Blogging is a passion and hobby enjoyed by millions around the world, but does this mean it can also be a career or job? Can bloggers make money from their blogs? And if so, how?
It’s not surprising many people are interested in blogging as an income source, after all there have been some incredible success stories over the years. However, like any other business model it isn't without its challenges. The good news though is that making money online through blogging has never been easier thanks to dedicated websites such as Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr.
There are now hundreds of thousands of successful blogs out there earning real cash for those brave enough to put themselves on display. So what exactly happens when someone writes a blog and gets paid for it? How does one go about getting started? What opportunities are available for you to earn extra income from your own website? And most importantly - which ones should you avoid at all costs?!
In this article we're going to look specifically at who pays people to blog, whether the writer makes money directly from his/her site or via affiliate marketing. We'll cover everything from how to set up a new blog to how to choose the right platform, then move onto choosing a topic and finally monetizing your content before offering our final thoughts on the subject.
So here goes...
The first thing you need to know is where and how to start setting up your blog or website. There are two main ways bloggers can earn money from their posts. Firstly they can either use advertising banners placed throughout their pages, or secondly they can employ a company called Google AdSense. Both methods work well together because they allow you to keep 100% control of your content whilst still being able to generate revenue.
If you decide to stick with advertising banners, then you will need to ensure your chosen theme matches the type of products you want to sell. For example, if you’re selling makeup products, try using photos of models wearing cosmetics rather than images of cats and dogs! This way potential buyers won’t feel distracted while browsing your webpages and instead focus exclusively on the product you’re trying to promote.
Another important consideration is the size of banner you wish to place on each page. If you don’t fancy spending hours creating eye-catching graphics yourself then consider hiring professional graphic designers. They may charge more per hour than you would expect but it’ll save you time and energy down the line.
One last tip worth mentioning is to always include relevant keywords within your text links (i.e. "makeup" rather than "cat"). It helps to improve search engine rankings and increase clickthrough rates.
Alternatively, if you prefer working with adverts then sign up to Google AdSense. You simply create small snippets of code, known as “ad units”, which automatically appear on your webpage alongside your articles. When visitors come across these ads they read whatever information is displayed underneath them.
For instance, if you were promoting a particular brand of deodorant, then you could show users a short advert explaining why they really shouldn’t buy it. Each user viewing this snippet of content will see an advertisement but chances are they won’t actually click through to your link. Instead they will close the window once finished reading.
However, if you insert a hyperlink back to your homepage into the body of the advert itself, then traffic sent to your domain will result in clicks and ultimately sales. If you ever run promotions relating to seasonal items such as Christmas gifts, wedding accessories or summer clothes etc., then you might find the best results coming from displaying holiday themed advertisements.
When considering placing adverts on your blog it’s advisable to only select companies whose goods match your interests and hobbies closely. Avoid anything overly sexual or otherwise controversial unless you’re confident no children will stumble upon your pages whilst surfing for fun. Also remember to check any applicable local laws regarding political advertising.
Once you've decided on a suitable method of generating revenue from your blog, you're ready to begin adding topics to your post titles, descriptions and tags. But wait! Before moving forward let us take a closer look at the next stage of your journey towards becoming a blogger and earning extra income.
Yes, yes they do! Even famous authors, actors and musicians regularly receive royalties for their creative endeavours. In fact, even your average everyday person can become financially empowered from sharing their opinions online.
Anyone with something interesting and valuable to say can start a blog today, meaning competition is fierce amongst established brands and big corporations alike. Of course, not everyone will succeed immediately. Successful bloggers often spend months perfecting their craft before seeing any returns whatsoever.
But what if you’re lucky enough to attract regular readers keen to learn more about your niche? Then imagine receiving checks every month for your hard work – wouldn’t that be nice!? Unfortunately, this scenario usually takes several years before happening, especially if you lack experience in running a profitable blog.
That said, there are three proven techniques anyone can implement straight away to improve their chance of profiting from their blog. These involve employing social media platforms, posting informative comments on Reddit, and submitting high quality original content to popular publications such as Buzzfeed.
Social Media Marketing
Websites such as Facebook and Twitter already offer publishers the opportunity to interact with their followers. Therefore, if you can successfully establish a loyal following on these networks then you stand a great chance of building long lasting relationships between your subscribers and advertisers.
Commentary & Opinion Sites
Reddit operates forums covering almost every conceivable interest under the sun. As mentioned earlier, anyone with something useful to share can create a profile on this website and gain instant attention from fellow members. Popular subreddits such as r/worldnews tend to draw huge numbers of daily visits, ensuring unique individuals with unusual perspectives can easily reach masses of people.
