Choosing the right niche for your blog will often come down to your interests and expertise. However, you might also be looking to make money from your site. This means you’ll need to choose one of the types of blogs that make money.
Fortunately, many blogging niches are both profitable and fun to write about. These include topics like finance, travel, parenting, and food.
In this post, we’ll explore ten types of blogs that make money. We’ll also examine some examples within these niches so that you have a better idea of how to monetize your efforts. Let’s get started!
📚 Table of contents:
- Finance blogs
- Fashion blogs
- Travel blogs
- Blogging and marketing blogs
- Health and fitness blogs
- Pet blogs
- Parenting blogs
- Legal blogs
- Food blogs
- DIY and craft blogs
1. Finance blogs
If you’re an experienced investor, a qualified financial planner, or even an accountant, finance blogging could be the way to go. This niche spans several profitable sub-topics, from financial planning to investing.
For example, the popular website NerdWallet made a whopping $379.6 million in 2021 [1]:
NerdWallet helps consumers make smarter financial decisions by comparing credit cards, loans, savings accounts, and more. Using affiliate marketing, the blog makes commissions on sales made through its partner links.
Good Financial Cents is another finance blog that makes money (and a lot of it!). In just one month, it generated more than $48,000 [2]:
Again, most of this blog’s earnings come from affiliate marketing, including investment companies, credit cards, and banking recommendations. Additionally, Good Financial Cents makes much of its revenue from partnering with advertising networks.
2. Fashion blogs
Fashion blogging is another lucrative niche. You can write about various topics, from clothing reviews to style guides. Since this niche is quite personal, it allows you to draw on your creativity.
The Modest Man is one of the most successful fashion blogs. In 2018, the blog made almost $125,000 from advertising networks, affiliate marketing, and brand sponsorships [3]:
Another great example is Chic Pursuit. In 2022, this fashion and lifestyle blog made more than $11,000 in just one month [4]:
Like many other blogs, Chic Pursuit makes most of its income from affiliate marketing.
💡 Want to learn more? Check out our guide on how to make money as a fashion blogger!
3. Travel blogs
If you love exploring the world (and writing about it), becoming a travel blogger could be the right option. Although there’s a lot of competition within the niche, you can branch out into a sub-niche by visiting lesser-known destinations or catering to particular travel styles.
The travel niche is also full of blogs that make money. For example, Nomadic Matt is a highly successful blog that focuses on budget travel:
In 2017, Nomadic Matt made around $750,000 per year from his blog. While a lot of this income comes from affiliate marketing and ads, Nomadic Matt also makes money through selling his e-books, guided tours, and online courses [5].
Being a travel blogger also enables you to monetize your efforts by partnering with tourism boards and travel companies. For instance, A Dangerous Business made almost $3,500 on travel campaigns alone in June 2022 [6].
4. Blogging and marketing blogs
Blogging and marketing are other types of blogs that make money. This niche is broad, covering everything from how to start a blog to how to market it with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This niche could be worth exploring if you already have a successful website to demonstrate your authority.
HerPaperRoute is a successful marketing blog that reportedly makes more than $60,000 per month from affiliate sales and its blogging monetization course [7]:
Similarly, Create and Go makes more than $900,000 per year through affiliate marketing and selling its online blogging courses [7]. This successful marketing blog draws upon the techniques it used to monetize a health and wellness website.
5. Health and fitness blogs
Health and fitness blogging can be a lucrative niche if you’re a personal trainer, dietician, or simply a gym junkie. You might write about workout plans, health-conscious recipes, and fitness equipment reviews.
Nerd Fitness is one of the most successful blogs in this niche. It teaches self-proclaimed nerds how to make fitness fun with “missions:”
Nerd Fitness has grown to a seven-figure business that makes most of its money from paid memberships. Readers can access some free articles and resources that incentivize them to sign up for the $99 monthly subscription.
💡 Feeling inspired? Check out our guide on how to start a fitness blog on your rest day!
Fit Mommy in Heels takes a more typical approach within the fitness niche. This family, fitness, and lifestyle blog made more than $5,600 in November 2018 through brand sponsorships and affiliate marketing [8]. If you’re interested in this niche, the Amazon affiliate program could be one of your best picks. We also recommend checking out some of the other best affiliate programs for bloggers.
6. Pet blogs
Animal lovers, owners, and trainers can make money from pet blogs. These sites can be highly personal, sharing stories about your playful pets. Alternatively, you might share valuable information on animal nutrition and training techniques.
For example, You Did What With Your Wiener? is a personal blog that shares the author’s adventures with her Dachshund. The blog also contains resources on hiking with dogs and training small dogs:
This pet blog made more than $10,000 in June 2018 [9]. Most of this income came from Mediavine ads, brand sponsorships, and Amazon affiliate marketing.
