Interested in blogging for money? Some things might surprise you. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, have a 9-5, or just looking to bring in some extra cash, it helps to get a sense as to what making money online really entails.
For you experienced bloggers… So many of you guys have been blogging a while… 3, 5, even 10 years! You know those little and big truths about making money from your blog. Keep on reading because you'll nod your head the whole time.
The truth is that making money online isn't as beautifully easy as all those Instagram selfies would lead you to believe.
It's a lot more work than just “getting free stuff” or “posting lots of content.” In this post, I explain some truths that bloggers who make money online can certainly relate to.
They're hustling when you're sleeping
The most successful influencers, bloggers, biz owners, whatever you want to call them get up early before the sun rises. Or work past the start of the evening news. Or both! Like a night owl/early bird hybrid creature.
Many of us have kids or other jobs that keep us from working a lot during the day. Other people hustle morning, noon, AND night because they're just so passionate about their blog that it doesn't even feel like work.
Whatever the scenario, bloggers who make money carve out work time throughout the week. No blogging on a whim and hoping the moola rolls in.
They pay more expenses than you think
Running a blog that makes money is essentially running a business. And when you run a business, you have to pay for things to help your business run.
Some bloggers spend hundreds of dollars a month on online tools to make blogging more productive (my faves are right here).
Some bloggers might earn $15,000 on a product launch, but spend $6,000 in Facebook ads.
Some bloggers go to conferences to increase their knowledge and network with like-minded smarties.
And all bloggers who make money online are paying a hefty amount in taxes.
When it boils down to it, you either have to spend money or spend time to make money blogging. Simple as that.
They have multiple income streams
Most bloggers will tell you they don't make money just from ads or only from sponsored posts. They earn an online income from a variety of ways, including:
- Affiliate income
- Ad income
- Sponsored blog content
- Sponsored social content
- E-book sales
- E-courses
- Consulting or providing other type of service
- Coaching
In addition to income made ON or FROM the blog, many bloggers don't rely 100% on income just from their site.
They are freelance writers. They have clients who come from word-of-mouth referrals. They work part-time or full-time jobs (I work part-time as Social Media Strategist for Burt's Bees myself).
Hands in lots of pots, I always say. Many pots.
Their success took time… sometimes years
Spend a few minutes looking at pins about blogging on Pinterest and you'll see things like “How I earned $5,000 a month in six months of blogging” or “How I made so much money blogging the first year that I quit my job, moved to Tahiti, and now take selfies at the beach.” Okay maybe those aren't EXACT titles, but you hear what I'm saying!
You might have gotten into blogging thinking you could make money just by slapping some ads up and writing blog content. But there's so much more to it than that. And it's rarely an overnight success.
They have an inconsistent income
Most online influencers of biz owners don't make the exact same amount each and every month.
A blogger might make $20,000 one month on a launch or product push, but $1,000 the next. Or maybe they technically make a steady $3,000 a month… but that new brand partner is paying NET90 so they have to wait for the money.
A really good month can mean squirreling away that extra income for months when things are a little slower. But it's rarely the same each month.
You ever wonder why online business owners do income reports sporadically? Sure, it's partly because they take forever to do. But I'm guessing it's something because that $50,000 product launch looked great in March, but the $4,500 in income the next month isn't nearly as impressive.
They often have help
You visit a website of your fave blogger and see their headshot smiling back at you from the sidebar. Immediately, you might assume she's a one-pony show.
She might be! However, she might also have a graphic designer, virtual assistant (VA), contributors, or other sorts of awesome peeps working with her.
At some point, most bigger bloggers need help… and there's nothing wrong with it. How many companies do you know that are run by one person? If you're a growing blogger, but struggling to get it all done, seriously consider hiring some to help… even if it's for a few hours a month.
Finally, I'm going to end with one final tidbit you might find pleasantly surprising…
They might not get a ton of pageviews
Sure, more traffic increases the LIKELIHOOD of making more money, but the truth is more pageviews do not equal more income.
I ended last year with HALF the traffic as the year before, yet Blog Clarity generated over 70% more income! My traffic decreased because I spent most of my time updating my courses instead of blogging, but it didn't matter.
And in one of the most popular posts on my site, I share a tidbit about one blogger who earned $20,000 one year in affiliate commission with just 2,500 unique visitors/month.
Pageviews can be an important metric in showing brands how much traffic you get, but they aren't the end all be all.
Take Action!
“Blogging for money” isn't as easy as people might make it seem. But you CAN be successful!
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Hey- I'm Melissa! I'm a mom, side hustler, online course instructor, and brand marketer. I run a 6-figure blog helping online biz owners find their a-ha moments with can-do tips, tutorials, and online courses. I also work at Burt's Bees as the Social Media Strategist (yep, it's as cool as it sounds). Jump start your biz productivity with my free worksheet!
Preach!! This was right on target. Weekends are my BEST time to create new content and earn money, and I have done that for years! Sometimes people don’t realize that we truly are working around the clock (but we do get the freedom to take time off when we want!).
Exactly! I do lots of evenings after the kids are in bed too. Sometimes I am only able to peck at things little by little throughout the day!
This is so true, Melissa!
Before I became I blogger, I had no idea whatsoever of how hard bloggers work and how many hours and how much money they need to invest in blogging as a business (at least until they start blogging smarter!)
You can earn a great blogging income even with a small number of page views. We spend so much time getting caught up on the blog traffic numbers that sometimes we miss seen where the true growth is!
I’ve been blogging for 10 months and just launched my first product, with that immediately my attention turned more to the course than to blog so my page views are lower than usual because I haven’t been posting as much as I used to but my income has increased because of the course!
Awesome post!
Exactly! Lower pageviews but increased income. It often happens that way!
As always, great post, ladybug. <3
Thanks, girl!
I know I had some incorrect assumptions, but my biggest incorrect assumption was starting a blog and thinking it would stay the exact course I started with. I’ve learned over the last two years that I have to be willing to evolve and change to suit my followers and visitors if I’m going to make money. I learned ‘blogging’ wasn’t my best option, but running a ‘website’ was. Ever since changing to fit the needs of my followers, I have found great success.
That’s a great point, Kelli. I started my first blog years ago about kids and the outdoors. While I love the topic, I’m more passionate about my profession in content and social media marketing so this blog topic ended up being a better fit for me. And you’re right it’s more like “running a website” not blogging.
Honestly, I’m not even sure my family knows I make money. Lol. It’s a good thing I have two kids, otherwise they’d think I’m just lazing around in life. I mean, it’s good that I have my kids either way, but they do help me not look unemployed to outsiders.
I definitely, definitely had the wrong assumptions. I thought I’d blog a little, the Internet would immediately love me and rain the dollars down on me. I never imagined it to be so much hard work.
Raining dollars would have been great though! LOL. You’re right– so much hard work!
Couldn’t agree more with this post. Everyone thinks that because you’re doing something you’re passionate about, and that it is online, that it should be easy. Wrong. I’ve always blogged, of course for fun, until I really wanted to change direction on what I was blogging about and creating a business around this. It is constant hard work with little sleep, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Thanks for providing some tools I can use to redefine and get more organized.
You’re welcome! Not easy, but easier to keep going when you’re passionate about it for sure. I wouldn’t trade it either!
Really great post as always. I never thought I’d make a ton of income but I did think I’d make some. I didn’t realize how much time, effort and behind the scenes work there really is. You need to spend time or money is so true. Everything adds up online to run your site just like in real life. Thanks for bringing to light how this really works 🙂
You’re welcome! And yes it all adds up!
Thanks very much for sharing these. I’ve been blogging for a bit longer than a year and haven’t made a penny! I often get discouraged by all of the “make 100,000 in one month” posts but the reality is, as you discuss in the post, it’s not always that simple. I appreciate your honesty!
No problem! And some sites are easier to monetize than others for sure– no one size fits all that’s for sure. That’s why I get irritated by those who push the ONLY way to really make money is to create a course. That’s ONE way, and it’s worked for me, but I know many influencers making six figures mainly from sponsored content.
Hi Melissa,
This post rock!
Blogging takes time and money for it to work. It doesn’t just write and slap some ads then you will earn the moola. NO! It needs some massive amount of effort to do those. We should open the eyes of the newbies that traffic is not everything, smart marketing is king when you want to earn full-time income from your blog. You just have to be smart!
Keep blogging,
Jan Limark
These points are right on target, Melissa. Each blog has its own niche and we all make income from different income streams. Really, it’s all about the time and effort you put into something to make it successful. I have been blogging for almost a decade now, and I still need to learn something new everyday to make my blog better. But I don’t mind because i enjoy it and I make income form it! Thanks for such a very insightful post!
Thanks for posting on my blog and welcome to Pink Saturday. I love all your pinks and you have a lovely family! The gift from your mom is awesome..
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for sharing such a realistic view of blogging. You asked, “Do people in your life think “blogging for money” is easy?” My experience is just the opposite. My friends and family don’t think I should expect to earn money from blogging.
While the purpose of my blog isn’t to generate income, it would be nice to earn enough to cover expenses–and perhaps a bit more to compensate for some of the time I spend on my blog.
I just discovered your site today, and I look forward to putting your advice into practice.