Make Money Blogging: Everything You Need to Know
You know everyone thinks we’re fools, right?
To most of the world, blogging is a joke.
It isn’t a career. It isn’t a way to make money. It isn’t a tool for changing the world.
It’s a hobby, a diversion, a fad that’ll come and go. Sure, you can start a blog, but don’t count on it taking you anywhere. That’s just silly.
Just tell your family or friends or coworkers you want to quit your job and make money blogging. They’ll smile politely and ask, “Does anybody really make money from that?”
Yes, they want you to have dreams. Yes, they want you to chase them. Yes, they want you to succeed.
But they also want you to be “realistic.”
If you really want to improve your life, you should get an advanced degree, write a book, or even start your own business, not hang all your hopes and dreams on some stupid little blog. There’s no money in it.
Or is there?
I’m hesitant to say this, but…
This blog is on track to make $500,000 this year
Now let me go die from embarrassment.
You know those people who brag all the time about how much they’re making, just so everyone thinks they’re important? Vomit, right?
Well, sorry, I have to be one of them, just for a moment, not because I want to make you vomit (eww), but because it’s become cool to say you can’t make money from blogging, so you shouldn’t even try. Instead, you should focus on publishing valuable content and building social capital and measuring audience engagement. Nothing else.
And that’s just stupid. Not the oh-look-how-adorable kind of stupidity, either. It’s more of the driving-down-the-wrong-side-of-the-road-until-you-kill-somebody variety.
The truth is, you absolutely can make money from blogging, if you know what you’re doing. It’s easy to measure too. You pull out the calculator, add up all the money people are giving you, press the = button, and Mary have mercy, we have a miracle.
The problem is, most people don’t have a clue. They think you have to sell ads or get sponsors or publish e-books, and they can’t imagine anything else.
Well, I don’t sell any ads, nobody in their right mind would sponsor me for anything, and I haven’t yet been persuaded to publish any books. And I’m still grossing a half-million buckaroonies.
How, exactly?
I’m just running an old-fashioned business using newfangled media. It’s nothing even that original. I’m shamelessly copying the Copyblogger business model, and so is pretty much every other successful blogger I know.
And I’ll sell you the whole system… for a MILLION dollars (insert pinky in mouth).
No, seriously, I’ll give it to you in a moment. Before we get to that though, let me finish my rant about how stupid everyone is.
Why everyone thinks blogs are a joke
Well, bloggers are following the leader, and the leader is trundling right off the edge of a cliff.
Who is this leader, you ask?
The traditional newspaper.
When the blog came along, somebody said, “Gee, look at this nifty thingamajig! People are writing all sorts of neat things, giving it away to anyone who wants it, and building audiences around the topic, kind of like a miniature community.”
Then somebody else replied, “Yeah! It’s a lot like a newspaper. You know, all of those people with popular blogs should put up a bunch of ads just like newspapers do and make some money.”
And the whole world went right along with it.
Nevermind that newspapers are dying faster than cockroaches in a Raid-eating contest. Nevermind that most bloggers don’t have nearly enough traffic to interest advertisers. Nevermind that readers HATE ads, and they immediately distrust everything you say the minute you install them.
Instead, everyone just followed over the edge of the cliff, cheerfully singing Money (That’s What I Want), and when they hit bottom, the world blamed blogs, not the intelligence of so-called blogging authorities who believed modeling a dying industry was a good idea.
It’s not. It never was.
So the answer is selling e-books, right?
*beats his head against the wall*
NO!
Yes, it’s a better idea than selling advertising (whoop tee doo), but it has the same fundamental problem:
Let’s say you have 100 subscribers. Having always wanted to write a book, you settle down in front of the computer for the next three months and crank out your masterpiece. When you’re finished, you managed to convince 20% of your readers (20 people) to buy a copy for $9.99, totaling $199.80.
You might even feel pretty good about it until a big meanie like me points out you invested three entire months of your life to get that $199.80. You’re now earning slightly more than sweatshop workers in China. Congratulations.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love books. I read several every week. To me, the perfect apartment is the ground floor of the library. No kidding.
But you’re never going to make a living selling a $9.99 product.
I know bloggers with upwards of 10,000 subscribers who can’t make enough money from their books to pay the light bill. To make it work, your audience has to be really freaking huge, and even then, it’s one of the least profitable products you can sell.
So, don’t do it. It won’t work.
In fact, nothing will work until you shift the entire way you think about blogging.
How to really make money blogging
Imagine you’re out at a restaurant with your family and friends.
Everyone is talking and having fun, but eventually the chatter dies down and someone looks in your direction and says, “So, we’ve all seen you working on something on the computer. What is it? Anything exciting?” All eyes swivel in your direction.
From that point, you have two choices:
The most common answer is, “Umm, I started a blog.” In response, you’ll get confused stares followed by five minutes of awkward stuttering as you try to explain what a blog is. When you’re finished, half the table will look at you like you’re an alien, because they didn’t understand a word you said, and the other half will think you’re pathetic, because they did understand every word you said. You lose either way.
Or you can try this:
You: I just started my own company, actually. I finally get to be CEO and call all the shots.
Grandpa: Now that’s the old <insert family name> initiative we all like to see! What kind of business is it?
You: Well, imagine you own a magazine, but instead of filling it with ads from other companies, you listen to what your readers really want and then create your own product line that’s tailored to their needs. And then instead of having ads that just annoy people, you publish occasional articles showing your readers all of the smartest ways to use those products.
Grandpa: That’s brilliant! So, you’re creating product lines for magazines?
You: I’m creating both the product line and the magazine. To save on start up costs, the magazine is online, and most of the first products we release will be digital too, so there are no manufacturing or shipping costs, either. Just pure profit.
They’d be impressed, right?
As well they should be. It’s a smart business model.
Copyblogger.com is making millions of dollars per year from it. If everything turns out as planned, I will have personally made $500,000 from it less than a year after launching this blog.
Now, that’s not normal. I had a few advantages most beginning bloggers don’t have, and I’m also a workaholic who needs no night life or social connections.
But Copyblogger and BBT aren’t the only two blogs using this model.
There are thousands of them. Let me introduce you to one blogger who I think is particularly inspiring:
Meet the Man with the Perfect Life
Ever wish you could work whenever you want, take vacations whenever you want, and spend as much time as you want on hobbies that have little or nothing to do with money?
Well, that’s my friend Johnny B. Truant’s life.
To him, family is more important than anything else.
Instead of getting home late at night, only to say a few quick words to the kids before they go to bed, he has dinner with them every evening without fail, and he usually hangs out with them afterward too.
Rather than going on one or two hurried vacations per year, Johnny takes his wife and kids on five or six or even more, turning off his cell phone spending every minute of every day with them, having fun.
