98: The Best and Worst Ways to Monetize Your Online Business
What are your options when it comes to making money in your online business?
Heather breaks down five popular monetization methods and gets real about what works (and what doesn’t!). From the unpredictability of ad revenue and sponsorships to the limitations of one-on-one services, she shares the hard-earned lessons she’s learned on her journey.
Most importantly, she reveals the #1 monetization method that offers sustainable, scalable income while allowing you to do meaningful work you love.
You’ll also get a sneak peek at Heather’s upcoming free event, the Digital Products That Sell Summit, happening in early June.
If you’ve been dreaming of launching a course, workshop, or membership but aren’t sure where to start, this episode will give you the clarity and confidence to move forward!
Key Takeaways:
- (02:50) Why ads are often more effort than they’re worth
- (08:10) The pros and cons of brand deals
- (12:45) How affiliate marketing works; why it shouldn’t be your main strategy
- (17:45) Why 1:1 offers are great for starting out but not ideal for long-term growth
- (19:50) Heather’s top pick for sustainable income
- (24:30) Digital Products That Sell Summit
Episodes mentioned:
#28: Lessons Learned from a Failed Business
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Picking the Right Monetization Path for Your Teacher Biz Success
Are you wondering how to turn your passion and expertise into real income online? In the latest episode of the Teacher Biz Podcast, Heather breaks down the five main ways to monetize your online business—and she’s not holding back on what actually works (and what just isn’t worth your time).
Option 1: The Pitfall of Ad Revenue
When many teachers first venture online, they dream of passive income streams. Ad revenue from blogs, podcasts, or YouTube channels seems like an easy win: get visitors, place ads, and watch the money roll in.
Unfortunately, the reality is rarely so rosy.
Ad revenue depends heavily on massive traffic, relentless content creation, and algorithms beyond your control.
Even at the peak of her blog’s Mediavine days — one of the best ad networks available — Heather recalls only ever reaching $1,200 in her best month, with most months much lower, despite the enormous workload.
The biggest lesson? Don’t build your business on someone else’s land. Google algorithm updates, changes in referral traffic, and even the rise of AI search snippets have left many ad-dependent bloggers struggling.
Key Takeaway:
Ad revenue is unreliable, often low-paying, and vulnerable to outside forces.
Option 2: Why Sponsorships Fall Short
Sponsorships might look like the dream life of influencers — getting paid to showcase cool products — but this model is fraught with challenges.
While it can be fun (and sometimes flattering) to partner with brands, Heather warns that income from sponsorships is fundamentally unstable. Companies can cut their promo budgets at any time, and working as a brand mouthpiece, especially for products you don’t genuinely use, can damage your authenticity and audience trust.
Sponsorship deals may not always pay what your time is worth. Like Heather’s early $300 campaign — it seemed like a lot then, but the hours spent didn’t match the payoff.
Sponsorships are best seen as occasional, supplementary projects rather than a foundation for your online business.
Key Takeaway:
Sponsorships are easy to lose, limiting, and dependent on external business conditions.
Option 3: Affiliate Marketing — Solid, but Not a Standalone Solution
Affiliate marketing is a step up: promoting products you love and earning a commission on sales generated through your recommendation.
Heather uses this approach when talking about tools like Kit (formerly ConvertKit), Leadpages, and Thrivecart, earning a worthwhile side income by simply sharing products she believes in.
However, she’s clear: affiliate income should never be the centerpiece of your business plan. The programs you affiliate for can disappear or change direction, and you’re still at the mercy of someone else’s platform.
Use affiliate links for products that naturally fit your audience, but don’t build your future on it.
Key Takeaway:
Affiliate marketing works best as supplementary income, not your entire business model.
Option 4: One-to-One Services — Valuable, But Not Easily Scalable
Offering coaching or consulting, especially in your area of teaching expertise, can be a great way to earn good money quickly as you build your brand.
Your time is valuable, and for a high-touch service, you can charge accordingly. Heather admits that while she doesn’t do much 1:1 work these days, it can be a great “cash infusion” at the beginning and is useful for intimately understanding your audience’s pain points.
But there’s a catch: one-to-one services are limited by your time and bandwidth. They aren’t scalable or passive, making them unsustainable as a long-term plan for most online entrepreneurs.
Key Takeaway:
1:1 services are excellent for quick cash and audience insight, but not for building long-term, freedom-focused income.
Option 5: The Gold Standard — Your Own Digital Products
After dispelling the rest, Heather spotlights the most powerful, scalable, and stable way to earn online: creating and selling your own digital products.
This could be anything from printables, workbooks, workshops, mini-courses, to audio trainings. Digital products require upfront effort but pay you back over and over again—Heather’s “Ultimate Alphabet Learning Kit” has sold over 13,000 times since its creation!
With your own products, you control the customer experience, keep virtually all the profits, and, if you build a membership or recurring product, enjoy steady, predictable revenue.
Best of all, your business no longer depends on anyone else’s platform or algorithm.
Key Takeaway:
Digital products you own are the single most stable, scalable, and impactful way to monetize your online teaching business.