AFFILIATE MARKETING
How to Start a Blog for Free and Make Money

- Blogging is one of the easiest side hustles to start from home, but it isn’t always lucrative.
- Insider spoke with two bloggers who make more than $100,000 a year from their websites.
- They shared six strategies for getting started and earning an income from writing.
Starting a blog is easy, but making money from it is not. It can be one of the cheapest and easiest ways to make money from home, if you do it right.
Insider spoke with two bloggers who turned their writing hobby into six-figure businesses. They gave six tips for how to do it.
1. Use a call to action
Courtesy of Samantha North
It can take months, if not years, to build a large enough audience for lucrative ad income. Samantha North, 40, started her blog, Digital Émigré, in September 2020 while she was relocating to Portugal from the UK. The site aimed to provide tips and advice for getting residency in European Union countries.
Traffic was slow for the first few months. To find her audience, North created a Facebook group, called Get US Citizenship, where she shared blog posts from her website.
On each blog post she’d add a call-to-action link offering $175 consultations for people looking to make the move. She said she’d take about six calls a week.
2. Use keyword research to rank higher on Google
Search-engine optimization can help bring in organic traffic that can translate into ad revenue.
North said she researched the terms people were looking for and used that as a starting point to build content.
She said she’d notice that people were searching on Google for long, specific terms, such as “bank accounts for British expats in Europe,” and would then base a blog post on the terms to attract readers.
If she saw that people were searching generally for information about citizenship in a European country, she’d write five articles about that topic, each focused on a different country.
North said that when she started publishing blog posts using SEO every day in May 2022, she noticed a marked increase in her search traffic: Over six months she went from 5,000 visitors to her website a month to 100,000 visitors.
3. Use AI to help you write more content
Writing blog posts can be time-intensive. North turned to artificial-intelligence tools like Jasper and ChatGPT.
She said she learned to make the prompts for the chatbots specific. “If you give very detailed instructions about the tone, the style, and the outline, then you will get much, much better results,” she said.
North used AI to outline her posts, write headings, and put ideas into bulleted lists. She said she found that using AI tools to group keywords into topics helped her generate ideas.
“Let’s say you had 100 keywords — you could use AI to group them into logical topic areas,” she said. “Then you could write 10 blog posts on one topic cluster and another 10 blog posts around another cluster.”
4. Sign up for ad-management services to make passive income
Courtesy of Whitney Bonds
Bloggers don’t need a minimum amount of traffic in order to generate revenue through Google AdSense. But when they reach a certain traffic threshold, they can sign up for ad-management platforms, which can be more lucrative.
Whitney Bonds, 34, was working a 9-to-5 when she became pregnant with her second child. She wanted to quit her job but needed to bring in an income, alongside her husband, to support her family.
She started searching for ways to make money while staying at home, and she came across bloggers who claimed to make $100,000 a month.
“I wanted to create a website for moms like me looking for legitimate ways to make money from home,” Bonds said.
In January 2018 she created Tried and True Mom Jobs, where she shared the stories of moms she’d found in Facebook groups and interviewed.
When she started getting traffic from search, she signed up for Mediavine, an ad-management service for bloggers with at least 50,000 visitors a month.
Bonds made $50,000 from ads alone in her second year. She said that ranking highly on Google helped make her income more passive. “Once you get in the search results, you’re really set up for long-term growth,” she said.
North started by using the ad-management site Ezoic. With about 30,000 visitors a month, she made about $1,000 a month. When she hit 50,000 readers a month, she applied to Mediavine.
“With Ezoic, I had to adjust the ads myself and tinker with technical things, which I didn’t enjoy,” she said. “I wanted a more hands-off experience.”
5. To succeed with affiliate marketing, sell products you use yourself
Bloggers can earn a commission through affiliate marketing, which encourages readers to buy something by clicking a trackable link or using a unique code.
Bonds received her first affiliate commission — $500 — after advertising a bookkeeping course she’d used on her website in 2018. She described it as a “light-bulb moment.”
Bonds included links to courses or products in her blogs. For example, in a post about stay-at-home-mom jobs that paid well, she mentioned someone who’d made money proofreading and included an affiliate link to a proofreading course she’d taken.
She said that to avoid scams, she’d make sure she knew someone who’d taken the course.
Last year she made six figures from her site; about half of her income came from affiliate marketing and the other half from ad revenue.
North said she tried to promote only things she’d used or tested herself.
She said that using affiliate platforms such as ShareASale helped keep affiliate marketing passive. “The only hassle is managing the affiliate links — making sure none are broken, making sure every post has the right affiliate links,” said North.
6. Reach out to brands for partnerships
North said brand partnerships could be more lucrative than affiliate marketing. North made £115,000 in 2022, with about half her income coming from affiliate marketing and referral partnerships.
She said she approached businesses that offered services relevant to her niche — such as relocation companies, lawyers, or tax advisors — for ad hoc partnerships.
“It’s more labor-intensive than affiliate marketing, but it’s more tailored as well,”she said. “Typically the commissions are higher and it’s easier to negotiate them.”
She’d write a post about getting a certain visa and include a link at the end for the reader to fill out a form to be introduced to a lawyer in their network. If a reader hired one of the lawyers through her website, North would get a commission. She said she’d make sure she knew the lawyers so that she could vouch for them.
Insider has verified these figures with documentation.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
10 best pet gifts that dogs and cats will love (and their owners, too)
ByAmanda Saintina
Sunday, December 3, 2023 6:19PM