Not to imply that he doesn’t have a life outside of his family, because he does.
Johnny always wanted to be a novelist, so he recently started writing books and publishing them on Amazon. He’s written two already this year, and he’s wrapping up a third, all written in his spare time.
Now, Johnny isn’t what most people would call rich. He does, however, have enough money to do whatever he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it.
And the big shocker?
He does it with a tiny blog. While it’s larger now, Johnny crossed into the six-figure income range with only 2,000 subscribers.
He did it by selling tech services. He set up blogs for people, built email marketing campaigns, and occasionally oversaw the redesign and rebranding of existing blogs.
In other words, he was a freelancer. A very smart one.
To him, a blog wasn’t just a collection of posts. It was the front end of his tech services business. Nothing more, nothing less.
Look around the web, and you’ll find hundreds of other freelance writers, graphic designers, web developers, and photographers just like him. Many of them are doing quite well.
The point?
No matter who you are, you can do this
Assuming you want to, of course.
Some people don’t. They want a job and a steady paycheck and a pension, and the idea of starting their own business is about as attractive as being water boarded.
But some of us want more.
We want to take vacations without having to ask anyone’s permission. We want to travel the world. We want to have enough money to do anything we want.
That doesn’t necessarily mean getting “rich.” It just means building a business that gives us freedom.
If you’re interested in that kind of lifestyle, you should take blogging seriously. Not because it’s revolutionizing the web or replacing conventional media or any such nonsense, but because it’s a vital piece of growing your own small business.
You can do this. You really can. You just have to use the right business model.
And the good news?
This one works like gangbusters.
About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness,” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Boost Blog Traffic, LLC.
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Greetings Your Royal Awesomeness! I hope all goes well in Mejico
Ironically, most people would have tried to sell the advice you’ve given away here for $9.99 as a WSO. Giving it away for free makes much more sense, especially with regard to the business model you’re prescribing of course.
BTW, thanks again for your advice last week about not being boring, it really made me realize the sin I was committing!
Yeah, I’m not a big fan of WSOs. In fact, the entire Warrior Forum community is about 80% worthless, in my opinion.
lol Jon, you’re certainly not afraid to tell it like it is! Yes, I think 80% is a pretty good estimate.
more like 99%.
great article. i’ll definitely apply these to my other sites.
I just love your advice, direction and motivation, Jon. You just SO rock! I’m going to have to implement the above-mentioned plan. Sounds good to me and sounds as though it would work. I’ve got to create some income streams on a consistent level. Thanks for this awesome post, your Royal Awesomeness! LOL. Love it!
Deb
Thanks for this John and thanks for being the inspiration that you are. ‘They’ (naysayers) use the same arguements about artists never being able to earn a living from their art, but some do it and manage to bring in a very nice income from their work. But there is no formulaic answer that fits all, but there are good practises that can be put into action that will help facilitate success, and you have been sharing those. Thanks for that generosity, you seem to be getting it back a hundred fold, good karma.
Yep, artists go through the same thing. But just look at Hugh MacLeod. He makes six figures doodling on the back of business cards.
Success in anything depends a lot on how well you market yourself. In my opinion, that’s the real reason talented artists struggle. They refuse to learn how to sell.
Wow, Jon — that’s it exactly.
I think there’s a lot of gold in that remark, Jon. Think Betamax – it was a great product with lousy marketing. And where is it today? There are a LOT of great products in the marketplace now (and on the blogosphere). I think it can only help you when your marketing is awesome, too.
Although, when it comes to writing a book, I think there’s a time when you just have to write it – sweatshop wages or not. Sometimes a book is just calling out from inside you to be written. Doesn’t mean you have to sell it – or that it needs to sell a billion copies or anything, but more like if you don’t do it, you’ll regret it forever. I’d love to hear your take on that!
Hey, Jon — after hearing so much about you from Johnny, I’m finally over here checking out the awesomeness. And any article with a title like this WINS the AWESOME BURRITO in my book. Plus the damn thing seriously delivers. Thanks for affirming all of us who have quit our corporate jobs (or the even more incredible people who are doing this alongside a corporate gig) to run this dream down and make it ours. Keep sending the inspiration!
Welcome Lisa! Johnny’s peeps are welcome here anytime.
Sounds good to me, Jon. Lets DO IT! ;D
Awesome article Jon, I really enjoyed the read and it’s very much everything I’ve encountered over the last year, I even sometimes avoid talking about what I do and just say I build websites… which is half true!! I like the way you’ve explained your business model as well really clear cut!!
Hey Jon I’m sending this to everyone who looks at me weirdly in my life because I’ve chosen blogging as the way forward ..;) thanks Your Royal Awesomeness (curtsey
PS- Thanks for this post! This is exactly how I’ve been explaining to people what I’m up to –
I’m starting a new business, going to be providing products and services to help people manage & grow their creative businesses…
And it’s gonna make a bunch of real live money, enough to give me & my family a good life.
It’s not bad, but I still get a lot of confused looks…
But now I can send people this link and appear to be just a little less crazy to my friends and family.
Crap! Sorry, Jo. I responded to your Reply when this should have gone under my own.
Jon,
You never fail to impress with your writing, although I do recommend you take “And that’s just stupid.” and make it a stand alone paragraph. And from seeing your presentations, I know you can do better with fonts.
But publishing your income? That’s awesome. Now if we could only get the breakdown between Guest Blogging and Copyblogger…
Sorry, there’s too much fluff I was not able to get the message. But was there?
So you’re saying that the best way to make money off a blog is to sell materials/webinars, etc. that tell people how to do something that they really want to do?
Yep. Just listen to what your audience wants and then give it to them. Simple as that.
How is that different from selling eBooks, Jon?
I agree with you about advertising but I didn’t really see how your strategy is different from what everyone else is doing.
You can go the advertising route
You can publish eBooks/training materials – that do or don’t deliver.
You can use the blog as a brochure for some kind of consulting/freelance services. The only problem with this model is that it is dependent on billable hours which means it is not leveraged.
So I’m not sure what you are suggesting that is different.
I’m not writing to be critical – I genuinely want to understand your point of view.
I am wondering the same thing as Susan. How do you deliver the information your audience wants in a sellable form? If not an ebook, then what? I don’t see how this model fits in a wide range of niches beyond blogging about blogging. Insight?
What Jon is referring to our things like webinars, master groups, online courses (like Teaching Sells from Copyblogger), workshops, etc.
Listening to your customers means several things:
1) What is the most popular content on your site? Take that and turn that into webinar, etc.
2) What kinds of help do people ask for when they visit your blog? Check the comments, look over any e-mail/tweets/Facebook posts you’ve been given.
3) Ask your list ( I sure hope you’re building one) what they want.
