How to Make Money with a Low-Traffic Blog (7 Real Ways I Earn Consistently)

Blogging is not going anywhere in 2026, and neither is the income of small blog owners.

Today we’re going to talk honestly and realistically about how I monetize this very tiny blog — and how you can apply the same methods to your blog to build multiple income streams, even without thousands of daily page views.

Let’s get into the good stuff. 💸🔥

Don’t miss the full series:
→ How to Make Money Blogging in 2026 — Without Luck, Virality, or Selling Your Soul

1. Sponsored Content (Even With My Tiny Traffic)

Let me be very honest:
I do zero social media for blogging (I have art/fandom accounts — but that’s for hobby!).
No TikTok.
No Instagram.
Just Pinterest (my beloved chaos platform).

So how do brands find me? Simple: I create high-quality content.

I write in-depth topic clusters that show I actually know what I’m talking about.
My posts come from real experience — side hustles, online income, print-on-demand, selling art (I love drawing and painting!), selling digital products, and years of trying every (well, almost) monetization idea under the sun.

And brands see that. Sometimes, even big brands like Adobe Express see that. They want someone who has actually lived the things they’re promoting. So companies in these niches approach me for sponsored content.

No pitching. No chasing. Just writing well and being easy to contact.

My process is simple:

• They find my Work With Me page
• They email me
• I reply with pricing, turnaround time, and expectations

That’s it.
I currently make $50–$250 per sponsored post, depending on the deliverables.

This is proof that small bloggers can absolutely get brand deals — if you’re building topical authority and making it easy for brands to trust your expertise.

2. Affiliate Marketing (My Most Consistent Monetization Method)

Affiliate marketing is easily my most consistent income stream — even with low traffic.

Why?

Because I write:

• product reviews
• step-by-step tutorials
• comparisons
• “what I use” lists
• guides based on actual tools I use daily

People love actionable content backed by personal experience. And Pinterest + Bing + Google + AI tools drive the right kind of traffic — people actively searching for solutions.

I don’t chase every program, either. I only promote:

• softwares I use
• resources that helped me
• tools my readers benefit from

And that authenticity increases conversions without feeling salesy.

3. Email Marketing (Small List, Big Money)

Every week, new subscribers join my list… and they actually open my emails. (Shocking, I know.)

Most of them sign up because:

• one of my Pinterest pins goes viral
• they download my free courses, planners, or PDFs
• they follow my Kit creator profile, where I share honest posts about writing life… and Halloween parties 😅

My email list allows me to:

• recommend affiliates
• promote my ebooks
• rent out space to sponsors
• build trust and relationships

I use Kit because it’s simple, creator-friendly, and lets my personality shine. The subscribers who stick around genuinely feel like friends — which is why email converts better than any other channel.

4. Writing for Brands (My Words = Their Marketing)

Before going full-time as a blogger, I worked as a French–English translator and freelance writer/ghostwriter.
Meaning: words are my natural habitat.

So sometimes brands hire me to write for their websites — not mine.
Product launches, content marketing, brand awareness articles… all that fun stuff.

And I charge:

• one fee to write the article
• an additional fee if they want it published on my blog for extra visibility

This is one of those “I didn’t plan for this but I’m glad it happens” income streams. It fits my skill set perfectly and gives me more professional credibility. Recently, I worked with PeaPrint, and as a print-on-demand enthusiast, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

5. Selling E-Books

I love writing — so e-books are the most “me” thing I can sell.

I’ve been publishing my ebooks on Gumroad, using my best-performing blog posts to promote them. It’s been a great system, but for 2026, I’m moving everything to WooCommerce so I can fully own my content and keep everything in-house.

Before relaunching, I’m updating all my ebooks because SEO has changed significantly in 2024–2025, and I want everything to be fresh, helpful, and genuinely valuable.

Here’s the secret about selling ebooks: First-hand experience sells better than generic advice.
My readers buy because I’m not recycling theories — I’m explaining what actually worked for me, what failed miserably, and what I’d do differently.

That authenticity is priceless.

6. SEO Consulting (One of My Highest Income Streams)

This is where I always say: Teach what YOU know.

