Jon Morrow Comments Last Updated Jan 5, Try telling your family or friends or coworkers you want to quit your job and make money blogging. Yes, they want you to have dreams. Yes, they want you to chase them.

Yes, they want you to succeed. If you really want to improve your life, you should get an advanced degree, write a book, or even start your own business, not hang all your hopes and dreams on some stupid little blog. Nobody can make money blogging. Not because I want to brag well, maybe a little , but because most of the advice out there about monetizing your blog is complete crap. I worked with Brian Clark as he built Copyblogger to a multimillion dollar brand.

Neil Patel and Hiten Shah also hired me to help them launch the KISSmetrics blog, eventually creating a multimillion dollar SaaS company. For the first several years, I worked hours a week, and even now I usually put in at least 60 hours. The process is simple on the surface, but each step is enormously complicated and requires extraordinary skill. Make money blogging by selling these types of things. The most conventional and least profitable method is selling advertising, where you allow companies to promote their products and services to your audience in exchange for a fee.

At that moment, you also become an entrepreneur, and your blog becomes a small business. Well, blogging is a lot like those free seminars. In other words, if your goal is to make money, your blog is a lead generation mechanism. It also nurtures those leads until they are ready to purchase.

I just want an easy way to make money online. Your first two or three blogs you start will probably fail because you make a fatal misstep. If you start and grow a successful business, you can make millions or even billions of dollars. For every entrepreneur who makes millions, there are dozens who invest years of their life into companies that ultimately fail, sometimes bankrupting them in the process. During that time, I started four different blogs, working on them at night and on the weekends.

The first three failed. Despite investing hundreds of hours into each one, I made too many mistakes, and I eventually had to shut the blogs down. Each time a blog failed, I seriously thought about quitting. I felt like I was putting in all that time and energy for nothing. With the fourth blog, everything finally clicked. From there, I went to work for other big blogs for a few years, helping grow Copyblogger and KISSmetrics into what they are today. Eventually though, I felt the itch to go out on my own again, so I left and started this blog.

In total, it took me about eight years to get here, but in exchange for investing those eight years, I now have enough money to support me until the day I die.

Also, every day I get emails from people telling me how I changed their lives for the better. I did learn a thing or two that might speed along the process for others, though. When I was at Copyblogger, we ran a little experiment.

Normally, we refused to sell any ads on the site, but just as a test, we decided to put three ad spots in the right sidebar. The site looked like this:. Initially, we placed ads for our own products in each of the three spots, and we tracked all the sales resulting from someone clicking on the ad.

Well, out of curiosity, I shopped around to see how much advertisers would pay for the same ad space. With your own products, you have to consider the cost of development, support, and other miscellaneous expenses, but even factoring those in, advertising our products was still more profitable by far. The next most profitable strategy would have been to partner with other companies, collecting a commission on each sale as an affiliate. If you have an engaged audience that trusts you, selling ads is never a smart move.

And that includes all the variations like Google AdSense, sponsorships, and advertising networks. Here at Smart Blogger, we mostly promote our own products, but we also make a tidy sum promoting LeadPages and SiteGround:. Personally, I think the advantages are so enormous that no beginning blogger should consider any other business model… with one exception:. If you are a graphic designer, real estate agent, attorney, or any other type of service provider, you probably want to offer your services on your blog from day one.

The profit you make will almost certainly outstrip anything else, at least in the beginning. So, where should you start? Build a sales funnel in reverse, starting with higher prices. A company entices you with a freebie, then they offer you something cheap but irresistible, and then they gradually sweet talk you into buying more and more expensive stuff.

When you do have some less expensive products to sell, you can offer those to new people first, safe in the knowledge that you have something more profitable up your sleeve to sell them later. We started on the expensive side first, and we gradually worked our way down.

You can do the same thing, even if your list is much smaller. If you have subscribers, chances are two of them might be willing to buy premium products or services from you, and those two will often pay you more money than the other 98 combined.

Every market has customers who are and willing to pay for a premium experience. How on earth did I get people to pay me that much money? On the contrary, they expected a lot of me. If you want to charge high prices, you absolutely can, but you must make big promises. Similarly, if you want to charge low prices, you absolutely can, but you must make small promises.

In either case though, the value of the promise should be at least 10X the price. The value of the promise should be at least 10X the price. In exchange, we promise to help students get featured on a big blog or magazine like The Huffington Post or Forbes.

