Blog your way to the top

[ethiyg]

Hey,

Has anyone become famous (or successful) via blogging? Was thinking it's a good way to earn money, by passing on my business tips and hints.

 

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[Supa]

[HASHTAG]#landfill[/HASHTAG]

stop chasing money, start creating value.

 

[ethiyg]

[HASHTAG]#landfill[/HASHTAG]

stop chasing money, start creating value.

Can't I do both? Creating good content for the internet, whilst making money

 

[Evelio]

Hello ethiyg

I started a blog as a way to help others and it took off, I just didn't have the time to post on a consistent basis, so like most people I stopped writing. Funny enough the blog still adds daily subscribers and continues to get traffic.

When I started to blog I had no intention of monetizing. Some part of me likes teaching and helping so it was my way of giving back. The crazy thing is that I started getting emails from people asking for help on different subjects (best way to generate business ideas), I also got emails from others asking if I had a course or planned to monetize the site...

Moral of the story is: Even though the intention was not to start a blog as a business, by providing value without expecting anything in return (other than the personal satisfaction) I created a value imbalance which was returned to me in the form of opportunities.

Ps. here is the blog I mentioned: http://www.epicster.com

 

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[Newpollz]

Victor Pride: http://boldanddetermined.com/

 

[apexstrat]

Posting valuable informational content can be a good way to promote an existing business

I think most people on here favor paid ads though.

I would stay away from "blogging" as a business in its own right.
You could look at something like http://www.nichepursuits.com/

But you are basically putting your income in googles hands. = no control.

 

[Gsuz]

This guy is a top-blogger as well, might be worth checking out: spartanwarrior.com

 

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[3feetfromgold]

I've started 4 blogs and 1 of them gained some traction. The first 3 blogs I started, I was chasing some sort of monetization (i.e. adsense and affiliate marketing). The last one I did for fun and did not plan to monetize at all.

Funny thing is that the first 3 flopped because I had zero passion for the content and was not in a position to outsource yet. The latest one has subscribers and is growing steadily. I haven't monetized it yet but have plans for info products and affiliates when it reaches enough traffic.

Moral of the story: Unless you can out source the writing, start a blog with something you are truly passionate about and don't mind spending tons of time writing about it. Blogging is A LOT of work but it can pay off if you stick with it.

 

[ethiyg]

Hello ethiyg

I started a blog as a way to help others and it took off, I just didn't have the time to post on a consistent basis, so like most people I stopped writing. Funny enough the blog still adds daily subscribers and continues to get traffic.

When I started to blog I had no intention of monetizing. Some part of me likes teaching and helping so it was my way of giving back. The crazy thing is that I started getting emails from people asking for help on different subjects (best way to generate business ideas), I also got emails from others asking if I had a course or planned to monetize the site...

Moral of the story is: Even though the intention was not to start a blog as a business, by providing value without expecting anything in return (other than the personal satisfaction) I created a value imbalance which was returned to me in the form of opportunities.

Ps. here is the blog I mentioned: http://www.epicster.com

Nice! thanks for the info Epicster Good content on the blog and nice looking too! What template did you use for the design btw? My brother told me about these from 1&1 for a website builder, so I'm happy to go with them, as he knows what he's talking about when it comes to web design, I'm just good at the content side

 

[Evelio]

Nice! thanks for the info Epicster Good content on the blog and nice looking too! What template did you use for the design btw? My brother told me about these from 1&1 for a website builder, so I'm happy to go with them, as he knows what he's talking about when it comes to web design, I'm just good at the content side

Glad you liked the blog. The template is a custom theme I put together using headwaythemes.com. I have gotten a few emails from people trying to subscribe to my list but like I mentioned in the previous post the blog is currently inactive, so there's no need to join the list. I might bring the blog back some day since it seems to be helping people but right now I just don't have the time.

On a side note; I wouldn't focus too much on the design to start with. Try to create posts in the form of solutions to others. If you notice people in your niche are having issues with a certain thing, then give them the solution... Guest blogging is also a great way to start right now if you don't have any money to spend on ads to attract some traffic. Either pay for traffic, or do a lot of guest blogging to start or it will take you a really long time to get any serious traffic.

Again, best of luck to you my friend. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

 

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[AndrewNC]

Hey,

Has anyone become famous (or successful) via blogging? Was thinking it's a good way to earn money, by passing on my business tips and hints.

You could create a blog that teaches others how to create a blog. Then you can make courses and books on it to sell for money.

Then when you do all that, you will learn a valuable lesson about business.

How is your blog going to (actually) help people?

