Instead of blogging the traditional way using a website, is it possible to create a blog for free and make money on the Facebook platform itself?
In this article, I will explore some ways of blogging on Facebook that will allow you to make money online for free.
If you would prefer to start a blogging website, check out: How to make money blogging for beginners
Once you’re done with your blog, monetize it with The 4-Hour Agency – How to start, grow, and scale a digital agency.
Why You Should (or Should Not) Start a Blog on Facebook
Some of the reasons why you should considering blogging on Facebook instead of on your own website:
- You get better organic reach on Facebook since Facebook prefers users to stay on, instead of exit, their platform. You can even boost your posts easily to reach even more people.
- You can get started within minutes, instead of setting up and creating a website, which may take days or weeks, or even months
- You don’t have to deal with all the technicalities that come with running a website blog!
- Your posts can now get indexed by Google directly – and Facebook has a high domain authority! This means your posts are more likely to rank higher on Google than if you were to have your own website (and not know anything about SEO).
- If your target audience lives on Facebook, you should definitely consider it
- It’s easier to get viral on a Facebook post compared to a blog post. That’s just how social media works – your posts are easier to share on Facebook with higher reach!
- There is now an easy way to capture email, with the email field pre-populated with users’ Facebook email!
- Blogging on Facebook is completely FREE! You don’t even need to pay for a domain name or web hosting. You can earn money from home without any investment at all!
However, there are some downsides to starting a blog on Facebook:
- You miss out on getting traffic from other social media platforms. BUT you can work around it by repurposing the same content for other platforms as well.
- Facebook’s reach has been decreasing over the years, so you are at their mercy. However, if your posts are of high quality and potentially viral, this would be less of an issue. Moreover you could boost your posts easily on Facebook.
- You don’t own your platform. With a blog, you have more control over how you want things to be like. For example, you can have custom features like pop-ups, email capture, payment gateways, e-commerce, etc. BUT you need to be technical or hire someone to customize your blog. Some of these features are found on Facebook as well (e.g. you can now sell things on Facebook directly!). With Facebook blogging, you have less control over certain things.
Now that we get the pros and cons of blogging on Facebook out of the way, let’s see how to actually start a blog on Facebook!
3 Ways on How to Start a Blog on Facebook
Using a Personal Facebook Profile
You can certainly start blogging on Facebook by simply using your personal profile! If most of your friends are not your target audience, you may want to start a new Facebook account though. So that you can add new friends that are within your target market – whatever you post will be more relevant to them. Note there is a limit of adding 5,000 friends (though followers can be unlimited).
Using a Facebook Business Page
Another alternative is to use a Facebook business page. The main advantages of using a Facebook page over a personal profile are being able to boost your posts via Facebook advertising and having access to a wider range of page-only features like e-commerce, analytics, appointment setting functionality, etc. This option is recommended if you are doing this for the long term.
Using a Facebook Group
The third option is to use a Facebook group. The main advantage of using a Facebook group is that you build a community and can allow other people to contribute content in your group as well. If you know how to do it right and run a Facebook group that has a high level of engagement, this might be the right option for you.
Not sure what niche to go into? Check out this post on 1,000 Niche & Micro Marketing Examples and Niche Marketing Advantages and Disadvantages.
You may also use a combination of any of the above (recommended), and share posts across the different accounts, reaching different audiences who engage with your blog differently.
How to Make Money Using Just Facebook
Sell Your Own Products
If you know how to source or make your own products, you can definitely consider running an e-commerce business on Facebook. There are now e-commerce features on Facebook pages, that you can use to sell goods directly to consumers. Once you start to get sales, you may want to consider starting and opening an online store. E-commerce is one of the best industries to start a business!
Read: Best digital products to sell online 2020
Sell Your Own Services
Don’t have a product? Why not sell services and start freelancing work? This is probably the best and easiest way to make an income online for beginners. You can offer services that you can deliver online, e.g. digital marketing, consulting (see my checklist on starting a consulting business), virtual assistance, etc. There are often zero startup costs and you can easily make a full-time income with just a couple of clients. You can also find additional clients (e.g. freelance coding jobs online) via some of the best freelance websites.
Read also: How to start a digital marketing agency
Better yet, learn how to set up your own consulting agency within 30 days by enrolling in my structured program The 4-Hour Agency – How to start, grow and scale a digital agency!
Sell Other People’s Products or Services (aka Affiliate Marketing)
If you don’t have any products or services in mind, you may also consider selling other people’s products or services. This is known as affiliate marketing. When people buy stuff via your unique link, you get paid a percentage of the sales as a commission. You can also sell advertisement space – that is if you generate a big following and become an influencer on Facebook.
wow
These are helpful info
please can i have your email address
i want to know more from you?
Hi would you mind letting me know which web host you’re workingwith? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different browsers and I must say this blog loadsa lot faster then most. Can you recommend a good hosting provider ata honest price? Cheers, I appreciate it!
Hello Lorenzo! I’m using Siteground (Disclosure – that’s my affiliate link)
I’m using GoGeek plan, because I’m hosting several websites. If I have just 1 website, I would just start off with the cheapest one and upgrade when needed.
Yes, Siteground is slightly more expensive than Bluehost but you’re paying for slightly better speed and customer support.
See also: Why is Siteground so expensive?
In short, my recommendation is – if you can afford it, go for SiteGround. If not, go for Bluehost! Hope this helps!