13 Blog Post Ideas That Actually Make Money
So you want to make money blogging. Great news: you picked the right time to start.
The even better news? You do not need to be a writing genius. You do not need thousands of followers. You do not even need a fancy niche. What you need is the right type of blog post, a place to publish it, and a little bit of consistency.
This post is going to walk you through the blog post ideas that work, why they work, and exactly how you can start writing them today. No fluff. No complicated jargon. Just real, beginner-friendly ideas that bloggers use to make real money every single day.
Let’s get into it.
Why Some Blog Posts Make Money and Others Just Sit There
Before we get to the list, let’s talk about what makes a blog post actually earn.
Not all blog posts are created equal. Some posts are written just to share thoughts, like a diary entry on the internet. Those are fun, but they rarely make money. The blog posts that make money usually do one or more of the following things:
- They solve a specific problem someone is searching for
- They recommend products or tools (and earn a commission)
- They teach something people want to learn
- They rank on Google or show up on Pinterest and keep bringing in readers for months or years
When you combine a good idea with the right format, blogging stops feeling like a hobby and starts feeling like a business. That is exactly what we are going for here.
Now, let us talk about the ideas.
1. “How To” Posts
If you only write one type of blog post forever, make it this one.
How to posts are the most searched type of content on the internet. Every single day, millions of people type “how to” into Google, Pinterest, and YouTube. They want step-by-step help. They want someone to walk them through something they do not know how to do yet.
The beauty of a how to post is that it works in literally any niche. How to meal prep on a budget. How to start a skincare routine. How to set up a home office. How to teach your dog to sit. How to write a resume with no experience.
Every single one of those is a how to post, and every single one of them can make money through ads or affiliate links.
How to write one: Pick something you know how to do, even if it feels basic to you. Break it down into numbered steps. Write like you are texting a friend who asked you for help. Done. That is a how to post.
How it makes money: You can add affiliate links inside the steps. (“I use this mixing bowl, link below.”) Once your blog gets traffic, you can also add display ads that pay you just for people reading the post.
2. Product Review Posts
People want to know if something is worth buying before they pull out their credit card. That is where you come in.
A product review post is exactly what it sounds like. You write an honest, detailed review of a product or tool. You join the brand’s affiliate program, and when someone clicks your link and buys, you earn a commission.
This is one of the most reliable ways bloggers make money. Some bloggers earn thousands of dollars a month just from review posts sitting on their site, bringing in traffic on autopilot.
You do not have to own the product to review it, either. You can compile reviews from other sources and write a summary post. Or you can review tools you already use in your daily life.
How to write one: Talk about who the product is for, what it does, what you like about it, what could be better, and who you would recommend it to. Be honest. Readers can smell a fake review from a mile away.
How it makes money: Affiliate commissions. Amazon Associates is the most beginner-friendly program to start with, but most brands have their own affiliate programs too.
3. “Best Of” List Posts (Listicles)
“The 10 Best Budgeting Apps for Beginners.” “7 Best Yoga Mats Under $50.” “5 Best Notebooks for Students.”
These are called listicles, and they are everywhere for a reason. They get clicked. They get shared. And they make money.
List posts work because they promise the reader a collection of options in one place. Nobody wants to spend three hours researching something when a blogger has already done the work. When you write a good list post, you become that helpful person who saved someone a ton of time.
How to write one: Pick a category of products or tools in your niche. Find 5 to 10 options. Write a short description of each one, including what makes it good and who it is best for. Add your affiliate links.
How it makes money: Every item on your list can have an affiliate link. If you have 8 products on a list and someone buys 3 of them, you just earned 3 commissions from one post.
4. Comparison Posts (“X vs Y”)
“Canva vs Adobe Express: Which One Is Better for Beginners?” “Hostinger vs Bluehost: Which Hosting Is Right for You?”
Comparison posts target people who are already ready to spend money. They are not just browsing. They have narrowed it down to two options and they need help deciding. That is a very valuable reader.
These posts also tend to rank well on Google because the search terms are very specific and not as competitive as broad topics.
How to write one: Pick two products or tools in your niche. Compare them side by side across a few key categories like price, ease of use, features, and who each one is best for. Give a clear recommendation at the end.
How it makes money: Both products in the comparison can have affiliate links. Either way the reader decides, you earn.
5. Personal Income Reports
“How I Made $1,200 in My Third Month of Blogging” or “My First $500 Online: Here’s Exactly What I Did.”
Income reports are wildly popular. People love reading about real numbers from real people. It builds trust, it inspires readers, and it naturally leads to recommending the tools and resources you used, all with affiliate links attached.
You do not need to be making thousands of dollars to write one. Even a “$47 first month” income report is interesting to someone who has made zero. Everyone starts at zero.
How to write one: Share your numbers honestly. Break down where the money came from. Talk about what worked, what flopped, and what you would do differently. Recommend the tools you actually used.
