I am seeing a lot of people thinking of blogging for a living. Perhaps with the economy perceived to be not doing so good, people are scoping out possibilities. When I go to the local Tampa blogger meetup, there are usually at least a few looking to start up their blog in order to make money. On a more personal note, my wife has been thinking about blogging for money, too. She sees me do it. She is a full time mom right now and, like a lot of mothers out there, would like to do something more while at home.
But, is it feasible? The answer is yes, but with a big “but” on the end. Yes, it is feasible, but you have to be passionate about what you’re talking about.
There are a lot of ways to make money with a blog. Most people think of banner advertising, but that is about the worse way to make money with your site if you’re just starting out. Your traffic is going to be low and you’ll be lucky to make a few cents per day, if that. Other ways to make money include:
- Offering products as an affiliate and making a commission
- Selling your own information product which pertains to what your blog is about.
- Promoting your own offline business.
- Promoting yourself in an effort to get hired, perhaps as a consultant.
- Offering a continuity (membership) program offering premium information to your readers
But underneath all of that, you have to really CARE about what your subject is. A blogger with no passion is obvious. It also isn’t going to lend itself well to success.
I am a professional blogger who pulls in six figures a year blogging. I can tell you from personal experience that this is a lot of work. I work more than the 9-5, 40 hour week. Now, there are other ways to do it besides what I’m doing now that would mean less time. The beauty of this business is that it is very flexible. But, it is demanding. And if you’re going to put in that kind of time, you have to really enjoy it. If you’re going into this business just to make money, I think you have a high likelihood of failure.
So, if you’re serious about blogging for cash, you need to choose a topic you are genuinely passionate about and then spend the time necessary to provide real value in your content. And if you can keep that up and take the time to build up your traffic, then you have a platform from which to actually make some money in this way.
It isn’t a lost cause at all. But it is more work than a lot of people realize.
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