Do you make money blogging and if so how did you start?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Marinka on April 4, 2009 at 8:43pm

I do make some money blogging, mostly through an ad network--BlogHer. I recommend signing up with them early on, because they have a wait list in adding blogs to their network. Good luck!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amanda E on April 4, 2009 at 11:02pm

Like, Marinka, I am apart of the Blogher Ad Network. You have to wait for an open season to apply and you have to have existed for more than 90 days. Some folks don't like them, because they restrict product reviews and paid posts. I don't do either of those, so I don't mind. I also like they pay for the number of impressions. So the more traffic you get, the more money you make.

I also sell ads. i didn't make any money from them for the first 8 months. Once I got established and had more traffic I started charging for them.

I would check out problogger.net and read everything on that site. That is how I learned. Good luck!

~Amanda
www.themomcrowd.com

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kim Cantrell on April 6, 2009 at 3:18pm

I am relatively new myself. While building up traffic, I use affiliate programs such as Amazon to make some money. I also signed up with ProjectWonderful too.

Eventually I hope to do more product reviews with advertisers (even free samples have monetary value). And, as my traffic increases, I will do more advertising.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tess Moody on April 7, 2009 at 7:43am

I have a question about Blogher. Do you only make money when they click on the ads?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by JeanetteM on April 10, 2009 at 12:12pm

I've been making a little money blogging. I started out doing sponsored posts at the recommendation of some blogger friends. I signed up with PayPerPost, Blogvertise, PayU2Blog and the like. Money started coming in steadily until Google stripped my page rank. Luckily, the blogs I was doing paid posts in were on Blogger. Now the money has dried up on paid blogging. Plus, I wasn't really happy with generating paid posts/reviews. It sounded too fake to me.

Now, I am relying more on ad networks like BlogHer and FoodBuzz. Now I can write what I want the way I want and still make some extra money. My Google Adsense earning has been slowly increasing too, so that's one plus to cultivating the blogs I have and increasing traffic.

@TessMoody yes, you make a little more when people click on BlogHer ads. They have a CPM and CPC rates, I think.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Shynea on April 10, 2009 at 7:40pm

You make money for each unique page impression.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Shynea on April 10, 2009 at 7:43pm

I do make money blogging. I started out building up my traffic and my readership before I started putting ads and such on my site. I too am a member of BlogHer and I have liked them up until now. They have made so many changes to their policies that it is restricting what I set out to start my blog for in the first place.

I have also signed up with several other sites that pay for each click or each sign up.

The only advice that I have is to stick to being true to yourself. If your blog is mainly about your family, then don't put ads on your site for cars. If you are writing about money saving tips, then it wouldn't be wise to advertise a $400 piece of jewelry.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kelly Razzano on April 10, 2009 at 8:39pm

I have been blogging for almost a yr and making money from selling advertising on my own. There is a good article on how much to charge for advertising on MomBloggersClub if you search for advertising. I was using advertising similar to Blogher, but wasn't making much at all, pennies a day. This way I see money right away.
I learned to list rates for a month or 2 at a time and state that they will change as I grow so people know they will change.
I put an advetising with me button on my blog and people have found me to advertise on.
Hope this helps. Good luck!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amanda E on April 12, 2009 at 10:47pm

Payment is based on CPM (Cost per 1000 Impressions, M is the Roman Numeral for 1000). For every thousand views you ear X amount of dollars. So the more traffic you have, the more you make. You don't make anything extra if someone clicks on the ad.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amanda E on April 12, 2009 at 10:55pm

I have read that article. It is great. I need to let people know that rates may change during the initial sign up. That is a good idea! Thankfully, I just increased my rate with one advertiser and she signed up for 3 more months.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Christine Mack on April 13, 2009 at 12:37am

I am with Foodbuzz.com as well. But you have to be a food blogger or mostly at the very least. You basically are a magazine and in that sense you have to think like a magazine. I was in corporate sales for 7 years so I know a thing or two. One..you have to go and knock on some doors....people will be seeing Etsy artists on my blog for free..if they give me something for a giveaway...I have a plan to do an online store. It takes work and determination AND you have to keep your integrity. If you do the pay per post everyone will know. To me blogs are started because of a passion. If you want to make money...never ever forget your public. Always give back. And if you get too big for your britches you might want to reign it in. I know several blogs..even ones in here and are super popular can't even name their fans. I really believe you have to work for your base and then with their support forge ahead in giveaways and such that have something to do with your blog. You don't want to alienate your base. Plus..blogging takes a lot of time up. So you have to plan for that. Time is money. Also try PR firms. You are considered a journalist so you can sell yourself as one. I personally am part of two PR firms. It does take a while to matriculate but its worth it.

Good luck to you.

• ▶ Reply

Joined March 2012Permalink Reply by NATALIE JORDON on March 12, 2012 at 4:42pm

Hi Kim!

What's the exact name of the Amazon affiliate site? Thanks. jordonnatalie@yahoo.com.

Kim Cantrell said:

I am relatively new myself. While building up traffic, I use affiliate programs such as Amazon to make some money. I also signed up with ProjectWonderful too.

Eventually I hope to do more product reviews with advertisers (even free samples have monetary value). And, as my traffic increases, I will do more advertising.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion