Written on December 3rd, 2008 at 12:12 am by Darren Rowse

Can you REALLY Make Money Blogging?

Every now and again I get an email from a ProBlogger reader excitedly telling me that they’re about quit their jobs to become full time bloggers. More often than not they are new bloggers who for one reason or another have it in their minds that blogging for money is a quick and easy thing to do.

This post is yet another attempt (I’ve done this 2-3 times a year since 2004) to help bloggers thinking about blogging for money to get a realistic picture of what is possible.

I always struggle a little with responding to these emails. On the one hand I love the enthusiasm that new bloggers often have and don’t want to be responsible for squashing it and leaving them despondent.

Blogging is an exciting medium, it is filled with many possibilities (one of which is profit), it is a lot of fun and it is possible to make a full time living from doing it. In fact it’s possible to go beyond making a living from blogging – (stories like this one about a 1 man blog being sold for $15 million illustrate this).

HOWEVER…..

The reality is that most bloggers never sell their blog for millions…. in fact most bloggers don’t even come close to a full time living from blogging. Every time I’ve surveyed my readers on how much they earn the majority report that they’re earning less than $100 a month with most of those earning less than $10 a month.

Can you REALLY Make Money Blogging?

The simple answer to this question is – yes.

It is possible to make money blogging. In fact it’s quite likely that if you try to make money blogging and stick with it for the long haul that you will make at least some money blogging – however ’some’ money is different to ‘much’ money.

Can you Make MUCH Money Blogging?

Again – the simple answer is yes. You can make a lot of money blogging. The example of the $15m blogger above is one example. My own experience is less spectacular but is another story of a blogger making a good living from the medium (I’ve been earning well into the ’six figures’ range for a number of years now.

It is possible – but every statistic I’ve ever read shows that it’s not likely, at least for the majority of bloggers, to make ALOT of money blogging.

As mentioned above – I’ve surveyed my readers a number of times on their earnings. One of these surveys was back in May 2006 (I did one with very similar results in November 2007 and things seem similar in the current poll I’m running on this same topic) where I found that my readers were earning a large spread of income levels from blogging:

While 7% reported earning over $15,000 a month (I suspect this is a little inflated – some people tend to pick extreme results in polls just because) 57% report earning less than $100 a month. 30% reported earning less than 30 cents a day.

I don’t know about you – but that chart is both sobering and inspiring all in one. It shows quite clearly that most bloggers are not making much – but does also seem to indicate that there are some bloggers out there who are at least making at least a part time supplementary income from blogging.

Getting Your Expectations about Earning Money from Blogging Right

OK – some of you are possibly quite depressed by this stage. Should you give up on your dreams of making a living from blogging? Is it all too hard? Is it worth it?

Don’t give up but be Realistic.

My encouragement to all bloggers with the dream of building a blog that makes money is simple. Get into the game – but do so with realistic expectations. A few thoughts and tips to help you get those expectations right:

Aim for the sky but set your sights on the next step

There’s nothing wrong with having big dreams. Very early on in my own blogging for money story I began to see the possibilities of earning a good living from blogs. Dreams are great for motivating and inspiring you – but they can also be a distraction and set you up for disappointment. Allow yourself time to think about ‘what could be’ but then get yourself focused upon the next step you need to take to take yourself in the direction you want to end up.

For me this was about setting realistic goals of what I could achieve in the next month. Each month I had the goal of increasing monthly traffic to my blogs by 10% on the previous month. This meant that over time I would see exponential growth to my blogs. With a goal of 10% growth in mind I then set myself ‘tasks’ – concrete things that I could do to achieve the goal (writing certain amounts of posts, networking with other bloggers etc).

Don’t give up your day job

There may one day come a time when you can give up that job and focus upon blogging full time – but that time is not likely to be now for most people reading this. My own experience of this (I share an extended version of my story of taking blogging from a hobby to a full time thing in the ProBlogger book by the way) was that I worked a number of part time jobs and was studying part time in my early days of blogging. As my blog income grew I slowly decreased the time I was working other jobs.

I actually was working a part time job even after I was earning a full time income from blogging. I wanted to have a backup in case things went pear shaped (in fact this was smart because at one point Google reindexed my blogs and my blogging income largely disappeared for a couple of months).

It’s really important to be responsible with cutting off other income sources in order to ‘go Pro’ as a blogger – particularly if you have a family relying upon your as the main income earner. I’ve seen a number of very sad stories of people taking this drastic action only to leave their family without income.

I’ve previously written about this in a post about Monkey Bar Blogging.

Take a Long Term View

Most successful blogs take years to build to their potential. It takes up time to:

build a large enough archive of posts
to build up loyal readers and subscriber numbers
to become known in your niche, to ‘get blogging’
to find your voice
to get authority in the eyes of the search engines…. etc

None of this just happens. It takes years to grow a blog.

It’s NOT Passive Income

Another common misconception about blogging for money is that it becomes ‘passive income’ – that you can sit back and let your blog earn you big dollars while you enjoy your lifestyle.

Don’t get me wrong – there are a few ‘passive’ elements to the income that a blog can generate. For example:

I could go away for a week today and not post anything on my blog and it would still earn me money
posts that I wrote 4 years ago continue to generate income for me

Yes it could be argued on these fronts that the income is somewhat passive. However blogging for money is a lot of hard work. Most bloggers whose blogs make it big time put a lot of time and energy into building their blogs. Most that I’ve met have worked beyond full time hours on their blogs over years.

This isn’t to say that it’s not fun – one of the things I’ve discovered in the last few years is that hard work can be a lot of fun (who would have thought) – but there are days when it is very time consuming and challenging work.

Not all Blogs are Created Equal

I am often asked – ‘how many visitors a month do I need to earn $XXX?’

While I’d love to be able to give people a formula for working out the answer to this question the reality is that every blog is so different from every other blog. I’ve worked with hundreds of bloggers over the years and each time I do I relearn the lesson that no two blogs are alike.

