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making money with your blog

Better Blog Pages: Pages to Help You Make More Money (Day Five)

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This post is part of a five-part series about creating better blog pages. You can see all the posts in this series here.

If your blog is monetized, you’re probably always on the lookout for ways to make more money while still keeping content quality high. Creating a few pages with monetization in mind is one of the best uses for your time. On my own blogs, I’ve made thousands of dollars over the course of the last few years with the creation of the following pages:

An Advertising Page

Sometimes, advertisers will simply look at your about page or contact page, but my advertising inquires increased by tenfold when I put an advertising page on my site. This page simply covers some of the most common questions advertisers have, like demographics and pricing.

I really encourage you to list some baseline prices on your advertising page. This helps cut out people who email you and want free link trading or have a very low advertising budget. You don’t have to give specifics, but you can list ranges or your starting prices to give potential advertisers an idea of what they’ll need to spend to work with you.

Even if you have a contact page (which you absolutely should), include your email address on your advertising page as well. You don’t want people to have to work to figure out how to email you about buying advertising!

A Sponsored Post Page

One of the forms of advertising I offer on some of my blogs is a sponsored post. So, I have a separate page just for this, which answers the most common questions and gives pricing information. You might want to simply include this as part of your advertising page; it depends on your niche and how many sponsored posts you want to include on your blog. Before adding a sponsored post page, I would get requests three or four times a year. Now, I get about two every month.

The biggest benefit to having a sponsorship page is that you can talk about the quality you want in a sponsored post. Before, of the few posts I was offered every year, at least half of them were very poor quality—nothing I would publish. Now, most of what I get is on point.

A Resource List

If you make money with affiliate sales, I recommend creating a page with your top resources using your affiliate links. (Of course, include a disclosure that they are affiliate links.)

This isn’t just a way to make money. It’s also a quality resource for your readers. Customize the list for your niche (for example on one of my sites, The PinterTest Kitchen, we have a list of kitchen supplies we like since it’s a food blog). Don’t forget to keep your list updated so it’s always relevant for readers.

I also recommend creating some posts on your blog that are really specific about certain resources. For example, if you have a fashion blog, you could have a page for general resources, but at some point you might create posts like “The Top Ten Shoes Every Girl Needs to Own” or “My Favorite Hair Tools of All Time.” Link to these posts on your general resource page.

A final page that I really recommend every blogger has (if your blog is monetized) is a disclaimer/disclosure page. The FTC requires you to disclose when you have relationships with certain companies you blog about or when links are affiliate links. Having a blanket disclose page helps you comply with these rules. This page can also include other notices and policies, like your comment policy.

Five Tips to Help You Land Your First Speaking Gig

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One of the speaker sessions at BWENY 2011

In just over two weeks, I’ll be speaking at Marywood University about using social media after graduation (in addition to blogging here, I also run a career advice blog at After Graduation). It’s officially my first paid speaking gig, and I couldn’t be more excited! Speaking gigs are a great way to both build your brand and make some money with your blog. So how did I land a speaking engagement and how can you do the same? Here are five tips you can use to start speaking about your niche:

1. Look outside conferences and other events.

Of course we love receiving your speaker applications here at BlogWorld and other events (SXSW, BlogHer, etc.) are also great for people hoping to speak. However, for every one open session organizers are trying to fill, there are dozens or even hundreds of speakers who apply. Instead, think about other places where groups of people gather and would be interested in what you have to teach. For example, I’m speaking to a college class. You could speak at high schools, churches or religious meetings, events outside the social media industry, women’s groups, businesses, and more.

2. Don’t wait for people to come to you.

You’re going to be sitting at home waiting by the phone for a long time if you’re waiting for people to approach you about speaking. Yes, it happens, especially if you have speaker page on your blog. If you’ve never been a speaker before, though, you have to go out and actively find opportunities to speak, not just wait for people to contact you. I was proactive about contacting Marywood’s professors to land my first gig.

3. Have an “in” where you’d like to speak.

When you’re unproven as a speaker, it helps to have an in wherever you want to speak. My sister is a student at Marywood and I’ve also had interns at this school, so it just made sense. The professor who is allowing me to speak to her class knows me, so even though I don’t have prior experience, she’s willing to give me a chance. I can use this opportunity to record my talk, which will help in getting future gigs, even when I don’t have an in. Who do you know? Maybe your best friend’s company would benefit from a short session with you. Maybe your mom is the president of a business organization that is looking for speakers at their monthly meetings. Maybe your spouse is part of an alumni group who would love to hear you speak.

