From Clarinet to Clicks: Creating Passive Affiliate Income with Dr. Tonya Lawson
Monetizing your blog doesn’t have to mean chasing trends or writing product reviews for things you’ve never even used. Just ask Dr. Tonya Lawson, a musician turned blogger, passive income strategist, and SEO educator who’s built a business by sharing what she truly cares about.
In this episode of the Ultimate Blog Podcast, we interview Dr. Tonya Lawson about how she’s turned her blogs into income streams through passive affiliate income. From coffee to clarinets to garden beds, Tonya has figured out how to make affiliate marketing work in a way that feels both authentic and sustainable.
Meet Dr. Tonya Lawson
Dr. Tonya Lawson is a musician, blogger, and passive income specialist whose mission is to empower creatives to build out passive income streams so they have the financial freedom to live the life they want to live.
She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who currently runs a private studio of over 50 students, has 3 blogs, a coaching business, a blogging membership, multiple courses, and teaches at Middle Tennessee State University. When not working, Dr. Lawson enjoys gardening, running, reading, cuddling with her two cats (Dot and Biscuits), and playing with her dog Buster.
Tonya Lawson’s Blogging Journey
Tonya didn’t start out trying to build a blog empire. In fact, she was on track to become a university music professor. After years of auditioning and near-misses in an increasingly adjunct-driven job market, she chose to invest in herself and build a thriving private music studio instead.
Things were going well until her county considered cutting the in-school private lessons program she relied on. That wake-up call led her to explore new income streams, including passive affiliate income.
How One Coffee Blog Led to a Bigger Shift
Following the advice of early SEO gurus, Tonya launched a niche coffee blog filled with product roundups and affiliate links. It started bringing in affiliate income, but over time, she realized it didn’t align with her values and it didn’t feel sustainable.
“I felt a little sleazy,” Tonya admitted. “I was reviewing products I hadn’t even tried. It was what everyone was doing, but it just wasn’t me.”
When Google’s helpful content updates hit, that blog tanked. But thanks to what she’d learned, she was already building other sites that reflected her real interests, and those sites were thriving.
Creating Passive Affiliate Income That Feels Authentic
So how did Tonya turn things around and create long-term passive affiliate income in a way that feels authentic? Here’s her simple approach:
1. Lead with value, not sales
Instead of trying to push a sale, Tonya answers real questions her readers are asking. One of her top-performing blog posts was written to help parents understand clarinet mouthpieces, not to sell them. But because the post was useful and informative, it ranked well in Google and continues to bring in affiliate income years later.
2. Get your content ideas straight from your audience
Don’t know what to write about? Start where your readers are hanging out. For her gardening blog, Tonya joins Facebook groups where people ask beginner gardening questions. She screenshorts the ones that come up frequently and turns them into blog content.
3. Ditch traditional keyword tools
Instead of relying on tools like SEMrush or Ubersuggest, Tonya uses a more creative SEO strategy. Her focus is on real-life search intent, not just keyword volume.
4. Add affiliate links naturally
Tonya doesn’t force affiliate links into every blog post, but if a product makes sense for the topic, she includes it. For example, in a post about pruning pepper plants, she might link to the exact pair of pruners she uses.
And she always gives readers options: she includes both an Amazon link and a direct brand affiliate link when available. That way, readers can choose where to buy, and she earns either way.
For New Bloggers: Think Long-Term
If you’re just getting started with passive affiliate income or struggling to see results, Tonya’s advice is to play the long game.
“Affiliate marketing – and blogging in general – is compound interest. That one post that earned you $5 this month? It might keep earning $5 every month for the next ten years.”
Rather than expecting fast money, think of every blog post or video as a long-term asset. As long as it’s relevant and helpful, it can keep generating passive affiliate income year after year.
In this episode, we covered:
- How Dr. Tonya Lawson got started with her blogs and passive affiliate income
- How Tonya created passive affiliate income that felt authentic
- How to lead with value and improve your SEO ranking
- Tonya’s tips for relevant content ideas and SEO research
- How to include affiliate links naturally
- Why passive affiliate income is a long game
Links and resources mentioned in this episode:
- Connect with Dr. Tonya Lawson on her website, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube
- Grab her SEO Cheat Sheet
- Join her membership
- Join the Ultimate Blog Roadmap
- Try Kit for email marketing
- Sign up for our newsletter
- Check out last week’s episode on how to monetize now (even if you don’t have traffic yet)!
We hope you loved this episode with Dr. Tonya Lawson on passive affiliate income! Please leave us a comment and let us know your biggest takeaway from this episode!
