4 Easy Ways to Start Monetizing Your Blog

By Christine | Published: April 27, 2009

4 Easy Ways to Start Monetizing Your Blog

Monetizing your blog merely means that you’re looking for ways to start to earn some money from all of your blogging efforts.  While some may call themselves purists/idealists and only blog for the love of it and refuse to run advertising of any kind, many others love it and strive to make it a real-job possibility.  The best kind of job is the job you love, so there is no shame in wanting to make money from a blog all about your favorite subject!

Affiliate Networks. Affiliate networks such as Commission Junction, ConnectCommerce, Linkshare, ShareASale, etc. are all great opportunities to sync up with major retailers.  Some programs require you to apply, other programs you’re in from the get-go, but either way you can become an affiliate of a major retailer (e.g. Overstock.com).  Once you’re an affiliate, you can run banner or link advertising as well as you can merely link to products you’ve reviewed that can be found on an affiliated site.  This way, when someone clicks on that link, you can get a small commission should they make a purchase, too.

Advertising Networks. There are several established advertising networks that you can sign contracts with, and they will take your advertising inventory, sell it as part of their network, and then ads will run on your site.   Just be cautioned that many major advertising networks take large cuts (e.g. 50%) of the revenue.  This is just an easy way to monetize your blog without having to sell your own ad space.

Participate in Google AdSense. Sometimes you’re not ready for an advertising network, and Google AdSense is one of the easiest ways to start running some advertising and see what kind of money you can make.  It’s easy to sign up for, even easier to run, and you can track your earnings daily.

Sell your own ad space. It doesn’t have to be for a lot, and you don’t have to be aggressive about it either.  You can just put up a dummy ad that says “Ad Space Available” or “Your Ad Here,” and then you can have your rates in a file, ready to go, should someone inquire.

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6 Things You Should Be Doing to Leverage Your Audience

By Christine | Published: April 27, 2009

6 Things You Should Be Doing to Leverage Your Audience

One of the best parts about blogging is that it is a two-way conversation.  It’s not just about what you have to say, it’s about the feedback your readers can leave you.  It’s about creating a dialogue with your readers, amongst them, and within your community as a whole.

Invite them to comment. Readers have something to offer you, too.  You might be an expert in your niche, but many of your readers have great insights to offer you to complement your own writing and knowledge.

Always be open to taking questions. Running a beauty blog naturally creates an environment where questions can be asked, and I love to answer them.  It gives me purpose and cements the blog and myself as someone readers can go to for the knowledge and answers they want.  Even if I don’t know the answer, I can still refer them to another source, or another reader might have the answer.  One way to do this, specifically, is to have a weekly/monthly Q&A session.

Get their honest feedback. Your audience is likely a major reason why you blog.  You should want to serve them better, and the best way to do this is to get some real feedback about your performance, the blog itself, what they like, what they’d like to see in the future, etc.  You can create surveys using a variety of third-party services, plugins, etc., and then allow readers to submit them anonymously, so you can get the best feedback possible.

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6 Ways to Blog Better, Harder, Faster

By Christine | Published: April 27, 2009

6 Ways to Blog Better, Harder, Faster

Whether you’re a seasoned or just-got-in-the-game blogger, we can never have enough tricks and tips in our hats to help us blog better, right?

Build a surplus of posts.  You never know when you’re just not feeling the blogging phenomenon, so it is always better to be prepared.  Sometimes you just get hit with a wallop of a writer’s block… other times you can’t stop the words from coming out.

Invite guest bloggers. If you have a few favorite bloggers or people you’d love to see contribute something to your blog (keep an eye out for “rising stars”), approach them and ask.  There’s never harm and asking casually, politely, and without commitment.

Leverage your readers. It’s a busy world, and most bloggers have full time jobs and filled lives, so use the strengths of your readers and incorporate their knowledge into your posts.  (Not sure how?  Stay tuned for an entire article on this subject!)

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6 Ways to Grow Your Blog By Using the Community

By Christine | Published: April 27, 2009

6 Ways to Grow Your Blog By Interacting with Others

I know, it’s been three months, and you feel like your blog just isn’t getting the traffic it deserves.  You work hard, putting in the time and effort every night after work to write original, creative content.  But it’s just not getting the attention you want, so I bet you’re wondering, “what are some ways to leverage the blogging community to increase your readership?”  Let me tell you!

