There’s no shortage of advice on how to earn money as a blogger.

Quick hacks, monetization “tricks,” and viral strategies flood the internet every day.

The problem? Most of it skips the fundamentals.

Without a solid foundation, blogging is like rowing a boat upstream with broken paddles. You can kinda get the job done with enough effort but it’s damn exhausting.

That’s why I developed the BACM framework, a system for aligning the four key components of any content‑based business.

When these components are in sync, your blog can grow efficiently, attract the right audience, and generate meaningful revenue without losing traction.

In this post, I’m breaking everything down so you can position your blog so it sticks.

Important note: This article is aimed at established bloggers that want to breathe new life into an existing blog. New bloggers will find value here but just be aware that the subject matter is less beginner‑friendly than a lot of other articles we publish. At a minimum, you should have a VERY clear understanding of your blog’s niche. If you need help narrowing down your niche, read this post first.

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What is the BACM Framework?

BACM stands for:

1. Business Model

2. Audience

3. Content

4. Marketing

Think of it as a series of interlocking gears:

Business Model ⮂ Audience ⮂ Content ⮂ Marketing

Each part feeds into the next. If one is misaligned, your whole system loses efficiency and it suddenly turns into the blogging equivalent of trying to drive a car with square wheels.

Now, it may seem self‑explanatory but the devil, as they say, is in the details. It’s not enough to look at the top‑level overview of this framework and immediately know how to use it. There’s a lot of nuance. So, I’ll walk you through how everything connects together and provide you with examples so you can do the same for your own blog.

0. Get crystal clear on your niche

Before we go any further, we need to quickly talk about your niche. This entire framework relies on you having a crystal‑clear understanding of your niche. And we need to address some pre‑conceptions because what some people think of as a niche isn’t a niche—it’s an industry, and that’s just too broad.

I’ve written a complete guide to choosing a niche. I’d recommend reading it first.

But I’ll address the important points here so you can crack on quicker.

Here is the essence of finding your niche:

From there, you might come up with things like travel, cooking, pets, gaming, finance, technology, etc. These aren’t niches. They’re industries and they’re far too broad.

So, you need to get specific. Some quick examples:

• Gaming → Retro gaming

• Gaming → VR gaming

• Travel → Travel in Switzerland

• Pets → Ducks

• Cooking → Meals for diabetics

• Finance → Bitcoin

See the difference? These niches are extremely specific. The more specific your niche, the easier it will be to build an audience and compete with larger platforms on a more level playing field.

But there is a point where you can get too specific and end up with the tiniest possible audience. So, yeah, don’t do that.

Note: Back in the day, I ran a gaming blog with some friends. We were quite successful but we eventually fizzled out because we went too broad and ended up competing with sites like IGN. Niche blogs are where it’s at.

1. Business Model: Define how you’ll make money

Your business model is the backbone of your blog. Get this right and a lot of things get easier later on.

Now, it’s important to note that you can (and should) have multiple revenue streams but you need to choose one as your core revenue‑generation channel.

Start by answering these questions:

• Which monetization method will form my core business model?

• Do I want quick income or long‑term passive revenue?

• Which monetization methods will I add later on?

Examples of revenue models with additional insights

• Freelancing/consulting: Quick income, direct client relationships. Combine with affiliate marketing as a secondary income source and scale faster by leveraging white‑label services.

• Affiliate marketing: Slower to ramp up but can generate passive income over time; you need lifetime‑commission products with high commission rates to minimize risk.

• Digital products: You need the know‑how to create products, an e‑commerce platform to help you sell them, and an audience. Pairs well with affiliate marketing as a secondary revenue channel.

• Display ads: You can get started right away with platforms like Google AdSense but it requires a lot of traffic to drive meaningful revenue.

• Merchandise: I wouldn’t recommend this as a core business model for new blogs. It’s better as a complementary revenue channel. You’ll need a decent‑sized audience to make this work. However, you can get started without investing much money if you opt for a print‑on‑demand approach (e.g., Sellfy).

Note: Choose a model that aligns with your long‑term goals. Don’t let small ad revenue distract you from a high‑value opportunity, like securing a $40K freelance client.

