This 33-year-old mom makes $760,000 a year in passive income — and lives on a sailboat: ‘I work just 10 hours a week’

Making sense started out as a hobby, but about six months into writing, my friend hooked me up to a company that wanted me to write a sponsored post for them. They paid $100 to reach my 50,000 monthly site visitors.

After that, I started studying other bloggers who made money from their blogs. I posted on my website more often and installed display ads. I also continued writing sponsored posts by reaching out to brands I saw other bloggers working with.

In just two years, I was making about $5,000 to $10,000 a month – which is more than I was making from my day job – through sponsored posts and display ads. Once I fully paid off my student loans in 2013, I decided to quit my full-time job and blog.

For the first few years, I focused on the blogging element of my business and published new posts almost every day. I also posted guest articles on my friends’ blogs.

Making a passive income from a blog does not mean that you never have to work. You will always have to manage the accounting side of your business, maintain your website, and create new content. But you can do a lot of work in advance and make money for years with little maintenance.

I have three main passive income drivers: affiliate marketing, course sales and display advertising.

Affiliate marketing commissions make up about 50% of my revenue. I get paid when I direct traffic or sales to partner brands via links on my blog – including posts that were created months or years ago and are still in use on Google, my social media channels and my blog can be searched through.

Here are my top tips for creating content that can help you earn passive income:

1. Write as you speak.

On Making Sense, I discuss financial topics using language that is easy to read and understand. People walk away feeling that they have learned something rather than feeling protected or confused. This makes them more likely to return or share my blog with their friends.

Make sure your social media language is engaging and engaging as well. A great way to write as if you’re casually chatting with a friend over coffee.

2. Diversify your income streams.

Affiliate marketing, display advertising and digital product sales are some of your best bets for making passive income.

Diversifying your income streams allows you to not rely on just one way of earning money or any one of your traffic sources. Instead, you will have balanced income streams to reduce risk.

3. Post consistently.

While your old blogs can earn you income for years, it is still a good idea to write new content. This helps you attract new readers or followers (who don’t want to see the same content over and over again) while retaining your loyal following.

4. Be as helpful as possible.

The goal is to make readers want to come back to your blog. You want them to trust you enough to buy the course or affiliate product you recommend.

Ask readers what else they want to read or have questions. Do your own research on what’s trending for new ideas. Include actionable tips they can use right away. And finally, only promote and sell products that you personally believe in.