Blogs vary from niche to niche (ie a finance blog will earn differently to a craft blog which will earn differently to a tech blog) – but even within niches they will perform very differently (I’ve had two photography blogs over the years and they couldn’t be more different).

I bring this up because quite often I come across bloggers who model their blogs after other blogs – sometimes to the point of copying every aspect of them. Unfortunately this isn’t a great way forward. Most successful blogs cut new ground, have their own voice, blog in their own style and tackle a topic with their own perspective. As a result they grow differently, attract their own audience and monetize differently.

Do learn from other blogs and bloggers – but also attempt to find your own way.

What next?

103 Responses to “Can you REALLY Make Money Blogging?” - Add Yours

Miranda

December 3rd, 2008 12:15 am

Ah, the reality check. I am fortunate enough to be able to make a living from blogging (I’m in the $5,000 to $9,999 per month range) — but I do it mostly by posting for others as a corporate blogger. But it is a good job, and I do get to set my own hours.
Hendry Lee

December 3rd, 2008 12:19 am

Darren,

You just busted some of the top myths of making money online (with blog or not).

I wish I read this article years ago when I was getting started. It would have saved years of wasted efforts on my part.

The excitement is usually high when starting a new venture, but you’re right. Being realistic is important, to save one from quitting job before it’s time.
Ruchir Chawdhry

December 3rd, 2008 12:33 am

Actually blogging for money can equate into passive income: just hire writers as soon as you start earning $2,000 – $3,000 a month… It’s a big myth that you can’t build your passive income through blogging…
Joshua Holt

December 3rd, 2008 12:33 am

“I am often asked – ‘how many visitors a month do I need to earn $XXX?’”

Have you ever done a survey where you correlated “money earned from blogging” with page views per month? It almost certainly is true that not any two blogs are the same, but I wonder if in the bigger picture you can see a strong relationship between page views and income? I would think so.
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach

December 3rd, 2008 12:37 am

I think your most telling point in this article is that it’s NOT passive income…how true! The only “passive” income that works well are portal sites that rank high in search engines (’way easy to do back in 2004….a weee bit more difficult nowadays).

I also like what another marketer once said…I’m not a blogger who does Internet marketing, I’m an Internet marketer who blogs. Your mindset is a very important criteria to your success.

Data points, Barbara
CodeAlias

December 3rd, 2008 12:39 am

Hi,

Sobering post in deed. I believe that it all comes down to whether the new blogger can become an authority in a certain niche and provide unique content that attracts those crowds that click on ads.
CleanseBody

December 3rd, 2008 12:43 am

I used to make around $300 a month from my blog until Google slapped everyone that was getting paid to post. Now all my income comes from affiliate marketing sites and the blogs are just placeholders until a new income stream is discovered.
Takumi86

December 3rd, 2008 12:46 am

To answer your question, YES YOU CAN, i have seen a lot and a lot of people keep earning money from blogging. Not just to those who have successfully earn it but to myself also. Really you just can’t imagine how big is the advantage from Blogging
Rainmaker Bob

December 3rd, 2008 12:47 am

Ruchir has a good point… That’s my technique for some of my blogs. BUT it’s still work managing and directing those writers. It depends on your skills. Are you a better manager (like me) than creative writer? It just shifts the work load, not so much making it passive.
Autopilot Blueprint

December 3rd, 2008 12:48 am

Oh my gosh. That’s the Big Pie Chart. I wonder why the “30%” dominates the chart.
Ganesh

December 3rd, 2008 12:48 am

You’re absolutely right! I feel that blogging is profitable only in the long term. It has the potential to make a lot of money, but one should be ready to dedicate lots of time and effort to it. Every blogger should realize this point.
Chris Lee

December 3rd, 2008 12:56 am

I guess it’s a bit like acting. a small per cent who (a) have talent (b) find a niche and (c) invest time and money in it really can make the big time.

I agree that starting as a hobby/side-project is the way forward. I just blog as an outlet, but have done serious corporate blogging for clients which is a totally different kettle of fish.

Most blogs are just the equivalent of one man ranting in a corner of a pub.
Fred @ Online Banks Blog

December 3rd, 2008 12:56 am

You certainly CAN make money blogging, but the vast majority of people won’t. This is not because they don’t have the skills or knowledge to do it. They won’t work hard enough for it.

Blogging is not a get rich quick method of making money. You can to dedicate yourself to creating great content.
Kevin in Manila

December 3rd, 2008 1:02 am

I wrote a related article a few months ago:
“Don’t Quit Your Day Job”

http://kuyakevin.blogspot.com/2008/07/advice-for-beginner-bloggers.html
Yogesh Sarkar

December 3rd, 2008 1:05 am

At the end of the day, blogging is a business and like other businesses, some manage to work to become sucessful while others don’t!

It is as simple as that!
Dee Stewart

December 3rd, 2008 1:07 am

You’re all right. Blogging does have the potential to make money if you hand around and think long term. I also believe that Passion has a lot to do with it, too.

When a blogger is passionate about their blogging theme or topic they will continue to make the blog better, add better content, upgrade it if you will. While other bloggers fall away because they lose faith or they began blogging for the wrong reasons(no passion for the platform and the theme) you increase in value. There are so many book blogs that have shut down since I began. I still remain. I receive speaking invitations, business ventures that incorporate the blog and so much more, so my blogging income has increased over time.

But to be honest. I would write Christian Fiction Blog for free, as I did in the beginning and that is my mindset. I love my blog. Don’t you?
Zipporah

December 3rd, 2008 1:07 am

As a new blogger (my blog is only 2 months old), I THANK YOU for a much more realistic perspective. I’ve already come to the conclusion that like any other BUSINESS it takes time to really build and that the sweat equity piece of the equation can be daunting for those who believe that they can just write a little something each day and expect to make a living at it. You need to work the bugs out and invest, invest, invest (time that is). Like any other art form (and I consider blogging to be an ART) there will be few STARS and many who may never rise to the top. So, for the newbie and chorus of bloggers we still need to wait tables (can you tell I used to be an actress), until we get the “big break.”