So, the product sells easily and well. Not to say everything is sunflowers and daffodils here, though. In fact, there are are two easy ways to screw up:. Some people also say I have to be repeatedly reminded about the graph above, lest I slip up and nearly bankrupt the company again. No, in all seriousness, I learned all of these lessons the hard way.

Nothing else even comes close. The other part is just the skill of doing a really good webinar. If you want to know how we do it, all you have to do is attend one of our webinars to find out. Everything we do is on display, and you can study it, free of charge. Use automated funnels to make more money.

Now, before I get into the nitty-gritty details, a word of warning: Through the magic of technology, we have sales happening every minute of every day.

We can automate who gets discounts at what times, as well as when those discounts expire. We can also chain together promotions. The idea is that you find a single number that accurately predicts the success or failure of your project. In the case of blogging, that number is the size of your email list. The more subscribers you get, the more money you make.

Granted, your relationship with your subscribers and the quality of your products or services and dozens of other factors still matter, but to drive revenue, focus on email list growth.

The opposite is also true. For instance, how do you think I feel when I see this number pop up on my dashboard every day? It also gave me the motivation to do the work necessary to make sure that happened every night. It will also give you the funds you need to build a team around you. You can hire an assistant, a tech person, a billing person. The faster you get rid of stuff you suck at doing, the faster you will grow.

You should, however, be offering something your audience wants and needs. Why on earth would the CEO of the company me work hours to write a post like this, sharing all our secrets? None of us works in a vacuum. Maybe not always in a big way, but we touch thousands upon thousands of people, and we make their lives just a little bit better.

We inform them, we inspire them, and we give them the roadmap for achieving their dreams. Jason Chesters Apr 03, Lesson 9 is the eye opener! Zoe Uwem Apr 03, Sonia Thompson Apr 03, Ruthie Apr 03, I think you hit the nail on the head! Harleena Singh Apr 03, I guess you need to make a start somewhere, and if you want to do that, you need to lessen down or cut-off a lot of other things you do too. Carol Tice Make a Living Writing Apr 03, Still working on it….

Jon Morrow Apr 03, Marcia Jan 09, Jon, thanks for this awesome post. My question is, what do you think of blogs who ask for donations or claim to sustain themselves by them? Also books and products. Thanks a lot for your time. Hope some day I can meet you Im from and live in Mexico.

Esther Litchfield- Fink Apr 03, Lynne from Design The life You Want to Live Apr 03, Leanne Regalla Make Creativity Pay Apr 03, Ash Apr 05, Brian Dean Apr 03, This is solid, 14 karot gold, Jon.

Butterfield Apr 03, Jon, you always deliver! I especially liked the survey info and the info on reverse the funnel. I really struggle with what to charge, but seeing your numbers helps. Tons of info here to digest. Octavius Apr 03, Just the information I was looking for. I just started my blog and I will be following your advice.

Arlen Miller Apr 03, What a raft of amazingness! Thanks Jon for this post!!!! I have been in the process of prepping for webinars and learning the techie stuff for how to make an epic webinar happen.

Cheers for all that you do. Malhar Barai Apr 03, The most interesting point for me was about doing more guest posts and then writing on your own blog. That does make lot of sense. Franck Apr 03, Dan Apr 03, Wow, this is a great post with tons of data-driven insights that would take me years to figure out on my own. But much of the advice still applies. Dave Nordella Apr 03, I love your straightforward style. I have recently learned the value of outsourcing work to specialists.

I used to endure sleepless nights trying to keep up with all the work necessary for building a blog. The right specialists are dramatically cheaper at tasks than I could ever hope to be as measured by the cost of my time and the amount of distractions that I created for myself. I had never considered the value of giving webinars.

I had attended plenty of webinars and purchased some products based on same. I will share my gratitude to His Royal Awesomeness you by sharing this post on social media. Thanks for sharing this incredible content. I appreciate your guidance. Jayme Lang Apr 03, Hi, just wanted to comment that I agree with the straight-forward approach.

Soozi Baggs Apr 03, I LOVE this post and have shared it as far and wide as I can. Jawad Khan Apr 03, I would, however, love to see a post specifically on your webinars and hw you go about them with your clients. Andrew Apr 03, As always, a fantastic post Jon. I love your style, and the practical advice is invaluable. I was particularly interested in your downplay of using twitter, FB etc to hope to grow your blog, but what you said makes total sense.

