How to Earn Money Through Your Website with Jetpack

You have the attention of people who like what you have to say, love your work, and want to listen to your suggestions and ideas. Whether you’re a hobby blogger, a budding artist or crafter, nonprofit organization, or brand new business, if you have a busy website, then you have a built-in community. 

That audience is valuable! Earning money online goes far beyond online shops and eCommerce solutions — a collection of revenue tools built right into Jetpack helps you turn your community from fans into an income stream. Here are a few ways the versatile Payments block makes it possible to sell products, accept donations, and collect subscriptions fees with your website.

Great for nonprofits: Accept donations

Your website, the place where you shared your mission, projects, and news, needs a prominent donation button. Your images, videos, and blog posts connect your audience to your cause. Help them to give at the moment they’re most inspired.

Adding a simple donation button in a few places on your site creates multiple opportunities for donating — without visitors having to hunt around for a “donate” page. Try adding buttons:

• At the end of every blog post
• In a sidebar or footer
• On a dedicated donations page (perfect for linking to on social media)
• On your home page, where visitors usually land first

The Payments block allows you to collect one-time payments or recurring donations. You can suggest donation amounts or allow your contributors to decide using a “Pay what you want” feature. Jetpack and the Payments block get you there in a few clicks, allowing the people who believe in your work to support your cause.

Great for new businesses: Host online events or provide services

If you have a growing audience for your consulting or small business website, consider reaching out to them with:

• An online class, where you can teach a skill and show potential clients what you do
• A private Facebook group offering answers to questions in a more intimate environment
• One-on-one video calls

Taking registrations and collecting payment for events directly on your website puts signup opportunities right where interested clients already gather, so you’ll be able to increase interest and attendance.

Create a page promoting your event or group, that highlights why it’s awesome and include a payment button that allows people to register and pay. Every time someone makes a payment, you’ll get a notification email with their name and contact information, so you can add them to the group! Now you can connect with your audience while generating additional revenue. 

Great for artists and crafters: Sell individual products

If you’re a crafter or artist, there’s no need to invest time and money in an online shop; just add some buttons to a page or post with the one-time payment option in the Payments block, or using the Pay with PayPal block, and get your art into the hands of those who love it.

If you’re already using an online platform like Etsy to sell your work, adding buy buttons to your website is the perfect complement. While Etsy might help new clients find your amazing products, your own website is where your most loyal fans come to find out what you have that’s new and cool. These fans are your most likely repeat customers — give first access to your work and let them buy it right on your own website. They get your latest creations, and get to feel good that all their money goes to you, not Etsy processing fees.

Bonus: you don’t have to pay any of the standard Etsy transaction fees, either!

Imagine this:

• Your most popular product displayed in the sidebar of every page on your site, with a convenient Order Now button.
• Your favorite custom-made, handcrafted item described in a blog post, with a Get One Now button at the bottom.
• A shop page showcasing your best sellers, with Shop Now buttons that allow customers to purchase multiple products.

You can do any of these using the Payments block or Pay with PayPal. With very minimal changes to your website, your community will be able to order your creations through Stripe or PayPal without even having to create an account.

Great for bloggers: Offer subscriptions

If you’re willing to put a little extra work into selling online, the next step is to offer your truly loyal fans regular bonus content in exchange for their ongoing patronage. A core audience of subscribers gives you the opportunity to build a more stable income stream and a connected set of people who share your ideals.

The key here is to offer additional, quality content to subscribers. This could be:

• A “craft of the month” for parents to do with their kids
• Insider videos that show how to fix common car problems
• Private discount codes for brands you’re working with
• Recommended books for history buffs

You’ll use the recurring payments feature in the Payment block for this one, along with a Stripe account to handle transactions. Once you have both in place, you can add buttons anywhere — on a page, post, or sidebar — and offer a range of options, including different subscription levels and various time periods. Send subscribers exclusive digital content via email, use a plugin to set up a paywall, or use a password to control content visibility.

See the Payments block in action

How to make it all happen

If you’re ready to generate income online using Jetpack, here’s what you’ll need.

The Payments block Pay with PayPal feature are available with a paid Jetpack plan.

To use Payments for recurring fees or one-time purchases, you’ll need to set up an account with Stripe for payment processing. Then you can track your earnings, manage subscriptions, and even provide refunds from your WordPress.com account (which is required to connect Jetpack to your self-hosted WordPress website).

Each time you add a block or widget, you can include a product image and price, and edit a few other settings. Now you’re ready to generate income!

With a few well-placed buttons, you can convert your existing audience into a community that supports you financially while benefiting from exclusive access to content, products, or services. There’s never been a better time to get started! 

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