Remember the adage “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” – “Practice, Practice, Practice”
Surender

December 3rd, 2008 1:11 am

Hi Dareen Rowse.
I am Indian Tech Blogger.I found great Information here.very honestly I ‘m telling you about my blogging and earning.
I am not full time blogger but I am earning $15/day and getting only 3500 visitors daily.All are link based no one is coming from Search Engine.Because blog is only 63 days old.
Shafar

December 3rd, 2008 1:11 am

I have a BIG PLAN about money blogging. Hopefully starting next month with a partner!
grechen

December 3rd, 2008 1:12 am

excellent points, as always. something that distresses me that i’ve seen more and more lately are blogs popping up with very little content, and FILLED with affiliate ads in the sidebars, and/or coupon code sites/blogs that ONLY post affiliate links/deals. i think people are under the impression that they can start a blog, join all the affiliate programs and start making tons of money. it took me 2 years before i could quit my “day job” and start blogging/writing full time – and even then, I was just squeaking by. now, i’m more comfortable, and make a greater proportion of my income from affiliate commissions than i do from ad sales (used to be the other way around). i think this is because i HAVE built up my visitor base & loyalty by not ONLY promoting affiliate links on my blogs. i built my site(s) around the idea that i wanted to provide my visitors with ALL the information out there, not only the sources that pay me to mention them. THAT is what has made my site(s) so successful in my opinion. my visitors respect my recommendations, whether or not they are from my affiliates, because i ONLY use affiliate links in posts – or post affiliate links/banners – if i would personally shop there, or HAVE personally shopped there. Every blog post that features an affiliate link contains my own personal favorites – either what i would buy, or what i have bought. and because i don’t ALWAYS and ONLY promote the sites that pay me commission, my visitors respect that my opinion is unbiased and trustworthy. THAT again, is why i can make money with affiliate marketing. when tracking the affiliate links that make me money, i hardly make anything (maybe 5%) from actual affiliate banner ads – the majority of my affiliate income comes from contextual posts and directory listings. maybe i’m an exception, maybe there are bloggers out there who can make money only by featuring affiliate banners on their sites, but i have a feeling that’s not the case.

sorry to go on and on, but especially in my niche, this is something that i am seeing often lately, and wish i could encourage bloggers to focus on content first, QUALITY content, then work on affiliate relationships. it takes time to make money blogging….and you have to build up trust & loyalty with your readers – that is what will make blogging a good long-term endeavor.
Alex

December 3rd, 2008 1:13 am

Great post Darren.

I think it is very important that people come to blogging with realistic expectations and don’t anticipate to replace their real job income with blogging proceeds within a month.

No System, Training or ANY single program can help people with that!

While there are ways to cut down learning curve and start earning a bit more and a bit faster – it takes time to earn solid income from blogging and ONLY if done right.

Your posts reaching out to wide audience with this reminder only benefits entire blogosphere.

Alex
Frugal Dad

December 3rd, 2008 1:13 am

I have managed to take my primary blog from a glorified writing hobby to a lucrative part time job, but as Darren points out, I am in no position to jump ship entirely as I have mouths to feed at home. If things went south I’d be in trouble without my FT gig and benefits. Having said that, the more of my FT income I am able to replace through writing, the more excited I become at the prospects of one day becoming a problogger.
Shane

December 3rd, 2008 1:16 am

Darren, great post! Thank you for sharing this data.

However, we are seeing more & more people who see blogging as a way to combine innovation with a subject they are passionate about and monetize the innovation more than the traffic.

The general premise is that traffic is important and conversions are important but the biggest determiner of the financial outcome is what the reader is being converted to, and less about how many are converted. Innovations – meaning in this case, products/technologies backed by intellectual property rights defined as patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets – can be and typically are much more valuable than many conventional things to which bloggers try to convert their traffic.

As people begin to connect the dots on how they can monetize lower traffic volumes for higher profits and still be true to their subject matter, I think your survey results will change, at least judging by the input we’re receiving.

I just wrote a new post yesterday for our ecourse landing page that explains this very concept in more detail. http://www.yourproductmade.com

With a recession in full swing, I think this topic/question will become more a part of blogger planning – the question of what they convert people to, now just how many are attracted and converted.
Bash Bosh

December 3rd, 2008 1:17 am

Very nice article indeed!
I think that this’s one relevant graph that shows how much people makes money online!
Taylor Blue

December 3rd, 2008 1:20 am

I totally agree that it is fair to be realistic that you may not be able to make a fortune blogging. I was lucky and found a job blogging and am able to stay home with my kids instead of going out working part time.
A Maui Blog

December 3rd, 2008 1:22 am

A great post! As I mentioned on my comment on your other post, I am losing my job in January so I will pour a lot of time on my new blog A MAUI BLOG. That said, I agree that I should have a back-up plan and look for another job while doing my blog.

Passion and Attitude has a lot to do with the success. Of course couple it with faith in God and His blessings (or luck as others would call it).

Moving forward :) …
David Sparks

December 3rd, 2008 1:25 am

Great post!
I’m currently reading your book and while i have no intentions of quitting my job just to blog, or at any point being just a blogger, I’m definitely hoping to get a few blogs pulling in some kind of respectable revenue just to help out and this data is useful.

much appreciated.

thanks!
Jay Frawley

December 3rd, 2008 1:27 am

I think blogging is the same as everything else. If you took a poll on any buisness venture you will find that most people fail, and only a select few make it to the top. I suspect it might have less to do with the blogging medium, and more to do with the bloggers themselves. I suspect Darren would have been successful in anything he was passionate about, and so can all those bloggers on the bottom of the poll!
15 Minutes to Riches!

December 3rd, 2008 1:30 am

Excellent post, Darren. I’d like to think that anybody could make a full-time living from blogging, if they really want it and work hard at it. However, this post may indicate otherwise. Perhaps blogging is best thought of as only one entry in a diversified portfolio of income-earning ventures. That’s all I expect from it, at least. Thanks!
Bellesouth

December 3rd, 2008 1:35 am

Although what I do in my blog is what I want to do for the rest of my life, I am realistic enough to know that it, like any business, is something I have to build.