6. “Mistakes to Avoid” Posts
“7 Beginner Blogging Mistakes That Are Killing Your Traffic” or “5 Budgeting Mistakes That Keep You Broke.”
These posts are magnetic. Nobody wants to make avoidable mistakes. When someone sees a headline like this, they click because they want to make sure they are not already making those mistakes.
These posts also make you look like an authority, even if you are relatively new. Why? Because you are sharing hard-won knowledge. Whether you made the mistakes yourself or learned from others, you are giving people genuinely useful information.
How to write one: List the most common mistakes people make in your niche. Explain why each one is a problem and what to do instead. Keep it honest and specific.
How it makes money: The “what to do instead” section is a natural place to recommend tools and products with affiliate links.
7. Resource or Tools Roundup Posts
“The 12 Tools I Use to Run My Blog” or “My Favorite Free Resources for New Bloggers.”
These posts are simple, honest, and effective. You are just sharing a list of the resources you actually use or recommend. Readers love these because they feel like insider information.
These also happen to be some of the easiest posts to write because you are not teaching anything complex. You are just sharing your toolkit.
How to write one: Make a list of the tools, apps, websites, or resources that you use or recommend in your niche. Write a short paragraph about each one explaining what it does and why you like it.
How it makes money: Every single item on your list can have an affiliate link. This is one of the highest-converting post formats because the reader is specifically looking for tools to use.
8. Case Study Posts
“How One Blogger Used Pinterest to Get 50,000 Monthly Visitors in 6 Months.” “How I Grew My Email List from 0 to 1,000 in 90 Days.”
Case studies tell a story with data. They are compelling, specific, and trustworthy. Readers are not just learning a concept, they are seeing proof that something works.
You can write case studies about your own experience or interview someone else and write about theirs. Either way, people find these posts incredibly valuable.
How to write one: Pick a result or transformation. Tell the story of how it happened. Include specific numbers and details. Share the strategies that worked. Wrap up with a recommendation for how the reader can do the same.
How it makes money: The recommendations and tools at the end of a case study are perfect for affiliate links. People who just read a success story are primed to take action.
9. FAQ Posts
“Frequently Asked Questions About Starting a Blog.” “Everything Beginners Want to Know About Keto.”
FAQ posts are great for SEO because they match exactly how people type questions into Google. They are also easy to write and genuinely helpful.
These work especially well as companion posts to bigger guides. After someone reads your beginner’s guide, they might have follow-up questions. An FAQ post answers those and keeps them on your site longer.
How to write one: Think about the questions you see repeatedly in your niche. On forums, in Facebook groups, in the comments on YouTube videos. Write those questions out and answer each one clearly.
How it makes money: Sprinkle affiliate links naturally throughout the answers wherever a product or tool is relevant.
10. “Day in the Life” Posts
“A Day in the Life of a Work from Home Blogger” or “What I Eat in a Day as a Vegan on a Budget.”
These feel personal and casual, but they are secretly very monetizable. You are walking someone through your real routine, and your real routine involves products, tools, and services that all have affiliate programs.
These posts also do very well on Pinterest because they feel relatable and aspirational.
How to write one: Pick a typical day (or a specific kind of day) and walk through it from morning to night. Be specific. Include the things you use, eat, do, and buy.
How it makes money: Every product you mention in your routine is a potential affiliate link. Readers feel like they are getting a peek into your life, and they want to try the things that are working for you.
11. “What I Wish I Knew” Posts
“What I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blog” or “10 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Investing.”
These posts are deeply relatable. Everyone has had the experience of learning something the hard way and thinking “why did nobody tell me this?” When you write these posts, you become the person who actually tells them.
These also convert really well because they feel like honest, experienced advice rather than a sales pitch.
How to write one: Think back to when you were a beginner in your niche. What did you not know that you know now? What mistakes did you make? What would have saved you time, money, or frustration?
How it makes money: The lessons you share naturally lead to recommending better ways of doing things. Those better ways often involve tools and products with affiliate links.
12. Seasonal and Trending Content
“10 Side Hustles to Start Before the New Year.” “How to Save Money During the Holiday Season.” “Spring Cleaning Tips That Will Actually Make You Money.”
Seasonal content gets a traffic boost at the same time every year. You write it once, and it comes back to life on its own twelve months later.
Trending content works the same way. When something big is happening in your niche, writing about it quickly can send a wave of traffic your way.
How to write one: Look at what times of year are relevant to your niche. Create posts that connect your topic to seasons, holidays, or events. Schedule them to publish a few weeks before the relevant time.
How it makes money: Seasonal posts often have high buying intent. People are already in spending mode around the holidays or new year, which means your affiliate links are more likely to get clicked.
13. Opinion and Perspective Posts
“Why I Stopped Following Traditional Budgeting Advice (And What I Do Instead)” or “I Tried Every Popular Meal Prep Method. Here’s My Honest Take.”