4) Find a real live person who fits the profile of your ideal customer, and pick their head for a while (maybe take them out to dinner first!) what problem have they faced in the last 3 months that they’ve sought help for? Etc.
5) There’s more, but the reason why these are different than e-books is because typically people will pay more for these types of things than for e-books, you can leverage your time, and you can re-use your material and keep offering pretty much the same info year after year.
Just the motivation I needed this morning. As I sat down in my cube, glancing out the window at the rainy day, and then at today’s schedule to dos, I raised my eyes to the florescent light above in exasperation and muttered internally ‘I need to do something different. I need to be somewhere different.’ My blog is my platform, your words my direction. Thank you.
Jon,
Terrific article and so timely for me!
A) I just quit my own six-figure corporate gig to ‘blog’
B) I am Awesome, and Legendary – just saying!
C) I needed a sweet kick in the pants this week to get me redirected so I CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!
Love, love, love the explanation on how to explain your business model – when I quit my job last month I told everyone it was to stay at home with my family, which was somewhat true. I had traveled extensively for work and was missing out on quality time with the family. But I am not one to sit still, and they knew that – so the ones who knew me well enough I let in on the big secret “Psst…I’m starting my own business, going to teach an online class or two AND do some freelance copywriting.” They nodded like they had a clue what I had just said! Loved it!
Keep up the fabulous writing and continue being AWESOME!!
Lisa
Will do. And congrats on becoming self-employed.
Pssst! Hi, another Legendary Lisa! (Would you believe there were 5 Lisas in my first grade class? #1 most popular name the year I was born. I believe we may soon take over the world, regardless of what the Jons and Johnnies think. Perhaps a dark alliance…?)
Just wanted to give you a fist bump and hi five for being Legendary and Awesome and named Lisa. You’re like a triple threat. Both of us together are a… bigger threat.
Anyway, congrats on making the big leap!
Wonderful advice yet again Jon!
I agree that merely by writing eBooks you really can’t make money, instead, you spend a lot of time writing one. Same things goes with books I guess. It’s easy to write and put up one, but how do you get people to buy them, unless you keep running after them and ask them to purchase it, which again isn’t my cup of tea.
I like what Johnny does, he writes, but that isn’t for his bread and butter. He is smart, just as you mentioned, and earns through freelancing. And I love the part that he manages to take out time for his family, which for me is foremost in my life too.
Being a freelance writer I can well relate to this, because we mainly earn through our writing and not from our blogs as much. Yes we can also earn through our blogs, but that does require a lot of other work like guest blogging and keeping your own blog updated and other things. It isn’t easy to manage work and handle a blog, yet many of us are doing it.
Oh yes…don’t we all see raised eyebrows the moment we tell someone we have a blog or that we are making money from that – or even through writing for that matter. Anything done online is looked down upon because offline people don’t really understand the online world, unless they are linked to it somewhere.
Thanks for sharing
I think the key for freelance writers is using your blog as a way to market yourself. It’s amazing how much work you can get that way. Check out Dean Rieck and Carol Tice for examples.
Had to comment just to say I love this line:
“Nevermind that newspapers are dying faster than cockroaches in a Raid-eating contest.”
Brilliant.
And thanks for the good advice, but I have a question—isn’t the idea behind a properly done $9.99 ebook to teach readers to buy from you? To start them on that upward ladder so that later they’ll pay the price for a class or your full services?
I’m not sure how advice like Derek Halperns pricing video (Link here ) fit in with the above.
Also, its worth noting that I do know people selling $9.99 (or less) ebooks making significant income a year WITHOUT a large subscriber base. But that’s because I work with self published authors — at least one of which is now making enough money from her books to write full time and another of which makes $2K / mo on book sales from books she’s previously published alone (and that’s her “side business”).
Yep, that’s the idea, but about 90% of the people who sell e-books never get around to building the rest of the ladder. If you can do it, it works great, but I can count on one hand the number bloggers who have pulled it off. And it took most of them several years to make enough money to live on.
Personally, I’ve taken the opposite approach. I’m building the ladder from the top down, not the bottom up. The prices for my products and services right now are $10,000, $1000, $600, and $500. By doing it that way, I made a lot of money in the beginning with relatively few sales. Now I can go back to the bottom of the ladder as well, releasing some cheaper products and immediately having something to upsell people to.
Hey Jon,
Thanks for the response. I think that makes total sense—but I also think for a lot of people without your expertise, it could potentially be really hard to convince even a few people to spend $10,000 on their services.
I think though that this could probably be scaled down and still work for “the rest of us” so thanks for sharing!
You guys don’t know Jon like I do. It’s pretty clear to me that the reason he ran this post was to get everyone, in the comments, to call him “His Royal Awesomeness.”
Sincerely,
The Guy With The Perfect Life
Dear Guy With The Perfect Life…
If Jon can poke fun at people who invest 3 months to make $199.80, then we can poke fun at him for investing in writing an entire article to get people in the comments to call him “His Royal Awesomness”
I second that remark. No, wait, Jason was seconding Johnny. I third that remark!
That said, I’m interested in your conversion rate here. How many of us are using your royal title already?
You know your audience inside out.
Exactly, Johnny. I’ve been trying to think of a way to saddle him with a pseudonym that would both please him and annoy him at the same time. Any help?
How about “Dances with Ego” or “Chief of Meanness.” Of course, Johnny, I’m only reflecting things he’s called himself so I doubt they would annoy him. Unless they came from me … which they’re not.
I’ve been exposed!
As if you were hiding
I can only call him His Royal Awesomeness on Thursdays, because that’s my day off from being Overlord of the Empire and the only time I can pay attention to him.
Also? Great post. Truth.
Hugs and Kisses
The Girl with a Guy’s Name
Hahaha, James. A girl with a guy’s name, a website with a man’s “name” and an Overlord of an Empire. Gosh, what’s left for you??
So, what else do you do on Thursdays (today!) besides bowing in the presence of His Royal Awesomeness?
I am sooo going to address him as Your Royal Awesomeness on our next call!
Thanks Johnny B.
“Newspapers are dying faster than cockroaches in a Raid-eating contest.” — That line just made my morning.
I’m a full-time freelance writer and speaker who gets almost ALL of her work as a direct result of her blog. And like Johnny, I’ve done this with a small subscriber base (about 2,000 subscribers.)
So yes, I agree 100 percent with the message in your post. I’m living proof.
Awesome, Paula. Congratulations on your success.
Jon, I’ve got to hand it to you. You are one of the internet’s best motivators.
I’ve been blogging for a year or so in an effort to get more people interested in Powerful Thinking on Purpose (discovering how to direct their thoughts and achieve success).
It took me a while to get over my fears that people would make fun of my writing abilities.