Thanks so much for your inspiration. Peter Kanayo Apr 03, Damn John your method beats the conventional and I just have to sit back analyze what it is I can start doing to serve others.

Peggy Apr 03, Thank you Jon, I mean Your Royal Awesomeness. Ian Apr 03, Michael Feeley Apr 03, I knew nothing about Blogging until I met you. Things are happening for my coaching business because of what I learned from you. Headlines — subtitles — formatting — passion and a big mission. My writing has completely improved. Kimberly George Apr 03, I laughed out loud at Lesson I launched a product from my blog that resulted in 0 sales.

I will definitely use the tips that you mentioned here going forward in my blogging and business efforts. Kay Fudala Apr 03, Where was this a year ago? Lesson 10 rings the loudest for me. LinkedIn and similar platforms are the best for gaining reputation and building a network. Joseph Robinson Inside Out Wisdom Apr 03, Someone else was telling me about the book by Eliyahu Goldratt.

Um … On second thoughts … Maybe not. I have about posts to finish reading in the next 2 weeks. Caelan Huntress Apr 03, Mark Hermann Apr 03, Jon, This post is surely destined for the list post Hall of Fame. Some awesome tips to help stir up the pot of BS excuses most people hide behind and light a fire to finally get people off their asses and into gear.

Some time a few years ago I was fed up writing for no one online. I wanted my words to be read and ultimately wanted to be paid to write. So I decided to educate myself on the subject. You promised to get your students a guest post on a major blog of their choice. You made good on your promise. The post did very well. After guest posting for all of 5 posts, my list grew from 4 to Last year your team contacted me and asked if I was intrerested in ghostwriting for one of your clients.

I accepted and got my first paid client. In the first month, that assignment paid for your guestblogging course. Wish to be a paid writer? I just wanted go say thanks in public, Jon. Serena Thrift Diving Apr 03, This post was so good that I had to sit in my car and keep reading after I left work, here in the garage.

What caught my attention is the funnel analogy and the webinars. Starting with the expensive first, then offering the less expensive. Also, I want to do webinar but am not sure how to get started. Thanks for the kick in the butt, Jon! Mellie Apr 03, These are some great lessons to be learned.

Just wish I had the funds to take your course. But may be someday soon. Austin Apr 03, I love all your posts, all points are solid.

Number 9 and 14 are my two big takeaways for our blog. George Apr 03, I joined your guest blogging course last month 2. Have been working on a freebie for my opt-in page for guest posts 3. Pretty much spend most of my time focusing on those two things — not much time on my blog itself. It absolutely makes sense to start off with selling a service, but how do you go about creating one? You suggest not posting on your blog until you have a decent amount of subscribers, you also mention how surveys are dangerous for finding what your audience needs — My question is: Bryan Collins Apr 03, A great post Jon.

I enjoyed reading it and learn a lot.

Blogs that make the most money - and how to set up your own - Telegraph

I was particularly impressed by your take the one metric that matters. Corey Pemberton Apr 03, This is insanely valuable. Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to put this together!

My only qualm is I wish I had seen this stuff earlier. Congratulations on your massive success so far, and I wish you even more going forward. Judy Hackett Apr 03, Thanks so much Jon. You offer such invaluable and proven information and are totally inspiring. I know I CAN DO THIS and will continue to soak up your posts as they come through. You see I am very new to everything! Paul Back Apr 03, Not only is this one of the most eye opening posts I have ever read its also a textbook example of what you teach — congratulations.

Larry Apr 03, Jon Morrow is the gold standard in this arena, and this post encapsulates that. He consulted with me at the launch of my blog, and these 20 principles feel like evolutions of that great advice. Jon Morrow Apr 04, Thanks for this, Larry. Daniel Apr 03, I think the most important question you should ask is — before doing anything else — who are these people signing up for my mailing list? Bree Apr 03, Am I STUPID or something?! Time and time again, I have to repeat many if not all!

But the ones who learn will definitely see better results and probably become one of those bloggers who gets paid to do what they love! Spreading the Blogging Gospel, and all that. Mette Apr 03, Wow this is the best blog post I have read in ages! But where can I read more about your products mentioned in lesson 3? Mette Apr 04, I can recommend it highly. Brian Zeng Apr 04, Nikhil Apr 04, These tips are awesome. All these points are pretty important for bloggers to start his journey as a professional blogger.