BuzzFeed Articles
This website publishes engaging yet entertaining pieces of copy designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences. To submit your content please visit their submission guidelines section [http://www.buzzfeed.com/submissions]. Note however, that due to strict editorial policies only highly rated submissions can potentially be published.
Now that you understand how to build a successful blog and get paid for doing so, it’s probably safe to assume you’ve developed a burning desire to pen lengthy prose about your favourite pastimes? Good! Because you’re officially qualified to join a growing number of professionals helping others make money from home.
Most of the major players in the industry are willing to pay bloggers to produce top quality material related to certain categories. Some examples include travel destinations, health issues, pets, sports and cooking recipes, to name just a few.
As previously discussed, it’s possible to earn residual income by leveraging your existing audience. Furthermore, if you live in North America and enjoy travelling then perhaps you could provide advice to Americans planning trips abroad. Or maybe you’d love to write about food and drinks? Why not connect diners and drinkers with restaurants and bars near their location?
Finally, if you have a special skill or talent then you could turn it into a lucrative side hustle too. Perhaps you play music instruments, sing songs, dance professionally or speak multiple languages fluently? Allowing you to communicate different aspects of your life and skills to eager clients from all walks of society.
If you’re thinking of starting a blog, then undoubtedly you’re hoping to eventually reap rewards for your efforts. Whilst there are numerous avenues open to you depending on your specific circumstances, below are some simple tips to follow when deciding how you wish to proceed further.
Firstly, think carefully about whether you wish to maintain total ownership of your blog. If you opt to retain full rights and responsibilities then you can benefit from greater flexibility and freedom when selecting future advertisers. On the flipside, if you plan to assign shares of profits (or dividends) then you’ll need to remain committed to publishing fresh content on a consistent basis.
Secondly, consider whether you want to advertise your own services or merchandise. Although both options carry inherent risks, including poor customer service complaints, failing inspections and negative publicity, the choice largely depends on your personal situation.
Advertising banners are ideal for people wishing to earn additional income from their blog but aren’t sure how effective their current offerings are. Conversely, if you’re desperate to achieve quick results then signing up to affiliate programs is often quicker and less expensive than developing your own promotional campaigns.
Thirdly, if you’re serious about turning your blog into a viable business then it’s wise to seek legal assistance from an experienced lawyer familiar with digital property law. Remember, owning intellectual copyright to your written content means you can legally refuse requests to remove your posts from public view.
Lastly, as previously stated above, there are literally dozens of excellent places to publish your writings such as Medium, HubPages, EzineArticles, Squidoo and countless other reputable portals. Once again, it’s vital you research your desired topic thoroughly prior to uploading any content. Don’t forget to compare prices, terms and conditions offered by various organisations to find the best fit for your needs.
Blogging is one of those things that most of us take for granted, but it’s also an incredibly rewarding career path if done right. The problem with blogging today (and what makes me sad) is that there are so many scammers out there trying to exploit unsuspecting or ignorant writers. So before we go any further here let me state something very clearly and upfront - BLOGGING IS A JOB! And like all jobs, it comes with its pros and cons.
If you're new to the world of blogging then this article can be used as a jumping off point to learn about how blogs work, what they entail, why someone would want to hire you etc... We'll also talk about some places where you could make money from your blog by getting paid either directly or indirectly.
The first thing you need to know about blogging is that there really isn't such a big deal between blogger and reader these days. It was never easy being in front of hundreds of strangers every day when you were starting out, but now that technology has made everything easier, you don't have to feel intimidated anymore.
So basically anyone can set up their own blog nowadays using platforms like WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger etc... If you've got no technical knowledge at all then you should definitely look into free blogging services available on the internet which allow you to create a personal website without having to worry about HTML code, CSS coding, installing plugins etc... There are plenty of great tools out there like Wix, Squarespace, Google Sites etc.. You can also check out our "5 Best Free Website Builders" article for more information.
Once you've created your basic blog site, the next step is to actually monetize your content through advertising, affiliate programs, sponsorships, product reviews, interviews etc... This process may seem daunting because it involves learning SEO techniques, understanding AdSense ads, creating graphics etc... However once you understand the basics behind making money online, applying them becomes much simpler. In fact you'd probably find yourself doing it almost unconsciously after time. All of the above mentioned methods are legit ways to earn money from your blog.