I now consider myself a student of the blogging process. Being a student certainly takes the pressure off of me to be “perfect”!
Thanks for your continued inspiration Jon.
Those are big compliments, Wendy. Thank you.
Hi Jon! *wave wave wave*
Can you share with us how you’re making the 500k a year? Is it all from your guest blogging course? Or do you have other products/services? I wouldn’t normally pry, but heck – since you brought it up, I figured I’d ask!
A big chunk of it comes from my guest blogging course, but I’m also selling high-end consulting, a course I created with Johnny, and a new plug-in that launches next month.
I’m so glad you don’t endorse ads. When I stumble upon a blog with a lot of them, I see it as spam and move on.
I have self-published a book (yep, in old-fashioned paper) and anymore I’ve found people are no more excited about you doing that than they are blogging–at least friends and family. As a psychologist, I think a lot of it is envy. They wish they were living their dream and they’re not, so they wish you weren’t either. (You don’t have to be a psychologist to figure that out.)
My question is this: can you be successful creating something like video courses only or do you have to offer one-on-one services like consulting? My full-time job is my family, so I can’t commit to hours more a week. But if I put in most of the work in creating a product, that would be doable.
Well, the answer is kind of complicated. You can be successful with either products or consulting, but most bloggers do the consulting first and then the products second.
Here’s why: if you do a bunch of consulting sessions, you start to hear certain problems everyone is having, and you can experiment by offering different solutions. When you find a solution that seems to work for the majority of people, you can then turn that into a product. That’s how I developed my guest blogging course.
I’ll actually be talking a lot more about this next week on a webinar. Sounds like it might be a good one for you to attend, if you can squeeze it in.
I’ll definitely try to attend because what you say makes sense. I’m curious about how this could work for me. Thanks so much for your reply.
Jon, I mean “Your Royal Awesomeness.” You actually do deserve that title in my book or should I say “blog.” Thanks for speaking in plain and simple terms and putting things in the right perspective.
Hi Jon,
Loved this article! It comes at a perfect time!
Also, I notice it’s not just the blogging that naysayers have a problem with…it’s having an internet related business-period.
Looking forward to more of your posts! Congrats on your success!
Dear YRA,
Yes, this can be done, and yes, it can probably be done by anyone. Whether will want to do it, that’s hard to say. I can only answer for myself, and the answer for me, is yes, this is what I want.
Thanks Jon, for a great start to a great morning.
Thanks for my laugh of the day, imagining you as Dr. Evil!
But seriously…as one of those other people who’s earning six figs off a very modest-sized list, this post sums up so much of what I think about.
You keep hearing you need to launch big! Have 10,000 readers overnight! (And also that blogs are some kind of dabble-hobby.)
And it’s just not true. If you have something people really need, you can make a good living off a small blog. It’s still sort of surreal to me that I can pay all my bills with the business I built on top of my blog — I keep waiting for it all to stop one day, but it only keeps getting bigger. Once it gets rolling, you don’t even have to do a lot of marketing, either.
And forgetting the money, helping other people achieve their dreams is funner than butter. I challenge any day job to beat it for fun and fulfillment. Or vacation schedule.
The thing is, having a day job means your income is X. Maybe if you’re lucky you could get a 5% raise next year.
When you work for yourself, your earning potential is UNLIMITED. It’s just a matter of how much you put into it. Yes, it involves risk, but it’s so, so worth it.
I agree, helping people achieve their dreams is just awesome. And getting paid tons of money to do it just makes it awesomer.
Hey Jon — I’m fascinated by something. When I read this story yesterday, it had a different headline! What nefarious tricks are you up to here? For the record, I liked the Party Poops headline. Did you just do a different one on email/RSS? Could have sworn that one was here yesterday.
Did you swap it out because you didn’t like how it was performing? Mwahahaha…I think it’s Dr Evil/His Royal Awesomeness at work behind the curtain here…
Good catch Carol. The title was different yesterday. I remember liking it too.
What gives Jon? Are you testing titles? If so, what’s the verdict?
Thanks.
Yep, I changed it. I really liked the earlier headline too, but it was doing terrible for sharing. Not enough of a clear benefit, I guess.
So, I tested out a couple of different headlines on Twitter, and then I changed it to the one that got the most retweets. Then I emailed everyone on my list who didn’t hadn’t read the blog post yet.
The result:
Traffic has nearly doubled.
Okay, thanks, you motivated me to pay more attention to my blogging and sit down (aka schedule time) and read some more of your work. It is very easy to get discouraged, but I found your article gave my blog some sparkly glitter!
Thanks again,
Sue
Yay! Sparkly glitter is always a good sign.
Yes my boss looked at me strangely when I said I’m going to quit the job and stay with my biz. The first question he asked me was this: “Will the income be stable?”.
Unless and until I have a clear plan blogging is never a viable business. But if there’s a plan, I can answer everyone with confidence haha
Yep, the key is treating it like a real business and then following a model that’s proven to be successful. If you can do that, your chances of success skyrocket.
This was, as Jon’s post always are, an AWESOME blog post. I really love the Johnny Truant story (I refuse to write the middle initial for anyone’s name…seems so arrogant doesn’t it?
). I digress.
What I love about Truant’s story is how he leveraged his blog for lead generation and then generated income offline with his freelance work. I’m sure he’s selling his own stuff now that is digital and product-based, but I LOVE that the blog monetization happened offline upfront. it’s very smart.
Ha, I actually went by just “Johnny Truant” for the first year or so, but I kept being confused by a hardcore band of the same name.
The best thing about this whole idea is that it is not an either / or proposition. If you have a day job you love, like I do, you can still do this and create a nice sideline.
Yep, you can. Might take a bit longer, but it’s definitely doable.
Yes, sign me up! I’d love to make $500,000 or more from my blogs. Thanks for motivating me.
Maybe this is why I haven’t been able to find a part-time or full-time job to supplement my freelance writing. I know I really, really want to be the BOSS and do what I want, when I want. I just need to find a mentor/coach who can show me the ropes without the B.S.
I fell into freelance writing and didn’t have anyone to show me the way. Most people who are successful have had mentors who’ve helped them a long the way or someone gave them a break. No one makes it on their own. But that’s my opinion.
Yes, mentors do help. A lot. That’s why it’s so important to sign up to courses where you get to interact with the instructor. Just having someone to look at your work and answers questions can make all the difference.
Well it is about friggin time we got another post from you.(-:
Thanks Jon, it was an awesome post. I can’t thank you enough of all I have been learning from you and Johnny. You guys are awesome.
I am totally inspired and have been working at growing my email list. Guest posting really works. I got another one lined up as soon as I finish the post.
I am totally committed to changing the world through blogging and by being out there is ways that help expand minds and open hearts.