If you’re a beginner who has failed enough to learn the hacks, teach that.
If you’ve been doing something for years, teach that.
If you’ve overcome a problem, teach how you solved it.

I’ve been building websites since 2016. So when my traffic plummeted, I wasn’t scared — because I knew I could fix it. And that’s why I offer SEO consulting.

It’s one of my top earners because:

• I can audit a site and pinpoint what’s blocking growth
• I can create a full strategy based on someone’s budget and time availability
• I explain SEO in a very accessible “human” way

And here’s the lesson:

→ Even a small blog can attract clients if you demonstrate expertise.
People don’t care about your traffic. They care about your results, clarity, and ability to help them. So:

• Show what you know
• Explain your process
• Write with authority
• The clients will come

7. Writing for Other Sites (Mostly for E-E-A-T… But Also Paid)

I explained in another post why I no longer freelance full-time. BUT — I absolutely accept some writing projects.

Because writing for big sites:

• strengthens my E-E-A-T
• builds credibility
• brings backlinks
• increases brand visibility
• boosts my blog’s rankings
• AND is fun when the topic matches my vibe

And yes… I still get paid — usually $70–$300 per article, depending on the client.

Sometimes the exposure is worth more than the money — but the money is still nice ngl.

BONUS: Running Ads (Coming to My Blog in Early 2026)

My traffic is growing quickly and steadily — because I’m following an actual strategy, not crossing my fingers and hoping for a miracle:

• I analyze data
• I experiment
• I update old content
• I produce content clusters
• I watch where traffic comes from and why

And because of this reliable growth, I’ll be able to apply to:

• Journey around January–February 2026
• Mediavine, some time after (according to their application guidelines)

I didn’t rush into ads because tiny traffic + ads = pennies. However, now the timing is right, and this will become another strong stream.

How Google’s New Guidelines Helped Me Grow (And Why Bloggers Must Monetize Aggressively)

If you’ve been blogging for a few years, you probably felt the whiplash of Google’s guidelines changing between 2022 and 2024. Back then, my writing was very didactic, very “teacher mode,” very structured. That worked at the time.

But Google 2025–2026?
They want personal voice, experience, stories, real-life insights, and humanity (what else could fight mass AI domination?).

So I updated my old posts — and oh my goodness! I’m so happy I did. I cut the fluff. I added fresh information. I wrote in the way I naturally talk instead of forcing a corporate tutorial energy. And guess what?

My content suddenly aligned (perfectly) with Google’s current version of E-E-A-T.

And better content = better trust = better monetization.

This shift also strengthened my connection with readers and brands. A “real” voice attracts people who want to work with me, sponsor me, or buy from me — because I sound like me, not like a textbook.

But here’s the part most bloggers are scared to hear:

→ If you want to make money with a small blog, you need an aggressive monetization strategy.
→ Diversify your income streams early.
→ Try everything before deciding what works.

You don’t need millions of views. You need:

• strong content
• multiple ways for people to pay you
• and confidence to experiment

Final Thoughts: Small Blogs Can Make Big Money in 2026

You don’t need millions of views to make blogging profitable. You just need:

• personality
• experience/knowledge in whatever you do/write about
• $2.99/mo to pay for WordPress hosting with DreamHost
• consistency
• diverse income streams
• and the courage to put yourself out there

This blog is still small — but it’s mighty, and it’s growing fast.

Be Productive Every Day is the baby of my three blogs (the spoiled younger child energy is strong — it absolutely wants to be the center of attention!).
But it’s also the one I’ve decided to turn into my main income source by the end of 2026 — because this niche pays better than my others and I actually enjoy writing in it.
Win-win.

And if I can grow from thirty monthly views (💀) to five thousand in just a few months, and still monetize it, you can absolutely build something profitable too.

Choose one monetization method.
Start small.
Experiment.
Grow intentionally.

And hey — if you ever want help, my inbox is open. 😄

→ Let’s talk traffic next: 
Old SEO Is Dead. New SEO Is Way Less Robotic.
Here’s everything you need to know!