And you are right most of the world thinks bloggers are fools? But we are fools for changing the world.

Thank you for this awesome guide. Zara Apr 04, Thanks for a great post. I have printed it out as I always like to read my inspirational stuff again and again. I am thinking of teaching a creative writing course to senior school kids, because in my country South Africa job opportunities are scarce and education expensive. I want to teach young people that you can create your own opportunities through writing and growing to be an expert in a chosen field.

This way they will also improve their confidence in approaching opportunities when it do arise and with the right attitude. I am a real estate professional and writes a blog on aspects which I have noticed my clients are ignorant about. My readership has risen through the year and all my sales last year came from readers of my blog. Thanks again for the information you present so well and with a sense of humour. I still cannot afford one of your courses but I read every one and apply all that I learn.

Praise be to Your Royal Awesomeness! Aqilah Norazman Apr 04, Martin Edwards Apr 04, Hi Jon, As usual a top knotch post full of excellent advice, very easy to understand and follow. Just studying your posts is an object lesson in how these things are done. I think the primary problem is that we have been brought up to do business in a particular way. You make something therefore you get paid for it. Most business people feel there is something inherently wrong about a system where you provide huge amounts of valuable content free of charge and without obligation.

The peception is that the model cannot be susstainable. The key insights here, in my humble opinion are that: This takes a lot of hard work — just the right sort of work! The process works as a filter rather than a funnel. You expose your work to thousands, you hope to add value to those thousands for no cost to yourself but of those thousands there will be a few hundred who need your service and they pay for those things in proportion to the cost to you in terms of time or resources.

The reason this works is because the incremental cost of publishing acceptible digital content is practically zero so the blogger has far more leverage than any writers prior to the digital age. Bill Apr 04, This is all great information from someone who has had connections and still has connections for year. Your bragging is embarrassing and shameful! To all the bloggers out there…STOP sucking up to the very small, elite and narcissistic group of self-proclaimed influencers out there.

I think it takes years of working your ass off with little or no reward to produce jaw dropping, spectacular content that CANNOT go unnoticed. And anyone willing to perform at such a high level, for so long, will inevitably find opportunities being thrown at them — by copyblogger or problogger, the huffington post etc.

This principle applies to just about anything: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Abe Lincoln, Einstein, Edison, and just about any other successful person I can think of worked their ass off for a large part of their lives before they saw any success. They created the right place and the right time for themselves as a direct result of their grit and sincere effort. I think you may well be right if you are saying that few of us will have the skills required to attract and service a lucrative and large enough market to earn the sort of sums quoted.

Nevertheless, may I just say that Jon has freely given us, not only a system but the commercial logic and reasonings behind that system. Now, once you and I have taken advantage of that info. Of course, timing is almost everything but with the amount of free flowing, easy to read, writing that Jon provides, which is the hallmark of all good communications, plus incorporating such useful content, then I like to think that if we could follow that example then eventually we yes, you and I, Bill would be rewarded with fans and finance.

So, I do hope, Bill, that you are in the midst of preparing an inspiring blog full of up-liftment that we can all enjoy. In the meantime, please accept my kind regards and my wishes for your success in the future. People who start to blog always thing of making money which tends them toward failure. In my opinion bloggers should choose the topic which interests them.

There are many top blog topics to make money online but you can get success only with the topic you like to write on. Try to choose your topic for the blog. Sherice Jacob Apr 04, Is it more-so a matter of who you know versus what you know? Mike Gecko Rock Resort Apr 04, Some meet these influential people more quickly by complete luck of the draw, others need to keep plugging along longer.

The system works either way, and whether or not it works better for others is irrelevant, all systems in life work better for some than others.

Jon Morrow Apr 05, When I was a beginner, I made a list of all the people I wanted to know, and I mapped out a strategy for building a relationship with each of them.

I made sure of it. Sherice Jacob Apr 05, Bobby Apr 04, But man it feels right. These lessons are profound, Jon. I was wondering if you knew of any specific resources that focused less on how to be a successful blogger per se, and more so on how to run a blog that helps make your business successful? One example is this: So yeah, my comment is getting a bit long-winded here, but how can blogs that are meant to funnel traffic to a business site best gain traction without paying for the right to write guest posts?

