Occasionally, I get a wild hair and decide to sit and write up a post about blogging. Today is one of those days. My friend, Sarah, did a nice post recently about advertising, so I thought I’d expound on that and give my experience with that and blogging. I hope by doing this it helps many of you who are new to blogging. I learned all of what I know by reading and asking questions along the way, so if I can pass on some of my knowledge, I’m glad to do it. I certainly don’t claim to know it all by any means and I’m STILL learning, all the time. This is a long one, so get comfortable.
To advertise or NOT to advertise, that seems to be the question that bloggers ask. You can’t make everyone happy. Some will not like the fact that you advertise and many will not care one way or the other.
So, to start off, let me say that I’ve now been blogging for 3 1/2 years. In blog years, that’s a long time. Back when I started, there were not all that many blogs in my niche of decorating, design, crafting, DIY, or home blogs. There just weren’t nearly the amount of blogs back then. We all visited each other, linking back and forth and I pretty much had a handle on most of the blogs in that niche and got to know a lot of them.
But now….now, there are millions of new blogs. Just the last year, I’ve seen an explosion of new bloggers. So, welcome to all of you who are new. We were all new at one time. Today I’m going to share my experiences with advertising on my blog. How I decided what to do and the process I went through to get to where I am now.
Back in the early days, I remember seeing lots of discussions on whether or not someone was going to advertise on their blog. It seemed that there were decidedly 2 camps: those who would advertise and those who felt strongly against it. I was somewhere in the middle, not knowing anything about advertising or what it all meant. I had no idea of the ins and outs of advertising or if any money could be made blogging.
Those of us who went to Blissdom in 2009 learned even more about advertising and blogging and how it all works. But, still it’s a continual learning process and some days, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this big world wide web is all about.
Sarah gave a really good point on her post which I totally agree with:
DO NOT start a blog for the purpose of making money! That’s a BIG amen. It simply will NOT work and I can’t say that strongly enough either.
When I started blogging, I really just began on a whim, not knowing what I was doing or the right way to go about starting a blog. As I did back then, I still blog because I LOVE it, not for any other reason. Making $$ is just icing on the cake and adds another dimension to it, but the main reason I blog is because I enjoy the community and friendships so much. I feel like I’ve got about 7,000 friends that I can reach out to at anytime and you’d be there for me. I know I can count on some dialogue with all of you if I need it and that is such a fun part of blogging for me. Reading your comments makes my day!
You may ask how big your blog needs to be before you advertise? I would say to make it worthwhile, you would probably need about 20-25,000 hits a month to even get started. After my first year of blogging, I began to get inquiries about text links. I added a few of those, but they certainly aren’t big money makers and I will only add those now if they are relevant to my topics. In fact, I will only use advertisers that are completely relevant to what I talk about on my blog.
If you want to keep up with your stats, be sure to sign up for Google Analytics and even Sitemeter (I use both) to track how many visitors come by your blog.
The rule of thumb for what to charge for an ad is this: $1 per 1,000 impressions or visits per month. So, with that in mind, if you get 100,000 visits per month, that would equate to being able to charge $100 per month for an ad. I don’t charge what I could, but you have to keep in mind the economy and what people are willing to pay. My rates are very reasonable and in keeping with the economic climate.
Like I said, I had no idea about the money-making thing when I started blogging. It was only a year or so into it that I saw that there were blogs advertising and especially noticed a blog ad network called BlogHer. That’s when I decided to apply and join. I waited until I was blogging a whole year before I jumped in and joined BlogHer and I’m so glad I did. They are the 5th largest women’s network on the web and they have a blog network of 2,500 bloggers. I got in at a great time with them and have been completely happy with my association with BlogHer. I think they are still closed for the most part, but if you get on their list, you may be able to get in eventually. I had to wait a couple of months before I was accepted in 2008.
Just for reference, I went back and looked up my first check from Blogher, back in 2008. It was $84. Yippee!! I can still remember the thrill of actually getting a check in the mail from my blog. You would have thought it was $1,000 from my excitement. It has steadily gone up from there.
I totally believe that first year should be a year of getting your feet wet, learning the ropes and establishing your topics and voice. Most of us need that time. My blog traffic back then was about 1/4 what it is now. I don’t keep secrets on that and you can click on my Ad button over there to the right, to see my stats on my Advertising/PR page.
