There is a certain appeal to blogging for money. It’s a dream for some; start writing about your past time or hobby, gain a massive following online and quit your day job to work out of your home office for a few hours a day. Generally it’s the dream of independent income doing something that you love and having extra time to pursue other interests; more money, more time, less stress. That’s the misconception, or perhaps the pipe dream fostered by high profile success cases. And there are high profile cases where people have succeeded and made blogging their main income source, enjoying the fame and fortune of the successful. The problem is that this isn’t everyone. The average blogger probably won’t become that ultra-successful case study. However, the simple answer to the question of ‘can you make money blogging?’ is a resounding yes, but with some caveats.
Ok, so I can make money, but how much?
Probably less than you’d like, at least at the beginning. Blogging is a business venture, even though you’re likely not making a significant monetary investment, you are investing your time and skill. Like any new business, starting out is the hardest. Do not expect overnight success. Income for new bloggers comes from affiliate programs and advertising, both of which require that your blog attracts readers. To have readers, you need to have content that interests a target readership. You also need to market your content, as a product, to that readership. All of this takes time and all of this takes effort. You are building a brand from scratch and inviting people to ‘buy’ into it. In today’s world, time is one of the more valuable resource peoples have, it’s probably easier to convince someone to spend £1 on a product than it is to ask them to commit 10-15 minutes to read through a blog article. Once you’ve gained reader’s trust, and built up a following, that’s when blogging can make money. How much money is largely reflected in how much time and effort you’re willing to put into it.
Alright, then what kinds of blogs make money?
Stick with what you know. Don’t research to find a topic that you think might be marketable, instead blog about things that interest you. If you’re a landscape photographer for example, you could blog about photography. If everyone tells you that you have a beautiful home, then maybe interior design is your area of expertise. People have made viable blogs on gardening, travel, finance, video games and movies, shortlists and fashion. If you’re an expert in something, then likely someone else would like to benefit from your expertise.
Yes you can make money blogging. When you start out, expect nothing, or a few pounds a month. As you put effort and time into your blog, expect more. How much more is debatable. Blogging is a job and success is determined by the effort put in. Like any new business venture, expect huge time input for small or no monetary gain to begin with. If you stick with it, however, it is possible to be successful blogging. Just don’t quit your day job just yet.