This is an image of a goodybox from Chewy, a pet carrier, pet necklaces and a Furbo video camera.
creativeContent
As a participant in multiple affiliate marketing programs, Localish will earn a commission for certain purchases. See full disclaimer below*
Our pets are companions we hold near and dear to our hearts. Chances are, you or someone you know refers to their dog as their fur baby or cherishes their cats. Our pets keep us company and provide unconditional love, which is why they should be celebrated. Finding gifts for your four-legged friend can be difficult (especially if they’re picky), which is why we have your back. From holiday boxes full of toys and treats to functional gifts that will make pet care easy, there is something for any pet owner.
Best Gifts for Cats and Dogs

Goody Box Holiday Dog Toys & Treats
I love this Goody Box of Holiday Dog Toys and Treats because you get more value for a lower price. The toys are a great way to bond with your pet and try out popular holiday-themed treats before you commit to buying the full-size product. It also comes in two different sizes for small and large dogs.

Goody Box Holiday Cat Toys & Treats
This holiday-themed Goody Box has a great selection of tasty treats for your feline fur baby. I love that you get a lot of value for your money. The box includes: a penguin plush toy; a pack of 10 bouncy, holiday-colored spring toys; a foldable play tunnel; and delicious treats from Temptations and Hartz Delectables. Plus, all three toys include catnip, which is a nice treat.

Merry Makings 12-Day Cat Toy Advent Calendar
This cat toy advent calendar is sure to make your cat feel special this month with plush toys filled with catnip. We love the variety of items available in this calendar in different shapes, sizes, and colors to keep your feline friend engaged.

Frisco Flip Sequin Naughty/Nice List Dog & Cat Hoodie
Is your four-legged friend naughty or nice? If you love dressing up your pet this is the perfect hoodie to keep them in festive fashion.

K&H Pet Products Cat & Dog Bed Warmer
My pup loves curling up under the sunny spots near my window. If your pet does the same, a bed warmer will be the perfect gift to keep them cozy this winter. This bed warmer comes in sizes ranging from small to giant and can be easily placed in any pet bed.
Best Gifts for Pet Lovers

Leaving your pets at home can be stressful, especially if you have an anxious pup or a pup that likes to get into trouble. This 360-degree dog camera is Amazon’s choice for pet cameras and a pet owner favorite. This camera rotates to keep your dog in view at all times, so you can be home even when you’re not.

‘Tell Your Dog I Said Hi’ T-Shirt
For the person who loves your fur baby more than you, lol. I love this T-shirt because it is lighthearted and something a friend or pet lover would appreciate.

