5 Ways to Blog for Dollars

Pet sitters. Dentists. Mother-in-laws. These days everyone writes a blog. And for those providing readers value, the hobby can make downtime profitable. The most-talked about industry survey, courtesy of Chitika and University of Texas, reports that the top 500 blogs account for $100 million a year (more than $500 a day!), but the rest of us are likely to make a very small fraction of that.

“Blogging isn’t a way to make a quick buck, but armed with persistence, passion and great content, you can add to your income,” says Debbie Weil [www.debbieweil.com], social media consultant, author of The Corporate Blogging Book and six-year blogging veteran. “Remember the 80-20 rule — 80 percent of the time you’re giving away free content, but once you build a relationship with readers, about 20 percent of your content is sell-able.”

Even starting with a small group of dedicated readers — from a hundred or so to thousands — can lead to cash if you encourage traffic and slowly build your audience. Weil says the secret is building loyalty through offering really amazing, targeted and differentiated content consistently — think daily —so readers know you’re serious and gain value through your blog experience.

Weil suggests keeping pricing between $7 and $47 per transaction on sell-able content and services to start. She also says that from a psychological perspective people are more likely to buy when prices end in 7 or 9.

Test-drive these five sound cash-in-pocket strategies that leverage your skills to pad your income (or at least up your latte budget).

1. Offer in-person consultations. People love the idea of face-to-face consulting, particularly if your blog is local, Weil says. If your site if fitness-based, offer workout tips and tricks, then once a week host a cycling tour or a three-month marathon training class that meets monthly. At even $10 a week, that’s $120 per person per class. Photographer? Have readers meet you at the park for a day of shooting lessons. 10 people at $20 or $30 is nice uptick in your wallet.

2. One-on-one telephone coaching. Another productive way to make a buck is to offer skills and knowledge through coaching series, says Weil. This is great if you’re selling specific targeted advice as a mentor or tutor like writing classes, new business start-up consultation or job hunting, for example, price by session or package. For example, a human resource blogger can cover the latest in employment and job hunt news, then offer resume development, interview prep and negotiations advice by phone. Just six $30 consultations a week equal $720 a month.