Is Making a Living from Niche Blogging Realistic?

8 years ago

The short answer to your question is Yes, you can make a living from blogging! Many people do, but I would suggest starting with a mentor or a good course on blogging! You will for sure find a lot of good information here on the warrior forum...so thats a good start.

You might want to search blogging here or warrior forum and also search for blogging courses here as well as on JVzoo and clickbank.

I do know that monetizing your blog is necessary (banners, adsense, renting ad space, etc.) but good content will always be most important as well as collecting email addresses with a free offer pop up. You can get an autoresponder set up easily with the many options (getresponse or aweber are a couple popular ones)

Hope this helps

Thanks

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freshblogger

8 years ago

Thanks Gary,

I've been browsing the forum's for the last 30 minutes or so and they look like a wealth of information. I don't even know if I would call what I'm trying to do "blogging" but I guess all affiliate marketing is blogging?

I just think that starting a site with ads/affiliates and then analyzing traffic to establish customer demand and then developing a product AFTER that is a lot more valuable then trying to "guess" what product might sell well (ie. I have a friend who earns a decent living selling used antique furniture via amazon FBA but I feel that he could have gotten better insight into what product to sell through examining a niche blog based around that topic first)

I guess I'm just a little hesitant to jump in with both feet as my 30+ hours a week I've freed up could be going towards getting a masters degree, learning the guitar etc. etc. (although I really am analytically minded (Econ degree) and love building/analyzing sites, I'm just not much of a designer - love to write though!)

Thanks
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Steve B

8 years ago

Originally Posted by freshblogger

I just think that starting a site with ads/affiliates and then analyzing traffic to establish customer demand and then developing a product AFTER that is a lot more valuable then trying to "guess" what product might sell well

IMO, you've got this backward. I always do market research and analysis first before even deciding to go into a niche. You can determine customer demand by doing research online without first having built a site. Why would you want to go to that time, money, and effort if the niche isn't a viable one where people spend money?

Originally Posted by freshblogger

It seems that all the blogs making money are just about how to make money from blogging

False. You may have only been noticing "make money" blogs, but in actuality there are people all over the Internet making a nice living from blogs that are outside the MMO niche. Just do a little research and you will find many, many examples.

Having said that, don't expect to enjoy your "remote lifestyle" of traveling without putting in a lot of effort, maybe for years before you build your business to that point. Understand, also, that you need to be in a niche where prospects spend money freely and where you can provide them with products and/or services that are important to them. You won't get rich with Adsense or any other model that requires mega traffic. Most likely, creating and selling your own niche products will be your best option.

Steve

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freshblogger

8 years ago

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the reply.

I actually did a ton of keyword and market research so perhaps I should clarify what I meant: I was just theorizing that it may be better to analyze your niche site behavior and conversions (for ad and affiliate clicks) before investing real money in a product.

As for the MMO blogs - you're likely right. I'm probably noticing these a lot more as I search around for information on SEO, web development, blogging etc.

Also likely some good advice on creating a niche product rather than adsense. After reading a lot of the posts here I'm convinced it's a better long term strategy. I just think adsense can initially offer some insight into who is visiting your site and for what.

Originally Posted by Steve B

IMO, you've got this backward. I always do market research and analysis first before even deciding to go into a niche. You can determine customer demand by doing research online without first having built a site. Why would you want to go to that time, money, and effort if the niche isn't a viable one where people spend money?

False. You may have only been noticing "make money" blogs, but in actuality there are people all over the Internet making a nice living from blogs that are outside the MMO niche. Just do a little research and you will find many, many examples.

Having said that, don't expect to enjoy your "remote lifestyle" of traveling without putting in a lot of effort, maybe for years before you build your business to that point. Understand, also, that you need to be in a niche where prospects spend money freely and where you can provide them with products and/or services that are important to them. You won't get rich with Adsense or any other model that requires mega traffic. Most likely, creating and selling your own niche products will be your best option.

Steve

Thanks

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Loridori4

8 years ago

Originally Posted by freshblogger

Thanks Gary,

I've been browsing the forum's for the last 30 minutes or so and they look like a wealth of information. I don't even know if I would call what I'm trying to do "blogging" but I guess all affiliate marketing is blogging?

