Last week’s article in the Wall Street Journal revealed that my blog earnings are in excess of $250,000 per year (a very ballpark figure).
The problem with these type of articles is that they report in a few words just one element of a story – in this case my earnings.
While it’s true that I have built my blogging to a point where I’m able to earn good money blogging there are many things that an article like the one in the WSJ didn’t (and couldn’t) mention about how I was able to build my blogging up to this point.
The impact of this missing ‘back story’ is that much of the reality of blogging for money goes unseen by those looking at blogging as a potential income stream – leading some to naively enter into blogging with false expectations.
Of course when these expectations are not met things can get ugly with disappointment and anger being a common reaction. What disappoints me as a blogger writing on this topic is that I regularly see other bloggers feeding their readers with hype and false hopes about how easy it is to make big money from blogging. This only adds to the distance between their reader’s expectations and the reality of blogging for money.
The Reality of Blogging for Money
So what is the reality of building up one’s blogging to a point where they can make a full time living blogging?
Here are five facts that I’d like to share about my own story to give a more realistic picture to those considering getting into blogging as a way to make a living.
1. It takes a concerted long term effort
I have been blogging for five years. The first year was not for money in any way (although I learned a lot about blogging in that year) and the next two I worked 2-3 jobs at a time (and was studying part time) while I built my blogging up from a hobby, to part time job to a full time venture (more on my story here).
I’m often asked things like – ‘I need to make $xxxx in the next few months – how would you do it with a new blog?’
The average age of blogs in the Technorati Top 100 was over 3 years when I last surveyed it – while the occasional blogger has a fast rise to frame they are the exception. Building a successful blog takes a long time (it takes time to build readership, to work out how to monetize it etc) so take a long term approach and pace yourself.
2. It takes luck
I won’t speak for other bloggers but in my case I was very fortunate on many fronts. I started blogging at a good time (it was a lot less crowded and competitive back then).
- I stumbled on making money from blogs quite accidentally
- I started my first money making blog on the spur of the moment and picked a topic (digital
- photography) without knowing what I was doing – but for the time it was right)
- I met the right people at the right time
- Bigger bloggers discovered me at opportune times
The lucky list could go on – but I was very lucky. Of course some people ‘make their own luck’ and to some extent I agree with this – there are ways to increase your chances of being lucky – but some of it is outside your hands. Sometimes the luck comes and sometimes it doesn’t.
3. It takes a lot of work
There’s been a lot of talk lately about how blogging less can mean more from your blog (example 1 and example 2). While I agree with this – that doesn’t mean you can just come up with a few posts on a whim every few days and expect the traffic (and money) to come rolling in. Over the last 3 years I’ve consistently worked 40-60+ hour weeks on my blogging. At one point I was posting 20-30 posts per day (mainly news related posts back then). Most bloggers that make a full time living from blogging work corresponding hours on it.
4. Many don’t make much money blogging
I’ve often used the analogy of Professional sports people to highlight that in any ‘game’ there are many who play it – less who make a little money from the game, even less who are able to earn a living from it (just) and just a small group who make big money from it. The same is true for bloggers. I’ve run many polls here at ProBlogger on how much people are earning from the medium (eg) and on every single occasion they reveal that the vast majority of bloggers are making very little per month. While it is possible to make amazing money from blogging the sad reality is that most don’t make more than pocket money. Even some blogs who ‘deserve’ to make money blogging don’t.
5. It’s hard
One thing that I’ve found to be common with when I had small/new blogs and now having blogs that are doing reasonably well is that in both instances it can be really hard to keep them going. The pressure to keep coming up with fresh ideas, to respond to critique of others, to deal with jealousy when others do well and more can be difficult to deal with. On some levels it gets easier to deal with as your blog grows – but on other levels the demands that you face from a larger readership can at times be overwhelming. Most bloggers that I know (big and small) have at one point or another been close to giving up – I know I have.
Feeling Depressed?
I don’t want to put a downer on those of you wanting to take your blogs to a level where you could make good money from blogging – the fact is that it is possible and and increasing number of people are making a part time or full time living from the medium – but I do think it’s important to have a realistic picture before getting into blogging for money.
While some bloggers do talk about blogging as a way to make quick money I’ve not had that experience myself. Perhaps others do get rich quick from blogging – but I’ve not met any successful bloggers who’ve told me that yet.
Great post, and something to counteract the hundreds of myth-selling blogs around…
If money was that easy to get, then it wouldn’t be valuable in the first place. And unless you inherit it or win it, most methods to get it involve a lot of hard work…
It’s why so many ‘Get Rich From Blogging’ sites never seem to disclose figures, or share the tips that they claim give their competitive edge – leaving so many just regurgitating the same basic advice.
I’m just glad I only blog for the community aspect and any money I make is a bonus!
