The most frequently question I get asked is:
How do I start a blog and make money blogging?
Here’s my short answer:
You don’t start a blog to make money, you blog for fun.
Saving money and sharing the freebies is what I’m passionate about. I started my blog for fun because it had become my hobby to find new freebies and coupons. Blogging was the best way to share my finds with the most people. I started my blog with no expectation that I would make enough money to replace the part-time job I held at that time. It just happened after several months of hard-work, and I am lucky that I found my niche in the blogging world and have experienced rapid growth that is uncommon for most blogs.
The truth is that most bloggers are “self-taught”, which means they spend hours and hours teaching themselves how to do things related to blogging. The best way to learn about blogging is to struggle through it yourself and learn as you go. The best resource to go to for help with all things related to blogging is BlogCoach.org. Anyone can learn how to blog, but they have to be willing to make the time commitment to teach themselves.
Blogging is not an easy way to make money. Most bloggers do not see that first penny in their hand for many months (even a year) after starting their blog. Blogging has become a wonderful work-at-home business for me, but it is not a piece-of-cake. I typically work 7 days a week, several hours a day (mostly when my children are asleep). It has also replaced all of my hobbies I used to enjoy simply because it is a huge time commitment and I do truly love it as much as a hobby. But it is still work, and some mornings I don’t really want to get up early to write a new post. But I push myself to keep up with my aggressive posting schedule to keep new content on my blog, and I do find it to be rewarding to help others learn how to save money and have some fun doing it.
I hope this helps answer some of your questions, and I’ll point you to my previous “Money 4 Mom” posts for more information.
Getting Started Blogging
Penny by Penny – The kick-off to the Money 4 Mom series and discussion about how blogging is a slow way to earn money, so you better be passionate about what you write about.
WordPress – I used to recommend Blogger (because it’s FREE) but I now actively discourage people from using Blogger. The reason is that in May of 2010 Blogger’s little spambots flagged my blog as spam (which it isn’t) and I lost all access to it. I then made an emergency move to Worpress and thankfully with the help of WordPress Blog Experts I was able to get my backup file restored and not completely lose all 3,000 posts. The thing about Blogger is that they don’t offer any customer support. If they lock your blog, there’s nobody you can contact about it. Everyone who blogs on Blogger is at risk of losing their blog at any time for absolutely no reason. It’s true – I’ve been there and I don’t want it to happen to you!
Monetizing Your Blog
Finding New Readers – Six tips on how to find new people to read your blog. Because growing your readership is directly related to growing your income for most bloggers.
Google Ads – A few tips based on what I’ve learned about Google Ads, also I share a blogging tip with you; how to get your hyperlinks to open in a new window.
Join Logical Media – My favorite affiliate program for free samples and offers.
BlogHer – I’m not longer with this ad network, but it’s a great one for bloggers to join because they help you grow your blog while monetizing your site.
Referrals – An excellent guest post by Northern Cheapskate about yet another way you can make money on your blog.
Blogging Tools
Smarter Email with Gmail – Why didn’t I switch to Gmail a long time ago? It is truly helping me work smarter and I can still keep all of my old email addresses.
Google Alerts – The easiest way for bloggers to stay on top of who is blogging about them, and who may be copying them.
Tips from a Self-Employed Work-at-Home Mom
Your Blog is Your Small Business – Resources to help you treat your blog as your business, because that’s what it is if you are making any money!
Invest in Yourself – Your blog is you and you are your blog, why investing in yourself should be a top priority.
Being Your Own Boss – How to work smarter and set limits on your blogging time.
Feel free to ask me a question, or suggest a future topic by leaving a comment for me here.
Turn your Blogging hobby into a business at Freebies 4 Mom
Thanks for the advice, Heather!! :)
Thanks for the advice, Heather!! :)
Thank you SO much for posting the tip on getting links to open up in a new window on my blog! I just started blogging a month ago and looked everywhere to figure out how to do that – but I didn't get it to work until I read your tips! Thanks so much, I love your blog and I appreciate the advice for new bloggers!
I started my blog january first, 2010!!! I am not understanding how to add anything to my blog. Right now I have google adscence and amazon. How do I add the coupons, the swidget, juicebox and youdata? I've clicked on just about every single thing I could click on and still cant figure it out. Please help.