Guest blog for other bloggers. Don’t be afraid to ask your favorite blog if you could do a guest blog for them.  In fact, you might want to have something ready and written to show them the same time that you ask them.  If you blog is very small or relatively unknown and the blog you’re asking is well-known, you’ll likely want to make it an exclusive, hot button article.  Another way to try this tactic is

Email bloggers asking for link exchanges. I say link exchange, because I want to be certain you aren’t trying to get a link on someone else’s site with none on your own, because it’s probably not going to happen.  You also have to aim both high and low.  Don’t just e-mail the big wigs of your blogging niche, because they might be pickier with who they link to.  Trade links with other new blogs like yourself, or try emailing blogs you actually read and like.  If a blog declines to exchange links with you, don’t get discouraged and don’t take it personally–it’s rarely about not liking you or your blog.  They might have enough links, or they might only be accepting links to well established blogs.

Join communities/networks for your niche topic. Most blogging communities offer some sort of community or network space.  Beauty, for instance, has Total Beauty and Glam Networks as far as more professional networks go, but there are more homegrown networks like the Beauty Blog Network.  And if your community doesn’t have one?  Hello, opportunity for you to make one.

Try weekly/monthly link round-ups. Choose some of your favorite posts from other bloggers from the week/month and post a round-up of them on your blog.  Most bloggers pay attention to where their traffic is coming from or where incoming links are coming from, so it can help bring your blog to their attention, too.

Interview bigger bloggers. Who doesn’t want to be interviewed?  You might think it’s phony, but it does make for good content and a great segue into building up a relationship with a blogger who might not otherwise talk to you.  You can create a series around a certain theme — like “Share the SEO Tip You Wish You Had Known.”  You don’t have to ask twenty questions!

Leave comments on your favorite blogs. It’s a small way to help get your blog’s name out there, but it is important not to do so in an invasive way.  Most bloggers do not appreciate it when they see someone who is commenting just so that they can advertise their blog.  Instead, comment with something useful to say, a relevant insight or question.  Don’t write two words and link to your blog.  Leave your link in your name/title, not your comment body.

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How To Take Better Product Photos

By Christine | Published: April 27, 2009

I’ve struggled with learning the ropes of product photography, but I’ve definitely picked up some handy tricks and tips that have worked magic for me over the years.

MACRO reigns supreme. Nearly every camera should have a Macro feature, which is often designated with a flower symbol.  The Macro feature allows you to take close-up photos of objects and retain more detail.

Read your manual. I know, novel idea, right?  I can admit that I had zero interest in reading my manual, and I didn’t bother to do so until a year later.  Boy, talk about a colossal mistake!  By reading the manual, I learned what the settings were for my camera–including the beloved Macro function.

Don’t be afraid to take a thousand photos to get one good one. Until you’ve mastered the art of your camera, lighting, etc., don’t feel like you can only take a few photos to get the one great one.  If it’s for a website/blog, you’re most likely using a digital camera, and therefore you should feel comfortable taking as many photos as it takes.  In fact, I highly recommend just spending a day taking photos using various camera settings, lightings, rooms, objects, etc.  You name it, give it a shot.  Periodically note what works, what doesn’t, what might, what might not.  Upload to get a sense of feedback.

Shoot in better lighting. I still haven’t perfected my lighting, but I know shooting in the dark is definitely not going to work for me.  I’ve learned taking photos in natural light doesn’t always turn out better than indoor light.  Be sure to try different lighting situations to see what works best with your camera.  For instance, my camera does a great job even indoors and using flash, but not all cameras manage this.

Tone down the flash with a tissue. If you find you need to use flash, but it’s washing out your photos too much, try placing a tissue over it to help diffuse the intensity of your flash.

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5 Reasons Why Pictures Make or Break a Blog

By Christine | Published: April 27, 2009

5 Reasons Why Pictures Make or Break a Blog

Think about the blogs, sites, and spots on the web you visit the most.  Think about what really draws you in.  There is no doubt that content is king, but pictures are often an essential component to a successful blog and readership.  Let me tell you why I think they’re such a vital piece of the puzzle…

Eye candy. Whether it’s a creative graphic or a stock photo, it offers more to draw the eye in than just text.  Your page is better for it.

Worth a 1,000 words. Your article might make for a great read, but sometimes people want a little stimulus, too.  Sometimes your image can summarize what your article is about faster than a sentence.   This is even more important if you do product reviews, where pictures would be an absolute necessity.

But poor pictures are worse than none at all. If you’re snapping blurry, color-inaccurate photos and posting them in miniscule sizes, you might as well not post them at all, because they’re actually damaging the quality of your blog!  If you can’t get your hands on a decent camera, try using some stock photos in the meanwhile.

People will just stare at good photography. Sometimes you’ll get readers who don’t care one whit about what you have to say, they just want to see the pictures you take.  I know that half of the cooking blogs I peruse have nothing to do with recipes–I’m there to look at the breathtaking photos of food.

They break up the monotony of all text. Images make for a nice way to break up your text, and they can act as dividers, in a sense, between articles.

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