Right now I see it as a part-time or freelance job in which I make some fairly regular, albeit small, income.
Seth "TheWhiteDragon" Ellis

December 3rd, 2008 1:40 am

I believe strongly that anybody can make money from blogging. However, that doesn’t mean everyone will. The key deciding factor here is you. If you have what it takes, then you can do it. Don’t let anyone else convince you otherwise. If you’re really a part of that top 10% nothing will stop you.
GrowingLikeTrees

December 3rd, 2008 1:52 am

I keep wondering if I’m joining the blogging craze too late. Have I missed the potential? I don’t want to be anything spectacular, and I don’t even have what will be my main blog up yet, but I’d like to make a modest part-time income after a couple of years.
Rhea

December 3rd, 2008 2:00 am

I am enthusiastic but also realistic, just as you recommend. I chose the baby boomer niche for my blog. I’ve been blogging almost three years at The Boomer Chronicles and still earn just a tiny bit of money (via Google Adsense). And I thought all those boomers would translate into mucho bucks for me. Oh, well. I am keeping at it.
westpenninewoman

December 3rd, 2008 2:06 am

Great easy to understand advice. Looks like I’ve a long way to go yet though I do earn more than $10 a month so I will take that as a sign of progress. Thanks from a UK blogger
Faye Morgan

December 3rd, 2008 2:08 am

It would be interesting to know how much those surveyed in May ‘06 and Nov ‘07 have increased their earnings by since then, and by what percentage. That way us new bloggers would see if all the hard work has paid off for others.
Deceth

December 3rd, 2008 2:13 am

Excellent post good sir.

Most of us will fail and most of us will be to blame for our own failure. Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes a lot of work. Too many people expect to make money right from the beginning. You can’t write three posts, slap on some ads, and sit back sipping the brandy…

If you are serious about becoming a professional blogger, don’t do it overnight. Start a blog, maybe two, maybe three, and get a feel for different ideas and topics. Go with the one that feels right, that works for you. Then do it as a part-time hobby for a while to make sure you are able to keep at it. I’ve seen way too many blogs start off great, then slowly crumble in despair. Posting 20 posts a day isn’t very good if you then don’t post for 20 days.

Take your time, make friends, and write about something you enjoy. If you realize you are incompetent from the beginning, that can be your greatest asset. Knowing you are destined to fail just might be what you need to drive you to succeed.
Jeff Fine&Frugal

December 3rd, 2008 2:13 am

Thanks, Darren. I think recently you or someone else said blogging must be largely driven by a love for what you’re doing. Recently, I was freed up to focus that way, and it really helped. I’ve got this temp desk job that gives me all this time on a computer (okay with the boss), so I’ve made the most of it learning what I’m doing on my blog, and havinga great time. So I’m getting paid on this temp job to do this as well…kind of crazy. Thanks for all your wisdom. I love reading what you’ve got to say…and am taking small steps while dreaming big.
Jean-Baptiste Jung

December 3rd, 2008 2:15 am

Very interresting post Darren, thank you for your work. I’m writing this comment with the MacBook I bought with the money I earned from my blogs: Not a real income, but definitely a very cool Christmas gift :)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Computer Guy

December 3rd, 2008 2:23 am

Thank you again, Darren, for setting the expectations of blogging in a realistic light.

Luckily, I had read up about blogging and knew what I was getting into when I started my blog. My goals are VERY long term with my blog and I don’t plan on going anywhere for the forseeable future. That’s exciting because I have seen growth and I know that as long as I keep churning out good content, people will read it. The sky is the limit in blogging and once you have your expectations in check, it is a very rewarding journey.
Mike Nichols

December 3rd, 2008 2:31 am

My blog will never make a lot of money. It’s in the mental health niche, which is not a big bucks topic. I get a lot of search traffic — 66% — from people looking for solutions. They find them and get some relief, but certainly don’t feel like clicking ads.

Yes, my blog makes money, and it might be enough to equal a part time job eventually. It will take a lot of hard work, patience, and passion to do so. Fortunately, I’m in for the long haul, and being retired, do not have to depend on blogging for food and shelter.

I could do a lot of gimmicky tricks such as ebooks that promise to “cure” you, but my sense of ethics will not allow me to do so.

Am I down or disappointed or ready to give up? Definitely not, because making lots of money is not one of the reasons I started blogging.

Actually, this article is encouraging to me. It confirms my beliefs about how much money I can expect to make.
DeeJay

December 3rd, 2008 2:39 am

Nice written intro for beginners about blogging and making $ from it.

I’ll pass this post to everyone that keep asking me about money making from blogs. ;)
Blogging Millionaire

December 3rd, 2008 2:47 am

I’m not sure that everyone was being truthful to themselves when they voted for the poll. It is not likely that 7% actually make over hundred $15,000 a year. So I hope people do not get the wrong idea. What’s the wrong idea? That they can actually make that much money easily because 7% of people that voted on the poll already do it. Just my two cents though.
jennine

December 3rd, 2008 2:55 am

oooh.. yeah, i think when i first began, i had these crazy ideas of how my blog was going to unfold.

the nice part about blogging taking time is that you get to develop the things you never thought about before, after all it’s such a new medium, and there are lots of opportunities to think of new and interesting paths to take.

so in a way the long haul is a blessing.
Chris Casarez

December 3rd, 2008 2:57 am

Thanks for the level-headed post. I’ve learned the hard way that money from blogs (or websites for that matter) doesn’t come easy. I try and drill it into my friend’s heads as well, that you don’t just put up a site and start making money–it takes time!
Michael Martine - Remarkablogger

December 3rd, 2008 3:03 am

Not everyone can play in the NBA, but if you love basketball, you will always play, and you cannot help but improve. If someone told you that you could make only a couple dollars a day playing ball, would you still do it?

