Blog Monetization Methods: 4 Options Compared and Payouts

There are four ways to monetize a blog: AdSense, AdPost, AdFit, and Coupang Partners. The right one depends on where your blog lives and what kind of posts you write. Blog monetization means turning visitors into money with an ad revenue service or affiliate links. Naver Blog (hosted by Naver, Korea's largest search engine) fits AdPost. Sites where you can insert ad code fit AdSense. Product posts fit Coupang Partners (the affiliate program of Coupang, a major Korean e-commerce company). AdFit by Kakao (Korea's dominant messenger and portal company) is approval-only. The details below follow each service's official guidance as of October 13, 2026.

Four blog monetization methods compared

They differ in how revenue is earned. AdSense, AdPost, and AdFit are ad display services: revenue builds when visitors view or click ads. Coupang Partners is an affiliate service: revenue is earned only when a purchase happens through your link.

Service	How you earn	Sign-up requirements	Payout rule
Google AdSense	Google ads shown on your site	Age 19 or older in Korea, original content, access to the site's HTML source code	Paid between the 21st and 26th of each month once unpaid earnings reach the payment threshold (US$100)
Naver AdPost	Ads shown automatically on a blog registered as media	Age 19 or older, blog passes review	If you set nothing, paid automatically on the 25th of each month once you reach 50,000 KRW
Kakao AdFit	Kakao ads shown on your media	Sign-up only if the company pre-approves or invites you	Request payment once confirmed earnings reach 50,000 KRW
Coupang Partners	3% of purchases made through your link	Coupang member, final approval after 150,000 KRW in cumulative sales	Paid on the 15th of the following month once monthly earnings reach 10,000 KRW

How to choose the blog monetization method that fits your blog

Start with where your blog is hosted. AdSense requires access to the HTML source code of the site you apply with. First check whether your blog service lets you edit the head area, where ad code goes. The head is the header section of a page's code. If it does not allow this, you cannot connect with the code insertion method. The AdSense sign-up steps are covered in AdSense approval requirements and application steps.

Your situation	Look at first	Why
You use Naver Blog	AdPost	Once you register the blog as media and pass review, ads appear without extra setup
You have a blog or site where you can insert ad code	AdSense	The official eligibility rule is access to the HTML source code
You write product reviews or recommendations	Coupang Partners	Before final approval you can use every feature except the Partners API
You have already been invited with a Kakao account	AdFit	Sign-up is possible only with pre-approval or an invitation

Coupang Partners is affiliate marketing: you introduce products and earn a commission when a purchase happens. It suits posts whose purpose is product introduction. The safe order is to apply for just one service that matches your blog, confirm approval and the first payout, and then add another.

Sign-up requirements and approval for each service

AdSense

The Google eligibility document requires that you be 19 or older (the age of majority in Korea), have high-quality original content, follow Google program policies, and have access to the HTML source code of the site you submit. The official document gives no minimum number of posts or visitors. After you create an account, connect your site, and request a review, approval is complete when the status changes to 'Ready'. Review usually takes a few days and can take 2 to 4 weeks.

AdPost

According to the Naver sign-up guide, Naver users aged 19 or older can sign up as individuals. As the help center guide states, blog review takes up to 5 business days. Naver does not disclose specific numbers for operating period, number of public posts, or visitors. Numeric thresholds that circulate in review posts are not official values.

AdFit

Article 1 of the AdFit operating policy (effective September 2, 2026) states that AdFit runs as a closed structure, and sign-up and account creation are limited to cases where the company has pre-approved or invited you. Media are reviewed on ownership, content quality, and traffic quality. According to the help center guide, review usually takes 1 to 2 business days. If the ad script or SDK is not installed correctly, the review does not proceed. You cannot place more than 4 of the company's ads on one page.

Coupang Partners

According to the Coupang Partners FAQ, any Coupang member can apply, and there is no sign-up fee. Purchases made within 24 hours of visiting through your link earn 3% of the purchase amount. The first settlement and use of the Partners API are possible only after cumulative sales reach 150,000 KRW and you receive final approval. Every post made for Partners activity must carry a disclosure of your financial interest in Coupang. For the full process, see Coupang Partners sign-up, final approval, and settlement explained.

Blog income payout thresholds and taxes

Even when earnings build up, nothing is paid before you reach the threshold. Thresholds and payment dates differ by service.

According to Google's help pages, AdSense has a payment threshold of US$100. If your balance reaches the threshold by the end of the month and there are no other payment holds, it is paid between the 21st and 26th of each month. Before payment, account setup such as identity verification and bank details must be complete. Verification documents must be submitted within 45 days of the date Google first requests them.

Under item 7 of the AdPost operating policy, if you do not set a minimum payment amount, payment is made automatically on the 25th of each month once you reach 50,000 KRW. For individual members, 8.8% is withheld when annual payments exceed 125,000 KRW. Withholding means the payer deducts income tax in advance before paying you. More details are in Naver Blog AdPost sign-up requirements and approval.

Under articles 6.2 and 6.3 of the AdFit operating policy, estimated earnings for the 1st to the last day of each month become confirmed earnings on the 20th of the following month. If confirmed earnings are 50,000 KRW or more, you can request payment from the day after the 20th until the end of the month. Under article 6.3, individual accounts are paid after withholding, and business accounts must issue an electronic tax invoice for the amount including value-added tax. For Coupang Partners, results are confirmed on the 25th of the month after they occur, payment follows on the 15th of the month after that, and monthly earnings that do not exceed 10,000 KRW are carried over.

What to check after you start and what to avoid

Each service shows success in a different place. In AdSense, check the 'Sites' menu to see whether the approval status is 'Ready'. In Coupang Partners, check the earnings confirmed on the 25th of the following month under Report > Payment Report. In AdPost, check whether ads appear after the review result shows as passed. In AdFit, check the review result and any rejection reason under Ad Management > All Media.

Avoid three things from the start. First, clicking your own ads or asking visitors to click with phrases like "Click the ad". The AdPost operating policy treats this as invalid clicks (improper clicks that harm advertisers). If improper earnings are found, payment can be withheld, and earnings already paid can be reclaimed. Second, leaving out the disclosure in Coupang Partners posts. Placing the disclosure behind a 'See more' fold is also named as improper in the FAQ. Third, copying posts from other sites. AdFit restricts ads on duplicate posts that have no original content, and AdSense also treats scraped content as a policy violation.

Frequently asked questions

Can minors monetize a blog too?

Under 19 (the age of majority in Korea), you cannot apply for AdSense yourself. An adult guardian can sign up with their own Google account, and after approval the earnings are paid to that adult. AdPost is for users aged 19 or older, and Coupang Partners states that applications from minors may be rejected.

Do earnings disappear if I do not reach the payout threshold?

They do not disappear. In AdSense, the balance carries over to the next month and keeps building until it reaches the threshold. In Coupang Partners, amounts that stay under 10,000 KRW a month are carried over for up to 6 months and then paid together.

Can I add Coupang Partners links before final approval?

Yes. According to the FAQ, you can use every feature except the Partners API before final approval, and final approval is reviewed after cumulative sales reach 150,000 KRW.

You have one thing to do now. Check which service your blog is hosted on, read the sign-up requirements for the matching service in the selection table, and apply. The places to check approval status after applying are listed in the 'What to check' section above.