Can Blogging Earn You Money Without Ads, Clients or Products

Most bloggers think they need ads, clients, or products to make money blogging. But what if you didn’t?

Yes, these are some of the most common ways, I teach them, and we hear about them everywhere online. They can be passive or a way to scale that not many other blog monetization streams offer.

But if it’s not what works for your blog and business, then you can change direction. In this post, I’m going to show you how.

We won’t be reinventing the wheel. I won’t talk about anything you haven’t heard of. I’ll just remind you that there are ways to earn as a blogger that can work for you, that can work well and that can help you turn your blog into a business. And they don’t need to be ads, clients or products.

The Problem with Traditional Blog Monetization

Ads

For a start, ads pay pennies unless you have tons of traffic.

They ruin the reader experience. They slow down your website. And as users, we probably hate them.

Truth is, my ad revenue is so low that I’m considering removing the ads from my site. What’s still keeping me from doing it is that I’m with a good ad network (Mediavine), and once I remove them, my site won’t be accepted again unless I increase my page views to meet their requirements.

But blog traffic isn’t the easiest goal to hit, especially with all the changes happening with search engines lately.

There are many pro bloggers who lost their ad revenue (some relied solely or mostly on it to support themselves, others were earning 5- or 6-figures from ads). Due to algorithm changes, the rise of AI, and the new ways in which people browse online (inside Pinterest/TikTok/YouTube, using AI, etc.), their traffic is gone or much less. To the point where their revenue was cut in half, or worse.

So most of them had to adjust to the new way of blogging and look for alternative traffic sources. 

Some doubled down on Facebook, their email list, Instagram or TikTok, YouTube, podcasting, optimizing for other search engines, or using AI to their advantage.

But ultimately, they stopped relying on ad revenue as their main income stream, and some even totally left it behind and focused on other ways to earn money from their blog.

Clients 

Next is working with clients, which can sound great on paper, but is actually trading time for money.

Client work for bloggers can look like freelance writing, social media management, sponsored blogging, virtual assistant work, offering coaching or consulting.

While each of these can turn out to be very profitable, there are also hidden costs. Such as trading hours for money. That means no work = no income. 

Plus, there’s only so much you can get done in a day. You’re limited by this and can’t take up on more work. The option then is to raise your rates.

Another disadvantage here is that you’ll be dependent on the client. They come with deadlines, feedback loops, and sometimes unrealistic expectations. Even the “easy” ones take time and mental energy. 

This was one of the worst things about freelance writing for me when I was doing it back in the days.

Add to that the lack of creative freedom. You’re not blogging for yourself anymore. You’re following someone else’s instructions, creating based on their opinion, and often producing work you’re not even passionate about.

At the end, it can feel like another job you created for yourself.

By the way, if you ever dream of brands sliding into your inbox, offering deals, and paying you upfront, my course The Blog Sponsorship Boss is for you. In it, you’ll learn everything about sponsored blogging – from building a killer media kit and pitching brands, to negotiating rates, spotting bad clients fast, and turning one-off gigs into regular income. It’s your shortcut to making thousands from sponsored posts without selling out. Learn more about it here.

Digital Products 

I love digital products and think it’s an awesome business model, but it’s definitely not an easy one. So many years into it and I still haven’t turned it into my main source of income. I’m not even close to it.

The truth is that creating products takes time, energy, and ongoing support.

The catch with them is that they aren’t totally passive. You’re creating, launching, tweaking, updating, and supporting customers.

And if your launch flops (as will be the case many times in the beginning), all that effort was technically for nothing. 

Yes, you learn valuable lessons but you have little to show for it afterwards, and no motivation to try again.

There are many moving pieces here. You need a solid audience, an amazing offer that’s just right for them, a good sales page, and traffic that converts. 

Add to that the pricing, guarantee, testimonials, launch plan, and all the other elements that go into creating an offer that sells.

And even then, sales are not a sure thing.

This can leave you exhausted, overwhelmed, and wanting to not try again. 

There are easier ways to start making money blogging. 

Affiliate Marketing: The Easier Route

Affiliate marketing is often the faster, lower-risk way to do it. It lets you earn without creating a product, building a team, or running a launch. 

It’s lighter, simpler, and scalable – perfect if you just want to blog and help people without turning into a full-time marketer.

It’s also perfect for bloggers who want passive income with less pressure. You get to keep your creative freedom and stay true to yourself, sell/promote in a way that feels comfortable for you and be genuinely useful to your audience.

Let’s take a real example: Cloudways.

It’s a hosting platform built for bloggers, creators, and business owners who actually care about site speed and performance. You can use it to host your own blog, but you can also join their affiliate program.

Then you’re not just promoting it, you’re using it yourself (which makes your recommendation way more authentic).

They offer up to $125 per sale depending on your performance, as well as different commission structures. That means that whether you’re just getting started or already have steady traffic, there’s room to grow.

On top of that, Cloudways has a 2-tier commission system. That means if you refer another affiliate and they start promoting Cloudways too, you’ll also earn a commission from their referrals. It’s a clever way to create an extra layer of passive income on top of your own sales.

It’s the kind of tool that makes sense to recommend. Bloggers need hosting, and Cloudways is a solid option. You’re helping others get started while earning for yourself so it’s a win-win.

And there are countless ways to promote it.

You can create how-to guides, showing how you yourself built your blog. That can then be repurposed into video content, emails, a PDF that you can use as a lead magnet, and many social media posts.

You can naturally mention Cloudways in other posts on your blog.

You can make it your main product to promote and have a banner in your sidebar.

You can write a review post about it, and include it in your weekly newsletter every now and then.

You can add it to your Resources page, email signature, social media bios, or any other place where people will see it and have the chance to click on your affiliate link.

How to Make Affiliate Marketing Work

If you decide to make money blogging this way, and not deal with ads, clients or creating your own products, then here are some tips for success:

• Be genuine – Share your real experience with the product. Talk about why you chose the tool and how it helped you;
• Create helpful content like tutorials, reviews, or comparisons;
• Add links naturally inside blog posts or your resources page;
• Add disclaimers – Be transparent. People trust you more when you’re honest about affiliate links;
• Solve a problem – If the product genuinely helps your reader with something, it doesn’t feel like selling;
• Create evergreen content that works for you – write it once and earn forever. Optimize it so it ranks, share it on Pinterest consistently, and make sure it’s a topic that will be relevant for a long time. 

Final Thoughts

You already have what it takes to earn money from affiliate marketing.

If you love writing and helping others, it’s a great option for you. You can use your existing content, utilize all platforms you’re on, repurpose content, and join different affiliate programs and start adding your affiliate links.

You don’t need to hustle every day or build an empire, just start small. Try it with one affiliate program (like Cloudways) and see where it takes you.