This Business of Blogging

Earlier today, an idea walked up behind me and slapped me in the back of the head. It was more than an idea; it was a chain of ideas. Blogging can be handled like a business, while still being something you can enjoy.

I did a quick calculation. My last job paid me $16.00 per hour (actually, there were some cents tacked onto it, but I don't remember how much it was — it was close to $16.00). That adds up to $128.00 per day for a standard eight-hour shift. If I were doing sponsored posts on multiple blogs, how many blogs would I have to maintain to make the same $128.00 per day? The minimum payout from any of the sponsored post services is $5.00 per post. If I did one $5.00 post per day across multiple blogs, it would require 26 blogs. I think I now understand the reasons some people have that many blogs or even more that they maintain.

Using common sense, I know that I can make at least $10.00 per day per blog — it's more likely that I'd make even more than that. PayPerPost, for example, allows up to three sponsored posts per day through their service as long as you follow their guidelines. So it's more like it would take me 13 blogs or less to make what I used to make working a regular job.

Let's not forget about "made for AdSense" blogs or "made for whatever" blogs (since Google isn't the only player in town). No, I'm not talking about those piles of crap that are being passed off as blogs. I'm talking about blogs with real and unique content. I already have one set up and I'm not even finished putting the initial content into place (video stuff being transferred from this blog) — I've made 77 cents from it in a little over two weeks without even trying. Imagine how much I'll make when I actually start promoting it. I'm sure I could create many blogs just like it, even using the same theme, which wouldn't take more than an hour or two per day to maintain — for all of them. Heck, with future dated posts, I could get away with working on them once per week or even less.

I haven't even touched on the other ways to monetize multiple blogs. I don't want to get too deep into it. Affiliate sales, text link ads, and even more options are available. All it takes is planning and time to get the ball rolling with any option. Once the ball's rolling, the time requirement is minimal.

Do you think I'm planning to do any or all of these things? No, not really. I'm financially secure. I do sponsored posts because I enjoy doing them. Yes, I'm crazy, but each one requires me to use a little creativity I wouldn't normally use. Perhaps, over time, I'll expand into more blogs as I get the urge to do so, but I'm not financially driven to do it.

The point to all of this is that anyone could make a business out of blogging and still enjoy themselves in the process. It wouldn't be very hard at all.

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September 27th, 2007 By RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines | Categories: Business | Tags: multiple blogs | Full Article Feed | Summary Article Feed | Comments Feed | Full Articles by Email | Respond | Trackback URL

2. hari on 2007-09-27 at 11:08 pm (Reply)

   Heck, I got an advertiser without even trying.

   No, actually I think the effort of trying to make money through blogging would be seriously distracting for people with real world jobs.

   I think at best blogging can supplement regular income, never replace it…

   2. RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-09-27 at 11:17 pm (Reply)

      I don't completely agree. It would certainly be distracting to try to make a lot of money while holding down a regular job. However, gradual replacement is not only possible, it has already been done on numerous occasions.

      I can say one thing, though. It's not for the timid. It requires a great deal of planning and patience and it doesn't happen overnight.

      2. hari on 2007-09-27 at 11:23 pm (Reply)

         I know, but there are other things in life than blogging. Like going out and meeting people.

         I try to cut back my computer time as much as possible these days. I'm just bored by it.

         Personally I don't have the temperament to turn it into business and I guess only a few have the discipline to make blogging a business. I think your military training has helped you here to keep on track. That's what differentiates you - you keep at it diligently.

      3. RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-09-27 at 11:30 pm (Reply)

         Yes, but I haven't turned it into a business. The most I can say is that it fills my need for some kind of work.

3. TDavid on 2007-09-28 at 11:36 pm (Reply)

   I don't know RT, I think there is a bit of a stigma associated with the PPP stuff that has a down the line impact to traffic. As in, you might only be able to reach a certain plateau of traffic with a blog that does PPP.

   Though I personally don't have a problem with PPP, I do have a problem with bloggers that make a big deal out of using it ("look at how much I'm making with PPP", "check out my gaudy PPP button in the sidebar or image link below each post").

   It is kind of like intrusive advertising to me if not done sparingly and on topic can damage the credibility and quality of the blogger/blog.

   Also, coming from somebody with multiple blogs, there is a limit to the amount of good writing that any one person can do on a consistent daily basis. You need to hire others to help after a certain point in order to keep the good quality material coming, day in and day out.

   In short, it's easy to do the math, not so easy to backup the numbers actually in the math.

   2. RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-09-29 at 12:18 am (Reply)

      Thank you for that well-thought out comment. I agree to an extent with everything you just said. In the end, I think it all depends on the person behind the keyboard controlling things.

      There are some people I've known who could handle things like this without breaking a sweat while there are some that I've known who would have difficulty handling a single blog.

      There's a stigma attached to just about all forms of advertising on a blog. I think most readers look past it when the content is good enough. If the content sucks, well, PPP and things like that won't make it any worse.

      Some people blog for the sake of blogging alone, and I give those people credit when they continue to do it day in and day out without any kind of monetary compensation. I think, however, that those who blog for compensation are compelled to produce better content.