Today, close to four out of every ten Americans has a side gig of some sort.
These side gigs can range from bartending at night to selling old clothes online. For someone with a love of cars, that gig might include doing minor repair work or driving an upscale town car.
However, the best side jobs involve generating passive income: or income that grows with minimal work from you.
Wondering how to make more money without putting in more hours at work? Then making a passive income blogging about cars might be perfect for you. In this guide, we’ll show you how to get started — keep reading to learn more!
What Does It Mean to Make Passive Income Blogging?
You might have heard of the term “passive income” before. It can refer to money that you get from rental properties, stock dividends, and more. Basically, the definition of “passive” is “hands-off.” Once you set up a passive income stream, you don’t have to do much to keep money coming in.
However, making passive income blogging is a little different. Setting up these income streams online is a newer concept, but people have streamlined it into a game plan that anyone can follow.
The concept of earning money from a blog might sound unrealistic, but the truth is, countless people are already doing it. Why does it work so well? Because there are a number of different effective approaches that you can choose based on what works best for you.
Now, let’s take a look at how to get started, and what those passive income streams from blogging can look like.
How to Start Your Own Blog
First, the basics. To make passive income blogging, you’ll need a blog.
Follow these steps to get on your way to success.
1. Name and Host Your Site
First, your site needs a name. To pick a good one, consider the focus of your blog.
Blogging about cars isn’t enough — you need to be more specific than that. Maybe you’ll focus on cars from a certain era, or low-cost DIY repairs. Take some time to see what’s out there and consider how to set yourself apart. What do car enthusiasts want that isn’t already in the blogging world?
Use this to guide your name of choice. Once you have it, you can also get your site hosted. Hosting makes things easier, but you can also start without it on a free platform and then buy hosting later.
You can buy your domain name through your host or the free platform. If the name you chose isn’t available, you may have to rework it.
Take your time with this step. If you change names later, you’ll confuse your followers!
2. Build Your Blog
Now, you can build your blog using the platform you choose. Some are easy for beginners, while others have a learning curve unless you’re an experienced web developer.
You’ll need to decide on a theme and style for your blog. You’re creating a brand, so make sure that style works with your overall intention for the site. For example, if you’re focused on retro cars, you might choose retro-looking fonts.
Make sure to fill out the basic information on your site so visitors know what you’re about. Write an interested homepage that tells visitors what they need to know. You can add more details in an About Me page.
3. Start Blogging
Now that you have the static site, you can start filling your blog with interesting blog posts.
Have fun with it, but make sure to stay on topic. Take the time to track which kinds of posts get the most engagement, and focus more on those. Check out some online guides to help you (click here for blogging.org).
This will help you with the next step — making money!
Turning Your Blog into Passive Income
Now that you have a blog, how can you make it profitable?
Try these ideas on for size. You might focus on just one, or try a few at a time to see what gets the best results.
1. Post Ads
One of the simplest ways to turn your blog into cold, hard cash is to post some ads.
Ads have positives and negatives. Putting too many on your site can make it cluttered and unappealing. But a few strategically placed ads can also translate into lots more money.
This is one of the fastest ways to start generating income. However, keep in mind that most ads don’t pay much unless your site is getting lots of traffic.
2. Try Affiliate Marketing
When your blog becomes more popular, brands will want to advertise there. Affiliate marketing takes advertising a step further by placing it within your content.
For example, you might feature certain affiliate links to products in a blog post. Every time someone uses that link to buy that product, you’ll get a portion of the sale.
There are lots of car-related products you’ll probably write about anyway, so it’s easy to throw in some affiliate links. Try car parts, collectibles, maintenance items, and more.
3. Sell Information
Do you have knowledge about cars that other people want? You can sell it online!
This can include online classes, webinars, and more where you share your expertise. You’ll create the product, and then people will buy it, translating into passive income for you. You only need to build your product once, but you can sell it many times.
From an e-book about maintenance and repairs to a webinar on the best classic car shows and how to get the most from them, you have lots of options. Get creative and think about the knowledge you have that other people will want the most.
Ready to Start a Blogging Business?
Making a passive income blogging is easier than you might think. Once you discover the right strategy for you, your blog will practically run itself.
Looking for ways to use your passive income wisely? Learn more here about saving money with electric cars!