4. Be relevant.

If you blog about real estate but are looking for a speak about how to use Twitter, there’s going to be a disconnect for event organizers. Now, you might be more than capable of speaking about Twitter, and you might even be the best person to talk about Twitter, but unless you have some social proof in this area, it’s going to be a difficult sell. For your first speaking gig, try to find an opportunity that is extremely relevant and closely related to your experiences. I run a blog about career advice for 20-somethings and work for a new media conference. I’m speaking about new media to a group of students. That isn’t a coincidence.

5. Lower your expectations a little.

Sure, we all want to be keynoters for events in our industry, but you need to work up to that. You probably aren’t going to get paid $10,000 and speak to a room of thousands of people your first time. You may have to volunteer as a speaker and you may have a very small audience. That’s okay. You’re building a speaking resume so you can get paid more and speak to larger groups next time. Dream big…but start small.

Have you spoken to groups before? Tell us about your first gig and leave some tips for people who’ve not yet landed any speaking gigs!

Why You May Want to Say “NO!” to Advertisers

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Advertising space on the sidebar is undoubtedly one of the most popular ways for bloggers to make money. You can use Google or affiliate products to fill ad spots, but it’s always my goal to actually find a sponsor – someone who wants to purchase that advertising space. I don’t have advertising on my career blog or Blog Zombies (yet), but on the blog I write anonymously, I sell anywhere from $300 to $1000 worth of advertising per month. Considering that I don’t have to do much work for that money (most companies approach me), I’d say it’s a pretty sweet deal.

That said, sometimes you have to tell an advertiser the scary n-word: NO! Here are a few situations that I’ve experienced where it was better to just walk away:

  • The product would have hurt my reputation.

Most people are smart enough to realize that just because you have an ad on your sidebar doesn’t mean that you use the product/service or even recommend it. It’s a fine line to walk, though. Before you take someone’s money an slap up a banner, take a moment to check out their business. If they’re doing something shady or selling a low-quality product, your readers could get hurt or lose money, and they’ll associate those negative experiences with you. The best case scenario is always to work with companies for products you like to recommend to others, but at least make sure the advertiser isn’t going to hurt your reputation.

  • You’re driving people to a competitor.

Sometimes, it can make sense to work hand-in-hand with a competitor in your field. For example, I once traded advertising with another blogger selling similar products as mine. It made sense because we both got about the same amount of traffic and offered one another a percentage of the sales. Keep in mind that it’s not always a good idea, though. If you blog about shoes, for example, and the majority of the profit you make comes from selling affiliate products, advertising a discount shoe store on your sidebar where people can go to get the same shoes you’re trying to sell, but at a cheaper price, may not make sense. Think about the potential profit you’ll be using and make sure that the amount you’re charging for the ad is at least twice as much. Otherwise, say no.

  • The advertiser is difficult.

Once, I had someone contact me to ask for advertising rates and traffic information, which I more than happily shared. True story, this is the real email reply I got, name/company removed:

“Hi Allison,

We think your rates are fair, but we’re a small company and need to receive a discount. We can pay $X now and a little more in two weeks to pay for the remainder of the month of advertising. How can we pay you? And don’t say paypal!

Thanks,

Jane, XYZ Company”

I have to read the email several times because I really couldn’t believe it. In some cases, I’m willing to negotiate a price, but to demand a discount for no reason other than the fact that you’re a small company is a little ridiculous. I’m a small company too, so does that mean I should charge more? The “And don’t say paypal!” really made me roll my eyes too. I work with almost all of my clients through this service. Sure, I’m happy to accept a check instead – but not for half a month of advertising from a company that can barely afford to pay it.

The bottom line is that this advertiser clearly showed that it would be difficult to work with her. Could I have used that extra cash? Sure! But my time really isn’t worth the headaches she would likely cause, especially considering that I’d have to deal with her every two weeks.

The bottom line is this: Yes, selling advertising on your blog is a great way to make money, but it doesn’t always make sense. Sometimes, it is okay to say no to advertisers – and for your blog, advertising might be a bad idea altogether. Try to look at the big picture to ensure that advertising is going to have a positive effect on your long-term goals, not just a positive effect on your short-term wallet.

How Saying “No” Can Save Your Blog — Making Money Blogging

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Speakers: Jennifer James, Heather Solos, Janice Croze, Wendy Piersall
Session: How to Make Real Money From Your Blog
Date: Wednesday, May 25th
Time: 9:00AM
Location: Jacob Javits Center 1A14

… by Janice Croze (@5minutesformom)

How Saying “No” Can Save Your Blog

I have a problem saying, “No.”