True indeed. I guess people should expect that blogging is just like any other project or venture.
Success comes after hard work no matter what.
There are no shortcuts.
Managing expectations of clients and members who come to us after reading articles like that is one of our biggest jobs.
People tend to focus on headlines and blurbs and say “Hey, I’d like to make $250k too!”
And with that, they are off to figure out how the internet ATM machine works and where they can get a card. That’s where they meet the dirty 4 letter word: WORK.
And that’s what keeps us established bloggers from having to compete with too many others because most just shrink like a violet when they realize you didn’t get where you are today without some very serious effort and dedication.
(The luck helps too!)
Blogging really isn’t the best way to make money. My advice for most people is: If you are in it for the money, do something else.
Congratulations on the article! I think you should take pride in getting three paragraphs in a WSJ article!!! So cool!
I know I learn a lot from your site. I do wish you would bring back you video sessions I learned a lot from those as well.
Cheers
A lot of people just turn in there 2 weeks and then start there blog, you’re right you need some planning and years of hard work behind you before you even make any money rather even build an audience.
It’s so true. I’ve told people that if earning money at home were as easy as some like to claim it is, we’d all be rich. It’s not, and that’s a reality to be faced. You have to work for your money no matter what you do. A few may hit it lucky and work less, but most won’t.
Often what is overlooked / misunderstood is the meta-economy of blogging. While I don’t make much on the blog site itself, it makes the phone ring for my consulting firm – with people telling me they have read every post before calling.
Gracias Darren!
It’s good to see my reality check is similar to yours… That would mean I’m on the good track.
I’ve been blogging “for free” for almost 3 years. Last September I’ve decided to take a more serious approach with my blogging and I made a series of radical changes. I keep on working, reading, learning and giving extra hours every day… Who knows some day I’ll be able to earn a living of my weblog.
Hasta Pronto!
Darren,
People are not limited to “traditional” blogging–as you have mentioned before, capturing leads has become an important part of your blog. I wonder if you had started by focusing on leads you would have made more money sooner?
When I got online in 2001 I didn’t even know what a blog was, but I basically blogged. I wrote 3-5 articles a week, syndicated them through things like Yahoo Groups and used them to attract subscribers to my newsletter.
While it took me about 6 months to build enough experience and following to make a solid living, it came relatively quickly.
I think one difference is that I focused early on capturing “subscribers” (as you mentioned earlier this week) rather than simply trying to get people to read. By 2004 I was earning over $23 a year per subscriber. I never focused on my writing as a source of advertising income, I focused on lead generating instead.
My two cents.
I think another thing people don’t realize is how they will screw up 10 times for every one success… you cant get dscouraged
I’ve been blogging now for over 5 years. Only within the last year I have “made money” on my blog. The money is paying for my holiday this year, but it’s not enough to manage a full time income on.
I get tired of reading how “easy” it is to make money with blogs, or online in general. Many of them are bordering on scams at this point. Great reality check, I think that says a lot coming from someone in your position to talk about how hard it is and how much work it takes.
I believe you put it best in a post about setting goals for your blog (I think this was a video post from a while back). It’s best to set daily goals for your income. Start small…maybe $1 a day from online activity. Once you hit that goal, try to double it and earn $2 a day. If you fire up a new blog and try to instantly make $250k a year you will most likely fail miserably. There are a lot of numbers between $0 and $250k that I would be happy to earn from my blogging efforts!
I thought I could get rich quickly from the internet, so I quit my job only to find out that I had to work harder than when I had a day job. Sometimes working until 4am. Only after 6 months did I start to make enough money to make a living on the internet. And I still have to work hard to maintain it.
If I look back I might choose my dayjob because it was way easier. But the perks of working for yourself just beats that by a mile.
I’ve been trying to make money on the internet for over ten years and I’ve only had limited success. Things are looking better right now, but I know it’s going to take a lot of hard work. Fortunately, I’ve got a pension and don’t need the income right now and I’m going back to work short term as a contractor. However, I’m going to keep plugging away at this as long as I can continue to enjoy it. Thanks for another interesting and straight forward post.
Perseverance is key for a successful blogging. But you also need confidence in yourself. Confidence implies knowledge.
Making money for blogging is easy if you have the right knowledge. But, usually, the knowledge is a combination of education and experience. And the experience implies time. Of course, if you have a lot of money, you could build a successful blog in less time (or maybe not) by promoting your blog, but experience will be always invaluable and you cannot buy experience with money.
Darren,
Very well said. I can’t begin to tell you how many blogs where I see the same thing. Granted, I am not going to point fingers. But on my blog, I preach the same thing as you are doing in this post. And that message is, “This is NOT an easy business. It is something that can be reached, but you have to put in a lot of time, hard work and superior decision making… and yes, luck.”