7. Parenting blogs
Parenting is a popular blogging niche that lets you share your personal tips and experience with other parents. You can draw upon the techniques you’ve used with your children while making money from affiliate marketing, advertising, or selling your own products.
The Realistic Mama reportedly makes more than $20,000 per month from blogging [10]:
The blogger mainly makes money by selling her own products. These include online workshops for parents and a book for couples’ date ideas.
💡 If you’d like to follow in her footsteps, check out our guide on how to start a mommy blog in five steps!
Similarly, the parenting blog Swaddles n’ Bottles makes up to $12,000 per month [11]. Part of this income comes from printable resources. Therefore, you might consider producing your own creative goods to stand apart from other parenting blogs.
8. Legal blogs
Accomplished lawyers and paralegals can easily monetize their knowledge and make money blogging as a side hustle (or even a full-time income). Although this blogging niche is technical, translating legal jargon into easily readable content can help you stand out from the crowd.
A Self Guru is a personable blog that teaches readers how to protect their online businesses legally:
In 2020, this legal blog made a whopping $78,000 in just one month [12]. While some of this income comes from affiliate marketing and sponsorships, A Self Guru also generates revenue from legal templates, legal consulting, and paid interviews. Furthermore, unlike many blogs, A Self Guru doesn’t run paid advertisements.
💡 While we’re on the subject, you might want to check out our article on how to legally protect your blog!
9. Food blogs
If you’re an enthusiastic home cook or enjoy eating out, food blogging could be the right path for you. Sharing recipes, restaurant reviews, and nutrition advice can gain you a loyal (and hungry) readership.
There are plenty of food blogs that make money using creative techniques. For example, the diabetes-friendly food blog Hangry Woman made more than $103,000 in 2020 through direct brand partnerships, Mediavine ads, and affiliate marketing [13]:
Moreover, the healthy recipe blog The Bettered Blondie made more than $9,000 in January 2021 [14]. Only a small percentage of this income came from affiliate marketing and sponsored content. Overall, The Bettered Blondie made most of this money from advertising and monetizing the website’s traffic.
10. DIY and craft blogs
Finally, DIY websites are some of the best types of blogs that make money. This broad niche covers everything from arts and crafts to home improvement. It could be suitable if you have a creative eye and love working with your hands.
You can make money by zoning in on a particular niche. For instance, the Crochetpreneur craft blog made more than $4,700 in October 2021 [15]. Most of this income came from selling crochet patterns, followed by Mediavine ads, affiliate marketing, and YouTube:
Additionally, Crochet 365 Knit Too made $14,000 in September 2020, mostly from Adthrive ads, pattern sales, and affiliate marketing [16]. Most successful blogs within this niche create their own craft patterns, so that’s worth considering.
Last word on the types of blogs that make money
Blogging can be a fun hobby. However, if you want to turn it into a successful business, you’ll need to understand the types of blogs that make money.
Finance blogging can be highly lucrative if you have the credentials to back up your claims, with the most successful blogs making millions of dollars annually. Alternatively, marketing can be profitable if you can demonstrate that you’ve already grown a website from scratch.
If you’re getting ready to launch a new blog soon and could use some straight-to-the-point advice, then definitely check out our blog launch checklist and our rundown of blogging best practices.
References
[1] https://investors.nerdwallet.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nerdwallet-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2021-results
[2] https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/income-report-7-key-insights-from-making-151168-01-in-one-month/
[3] https://www.themodestman.com/2018-review/
[4] https://chicpursuit.com/january-blog-income-report/
[5] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/07/how-nomadic-matt-quit-his-job-to-travel-the-world.html
[6] https://www.dangerous-business.com/may-and-june-2022-travel-and-blogging-recap/
[7] https://herpaperroute.com/blog-income-report/
[8] https://fitmommyinheels.com/november-blogging-income-report/
[9] https://nicheblogbiz.com/can-you-make-a-living-as-a-full-time-pet-blogger-income-report/
[10] https://www.therealisticmama.com/how-i-make-over-20000-a-month-from-home/
[11] https://letsreachsuccess.com/caroline-simmons-parenting-blog-swaddlesnbottles-interview/
[12] https://aselfguru.com/blog-income-report/
[13] https://hangrywoman.com/2020-six-figure-blog
[14] https://thebetteredblondie.com/january-blogging-income-report/
[15] https://crochetpreneur.com/crochet-business-income-report-october-2021/
[16] https://www.crochet365knittoo.com/september-2020-income-report/
