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Can blogs really make money?

Now that you are confident you are ready to blog for profit, you’ll need examine the next crucial question - can blogs really make money?

The answer is yes. The question is how much.

The easiest way to explain to you is by relating my own blogging experience.

I have started my old blog on Blogger.com in my personal interest. I didn’t expect it to evolve into a much larger website with its own domain name. TaufikBatisah.net was born from my infatuation over Singapore Idol season 1 (ah, that’s passion!) and relentless blogging, day and night. I was very disciplined in producing content for a specific group of people – the Idol followers and Taufik’s fans.

What I didn’t do was to blog for profit.

When the site readership was hitting 100,000, I realized there is an opportunity to monetize the traffic. So I registered for a Google Adsense account and planted ads on the site. I also used the customized search feature and referral for firefox download, but the income was really, really miniscule.

That was back in January 2005. By October 2005, my earning was US$ 100.42, averaging at US$10 per month). I immediately cashed in, and a check was released to me – oh, sweet joy!

Since that check, I have not cashed in my earning at all, letting it accumulate. During this period (November 2005 till now), I did not do much to optimise my ads placement etc. All I did was letting the ads sit on the site, and hope to get some clickthroughs from my visitors.

This is how much I earned since then:

My Adsense earning...

The amount worked to an average of  US$10 per month too. It is really very little money, considering that the website has very high traffic.

Where did I go “wrong”? Simply put, I did not set out to blog for profit. While the site achieves what it sets out to do – to promote Taufik to his fans and build a community of admirers – it simply didn’t make the cut to make loads of money.

Now compare that to these Bloggers:

Drastic difference, eh? Of course, I am drawing a comparison with some of the top bloggers out there and hence it might come across as too extreme, but it highlights two important points:

  1. If you want to blog for profit, you have to have the right mindset and the strategies to do it
  2. It is possible to make money blogging – just a little (like mine) or hell of a lot (like Yaro’s and Darren’s)

This blog is set out to test the strategies and tactics as outlined in Yaro’s Blogging for Profit (aff) e-book, and therefore, yes, it is set out to achieve effective blogging, in return of which I can earn some money, thus proving that, yes, Yaro’s blueprint works!

June 10, 2007 | Filed Under Blog Strategies | 5 Comments 

10 ways to check if you are ready for “Blog Profit Blueprint”

How do you know if you are ready to blog for profit? As I started this blog, I asked myself the same questions, and began to list down why I think I am ready for a venture like this. So before we get started on talking about how to build a profitable blog, let’s see if you - the aspiring blogger - share some of my thoughts:

  1. You must own at least one blog that you actively write on. Most people start off with a blog about their lives (hence the definition “online diary”), using simple standalone blog platforms (e.g. Blogger), or blogging service that come with certain websites (like Friendster blogs). If you don’t have one yet, it’ll do you a world good to start and maintain one to get used to the world of blogging, and the blogosphere that comes with it.
  2. You should know at least the main differences between a blog and a website. More importantly, what makes a blog better than a website. Blogs are better communication channels compared to normal website in many ways - from technical setup, fuss-free maintenance and usage, to high interactivity off and on the blog.
  3. You should have some basic knowledge in modifying and maintaining your blogging platform of choice. For Blogger, you should know things like how to install new templates and modify them. For WordPress, knowing how to modify and switch between templates, and testing with plugins is a must. Such expertise comes with experience, and it will save you a world of trouble when your blog matures and attracts lots of traffic.
  4. You should have a good flair for writing. While being 100% grammartically correct is not necessary, the ability to blog in a clear and easy-to-understand way is essential to give your readers a good impression. You should also use your own blogging voice when you write. This gives your posts a personal touch and become engaging, establishing a connection between you and your readers - a crucial factor of blogging success.
  5. You should be using some form of social networking sites (what is this?). If you don’t, it’s time to start. Your experience in using these sites will show you how blogosphere works outside your blog. You will also built networks of contacts that will become your leverage when you start to promote your profit-making blog. I have a couple for my personal use - StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, LinkedIn, Friendster and Facebook - add me! Others I intend to try out soon include Digg and reddit.
  6. You should have some ideas on how to make money online. From Google Adsense (you see them everywhere!) to earning affiliates commission to selling advertising space on your blog, there are thousand and one ways you will come across as you seek for the most optimum channels to monetise your blog. The choices available can be mind-boggling; therefore a little knowledge on these methods will help you along the way.
  7. You should know the basic of setting up your own blog, if you intend to run a blog on your own domain. Purchasing a domain name, pointing it to your server, hosting the site, installing your blogging platform… if this sounds too much for you, you can always opt for free services like (again) Blogger.com or WordPress.com, or get help from your techy friends.
  8. You must have the right mindset for blogging. Yes, we all know that you want to make money from your blog. But it will make a world of a difference if you blog about something you are passionate about, than something that you have little idea on (but heard that it will earn you loads of money). Think again. Rule of thumb - what you blog on should make you and your readers feel good.
  9. You should be already quite proactive online. Being active online - reading blogs, surfing the net, watching YouTube - is different from being proactive. You would understand the behaviour and thinking of your readers much better when you are a reader yourself - commenting on blogs, participating in forums, sharing your finds online (I use Tumblr) - and you’ll know the blogging landscape much better.
  10. You should already be actively reading blogs, either through a blog RSS feed reader (what’s this?) or blogroll. As you’ll be reading blogs that are of interest to you, chances are your readers will be, too (assuming that you are blogging on topics that you love). So get into their blog-reading mindset - what they like, what they don’t like, how they interact with their favourite bloggers etc. Check out my blogroll on the sidebar if you are interested in making money online (of course you are!), and get started on a RSS feed reader (Google Reader or Bloglines are good choices). Remember to subscribe to my feed!