Whether it is letting my kids stay up too late or agreeing to write a post when my schedule is packed, my people-pleasing/non-confrontational issues sometimes win over my better judgement. I avoid the conflict, say “yes,” and feel my blood pressure rise.

But, when it comes to my blog and my relationship with my readers, my integrity is everything. So, I routinely make myself type, “No, thank you,” and “I am sorry, but we will have to pass this time,” in response to PR pitches, interview opportunities, press junkets, advertising opportunities, etc.

The key to maintaining your integrity while making money blogging and creating a blog that is worthy of your readers’ time is learning when to say, “Yes,” and when to say, “No, thank you.”

So how do we know when we should accept and when we should decline opportunities, pitches and jobs?

  1. Keep to your mission
    Whether you have created a formal mission statement, or whether the goals for your blog are fluid and evolving, most of us have an understanding of what we have set out to do with our sites and what we want to stand for. (If you don’t have some sort of mission or goals, now would be a great time to decide what you want to accomplish with your site.)
    Ensure that everything you agree to falls in line with those principles. Some offers can be so tempting, but approach decisions like a discerning CEO and do what is best for your blog in the long run.
  2. Provide value
    Five years ago, companies had begun sending products for review to “mommy bloggers.” Since our site was about promoting the online mom community and bringing the best of the internet to our readers, reviews fell within our mission.
    But, after publishing a few, we decided we wanted to “reward” our readers for the time they had taken to read our posts. So we requested that companies send two items, one for review and one to giveaway.
    This new concept took off and giveaways soon became the norm in the mom blog community.
    But we have always worked hard to continue to push ourselves to provide as much value to our readers as possible in our posts, whether they are giveaway posts or personal stories, link ups, interviews, how-tos, etc.
    The site who is offering their readers the most value wins.
  3. Be honest and transparent
    The FTC brought disclosures into the foreground of blogging. It is no longer an option – one must disclose all forms of compensation, including review products.
    But many of us bloggers were frustrated with the attention the new rules brought. We had already been taking great care to be open with our readers. We valued those relationships and wouldn’t have risked damaging them. We didn’t need the FTC to tell us how to blog!
    But whether one was disclosing in the past or not, now there is no question – we must disclose. Yes, the FTC may be watching. But more importantly, so are our readers.
  4. Sprinkle don’t slather
    It happens. The pitches come in, washing over our inbox and, if we aren’t careful, taking our blog away with them.
    Unless your site is purely a review or giveaway site, you do not want to be inundating your readers with too many reviews or giveaways.
    And with sponsored campaigns and promotions, a blogger must choose wisely. When I go to hire a blogger for an outreach program I am planning, I avoid blogs that have the majority of their posts promotional.
    Some weeks and months you may have more promotional content than others – there are no hard and fast rules here. But strive for sprinkling rather than slathering.
  5. Support the community
    We started 5 Minutes for Mom because we wanted to help moms find and support one another online! We figured, if a mom is going to buy something, why not buy it from another mom?
    When I am going to buy something online, whether it is software or a handmade item, I would rather a fellow online mom or site that I appreciate earn from that purchase.
    So, when I see affiliate links or ads, I don’t begrudge that blogger for monetizing their site – I applaud and click!
    There was a time when monetizing was like wearing a scarlet letter in your sidebar. But, fortunately, the community and readers are evolving and embracing the fact that bloggers deserve to earn a living from their work just as much as anyone else does.
    So, support your fellow bloggers. Click those ads, leave supportive comments and tweets about their sponsors, and share their posts and campaigns.
    Nowhere is it more true than the blogosphere that, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

I am thrilled every time I hear of a blogger making their living online and I love to share what we have learned about making money with your blog.

If you want to learn more about how top mom influencers are profiting in the blogosphere, make sure you check out our session, How to Make Real Money From Your Blog. Because it happens — real blogs, real bloggers, real money.

Janice Croze and her identical twin, Susan Carraretto, are the bloggers behind 5 Minutes for Mom. Janice and Susan began working online in 2003, developing two successful ecommerce stores and starting 5 Minutes for Mom in the beginning of 2006. 5 Minutes for Mom has been ranked as the Top Family Blog (Technorati) and 2nd Top Parenting Blog (Technorati and Wall Street Journal), along with being recognized on numerous lists of top blogs such as Cision’s Top Ten Most Influential Bloggers and Babble.com’s Top 50 Facebook Fan Pages for Parents.

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