This is a question I've asked myself since I started blogging over three years ago: How can I get paid to blog? I'm still no expert, but in learning from wise people like Francesco Rulli below, I have picked up a few hints along the way. (Definitely watch the quick video if you don't want to just listen to me "blah-g.") Here are some rules to keep in mind about blogging for money:
1. Write well. I am appalled by the number of blogs that are poorly written...and have tons of followers! Honestly, who reads those without cringing at the confusion between "your" and "you're," the problems with parallelism, or the lack of variety in sentence structure? In order for people to take you seriously, improve your writing. It is the best reflection of you that some people will ever see. LinkedIn, a popular social media network, gives more helpful tips on improving your writing here.
2. Consider your audience. As Rulli mentions in the video, your campaign will not be effective unless you direct your writing toward people who care about your particular topic. If you want to make money from your blog, people have to read it! An easy way to keep track of your audience is to install a site meter, which monitors how many people visit your blog, what time of day they visit, their general location, and how they found your blog. Site meters will not tell you specifically who is reading your posts, but they provide you with basically everything else (and most are free)!
3. Write about topics that interest you. Your readers know when you are passionate about a given topic and when you are not. Your writing is a portrayal of your thoughts. I always know if I have written a good post by judging the length of time that someone stays on my page (a statistic found on my SiteMeter), as well as the number of people who have read my blog in a 24-hour period. When only 20% of my normal following has read my latest post, I can fairly accurately deduce that I did not produce the most thought-provoking topic. My biggest advice: Don't blog just so you will get paid. People will see straight through you.
4. Link your blog to your social media networks. I have my blog set up so that my new posts are automatically displayed on Facebook and Google+ as soon as I write them. Most of my readers are directed to my blog posts via Facebook.
5. Guest blog for someone else. I do not make any money off of my personal blog (http://thefenricks.blogspot.com). I tried Google AdSense for a short period of time and found that it was inefficient. However, there are websites (such as Film Annex) that pay you to write for them. Typically, your income is based on your number of followers, but this is not always the case. The only downside of guest blogging is that you may not be able to choose your topic for writing.
Hopefully the video below and my tips above can at least help you get started. Good luck on your journey toward getting paid to pursue your passion!
(View this and other videos on My WebTV at http://webtvs.filmannex.com/MaryRachelFenrick.)
