Is Blogging Lucrative?

We've asked several bloggers who use platforms to tell us if they are able to earn a living by blogging, what challenges they encounter, and if it is actually possible to survive by only being a blogger.

Peter S., owner and blogger of PokerHack.com, started as an employee in a website company that provided him with plenty of experience and a sufficient amount of money to start his own blog about poker. However, had he not learned everything that is required to run a site and make it successful, it would have taken him an unimaginable amount of time. Once he started going at it on his own, it was still a lot of hard work. Initially he was writing all the content which required him to work over 10 hours a day. While he still works seven hours a day, he is now able to outsource a lot more.
“I am extremely satisfied with what I'm doing as it provides me with the flexibility that a normal job wouldn't provide, and it also means that my future is completely in my own hands, which makes me work harder and faster,“ he says.

Maria Moser with her blog, Change-Diapers.com, also works in the moms niche; she has been blogging since 2009 when she started as a hobby and gradually started to make money from her interest. Her devotion to blogging brings her about $30,000; however, only one third of that sum comes directly from the blog via sponsored posts, ads, and affiliate income. The rest is from consulting work she obtained via the blog.
She thinks it is difficult to balance making money while still enjoying the blog and not turning off your readers. As your readership grows, so do your expenses (usually for hosting, etc.) It seems some bloggers lose their voice and become what readers see as advertising mills. Without the readers, the money ends.
Maria advises to remember that you will need a business license; you will be paying taxes on your income as well as self-employment tax, etc. She has seen many bloggers do swimmingly — getting gigs with major brands and making big bucks (much more than she). She is not making loads of money, but she is quite happy with what she does. She works from home, she is available for her kids, and she works only part time: "perfect for me!” she says.

Chrystie Vachon, who helps moms start and monetize their blogs with her resource blog, LivingForNaptime.com, shared with us that in her last 10 years of experience, she has not only monetized her blogs but actually sold four of them. Apart from having a decent amount of traffic she recommends to find a niche, stick to it, and make the blog specialized in it. Once the blog has a sufficient amount of traffic, she says it becomes possible to earn money from affiliate marketing, contextual advertising, sponsored posts, product creation, etc.

Bobby Kittleberger who maintains his blog about guitars, GuitarChalk.com, thinks that current earning potential depends on a lot of variables. However, he has had the most success with Amazon associates as his primary earner, along with several other niche-specific affiliate programs. Together, these earn a part-time four figure income with part-time hours (roughly four hours per day). It's slow, he continues, but it does grow over time and is getting closer to being his full-time job.
As for newcomers who are only planning to start, he advises: “You've got to be able to learn the SEO ropes, pay for good web design, and have a keen ability to write web-friendly content. I'd say it's about like any other business venture, taking somewhere in the four to seven year area to really get going.”

Vicky Sullivan who is the founder of the fashion and lifestyle blog, AspiringSocialite.com, wants to warn many new bloggers about some false expectations they may have: “I've been blogging for six years and also have a full-time job as a copywriter at an ad agency. I would say that with the right amount of talent, luck, and dedication to blogging, can be lucrative for some, but these people are very few and far between. You have to think of being a blogger like being an actress or a singer. While there are a lot of talented people out there, very few actually earn a living doing it. Most people who blog earn money working other jobs. If you're going to survive as a blogger, you need to genuinely love what you do no matter how much money you make or how many likes you get. While blogging full time is certainly an amazing goal, it can't be your only measure of success.”

As a blog directory, every day we deal with more than 120,000 bloggers who struggle for new readers and new sources of income. And many of them are still able to find a way to get money for their work and dedication. Finding a sponsor or a way to monetize traffic can be a big challenge, but all the successful bloggers who have already passed these steps are agreed on one crucial point: stick to your niche, be unique, and don’t spread your attention across many topics. Your readers will start to feel that you are a professional if you continue to write on only one specific topic, and by respecting your professionalism they will become your long-time loyal readers.

Are you struggling getting money from your blog or you have already achieved something? Share with us your precious experience!