Making Money off your Blog

by Caz Makepeace on July 10, 2011

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There is constant talk around the blogging circuits, no matter the niche, as to whether you should be making money off your blog.

The answer to that question is simply this.

Do what you want to do and forget about what others are doing.

What is your purpose for blogging?

Where do you see yourself going with this in the future?

If you are not clear on your purpose and why you are doing this then you are going to go around in circles, frustrating yourself because you can’t catch your tail.

No clear purpose equals no clear direction.

Are bloggers selling out by accepting advertising?

I think this is the most bogus claim I’ve ever heard. Most of the time you will hear it uttered by those speaking from the place of fear and insecurity. They don’t see it as being a reality for themselves so they try to justify that by making the idea of making money from your blog cheap and dirty.

Do you hear these comments made about normal print and TV advertising? Do you understand how unethical this can be at times and how much money is made from these sorts of ads? Traditional Media doesn’t really have a unique and personal voice and is not backed by a honest and trustworthy figure.

Yes, there are untrustworthy and dishonest people running blogs. Stay away from them. I’ve never once yet given money to a blogger who has not provided me value in return. I am happy for them to make money.

Just think for a minute what a blogger’s job description is. They are not just sitting in their PJ’s spewing forth their thoughts. Here is a run down of a blogger’s titles:

Publisher, editor, copy-editor, writer, marketer, social media marketer, customer relations officer, salesmen, PR, human resource officer, designer, website coder, traffic analyist, project manager, creative ideas manager, student, gofer, coffee fetcher, accountant, photocopier, counsellor, coach, whiskey pourer at the end of day.

I don’t mean to be judgemental, undermining or critical, merely wanting to throw a thought out there to those who think making money off a blog is somehow unsavoury?

What do you think this is telling you in reality about your thoughts on money?

You think it’s dirty? You think people can only make money by being cheats, and sell outs?

If you think this way then you are going to frighten money away and you’ll never make any.

Or do you really think that you don’t deserve it?

Because you do.

Blogging Goals

I’m not saying that making money off a blog should be everyone’s goal. Not at all. For some people, they really want it to be a place to share with their families and friend or just for themselves.

This is fantastic. Their purpose is clear and I am sure they are not concerned with how others are choosing to follow their purpose.

For others, blogging is a passion also, but a passion they want to make their everyday reality. They want to make money off it so they can continue to do it each day, and do it better than they ever have.

It is difficult to provide value to your readers and be the best you can be when your time devoted to blogging is split between the demands of a job.

Making Money off Blogs

I want to make money from my blogs. I want to make money, not for the money’s sake, but because this is my passion This is what I believe I was born to do. I believe I have a lot I can share and I can help a lot of people. If I can’t make money from this then eventually what I can offer to people will dwindle away, swallowed up by the stress and demands of a job I can’t stand.

Every day I am filled with creative ideas on where I can take my blog and what I can offer to people, and then I am called up to work eight days straight teaching. I can’t say no as its great money and right now the money is important for me to survive.

I go to work, I spend my day getting told to fuck off and get stuffed. Children don’t listen and the lunatics run the asylum. No one learns anything, I come home a bundle of nerves and desperately unhappy about my life and the state of society. I come home exhausted, spend time with Kalyra and then by the time she is in bed, I have a few hours to do as much work as I can before collapsing in a heap.

I really don’t get a lot done, my passions suffers and I cannot do what I love to do in order to help more people.

My happiness dries up, I feel like quitting, and all of this affects my relationships with those around me.

Why wouldn’t I want to make money off my blog?

Anyone who provides value, who does what others aren’t willing to do, who desires to live their passions, and who plays full out deserves to be rewarded.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with making money doing what you love. That is the best way to make money. You have to make it anyway, why not make it doing what you love? Shouldn’t this be everyone’s goal?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with making money period. There is nothing dirty about it, nothing cheap, there are not traps or deceitfulness associated with it. It is not the money that does these things, it is the people choosing to do things in the wrong way.

As long as you are doing it right then go make some money doing what you love.

The majority of bloggers I come across provide tremendous value and are authentic and honest. If they are not I just don’t follow them. Of course there will be self-serving shady bloggers out there, but there are self-serving shady people in all fields online and offline.

I’ve met and studied a lot of weatlhy and successful entrepreneurs. Each of them give back a tremendous amount. As they say, “The more I have the more I can give.”

Money and Satisfaction

I’ve made a lot of money doing jobs that were just jobs- no passion or love behind it. I’ve made little money through my blogging passion. Making the little money has given me more satisfaction. Why wouldn’t I then want to make more?

I’ve also had a lot of money where I can do whatever I want, and I’ve also been broke where my life became severely restricted. Guess which one made me depressed, stressed, miserable, and had me sobbing almost daily? You think this is good for my health, my relationships, my sense of peace?

There is nothing wrong with money. It is not evil nor dirty . My wish for everyone is they can make enough money doing what they are passionate about so they can live their life in fulfilment based on desires not needs. Ultimately in the end this will bring the most benefit to our world.

Companies Working with Bloggers

I am so tired of my inbox being flooded every day from businesses and companies wanting me to use my platform to promote their product.

Could you imagine if I contacted a major brand and said “I have an amazing product XYZ that your readers will love. I am not going to charge you for this article I have written about it. I just want you to publish it for me and promote the shit out of it for nothing. But, I am sorry I can ‘t give you a link back to your site. Let me know when it’s published and I’ll tweet it for you”

What is that company going to say? Would I get a reply?

Why do these companies think it works that way for bloggers?

Do they think that for the past 14 months I have existed on barely any sleep, that I have given up a life to use every spare minute on my blog, that I put myself out there every day and expose myself in ways that are extremely uncomfortable to build my platform and presence just to promote their products for free or for pittance?

Sorry. I have busted my guts to get to the place where I am now, and I will continue to bust my arse to move higher and higher. I deserve to be rewarded accordingly just like any other musician, sports star, business woman, politician, journalist, author who has done the same.

Make it Win Win Win

I have a voice, a voice that is authentic and reliable. A voice that is friendly and helpful. Making money off my blog will never change this. I will always be true to myself and what I believe. And I will only work with those companies and products that I value and I think can offer my readers something that will help them.

Win..win..win..

As long as you always keep this in mind there is nothing wrong with making money off your blog. You can still provide value and make money off that which you offer.

It is crazy to think that this is a sell out. Why would people want this for you?

Honestly, those who think that aren’t really the people I am writing for anyway. I am writing for those who wish to live an empowered life and follow their dreams and who encourage people to do the same as well. This includes those who don’t want to make money off their blog and are happy doing what they do and are happy with what others choose to do to suit their purpose.

So when the question pops up for you answer it is in this way

What is my purpose for blogging?

Am I being true to me?

Then who cares what others do as long as they are being true to themselves as well.