2.8L Pet Fountain with Smart Pump
It can be hard to keep your pet interested in their drinking bowl or even make sure they are getting the hydration they need. This pet fountain has two different flows: a flower waterfall (similar to a faucet) and a gentle fountain. This is perfect to keep your pets hydrated and engaged.

Anavia Personalized Pet Portrait Necklace
This sentimental gift is a #1 best seller on Amazon. A personalized gift can mean the world to the person receiving it. What I love about this necklace is the unique sketch style of the portrait and how it can be used as a keepsake for a friend who may have lost a pet.

ROVERLUND Airline-Compliant Pet Carrier
These carriers make life easier for jet-setting pet owners. These carriers are stylish and come in six different colors, but that’s not even the best part about this bag. They have a leak-proof bottom, so you won’t have to worry about any accidents, and the shoulder strap turns into a durable leash for your pup.
*By clicking on the featured links, visitors will leave Localish.com and be directed to third-party e-commerce sites that operate under different terms and privacy policies. Although we are sharing our personal opinions of these products with you, Localish is not endorsing these products. It has not performed product safety testing on any of these products, did not manufacture them, is not selling or distributing them, and is not making any representations about the safety or caliber of these products. Prices and availability are subject to change from the date of publication.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
The AI Video Industry Disruptor

In a world where generative artificial intelligence (AI) is the talk of the town, you can’t afford to overlook the revolutionary role it’s playing in our lives. From large language models (LLMs) being used to draft blog posts and diffusion models for image generation to AI coding assistants for code generation, the productivity potential that generative AI unlocks is staggering. If you are looking to know how to invest in Synthesia, this is the right place for you!
This piece will shine a spotlight on Synthesia, its stocks, investment options, and how to make the most out of this tool.
How to invest in Synthesia stocks: Navigating the basics
Introducing Synthesia – Image via Synthesia
Investing in the stocks of cutting-edge technology companies like Synthesia can be an attractive proposition for many investors. However, the process and availability of investing in such companies, especially those that are not publicly listed, can be complex.
Here’s a guide to help you navigate the potential avenues for investing in Synthesia.
Step 1: Understanding the company’s status
Synthesia is a private company, which means its shares are not available on public stock exchanges. Investing in private companies is typically more challenging than investing in public companies due to limited availability and higher investment minimums.
Synthesia has raised significant capital through Series A, B, and C funding rounds from notable investors. These rounds have contributed to its high valuation and growth but are generally not open to individual retail investors.
If you’re curious about the cost of using Synthesia, make sure to check out our in-depth guide on “Is Synthesia Free to Use?” for valuable insights.
Step 2: Explore avenues for investment
Before investing, take a look at the wide range of investment avenues available to you:
- Venture capital funds: One indirect way to invest in Synthesia is through venture capital funds that hold Synthesia in their portfolio. Investors can look for venture capital firms that have backed Synthesia, like Kleiner Perkins, Accel, or GV, and explore investment opportunities in those funds.
- Secondary market platforms: Platforms like Forge Global or EquityZen provide a marketplace for buying and selling shares of private companies. However, these transactions often require significant minimum investments and are typically available to accredited investors.
- Direct private investment: For high-net-worth individuals or institutional investors, direct private investments in Synthesia might be a possibility. This would generally involve directly contacting the company or participating in future funding rounds, subject to the company’s approval and investment terms.
- Initial public offering (IPO) watch: Keep an eye on Synthesia’s public announcements for any potential IPO. An IPO would allow public investors to buy stock in Synthesia through stock exchanges. However, as of now, there is no public information about an impending IPO.
Step 3: Assess eligibility and requirements
Determine if you meet the criteria for an accredited investor, as many such investment opportunities are limited to accredited investors due to regulatory requirements.
Understand the minimum investment requirements, which can be significantly higher for private companies compared to public stocks.
Step 4: Consult financial experts
Before proceeding, consult with financial advisors, especially those experienced in private equity or venture capital investments. They can provide personalized advice based on your financial situation and investment goals.
Step 5: Monitor your investment
Keep track of Synthesia’s business progress, market trends, and any public announcements, especially regarding future funding rounds or a potential IPO.
Additionally, if you’re interested in exploring AI-driven creativity, our guide on Deep Dream Generator provides five valuable tips for creating stunning images.
Considerations before investing
- Risk assessment: Investing in Synthesia carries a different risk profile compared to investing in other companies. Understanding these risks is crucial, including the lack of liquidity and the long-term nature of such investments.
- Due diligence: Conduct thorough due diligence on Synthesia’s business model, market potential, financial health, and growth prospects. This information may be limited compared to publicly traded companies.
- Investment horizon: These investments often come with a longer investment horizon. Assess whether you are comfortable with tying up your capital for an extended period, as it may take years to realize returns from these investments.
- Diversification: Evaluate how an investment in Synthesia fits into your overall investment portfolio. Diversification is a key risk management strategy, and it’s important to consider how this private equity investment aligns with your other assets.
- Exit strategies: Understand the potential exit strategies for your investment. Private equity investments typically involve strategies like mergers and acquisitions (M&A), IPOs, or secondary sales. Familiarize yourself with these options and their associated timelines.
For a more comprehensive evaluation of Synthesia’s capabilities, we recommend reading our detailed Synthesia AI review.