I guess some of my factors above might not come across as crucial in your decision making process to start a blog. However they are important to me and made me feel confident that I am ready.

If yours are different from mine, do share.

June 7, 2007 | Filed Under Blog Strategies, General | 7 Comments 

About Razlan

Razlan

My name is Razlan and I’m the guy behind Viral Voices. Let me take a moment to give you a bit of glimpse at who I am.

I’m a 28 year old Malaysian living in Singapore. I am single, living on my own in a wonderful part of Singapore, and I earn a living as a key account manager with JobStreet.com, one of the top job sites in Asia Pacific.

I’ve been blogging since mid-2005 on a number of sites. I started out with just one at You Got Me Blogging - a blog about my daily life, work rants, photos, and miscellaneous topics that take my fancy from time to time.

In 2005 the Singapore Idol fever swept Singapore. Along with thousands of Idol fans, I found myself blogging day and night about the reality show. As Season 1 drew to a climatic end on 1st December, my blog was widely known as the blog to go for all things Idol. By then I was an avid supporter of the eventual-winner Taufik Batisah - a delightful person whom I have the honour of getting to know personally.

Few weeks down the road, TaufikBatisah.net was born and endorsed as the official site for the newly crowned Idol. I was beside myself. Eventually I left my Blogger blog, filled it up with Adsense for a dollar or two a month, and set up You Got Me Blogging at its current home.

As you’ll be able to tell from my blogs, I’m an avid reader, love to travel, enjoy good food and wine, and a movie fanatic.

I hope that’s given a glimpse of who I am and what I do. If you’re a blogger and want to improve your blog then I’d love to keep in touch. I’d love to hear from you about your experiences of blogging in the comments sections on my posts.

June 6, 2007 | Filed Under General | 4 Comments 

Welcome to Viral Voices

This is the first entry into Viral Voices. The purpose of this blog is to record my learning experience in putting the strategies and tactics in building, marketing and monetising this very blog, as outline by the totally awesome Blog Profit Blueprint (aff) by Yaro Starak.

My name is Razlan and I am the owner of this blog. I started Viral Voices as part of my web communication business (now no longer running) back in 2005. Back then I was an avid blogger, running several blogs at the same time - so much so that I was given the opportunity by my then-boss to set up a business unit doing web services - as part of a recruitment company. With a team of five young people - two programmers, one web designer, one graphic designer, and one copywriter - we journeyed for about 12 months before I decided to take a change in my career.

That spelled the end of my blogging enthusiasm. Partly because my new job as a conference producer was really, really taxing. I also saw that, despite my best effort with my profitable web site, the revenue was miniscule, and I don’t really see blogging as a viable business venture…

… until I read Yaro’s Blog Profit Blueprint (aff). I changed my mind. In fact, I got my act together and breathed a new life into Viral Voices.

What you are reading now will be a real-life testament for the blueprint. Stay tuned to this blog for more news and updates as I get down blogging!

June 5, 2007 | Filed Under General | 2 Comments