I just think that starting a site with ads/affiliates and then analyzing traffic to establish customer demand and then developing a product AFTER that is a lot more valuable then trying to "guess" what product might sell well (ie. I have a friend who earns a decent living selling used antique furniture via amazon FBA but I feel that he could have gotten better insight into what product to sell through examining a niche blog based around that topic first)

I guess I'm just a little hesitant to jump in with both feet as my 30+ hours a week I've freed up could be going towards getting a masters degree, learning the guitar etc. etc. (although I really am analytically minded (Econ degree) and love building/analyzing sites, I'm just not much of a designer - love to write though!)

Well I'm mostly an ecommerce biz person, that trades forex too, but I know a lot of affiliates since I have them to promote my site!
One of the best tips I can give you is this. Capture your visitors contact info. They will probably only ever visit your site/blog ONE TIME unless you get their info.
You can do this through creative ways like pop up offers, contests, prizes, special discount offers, etc...
The type of tools needed for this can get expensive if you buy them separately through aweber, clickfunnels, get response, etc...
I HIGHLY recommend TCP to all my affiliates. All the tools in one spot, and if you refer 3 people then it's free!

And remebmer, you don't have to join a company and pay for a kit to have something to promote. It's free to promo Amazon products, JVzoo, Clickbank, and tons of other places.

Thanks

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Gambino

8 years ago

It sounds like you don't really have a firm grasp on what you're trying to do. Not every blog in the world is about making money online. There are blogs about fashion, sports, and thousands of other topics that are earning a full time income.

First, you have to decide if you're building a business or if you have a hobby. Any intelligent business person will have a vision and a plan to build their business. That plan will include everything from market research to opportunities, to target market, to monetization methods. If you're building a business, research is key. As they say, the unaimed arrow never misses.

Blogging is only one means to an end, which is generating traffic and ultimately making money. If you simply create a blog and just post blog posts then you'll probably fail or quit before you see any success. Even if you blog, you have to do other things like engage on social media, connect with other bloggers in your niche, podcast, create or find products, etc. Point is, there's more to blogging than just writing blog posts.

In my opinion, anyone who creates a blog with the sole goal of earning money from advertising through adsense should get their head checked.

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1 reply

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freshblogger

8 years ago

Thanks Gambino,

Perhaps calling what I'm doing as blogging is incorrect terminology. Technically what I have set up is an information HUB in a specific niche targeted towards millennials. I've done a ton of keyword & competitive research and worked hard to get a grasp on the industry and demographic I'm catering to.

As I said in the previous post adsense is certainly not my monetization goal but one of many initial tools I'm using to get a sense of visitor demands and behavior that can help me more clearly define an end product (whether that's an information product or other)

I'm currently using an array of marketing tools and channels.

I think my main reason for this post is just a little bit of insecurity over always seeing these: "make money online" type blogs and posts - I feel it cheapens what I'm trying to do.

Originally Posted by Gambino

It sounds like you don't really have a firm grasp on what you're trying to do. Not every blog in the world is about making money online. There are blogs about fashion, sports, and thousands of other topics that are earning a full time income.

First, you have to decide if you're building a business or if you have a hobby. Any intelligent business person will have a vision and a plan to build their business. That plan will include everything from market research to opportunities, to target market, to monetization methods. If you're building a business, research is key. As they say, the unaimed arrow never misses.

Blogging is only one means to an end, which is generating traffic and ultimately making money. If you simply create a blog and just post blog posts then you'll probably fail or quit before you see any success. Even if you blog, you have to do other things like engage on social media, connect with other bloggers in your niche, podcast, create or find products, etc. Point is, there's more to blogging than just writing blog posts.

In my opinion, anyone who creates a blog with the sole goal of earning money from advertising through adsense should get their head checked.

Thanks

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The Leader

8 years ago

We all want the good life where we can travel, wine and dine and make money from it. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes having steady job/income and working on the dreams concurrently will be the best option.

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freshblogger

8 years ago

Out of curiosity who here earns a living from their own sites? And if so what is your current revenue/expense?