Nowadays, even top tier paying websites like Forbes and Mashable use similar tactics. They employ professional freelance editors, graphic designers, webmasters and other staff members to maintain high quality content while earning extra income from their advertisers. They even publish articles written by freelancers only. This means that if you're good enough, you too can eventually join the ranks of top earners like Ryan Deiss, Gary Vaynerchuk, Guy Kawasaki among others.
Another way to make money is to offer your expertise/service as a consultant for companies interested in building relationships with established influencers in certain areas. That might mean offering consulting services for brands or businesses that are planning on launching marketing campaigns via social media channels. Or maybe you can become a writer for magazines, newspapers, e-books or newsletters for specific industries. Whatever field interests you, there's always room for improvement.
There are several different types of bloggers and each type gets paid differently. For example, part timers usually focus on one niche area, whereas full timer bloggers tend to cover multiple topics. Another important distinction is whether bloggers are independent contractors or employees. While both kinds can potentially make money from their posts, employee status allows their employers to withhold taxes from their earnings. Independent contractor status gives bloggers greater control over their careers.
Full Timer vs Part Timer
Full timers generally work on different topics, covering multiple niches within their chosen topic. Most of them are experts in their fields and often times authors of books or published papers. Some of them also run successful YouTube channels. Full timers typically charge anywhere from $500-$2000 per post depending upon complexity and length. As far as payments goes, PayPal is the preferred method since you won't have trouble cashing checks.
Part timers mostly concentrate on one particular subject or genre and prefer to stick to it. They normally charge somewhere around $50-$100 for a 500 word article. Payments are sent via Paypal and cheque. One major disadvantage with part timers is not knowing how long it takes them to complete a project until they receive payment.
Freelance Writer vs. Traditional Journalist
Journalists are considered traditional writers because they follow strict guidelines laid down by publications. Freelancer though is a catchall term used to describe writers who are self employed. Both categories can be classified under “bloggers” as well. But the difference between journalists and bloggers lies mainly in the amount of freedom they enjoy. Journalists aren't allowed to promote products directly while bloggers can. Freelancing requires specialized skills sets beyond mere writing abilities. Journalism students spend years studying journalism ethics and journalistic practices before going on to bigger and better opportunities elsewhere. Whereas bloggers are expected to possess strong communication skills and proficiency in various forms of expression.
Yes you can. You just need to reach out to larger organizations that want to sponsor your blog. Sponsorships come in two flavors. Direct sponsorship refers to a company sponsoring your entire blog instead of just individual pieces of content. Indirect sponsorship is when a brand pays you to mention his/her products in exchange for exposure. Think of it as an advertisement except instead of promoting their products, you're helping them sell theirs.
Direct Sponsorship
Companies wishing to sponsor large portions of your blog can contact you directly. Usually you'll be asked to send samples of your best recent works along with your resume and portfolio. Once selected, you'll be given a contract detailing the terms of agreement. Typically direct sponsorships last 3 months to 1 year. At the end of the period, you can decide to renew the contract. Renewal fees vary depending on the size of your audience and popularity level of your blog. Also keep in mind that contracts stipulate exclusive usage rights for sponsored links for a specified period. Companies can pull out anytime if they wish to assign another writer.
Indirect Sponsorations
Most bloggers choose indirect sponsorship rather than direct sponsorship simply because of lack of proper training. To apply for indirect sponsorship, you must first establish credibility. Getting recognized as an expert in your field is essential for landing sponsorships. Hence, networking and establishing rapport with potential clients is critical.
One effective strategy is to build a network of contacts within the industry and show interest in working with existing clients. By focusing on generating leads and prospects, you'll gradually develop trustworthiness amongst your peers. Then later on, you can approach them about possibly becoming a client.
To succeed in this endeavor, you'll have to prove to prospective corporate partners that you truly deserve a spot on their roster. Remember that corporations rarely consider untested talent. Your goal should be to demonstrate your value to them early so you can leverage your opportunity to grow.
I'm glad you asked :) Yes indeed you can get paid for blogging. Of course it depends entirely on the nature of your blog, but assuming you already started blogging with passion, there are ample possibilities to get rewarded for blogging. Let's say you managed to attract thousands of readers, built solid connections with them and generated traffic to your blog. Now imagine you have a few thousand followers ready to buy anything you recommend. Wouldn't you love to see $1000 sitting in your bank account monthly?! Well, that sounds pretty cool doesn't it.
Here are some tips that can lead you towards success:
1.) Create interesting contents that motivate visitors to comment (good comments = higher page rank). Commenting helps spread awareness about your blog. Plus commenting shows that you care about your blog and other people.