I now have around 100,000 + visitors a month, much more than I had 2 years ago. So, I started off slowly with BlogHer and grew into it. The amount of money you make with them is solely dependent on how much traffic you have. It started out slowly, but has grown for me and that’s been a good thing. I do get perks and opportunities for promotions with them, like the ones you see me doing on here with reviews and giveaways. The products that they represent are ones that I can get behind, so I have no problem with that aspect of it. I like the fact that they represent women bloggers with advertisers and the advertisers are realizing what a powerful force that women are.
Last year, I also added my own advertisers, like many others have. Those small ad buttons you see over there are for independent business owners, many of them mom-preneurs who are staying at home and starting their own businesses. I love supporting them whenever I can. I never try to push anything on any of you out there who faithfully read my blog, but I hope that you will buy from these small businesses whenever you can. Many of these businesses have started from folks who have lost jobs or are starting over with home-based businesses and with our economy, I applaud those who wish to stay home and still make a living.
I also sometimes do “trade-outs” for ads. If there is a service or product that I’d like to have, instead of monetary compensation, I will sometimes trade ad space for products or services. That’s a win-win for both parties too.
I have never apologized for putting ads on my blog, nor will I do that now. It’s a necessary thing once you get to a certain point with blogging, I think. Most of us who do ads are putting a LOT of time and energy into our blogs and I see no reason not to be compensated for that.
Believe me, it is not fulltime pay in the least. But, bringing in some extra $$ has been great for me. It really helps me feel fulfilled as a small business owner to be able to make a little income of my own. I started my own decorating business 2 years ago, with the hopes of making a go at that locally. I’ve done some local decorating consultations and love doing them, but the bulk of my business is now this blog.
There are other ways to advertise on blogs too. Google Ads has a program that anyone can join. You can sign up and start running those on your blog if you choose. Those are mostly dependent on how many visits you get for the most part, I think and I’ve just added one of those to my blog. I don’t expect to get rich off of any of them. You can choose the size, whether or not it’s a text ad or picture ad and just add it to your sidebar. You will need to send in Tax info on all of these, if you decide to join them.
There are also affiliate ads, which you can sign up for through sites like Commission Junction, for one. I don’t know a whole lot about affiliates, but I did try them a few times and didn’t see much happening, so stopped those. There is also a site called Juicebox Jungle, which some of my friends are using and happy with. There are SO many avenues out there, but these are the main ones I know about.
To break it down, here are my main tips on advertising. When to advertise, how to get started and all of that:
- My personal opinion is that you should wait until you’ve been blogging close to a year before you try to advertise. Unless your blog just explodes that first year, you’ll need the time to grow and learn the ropes. Again, just my personal opinion and what I did myself. I cringe when I see bloggers trying to get advertising when they are 3 months old.
- Don’t blog to make money. Again, that just will not work. Your readers will see right through that and won’t come back. I’ve been so fortunate to have my readers grow right along with me.
- Try out an ad network or your own personal ads and see how it goes. Don’t expect to get rich. You will not.
- Always keep your content first and foremost the most important thing. I blog more often than I used to, but it’s because I still have plenty to talk about. I really thought I’d run out of topics by now, but I still love decorating so much and home stuff so much that it hasn’t happened. I still have plenty to run my mouth about. 🙂
I really think it’s much harder now to grow a blog really big. There is just so much competition out there in each and every niche. But, if you’re true to yourself and visit and comment and are friendly and open, then that is my best tip on growing your blog. I just don’t think every blog is going to grow big. I’ve been very fortunate to see mine grow at the pace it has, but there are many blogs in my niche that are MUCH bigger than mine.
There are other ways to make money on a blog too. I do some online decorating consultations that I enjoy and that brings in a little income and I have also been fortunate to be a part of Open Sky, with my own online shop which has also been rewarding. (NOTE: Open Sky changed formats, so our shops are no longer open, I hope to get my own shop open soon!) So, it’s a combination of things that can be embarked on to make money from blogging. Again, it’s part-time income and not at all what I made when I was working in the Corporate world, but it’s a whole lot more rewarding.
