How to Make Your Blog Pay for Your Sweat Equity

How to Make Your Blog Pay for Your Sweat Equity When I began blogging in 2009, I never thought it would become an important income stream that would greatly enhance my writing business. Like most â€Å"serious† writers, I saw blogging simply as a means to an end. It was an avenue to build a platform and interest potential publishers and agents for future projects. And everybody was doing it†¦ Fast forward, it’s 2013. And my blog for writers has paid off big in exchange for over 400 posts, endless hours of creativity, and pounding the virtual pavement to get noticed. And yours can too. Break through your blog fog and earn money for your investment. But, before you begin implementing these money-making strategies, your blog must meet certain criteria for optimal success. 1. It must be professional in content and design, with a specific niche and a clearly identifiable target audience. 2. It must provide social proof. Success breeds success. This can be demonstrated through testimonials from satisfied clients, the number of followers you have, or icons reflecting awards your blog has won or industry recognition. For example, in a very prominent place on my site, I display my â€Å"Best of the Web† designation, and my Writing-World.com’s recognition for â€Å"Awesome Blogs†. 3. It must show consistent updates and maintenance. This conveys a sense of commitment, and builds credibility and trust. 4. It must provide good take-away value.    Now let’s look at your money-making strategies: Ad Placement: There is a common misconception that in order to make money through ads, a blogger must have â€Å"super-starâ€Å" status, a massive following, or be willing to settle for a few bucks a month in ad clicks. Not true. Over the last few years, I have earned thousands of dollars, and have had well-known companies and authors such as Good Earth Tea, Healing Hands Massage Clinic, Five Star Publications, and novelist Randy Richardson place ads for their books and services at my spot. If you’d like to experience something similar, you can either pitch individuals or organizations directly, or place a tab on your site that says â€Å"advertise here†. Be sure to have your current stats available, and be able to explain how placing an ad with you can help advertisers to reach their goals and their target market. In other words, what’s in it for them? Blogging Jobs: Using my blog as an oline resume has helped me to hook new clients for my ghost writing, marketing, and other creative services. Through it and testimonials, I have been hired to set up other writers’ blogs, provide creative consultations, and even contribute to e-book projects. Contests and Competitions: Most people don’t see contests as a way of making money through their blogs. But it is. Money can be made both directly and indirectly. For example, a pivotal point in my blogging career came years ago when I placed as a Top 10 Finalist at Write to Done’s annual competition. Though I didn’t get a monetary gift, it gave me mad creative props with blogging peers, and my first paying advertiser. A friend of mine actually won $500 with her blog, through a theme-based contest. It could happen to you! Blogging is a lot of hard work. Follow these timely tips to get a greater return on your sweat equity, with less trial and error.