Peter Kanayo Apr 04, Mike Gecko Rock Resort Apr 05, The problem up to now, as I mentioned above, is that nobody wants to let us guest post, they want us to pay to do a sponsored post since our blog is attached to our business. If my blog was MexicoMike. Gagan Masoun Apr 05, I really liked your premium tips.

All bloggers should follow the rules of blogging if they are on starting point. Sudip Apr 05, To be honest, this is the first time I am here in your blog. Someone in my FB friend list shared this article and this is really a great and well-documented article for a newbie blogger like me. Point 6 about deliberately delaying the sale happens to have this added benefit of giving the blogger more insight into the audience through the way they interact with the blog. The posts they read, the comments they leave etc.

LeAllyson Meyer Apr 05, I am so very glad I found your website and read this post. I am so inexperienced in all this, but I do see that you take a totally different approach to the many others I have read. It is so refreshing.

I will go back reread, study and apply. Santel Apr 05, Thank Jon for this awesome post. I usually scan the contents on the web but your writing keep me reading every single word you wrote. I am struggling in generate more income from my online business. Your approach is showing me a new way. I actually have my first Kindle book which I sold only two copies until now. Sandeep Khatri Apr 05, Vikas Kumar Apr 05, Now, I had a question.

I am just 14 years old and I am entering the blog-o-sphere as an intermediate. When I read post on BBT I find it really interesting but How To articles… umm.. I am recently also trying guest post and on my 5 attempt my article was accepted at Hongkiat. So in the end I come up with… did I choose the wrong niche? Am I a looser then?

Please answer as I will be waiting. Amandah Apr 05, I like engaging with readers and bloggers and having a dialogue with them. But I know some bloggers are turning off their comments.

Others may not care at all. Also, I think allowing comments on your blog makes you approachable and builds a community. Plus, if you solely build your community on social media networks, what happens when they disappear?

You never know, it could happen. Like most things, there are pros and cons. Not sure there is a correct answer. Just a personal decision. John Corcoran Apr 06, This is excellent advice, Jon. Jon Morrow Apr 07, John Corcoran Apr 07, I have a copy printed up which I keep under my pillow at night OK, maybe not… but I might as well. Bastiaan Apr 06, Best post ever on BBT Jon. It open my eyes and showed me which direction to go with my blog..

Stan Apr 07, I always loved your style, you make everything sound so attention-grabbing. Tilen Apr 07, I would just add to your 15 regarding e-mail subscribers. More specifically, people who like you and trust you. Charlie Seymour Jr Apr 07, First I was impressed by your back story and then I was impressed with the quality of your work and recommendations. Though most of my income is generated by helping others 1 get found online and then 2 engage through video, I do use my blog to attract people to me so they can see the services and products I offer.

Maurice Apr 08, Just one question about guestblogging. Jon Morrow Apr 09, They warned people against spammy guest blogging, which is a completely different activity.

It confused a lot of people. ROB MCNELIS Apr 08, Basically, take everything you reccomend, then only do what is absolutely nessicary for that tactic to work. Vince Apr 09, I wish I can achieve that. Still long way to go. Abhishek Tavasalkar Apr 10, You are such of a man who blows away all of my assumptions with each and every post. Have a great day Jon. I am a true worshiper of you and BBT. Stefano Apr 11, Great posts and tips.

What about local blogs, like non-english website? Jon Morrow Apr 23, You have much less competition, so it should be fairly effective. Ryan Biddulph Apr 12, Arun Kallarackal Apr 12, Took some time to go through the whole post.

But the time spent was well spent! I must admit that fact! This article not only shared much valuable knowledge, but also reignited my flair for enhancing my affiliate sales and has inspired me! And thanks to Kingged, where I actually found the link to this post. Leonard Apr 15, Okay, well I guess I have to be Mr. I want to start off by saying I really do like this blog. But I have a problem or at the very least, a couple questions pertaining to your blog post, Jon. So…is everyone who reads this blog in the business or currently trying to get into the business of helping teach other people to make money on the Internet?

In other words, Jon is an incredible writer, communicator, and hard worker—no question. And so, I guess my question here would simply be—would a person who follows your blog about TV shows be interested in paying for a TV-related webinar you created?

Would a person who follows your blog about vinyl record collecting want to buy an online course from you? Would a person who follows a travel blog you created want to call you up for coaching lessons? Why is he going to listen to me? For example, the entertainment blogger you mentioned. Usually, the only way to monetize those blogs is advertising, and as a consequence, those bloggers almost never make much money.