I am looking forward to you next post. I won’t hold my breath or I will be dead thousand times over.
Oh! I have a post I am working on that I think Copyblogger might be interested in. I will send it your way soon.
Money is not my driving force. Freedom is, but money sure helps make freedom easier to come by.
For me your greatest asset is your ability to inspire. I respond well to inspiration and I am sure many others do to.
You rock even if it is too infrequently,
Joseph
Ha! You’re right, it has been a while since my last post. Unfortunately, running the business and doing all of the marketing is leaving me less and less time to write. Success comes at a price. Same thing happened with Brian at Copyblogger. I now understand why.
Wow, Jon, thanks for 52 Headline Hacks, your encouragement and your always right on advice. Beth
Yo Jon, well this was the eye opener of the day man.
I am familiar with Johnny Truant’s site and I always wondered how good was he doing offering services.
The offers were amazing but I never did anything like that since I got completely fed up on going back and forth with clients.
I think I’m going to design a new approach for selling services and see if I can make it profitable and enjoyable at the same time.
Thanks!
Sergio
Well….:)
I guess there are 2 things we have to keep in mind:
1. You can’t impress the uninformed.
2. Mankind has always been negative to anything they do not understand…
Some things will never change.
But as long as it works for YOU, who cares? You don’t need their approval for your business model.
Just my 0.02c
Peter
It’s true. The problem is, being an entrepreneur is often an extremely lonely experience, and many of us depend on our family and friends for support. If you don’t have it, you can still succeed, but it’s much, much harder. That’s why finding a way to explain it to them is so important.
<3 this quote, Jon!
Peter, I question you “always” statement here: Mankind has always been negative to anything they do not understand….
That thought will limit your possibilities. It seems essential to me to question all of our thoughts regularly since we are the only ones getting in our way.
I suggest the idea that people who have open minds and open hearts welcome what they don’t understand as an opportunity to grow.
Have a great day.
Joseph
Great post Jon,
Loved the family discussion you laid out there, I always struggle with that one. It’s good to know there are people like you out there killing it. I’ve always hated ads on blogs and vowed never to do that, the model you set out so much more sense.
Also: I can’t believe all that time and effort I wasted on my stable of thoroughbred racing cockroaches. Thanks for the heads up!
Solid post Most Awesome One. I’m getting more readers and really starting to wonder how I’ll monetize. Didn’t intend to write a book, so at some point I’ll follow the examples set by you and Carol Tice.
If you treat a blog like a silly thing, it will be one.
But if you are a good writer making use of an easy-to-publish blog platform, you will still be a good writer, just without the cheap newspaper ink.
We’ve entered a new century and it’s time that our traditional media changes. Ads drive me crazy and I don’t want to subject my readers to them just to make a buck. There are more creative ways to make a living while offering useful content and services.
That’s why I’m one of your students, Jon.
Thanks,
Donna
Hey Jon … nice diversion from traffic. And I’m really learning a lot from your Guest Blogging class. Everyone who hasn’t taken that here really should!
If “YRH” would be of a mind to (and i believe you’re leading up to that) a course on getting to your core message and how to market yourself might be great!
His Royal Awesomeness is a great name and just had to tell you that!
Perhaps you should start wearing a crown in your picture!
Very observant of you, Carmelo. Expect an announcement next week about a new course.
And thanks for the endorsement for my class.
Ha! I knew it. And it’ll be great.
You’re very welcome, Jon. You don’t leave anything out when you teach.
I’m finishing up my third professional book and run a successful UX consulting practice. I can personally attest that everything you say is true, though I’m still figuring out “The Answer”. Now I know 99 ways it doesn’t work, and a few that sort of do
Thanks for kicking all our collective butts, AGAIN. Looking forward to more Royal Awesomeness.
Greg
It can take a while. Personally, it took a few years before everything started to come together for me. Things drastically accelerated of course once I had some mentors like Chris Garrett and Brian, but I think most of us have to get knocked around a bit before everything becomes clear.
Wow! Talk about nailing what your subscribers need to hear. You are indeed the master of that and deserve your title, Your Royal Awesomeness.
I know I’m not alone in feeling that this was written directly to me. Thank you for hitting the key points that I most need to hear as I rebrand and revise my business:
1. It’s possible build a business from a blog with a small list if you find out what they want/need and give it to them (I’m still challenged with this because my clients are pretty quiet when I ask directly and even when they comment.)
2. You need a mentor who is hands on, like you and Carol Tice. I’m grateful to be in both of your programs.
3. Find a successful business model such as working from the top down (Still looking for that $10,000 client)
4. The final point that many miss (or don’t want to hear) is it takes A LOT of committed work. It’s clear that you’ve spent many hours (months, years) honing your writing skills, marketing your work and building deep and meaningful relationships and partnerships. Thanks for giving us examples of other bloggers who have a different work and lifestyle but are successful nonetheless because they work hard too.
I’m so happy that I finally have been able to participate in your class. I’m scrambling to learn from you and benefit from your generous attention.
Thank you.
I am planning on telling my family that I working on changing the world by being an entertainer that unleashes underutilized creative potential by getting people to appreciate the synergistic potential of creating in groups.
Or, I am just going to tell them I am working on being an entertainer.
This is an aspect you bring out in your Guest Blogging course that is often underappreciated about blogging. Making a blog post entertaining requires thought and hard work. You not only have to think about content, but how that content is delivered.
A good analogy is poetry. Poetry is entertaining because it rhymes or follows a set rhythm. Rhyming or rhythmic writing is hard work.
Thinking about delivery, adds a whole another aspect to writing that somehow makes it more satisfying to read and to write. A good blog post has true entertainment value and there is no doubt that your posts are some of the more entertaining out there.
His Royal Awesomeness is too much of an understatement.
You should be called the Frank Sinatra of the online world.
I remember the first time someone came up to me after a talk and said, “I read that you couldn’t make money from blogging.”
“Uh, I guess I’ll give it all back, then,” is what I came up with at the time.
Hahaha … you probably could have shoved it all in his/her gaping mouth. (not that you would.)
It was an honest question, just struck me as funny.
The one I’m always getting is, “You can’t make any money freelancing anymore, it’s all $5 articles on content mills, that’s all that’s left.”
Guess I imagined the six figs I made freelancing last year…
It’s fun when people call you a liar for saying it’s possible to make money. Why don’t they want to believe?
They say Moses’s biggest job was convincing the Israelites they had the potential to be free…that was the first step to getting out of Egypt. And it’s still the big issue.
Quality and service will always be in vogue. Good for you, Carol!
Well said, Carol.
Jon said, in a Guest Blogging Q&A call recently, that the majority of people think about going solo but never actually do. I think people refute the possibility of making a living from blogging because they’re scared. Of hard work. Of failure, maybe. But very much afraid.