Once again you have proved yourself invaluable! This post is exactly what I have been looking for (and pestering other bloggers!) THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have read every part of this series, taking tons of notes and I plan on using all of your links to sign up! Thanks again! Kendal Hall
Thank you for your advice. Your blog, and your advice, were the inspiration for us to finally start our blog, and not wait until we had the perfect website ready to go live with our consulting. With three kids, it's hard to find the time to do something "right". We've been finding that facebook is a great way to get the word out about our blog, it started with our friends, and it is very exciting to see strangers "fan" our site!Thank you!Alicia @ greenlifestyleconsulting.com
Thanks for all the great information and advice! I do have a question that I didn't see addressed here. My question is what is proper "blogging" etiquette? Is it okay to post another blogger's post as long as you give them credit or should you ask for permission? A lot of times another blog may post about a deal first, so I wanted to be clear on this issue. Thanks!
Thanks for the great info!! Very useful and helpful advice. Keep up the great work!!
Heather, i saw you for the first time in the Tyra Bank Show, and thanks to your blog, my life change, it was like a door open for me.I learn a lot of things, and i feel good about getting things for my family. And i making money, it's not too much, but i love making some. I'm full time mommy of three.Thank you so much, and sorry about my english.
I ADORE your site! I'm trying to start-up my own new blog & this post has definitely helped me get things off and running. I really appreciate it!
Travel with Kids – Thanks for visiting! I used a plain template with a custom header that my friend designed for me (for free) for a long time. Then I hired a blog designer to create this custom template as my blog turned into my business. I recommend heading over to BlogCoach.org to find some affordable blog designers to consider.-HeatherFreebies 4 Mom
Great post, and what a useful blog! I came across it googling for info on starting and monetizing blog. I am a blogging newbie but loving it. I have a quick question – I use blogger and my blog looks nothing like as professional OR fun as yours. How do you customize a blogger blog to this level?
I am a blogger by default! :) I started blogging before there was such a thing as blogging, it was a public diary! :) (1996) anyway I have a website with a ‘sister’ blog, my blog is fun but also as heather says a JOB, my website and blog are both monetized but I have LIFE STRATEGIES that allow this to be my job, the income alone from website/blogging isn’t enough, I also mystery shop, merchandise, surveys, review products and more to pay peter and paul, happy to share resources heather if you are interested, I recognize you from my site :)
Emergen C has a great freebie, you can send some to you or a friend! Mutiple flavors too. I don’t think they have a limit on the freebies. P.S. You don’t have to join to get the Freebie.
Thank you so much! I always wondered how to make my links open in a new window. I just tried it on my blog and IT WORKED!
I have tried several times to join Logical Media and CPA storm and they just wont let me in. Any tips?
This is a truly excellent post with so much valuable information linked to it! Thanks, Heather, for providing great, candid information all in one spot.
Great collection of posts, Heather! I doubt you remember me but we met at a Stroller Strides class months ago. You handed out a card for your blog and I checked it out. Although I had before considered writing about dance on the web, you inspired me to look into creating a blog. And the rest is history! I have taken a slightly different path, using WordPress as opposed to Blogger, but even so, I always find your thoughts helpful. Keep up the good work!Nichelle
Wow, this is the bog I have been looking for. I just started blogging after a long hiatus, and I really enjoy it. I like reading other blogs too because they jumpstart my thinking process and make me laugh. I do not post every day yet, but it is my goal. I just like to write and share. If somewhere down the road I can make a few cents and keep up my latte habit, great! if not, at least I have a record of my life that I can look at when I get old and can’t remember who I am.
This is a wonderful tool you provide, helping others learn to blog.In all actuality, when I started back at the beginning of this year, if it wasn’t for you helping me and advising me thru so much of it, my blog probably still wouldn’t be around today. I was so clueless.And, it has now brought in more revenue then I could have ever dreamed…in fact, I didn’t even know it was really possible to make money blogging. I started, just like you, to share the topics I had a passion for in my own life.Thanks for ALL you do in helping us all! I wouldn’t be where I was without your help and my whole family thanks you!