I was recently trying to explain to a friend new to the concept of affiliate marketing how I made money from blogging.
For this post, I’ll use Sugarrae specifically as an example of how I make money by blogging since most people blogging primarily to earn extra cash (or a full time income) are doing it via one personally branded blog (which is what Sugarrae is for me).
Understand Readership comes First, the revenue later
Making money through blogging is not an instant process. You need to focus on readership first and revenue after you start to develop a readership. Am I saying you should launch a blog with no idea how to monetize it? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Unless “back pats” and comments pay your bills, you need to have an idea of how you plan to monetize your blog before you start building it. But it can’t be THE focus from day one. Start with a plan regarding what niche your blog will target, what demographics your blog will serve and what topics and programs you’ll be able to turn to in order to monetize it.
That said, understand that in MOST cases you’re going to work on your blog for months before you start to see even an insignificant amount of revenue coming from it. Results will vary based on any “personal brand” you’re starting out with and how hard you work at PROMOTING your new blog.
When I originally started Sugarrae, there were NO ads on it. My primary concern was building my personal brand and not creating a revenue stream. I’m not saying you should IGNORE monetization. I’m just saying you need to understand it is on the back burner compared to building an audience in the beginning.
For this post, I’ll use Sugarrae specifically as an example of how I make money by blogging since most people blogging primarily to earn extra cash (or a full time income) are doing it via one personally branded blog (which is what Sugarrae is for me).
Understand Readership comes First, the revenue later
Making money through blogging is not an instant process. You need to focus on readership first and revenue after you start to develop a readership. Am I saying you should launch a blog with no idea how to monetize it? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Unless “back pats” and comments pay your bills, you need to have an idea of how you plan to monetize your blog before you start building it. But it can’t be THE focus from day one. Start with a plan regarding what niche your blog will target, what demographics your blog will serve and what topics and programs you’ll be able to turn to in order to monetize it.
That said, understand that in MOST cases you’re going to work on your blog for months before you start to see even an insignificant amount of revenue coming from it. Results will vary based on any “personal brand” you’re starting out with and how hard you work at PROMOTING your new blog.
When I originally started Sugarrae, there were NO ads on it. My primary concern was building my personal brand and not creating a revenue stream. I’m not saying you should IGNORE monetization. I’m just saying you need to understand it is on the back burner compared to building an audience in the beginning.