The first step is definitely the hardest.
You could have fake sneezed and wiped your nose with a $100 – just as effective I think . . . and a ton more fun.
I can’t count the number of times people have asked me how to make money from a blog and then don’t get that there actually needs to be some substance to it. People can see right through a blog that is just yet another way to bombard people with unwanted advertising. Thanks for shedding some light on this. I’ll be sharing for sure.
Your Royal Awesomeness,
Thanks for writing this. There are a ton of blogs telling you how to make money, become rich, bla bla bla, but none of them manage to do it with the humor that you do. You are now on the daily reads list.
Hooray!
I love your energy Jon … I enjoy reading your inspiring posts.
Thanks for the interesting post Jon. The idea of listening to what the audience wants and then giving it to them is fine. The next obvious question though for a new blogger with no readers yet is “how do we get the readers in the first place?” We can’t put the cart before the horse! What do you reckon is the quickest way to build that list?
Read this blog, of course.
This is also a good place to start:
http://guestblogging.com
I wish I’d read this article before I spent three months writing an ebook for “slightly more than sweatshop workers in China.” Not that I don’t still get a little thrill with each sale, but it’s definitely not a sustainable business model for me. Live and learn, right?
Yeah, I made the exact same mistake earlier in my career. We all live and learn.
I think what’s so cool about this is that it’s kinda obvious (I mean that in a nice way!). But we so often miss what’s glaring us in the face.
I think a lot of the struggle that bloggers and online business owners face is the wood for the trees thingy – where we’re so immersed in what we do that we forget to stand back and look at why we’re doing it (to make money – presuming we’re in business!) and to provide a great service. Time to stand back and take stock I think
Thanks for the reminder Jon !
Cathy
Nice post. You are a true inspiration!!
Nice post, your Royal Awesomeness! Over the past few months, I’ve systematically begun unsubscribing from newsletters that don’t offer much yet clog up my inbox every week. As they come in, I’m evaluating their effectiveness and deleting liberally. I have to say I’m always impressed by your posts – they always deliver super informative, helpful information! No way I’ll unsubscribe.
That’s a big compliment! Thanks Lena.
I believe having an inspiring personal story, or an inspiring personality, is the difference between success and failure. Jon’s personal story combined with the fact that hiding behind his gravatar is an “I’m a bad-ass” shirt make him inspiring. Johnny’s humor, cursing and love of pimpish bagels makes him inspiring. Brian Clark’s ability to cut through the clutter and bullshit of marketing and tell it like it is is inspiring. Sonia Simone’s ability to make you feel like you’ve known her forever and can trust any product she recommends makes her inspiring. James Chartrand wears women’s underpants and will kick your ass. The list goes on. What makes you special? What separates you from the rest. What about your comment here? Did you do anything special in your comment to stand out and inspire?
so good. thank you!
oh i get the confused looks a lot!! i’m not so sure my blog is the kind anyone would make money from to be honest, oh i wish since im sans career right now but i can only write what i love. unfortunately i seem to be the only one who loves it lol hmmmm
Hi Jon,
It’s all about having the correct mindset and this post reminds me of a Billy Connelly sketch. He talks about how only the posh kids could ever dream of becoming a professional tobogganist!
You would get the same look of disgust and called stupid if you said you were a blogger, but thinking like a rich person you would see it as a possible career.
Congratulations on having such a great site.
Andrew
Laughing. It’s true though.
Hi Jon, thanks so much for this post.
I want to give away my material for free. I have a donation button on my blog. I have had one donation in a year of blogging, a small donation.
How can I encourage just plain old generosity? Do who someone in the blogosphere that does this well?
thanks Barry
It doesn’t work very well, I’m afraid. You’re better off developing a product your audience wants, doing a “launch,” and donating all of the proceeds from the launch to charity.
One hundred comments for a great post like this and only seven references to “His Royal Awesomeness”? Oops… make that eight.
Your majesty:
Blogging to increase your exposure and grow your market instinctively makes sense. However, designing the perfect product to promote to your readers is often not quite as simple as it sounds, depending on your field of business. It was not terribly obvious to me from looking at your blogsite what you sell. Is it 1:1 business consulting regarding blog development, or do you offer webinars or memberships which your readers pay to attend? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Your enthusiastic* royal subject,
Victoria
*(albeit somewhat confused)
Yep, I don’t do very much marketing of my products and services here on the blog. Almost all of the promotion stems from my email list. If you’d like to see it in action, there are several places you can sign up, but probably the most educational one is this one here:
http://guestblogging.com
Jon, Sorry I am “His Royal Awesomeness,” but I will allow you to be “His Most High and Mighty Royal Awesomeness”. Hahaha just kidding great post. It got me to thinking different about the website/blog I am working on for a semipro football team. We are trying to get our website working for us better. Thanks, Tony J.
Hi Jon, thanks for the great article! You have some really great insights and I know I’m one of my many bloggers who’ve had the same conversations you’ve listed out here. That’s why we have to stick together! My question is how did your friend Johnny make such good money from a small subscriber base? Would love to know how he did it! Thanks!
I engage like hell with the people I have. If you haven’t read my blog, check it out… I have a very strong voice and take firm stands and have a very in-your-face, tough-love way of doing things. That means that I tend to polarize — people either love me or don’t like me much at all.
So although my list started small, I got a lot out of it because I had a strong relationship with those people. Does that make sense?
(It’s also worth noting that my list is much bigger now… but still nowhere near as big as “the big guys.”)
Thanks for the response Johnny. I definitely understand engagement is a key. That’s why I think social media has turned into such an amazing tool. Cultivating relationships is essential to building any brand or blog. I will definitely check out your site–thanks!
Jon, thanks so much for this. I found you about a week ago and you are my favorite writer now, seriously. After reading your articles I feel full of energy and giggly lol, seriously
I just started a blog for moms and your guidance is right on. Anyway, thanks again.
Nayyan
Hey Jon – this is brilliant. Just brilliant. I’m ‘forcing’ all my blogging students to read this post.
Awesome! Thanks Mary.
Hi Jon
I discovered you recently and I’ve been following your blog and really enjoy your writing. I’m confused however on your methodology. I have a blog but no product to sell. That means regardless of how many millions of followers and subscribers I get, I’m not making any money. When you say build a blog and listen to what the people are saying they want, there still has to be a tangible product. People aren’t paying to read blog posts so to me it doesn’t come across as easy as start blogging and give your people what they want. If you have a product or service then I understand, it becomes about traffic and getting people to recognize your brand. But no one can start a blog and start making money until they have something to sell. (since you frown on making money from ads) Am I missing the point? Technically Johnny Truant isn’t making money as a blogger, he’s a freelancer who uses his blog to attract a following. Thats his way of marketing and advertising. Unless you’re getting paid to write, you don’t make money as a blogger. Am I wrong? I mean no disrespect, it just doesn’t add up to me.
