Make Money From Blogging
Sat, May 7, 2016Anyone who loves to write fantasizes about making a living through words. Here are some tips on how to make blogging for money a reality.
Writing can seem like a dream job. Journalists and copywriters may not be particularly well-paid, but many are self-employed and working from home, producing content on subjects they find interesting or know a great deal about.
Blogging represents the easiest route into professional writing, without needing a journalist’s technical skills or a copywriter’s instinctive talent for making any subject sound interesting. However, the exponential growth in blogging during this decade means that many thousands of enthusiastic amateurs are already writing for love rather than money. Even those whose blogs generate income usually have other revenue sources to fall back on.
To have any hope of generating revenue in today’s ultra-competitive blogosphere, it’s crucial to obey the following rules from the outset:
- *Do it regularly.*
Such is the volume of online content nowadays, sporadic blogs won’t retain audience levels. Uploading content on a daily basis will ensure people always have a reason to revisit your blog, saving the page in their Favorites and anticipating the next entry or update.
- *Do it knowledgeably.*
A genuine passion for your chosen subject/s will make the content stand out and appeal to like-minded individuals. It’s almost impossible to fake interest in something, and audiences will soon migrate elsewhere if they identify a lack of knowledge or passion.
- *Do it professionally.*
Amateur bloggers normally set up a WordPress or BlogSpot address, but this will cut little ice among potential sponsors or affiliates. A more professional approach involves registering a suitable website address.
- *Do check your spelling and grammar*
Ten years ago, grammatical slip-ups and erratic spelling were less harmful to a blog’s prospects. Nowadays there’s far too much competition for such amateurishness. Proofread and spell-check everything before uploading it, and double-check every fact or statistic for accuracy.
- *Do it publicly.*
Making money from blogging is incredibly difficult, but it’s practically impossible without significant audience numbers. Take every opportunity to promote each new blog through social media posts, and invite comments from readers, reciprocal links with other bloggers, etc.
Even adhering to these five steps, it’s reasonable to assume that your first year of blogging will be unpaid. As audience numbers increase and your blog establishes a reputation for engaging and original content, opportunities to generate revenue may then arise. Drop any thoughts of selling banner advertising at this stage since a website needs to receive hundreds of thousands of monthly impressions to interest digital advertising agencies and their blue-chip clients. It’s also advisable to stay away from those tacky ‘now trending’ clickbait ads if you want to maintain a professional image.
Some bloggers generate revenue through affiliate marketing. This involves sponsored copy that promotes or reviews products and services, with commission generated by people clicking through from your blog. Although this dilutes the impartiality of your blog, affiliate marketing represents a key way to raise income from self-published online content.
Make Money From Blogging
Blogs can also be used as promotional tools for your own products and services, such as a computer hardware specialist who writes about strange IT issues and bizarre requests for assistance. Some people can turn blogs into books, repackaging existing content in a more dynamic form; a number of food bloggers have secured themselves publishing deals on the back of original recipes and online culinary advice. Finally, established bloggers may be approached by corporate clients, to generate content for third-party sites or to act as freelance consultants. Blogging becomes a means to an end in this scenario, creating brand awareness of your knowledge and expertise that opens doors to related opportunities.