Blogs don’t make money, bloggers do!
Written by Nico on March 4, 2009 – 2:46 pm -You see this same question over and over again: how can I make lots of money with my blog? Especially on the a-list blogs. People want to know how these bloggers pulled it off to become so popular and make mad money with their blogs. Like the question, the answer is also the same each time: you don’t!
There’s no money in blogging, sure there are a few that reel in the cash, but there are millions of bloggers that don’t make any money at all, or at least not nearly enough to justify the time they spend on their blogs. Try to blog for money and you will be frustrated pretty soon. In stead, treat it as a hobby, hobbies cost money. If you do it for a few years, maybe, you can turn your hobby into your job.
As soon as you stop worrying about the number of visitors and the number of ad clicks you get each day, blogging becomes so much more enjoyable, as a hobby should be. Readers will notice a positive change in your writing and before you know it, positive things will happen.
I am running a couple of different blogs, one of them never got too much attention, but these last few weeks I have been feeling very positively about it and really enjoyed working on it. Last week I suddenly got an e-mail from an editor of a printed magazine. He liked the information on my blog and wanted me to write for the magazine!
I know, it’s not the jackpot, but I got a few hundred bucks for about a days work plus very targeted advertising for me and my blog to 70000 magazine readers. Plus, they liked my writing so much, that they offered me a regular column in the magazine.
It’s stories like this that the big bloggers will also tell you: the blog doesn’t make the majority of the money, but it helps the money to find them.
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Tags: blogging for money, make money, Start Blogging, why blog?, Writing
Posted in Start Blogging, Writing, make money | 30 Comments »
March 7th, 2009 at 2:06 am
@Nico: I partially agree with you. I was reading about Robert Scoble on techcrunch and indeed the guy is now bigger than his blog and rakes in a lot of money.
I say partially because boingboing.net is not ‘one’ author’s blog anymore
Congrats on getting a regular column with the magazine. I hope you will get similar loyal readership there.
BTW, you should remove your name from Top Commentators
March 7th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Thanks! And good point about the top Commentators!
March 15th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Sometimes a blog isn’t the right path… Sometimes one needs a website that can become an authority as time goes by. Your point about hobby is very clever. People are fooled by “experts” who claim that anyone can become rich in a few days… That’s why people blog for money. And that’s also why plenty of websites are closed in 1-2 years after start.
March 20th, 2009 at 4:58 am
the post title is simple SPOT ON! There can’t be any greater phrase to say in the making money online niche than that. Brilliant!
May 7th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Bloggers don’t make money because they listen to the A-listers, which have a vested interest in misleading their followers. When it comes down to it, internet marketing is all about building links. Without this key ingredient, you will get nothing accomplished.
May 31st, 2009 at 9:17 am
i think you only need work to make money
June 27th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
This post needs to be a mandatory ready for everyone trying to create spam blog sites!
July 14th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Successful Blogers use blogs as a lead capture mechanism not as a direct money maker. “The money is in the list” as they say. Use a blog to attract visitors and then give an incentive to get their contact info and then market to them.
July 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
I would say the 70,000 exposure might end up being worth more than the $ in the end. Not for making money, but for the enjoyment you get of seeing your readership and PR increase!
July 14th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
If you’re blogging to make money then make sure your site is set up properly and you optimize for the right keywords. SEO is as important as providing great content. Be weary of where you get your information from as well. There is far too much bad info that people follow.
July 14th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
This is so true. This is seen in that so many bloggers write about making money online, while it seems like 90% of them know nothing about it. Writing about something which you know more about and like, and you should be miles ahead…
July 14th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Is it trully about money? Are we going to far? It used to not be like that at all a few year s back.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:53 am
That’ a great point the title is telling you the how it realy is.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:22 am
With the endless hyping of make money blogging ebooks, membership sites, courses, etc. is it any wonder people fall for it?