I don’t want to speak for Jon, but I think the point is exactly what you just spelled out… the reason most bloggers don’t make money is that they don’t think of their blog as a businesses. Blogs almost never make money. It’s businesses that do their marketing primarily via blogging that make money.
I think Jon would say that if you sell NOTHING at all — not consulting, not services, not products — then it WILL indeed be pretty hard for any blog to make money, regardless of how much traffic it gets.
Hi Johnny
However, I”m curious about how you’re reigning in that many customers/clients to make 5 figures a month because your site doesn’t have much on it in terms of the specific services you offer. Is your method to wait for them to sign up and then market to your list? I’m trying to figure out how to monetize my site currently, hence my comment to Jon. I like Jon’s strategy, I just think without making mention of actually having something to make money ON your site, traffic just becomes traffic. Not to dis on what Jon’s doing in any way, he’s got an incredible story, is incredibly successful and I love his content. That was just my observation and I guess my misconception about this post. Either way thanks for the reply! I’ll be checking back in with your site for sure!
Thanks for your reply. I also received your comment above about people either loving you or not liking you much at all. I checked out your site and I can see what you mean. You’re a wild card and its working so I can’t say I don’t like what you’re doing
Hi Jon, thanks for the motivation and inspirational post. I will be implementing some of these tips.
This is another Awesome post from His Royal Awesomeness
This is very inspiring and real. Thank you
Hi Jon
Great article and perfect for me as I build my in-person business and also start to write content that I have yet to see on the internet.
I’ll keep at it and survey my subscribers and find out what they want more of and what has thus far raised eyebrows and interest.
take care, Irene.
I was waiting for you to get around to mentioning Johnny B. He was the one who set up my website over two years ago and I’ve recommended his services to others. I’m still on his subscriber list and I e-mail him every now and then when one of his e-mails hits a nerve…or I just have a funny comment to add (I may not be as funny as Johnny but I can be witty!)
However…I was also waiting for you to get to the “punch line” here. I’ve heard all this before and I get that I need to approach my brand and blog as a business. But what I don’t get is what that means for me, in particular.
For instance, I know Johnny has all the tech skills and has written several courses that he sells on the web and does consulting, etc. But you don’t say specifically how you’re making a half-mil from this blog. And you don’t tell me how I can build my blog into a business. Not really.
I have no idea what to market. I’m a writer, pure and simple. And I’m smart. (It ain’t bragging if it’s true). Nevertheless, I can’t quite figure out what it is I’m supposed to sell. What do I market? What can I bring to the table that people will pay (hopefully big bucks) for?
You say, “You can do this. You really can. You just have to use the right business model.” Okay, give me the business model. Or give me the 50-step worksheet that helps me discover (aha!) what it is I can bring to the marketplace.
Or was this whole post a lead-in to a course you are introducing or re-introducing?
Jon, if I may take a stab at this.
Anne, Jon has built his business on the Copyblogger method. It goes something like this.
1. Start writing. Get ideas about people’s needs from this writing. For example, Jon gave out free consultations to bloggers at the end of the post. From these consultations, he realized people needed to start blogging on other blogs to get more traffic.
2. Solve people’s problems. For Copyblogger, this was the Teaching Sells course. For Jon, it’s his Guest Blogging course, which should really be called Ridiculously Effective Marketing to Grow Your Business.
3. Continue to solve people’s problems. Copyblogger has a suite of software tools. As I’ve gone through with building my website, I’ve found that I’ve needed almost all of them. From the Genesis theme to Premise for building membership sites. Jon has some plugin he’s mentioned in these comments. I’m sure it will be ridiculously useful.
So if you’re looking for a business model, online courses and software are two that for worked for many others.
Thanks, Ed. This was very helpful
)
Yeah, this post answers that question, but it’s hidden in the family dinner example, so it’s easy to miss. Go back and take another look at that section.
Also, Ed’s summary is more or less correct. Thanks Ed.
Okay, so reading the family dinner section I get this message: “create your own product line.” We are to see our blogs as a business – which I do…although I’ll confess that it took me two years to get around to that mindset.
Then we are supposed to create a product line. That’s where I get stuck. I see what Ed is saying. But developing software might as well be rocket science to me. It ain’t happening.
So I can’t develop technology. You (Jon) write and sell courses on how to build a blog. That’s not my niche. Johnny B does tech stuff and teaches people how “not to settle.” And he does it with panache.
Again, though, not my niche. To be perfectly frank, there is no way I am going to make money through my blog, specifically. The market is just not there. However, what I have realized (and I made this comment on another of your posts) is that my blog can serve as a platform for making money through other writing venues.
And I would contend that I am in the majority when it comes to blogging. Most “bloggers” will never be able to develop technology or sell courses…and certainly not so that they make a half-mil a year!
And that’s where it gets tough for “the rest of us.” I contend that for most people who want to “make money blogging” the money is just not there. However, they can use their blog as a launching pad for other pursuits that can be profitable.
Anyway, that’s my take on it. And I think the evidence is plentiful to prove my contention. I wish I were wrong! I wish I could say my blog is going to make me $500,000 this year. But we can’t all be Jon Morrow, can we?
By the way Jon, I know you’ve heard it before, but you’re an inspiration. I’ve shared your story with my two grown boys (ages 24 and 18) and they are always amazed.
And I’ll say it again, your “Headlines Hacks” rock.
Hey Jon, great post. Too often, I get side-tracked by doing lots of stuff to drive traffic to my blog, but traffic is my primary focus, whereas I should be thinking how I can use it as a marketing tool to help drive my primary business.
You got it.
I can personally say that both Johnny B. and Jon “Your Royal Awesomeness” are directly responsible for me beginning my blog, Rock and Roll Zen. (I combine guitar chops with storytelling to help people unearth and live their own rock and roll story). I took their combined Bootstrap blogging course and had my blog up within two weeks. (It was over a year prior that I was about to start it and never did).
Then I got a hold of of Jon’s Headline Hacks, which has become a kind of bible for my headline writing. Then I sucked it up and made the commitment to to enroll in Jon’s Guestblogging course. (no I have no affilate links attached to either of those endorsements)
To date, since starting Jon’s course, I’ve gotten Jon to read through a 5000 word post for Copyblogger and actually compliment me without once mentioning the length and got a post idea accepted by Tina Buddha.
So many musician friends have asked me how to get past begging people to listen to their music that I see a consulting business and online teaching course on the horizon. All the tools are there to do this and succeed. You just have to have the courage to use your brain, your creativity and take that first step. Then you have to just keep walking in the direction of your dream.
