Today’s post comes from Kelly James-Enger is a Chicago freelance writer and author of more than a dozen books, including Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success (Writer’s Digest, 2012). She also works as a ghostwriter specializing in health, fitness, nutrition and wellness topics, and is a popular public speaker. Read her blog, Dollars and Deadlines.
Do you blog? Are you making money blogging? If not, it’s time to start. You can turn your blog into a money maker or write posts for pay for other blogs — or both!
Let’s take a quick look at how to do each:
How to Blog for Yourself
To create a blog that will also produces income, you’ve got to have a blog that people will want to read, whether your purpose is to entertain, inform, educate or do all three. I suggest that you do plenty of brainstorming before you launch your blog — or try to make money from a current one.
Ask yourself: Who is your target audience? Why will people read your blog, and continue to read it? Why will advertisers pay for ads? In other words, what kind of value will your blog have?
Your blog’s sole purpose need not be to make money. I launched my blog, Dollars and Deadlines, to sell copies of my freelance-related books, to attract potential ghostwriting and collaborating clients, and to build my platform as a freelancing expert. Everything on the blog relates to its tagline, “Helping nonfiction freelancers make more money in less time,” so readers know what to expect.
I only make a little bit, directly on my blog, about $15/month though Google AdSense. Other bloggers, those who draw much more traffic than I do, can make hundreds, even thousands of dollars a month selling ads on their blogs. But my blog has helped me sell hundreds of copies of my books, expanded my platform, and attracted new clients. I’ve also started repurposing material from my blog into e-books. So does my blog make money? You bet.
How to Blog for Clients
The majority of freelancers who blog for bucks, however, are probably writing posts for other blogs or websites. According to my recent survey of fulltime freelancers, 49 percent blog for pay.
Once you have some experience, look for potential blogging gigs. You may already be following blogs you want to write for. To find more markets, use Google.com blogs to search for sites on the subject you write about. Check the blog’s guidelines to see if its publisher accepts posts, and whether (and what) it pays.
Most blogs pay a set amount per post, as little as $10 and up to $250 or more. While these rates may be lower thanother online publications, many freelancers find they can write for the same site over and over, which makes for steady work with little or no time spent pitching.
Check your target blog’s guidelines for submitting work. Many blogs prefer to see a blog post instead of a formal query letter. If you do query, boost your chances of getting an assignment by highlighting your knowledge of the blog’s subject area, and your own experience .
Tens of millions of people blog for fun. Why not blog for bucks too?
I had adsense on my Montreal on the Cheap blog when it was active. Google discontinued it because of “suspicious activity.” I argued it but One Must Never Argue With Google. They never reinstated it. Bummer.
I have blogged for clients too. Luckily, because of my niche, I’ve been able to be paid pretty well for those blog posts.