Ah yes – this old chestnut. Can bloggers really make money blogging?
It’s a subject I find myself talking about a lot, and it’s often the most popular question I get asked. Last year we did a theme week on ProBlogger.net on that exact topic, where every day we took a look into popular ways to monetize (links are below).
In today’s ProBlogger Podcast episode, we crack this chestnut wide open. It’s the first episode that isn’t in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge, although they’re all still there (and on iTunes) if you’d like return to them, or to begin the challenge for yourself.
We’re kicking off our twice-weekly downloads with the hottest topics, and making money is right on the top of that list.
In this episode I talk about the ways I make money from blogging, and give examples of others doing the same. I also bust a few myths around the subject – namely that it’s the majority making the big bucks online. I think it’s important to cut through the hype and give you realistic advice that will be useful to you. I also discuss what kinds of niches make money, how long it can take, and the four things profitable blogs are generally built upon.
So head on over to Problogger.com or iTunes to listen to today’s Episode 32: Can You Really Make Money Blogging?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Further Reading
- Can You Really Make Money Blogging? 7 Things I know about Making Money Online
- Ways to Make Money on Your Blog: The Money Map
- Theme Week: Make Money on Your Blog by Partnering with Brands
- Partnering with Brands: Advertising 101
- Partnering with Brands: Ways to Collaborate and Earn an Income
- Partnering with Brands: The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Media Kit
- Partnering with Brands: Marketing Yourself
- Partnering with Brands: Putting it All Together and Getting Started
- The Full Blog Monetization Menu: 60+ Ways to Make Money with Your Blog
- Creating Product Week: How to Create and Sell Products on Your Blog
Great podcast,
I find it especially refreshing having your sharing the stats as reality check.
Blogging is NOT the best way to make an income,
an above average waiter at a good restaurant makes more money than a VERY good blogger…
While I think its a powerful way to promote a business its not a great way to build one.
Though I know that we can make a decent amount of money through blogging, but for that you have to be in game for a long time and wait till your blog becomes really popular. But there are some blog owners who claim to make an insane amount of money with minimum efforts, is this really possible?
NO! Most are just bull shiting and lying. Making popular blog with no effort won’t work only if you have really big luck which is like winning lottery.
All bloggers I know which are popular are working for more than 10 hours a day, yet people still think it’s easy money, it’s not. It’s really hard but it seems like it is.
Its good to see that you are helping others to make money,I salute your struggles,Bloggers make money from their blogs by adwords and such techniques,I agree with that but I suggest all bloggers besides making money ,all of you should use blogs for learning purposes and informational purposes.
This seems to be a very interesting episode Darren,
The question of how to really make money from the internet has been rising over time and while some people are making it, others sometimes feels that its all about being lucky.
But i strongly believe that once you do what you ought to do, you will definitely make money. Going to download this episode right away.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Darren, I was so excited to listen to the new episode and, yes, I read the script first, I even went deeper and read some more materials. What can I say, I agree, you can make money with a blog, yet , as you are saying, it is a matter of work and commitment and good choices.
Here’s a story – mine:
I started blogging “just for fun” because I like to write and I like to communicate my thoughts & experiences from time to time. At first I did not know the possibilities a blog could offer, financially I mean. But after a few research I found out I could make money online, by blogging. However, I was absolutely aware that money will not come just by magic. I subscribed to Google AdSense soon enough and to Adwords too (but well..traffic makes the difference there :) ) I was even considering affiliation, and did some research on this area too. But, as I was very busy at the time (2 full jobs and my family to take care of ) I did not publish constantly and did not bother too much. So, I am the happy winner of 0,74 Eurocents with my old blog ganduritiptile. After I got my job in France I was a little unsure about how to go on blogging, as many of my friends here find it hard to follow a blog in English, no way to read it in Romanian..so I switched to English for a while anyhow. Still no money though, because my job and my commute did not allow me to write too much.
However, as I had some hard time to find a new project 3 years ago, I turned back to blogging, this time by starting to study first. and..My oh My, I DID read a lot, subscribed to a lot of blog&bloggers and saw quite a lot in the blogosphere.
And, yes, after all this journey thru a real tunnel, you were the light. I first found your DPS site, as I am a photography-holic and last year I got my first DSLR – a Nikon 3200, and than I discovered Problogger, both a great great revelation for me. I admit I already knew some things in both photography and blogging, however, learning from you was refreshing as I could and can trust you. And I am not just saying that, I rely on experiences with bloggers and marketers for whom the only purpose is their gain and take people’s money first. And trust me, I saw a lot in the last 3 years. It took me almost 3 years to find you and I have learned from you in the last 2-3 month more than I could learn in the rest of these 3 years form other bloggers.
BIG THANK YOU for all your efforts to put out this exceptionally training for bloggers.
And just as a for anyone’s information, money online, yes, can be done, but not to become quite rich as most of the gooffies out-there are promising. I did made some money these 2 past years, by completing surveys and clicking on adds and reading emails – not a fortune though but covered some expenses like a good perfume or some expensive clothes as I earned some vouchers and cash on my bank or paypal accounts. But as you can figure it out, this too meant an effort and some time spent online. No pain, no gain..that is for sure :)
Thanks again for your excellent posts and looking forward to read and hear from you..bonne continuation, like the French are saying. Cheers! and “a demain”! :)
Hi Darren,
Always love how folks add, “really”LOL!
Like, can you really make money working a job? Of course you can. Why not blogging then?
Oh wait! Bloggers need to make freeing but uncomfortable choices regularly. Like every day.
NOW I know why folks add “really” ;)
Doubt surrounds the topic because few bloggers do the mental work to persist with this gig.
Hard work? That’s for suckers. Smart, persistent work yields the money many bloggers crave and in truth, when you stop chasing money and focus on creating and connecting instead you’ll boost your blogging cash flow quickly.
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
I tried it for about a year. I found it to be a real grind. I wrote articles for a bunch of different businesses in a variety of niches. I found it hard to come up with articles and I got burned out pretty quick. In the end, I decided that it was a great way to supplement your income, but I went to work for a company as an online marketer so part of my job is writing blog articles. I just don’t have to write 3 or 4 of them everyday anymore.
we have a tendency to imbue in our “administrations”. Our particular group revels in serving you at whatever time of the day and that they are prepared to stay a sharp eye on every relegation (be it huge or little) along these lines, no one is left with even a small tad bit of discontent.
Most bloggers will tell you to blog about your passion, this is wrong, you should blog about a Profitable Passion or interest you have. If it was just simply your passion, I would be blogging about something rediculous. Instead I blogged about web design because that is what I enjoyed and knew I could make money from. To give you a good idea of what niches make money, go to ClickBank and click Marketplace and any category they have, are niches that people are selling things in, for example, gaming, health, fitness, design, marketing etc.