These would be bloggers will spend an average of 500 US dollars learning the “secrets” to making money blogging, before they wise up and realise its all a pipe dream – they’ll then probably fall for the next dream somebody sells them
July 15th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I agree with “Jan the fish” a blog really isn’t the best way to go at all. Having your own website, and being an expert (on whatever your website is about) works out a lot better financially for most money makers. Although if you can’t supply honest and valuable information or goods then you’ll probably be no better off than someone trying to make money blogging.
July 16th, 2009 at 5:53 am
Is true, millions of bloggers actually dont make a cent from their blog..
I guess alot more effort and hard work need to be done.
Thanks for the awesome post.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
The problem is that we are all lead to believe that you need hundreds of blogs with thousands of visitors to make money. This spreads us way too thin and instead of quality it becomes a game of quantity – it does not work that way
July 19th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I think you a pretty much spot on with this one… A blog should never be seen as the tool to make money – because it will never work unless you do a hell of a SEO job and alot of internet marketing. And even then, to be honest, I think you can find alot of other more gaining internet marketing strategies..
I think blogging should always be seen as a hobby, and a fun thing to do. Then it might be giving in the long run..
But interesting post, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the subject.
July 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Your post is very good in that it is the mind of the person who has the blog that makes the money, not the physical (or maybe not-so-physical) blog itself.
As soon as blog owners understand this, and use their blogs for themselves, rather than trying to make their fortune all at once, they may attract a different audience and that way become, through less commerciality, more accepted worldwide. And who knows, with a few years or more of blogging, where this will lead?
There are riches within this world other than making a vast fortune, and being able to express yourself freely is one of them.
So if I was to make a small profit to cover my time, then I would be truly grateful.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I could not agree more with this post, people (the ones making spam blogs anyway)need to realize that you should actually contribute to the internet instead of trying to take from it. When you add value for your visitors, you will inevitably end up making money.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Many people interested in internet marketing are seduced by the promises of tons of money and free time. It takes time to build assets…that’s what blogs are. You have to create value to eventually make money, just like any other business.
July 28th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Very nicely said. The fact remains that work is what it takes to make money anywhere, even online. The really sad thing is that many wannabes get sucked dry mentally, financially and emotionally. They waste years looking for and working on shortcuts when they should be creating content and becoming an expert.
Get Rich Quick doesn’t work. It usually works just the opposite.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Hey Nico, congrats man, that’s like way cool! Yeah some people can write (well) and some struggle. I for one hate to write when it’s all coming from research, I like the words to just flow from my own knowlege.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I have a little experience blogging and as far as writing content for it and lots of it I prefer to outsource the work. There are plenty of reasonably priced writers now, that if you have your blog/site optimized for monetization it will be profitable. Now, at the beginning, I always right my own articles with a new site until it reaches a critical mass and it can be self sufficient, gets some traffic etc. Most bloggers know about writing but don`t know squat about SEO or how to even promote their blog.
That`s like knowing how to sing but not knowing how to talk to people or sell yourself. How do you expect to make money?
September 19th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
All jobs that we treat with less stress bring in good results as our productivity could be easily enhanced.
You are very right when saying that Bloggin should be treated with less stress; after all we do tend to learn along the way so why to be stressed abot it?
Sincerely,
Kazooli
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:58 am
omg, this exactly answers whats been stressing me. I cant seem to blog just for traffic. The ideas just dont come. In fact now to think about it, if i just blog about what i truly feel, things might just end up my way soon enough.
Judge
October 20th, 2009 at 3:06 am
Bloggers make money because of their blogs. A blogger won’t make any money if the blogs that he created are of poor quality. But which is which, really? Blogs don’t make money, bloggers do. But bloggers make money because of blogs. But blogs are created by bloggers. I don’t know… I think they are just the same. A blog and a blogger is just one and the same I think.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:26 am
the point is that most bloggers are not making the majority of their money from their blog directly, but rather from other activities that found their way to them through the blog
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Though your experience is not unusual that you landed on a magazine writing because of blogging, I still believe that blogging makes money.
December 6th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
making money by blogging is very exciting. i make money on my 5 blogs about fashion and health.
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