Wonderful post and I’ll be sure to use this as as a reference for the many who are inspired to make money blogging.
Best Regards,
Garry Conn
Well said. I don’t see myself blogging for major income at any point, purely because of the amount of dedication it requires. However, I do see myself still blogging in at least 6 months’ time – something a lot of people might fail to think about when they decide blogging’s a good way to ‘get rich quick’.
I’m with Scott. Blogs aren’t, for most people, a great way to generate money. But, they are a fantastic way to build trust and relationships. Once you’ve built that trust, there are plenty of ways to make money that are much more lucrative than ads.
It’s about time you wrote a post like this Darren … I’ve got one coming up myself … which could be even more depressing for many people … but then again … there’s nothing better then the truth….
Lex
IMHO: Readership success comes from good content and proper use of the available tools and channels – which is another way of saying “hard work.” Monetary success comes from that plus luck, as you mention. It’s like any business – you hope to get out in dollars what you put in in time, plus a little if your lucky or especially gifted. If you can view the money as a nice perk for doing what you love, then you’ll be in a way better mind set. I’m excited that I made $10* this weekend. It’s more than I made before I monetized. *(Not an exact figure.)
I am so happy this post was put up on your blog, now maybe the thousands of scams that persist on the net will begin to have some light shed on them. As with anything in life, one has to work hard, persevere through the hard times, learn as much as one can, and have faith in themselves, but it is hard work and time that are the most important to understand.
:-)
Finally someone, and it had to be you, to say what is true about making money with a blog.If there is one thing I am sick and tired of it is the bloggers out there talking about the get rich quick things you can do with a blog. Thanks Darren for your honest post.
This post is a good example of why I read this blog – you are realistic, not idealistic. I think many people get too caught up in the money game and fall to realize the hard work that goes into a successful blog.
Judging from the comments, I think many others are glad to see a post like this as well.
So many people are looking for the quick buck online and this is no exception. I don’t make much money on blogging, but I do have an online marketing career and there is NOTHING trivial about it. It is a lot of work and requires you to treat it as a business, not a hobby like many people perceive. Your income does not surprise me because I can see the hard work is evident in the quality of blog that you have created…matt
It took me 20 years of hard work to build my first mail order business to the point where my website had 2 million hits a month and a 6-figure income at it’s peak. If I can do the same with blogging within 10 years, I will consider it a job well done! LOL
I’m sure having a truly successful blog, such as yours, can be extremely stressful. Occasionally, when I have a small burst of success, on my site, I suddenly feel pressure to perform. I guess handling success comes with the territory, you seem to deal with it well. As far as the reality, of get rich quick online schemes, a few months blogging should squelch that notion.
Item #4 is especially relevant.
Similarly, people might be surprised to hear that there are only 200 novelists in the US who can support themselves by *just writing novels*.
I feel bad for all the many people who seek fortune in the creative arts thinking it is a good living because the top earners are so highly exposed, when in reality the vast majority are unable to even earn a living wage off it.
Darren, thank you for writing such a realistic and honest post. I must say, one of the things I most enjoy about your Blog is the honesty and integrity of your writing. Compared to the complete and utter BS that some write about making money through Blogging, your posts are delightfully refreshing and much appreciated. Thanks again. :-)
One can always spot the successful as they give much credit to luck.
Luck tends to follow hard work and putting yourself in the right places, but it’s still luck and timing.
I’m in my 30th year of developing real estate and only in the past 8-10 years have I made what some would call a substantial income. I would define that as enough of an asset base to where the income therefrom yields enough to never having to tap the assets and making more money than one can reasonably spend. It allows me to start this new enterprise in hopes that I will make some money someday, but it’s not going to change my lifestyle either way.
I’ve been lucky to have been in the right place at the right time and to have had fantastic partners. I think Darren would essentially say the same thing.
Lex – “It’s about time you wrote a post like this Darren ”
Actually I’ve written this post numerous times over the last 3 years.
The problem is that they are quickly forgotten and often brushed over by the majority of readers. Not having a go at anyone – I just think that sometimes people read what they want to believe and they’d rather read a post saying that they can make money quick than a ‘reality check’ post like this.
I guess reality is just not as sexy as hype :-)
Anyway – I do appreciate everyone’s comments!
It’s good to see that you distinguish yourself from all these get rich quick “gurus”. I am sick and tired of reading e-books and blogs full with digits and exclamation marks.
Blogging is business and like most businesses it’s not easy. And like in business, most startups fail.
Thank you so much for the truth !
I’m 8 month newbie and I’m making about 60 to 80$ per month with adsense ( I’m posting my earnings everyday on my blog like John Chow :) ), people who can’t make a dime ask me how I did it, I told them I posted a lot for a few months, that it’s not easy because you don’t know if you’ll will ever get rewarded.