I have a client who makes a ton of money in the interior decorating space. Most of her readers are moms looking for interior decorating tips. I could list hundreds that have nothing to do with making money. Popular bloggers accept guest post for the same reasons popular bands have opening acts. When an up-and-coming band auditions to be an opening act, do you think the more famous band cares where they have played?

All they care about is the strength of the audition. If the up-and-coming band is good, they get the gig. Same thing with guest blogging. Yoav Apr 15, But you could help them lose weight or be more productive and make a bunch of money in the process. Making money is not limited to helping other people make money.

Ann07 Apr 15, This is such an awesome content from Jon Morrow. It inspires me a lot and I hope other bloggers will be inspired too after reading these valuable and effective lessons on how to build a profitable blog. The lessons given are practical and are delivered wisely. Chery Schmidt Apr 15, I think it is a great idea, why not they just may come in handy right.

I also teach others to do the same. I absolutely loved this post. Promote The Crap Out of Your Content Now this is one thing that I know gets results. Sites like Kingged for instance getter done.. I did land here today Via this site where I also commented and kingged this post.. Apr 17, This article has gotten my mind churning and working in so many new and exciting ways. Thank you for sharing your insights! Andy Koehn Apr 20, Can this turn into money? I fear your answer…or lack of one.

Anything can be monetized. Sounds to me like you might have a good foundation for a parenting blog. Adny Koehn Dec 30, Anyhow…thank you for the direction. And I joined SBO. Sachin Apr 23, I found the link to this blog in a post on unbounce. Alex Apr 23, A ridiculously useful post! So much here I wish I knew before — but better to learn now than never!

Linda Chow Apr 24, Hello Jon, the lessons are detailed and comprehensive. Frankly speaking, I have never read a blog post that carefully like today and I really benefit a lot from it. However, I still have a question regarding to this post, that is, if I am not an expert in any field, what kind of blog topic for blog should I start with and how to get enough traffic to my blog? I agree with you that we should not sell ads but should sell our own products or affiliate products via our blog.

Anyhow, I will still focus on your blog and hope I will learn more valuable knowledge through your blog.

Ulysses Alves Apr 29, I always judge a blog post by the number of comments it receives from readers, and this post here has a lot and lots of people interested in not just reading, but also in discussing about what you wrote.

Thanks for sharing those guidelines whith us. Lynne May 06, Mihaela May 07, I was wondering how all that applies to someone like me that is a creative.

My ideal readers are not fellow artists that I could teach something, but people that love their interior and want to brighten it with some colourful and inspiring art. Thank you so much for you response and I will definitely come back and read your blog more often. Alex May 07, Just thinking aloud here — but maybe you could put a guide together to help people choose the best art for their homes?

Maybe in time offer a consultancy service — I bet there are some people who would pay someone to choose the art for them? Great suggestions8 I will have to ponder uppon them. I was thinking to beggin with a free e-calendar. Do you believe that could encourage people to subscribe? Jessica Oman May 09, Very useful, applicable and dare I say inspiring post, Jon! It would be nice to have time for both! Great post though, I will be bookmarking and sharing, cuz you asked this one.

Peter May 10, Olamosh May 20, Thanks for this wonderful post, infact it make my day. Am a blogger, but this articles makes me realise a lot of things. You hit the hammer on the nail directly, all the point you mentioned are great and the explanation are wonderful.

Esther Molenaar Jun 05, That goes against everything I learned, but it makes sense. Even when you have a small subscriber list. Also not what I was taught. I was led to believe that you should start, with free, then have somewhat cheap product, before you have your premium product.

Patrick Kihara Jun 07, Just what I have been looking for. I realized that I have been spending lots of hours creating content for my blog but doing nothing when it comes to outreaching and promiting my content. I guess it is time to write some awesome guest posts. Gary R Jun 26, It get s easier as you learn and get comfortable with your chosen subject matter and style. Jabo Aguirre Jun 29, Terry Hopper Jul 01, Very well done and thank you so much for sharing such n important post.

I also appreciated all the comments you generated from some very experienced bloggers. Rais Zada Jul 04, Dustin Venture Blend Magazine Jul 09, By reading your post, i feel i can really proceed further with the product that i have.