Another worthy bit of genius, Jon.
Bravo!
Mark
Thanks Mark. And based on that post, I think you have big things ahead of you, should you desire them.
That’s really inspiring coming from you, Jon. And yes, I do desire big things too.
Thanks again for that vote of confidence. You made my night!
Mark
Jon, you %$#@! Now I’m hooked! Your style and approach is relaxed, confident, and disarming… so I figured you’re the real deal. I so enjoyed your blurb that not only will I subscribe and ethically re-blog you, but I’ll even refer to you as “His Royal Awesomeness.” Thanks a bunch
Careful. You might become my new favorite reader, if you keep that up.
Jon,
I liked the article and thought you went on an interesting, motivating rant and commentary about where people are going wrong with their sites. Of course you also went into how blogs are viewed and the external pov.
But when I finished, I felt like I was hanging around for something more at the end, because earlier the words “I’ll give it to you in a moment” stayed with me. You were talking about the Copyblogger business model. Did you intend the dialogue exchange to be your explanation into this? Then you gave an example of someone who’s living well off but only because he’s a techie.
Are you a techie? You seem more like a writer to me and one that likes creating a community and handing us this awesome written content.
So I enjoyed your article, but maybe another article is deserved to complete what you started: Just what is the Copyblogger model that you have implemented? I write this as I realize that I may be within the matrix of this model as a customer telling you my needs so that you can then create a line of products (blog articles) for me to consume.
But I think this is where your article was really heading and it will be interesting to see you breakdown this model.
And then we can truly began to understand how even writers can see this as their business model.
Thanks,
Jose
You’re catching on to where this is headed. Next week, I’ll be announcing a webinar with Johnny walking you through all of this in detail.
But yes, the dialogue IS the business model.
You just attract an audience, listen to their needs, and then develop solutions for those needs. Simple as that, really.
Awesome blog over here! Thanks for sharing this very usefull information. I will visit your blog again into a couple off days to check if you have some new articles
To be honest Jon, I’d agree with the most people you talk about.
I don’t think a blog is a business either (despite having one and indirectly making money from it).
The fact that people do make money from blogging doesn’t alter that fact because they are by far a minority – whether affiliate (niche) sites or authority sites.
A better way of looking at it is do you have value to offer that people will pay for and if you do (then you’re on your way to having a business), does it help to advertise that business via content marketing (blogging)?
Yep, that’s one way of looking at it. Brian Clark regards blogging as the new advertising. Personally, I think blogs and businesses are indistinguishable, if they’re combined correctly. Your blog is just one big conversation with current and potential customers.
Exactly Jon.
One big conversation – but that doesn’t make it a business (though I agree with you it could be if combined correctly).
plus – you changed the title!! I think my comment makes less sense now as it was a direct response to your previous title (yes I did read your entire post but I was responding mainly to your previous very provocative title
). Sowieso, you get my jist…
take care dude,
Alan
Great article, pure and simple.
And the comments are also very useful.
Thanks Jon
Great post.
I had a feeling you were sitting in my room and talking to me it was so personal and easy…
Something tells me I can do ot too…it is just a matter of time, efforts, hard work, sweat, falling down and getting up…
We’ll see:)
That’s the spirit.
Great article. I signed up for your course last month, and now that my move cross country is finally over and I’m settling in, I’m looking forward to digging in week after next, start writing meaningful guest-blogging posts and watching my “real” community of valuable followers grow. You inspire me, Jon. I’m excited to see the fruits of my labor and your advice pay off!
Thank you, Connie. I’m excited to see your results as well.
But what if I don’t WANT to be a marketer who develops product lines? I’m a freaking artist, not a business CEO. I do want to monetize but I do NOT have any interest in marketing products that have nothing to do with WHAT I DO and WHO I AM. With this model, I may as well sell vacuums. That’s just silly. I AM NOT A VACUUM SALESMAN I’m a writer.
Hi Kevin,
I’m right there with you. I’m a music producer and a writer who loves to tell stories. You wonder how you can do exactly what you do, as opposed to figuring out what you could do with your talent to make money at this, right?
If you want a little inspiration, check out Hugh MacLeod’s site, gapingvoid.com. This is a guy that started out drawing cartoons on the back of business cards, after losing his fat advertising gig. Now he draws cartoons for all kinds of clients, writes books and in addition, sells his cartoons as prints or T-shirts and is doing very well.
You should check out his book, Ignore Everybody. It’s a great inspiration to any creative looking to figure out what to do with their talent and why you need to believe in what you do, in spite of the nay sayers.
It might help put this post in perspective for you.
Just my dos pesos.
Mark
Hello Royal Awesomeness,
Great article! Great inpsiration. Especially: create a magazine with content that your readers truly want, create products around them with content about how to use these products.
I just had my ‘ahaaa’ moment. ‘Ahaaa’ is dutch for ‘ooohhhhh yes, that’s what I’ve been looking for. I have one big question (it is big for me…)., I hope you can help me with this one.
If you don’t have much readers (less then 50) that are interested in your blog, how can I know what they really want.
I’m sure I have everything to make great digital products to suit their needs, but I’m not sure what they want. I already sell digital products but not on the scale I want. I do send emails asking them where there pain, what they wold like to learn etc. But no one seems to answer it, the same happens on my blog… It looks like everyone already knows how to do what I can teach…
What am I doing wrong here? Anyone else?
Thanks!!!!
Joep
This is inspiring! I am so keen to take up this attitude towards blogging and I have a few ideas about what I can offer potential consumers, however I can’t seem to get my head around the logistics of how I would actually get the money? For example I have a travel blog, and if I offer specific travel advice, or bespoke trip planning consultancy, how would I actually charge the consumer or earn the actual cash? Are there any resources about this sort of thing? I just wouldn’t know whether to charge by the hour, or charge set fees etc, and how to set this up for the consumer… I have used Google checkout and paypal etc, but they just don’t feel like they could be part of the sort of lucrative business model that you’re describing… I’m trying to think outside the box but just can’t get past this one!
Many thanks in advance!
Thoroughly inspirational! Giving away such valuable advise and for free- good job. Great post and great job in terms of the style and language. Really pushes the reader to go on. I am truly going to take a couple of tips from here.
Totally agree.
That’s why I started my own company with a friend and my brother. You don’t have to be rich to live rich. Owning your own business can give you the control and enough money to give you greater freedom. Also, that was a great way of describing blogs. It’s all about perspective.
Good one,
Austin Hodge
Thank you for the insight, Jon. I really appreciate you for sharing this information with us.
A very good article indeed. I think it’s important to point out how long it takes to establish a blog and develop traffic that has the potential to provide a full-time income. I think many people go into it expecting immediate results and are deeply disappointed when things don’t go their way!!