Professional Blogging

Posted by Colin Clark on Nov 11th, 2008 | Comments home title

What does it mean to be a professional blogger? There are different definitions, and different ways to monetize your blog. Personally, I didn’t start this blog to make money, I started it to be famous (though I do hope the two go hand in hand). I’m not saying that you’ll never see ads on my blog (everything has its price), but I’m certainly not going to put Google ads or anything of that nature up here. What are the ways a blogger can make a living doing what they love?

1) Put up ads. Though pay per click advertising seems to be at a bit of a standstill right now, it is still possible to make ‘a little’ bit of money off your blog by using Google ads or a similar service IF you already have a ton of people visiting your blog. We’re not talking ‘put your kids through college’ money here.

2) Get your blog sponsored or SELL space on your blog. This is a better alternative, because you can actually go out and solicit companies or organizations to pay you to put an advertisement on your blog and you get more control over the terms. Again, you’re not going to get much money if you’re not getting a lot of traffic

3) Become a consultant. Say you’re good at writing blog posts. You can always ghost-blog for companies or organizations who need to blog but lack the infrastructure to do it themselves. You could also just sell your expertise and help organizations set up their own blogging programs if they’re equipped to provide the content themselves. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that much about social media.

If anyone else has any ideas please feel free to share. For now this blog will remain just a fun expression, but keep in mind. Everyone has his price. I will let you buy space on my blog for ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Though keep in mind I had only 18 hits last week.

cclark

Word Tristan, word. Thanks for the comments. I don't think that many people really read. I read a book every 1 to 2 weeks, and I think it makes you a sharper person (I'm such a snob). But seriously I agree with your comment.

Tristan

Colin, to answer your first question, I'd say being a pro blogger means being a pro writer. Very rarely (ever?) do you find someone making decent money on a blog who sucks at writing.

I managed and wrote for a blog for a very successful nationwide (soon to be international) company, but the only reason I was given that opportunity was because I worked for the company's magazine, too, writing and editing stories and other multimedia content.

So if someone thinks they can write whatever they want in an unprofessional manner, throw it on a blog and make money, they should think twice and take some writing classes at the very least. And they should read, read READ! Few things make a person a better writer than reading.

End of public service announcement.