My Take On Monetizing
After writing my first post for ComLuv about making money recycling electronics, it occurred to me that disclosing how I make money monetizing myself using other methods might be of interest to others. It’s nothing “new,” but sometimes when you read about something that works, from another person’s viewpoint, it clicks and presto! you’re making money.
Many people discuss, at great length, monetizing their blogs. They list all the usual suspects from Adsense to Kontera to Pulse360 and more. What I find a tad unusual is the obvious solution of writing for other places. ComLuv is one, but most of the ad resource money goes directly to the owner (as it should be). There also are many other advantages to encourage your activity at ComLuv like referring other individuals, and earning credits in other ways (commenting on posts is one hint, hint), but in terms of larger payouts, bloggers are often in search of additional ways to monetize themselves.
Monetizing Your Blog By Concentrating On Yourself
A quick search of Google (as an example) on ways to get paid to blog provides a seemingly endless stream of possibilities. However, due diligence is required before you commit the one thing you have control over… your own time. The hard part is learning how to place the correct dollar amount on your time. Luckily, some services help you out when it comes to starting your first paying gigs online (they give you suggested recommendations on how much to charge).
My choice, in terms of monetizing my writing (and trust me I’ve heard the good and the bad) was to choose to participate with the Izea services. Izea has numerous choices when it comes to monetizing yourself. And while passive income from blogging is the dream of many, it just makes a lot of sense to get off your duff and write. Monetizing yourself, as the writer, places you in control versus praying someone will click on something while they visit your blog or web site.
Start Monetizing Slowly Or Jump Right In
For new blogs, or blogs with lower traffic stats, Izea’s PayPerPost is a good place to begin. Depending on a sliding scale of factors like traffic and PR, you may be able to start off by writing short pieces for advertisers. Heads up, I do not see many high paying writing jobs. Overall, PayPerPost appears to be the place advertisers on really limited budgets go when they want bloggers to write about their web sites, programs, products, or services.
However, Izea also has their very popular SocialSpark. This is my favorite. Email “leads” arrive and you click the link in the email and log in. You can “read more” and even negotiate the price with the advertise. At first I was a bit hesitant, but I actually now enjoy using their Version 2 system. You need to tweak a few settings in your WordPress admin area, but it’s not rocket science (and they give you full instructions).
Another benefit is you get more time to write (typically 2-5 days) and you write your post directly inside your SocialSpark account, preview it, and submit it for review. Once approved, it is automatically posted to your blog. My suggestion, once it is live, is to remember to log into your WordPress admin area and add your tags and categories and update the post. This is more for your blog’s benefit in terms of monetizing, but the advertiser appreciates it, too. (It’s just one thing that the new SocialSpark Version 2 doesn’t do automatically.)
Like Making Money Quickly? Here’s A Way To Speed Up Monetizing Your Work
Another quick way, and I do mean speedy, is to check out their SponsoredTweets. Again, you log into your own account with them (the link comes in an email), write your Tweet using guidelines always provided (no matter which service you are writing for), and put your Tweet into the queue. It takes all of a few seconds to do this, and yes you may be asked to retweet it (changing it up slightly each time) up to 2 or 3 times. Since it takes seconds to do, the money adds up quickly. Monetizing yourself via your Twitter account is based on factors that Izea keeps track of for you, with a suggestion tool for pricing your Tweets. The higher your Twitter followers (and overall Tweet factors), the more an advertiser is willing to pay. I’ve seen outrageous amounts (astronomical amounts!) paid to well-established Twitter accounts for that single Tweet. Even those that have just a smattering (like mine at the moment) make close to $1 for a few minutes of your time (that includes just logging in).
In Your Monetizing Quest, Don’t Take On More Than You Can Handle
Personally, handling too many writing tasks – like trying to get material up here at ComLuv on a fairly regular basis, plus my own online properties (both websites and blogs), along with writing paid posts – demands that you be selective. There are only so many hours in the day, and you want to make sure you also have a life. I realize this is just a drop in the bucket for those looking to get paid to blog. However, the one thing I do know is Izea pays out. You must reach their $50 payout point, but active participation makes that happen fairly quickly. Just be kind to yourself. Don’t overwork your brain cells and fingertips for an advertiser (or service) that doesn’t pony up with the money for your efforts. My money arrives, upon my request, like clockwork.
There are so many benefits to writing online when it comes to monetizing yourself. You attract attention by writing about what people are interested in and make money at the same time. What’s not to love when it comes to that perfect combination? Yes, monetizing yourself means putting forth more than a bit of effort, but it’s worth every penny!
Twitter: darrenmonroe
says:
WOW interesting ideas a few good ones in there. But a few things. I am totally against sponsored tweets. I think it really hurts your brand have refused to tweet unless it is something I use or recommend directly vs looking like i am trying to get a quick buck off of a tweet. Thats just me.
As for the transition I would say keep it to what you do have a talent in and then find an audience that needs a solution.