Considerations before investing in Synthesia
Investing in Synthesia’s services: An alternate approach
An alternative approach to investing in Synthesia is by availing its services. Take a look at the various ways through which you can make the most out of this AI tool:
1. Creating commercial videos for brands
One lucrative revenue stream with Synthesia is leveraging its video creation capabilities to produce commercial or explainer videos for brands. Businesses often require visually engaging content to promote their products or services.
As a Synthesia user, you can offer your video production services on freelancing platforms, catering to companies in need of high-quality videos for marketing campaigns or internal use. By delivering professional and compelling videos, you can establish a steady client base and earn income from your creative video production services.
2. Affiliate marketing with AI videos
Another innovative approach to generating revenue with Synthesia is by creating AI-generated videos optimized for affiliate marketing. Instead of relying solely on ad revenue from platforms like YouTube, you can leverage the power of Synthesia to craft engaging and informative videos. Within these videos, strategically embed affiliate links in the video descriptions.
By promoting products or services through these links, such as those available on e-commerce platforms like Amazon, you have the potential to earn commissions for every sale generated through your affiliate marketing efforts. This revenue stream diversifies your income sources and capitalizes on the popularity of video content in affiliate marketing.
Unlock the mesmerizing world of AI-generated artistry and unleash your creativity with a brushstroke of innovation by exploring our curated list of cutting-edge AI art tools.
3. Comparison and review videos
Synthesia can also be employed to produce valuable comparison and review videos, further expanding your potential revenue streams. For instance, you can create videos that compare two or more products or services within a specific niche, such as “MailChimp vs. SendinBlue” in the email marketing sector.
In these videos, you can provide insightful analysis and recommendations. To monetize this content, include affiliate links for all the products or services discussed in the video description. This approach allows you to earn commissions regardless of the viewer’s choice, as they might click on any of the provided affiliate links based on their preferences.
By delivering informative and unbiased comparisons, you can attract a dedicated audience interested in making informed purchasing decisions.
4. Targeted content creation
An effective strategy for generating revenue with Synthesia involves conducting thorough research to understand the specific queries and comparisons that people are actively searching for online.
Armed with this valuable insight, you can create Synthesia videos that directly address these queries or comparative analyses. Within these videos, strategically embed relevant affiliate links that align with the content’s focus.
Looking for alternatives to Synthesia? Explore our article on five AI video editors for quick and professional video editing solutions.

Navigating the right ways to invest in the services of Synthesia
Conclusion
Investing in Synthesia presents a unique opportunity to participate in the growth of the AI video industry. However, like any investment, it comes with its own set of risks. By conducting thorough due diligence and seeking professional advice, investors can make an informed decision.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
5+ High-Earning High-Ticket Affiliate Marketing Programs
Plus, How I earn full-time income on part-time hoursContinue reading on ILLUMINATION »
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