Depends on how much you love the game.

I like what you say about aiming for the sky but keeping your sights on the next step. That’s a great point.
Matt Gio | TheOvernightSite.com

December 3rd, 2008 3:16 am

Well we will see how good I do. I know it’s all about the long term but I am trying to perform an ADsense Challenge to make $100 in one month with a brand new blog and a brand new domain. Then we’ll see what happens!
Steven-Sanders

December 3rd, 2008 3:28 am

Great post! I told my parents my visitor numbers this past weekend. They thought I was stating my earnings.

They immediately said if I was making that much, then they were quitting their jobs to start blogging.

Something they don’t even have a real passion for. It seems like most only want something if it benefits them.

I just wrote a new post on the 3 types of bloggers that won’t succeed that I think fits in nicely with your ideas here.

I hope you’ll check it out.
Neil

December 3rd, 2008 3:29 am

Always great to have a reality check. While making money with blogging is certainly a driving motivation, so too is the goal of building my personal profile. Both of these require work over the long term. In time it will happen, I just need to keep tackling it one day at a time.
BloggerSavvy

December 3rd, 2008 4:18 am

In my opinion those who desire to earn their primary income through blogging could do themselves a great favour by focusing on the quality of their product (posts and data) and the service (benefits to readers, etc.) In my opinion it’s a matter of ensuring that new bloggers focus on the top line, NOT on the bottom line profits. If you’re able to reach the realistic and challenging goals, the bottom line will take care of itself. I suppose in a long winded fashion, I’m espousing the issues facing many competitive arenas today – in that it is quality and service that sells, that’s where the “big boys” focus. Valuable content should go without saying. Personally, I’m glad to see a post that gives a more realistic perspective. “Don’t give up your day job” – Right on! If you’re a gifted blogger, and really meant to be one, you’ll have the determination, guts and fortitude to make it so.
RobH

December 3rd, 2008 4:19 am

Compare the numbers in your poll to the US Census labor statistics: Approximately 15% of US households made over $100,000 per year. Approximately 5% of individuals made over $100,000 per year.

They didn’t get to that level of earnings over night either.
Ben Moreno

December 3rd, 2008 4:47 am

I would like to say that this is true. I make almost no income from blogging. I want to learn how to do it by experience because once I figure out a way that works for me. This is the way to become a true “pro”. I would never quite my job until I was certain the income was stable enough.

If someone emails you about quitting their job before they have the income then they truly do not know what they are doing.
TheAndySan

December 3rd, 2008 5:14 am

My blog made me almost $30 this month. That’s not a lot when I put it up against my expenses, but it’s definitely nice to have!

I’m working constantly on improving my blog and better connecting with my readers. However, I feel that quitting my job a couple months ago was a bad idea. Fortunantly, I had $1,000 saved up so I had something to fall back on. I’m going back to the work force and blog on the side until I can make a stable living from my blogging.
Millard

December 3rd, 2008 5:25 am

I would have to say I’m with Barbara Linq above. You have to be an Internet Marketer first (SEO, SEM) and then you can make $$ blogging. i quit my job in 2006 to trade stocks. Now I am out of work and out of money. Meanwhile, lots of people make $$ trading stocks, but it is a ruthless and humbling business. Since I am close to Social Security, I hope blogging can fill in the income gaps, but I am not naive about the work involved.
Rodney@Blogging with WordPress

December 3rd, 2008 5:32 am

Darren, what you alluded to about diversity is very important – don’t pin all your hopes on just one source of income. You have other business interests and blogs besides this one, which people may not always realise. This is important to avoid replicating your experience of being nailed by the Google update – some things are best learned through the experience of others!
ErroR

December 3rd, 2008 5:35 am

I have a BIG PLAN about money blogging. Hopefully starting next month with a partner!
The Geek Entrepreneur

December 3rd, 2008 5:42 am

When I first began blogging a couple of years ago (with a now defunct blog), I had the attitude that if I build it, everyone would realize how great it is and would naturally click on all the google ads I had and such.

Man, was I ever wrong.

Like Darren said, it does take time and commitment- not to mention great content- to even have a chance of properly monetizing your blog.

All the bloggers making a full-time income started out with just one post on a blog no one knew about- just like us. Cheers for the inspiring post, Darren!

Wesley
The Geek Entrepreneur
العاب

December 3rd, 2008 6:19 am

Now , it is three months since i started my blog . it is developping gradually and it makes about 150 $ a month . Good so far .
Jade Craven

December 3rd, 2008 6:23 am

I have a goal that by July 31st, 2009, my goals will replace my income. Of couse, I only earn $200 a week so that goal is quite feasible :)

I started blogging in June last year but stopped after I had a nervous breakdown. Despite suffering from severe anxiety for most of 2008, I spent my good days sketching out my blogging plans and taking the year to really ascertain my blogging goals.

I realized that due to the severity of my anxiety, I may never be able to handle full time work outside of the house. That shattered me as prior to my illness, I was a successful student with a promising career in front of her.

During that time, there was a number of things that I did which I think will increase my chances:
- I spent a lot of time networking. As I didn’t have a complete website to show, networking was down to form real friendships. This has been successful with a small group of people.
- I was able to sketch out the goals for my blogs over the next 5 years. This includes video content and potential monetization options once I read traffic goals.
- I had the time to ascertain how I wanted to develop my personal brand.

These three things give me an advantage over newer bloggers. Additionally, I was able to make a lot of my mistakes in private. That helped!

My health team and I have decided that I wont look for formal employment for around 12 months to give me the necessary time for recovery. I intend to use this time to create a viable online business. My goal for 2009 is to replace the financial support I receive from the government. Within 2 years, I want to be earning $5000 AUD a month.

My current plan is to keep my sites relatively private over the next 6-7 months, until I ‘develop’ them into great resources. I want to focus solely on writing quality content that can be shared across multiple mediums. I want to experiment and join the conversation, so that I can find my voice.

