When I started blogging back in 2014, I had no idea it could make me money. I thought of it as an online journal, a place to share my thoughts and maybe connect with like-minded people.
The turning point came when I discovered that ordinary bloggers—not just tech geniuses or big media sites—were making an actual income from their words. That realization changed everything.
In this guide, I’ll walk you step-by-step through how to earn your first $100 blogging online, using lessons I learned the hard way, examples from fellow bloggers, and practical strategies you can put into action today.
Before we dive in, here’s a quick roadmap to help you navigate this guide.
Table of Contents
- Understanding the Mindset Shift: Blogging as a Business
- Choosing the Right Niche That Pays
- Setting Up a Blog Without Overcomplicating It
- Creating Content That Attracts the Right Readers
- Building Your First Audience
- Monetization Pathways: How the First $100 Really Happens
- Case Studies: Real Stories of First Blogging Earnings
- Pros and Cons of Making Money Blogging
- Scaling Beyond the First $100
- Final Thoughts: Keeping the Momentum Going
1. Understanding the Mindset Shift: Blogging as a Business
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is treating a blog like a hobby and expecting money to just “show up.” When you want to know how to earn your first $100 blogging online, the very first step is reframing your blog as a digital storefront. Imagine if you opened a bakery and only baked bread once a month, forgot to tell anyone about it, and never bothered to put up a sign. Would you make sales? Probably not. Blogging works the same way.
I vividly remember the moment I made my first affiliate sale—it was a $6 commission from a book I had recommended in a post about productivity. Six dollars might not sound like much, but it was proof of concept. Proof that words could lead to value, and value could lead to income. From there, my goal wasn’t to make six figures overnight. My goal was simply to earn my first $100, and that mindset kept me focused and motivated.
2. Choosing the Right Niche That Pays
Not all blogs are created equal. If you’re blogging about your cat’s daily adventures, it might bring joy but probably not revenue. Picking the right niche is essential if you want to monetize. The key is finding the intersection between what you love writing about, what people are actively searching for, and what advertisers or affiliate programs will pay for.
For example, a former student of mine loved baking, but instead of writing random recipes, she narrowed her blog down to gluten-free baking for busy parents. That specificity gave her an audience willing to spend money on cookbooks, courses, and kitchen tools. Within four months, she made her first $127 through Amazon affiliate links. She didn’t need millions of visitors—just a few hundred of the right readers.
3. Setting Up a Blog Without Overcomplicating It
Many beginners waste months agonizing over design, logos, or whether to use WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. My advice? Keep it simple. Use WordPress with a reliable hosting service, pick a clean theme, and focus on writing. Readers don’t care if your header has the perfect shade of blue; they care if your content solves their problems.
When I launched my first serious blog, I spent two weeks tinkering with design instead of writing. In hindsight, I should have written five solid posts and hit publish.
The lesson here: Progress beats perfection. You can tweak your site later; your priority is creating content that attracts visitors.
4. Creating Content That Attracts the Right Readers
Content is the engine that powers your blog. But here’s the secret: not all content works the same. If you want to learn how to earn your first $100 blogging online, you need content that doesn’t just entertain but also educates and nudges readers toward a solution—ideally one tied to a product or service you can monetize.
Think of blog posts as bridges. On one side, your reader has a problem (“How do I start running without getting injured?”). On the other side, you offer the solution (“Here’s a beginner-friendly training plan, plus the shoes I recommend that have helped me avoid injuries.”). That bridge builds trust and creates an opportunity for monetization.
5. Building Your First Audience
Traffic is the lifeblood of a blog. Without it, even the best content sits unnoticed. In the early days, forget about going viral. Focus on reaching the right people consistently. I tell beginners to start with three channels: search engine optimization (SEO), Pinterest, and building an email list.
SEO takes time, but writing helpful, keyword-focused posts pays dividends. Pinterest, surprisingly, is a goldmine for bloggers in niches like food, DIY, lifestyle, and personal finance—it drives visual traffic quickly. And email? That’s your most reliable long-term asset. My first 100 subscribers came from a simple PDF checklist I gave away, and many of those readers became my earliest buyers.
6. Monetization Pathways: How the First $100 Really Happens
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. That magical first $100 can come from several places, but most new bloggers see it through one of three paths: affiliate marketing, ads, or selling a simple product or service.
Affiliate marketing is the most common. You recommend products you already use and love, sign up for affiliate programs (Amazon Associates, ShareASale, or specific brand programs), and earn a commission for each sale. A travel blogger I coached earned her first $100 by writing a detailed guide on “best travel backpacks for Europe” with affiliate links.
Ads can also bring in money once you have some traffic. I made my first $30 check from Google AdSense after hitting about 10,000 monthly views. It wasn’t life-changing, but it combined with affiliate sales to push me over the $100 mark.
The fastest method, though, is often offering a service. One reader of mine started a blog about social media marketing, and within weeks, a small business owner hired her for $150 after reading one of her posts. Sometimes your first $100 doesn’t come from the blog itself but from the opportunities the blog creates.
7. Case Studies: Real Stories of First Blogging Earnings
Let me share three stories that show how different bloggers reached their first milestone.
Sarah, a new mom, started a blog about budgeting for families. Her first $100 came from promoting a budgeting app through an affiliate program. She wrote a heartfelt post about how she saved $200 a month and included her referral link.
Jason, a fitness enthusiast, earned his first $100 by selling a simple PDF workout plan for $10 each. He promoted it in his blog posts and to his small email list. After ten sales, he had his first blogging income.
Nina, a travel lover, monetized through ads. Her photo-rich posts on hidden gems in Europe started ranking on Google, and once she crossed the traffic threshold, ad revenue trickled in. In her case, it took six months, but the first $100 felt like winning the lottery.
Each of them had different niches and methods, but the common thread was persistence and focusing on serving their audience.
8. Pros and Cons of Making Money Blogging
Like any pursuit, blogging has its highs and lows. On the plus side, blogging offers flexibility, creativity, and scalability. You can work from anywhere, write about what you love, and turn it into a business that grows while you sleep. Few things feel better than waking up to see you earned money overnight.
But it’s not all glamorous. Blogging takes time and consistency, and progress often feels slow in the beginning. You might write ten posts before seeing any traffic. There are also technical challenges—learning SEO, managing plugins, dealing with website hiccups—that can feel overwhelming. And unlike a traditional job, there’s no guaranteed paycheck.
The key is understanding that these challenges are part of the process. If you’re prepared for the long game, the rewards far outweigh the hurdles.
9. Scaling Beyond the First $100
Once you hit that first $100, the next step is to repeat what worked and scale it. If affiliate marketing brought you results, create more posts targeting related products. If ads paid off, work on growing your traffic. If a service got you started, consider packaging it into a course or digital product.
For me, the leap from $100 to $1,000 came when I created a beginner-friendly course related to my blog niche. I already knew readers trusted my advice, and offering a structured learning experience gave them even more value. The income scaled naturally because I had already laid the foundation.
10. Final Thoughts: Keeping the Momentum Going
At the end of the day, learning how to earn your first $100 blogging online isn’t about tricks or shortcuts. It’s about mindset, consistency, and finding the sweet spot between what you love writing about and what readers are willing to spend money on.
Remember, that first $100 isn’t the finish line—it’s the proof that you’re on the right track. Once you’ve earned it, you’ll never look at your blog the same way again. You’ll see the possibilities of turning your words into income, your passion into purpose, and your blog into a business.
So start today. Publish that first post. Share that link. Test that affiliate program. Your first $100 is waiting, and with persistence, it’s just the beginning of something much bigger.
