about what you do and don’t dip your toes into. Based on my experiences, I’d definitely suggest that new bloggers get super focused, and really run with just a couple monetization techniques so they can see the best possible returns.

4. Blogging can be a great way to get started with freelance writing

When it comes to the various money-making methods that go hand in hand with blogging, the possibility of starting a freelance writing business is definitely discussed less often. Perhaps it’s because it’s more hands-on, and couldn’t be classed as passive income. Still though, it’s worth discussing because it can be highly profitable, and also hugely rewarding.

When you’re putting your writing out there online on a regular basis, other bloggers and business owners start to pay attention. They get a feel for your style, your expertise, and the value that you could bring to their own content creation processes. And of course, you’re building a portfolio that you can use to pitch for projects that catch your eye.

I built my freelance writing business without the power of my own blog behind me. With hindsight though, I can tell that I definitely missed a trick. Starting a blog is a legitimate way to start a writing career, whether that be copywriting for businesses, or even feature writing for newspapers and magazines.

5. It won’t make you rich overnight, but building a generous income is very achievable

If you’ve been around the block a few times with side hustles, then you’ll know that things take time. There are no overnight millionaires, and if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. And so if you’ve read income reports from big bloggers who claim to be pulling in massive amounts of money, then you may be a little bit skeptical. Is it all smoke and mirrors? Have you missed the chance to do the same? Or did they just get lucky?

What I know for sure from my year as a blogger is that it’s very possible to start earning money within your first few months, and if you commit to being in it for the longer term, the rewards are there for the taking. It takes time, and a dedication to learning the ropes, but I’m pleased to be in a position now where my blog consistently generates in excess of £800 per month. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s not too shabby for something that I only dedicate part-time hours to!

My only regret with blogging is that I didn’t start sooner. It earns me an income, it’s opened up countless opportunities, and knowing that I’m helping other people with their money-making adventures brings me a huge amount of satisfaction.

If you’re thinking about starting a blog, then why not bite the bullet and get stuck in?

Ruth blogs about genuine ways to make money online at RuthMakesMoney.com. She covers blogging, eBay reselling, and freelance writing, and loves helping people to build profitable income streams on their own terms.

Many thanks to Ruth (pictured) for an interesting and inspiring article.

I have been blogging myself for a number of years, both here at Pounds and Sense and at Entrepreneur Writer and the former My Writing Blog (now closed).

Like Ruth, I would never claim that blogging is a get-rich-quick proposition. It takes time and effort to build a successful blog, and only then will the big rewards start to come.

But blogging is also a creative and fulfilling pastime that can help keep your wits sharp and generate at least a useful sideline income. And it’s something you can fit in as and when you have the time (and energy), so again it can work well for many older people. For all these reasons – and more – I plan to cover blogging again on Pounds and Sense before too long.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, for me or for Ruth, please do post them below.

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