IM and Health

I don't think you should feel guilty about making money from your blog; there are plenty of blog writers who are inspired to write like you but who have a way of monetizing their blog. Perhaps you could only sell products that you have tried yourself, or review them? That way you are being honest and upfront with the quality of the product.

I'll give you something to chew on. But people actually tend to get much greater results, and much quicker results as well, when they pay for that information.

If something is free, we will naturally value it much less than a paid item, and while it may seem illogical, even if it contains essentially the same information.

It's all about perception. As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, so is the perception of value. And if you're don't charge, that perception goes down automatically.

If you're not confident enough to charge, does it really work? That's the conversation we have going on in our minds when we're looking for what will benefit us and where to spend our attention.

Plus, when people actually pony up the dough for something, they're a lot more intent on getting their value and money's worth out of it. The idea of being able to have bought something else is motivation enough.

There are actual studies that prove that what I'm saying is valid, but I don't have them readily accessible. I'll look something up for you.

But looking at it from this new vantage point, will meet both of your criteria. And then you can carry on with your goals passionately, while having the rational logic to back it up.

This very nice of you. I am also a severly sick person (MS) and can understand you to some degree. Best thing I can suggest is putting ads like AdSense. I'd also recommend writting an e-book and give it as a gratuity in exchange for their email address. This way, you can sell them products via email, which is a very lucrative way to make money online.

I assume you're looking for a subliminal way as in not just "scream" - "I want to sell you crap" like everyone else in IM does. This is probably the best way to do it because people look at an email more personally. Then you can promote CPA offers or even develop a product like a software (IE: Diabetic People). You can also write another but bigger book and sell it for $2 for the amazon Kindle. If it's a common problem but little known, many will go.

Recap: AdSense, YouTube vid ads (even just PPT), CPA (Cost Per Action), email marketing

Hope this helps

The Gold Trader

There is nothing wrong with selling a product that provides value. If they can overcome a serious health issue by spending a few dollars then you will both benefit greatly.

You can give important information about a certain illness for free at your blog, and at the same time sell affiliate products that might help those who are suffering from the health problem you are talking about. This is a good combination.

Okay so I finally found an example. This is coming off a CD by Kennedy that you get when you buy his Marketing to the Affluent book. It's track 11.

Anyway this research comes from some people at Stanford and MIT.

Here's what happened. They gave the same "fitness drink" to two groups of fitness people. They told group one it was a cheap product. Group two was told it was a premium priced product.

Surveyed after workouts, the group who was told it was a cheap product, reported they had a less intense, less effective work out overall.

Then, they took the same drink, and gave it to two groups of people, and this time told them it would improve their mental focus.

Those who were told it was a cheap product were less effective at solving word puzzles in subsequent tests, and the premium priced group did far better.

So price, and the perceived value of a higher price alone, actually influenced the results that people got, all other factors being the same. Including the product.

Marc

Since you are well versed in the type of Niche you are wanting to tackle, There is no reason why you shouldn't profit off of it...

There are more people willing to pay for Information than you might think... You are right though, You need to build a targeted list in your chosen Niche and while it is great to promote Health offers as an affiliate it is also alot more gratifying selling your own products as well to your list.

I know exactly what you mean by conflict of interest. I have not promoted products in the past that I thought would get me sales because I perceived it would conflict with the impartial advice I was offering. However, if you look at a site like Moneysavingexpert, they, despite providing what they claim impartial advice, promote products through links.

Even if you run adsense, think of some of the ads that would appear alongside your content. Arguably, some would be considered providing a conflict of interest. Yet you have very little control of the ads Google would show. In that sense, I don't think running affiliate products is any different. These days very few people run sites that they don't monetize at least to a small degree.

Another way of doing it would be to put pen to paper so to speak
and write a book containing your knowledge and feelings on this subject.
If you are not a writer visit elance and someone would gladly
write it out for you if you give them the bullet points and content ideas.
You could then create a simple site to again offer the information but not
in depth as the book and offer the book for those who want a more information.
That way you have the best of both worlds?

I cannot see why you fear making money from you health blog.If you can just proof that you have the value for their money then i would say....make money from it.
All the best!

Wow, Thanks for all the feedback, sorry it took me so long to get back, but grateful for all the responses!

You guys all definetly gave me a few tips to think about.

Thanks again