There is a large portion of the populace who has no idea how bloggers, podcasters and videographers can make money putting information on the Internet.
In this post I’ll brush on the basics of how content providers monetize their work and share my perspectives on the path I most prefer.
How to Monetize a Blog
The limit here is only your marketing creativity, but here are the primary ways people monetize a blog.
Ads
By drawing traffic to a website, and entering an agreement with a marketing company, I can make money for having people view my website.
As you see, I have ads on this site, not because I make any money from it, but for the future avoidance of criticism for selling out by placing ads on my page after growing an audience. If the ads are always there, I can’t be pinned as a sellout.
Affiliates
If I can sell you, my audience, on items that I find valuable, I might be able to strike a deal with the provider of the product or service for doing their marketing for them.
Amazon is the glaring example, but this could apply to anything that I can point you toward to add value to your life. You do a monetary exchange, I get a cut.
Products
If I can develop / generate / invent products that you will derive value in, then I can post them for sale on my website and inform you about them through blog posts, emails, social media posts, etc.
New Hampshire Man Strategy
Please let this come as no surprise that I would love to monetize the work that I put into this website.
Please know, too, that so does everyone else.
That podcast host you listen to who seems super charged about a picture printing service…it’s because they pay the host to say that. Affiliate marketing.
Blog authors who credit their success to a particular planner, and push the bejesus out of it, well, they are probably getting paid for that or they built it to try to monetize their audience.
If there’s ONE eye opening thing that has hit me having started this journey, it is how hard people and business try to get our money. Please be aware of that and challenge all of it.
That said, there is some AWESOME stuff out there. Buy it. Make your life better, just be aware of yourself as a target.
Combating Consumerism
I struggle deeply with the consumerist society we’ve become.
On the one hand, I love it. It’s great to be able to get anything in the world delivered on my doorstep in 2 days.
On the other hand, it encourages us to buy a tremendous amount of STUFF, most of which we probably don’t actually NEED.
The upfront cost is one thing, but the hidden cost bothers me too. The energy footprint to make it all happen. The energy is subsidized and cheap and not reflective of the true cost. Free Shipping isn’t actually free.
So, I don’t currently seek a commission on any products. I see the value it in it, and there are many things that make my life better that I want to share with you, but I need to cautiously strike the balance at encouraging you to focus on the value of the things IN your life, not those things you think you WANT.
Please buy as much locally as you possibly can. It will likely cost more and please understand that the increased cost is because it’s worth more, in so many ways.
Products
I deeply aspire to be able to develop products that will make your life better.
Currently, in my shop, I have several knives and tools and I look forward to continuing to grow that arsenal. They are almost all taken out of a waste stream and reconditioned into better than new condition.
However, digital products are where it’s at. Whether it’s woodworking plans, or how-to manuals for taking care of yourself, I see a lot of value in generating digital products for purchase any time for the rest of time. That’s where the magic is, in my opinion.
Ads
It would surprise me if, in the future, I didn’t pull ads off this site. I don’t know, I’m torn. They’re up for now, they don’t cost me anything and they make me a smidgen . I think they clutter the content so I’d like to get rid of them, but I also want to make money.
If I’m going to advertise on NHM, I’d rather strike an agreement with people and companies I trust who are doing good things for humanity and put a little slug or widget on my page to hook them up, hook you up with quality providers, and hook myself up with a respectable referral fee.
Scaling, and Why This Matters to YOU!
This post has been all about me, a little insight for you into what my aspirations are with this work.
But check this out…
If you are like most people in a developed country you are trading your time for money. THIS is the only thing I’ve found that has a reasonably high possibility, or at least potential, of generating revenue INDEPENDENT of a continuous input of TIME.
Once products are developed (especially digital ones) and advertisers are arranged it is not inconceivable that I could take a year off and still generate revenue!
I’m not here to tell you what to do, I just want you to realize the arrangement you’re in and to consider that it might be worth building an online presence.
For me, so far this has not a lucrative investment, but it’s young and still the only one with even a relative amount of potential, so I’m going to keep working on it.
It might take me 10 years to figure out. Or 20 years! I just can’t imagine working on this for 20 years and not figuring out how to monetize it. I find that motivating. I don’t mind playing the long game.
Thanks for considering it, and for your support in my journey.
NHMan