Sorry if that is too personal a question but I would love to know if you're out there!

Thanks

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shaunybb

8 years ago

What has me worried is:

1 - The sheer volume of "how to make money from home", "make $1000 a day" type blogs and even "growth hack" and Pat Flynn type blogs. It seems that all the blogs making money are just about how to make money from blogging (which is obviously a topic that interests me but not something I want to attempt to earn income from long term).

Then focus on one of the other 1000's of profitable niches....you just need to:

Become an authority by researching and implementing killer content and the correct funnel/monetization.
Be consistent and work hard
Adapt to the ever changing business that make money online is
Model other successful people in that niche and tackle it from a unique angle in all areas of your business plan
Do what others are not willing to do...

Have a great day!

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PvPGuy

8 years ago

Originally Posted by freshblogger

Not sure if making an income (25k+) from this is feasible or just for the superstar unicorns out there. Would love some feedback.

Well, if we can say the mythical unicorn is very rare, I'm not sure what to say about a superstar unicorn. The good news is that you don't need to be a superstar unicorn to make 25k from a single site, but you'll definitely be in unicorn status!

The best feedback I can give is to focus on your sources of qualified traffic. You mentioned keywords, so you'll be incorporating SEO, as you should, but you may want to get a crash course in paid traffic. You'll get faster results, and btw, its a better way to "test your niche behavior" (aka, how they interact with your site/content). Its also the only reliable way to scale up your traffic, unless you manage to strike oil in the serps. But let me say it again, because it really spins the whole enterprise, you must master qualified traffic if you want to grow a horn on your forehead.

Gary mentioned the collection of emails and using an autoresponder, and I'd hate for it to get lost in the shuffle of comments. There are very few exceptions in my mind where capturing emails should not be a primary goal. Keep in mind, everyone who visits your site will leave your site. What brings them back? You want to collect emails. 'nuff said.

The last thing that I would mention is to network with related sites. You know the old adage, "people buy from people they like?" Well, "people will promote people they like" too. Start building relationships with others who can in turn endorse you or become a source of paid traffic.

Can it be done? Without a doubt. Can you do it? Can you?

Cheers

Thanks

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Shawn Arms

8 years ago

Why not do something simple?
I have a nice blog on how to make Anime. It is a great niche market but is something I know about and love.

If you are going to do a blog it should be something you love. Then plug in related products.

I don't make much off that website though but I have not yet monetized it. For now it is just for fun.

I do however make money online. I travel the world and live in other countries. I just got started like 2 years ago.

Outside of blogging and internet marketing why not offer your own service? Offering services then maybe moving on to products is a good start.

Most of us get paid offering services, right?
I mean if you are a janitor you offer cleaning services.
If you are a hairdresser you offer hair services.
If you are a customer service rep you offer customer service.

We all have jobs. The only difference is getting them done digitally. Put yourself in that mind set.

In fact when people aren't buying products they are still buying services.
Janitors still have a job even when the economy is bad.

Here is a service you could offer. I made this little video to share with folks to help them out.

Ignore the first part as I ain't trying to sell you anything.

https://youtu.be/MDsQl2nMDgg

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aizaku

8 years ago

yes, you can..

but this i found also to be true:

You CANT sit around waiting for Google to pick up your content and rank it.

here is a simple idea to remember.

If you're not posting content, you're promoting content.

best of luck,
Ike Paz

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Ames

8 years ago

It's a pipe dream.

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Victor Hin

8 years ago

yup possible. with long consistent work any thing is possible.

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Kay King

8 years ago

love the idea of a remote type lifestyle

Liking "the idea" is not enough to succeed. You need to have interest in what you are blogging about - the ability to connect with a target audience, etc.

You seem to be waffling here and there with it's blogging or not blogging...or....

A site online - is a site online. What you do with it is what counts. Very easy to over analyze what your plans are - and easy to switch gears any time someone brings up a new idea. However, unless you can make a plan and focus on that plan, you'll be struggling for a long time.

