There are basically two reasons people get into blogging: to have an online ‘journal’ of sorts, a record for themselves or a future generation, and/or to make money. It is quite true you can make money blogging, possibly a lot of money. But like most areas of life, the super successful people are the minority.
I love blogging, clearly, as I’ve been doing it for coming up on 7 years.
However, blogging can also be tough, and time consuming, and even the best of us get burnt out sometimes. That’s why I’m even more impressed by those who have the grit, talent, and determination to make a real income from blogging, perhaps even enough to retire and live off of.
Sadly, I have come to terms with the fact that that is simply not me.
I will not publish blogging income reports, because I don’t have any.
And I’m okay with that. Want to know why?
I’m bad at niches
As any long-time reader can tell you, I write about a LOT of different things. I’ve written posts about why asparagus makes your pee smell, all about breastfeeding, delayed onset muscle soreness, how to make a $10 holiday wreath, affordable destination wedding planning, and so much more.
But the internet tells new bloggers “the riches are in the niches”
This essentially means that the best way to make a profitable blog or webpage is to find an underutilized niche and target it relentlessly.
That way you know the people reading are interested enough to probably buy from you (or your sponsors/affiliates).
But I don’t do focus.
I don’t do boxes.
I cannot fully call myself a “food blogger”, nor can I really call myself a “FIRE blogger”.
I’m not a “food blogger” because I don’t have a fancy camera with zoom and ‘soft focus lenses’, hundreds of dollars worth of pretty props, I don’t use Instagram, and I suck at Pinterest so far.
I just like food. And writing about it.
I’m not a “FIRE blogger” because I write about a lot more than just how to make or how to save money, I don’t have a budget, or an FI number, or obsessively track and/or share my net worth.
I just like money. And writing about it.
And I’m okay with that.
Because this blog is definitely for all you guys, I want to share my lessons, meal plans, money saving tips, and life story. And I want to hear your comments, ideas, and stories too! We have some great discussion points in the comments and offline.
But, this blog is also for me. It is fun. It is a creative outlet. It is a recipe book and record of my life for posterity.
And it’s mine.
So I’mma write about whatever I want to, and you can’t stop me!
I hate advertisements
Most sites that make money, are not making money on the content itself. The top sources of income are paid courses / items (like cookbooks), and advertisements / affiliate programs.
I personally get very annoyed at a site cluttered with ads.
To be honest, several old favorites of mine I have completely stopped going to, because they sold out and put up tons of ads.
If I can’t read an article on my phone because there are so many ads loading it slows it waaaaay down, we are done.
If I get more than one popup per page, we are done.
If I try to click the little X to close the ad and it somehow takes me to a video of a new car Honda is trying to sell me, we are done.
So, if it annoys me so much, why would I do that to my own readers?
I have only a few loyal readers, and I want to keep you guys happy! So to me, a couple bucks a month is not worth it.
Bye bye, blog income!
I refuse to plug goods/services I don’t use
Sponsored posts or affiliate programs is another way to make money blogging. Basically a company pays the writer some amount of money to write about how awesome their product or service is.
I have done a few of these, for example the Keurig cold brew, or Walmart Grocery To Go.
I do honest reviews all the time, and these are usually not paid.
But I will not make big money, because I will only do honest reviews of things, places, or products I actually have and use and like (for example the Tea Spot Steep & Go. Love that thing).
I tried to do Amazon Affiliates.
Apparently averaging 700 daily page views isn’t enough to get clicks and purchases, because I think I made a total of $4 before they kicked me out.
Yup, if you don’t make them enough money and/or have enough clicks per year, they can terminate your agreement and kick you out.
Oh well.
I’ve been approached by a few places to be a “brand ambassador”.
But I have some pretty strong opinions when it comes to food, and I’m not just going to write about how awesome your sausage or cheese or fancy sauces are. Not even for hundreds of dollars.
Our ‘food system’ is misleading enough, I don’t want to influence people to eat and drink things I honestly think are terrible for you.
I think the more whole foods and fewer labels in your life, the better your health will be.
And companies won’t pay me to say that.