2. Audience: Know who you’re trying to reach

Your audience provides the demand for your content. Their challenges will play a large part in how you approach your content strategy and the products you sell.

Without a clear picture of who they are, your content and monetization strategy can fall flat.

You’ll need to answer these questions:

• Who am I trying to reach?

• What problems do they need solved?

• Where do they spend their time online?

• What is the best way to put my content in front of them?

Boil this down to a type of person (e.g., chefs, startup founders, bloggers). Then create an audience persona, a collection of all the info you have on your ideal reader—sites they visit, hopes, fears, challenges, etc.

Use this information to craft a meaningful content plan, develop products they’ll actually want to buy, and more.

3. Content: Identify content types that fit your business model

It’s not enough to just build a content plan around your ideal reader and call it a day. Content should serve your audience and your business model.

A big part of this boils down to the types of content you publish.

• How‑to guides, tutorials, and opinion pieces can be great for attracting freelancing clients.

• Reviews are ideal for affiliate marketing but terrible for display ads unless you have massive traffic.

• Trend‑jacking and news‑related content work well for ad‑driven sites.

Note: You’ll need to develop a full content strategy (another topic entirely). The idea here is to identify the best content types to focus on, then mix formats—blog posts, long‑form video, short‑form video, infographics, etc.

4. Marketing: Get your content in front of your target audience

Content without marketing is, well, just content that gathers dust.

Now, figure out which marketing channels work best with your chosen business model, audience, and content.

Examples

• Affiliate income: SEO is a good fit (high‑intent traffic for reviews, “Best X” posts). Repurpose content into YouTube videos for extra search visibility.

• Display ads: Social media + SEO—split strategy between shareable social posts and SEO‑optimized articles.

• Freelancers/consultants: LinkedIn outreach.

• Digital products: Social media + SEO + paid traffic (e.g., Facebook Ads). Keep ad spend in check; Meta will try to push you to spend more.

Regardless of paid traffic, strong email automation is essential for “selling while you sleep.” Even a simple email newsletter provides a reliable way to get eyeballs without relying on shifting algorithms.

Note: Repurposing content into other formats (long‑form YouTube videos, short clips, snippets) is highly recommended.

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Examples: How to make the BACM Framework work

Examples of BACM Misalignment ❌

1. Misaligned content – A wearable‑tech blog wants affiliate revenue for software tools but mostly publishes opinion pieces about tech culture.

2. Misaligned marketing – A luxury travel blog monetizes via ads but promotes posts on LinkedIn, where travel content gets minimal engagement.

3. Misaligned business model & audience – A vegan food blog targets beginner home cooks but relies on premium cooking courses for revenue.

4. Multiple misalignments – A fitness blog tries affiliate supplements, targets casual readers, focuses on lifestyle articles, posts mainly on TikTok, and neglects SEO.

Examples of BACM Alignment ✅

1. Affiliate marketing – A gardening blog for beginner plant owners creates product reviews & how‑to guides, promotes via Pinterest & SEO.

2. Freelancing services – A web‑design blog for small‑business owners publishes case studies & tutorials, uses LinkedIn outreach & email newsletters to generate leads.

3. Display ads – A celebrity‑news blog targets general entertainment readers, posts frequent trending articles, drives traffic via social media & search.

4. Mixed monetization – A fitness blog for active adults publishes how‑to guides, product reviews, workout videos; promotes via YouTube, Instagram, SEO; monetizes with affiliates, ads, and an online course.

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Final thoughts

If you’ve felt stuck on a merry‑go‑round of blogging mediocrity, understanding and applying the BACM framework will help you stop the ride and break free. You can then reposition your blog for impact and profit by making your business model, audience, content, and marketing work together.

It’s not easy; it takes research and critical thinking. But it’s seriously worthwhile.

Don’t forget the niche point from earlier—it’s the bedrock this framework is built upon. Get that right and everything else becomes easier.

It’s a shame I didn’t figure this all out before shuttering my gaming blog. But, it is what it is. Oh well. 🫠

One more thing: If anyone tells you the absolute best thing for your business without understanding your needs, ignore them. Always view advice in the context of your own business. Strategy needs context. Work to understand your business model, audience, and the best content & marketing mechanisms for your specific situation.

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