6-Figure Blogging
Darren Rowse (who earns nearly US$200k a year from blogging) has published an interview with fellow "six figure blogger" The Manolo. Here's how The Manolo, who blogs about shoes, makes his/her money:
"In the order of importance, the affiliate sales of the shoes and the fashion, the contextual ads like the google and the chitka, the blogads, then the Amazon, and then the tshirts and the miscellaneous. This, of the course, does not count what the Manolo receives for writing his new column in the Washington Post Express."
To make money from blogging, The Manolo suggests to write well and in an entertaining, lively style. I especially liked this advice:
"Do not be afraid to be different, in the fact, being different it is the advantage in the marketplace where there are fifty hundred new blogs on the topic you have chosen."
Now, I have to admit that since I've gone freelance the idea of earning more money from blogging has become more important to me. I've tweaked the ads here at R/WW a little bit, but really R/WW is never going to make me a six figure blogger - and that's OK, because it's not intended to. I should also note that long-term there is probably a lot more money to be made in Web 2.0 product development than in blogging, if you have some killer ideas and know how to implement them.
Incidentally, if you haven't gone out of your RSS Reader for a while, you won't have noticed my subtle re-design - brighter colours, menu in the top horizontal bar, etc.
But anyway, my point is you need to choose a mainstream-ish topic and then follow The Manolo's advice.
Darren and friends new blogging network is one I'm looking at closely. Called b5media, it includes a couple of tech-related blogs on topics I could easily cover to try and earn some money from blogging. e.g. The Unauthorized Microsoft Weblog.
So I thought I'd throw the question out to you - if I was to create another blog or two with the intention of supplementing my freelance income - what topics would you suggest I cover? Doesn't have to be web tech. I think I should continue my focus on earning my living through analysis and web 2.0 company ideas, but it would be nice to earn a little more from blogging too.
Comments
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Richard, our focus has been on "personalizing" the topics we cover, and so far the response has been great!
If you're going to write about anything to supplement your income (btw, I'd suggest taking a look at Chitika ads for this blog, they're making me nearly 500$/month on Ensight), make sure it stays in the same kind of voice that we all know and love from Read/Write Web :)
I suggest you get very specific with regards your topic and localize. Using the example of shoes, don't blog about shoes, blog about certain types of shoes. Being too general looses you in the sea of other blogs.
Richard, I think we've seen how well-focused niche blogs (the Manolo being a prime example) can be an interesting project. I suggest that you blog about what you are passionate about, because if you aren't, it will show. Your Read/Write Web blog is so awesome because it is clear you have a passion for this part of the web. I say follow the same model.