I don’t want to have to worry about branding, competition and consistency until my sites are ready.

So -

I believe that very feasible to make a full time income online. I intend to do so. I believe that many people are unprepared or unwilling to really do what it takes. I know I was.
Dragos Roua

December 3rd, 2008 6:41 am

I had an online publishing business for 10 years and it was a very difficult job to maintain it, to continuously grow it and to make it profitable.

Recently I made a successful exit from that business and focused on blogging / consulting. I know for sure that I will be making money out of blogging (too), but I also know from experience that it will take time, patience and hard work.

Thanks for being honest and transparent about blogging. It’s one of the most affordable business you can start – it takes little or no money investment for a while – but this is exactly what makes it difficult, the higher degree of competition.

Everybody can have a blog mens you will have to compete with virtually anybody. It might not need upfront a lot of money to succeed, but it will surely require a lot of work.
Frugalgrad.com

December 3rd, 2008 6:59 am

I have read somewhere in here that it takes at least 2 years for a blog to get through a developing stage. I feel a bit lucky because I was still in school and haven’t thought of becoming a full-time blogger yet (well, at least I am not disgruntled at my job yet simple because I didn’t have one…yet). It will be nice if I earn some income for the next 3 years from blogging so I can pay some of the enormous student loan I have accumulated.
TheDutchSchoolKid

December 3rd, 2008 7:17 am

Hmm..
This is a very realistic post.
Well, for a student, everything more than 100$ is good enough ;)
Justin Wright

December 3rd, 2008 7:58 am

It definitely takes time before you can abandon every other source of income and live off of your blog. For me, the key was to find other jobs that allowed me a lot of time to work on my blog while still getting paid. Another option was to do freelance work on the side so I could still enjoy the comforts of working from home.

The key is to stick with it, and eventually it will take its path. It took me a good year before I quit my office job to focus on online income.
Brad

December 3rd, 2008 8:38 am

Hi Darren! Great post!

I think you’re right – money from blogging doesn’t come easily. I have been actively blogging for almost 2 years now and I hardly make anything from it.

But for me it doesn’t matter because I love blogging! I love what I blog about (literature and writing), and any money I make is just a nice bonus.

I’m currently trying to grow my blog’s readership, but it still goes back to the same thing – I do it because I love it, not because of money.
Mario

December 3rd, 2008 9:44 am

Interesting post! Maybe a disillusion for some new bloggers.

I am new to blogging but I’m not new to Internet marketing. When I stood with my back against the wall I started up my own Internet business and this is my only source of income. No, I don’t have a website that tells others how to make money on the Internet. I could do that, but there are already so many site’s that do the job very well and its not really my passion to teach it. I make Google AdWords campaigns for airlines, postorder businesses a.s.o. and get commissions out of it.

The warning I always read in posts about earning money is ‘don’t quit your day job’. Let met tell you this: ‘If I hadn’t lose my day job I think I would never have been able to make something on-line. Just because getting fired took me out of my comfort zone and urged me to take action. Something very different. You guess, that I don’t share this warning. Even though I know that panic isn’t a good adviser, I know for sure that your comfort zone can be your biggest enemy in your attempt to proceed.

Back to blogging: I love to blog and to build my blog. I also love to look at the statistics so now and then. When I started in the end of september my Alexa-rank was 22 million and something, today it is 1.8 million and something. Pretty good, I think.

But is this making money for me? Not really, but that is not yet the important thing. I know it will make money, but before you get something, you have to give something. That is where passion for what you’re doing and your commitment comes in play. Just like you described in your post.

The only thing I can advise is: don’t start blogging just for money. It’s like writing a book just for money. Do you really think that Harry Potter would have been such a big success if J.K. Rowling just had money in her mind whilst writing? I don’t think so. She was focused on her subject, and so should you. Otherwise I would tend to warn you and say: ‘Don’t quit your day job.’ (lol)

See you!
Mario
Dee Langdon - BloggerNewbie

December 3rd, 2008 10:37 am

Wow, yeah, reality check. I have been blogging for 6 months, making little little money and I have come to the conclusion that bloggers do not make money by throwing up a few google ads on one website. I’m still trying to figure it out, but I’m thinking, more than one blog, other ventures, books, freelancing etc.
Angel Cuala

December 3rd, 2008 11:46 am

This is a good call, Darren. Unfortunately, I gave up my job two months ago and went on to be a full time blogger. I decided so because employment these days in the Philippines is really declining. I accepted the offer of my previous employer for an early retirement program. And I am glad I did, as I heard the company is now preparing to close it. If I waited for that, I will receive a lesser amount. Now, we are using the money to start a small business. This means that blogging is not our sole source of income.

Anyway, this post is very true. Having a target is the most important. Although there are many ways to make money online and all of them are effective one way or the other, not all of them are applicable to all of us.

We must know our capabilities, and focus on it. Furthermore, traffic is nonsense if we cannot convert it to money. This can only happen if we study the art of advertising, and convincing our readers to buy from us.

By the way, I can’t help but be excited to receive your book – Problogger Book which I recently won in a contest. I am sure it will be a great help to achieve my goal, especially now that you mentioned here that it has an extension of your blogging history.

Thanks for choosing me as the winner, Darren. I take it as a great inspiration.
Robby G

December 3rd, 2008 12:10 pm

Don’t quit your day job is a great point, but also don’t get discouraged when blogging isn’t going too far, keep it up and work hard at your blog and it will eventually pick up.

I’ve seen way too many bloggers go from posting everyday to posting 3-4 times a month. You just gotta keep blogging, and try to keep it at an qual pace.

Cheers!
Aussie Golfer

December 3rd, 2008 12:32 pm

It would be a little more difficult to do but I’d like to see an extra question added to the poll along the lines of “and on a scale of 1 – 10, how hard are you trying to make money on your blog?”.

It would then be interesting to correlate the income to time spent.

Admittedly, it’s a subjective question.
Sarah H.