 

[snowbank]

Was thinking it's a good way to earn money

What makes you think this?

by passing on my business tips and hints.

What specifically are these "tips and hints"

Are those tips and hints better than what currently exists in the market?


Here's the deal on blogging:

Most people start blogs to make money, like it sounds what you're thinking of. It's not "wrong", but it's not optimal.

Look, a blog is a platform. It's a platform! That's it. It's a marketing channel. What is it a marketing channel for? Your value. Your value can be a product, a service, it can be education, etc... But a blog is just a platform. So, when people start by asking if they should start a blog, it's usually a sign that intentions are coming from the wrong place("I heard I can make money", etc...)

Blogging dollars:

I have a blog. I guess it'd be considered a somewhat popular blog- I get 10s of thousands of visits/month... and I make about $0/month from it. Now, that's somewhat intentional. I mean, my goal isn't to make $0/month with it, but my goal with it isn't money. My goal is to help people think more optimally and profitably about their decisions.

If my goal was to make money fast with it I could start telling people to start blogs and all sorts of other things they really shouldn't be doing, but that wouldn't make me feel very good.

Is starting a blog wrong? No, not at all. I mean shit, I have a blog.

But 99.9% of people start blogs for the purpose of making money because they see a few people in the 'make money' info niche making money and they decide to start a 'me too' blog. That's not going to work out very well.


Here are some great reasons to start a blog:

You want to become a better writer

You want to build a platform for product/service XYZ and you've calculated that written content is the most optimal way to spread your message

You just love helping people at something you're really great at


Reasons not to start a blog:

You want to make money



If your reason to start one did fall under the "want to make money" category, teaching others how to make money should obviously be the last thing in the world to be doing.

Now, the fact that most blogs in the 'make money' space do start blogs with this intention is what makes that market one of the least competitive and easiest to stand out. So, if you enjoy writing, helping people, etc... then it's great to start one and you'll find it very easy because of the low competition.

A good question to be asking yourself would be if those "tips and hints" you have are better than what others are already putting out. If they are, a good second question would be to see if your intentions to start one fall under the "reasons to start a blog" category or not.

If "yes" to both of those, a byproduct at some point will likely be plenty of money.

 

[Andy Black]

What makes you think this?



What specifically are these "tips and hints"

Are those tips and hints better than what currently exists in the market?


Here's the deal on blogging:

Most people start blogs to make money, like it sounds what you're thinking of. It's not "wrong", but it's not optimal.

Look, a blog is a platform. It's a platform! That's it. It's a marketing channel. What is it a marketing channel for? Your value. Your value can be a product, a service, it can be education, etc... But a blog is just a platform. So, when people start by asking if they should start a blog, it's usually a sign that intentions are coming from the wrong place("I heard I can make money", etc...)

Blogging dollars:

I have a blog. I guess it'd be considered a somewhat popular blog- I get 10s of thousands of visits/month... and I make about $0/month from it. Now, that's somewhat intentional. I mean, my goal isn't to make $0/month with it, but my goal with it isn't money. My goal is to help people think more optimally and profitably about their decisions.

If my goal was to make money fast with it I could start telling people to start blogs and all sorts of other things they really shouldn't be doing, but that wouldn't make me feel very good.

Is starting a blog wrong? No, not at all. I mean shit, I have a blog.

But 99.9% of people start blogs for the purpose of making money because they see a few people in the 'make money' info niche making money and they decide to start a 'me too' blog. That's not going to work out very well.


Here are some great reasons to start a blog:

You want to become a better writer

You want to build a platform for product/service XYZ and you've calculated that written content is the most optimal way to spread your message

You just love helping people at something you're really great at


Reasons not to start a blog:

You want to make money



If your reason to start one did fall under the "want to make money" category, teaching others how to make money should obviously be the last thing in the world to be doing.

Now, the fact that most blogs in the 'make money' space do start blogs with this intention is what makes that market one of the least competitive and easiest to stand out. So, if you enjoy writing, helping people, etc... then it's great to start one and you'll find it very easy because of the low competition.

A good question to be asking yourself would be if those "tips and hints" you have are better than what others are already putting out. If they are, a good second question would be to see if your intentions to start one fall under the "reasons to start a blog" category or not.

If "yes" to both of those, a byproduct at some point will likely be plenty of money.

Amen.

(OP, I haven't read your post or any others, only @snowbank 's)



Do any of these questions sound familiar:

How do I make money with Snapchat?

How do I make money with directories?

How do I make money with a blog?