2.) Provide valuable feedback to your readers. When you provide helpful suggestions to your audience, you boost loyalty levels significantly. Loyal customers are known to refer friends and family to your blog. Just remember to stay polite and respectful. No matter how frustrated you are reading negative comments, try and remain calm and respond professionally. Even the worst commenters sometimes turn into loyal fans once they realize you treat them fairly.
3.) Don't forget to interact with your subscribers regularly. Sometimes it feels good when you receive messages saying thank you or congratulations especially when you've been hard at work. Try sending weekly emails to your followers to remind them about upcoming events and promotions.
4.) Offer discounts and freebies periodically. Nothing motivates users quite like saving money or getting stuff for free. Be creative and think of unique ideas to entice buyers.
5.) Use viral marketing strategies to increase sales. Give away coupons and discount codes to popular retailers on your social media accounts. Encourage everyone else to share these codes with their friends too. Eventually, your followers will likely visit your store and shop impulsively. Besides increasing profits, viral marketing saves marketers lots of money spent on conventional advertising.
6.) Get involved with affiliate marketing schemes. Affiliate marketing is essentially selling other peoples' products for commission. An affiliate marketer earns commissions whenever he sells somebody else's products. Many top Internet entrepreneurs became millionaires overnight thanks to affiliate marketing.
7.) Sell physical goods through Amazon. Do you have unused items lying around your house? Turn them into cute little gifts and sell them on eBay. Alternatively, you can also sell your old clothes on Fashlets and other fashion based platforms.
If you're like me, then you love blogging. I started my first "real" blog in June 2006 and have since posted more than 2 million words on it (which is an awful lot considering I only started in May 2005). Blogging has become one of those things that most self-respecting internet users take part in at some point or another -- even if they don't know what exactly a blog is! You'll find countless websites dedicated solely to providing information about specific topics, while others are simply written by regular folks like yourself with their own personal experiences and opinions. However, there's still a huge question mark over whether bloggers actually get paid for all the work they put into maintaining these sites. The answer is yes, but how much money can you really expect to earn?
In this article we'll discuss ways to get paid from blogging so you can keep up the good work without having to worry too much about finances. First off, let's start by discussing why anyone would want to be paid for blogging in general. If you already run a successful website full of content, then maybe you shouldn't bother paying writers because after all, you've got everything covered right now...well, almost. Although running a site full of fresh original content isn't easy, there are plenty of other reasons why someone might wish to hire a writer/blogger. Maybe they plan on expanding their current business in order to increase revenue, promote new products or services, etc., yet aren't sure where to begin when it comes to finding quality writers. Or perhaps they'd rather spend their time working on something else and leave running the day-to-day operations up to someone else. Whatever the case may be, there are definitely opportunities out there for talented bloggers willing to go above and beyond. We'll explore them below.
Now that you understand why someone would consider hiring a freelance writer, let's move onto the next big question: How much money can you expect to make from a blog? In short, the amount depends entirely upon the type of blog you run and the niche you focus on. But as far as earning potential goes, here are some important factors to think about.
Blogs come in various shapes and sizes. Some cater specifically to certain niches within a certain industry, such as real estate agents or dentists, while others cover multiple subjects ranging from cooking tips to dating advice. Regardless of which category yours falls under, however, it doesn't hurt to try and figure out how to maximize earnings from each post. After all, there's nothing worse than putting hours into creating valuable content only to see no one read it.
One way to determine how well your blog performs financially is through Google Analytics. This free tool allows webmasters to monitor traffic statistics, including pageviews per visitor, average length of stay, bounce rate, referring pages and search engine rankings. By using analytics, you can also optimize your posts based on user preferences, thus increasing readership and making your blog more lucrative. Not surprisingly, blogs focusing on higher income markets tend to perform better than those covering less popular areas. For example, according to Alexa Rankings, professional finance blogs receive approximately 1 million monthly visitors compared to those in the health and fitness field getting around 100 thousand visits.
Another factor to consider when determining how profitable your blog is is how often you update its content. While frequent updates are necessary to ensure high ranking among search engines such as Google News, slow updating could lead to stagnation and ultimately lower profits. On top of that, you should always strive to offer unique articles every few days instead of churning out rehashed material month after month. It takes longer to build credibility and trustworthiness than it does to generate quick cash, especially if you're trying to compete against established media companies with deep pockets. Finally, remember that advertising is great, but it won't bring in consistent long term revenues unless you have lots of targeted traffic visiting your site regularly. So if you're serious about turning your blog into a viable source of income, you must invest additional funds into attracting qualified visitors.
