is it difficult to make a living writing blogs

Honestly, I'm not sure how one makes a living blog writing. I suppose you could use ads, but you would need a massive readership to make that pay. After about a year, I've got 374 strangers that follow my blog, which I think is fantastic. That's a lot of strangers to want to read what I write, but it's nowhere near the thousands it would take to make adds on a blog pay.

Am I missing something here? Other than ads or a donate button, I don't know any way to make a blog pay. I never really considered my blog as a potential source of income, I just like writing it. I feel lucky that people take the time to read it, I can't imagine anyone paying for that privilege. Not my blog, anyway.

I have friends who make a living off their YouTube channels. But they are visual/performance art people, and I'm not.

I don't even have corporate sponsors for my art and writing blog; the ones who've asked, I wasn't convinced they fit, and I wasn't willing to cede control. My blog does indirectly earn money, I suppose, since it's a central point for fan fiction readers to learn more about my original fiction, and gallery owners/clients to see what new art projects I've been working on.

I can say that the blog and related activities have been some of the best passive branding I can buy, for the monthly connection fees to CenturyLink and what I pay to Domain.com for hosting.

Of bloggers who make real money, I've seen some who got book deals adapting their blogs. But that requires a topic that is accessible and interesting, in the first place.

cmeffa said:

Is it difficult to make a living from blog writing? Not really sure how one goes about this? Any good info I can seek out?

Click to expand...

Yes. And if you start in the current crowded marketplace with very little knowledge--even more so. It is not something I would even endeavor to make a full time income with health insurance cover etc. Even the best tend to diversify when they can because internet-traffic based income is inherently unstable.

veinglory said:

Yes. And if you start in the current crowded marketplace with very little knowledge--even more so. It is not something I would even endeavor to make a full time income with health insurance cover etc. Eve the best tend to diversify when they can because internet-traffic based income is inherently unstable.

Click to expand...

Good point. I read an article that spoke of even some of the big name bloggers having trouble getting traffic these days, simply because nowadays there are so many blogs out there. It seems like everyone and their cat has a blog.

Well, I started freelancing for similar reasons. But it's hardly easy, and it's not regular money. I'm doing seven weeks of work right now, but there might not be anything after that.

cmeffa said:

I was trying to figure out how to make money from home. I am unemployed and trying to find a way to make money online. It is difficult for me to get a job outside of the house at the moment due to some issues that I prefer not to discuss on a public forum. I was wondering if anyone might have any suggestions or know of any good info? Thanks to all the replies. It is much appreciated.

Click to expand...

Freelance writing is your best shot, but not writing blogs. It takes a while--identify your area of expertise, build up a portfolio by writing for free or horribly low-paying content sites, then start querying editors at professional magazines or websites.

There's some good discussion about this over at the Freelance Writing forum.

There's a forum for that, too.

cmeffa said:

Thanks to all for the replies. I was wondering what are some low paying content sites that would be a good start? Sorry, I don't have much knowledge of these things. Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I write for content sites on the side and under a different name, fairly successfully. But I would say: definitely not. Content writing might help people develop a few remedial skills but it stopped being a way to make real income for most people about three Google algorithm changes ago. And if you want to become the few who make a lot of money, you need to own your own site and start seriously learning about webdesign and full contact SEO.

I made a little money off my blog when it first launched. I was paying for FB post and my travel guide was selling as a PDF off the site.

I have advertisements, but they were all friend deals.

Now my traffic is dead, but I hope to get it going one day soon.

www.gotocolombia.com

cmeffa said:

Is it difficult to make a living from blog writing?

Click to expand...

Yes.

Blogging is not (normally), in itself, a paid activity.

You need a monetization-method, and a realistic traffic-generating plan. There are many options available, for each of these.

There are large numbers of people doing this successfully, but they're still rather a small proportion of the people who try to do it.

The overwhelming majority of people who actually make a living from it have a prominently incentivized opt-in-form on their blogs, and are deriving the income as much by "email marketing" to their subscriber-lists as from the blog itself.

cmeffa said:

Not really sure how one goes about this? Any good info I can seek out?

Click to expand...

I think reading an "internet marketing forum" might help/interest you.

I really need to write more blogs but I never have the time.

It's difficult for sure, especially if you have no knowledge of how to monetize your blog. I'm one of those people that got a book deal out of my blog, but even then it turned out to just be some nice side cash, certainly not a living. I've gone through everything from ad networks to direct sell advertising to Amazon affiliates and even in the height of things I don't think my niche was ever big enough to come anywhere close to making me a living.

I do love blogging though, and I've made myself a lot of great blog reader friends along the way.

WriterBN has a good point. A regularly updated blog with quality writing is a great asset to have if you ever decide to take up freelancing.

Most content sites that I know of do not ask for a sample. If they do it generally need not be published. It is to show that you can write a coherent piece of non-fiction.

You can start with non-resume sites like hubpages. Other than that, make a one page CV with anything relevant.

This post has a lot of great advice! I suppose a blog may be profitable if going after one low competition niche with lots of content. (A website I read for inspiration does that with a specific video game - onlinefanatic.com)

"Dear Diary" blogs disappear, as do ones with lots of competition. If a blog is geared towards achieving a different conversion though, this may be a way to go. For example, helping sell a specific book or getting people to listen to an online radio station?

I am nowhere near an expert on this, as I am just making 50 cents per day on my blogs.

Be warned of schemes out there! There are a lot of backlink networks that will get you a short gain, but sink your long term goals. Google has no problem stomping out black hat tricksters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum_vitae

Curriculum Vitae - CV.
A biography for work.

Find a standard template online. Basically your contact info, education, any work you have done in that area, any experience that is relevant.

Blogging alone is not a good way to earn income. Now, if you have something to sell, blogging can draw attention to your products and your online store.