These types of questions are all signs that someone is concerned with the HOW and not with the WHAT and WHY.


Better questions start with WHAT and WHY.



Your *business* makes money, not your blog.

All of the above are just channels. They're just ways HOW to get more leads, customers, sales, and revenue.


I have a blog. You know why? So I can point clients to posts I've had to write so I don't have to keep repeating myself.

I guess a few clients found me through my blog.

I hope I've retained a few clients through pointing them to posts on my blog and demonstrating I know my sh*t.

Because I have a service to sell, I can "make money from my blog".



I dropped a few posts in here about this:

• Clarity of purpose
• The biggest mistake

 

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[Jonathan Boyd]

Amen.

(OP, I haven't read your post or any others, only @snowbank 's)



Do any of these questions sound familiar:

How do I make money with Snapchat?

How do I make money with directories?

How do I make money with a blog?



These types of questions are all signs that someone is concerned with the HOW and not with the WHAT and WHY.


Better questions start with WHAT and WHY.



Your *business* makes money, not your blog.

All of the above are just channels. They're just ways HOW to get more leads, customers, sales, and revenue.


I have a blog. You know why? So I can point clients to posts I've had to write so I don't have to keep repeating myself.

I guess a few clients found me through my blog.

I hope I've retained a few clients through pointing them to posts on my blog and demonstrating I know my sh*t.

Because I have a service to sell, I can "make money from my blog".



I dropped a few posts in here about this:

• Clarity of purpose
• The biggest mistake

Great post @Andy Black. Really helps to stretch your brain to see the bigger picture. Thanks.

 

[Denim Chicken]

I started blogging about my foray into real estate investing about 8 years ago. I built up a decent sized audience, made a little bit of money here and there from ads and affiliate revenue, and then a few years in, I wrote a couple books based about half on the blog content and half new content. The books now generate a substantial amount of passive income, which makes the couple years of blogging well worth the time/effort.

I'm not saying this is the best path -- it took a few years for the effort to pay off -- but it's certainly one that worked for me.

Happy to answer any specific questions you might have...

It helps that you kind of became an authority on the subject particularly flips. Heard you on the bigger pockets podcast. Good stuff

 

[Denim Chicken]

Amen.

(OP, I haven't read your post or any others, only @snowbank 's)



Do any of these questions sound familiar:

How do I make money with Snapchat?

How do I make money with directories?

How do I make money with a blog?



These types of questions are all signs that someone is concerned with the HOW and not with the WHAT and WHY.


Better questions start with WHAT and WHY.



Your *business* makes money, not your blog.

All of the above are just channels. They're just ways HOW to get more leads, customers, sales, and revenue.


I have a blog. You know why? So I can point clients to posts I've had to write so I don't have to keep repeating myself.

I guess a few clients found me through my blog.

I hope I've retained a few clients through pointing them to posts on my blog and demonstrating I know my sh*t.

Because I have a service to sell, I can "make money from my blog".



I dropped a few posts in here about this:

• Clarity of purpose
• The biggest mistake

While I agree, this is only partially true. There are blogs that are actual businesses and have ventured out from the beginning to be such. As well as forums, youtube channels, and such. We live in an age where people have the ability to gather their own audience and content production has never been easier so there are people even teenagers like Marquis (phone reviews) making thousands a month from their content. A blog is a way to distribute that content. So are videos, instagrams, snapchat, facebook. If you have something people want to see then you can monetize, find sponsors, and continually build your brand and make your channel your business.

Now most people will not make it but I'd argue the point that it is the same in any small business. Most people dont do it right. If your blog is truly providing value, whether it's entertainment or content that is really good and you have a loyal following, the money will come. This is true whether you run a video channel, an event promotion or an online blog. The concept of "1000 true fans" is a good concept for people who want to start making money on blogs. The psychology behind monetizing blogs is that you are building a following and a brand. The "product" can be your service or an actual product as stated above, or it can be content.

OP you may want to post it or ask for other people's opinions on why you have no audience engagement. Are your articles crap? Or are they "OK" but nothing different than other websites. Bodybuilding and fitness is a huge and competitive niche and why would I subscribe to your blog if I have T-nation, bodybuilding.com, Fatburning man, paleo niche diet websites, ketogenic, etc? It may be too broad. If you have 20k IG followers you must be doing something right. Maybe find out what content is getting the most likes and follow what your followers value. Maybe you don't even have to write.. maybe your followers just want to see motivational pictures all day long. Then you can monetize your IG followers and drive traffic to your website and sell a branded product like T-shirts and water bottles and what not. Just a thought.

 

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