December 3rd, 2008 1:07 pm

This is a good reality check, Darren. Right now I am blogging mostly for fun and as an experiment. It hasn’t taken me too long to discover how hard it will be to make real money. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible of course, but it certainly isn’t easy! Thanks for the encouragement nonetheless.
Rahul

December 3rd, 2008 2:00 pm

I think the answer for me too is definitely Yes. But not quite so that I can leave my day job and make blogging my full time job. But I’m quite positive about blogging and will be blogging more too often.
Andrea >> Become a consultant

December 3rd, 2008 2:15 pm

Great post. But, as I was reading it, I wondered how your survey would compare to (1) the US census of incomes, (2) pageviews, (3) blog age, (4) monetization methods, (5) country, and (6) time involved. I’m most interested in pageviews or traffic as they compare to income. If 95% of your readers have brand-new blogs and they’re earning $10 a week, that isn’t so bad.
Alex Strandberg

December 3rd, 2008 3:40 pm

Great post. This is a lesson that I had to learn the hard way.

Adding to this post I suggest that people don’t get too excited when they get a big break. Big break being front page of stumble, an interview or a guest post on a high traffic site.
These things definitely help but they won’t make your career.
Davod

December 3rd, 2008 4:40 pm

I think of all the good points above, the fact that it is NOT passive income needs to be hammered into peoples heads. I only recently started blogging – I am lucky to be able to buy a cup of coffee everyday off of my blog “profits.” Keep on plugging away I think is the key along with continually trying to improve the quality and focus of your content.
uwak

December 3rd, 2008 4:54 pm

Darren…..thanks for great inspiration, I am optimism…..to reach big income …..making my dreams come true……..let’s struggle..
Janice (5 Minutes for Mom)

December 3rd, 2008 7:02 pm

Posts like this one are why I ALWAYS send everyone who asks me how to make money to YOU!

And I also tell them what you just said. I feel bad having to sound pessimistic to them about the earning potential for blogging. But it is far kinder to be honest with them. Blogging is HARD work and boy is it hard to earn!

Susan (my twin sister and co-blogger) and I work WAY more than full time hours on our blog and online stores. While we do earn now, we also have such huge work loads that we have to use those beautiful, long awaited profits to pay staff! (and pay for childcare!) LOL
Rohit

December 3rd, 2008 10:27 pm

That should reveal the situation to many people out there with the wrong impression.
One needs to put in a lot of hardwork if one is to establish oneself in this already booming medium. One needs to explore the unexplored to be successful.
Andrew Conlan

December 3rd, 2008 10:28 pm

Starting out on the road myself but I’m definitely going to set myself achievable targets, first month I’m going to try and get 1000 hits :D
Monevator

December 3rd, 2008 10:49 pm

Another good reminder Darren, and I know you feel some frustration about being stereotyped as a cheerleader for blogs-not-jobs by people who haven’t read your previous warning posts in this vein.

I think the problem comes down to ‘possible’ versus ‘likely’. As human beings not computers, we all struggle with evaluating the difference.

In the comments thread to a post on my blog I did about blogging for money, I compared it to winning the lottery:

If I was to post that the chances are extremely high you’ll never win the lottery, so play for fun, not for money, there are thousands of lottery winners around the world who could chime in to say “yes it does work for some!” But that is *thousands* of winners from many years, versus the *multimillions* who buy lottery tickets around the world each week.

It’s exactly the same with blogging. We all see the thousand or so winners, and do bad maths.

There are plenty of reasons to blog, but an *expectation* of serious money isn’t one of them.

For those interested in more:
http://monevator.com/2008/11/18/blogging-for-money/
Paula

December 4th, 2008 12:15 am

Good news.

I love the post, I love the poll showing how much other people are making.

Thank God my blogging income is growing, and that it’s something I love to do each day.

I agree on the “don’t quit your day job yet” advice.

What’s the best hosting company you recommend right now?

I’m looking to expand on my next group of websites.

Thanks!
David Risley

December 4th, 2008 12:28 am

Very interesting. Yes, that 7% figure is most definitely inflated.

My average monthly income from blogging is just under the $15K mark, but that said, I get the question all the time (just last night yet again, in fact) exactly HOW you make money by blogging. My experience is that you make money by SELLING things.

Pro blogging is a lot more than just writing and hitting the “Publish” button. Ultimately, making good money means you need to market and sell things. Your blog is a means to an end, when you take this stuff seriously.
Tony Lawrence

December 4th, 2008 12:35 am

Good advice Darren.

The only thing I’d add is that another way to make your blog pay is to have it bring you money for your business.

I have no idea how much money I make from business I get because of my website. I know it’s a lot, but I don’t ask people how they found me so I don’t really know how much it is.

Adsense income and e-book sales – that’s easy. Not enough to live on, but more than enough to pay the mortgage and a car payment.

But if that were all it was – if I weren’t driving business with that site – I wouldn’t put in half the effort that I do now.
mike

December 4th, 2008 4:55 am

It takes year to get more links and readers. Most people don’t keep at it long enough and quit.
ATLANTA wedding PHOTOGRAPHER

December 4th, 2008 5:26 am

You’re right on about this. you have to have priorities and depending where you are in life will depend on how much you can risk. if you’re young and living at home…RIsk big…if you have a family….then not so much.

Most people get the wrong idea b/c they see a blogger just show up making the big bucks when the fact of the matter is that they have been building a foundation for quite sometime.
Victoria Tanner

December 4th, 2008 8:58 am

This is a great post, and really put things into perspective for someone just starting out in blogging, especially for profit. Thanks for reiterating the fact the we really need to be passionate about our blogging niches, as it will be a hobby long before it becomes a significant income source. “Aim for the sky but set your sights on the next step” .. couldn’t have been said any better!
Mlcisme

December 4th, 2008 9:50 am

Darren,

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your honesty in regards to having realistic expectations about making money with blogs.

In my short time blogging I have for sure experienced some newbie frustration about my traffic levels. I find myself obsessively checking my stats. I’m now realizing I need to focus on writing quality content instead of being so concerned about bringing in the masses at this point.

