This is the second in our month-long newsletter series about blogging. If you missed the first part, "Should all writers have a blog?", you can find it in the newsletter archive here:
One of the questions that I've seen crop up again and again over my almost-decade of blogging goes something like this:
"Can you really make money from a blog?"
"How do blogs make money?"
"How can I monetize my blog?"
Here's the short answer:
Yes, you can
make money from a blog.
Plenty of blogs do make money, including many blogs run by individual writers.
However ...
If you want to make money from a blog, it's important to understand how blogs bring in an income (and sometimes a very good living) for the people who write them.
Advertising and Affiliate Revenue Only Works for Very Large
Blogs
If you have a big blog, you might be able to bring in money through the blog itself: essentially, through running adverts and/or promoting affiliate products.
While there certainly are sites that succeed this way, all the blogs I know of that are run by individuals (and small teams) make money in a variety of other ways too.
Selling Your Books, Products or Services Can Work
for Any Blog
Most profitable blogs don't actually make money in and of themselves. Instead, they're an effective marketing tool for a business.
As a writer, your business might be:
- Writing, publishing and selling books (these could be ebooks or physical books, or both)
- Freelancing for other businesses
- Editing or proofreading for independent authors
... or a whole
host of other things.
Your blog exists to showcase your expertise, to help new potential customers find you through search engines, and to create a loyal readership who will buy from you.
I no longer run any advertising at all on Aliventures, or any new affiliate promotions. But the blog is far from a waste of time! It brings in readers, some of whom will eventually buy an ebook from me (like one of the Blogger's Guides) or join my Writers'
Huddle site. In the past, it helped me find freelancing clients (I've now got to the stage where all my freelancing is with existing contacts, and I regularly have to turn people down).
So if you're hoping to make money from blogging, think about what you can sell to your readers. Have you got a book finished (or nearly finished)? Are you available to freelance? If so ... make sure your readers know about it!
Next week we'll take a
look at one of the big questions that stumps many bloggers and writers: what should you blog about?