Darren Monroe´s recent blog post ..Why Idiots Outsell Einstein and You Can Too
Twitter: oims
says:
Hi Darren! I can understand your reservations about the tweets thing especially if you’ve really got an interactive group. Mine seem to just do their own thing LOL even when I respond to them or ask them a question. So for me it doesn’t hurt. I’m also not a huge hang out in Twitter person (maybe that’s my problem!). With thoughts streaming endlessly who would get any real work done?
As for your thoughts on writing for an audience, you are right of course. If you select the proper place to write (say as in my example SocialSpark which I don’t get any residual income from by talking about them), part of the setup includes choosing either one or a few categories (it’s been a while). There a person can determine what they want offers (potential money makers) to be – where they come from.
Also, if you do get a lead that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be chosen. You log in and read about what the advertiser wants. You have the option to accept or negotiate a better price or refuse.
So definitely to keep one’s blog specific be sure to choose appropriate categories to get offers from… I think, too, every few months you can change your category/categories, but you cannot do it often. So think wisely as a person sets up their account
oimdiane´s recent blog post ..Honestly Do You Really Need The SEOPressor Plugin
Great tips you have here. If I might add, there are a couple of bloggers I notice who don’t monetize their site right away because it’s still “new”. Even if it still new, any blog should be optimized for monetization right from the start.
The good thing when doing this is that the blogger will know what monetization system works best for his particular niche. Eventually, given that the results are tracked and tested, there will be one or two monetization models that will come out on top, the other that doesn’t work will be dropped off eventually.
Jeedo Aquino´s recent blog post ..Before You Even Think About Venturing Online
Twitter: oims
says:
Hello Jeedo! Yes it sort of boggles my mind when I get to a blog that has nothing on it (unless of course that is their intention – more journal and the “I don’t care I just want to write” approach).
I’d love more feedback (and look forward to more comments) because as far as my brain thinks for monetizing yourself or your blog it comes down to get paid to write, a niche-producing variety of visitors willing to click on those ads, and/or selling something of your own or another person’s product.
And, your statement “given that the results are tracked and tested” ah! Isn’t that the key! Everyone claims they want to know, very few actually do it to find out. If you’re not tracking how will you know?
Me… I really get going when I write (can you tell LOL!) so that’s my mainstay. I wish a person could put a big arrow pointing “click one of these now please!” but it’s against the TOS of just about all ad services out there
oimdiane´s recent blog post ..Honestly Do You Really Need The SEOPressor Plugin
Twitter: iroko247
says:
This is about monetizing by writing, it is like killing two birds with one stone, you make content available and you also get paid…
But I have heard that it is like you are giving authority to another website, which the big G does not like, what this means is that it might affect your ranking if you are PR freak…or is my information wrong…I actually make money from payperpost myself but it is on a blog that I do care what G thinks!
Iroko´s recent blog post ..I am In Need
Twitter: oims
says:
Hi Iroko! Strangely enough I thought the always sought after, not all that important (in my book) PR would be affected on the blog I use for publishing information for others. The opposite was true.
I’ve also seen immensely high PR and alexa blogs that definitely are getting paid to post and it obviously hasn’t affected them.
No one knows the magic formula used for PR, but I would say (again my opinion) that traffic rates higher in my book then PR. Arguments for and against the PR rule have raged forever on the net. It appears to me that it counts for less and less (people don’t pay attention to it as much). Also the average visitor does not have marketing on their mind when they arrive assuming you are giving them what they were looking for – either information that’s really useful or the program or service they were looking for…
When I write for others (and myself) I totally over deliver. Evidenced by my replies to comments LOL!
oimdiane´s recent blog post ..Honestly Do You Really Need The SEOPressor Plugin
Twitter: iroko247
says:
Traffic is more important than PR but considering reviewme and some other high paying blog for cash website that only want to do business with blog with high PR, what is take on this?
And of course you’re truly providing quality content and you are gaining by it…and your replies is looking like a post in its self!
Twitter: oims
says:
You are right. There are still places out there that place a premium on PR even if the site itself has a traffic rank of 22 million (I’ve seen tons of these).
For PayPerPost, when they were first starting up, I wrote to the owner(s) and asked that they help the advertiser see that PR is not the be all and end all. That using sites that actually get traffic is (duh) more beneficial. I know at the time, they did update their explanation to advertisers (not sure if it’s still there or not).
When I read their “let us help you decide” explanation I must confess I was not as impressed as I’d hoped to be – sort of a feeble job attempting to shed light on PR versus traffic (in my view).
So… until PR disappears completely (and they keep saying it will but that’s been going on for years now) again you are right.
I have a long(er) story I could tell, but I won’t about PR (left a bad taste in my mouth, but I’m not low enough to retaliate). When I pick and choose my own places to post my own ads, I take traffic over PR any day!
LOL about the post comment – I just can’t help myself!
oimdiane´s recent blog post ..Honestly Do You Really Need The SEOPressor Plugin