Thanks for all you do as I have found ProBlogger to be one of my most referenced websites while beginning my blogging adventure.
Mike K.

December 4th, 2008 10:11 am

I do not own a blog but I run a website and I receive emails all the time from people that have run across one of those get rich quick site’s and have tried for a few months to make money online and failed. I tell them first of all those type of sites are scams and there are ways to make money online but you need time, patience and hard work. Making cash online takes commitment and if you are willing to put the time in it will pay off.
Brian Reindel

December 4th, 2008 3:29 pm

One piece of advice I can give based upon experience, and hearing the experiences of others, is that tech/programming blogs are the most difficult revenue generators. I have been at it for almost 3 years, the frequency and content varying slightly, but all technical in nature. I have yet to find a legit method for making a significant amount of money in this niche.

You are competing with the likes of TechCrunch and Gizmodo, and you also have sites like Digg, Hacker News, Reddit, DZone and Slashdot pushing traffic to millions of other destinations. Writing tutorials takes a lot of time and energy, and the content must be extremely sticky. However, putting together business consulting or marketing advice, micro-blogging tips, and writing about “timeless” topics is much easier, and can generate long-lasting traffic.

Technology changes so fast, it is difficult to keep up, which means more work in order to get the bang for your buck. If you are just starting out, stick to those timeless topics. If you can get creative with them, then you can make a good deal of money. Unfortunately, most of those topics bore me to tears… if I’m going to be an entrepreneur, it will be doing something I love.
Emmet Gibney

December 4th, 2008 4:30 pm

I think like any entrepreneurial endeavour, when you decided to develop a blogging or other online related business you need to respect how difficult it can be to start something from scratch. I’m sure a large majority of the people who give up on making a living or any income online, are people who didn’t have the discipline required.
titan

December 4th, 2008 10:42 pm

i wll never give up and will try my best. I know the road is long and difficult. But i will try my best.
Stephan Miller

December 5th, 2008 7:36 am

And even when you finally are making money, there is no guarantee that it will continue. Another lesson it takes time to learn. Dropping the ball at that point is not an option.
Velvet Blues

December 7th, 2008 3:15 pm

Yeh, your comment about no two blogs being the same is spot on.

@stephan miller: Yes, a blogger does not have the option to go on vacation. All it takes is a brief lapse in activity for weeks or months of hard work to be undone.
Eric

December 7th, 2008 5:20 pm

Hey I found your blog in the book “blogging for dummies” very cool! I can see why you were mentioned, you seem to have very well written and useful blogs. I’m new to blogging but finding it to be a great hobby! The idea of making from blogging looks like something that would be fun to try out one day. I’ll have to get people finding my blog first lol
Mega Champ

December 7th, 2008 5:42 pm

Nice points, but there is still a point where you think, blogging is not meant for you. I mean there was a guy in digital point forum who got his first adsense check of $100 after 2 years, and i was simply amazed by the sheer patience of that guy.
Paul Sarcia

December 7th, 2008 11:51 pm

This is blogging at its truest.

Thanks for the info, really really appreciate and admire honest people like you.
Norman

December 11th, 2008 6:24 am

When I first start blogging last year and it seems you make a lot of money online. After so much work has been done. I am getting skeptical. The bottom line is: is it worthy it to make a few hundreds by spending 2 h a day? For some people who make less than 2K a month, it could worthy it. But for people who make a lot in day job, may be it i better to enjoy life after work.
Edwin

December 11th, 2008 10:47 pm

I think bloggers need to take time for their blogs to grow and make money, being an established blogger requires a lot of effort. Also another sure thing is that more traffic = more money so effort,time and traffic are the keywords here and also bloggers should do a lot of research on every aspect of blogging I really thank Darren for enlightening newbies
Blog Tips

December 15th, 2008 2:14 pm

I think it’s good to remain realistic but at the same time I’m a dreamer. It just depends on how bad you want to do something. A couple years ago I was told microstock photography would never provide but maybe a $100 payout a few times a year but I kept at it and now I own a full time studio with 2000 sq ft of atmosphere, a lot of killer camera toys and it is all 100% paid for with my monthly microstock payouts. I can turn a profit even without any clients walking in the door … so with that said … I’m going to do the same blogging. :) LOL
Anthony

December 28th, 2008 3:23 pm

This is a really neat blog with some good info, thanks guys…
Cliff

January 6th, 2009 1:39 am

Hi.
Thanks for sharing.
I am eager to start blogging. My passion is writing and touching lives. I believe money will come along as well.
So how do I start? Get my own domain? Because I understand that I can’t make money if I use one of the blogging sites. And what is this about Google not allowing us to get paid from ads?
I want to place a daily picture too, and sell that pic.
Thanking you in advance.
Robert Bravery

January 23rd, 2009 4:07 am

Wow, good stuff. But it is oh so difficult. Back here in South Africa, blogging is just taking off. Not many big money makers. A lot of the big blogs are corporate or media owned, with a list of bloggers on the payroll. Granted my blog is still very young, but it does seem like a lot of hrd work with very little return, at this stage.
No Fixed Office

February 18th, 2009 10:36 am

I have got to see that it really is not as easy as it seems when some people think that they can just cut their job and straight away replace the income from the job with an income from their new blog.

There is quiet a learning curve to actually making it happen right and getting the kind of results that you want. I am always going to be learning when it comes to my blogging, i have been going for just on 12 months and still sitting in the under 30cents a day, range probably much under.
Make Money Online

April 25th, 2009 4:25 am

Yes you can make money. If you have the patience and the will to learn something new everyday.
road trip planner

May 15th, 2009 9:34 pm

Most likely you can make money from your website or piles of websites and use your blogging talents to driver traffic / page rank to the sites. The blogs won’t make much unless you become #1 or 2 in your field.

Here is my blog – not making any money (but it is on wordpress) –

http://thevacationer.wordpress.com/

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Written on December 3rd, 2008 at 12:12 am by Darren Rowse