How To Make A Money-Spinner (Part 1)

Do you have a blog? It’s a great way to share your passions or simply have a good old rant, isn’t it? But when you hear that more and more people are making money out of their personal blogs, suddenly your little corner of the internet has the potential to be something really special.

Historically, the British have been renowned for the importance they place on protecting their privacy. Just look at the super injunction scandals that kept us glued to the papers last year as we tried to work out who the riddle-like evidence was describing. These were people who so closely guarded their privacy they were willing to shell out big bucks to protect it.

However, if you’re willing to let that guard down, there is a chance your decision could pay dividends – and you don’t even have to go into the Big Brother house!

In the past few years there has been an explosion of lifestyle blogs produced by people only too willing to share even the smallest details of their lives with the world. From fashion bloggers who are becoming more influential on how we dress than Vogue – and get sent all the latest designer goodies hot off the runway as a result – to film geeks who are handed their own TV spots, sharing really does pay. In fact, I too have a blog (shameless plug) – but as I will explain in a moment, mine is not the best example of one that is profitable.

The ones that are have borders so packed with adverts they resemble Times Square, and it is this that makes blogging today so lucrative. So, how can you transform your blog into a money-spinner? Here are my tips.

Plan

You want your readers to know exactly what your blog is about the moment they land on the page, so – as with every website – you need to ensure it is easy to navigate and that the ‘about’ page is succinct and tells them who you are. You should treat this like the back cover of a book that entices people to turn to the first page.

The technical stuff

As anyone in content marketing knows, SEO is hugely important. However, you do not have to worry unduly about this when creating a lifestyle blog – the key is ensuring it gains a following organically, albeit rapidly.

Part of the charm of lifestyle blogging is likeminded people discovering your little online world through word of mouth – or shares as they’re known in the blogosphere.

Promote

You’ve just spent two hours writing what you believe is the gold standard in blog posts and another 30 minutes picking pictures for it and planning the layout. You hit ‘publish’ and immediately click over to your stats page. You’re met with a big zero – which doesn’t change after a few hours.

Disappointing yes, but you can do something about this. The internet is a huge place, home to thousands – if not millions – of blogs, so you need to get yours noticed. When you set up your blog, take advantage of the publishing function by linking it to all your social networking pages like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This means that whenever you publish, more people will know about it.

Share

It’s great to have followers. Let’s be honest; getting people you have never met to follow your blog can feel more fulfilling than simply knowing your mum reads it. Make this possible by including share buttons on your blog. The more forums readers have to share it on, the more people will see it – so make sure your blog can be liked on Facebook, tweeted and pinned in an instant.

Paint a picture

As I mentioned before, there is one area where my blog is unlikely to reach the dizzying heights of success achieved by, say, Bleubird Vintage or RocknRoll Bride. These are blogs that started out small and are now online empires in their own right, with advertisers rushing for an inclusion on their homepage.

In order to succeed in blogging you have to establish a presence and the best way to do this is with pictures.

Going back to my blog not being the ideal how-to example, one huge reason is because it lacks photographs and is so slim on identifiable details it might as well be written by an anonymous source at MI6. But if you have a lifestyle worth sharing, make sure you share it. Include photos of your new outfit/cake recipe/feature wall – and include pictures of yourself too, as it pays to add a face to the voice. Remember, photos and videos are all judged as quality content by Google, so will also help in your rankings.

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