I’m so fortunate that I get quite a lot of offers for book reviews and giveaways and anything that I think I will enjoy AND YOU will enjoy, I will take it on. I look at it this way. If I’m getting a perk, then I want to be able to pass it on to some of you who are so great to come by and support me. Being able to give out great prizes makes me happy for all of you who win too.
So, as long as all of you keep coming back to visit and support me, I’ll keep on passing on great books and giveaways too. Blogging has been such a great venue for me as a decor-aholic and I’ve enjoyed it tremendously and sharing it with ALL of you just makes it better than ever. If you stopped coming by, I would be so sad. I truly don’t care if my blog grows any bigger than it is now. I’m quite happy with where I am and honestly, I don’t know if I would want more to do or to keep up with. My schedule is pretty busy as it is and I don’t ever want the FUN to go out of blogging. It is a whole lot of fun for me!
I will tell you this too. As your blog grows, so does your busy life grow with it. If you aspire to have a bigger blog, be prepared to do the work on it to keep it that way. I spend as many hours at my computer as most of you do who have full-time jobs, but it is still very rewarding and enjoyable for me and that’s why I do it. I also think I’ve lost a few friends along the way. Many, many people who used to stop by and say hello in that beginning year or so simply have disappeared. I have no idea if some are still around or not, because I can only read my comments to see who stops by. So, as your blog grows, it just may cause some to lurk or leave? I’m not sure the reason, but I suspect it is time constraints, as blogging has just added more busyness to all our lives. I guess since I can’t keep up with so many of you, that the same thing happens with people commenting here too. I’m still working on that balance thing! 🙂
I have said over and over that the one thing that makes me sad is that I cannot connect with every single one of my readers on a regular basis. It is an impossibility, as much as I’d like that to happen. So, remember that too. The bigger your blog, the less personal contact you have with a lot of your readers. You just will not physically have the time to visit all of them, as much as you want to.
So, that’s why I blog and that’s why I advertise. Making some extra money is fun and doing what I love to do by working at home and making a little $$ is the best scenario.
As a blog grows and gets recognition, there’s a flip side to that too. There are one, maybe 2 negative and mean anonymous commenters who will not go away and just love to come by and leave me nasty-grams. They go right into a spam folder, so none of you read them, but it just amazes me that some girls have nothing better to do than hang out at a blog that from their very mean and hateful comments, they obviously despise everything I do and take the time to spend their energy on negative remarks. Thankfully, the MANY wonderful readers I do have that leave me fantastic comments, by far outweigh the negative ones. That’s what keeps me going! 🙂 Let’s see, 7000 subscribers vs. one MEAN and UGLY commenter. That’s a no-brainer! 🙂
This is a BIG thank you to all of you out there who never comment, but drop by and read what I’m up to. Lurkers, I would love to hear from ya’ll sometime!! Without all of your support, my blog would not be where it is and I truly do appreciate each and every one of you. Thanks for hanging out with me these last 3+ years. I just love ya’ll! It’s like having great friends all over the country.
So, now the question is: What do you think about advertising on blogs? I know I’ll get lots of answers and that is fine. Some will agree with it and some will not. Just be respectful in your comments, please!
Go here for my Top 10 Tips for New Bloggers.
TidyMom says
Great post Rhoda!! and I agree, one of the drawbacks of growing your blog bigger, is you have less and less time to visit all of the blogs that made you fall in love with blogging in the first place! 🙁
I currently have over 10,000 unread posts in my Bloglines reader!! I just can’t bring myself to clear them out! I keep thinking I’ll have time sometime to browse them! lol
Amanda says
Hey Rhoda – Blogging newborn here (about 5 weeks!). It’s great to read a straightforward, tell-it-like-it-is post about blogging and advertising. (Instead of some of the “$$MAKE MONEY NOW$$” articles I’ve read online that make it seem like it’s a big frosting-covered piece of cake from day one.) I’m nowhere near ready to do it, but I have no problems with ads and who knows – maybe I’ll add some, too (way, way, way into the future). But first – I think I need to get the hang of just posting on a regular basis. Thanks for the info!
