AD | I have wanted to write this post for ages, but it finally feels like the right time! Writing a blog about mental health and personal recovery can be really rewarding on so many levels. It’s a great form of self expression, can be a wonderful way of connecting with like-minded people and you might just help someone else along on their own journey.
On the flip side, it can also be incredibly difficult. It can take its toll on your emotionally, make you a target for online abuse and, if you want to make money from your blog, it can be hard to know where to start. I’m going to try to help you out with that last one in this post. I hope so anyway.
I’m not going to front here. I’m not a blogger who consistently makes thousands (or even 1 thousand) from my blog each month. There are bloggers out there who are 100x more qualified to help you build your income. But I want to share what I HAVE learned and I especially want to share with the mental health community because there are unique challenges you face as a blogger that I have experienced too.
Deciding whether or not to monetise
Chances are that your mental health blog is valuable to you and to others. I think there’s a natural reluctance to start monetising because you don’t want to dilute the worth of your blog. But it really doesn’t have to be like that. The people who follow you and truly support you will WANT to see you succeed and they’ll also want you to be paid for your work.
I didn’t start monetising in earnest until this year, although I had some paid opportunities as early as 2018. I was so bloody nervous about it. Some of my doubt was rooted in how I thought it would affect others’ perception of me and my blog. Although I personally support many bloggers and influencers who work with sponsors, I was convinced that other people would think I had sold out.
Don’t get me wrong, you don’t HAVE to monetise your blog. Not everyone wants to. But, if you’re struggling financially and you’re working hard at creating content that already benefits other people, you shouldn’t feel guilty or self conscious for getting paid for your work.
Define your boundaries
I think it’s a good idea to set some core principles before you monetise your mental health blog. Something that kept coming up for me was that I didn’t want to feel like I was pushing harmful ads on my readers. I wanted to get paid for my work, but also wanted to be responsible and kind to those who had helped get me to the position where I was able to in the first place.
Many of my audience are vulnerable people, so it wouldn’t be right for me to overlook that when choosing companies to work with. Your boundaries will probably not be the same as mine, but I did some soul searching at the start of the year and defined 4 types of advertiser I will never accept on Pigletish: alcohol, weight loss products, gambling sites and anything that claims to be a “quick fix” for mental illness. There are other reasons I’d decline an opportunity too, of course, but those were clear rules I set out for myself.
When you have your own blog, you get to set the rules and choose who you work with. Getting paid for a blog post is such an incredible feeling. I really can’t begin to tell you how proud I feel that I’ve managed to build up my own website from scratch and that others can see its worth (both financially and emotionally). It really makes me feel awesome to know that I did all that myself.
You can too. I promise you that. And you’ll probably do it more effectively than I did.
Here are some things that helped me make money from my blog
Here are some tips that helped me get my blog ready for monetisation. See below for different income streams that could work for you!
- Prioritising valuable content
Creating good quality content is definitely the most important thing you can do to improve the value of your blog. This is especially important for something like a mental health blog, where people are coming to read your articles rather than invest in products.
Making content that is meaningful, informative and engaging helps to keep your readers interested and coming to your blog and helps showcase your skills to brands who may want to collaborate. If potential advertisers can see how much heart and soul there is in your blog, they already know that you’ll put the work in to fulfil their brief too. - Diversifying my content
Some of (a lot of) my content isn’t suitable for advertising. I wouldn’t feel right about adding affiliate links or sponsorship onto some of the posts about PTSD and domestic violence, for example. There may be other ways around that, but I decided to embrace this as an opportunity to write about some of my other interests. You’ll notice that most of my sponsored posts are in the lifestyle categories of my blog.
You are more than your illness, however all consuming it feels. I’m confident that every single one of you could incorporate other topics into your blog that would show your readers another side to your personality. Maybe you use art or music as a coping mechanism. You could create incredible mood boards, write amazing reviews of pop culture or share easy recipes. This second (or third, or fourth) topic might be much easier and more natural to monetise than your main content. - Learning from other bloggers
There are some amazing bloggers out there and most of them are helpful and forthcoming with sharing advice that could help you achieve your goals. I bet there’ll be things you can help them with too. Nobody is fantastic at everything and it’s absolutely fine to need support with some of the parts of blogging that come less naturally to you.
I’ve made some great connections over the last 12 months, one that stands out in particular to me is Kayleigh Zara, who has been a really lovely and kind friend to me while I’ve been trying to build my income. - Taking the pressure off myself
I am self employed. I work for myself because my mental health fluctuates and I’m often too unwell to work. Being self employed has its ups and downs and I’m really lucky to have income sources outside of my blog. I also work as a copywriter and artist, which really helps take the pressure off my own blog. - Hiring a coach
Earlier this year I hired a coach to help me with my blog. I saved some of the income I had made and decided to reinvest it in myself and my blog. It was so incredibly valuable and helped me really focus on and define my goals. I left the session feeling really motivated and positive.
Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes or even just talking a problem through with a friend can really help you make sense of the obstacles in your way. And, most importantly, help you find solutions and workarounds. I’m so grateful to Neesha for the work she put into my blog.
5 Different possible income streams for a mental health blog
If you feel like you’re ready to start monetising your mental health blog, here are some ways you can get started:
- Sponsored posts
Sometimes brands will send pitches straight to your inbox, sometimes you’ll have to seek them out. One of the easiest ways to find opportunities is to sign up to a digital marketing platform that matches brands with bloggers.
Make sure that the platform you are using is legitimate. My favourite of these platforms to work with has been Intellifluence, which is chock full of opportunities, has been easy to navigate and allows you to negotiate rates with brands. - Use affiliate links
Signing up to affiliate programs for the products you were planning to mention in your blog could be a good way for you to make a small commission on sales. It’s also a really natural way to incorporate ads into your blog posts because you’re writing content you would have written anyway. I use a mix of affiliate ads and sponsored posts on my own blog. - Ad placement
You can work with a digital marketing platform to place adverts throughout your website. If you’re worried about the type of ads that may come up, either work with brands individually to create bespoke ads or choose a platform that gives you some control over the advert types. - Selling products directly to your audience
Many of the bloggers I know are just creative in general and would be in a great position to sell art, products or e-books directly to their readers for a fee. A blog is a great way to market your own products, but make sure it’s clear to your audience that you’re profiting from their purchases so that you don’t break any advertising rules! - Limited access subscriptions
If your blog has a decent audience and you have even more content up your sleeve, you might be in a great position to offer exclusive content to your most dedicated readers on a subscription basis. There are many third-party apps and websites that will help you offer subscriptions or you could create something bespoke for yourself!
However you choose to monetise your blog, if you decide to, I hope it goes well for you. I know that it can be daunting, especially if you’re writing about something that is important to you. But keep working at it. You’re unlikely to make huge amounts of money right away, but I have faith that you’ll be able to build something wonderful and fulfilling.
If you’ve enjoyed this post why not take a look at 100 Places to go when you can’t leave the house or Self care ideas for 10 minutes or less.
I love, especially given the topics you write about, that you approach the making money from your writing with as much consciousness and responsibility as you can! I think this is an approach writers in all niches can take to heart.
Thanks for sharing! <3
Ah, thank you so much Jaya, it’s something I struggled with for a long time but I really hope I get the balance right!