Give yourself 90 days to focus on building content on your blog - getting signups to a list - creating a good email series for that list - looking at competing sites and learning how to promote your own site and your own niche. Don't even think of starting anything else until those 90 days are up - then look at your results to see how well you are doing, make any needed adjustments, and keep going.

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Marx Vergel Melencio

8 years ago

FreshBlogger,

Realistically making a living through blogging mainly depends on what you intend to do, how you actually do it, and how your target audience reacts to what and how you do your thing ...

Blogging in itself can't earn anyone any money.

"Nothing happens until someone sells something", as IBM founder Thomas Watson once said ...

It's what you're offering that can grab the attention of a specific audience.

It's where and when and how you place your offers that can help you reach the right audience.

It's the value they perceive in what you're offering that can keep them interested in listening to you and in wanting more from you.

It's the overall experience they get from what you're offering that can close the deal for you.

It's what you're selling that can create income for yourself.

It's the value they get from what they bought from you that can give you the opportunity to consistently earn more income from them and their networks.

So:

Who is your ideal end user or customer? A viewer? A business? A welfare organization? An advertiser? A publisher like you? An affiliate?

What do you intend to offer them in return for their attention, time, money and recommendations?

Is it a fair and reasonable deal for all concerned parties, yourself included?

Can you leverage your existing fiscal and non-fiscal resources to use blogging so as to cost-effectively reach your target audience and successfully show them the value and experience that what you're offering can give them?

If not, then there could probably be other much better and more cost-effective ways to do that. There's door to door sales. There's telesales. There's something probably new that only you can do ...

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Michael Ten

8 years ago

It's possible to earn a living from blogging. It's just not super easy to.

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Matthew Iannotti

8 years ago

Yes, many people do, but it's not going to happen overnight, it can take years to make a very good income off a blog. Unless you happen to strike gold and get a page or a post on your website that goes viral, don't expect to be rolling in the dough overnight.

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ChrisBa

8 years ago

Originally Posted by freshblogger

Hi All,

First time poster here!

I really love the idea of a remote type lifestyle working from home (and around the world). Writing, designing, and letting my creativity flow. I am relatively new to blogging (and attempting to monetize it) But a few things have me a little depressed and wondering if making a living from this is a realistic proposition or just something that one in a million rockstar bloggers can do?

What has me worried is:

1 - The sheer volume of "how to make money from home", "make $1000 a day" type blogs and even "growth hack" and Pat Flynn type blogs. It seems that all the blogs making money are just about how to make money from blogging (which is obviously a topic that interests me but not something I want to attempt to earn income from long term).

It seems that "earning money online and working from home" is what everyone wants to do so savvy marketers are taking advantage of it and they're the ones raking it in.

2 - The amount of volume needed to make adsense or affiliates viable. I keep reading you need about 100k visitors a DAY to make approx. $5000/ month off adsense/affiliates. That is a massive 3M visitors a month. Some of my favorite, long standing, meticulously designed and amazingly written sites don't even get 1/3 of that.

3 - Everybody and his dog seems to own a website, and none of them seem to be making money. I've never met anyone who actually earns a living off their own niche site.

4 - If it's possible to make a living blogging for yourself how come all the digital marketing managers aren't quitting their jobs and living the good life.

Anyway - I recently turned down a secondary job opportunity (don't worry I'm not planning to quit my day job yet) which will give me about 30-35 hours a week to focus on trying to make a go of this.

My plan is:

A - Keyword research: (align high volume with low competition and potential for adsense and affiliates) Also focusing on topics I actually care about and want to write a lot about.

B - Technical site design and setup (setting up all my analytics, search console, modifying wordpress theme, setting up all social accounts etc.)

C - Content Marketing and setting up adsense and subtle affiliates.

D - analyzing site behavior, affiliate clicks and adsense CTR to eventually develop an information product or sell an actual product that suits my viewership.

That's the best I have so far! Am on step "C" currently. Not sure if making an income (25k+) from this is feasible or just for the superstar unicorns out there. Would love some feedback.

It is possible, but it takes time to build your content and build your following. It doesn't happen overnight, it can take a very long time.

It might not be realistic, but possible, it depends on how much you want to put into it.

Thanks

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Is Making a Living from Niche Blogging Realistic?

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