Katie says
Hey Rhoda…
Thank you for sharing your blogging tips!!! I am one of those middle of the road people about advertising. I could take it or leave it. In my opinion it is whatever works for that blogger…
I have only had my blog for a few months. It is crazy how much there is to learn!!! And I love reading all your posts and looking at your photos!!!
Thank You,
Katie, XoXo
Beki - TheRustedChain says
Great post Rhoda!
I’ve been with you since we were blogging babies. I don’t comment much, but I still think you’re the grooviest blogger around!
Kim says
Rhoda, thanks for explaining about advertising on your blog. I am on the fence about it. I do spend so much time working on my blog and it would be nice to make something for that time, but that is certainly not why I started one. I have only been blogging six months and my average visits are 1149 a day according to my site meter. I am thrilled it has grown so quickly. I worry that I will run out of stuff to post on. That is my biggest fear. If I start taking sponsors I have to learn the computer part of how to get paid and how to set up the buttons on the sidebar. This computer stuff is still a learning experience for me.
Marty@A Stroll thru Life says
Very interesting post. I havn’t given advertising much thought. I’ve only been blogging a little over a year and so I am still trying to get my feet wet. I enjoyed hearing about how it all works. Thanks, great post. Hugs, Marty
Sunday Baker says
What a great, informative post. It’s very true and helpful. I’ve been blogging for (I think) 3 years as well, and it’s truly sometimes like a job when you are going through writer’s block or don’t have the time/energy to keep it up. Still, I absolutely love doing it and find it quite rewarding as well!
Susan says
As someone new to blogging I appreciated this blog probably more than most. You give great advice here, especially that it takes a lot of time and work to build up a following. BTW I see nothing wrong with advertising on a blog. I hope you see me back in your comments for a long time to come because that means I’m still around. Thanks for this post.
Jen@balancing Beauty and Bedlam says
Oh my friend – great post. I have one started from MONTHS ago that I have never finished, but I see how interesting it is to see everyone’s opinion. Love that!!
Julie~ My Bella Home says
Rhoda,
Thank you so very much for you words of wisdom! Being in the design business for years is useless once you step into blogland, without the knowledge to function there that is! I am just getting started with blogging and will be fumbling my way around for a bit. FYI… I enjoy looking at your advertisements and things you support. Btw I’m ordering the Beadboard wallpaper to try asap, I’m so excited! I love your blog, thanks for always sharing openly. 🙂
Jennifer says
Hi Rhoda,
I absolutely love to visit your blog. Your joy for what you do definately comes through in your posts. Thanks for the great advice!
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
EXCELLENT post, Rhoda!! I am so linking to this on Friday for Weekend Bloggy Reading.
I am with you 100% on being careful of advertising if you are a new blogger. I can’t tell you how many blogs I’ve visited in the past few months who have “Advertise” or “Donate Here” buttons and their pages say something to the effect of “I began blogging in February/March/April of 2010…blah blah blah.” Those ladies might have twice the Followers I do because they were featured somewhere or they link every crafty post they do to 25 blog parties, but I can’t imagine that you can build a real, honest relationship with your readers in a matter of 3 or 4 months.
I think a LOT of new bloggers have signed on, hoping to “make it big,” and make money. I don’t think they realize that to truly be a successful blogger, you need to have class and be respectful of your fellow bloggers. I find the “hey! look at me! I’m throwing myself out there all over the place!” attitude a real turn-off.
For me, I waited until I had been blogging for over a year and had at least 300 Followers before I even thought about a blog redesign and advertising. I only work with blogs/shops/companies that I like or that I think my readers like and I am very careful to write posts that don’t just throw a bunch of sponsor links out.
I’ve been blogging long enough to know that I love writing for the sake of writing, I can use the English language correctly, and I truly enjoy the relationships I’ve made.
Thanks for throwing your two cents in today and letting us weigh in as well. 🙂
teresa says
Rhoda!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you for all the TIME it took to create this DETAILED post!
I was hanging on EVERY word as I was reading!
I am at a point…almost one year in….where I am putting thought into WHERE I would like to take Blooming on Bainbridge.
RIght now BLooming on Bainbridge is being redesigned.
Which will be a BIG step in a new direction!
I will have to admit.
As much time as I spend ‘blogging’ (on my blog and others) I would eventually like a few PERKS as in making a bit of money.
