Today Jeremy Schoemaker from ShoeMoney shares the Tipping Point for his blog.
When I decided to start quantifying what I was talking about by posting some of our earnings it was a HUGE influx of users. Especially the adsense check and Azoogleads check (which was for a magazine not a real check).
Many blogs talk in theories but very few are willing to, or have the ability to quantify their theories.
the adsense check made him
i still have my mouth drop
congrats
I think this is true and it ads a very personal touch to a blog. It’s easy to be untrusting of people online, but when they share personal stories, and show you valid and quantifiable information, you are much more likely to connect with them.
Are you saying Jeremy’s claims are only theoretical?
I remember back in those years when I was part of the UPS club as well (when you earn over 10K/month your check got sent to you via UPS)….quite a rush such earnings can be.
In hindsight, I should have spent more time back then building up a following via blogging rather than site building (or perhaps, spent equal time doing both). 2008 is the year I’ve dedicated to reversing that oversight. :)
Love the series,
Barbara
All about the cheques, I guess it made Shoe as many enemies as it did fans but what the hell.
It’s one thing to talk the talk, it’s another to have proof to back it up. Jeremy’s picture of the large Adsense check was proof that he knows what he’s talking about. It’s influential and makes people want to know more about how he does it. I too am one of those who subscribed because of the picture.
That adsense check is awesome. I don’t know if he still makes that much, but it is a motivating factor for me sometimes.
Having had the opportunity to analyse Hitwise data (they monitor web usage accurately with software installed with ISPs) I know that there are sadly a number of people in this space who are all talk and no trousers.
Building up trust is a tough thing to do online, Im pretty cynical. I guess posting real info helped considerably and I can see exactly why.
Our very own Mr. Rowse has done a great job at earning that trust too, one of many reasons why we all love problogger ;)!
Google check looks great, i wish i got one with 6 zeros!
And about azoogle, look Shoe in Hamer, empty hand :) magazine won’t pay for photoshop master :)
I found Jeremy’s site because of that AdSense check picture. Made me go a big wow.
It’s funny how things like that work. I mean, a check like that in itself proves very little – I can pull in 130,000 bucks from AdSense, but if my AdWords bill (or other costs) runs me 135,000 bucks I really haven’t made that much money. Still, we go wow and send the picture around to our friends.
In Shoemoney’s case, though, I don’t feel silly for doing so. The guy is no noob when it comes to online money making. Seems to me he does make more than he spends. :)
Isn’t it safe to say that by the time you get a check like that, you’ve already tipped in some sense? When was the tipping point that led toward getting that check in the first place?
I would post my Adsense check but Google won’t send one out for only $2.38
Live From Las Vegas
The Masked Millionaire
I showed an $8,000+ check I earned from SiteSell’s affiliate program and that post is still getting Stumbled and linked to today. It’s nothing like Shoemoney’s checks but it still gave me some credibility and inspired my readers. People like to know you are walking the walk.
“(which was for a magazine not a real check)”
Just check what a big difference missing punctuation & wrong sentence structure can make.
I thought it meant that a magazine considered the check fake.
“(which was for a magazine, not a real check)” would still be ambiguous. :P
I don’t get it? I don’t think this is real. Click the link for the Azoogleads check and look closely at the reflection in the Hummer next to him. There is no check…just his empty hands. You can clearly see his shirt and chest in the reflection with no oversized check in front of it. Hoax!
Yea his checks shock me, but they also inspires me -knowing that if he can do it then why cant I!
Totally inspiring. I think a lot of us start blogging out of a labor of love, or at least, that’s what people keep telling me, “Love your site, looks like a real labor of love!” And I do appreciate those types of feedback because it sure beats “Looks rote, what’s special about this site?” But seeing Jeremy holding his check motivates me when I lament, “Oh, I wish I could do this or that with the site, but I would need to hire someone.” Some day I will get to that point…
Well… that was useful. ;)
Even with the earnings he was having, without that classic photo that everyone in the blogosphere can recognize (talk about branding) I doubt shoemoney would be as well-known a site as it currently is.
His site might have a similar number of readers and similar earnings, but I don’t think the name recognition would be there as much as it is.