Once you've determined how much profit your blog brings in annually, divide that number by 365 to calculate how much it makes per year. Then multiply that number times your hourly writing fee to arrive at your yearly salary as a blogger. Of course, this formula relies heavily on several assumptions, namely:
Your blog receives 10 percent of its total annual income from ad sales.
You charge $3 per hour for your writing efforts.
The cost of hosting increases 3 percent per year.
But if you feel comfortable assuming those figures hold true, then you probably stand to make quite a bit of extra cash every year. To give you an idea, if your blog pulls in $30,000 per year, charging $3 per hour means you could easily make an extra $9,600 per year. That's not bad for a job that requires little formal training and minimal startup expenses!
So now that we've discussed how much money you can potentially make from a blog, let's talk about how that money gets distributed.
There are two main methods by which bloggers get compensated for their hard work: direct payment via PayPal or Amazon Payments, and indirect payments through affiliate marketing programs. Directly compensating bloggers for their writings seems to be the preferred method, but as mentioned earlier, it usually involves larger corporations offering large sums of money. Most bloggers prefer to get paid indirectly, particularly independent ones whose goal lies anywhere but corporate America. Let's look at both options in detail.
Affiliate Marketing Programs affiliate marketers get rewarded for promoting certain products or services, which they don't necessarily produce themselves. As a result, affiliate marketer positions tend to attract individuals interested in starting small businesses online. Affiliates typically sign up for an existing program and refer customers to merchants' websites in exchange for commissions on purchases made directly through affiliates' links. Many affiliate networks use cookies to track referrals, but some allow affiliates to set their own referral codes. Generally speaking, commission percentages range between 25% and 75%, with smaller percentage ranges being slightly preferable due to fluctuation risks involved with bigger prizes [Source: Forbes].
As you may imagine, choosing the best affiliate network can mean the difference between success and failure. Be wary of affiliate networks that require members to purchase expensive software before joining. These types of systems are designed primarily to collect data on consumers, which includes personally identifying information such as credit card numbers, names, addresses and phone numbers. Because they rely on extensive tracking technology, such programs pose a risk to consumer privacy and violate laws regulating electronic commerce across borders. Other red flags include mandatory contracts and high fees. And finally, steer clear of any company promising overnight riches. Successful affiliate marketing requires patience and persistence. Achieving financial freedom takes time and effort.
PayPal is a third party service provider used to facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers worldwide. Users register accounts with eBay Inc. and link their bank account for instant deposits. PayPal offers three different levels of membership depending on the volume of transactions processed daily. Each level provides varying degrees of benefits, including increased transaction limits and faster processing speeds. Currently, PayPal charges a flat 5% fee plus 30 cents per sale. Additionally, PayPal recently introduced PayFlow Pro, a new product allowing users to accept debit cards directly from their PayPal balance. With Payflow Pro, users receive the same features offered with standard PayPal accounts plus access to enhanced fraud detection capabilities and improved security measures aimed at preventing unauthorized withdrawals.
Although PayPal itself is generally considered safe, scams involving stolen login credentials occasionally occur. Therefore, it pays to exercise caution whenever entering sensitive information online. Also, beware of phishing attempts targeting PayPal logins. Phishers lure unsuspecting victims into giving away confidential information such as social security numbers and passwords. They sometimes masquerade as legitimate entities operating official PayPal Webpages. If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately contact customer support by calling toll-free +1 888 999 6100 or visit https://www.paypal.com/webapps/support/.
So now that we've explored how much money bloggers can realistically hope to make from their blogs, let's talk about how much they currently make overall.
According to U.S.-based Freelancer's Union estimates, the median American freelancer earns roughly $13.94 per hour for his or her writing skills. Whether you choose to subscribe to this statistic or believe it represents an exaggerated figure, it clearly shows that the vast majority of Americans struggle to obtain livable wages. Even though blogs are relatively young, they haven't been around forever. When it was created in 1999, MySpace claimed to reach 500 million users in 200 countries. Nowadays, Facebook boasts twice as many active users, reaching 800 million people worldwide. Since blogs share similar characteristics, they were bound to experience competition sooner or later. Today, thousands of blogs cover nearly every subject imaginable, and although profitability varies greatly, some of today's biggest hits appear to fall somewhere within the middle of the pack.
To illustrate, WordPress claims to host 95.8 million active blogs, generating $6 billion in annual global revenue. According to Technorati, the largest blog network reports 707,000 news aggregated feeds containing millions of individual pieces of content. Meanwhile, Squidoo generates $400,000 per week from ads displayed alongside its lenses, totaling $10 million per year.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.