I know I need to POST more often.
When I post it is usually a BIG post!
ANd I like to give my readers TIME to pop over…
before I overload them with a new post!
I’m sure I need to post almost daily to bring in big numbers.
SO this is something to consider.
There are many things to consider…as you have noted.
I am going to really KICK my blogging up a notch when the new design is complete!
ANd we shall see what happens!
THANK YOU RHODA!
Thank you for your insight!
Southern Hospitality is FABULOUS!
I remember when I first discovered it!
Two years or so ago!
I was reading A Beach Cottage.
And Sarah kept referring to RHODA as she was re-doing a piece of furniture!
So of course I popped over!
I was flabber-gasted to discover that YOU were in Birmingham!
I was SPELL-BOUND! Reading all of your post!
I remember calling my sister in Montgomery!
Who decorates like you do!
She has designed/decorated many homes in Montgomery!
And I said MELONY!
You have GOT to pop over to this BLOG that I have found in BIRMINGHAM!
ANd so she did!
And of course called to tell me how AMAZED she had been!
SO thank you Rhoda!
Thank you for all the hard work that you put into creating Southern Hospitality!
You represent SOUTHERN living so well!
Blowing you sweet kisses from Bainbridge!
ANd looking so forward to flying back SOUTH in September!
xoxoxo
THE SUMMIT…here I come! ;o)
Theresa says
Rhonda,
Since retirement, I have become a “lurker” of your blog.
I enjoy all the decorating projects, pictures, how-to-projects,
recipes, tips, etc. You have a wonderful blog and share so much
helpful information with others. I have tried numerous decorating project and recipes from blogs. Although I don’t have a blog, it
was very interesting reading about blogging process. I know you
have helped so many in the blogging community with this .
Although you don’t know me, it is like visiting with a good
friend as I read your blog daily. Keep up the good job and thanks for all your help to me thru your blog information. Also, like your
positive outlook on life, great inspiration to all of us.
Theresa
GA.
Joanne says
LOVE your blog. LOVE your decorating sense…and LOVE lurking over here.
I’m a wannabee girl from the south, living in Northern California and praying I can one day attach a few advertisements to my own blog. Lord willing.
Keep doing what you’re doing…we are all blessed because of it!
Michelle says
Hi Rhoda! It’s Michelle (winner of the Modern Bird print… we are still working on getting the perfect picture of my coonhound Maggie for Megan to print! I promise to get you a picture of the final version!!). I LITERALLY just started a blog– today was post #3– so you have no clue how much this information means to me! I somehow got hooked up to GoogleAds but really had no clue what it all meant… at this point, I’m just looking to share and communicate about our house renovations, decorating, etc! But anyways, thank you THANK YOU for this post! Super helpful! And please come check me out over at Ten June!! xoxo
FairfieldHouse says
Rhoda,
Thank you! I always appreciate the shared wisdom gained by experience from my three blogging mentors (you being one of them).
I blog because I write. Anything else is icing on the cake. Ads don’t bother me unless they are distracting; flashing or pop ups. I read blogs for content, which is why you will always remain a favorite.
Thank you for all you do — the inspiration, the tutorials, the giveaways and mentoring. You’re a gem!
Your Friend,
Deborah
Alex says
I am one of the new bloggers. Thank you so much for this post, it is really insightful. I think advertising is a necessary evil in life. Ads interrupt our television programs, they line the edges of every article we read wether in a newspaper, magazine or online. As a corporate advertiser I can tell you that finding a “personality” that people trust to support your product is an effective advertising tool. Why not a blogger???
http://www.laundryandvodka.com
Eddie Ross says
Such a wonderfully informative post for new bloggers! Love the “I love blogging” image too 🙂
xo,
Eddie & Jaithan
Susan says
Hey sweet friend! Thanks for hopping by my blog! I am SO excited that you got your new camera! I know you’ve been wanting one. Which one did you wind up getting?
I hardly touched the photo on my blog! It was one of those gorgeous days…a gift from God! I only added a smidgen of color for extra pop. And I do mean smidgen. I use photoshop with my business, and it’s been a pain to learn! There is photoshop elements program which might be something for you to research! Let me know what you decide.
Hugs!
Susan