These posts feel fresh because they have a unique angle. They are not just information, they are a point of view. That makes them more interesting to read and more shareable.
Opinion posts also do really well on Medium, which we will talk about in just a moment.
How to write one: Pick a common belief or popular method in your niche. Share your honest take on it. You do not have to be controversial, just genuine. Readers can feel the difference between someone who actually believes what they are writing and someone just filling space.
How it makes money: These posts build a personal brand, which leads to loyal readers who trust your recommendations. Trust is the foundation of affiliate income.
Okay, Now You Have the Ideas. Here’s Where to Actually Publish Them.
Having great blog post ideas is only half the equation. The other half is knowing where to publish them so people actually see them and you actually get paid.
Here are the three methods that work best for beginners right now.
Method 1: Start Your Own Blog on Hostinger
This is the foundation. If you are serious about blogging as a long-term income source, you need your own website. That means you own your content, you control your monetization, and you are building something that belongs to you.
Hostinger is one of the most beginner-friendly and affordable hosting platforms out there. You can get your blog up and running in an afternoon, even if you have never done anything like this before.
Why Hostinger specifically?
It is affordable. It is fast. Their setup process is incredibly simple, and they have customer support available if you get stuck. For beginners who want to get started without spending a fortune, it is genuinely one of the best options.
There is also a discount code available that makes it even more budget-friendly to get started. (Check the link below for the current deal.)
Starting a blog on Hostinger means you have a real home base for all the blog post ideas we just talked about. You can run ads, use affiliate links, build an email list, and grow your income over time.
The bottom line: If you want to blog long term and build something that compounds over time, a self-hosted blog is the move. Hostinger makes that as easy and affordable as it can possibly be.
Method 2: Drive Traffic to Your Blog Using Pinterest
Here is a secret that a lot of new bloggers do not know: you do not have to wait months for Google to find you.
Pinterest is a search engine disguised as a social media platform. And unlike Google, Pinterest can start sending you traffic from day one if you know how to use it correctly.
Millions of people use Pinterest every day to search for ideas, tutorials, recipes, money tips, home decor, and more. If your blog post answers a question that someone is typing into Pinterest, your pin can show up in their feed. They click it. They land on your blog. They read your post. They click your affiliate links. You earn.
The key is understanding Pinterest SEO, which is just the art of making sure your pins and boards are set up in a way that gets found by the right people.
If you want a step-by-step system for doing this, a Pinterest SEO Playbook is available that walks you through exactly how to set up your profile, create pins that get clicked, and drive consistent traffic to your blog. (Check the link below.)
Pinterest works incredibly well alongside a Hostinger blog. You write the posts, Pinterest brings the readers.
Method 3: Publish on Medium and Get Paid to Write
Medium is a publishing platform where writers can earn money directly from their articles through the Medium Partner Program.
Here is how it works: Medium pays writers based on how much time paying Medium members spend reading their content. The more people read your articles, the more you earn. No ads to set up. No affiliate links required. Just write and get paid.
This is a legitimate income stream. Some writers on Medium make a few hundred dollars a month. Others make several thousand. I have personally made over $21,000 through Medium.
Medium is also an incredible platform for beginners because you do not need your own website to start. You just create a free account and start publishing. The platform already has a built-in audience, so your work has a chance of getting discovered from day one.
The types of blog posts we talked about in this article work extremely well on Medium. Opinion posts, personal income reports, beginner guides, personal stories with lessons attached. Medium readers love all of it.
If you want a roadmap for how to actually build a consistent income on Medium, I have a Medium Income Playbook available that covers how to grow your following on this platform and you can grab it here.
Medium works great on its own or as a companion to your main blog. Many bloggers publish on Medium and use it to drive readers back to their website too.
The Honest Truth About Making Money Blogging
None of this is a get-rich-quick thing. You are not going to publish three posts and retire.
But here is what is true: blogging is one of the few business models where the work you do today can pay you for years. A post you write this month might bring in affiliate commissions every single month for the next three years without you touching it again.
The ideas in this post are not random. They are the types of posts that actually work. The ones that get found on Google and Pinterest. The ones that people share. The ones that lead to clicks and purchases and income.
Pick one idea. Pick one platform (Hostinger, Pinterest, or Medium). Write your first post this week.
That is it. That is the whole strategy.
You have everything you need to start. The only thing left is to actually do it.
Quick Recap: Your Action Plan
- Choose one of the 17 blog post ideas above and write your first post this week
- Set up your blog on Hostinger using the discount link below if you want your own website
- Learn how to drive traffic from Pinterest using the Pinterest SEO Playbook
- Start publishing on Medium using the Medium Income Playbook to maximize your earning potential
- Repeat. Keep writing. Watch it grow.
Blogging is simple. Not always easy, but simple. You now know exactly what types of posts to write and where to publish them.
Go write something.