What I love the most in your post is your honesty about luck: so many people who have success rarely recognize that it plays a big role.
You’ve been blessed, Darren, but you have also been a blessing to so many others. I was just asking myself — do I really want to make money blogging? Writing, yes, but blogging? It is very hard and very time consuming and so different than simply writing and selling your work.
While it really didn’t dampen my enthusiaism for my blog(I don’t think that was your intention) I do appreciate the realistic view you’ve given here. Disappointments and setbacks are easier to deal with when you anticipate them and therefore have a plan in place.
When peopIe learn that I make money blogging, I often find myself explaining that while I now make a decent amount of additional income from my own blogs and through a flat fee corporate gig, I also work a fairly large number of hours on it. Thus, it is not “easy money” and my “pay” averages out to an OK, but not overly impressive hourly rate. Average in all of the inital unpaid hours over the first months when I was getting started, and my average hourly rate would be pretty darn low! Unfortunately, too many fall into the trap of thinking that blogging can be some sort of easy road to riches.
It definitely takes more hard work to become a full time blogger now than it did a few years ago. Some very good examples, Darren.
Too bad WSJ linked to problogger.net and not https://problogger.com. Are we the only one’s aware of the difference? Good to see you have your 301 up, otherwise the IBL would have been wasted. :)
Side note, when posting the above comment, it timed out and said “ERROR
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I am on a T-3, so it’s not me :)
I read this entire post from top to bottom, including the side trips. Your story is inspirational to those of us who love to blog but seem to be all alone out there in the wilderness. We would quit if we just didn’t love to write so much. I am happy for you for the 250k. I would be happy right now with just the six bucks a day…
An honest assessment. Much applause. Let’s face it. Making money in this world is very difficult. So many people competing for the same commodity. Very few win lotteries and even some of them lose it all before too long.
Everyone wants what you have once you have it. I see blogging as first of all learning to produce something people need or enjoy. Quality content. Second would be building loyal readers. That is the only stat that really interests me. And maybe down the road make some money. But I don’t think you can ever really focus on that. It’s like trying to look at those little spots on your retina. If you look at them directly they go away. But you can see them out of the “corner” of your eye.
Enjoy life by learning to enjoy things that are simple and cheap. Blogging is a joy because it is an inexpensive way to reach thousands with our thoughts and creative efforts.
Wordpress has done the world a great service. And bloggers who help us to blog are doing the world a great service.
When you do that you will find the money finding you. You don’t really have to look for it.
Thanks for the reality check, Darren. Most of what I read on money making blogs is how I can get rich blogging with only minimal effort. I hate to think how many new bloggers fall victim to this recent addition to the long list of get-rich-quick ideas. I particularly like your analogy with making money as an athlete.
This is why I keep coming back to ProBlogger. You provide honest information without the hype. Thanks!
Lots of good points and congratulations on getting to where you are. I started off blogging for money in October last with the very optimistic of making a living from it but I haven’t managed to make more than a part-time income from it yet. In a way it is encouraging to hear people say how it takes years. It makes me feel better about where I am after three months.
Wonderful post as usual, Darren!
Thank you.
Darren : true ;) I didn’t browse all the archives … I could have guessed though …
@Darren you could write 50 posts on how hard it is to make a great blog, but all it takes is someone to throw people a bone by saying blogging is the magic bullet to becoming successful online and your common sense posts mean nothing anymore.
It’s kind of sad really, but people are hopeful creatures and common sense doesn’t often apply in internet land.
Thanks, Darren, for saying this out loud one more time. It’s a message that can’t be repeated enough. It’s hard to look around to see folks waiting for their blogs to sprout in a few months. As you said, the back story counts for so much on any blog. Even the “overnight successes” have worked incredibly hard to get where they are . . . sometimes their work years before started their blog.
You’re an inspiration.
Liz
thanks for such a real down to earth post about money. i’ve been blogging for almost a year and maybe made a couple of hundred dollars… but i was mostly working on being able to produce quality content and a good following.
i find that with my blog, i play a publisher of many hats… it’s super hard to do that with a full time job. seriously, i don’t think there is anyway to do it, most people say it takes a year… but i didn’t have that experience.
Congratulations on getting mentioned in the WSJ! While I thought it was a good article, I was a little disappointed that the article didn’t mention the points you covered above. It almost made blogging out to be some get-rich-quick scheme – when it’s just the opposite.
For every blogging success story, there are thousands of those struggling to make pocket-change off their blog. And it’s getting harder because there are so many blogs out there.
If someone wants to get into blogging, it should be because they love writing, love the internet and interaction with others through the internet, and have a passion for the topic you write about. If you got that, then you’ll blog regardless of the income factor.
For me, blogging is mainly a hobby right now. Although my goal is to make some money at it in the future. Right now I’m just having fun and enjoying the ride!