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The basis of any successful website relies on a few essential factors. It has to be well designed so that it is both intuitive to use and attractive to the average user.
Nothing turns off experienced web-users as much as a website that looks like it’s still stuck in the late nineties or one where it’s impossible to find even the most fundamental information.
It’s also crucial that the website is filled with content that is relatively unique, easy to navigate, displays plenty of knowledge on the subject, and is informative or entertaining.
Such basics require passion and organization, both vital to site longevity. To keep your website alive and kicking, though, along with your own passion for keeping it going, monetizing the site can be a huge incentive to carry on with it in the years ahead.
The feeling of earning money from something you enjoy is a great sensation. And it’s a feeling any blogger can achieve with a bit of planning and, of course, through affiliate links.
Different websites attract different audiences, and two of the most popular and lucrative types of website are those dedicated to travel and technology.
Film blogging, on the other hand, doesn’t have quite the widespread appeal of travel or tech. It’s fairly niche, even when it deals with the most popular forms of entertainment like superhero movies or hit TV shows.
On one hand, this makes it easier for a blogger to make an impact quickly. That’s because there are so many aspects of film to talk about, and coming at it with a new and unique voice is always appreciated by film fans.
Film also has a kind of widespread appeal that things like finance, tech, or travel don’t. This is due to the simple fact that going to the cinema, let alone catching a film on free TV, is considerably cheaper than buying the latest ultra HD TV or traveling across the United States or Europe.
With a bit of inventiveness and some basic skills, a film blogger can tap into the widespread populism of film and learn how to make money with a movie blog.
Following are three tips to help get you started.
#1 Stick to the niche
The most critical aspect in learning how to make money with a movie blog (or any blog, for that matter) is to stick with the niche.
Most of your visitors will come to your site to read about the latest in movie news, and if your affiliate links are for kitchen utensils, the chance that you’ll get clicks is pretty low.
Treating your visitors as customers and understanding your target market are necessary if you’re going to make the most of your affiliate links.
Sticking to the niche means including a link to the DVD of a film you’ve just gloriously reviewed. You take advantage of the opportunity to entice the reader to invest in a product having just convinced them through the film review.
However, don’t be too limited in your thinking. Just because your site is about film doesn’t mean that you have to limit yourself too strictly. For example, linking to related graphic novels when reviewing a superhero film works in a way that advertising cosmetics for the same article would not.
Similarly, musicals can be easily connected to music products of all sorts, and just about any genre goes well with links to audio-visual technology.
We’re living in the age of the geek, and a movie blog falls squarely within that niche — a niche that also includes comic books, role-playing games, video gaming, music, toy collecting, and premium TV.
So, yes, understand that you can’t advertise dog toys and air fryers on your film blog. Indeed, the wrong kind of advertisements can send your potential audience running in the opposite direction.
But in an industry as massive as the movies, it’s easy to find a boatload of common interests to advertise on the site that go well beyond just the films themselves.
#2 Link-up with online retailers
When it comes to affiliate marketing, there’s a relatively lesser number of specialized organizations that offer affiliate options to film bloggers. Movies, like fashion, are temporary, and once released they soon fade out of mind.
However, joining the various affiliate programs of big online retail shops like Amazon is a great way to make some money with your movie blog.
Since they have a wide selection of products, especially with regard to entertainment, links can easily lead to DVDs, music, memorabilia, and other Amazon products that might interest a film fan.
Also, consider signing up for movie ticket affiliate programs. These links will be highly relevant to the content you’re producing, and could generate a nice return on your time investment.
#3 Make connections
The film blogging community works in a slightly different way than does the travel blogging industry. The latter has a lot of people dipping their feet in the pool, from influencers and product sellers to tourism boards and individual resorts and vacation spots.
With film blogging there’s a limit to the products you can sell, and most of the contact is done through PR officials from production houses. Meaning the right connections can go a long way.
With film-related products, there’s high demand for tees, mugs, bands, and the likes, but only a few of these independent sellers have affiliate programs that can be beneficial to the movie blogger.
Similarly, if you have a successful film blog, PR reps are more likely to want their movies listed and talked about on your site. They may send free films, premiere tickets, and often monetary incentives for you to review films or release press notes.
Conclusion
Given you’ve got the commitment to stay the course, you can learn to make money with a movie blog. Just keep these three tips in mind:
- Stick to the niche
- Link up with online retailers
- Make connections
Do you have questions about how to make money with a movie blog? Let us know in the comments!
Can I use movie images in my movie review blog and still apply for google adsense?
Hi Rebolution. From what I’ve read, Google typically rejects movie blogs altogether. You’d be much better off looking into Amazon or even movie ticket affiliate programs such as Fandango and AMC Networks. Take care!
Syble
I have a movie blog with movie images and had no trouble getting into Google Adsense. I would still give it a shot.