How Bloggers and Creators Actually Make Money Online

How to Plan Blog Posts Without Overcomplicating Your Content Calendar

Should you plan your blog posts for the whole year… or just go with the vibes? In this episode of The Branding Fix, we’re talking about how to plan blog content in a way that gives you direction without locking you into a calendar you’ll abandon two weeks later. We break down why your blog content should start with your brand strategy, not random ideas, trends, or panic posting. That means knowing your content buckets, your audience, what you’re helping people with, and how your blog fits into the bigger business you’re building. We also talk about why quarterly planning can be helpful for the big-picture direction, but monthly planning is usually more realistic when you’re actually creating, updating, and promoting content. Because yes, you need a plan. But no, it does not need to be so rigid that it falls apart the second your audience responds differently than expected. IN THIS EPISODE * Why yearly blog planning can feel overwhelming * How to use quarterly themes without planning every detail * Why monthly blog planning works better for flexibility * How brand pillars and content buckets make planning easier * Why your blog should come before social media * How to audit what worked before planning the next month * Why a content plan should guide you, not trap you 👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE: https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90 [https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90] 💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX: We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand. 🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST. 🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com [https://www.thebrandingfix.com] FREEBIES TO GET STARTED: - Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards] - Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h] Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1]

How Bloggers and Creators Actually Make Money Online

Making money online sounds simple until you’re actually trying to do it with a small audience. In this episode of The Branding Fix, we’re breaking down the real monetization order for bloggers and creators — especially if you’re under 1,000 followers, under 10,000 page views, or still figuring out how your content is supposed to turn into income. Because the problem isn’t usually that monetization is impossible. It’s that most advice is made for people who already have the traffic, audience, trust, and data. We talk about why attention has to come before selling, why “passive income” is not actually passive, and why jumping straight into products, memberships, or brand deals too early can make everything harder. Then we walk through the monetization blueprint we’d follow from scratch: platform monetization, affiliate marketing, brand partnerships, audience subscriptions, and finally products or services. The episode also covers why your monetization plan should shape your content strategy from the beginning, even if you’re not ready to sell yet. Watch the video: https://youtube.com/live/kWtGso9xZiQ [https://youtube.com/live/kWtGso9xZiQ] IN THIS EPISODE * Why small creators need different monetization advice * Why attention comes before income * The truth about passive income * The right order to monetize your content * When to use ads, affiliates, brand deals, memberships, and products * Why your audience will usually tell you what to sell * How life stage affects your monetization strategy TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Monetization For Small Creators 01:44 Why Beginners Get Stuck 03:34 Attention Before Money 06:12 Passive Income Reality Check 09:05 Burnout And Community 12:32 Is Blogging Still Working 15:39 Blueprint Starts Here 23:06 Monetize In The Right Order 25:13 Step One Platform Ads 30:44 Step Two Affiliate Marketing 32:11 Making Affiliates Actually Convert 35:35 Step Three Brand Partnerships 35:55 Proof Before Brand Deals 37:50 What Brands Want 40:24 Subscriptions That Sell 44:19 When To Sell Offers 49:38 Recap The Monetization Order 54:46 Grocers List DM Automation 57:21 Monetize By Life Stage 01:14:28 Stability Mindset And Wrap 👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE: https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90 [https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90] 💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX: We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand. 🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST. 🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com [https://www.thebrandingfix.com] FREEBIES TO GET STARTED: - Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards] - Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h] Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1]

How to Drive Traffic from Instagram to Your Blog with Grocers List

How do you actually get people from Instagram over to your blog? In this episode of The Branding Fix, we’re talking about the Instagram strategy we’ve been testing to drive more traffic, clicks, and engagement using Grocers List, a DM automation tool that sends links automatically when someone comments with a trigger word. We break down how bloggers can use carousels, reels, captions, stories, and comment-to-DM prompts to get people off Instagram and onto your site or email list. We also talk about why captions matter more than ever, why hashtags are not the main discovery tool anymore, and how Instagram’s interest-based algorithm can help your content reach new people when you package it clearly. If you’ve been posting on Instagram but wondering how to turn that attention into actual blog traffic, this episode is for you. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/bE4Wfj9s1gI [https://youtu.be/bE4Wfj9s1gI] IN THIS EPISODE * How Grocers List works for bloggers * Why comment-to-DM links can increase clicks * How to use carousels and reels to drive traffic * Why strong captions help Instagram understand your content * How stories can send warm followers back to your blog * The difference between ManyChat and Grocers List * Why Instagram is moving from social media to interest media 👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE: https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90 [https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90] 💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX: We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand. 🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST. 🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com [https://www.thebrandingfix.com] FREEBIES TO GET STARTED: - Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards] - Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h] Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1]

Evergreen Content Strategy: Get More Life Out of Your Blog Posts, Videos, and Podcasts

Do you really need to create brand-new content for every holiday, season, and trend? Not always. In this episode of The Branding Fix, we’re talking about the shift we’re making in our own content system: creating more evergreen content, then promoting it through seasonal angles. Because one blog post, podcast episode, YouTube video, or newsletter can have way more than one life. A piece of content you shared once can be repackaged for Mother’s Day, summer, back to school, fall, the holidays, or whatever moment makes sense for your audience. We’re breaking down the difference between create mode and promote mode, why your old content is probably not as “old” as you think, and how to use your existing content library instead of constantly starting over. Plus, we’re sharing real examples from our coworking community and how different niches can use this same system. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/_wta2c2af7Y [https://youtu.be/_wta2c2af7Y] IN THIS EPISODE * Why evergreen content should do more of the heavy lifting * How to promote the same piece of content in different seasons * Why your audience probably did not see or remember it the first time * How to turn your content archive into a promotion system * Examples for bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and social media creators TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Seasonal Content Overwhelm 00:25 Evergreen Seasonal Promo System 03:03 Creation vs Promotion Modes 04:33 People Forget Your Posts 06:20 Community Examples That Work 09:50 Package The Promo Angle 11:53 Simple Tagging Spreadsheet 15:19 Audience Seasons And Vibes 19:14 Execution And Lead Times 21:30 Refresh Reuse And Wrap Up 👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE: https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90 [https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90] 💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX: We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand. 🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST. 🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com [https://www.thebrandingfix.com] FREEBIES TO GET STARTED: - Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards] - Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h] Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1]

Should Bloggers Use AI? Here’s Where It Actually Helps

In this episode of The Branding Fix, we’re answering a listener question about how we use AI for our blogs — and where we think bloggers should be careful. We talk about why we do not recommend using AI to fully write blog posts, especially if your goal is long-term growth, search visibility, and standing out in a flood of generic AI content. Instead, we break down the smarter ways bloggers can use AI: analyzing data, reviewing analytics, repurposing original content, pulling clips from videos, and turning your own words into social media ideas. The key is to start with your real experience, your original thoughts, your photos, your stories, and your point of view. AI can help you process and package what already came from you, but it should not replace the human part of your content. In this episode, we cover: * Why AI should not fully write your blog posts * How AI can help with analytics and content planning * Why original experience matters more than ever * How to use AI to repurpose your own content * Why AI-generated content can feel generic * How bloggers can use AI without losing their voice * Why your lived experience is the thing AI cannot replace Listen in and ask yourself: are you using AI to support your content, or are you letting it become the content? 👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE: https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90 [https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90] 💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX: We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand. 🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST. 🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com [https://www.thebrandingfix.com] FREEBIES TO GET STARTED: - Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards] - Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h [https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h] Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1]