Sophie Mahir Jul 13, Awesome post — I am really inspired and happy to build up my blog step by step the way you have! David Weightman Jul 14, Blogging can really lead us to success.

With deeper understanding about success in blogging we can afford to have a wealthy life in the future. What an awesome post! It goes against everything everyone else is teaching but it actually makes sense! Sharmilaa Jul 16, Andrew Walton Jul 18, Totally, irrevocably sold on long content! One more step to take along the road. Valdengrave Okumu Jul 18, This is great advice.

I am an artist and I just recently started blogging on my site.

ProBlogger - Blog Tips to Help You Make Money Blogging - ProBlogger

I am keen on applying these tips to my blogs. I think the domain name also matters as what I think is that shorter the domain name more the traffic is on the website and also the topic of your blog is important and google also preffers topics like blogging, tv shows etc. Xihla Jul 23, Thank you for putting something like this together. Alberto Rendon Jul 28, Donna DeVane Aug 11, I just got started a month or so ago and found your blog through a Google search.

I will put these tips into action. Thank you, Donna Devane. Thank you for your advice. I currently have Google Adsense on my blog and I offer advertising banner spots on my website through micro job sites. If I can get my blog on that level, I could quit my job and work from home. Thank you so much! Adam Dukes Aug 14, Thank you for being open and honest and sharing what to do and what not to do.

Really appreciate the insights. Vinay Kumar Aug 19, Sammy Kikwai Aug 23, These are some of the best I have read in a while Jon.

Well, am a blogger in a relatively different online environment — Africa to be precise. Hopefully, over time I will find the right formula to bissect this difficult market.

Glenys Aug 25, I love the metrics that you provide Jon, such as how much income one should be able to expect per subscriber per month. This post provides great advice; lesson 10 is priceless. Vinay Kumar Aug 27, Alex Aug 27, I also wanted to ask you how is this applicable to a blog that has as a mission educating people about science.

Rafia Aug 27, This article is really informative. I was wasting my time on social media ads. Thanks for the suggestions. Rhandell Mitchell Aug 30, I really enjoyed this post. Since I came online and started my own blog I never really had an identity for my blog.

One of the most frustrating things for me since I began blogging was getting more engagement on my blog posts. When I first started I went from nothing to around , on Alexa in about 3 to 6 months. After that, I had a long hiatus of no content and flew back up past 10,, I think now that I have finally started to have a better understanding of how to provide value. Avoaja Sep 07, Well the focus on SEO for new bloggers is crazy, some believe that is all they need to succeed, Guest blogging is a great idea I think I will tow that line.

Sanjay Sajeev Sep 09, Writing a post contains — words may be a bit difficult to me. But i must realize that nothing can be achieved without hard working. If we write a long valuable content like this, there is a great chance for bookmarking the page. So it is a great innovative strategy. Sep 13, Excellent article and very true points! I love spending some time on blog and making sure it is organized, as this will make it easier for visitors to follow.

Mine is about creative stories and thoughts of mine and includes a store and chat people can spend some time on as well. Awesome post dude I have found some cool ideas from your post that might help me to increase comments on my blog. Christina Sep 17, Starting now… actually about 10 minutes ago, I changed my approach.

Thanks for all the goodies to work with! Alonzo Williams Sep 19, Anyone needing to learn more about how to build a network marketing business can find great information on your blog! Very glad to now you my friend. Have Great day and keep on moving forward. Sean Sep 23, Great post, liked the content some great ideas. It definitely got me thinking. But the thing is I write short stories, reviews, articles and the like on my blog. Hitesh Sep 26, This post is amazing.

I am a newbie and had no idea about how to proceed. This was an eye opener. I was investing too much in SEO, though I neither had good content nor links with the influences. I am really grateful that you brought out this topic. Anita Belli Oct 03, Turned all of my perceptions upside down! Angela Oct 10, Will definitely be coming back here to follow your tips. Thanks for sharing this info! Allan Oct 11, Jon, you just rock! This is the greatest post I ever read about blogging and monetizing a blog.

I know some bloggers who are able to make a living k per year with their blogs but it took them years to build a following and thousands of posts too… Your inverse funnel idea is incredible.

Abbey Oct 22, I read your words post almost without blinking. Isabel Oct 26, This is one of the best posts about the subject I have ever come across. Thanks for your insight and for spending your time writing this superb piece of advice. Favour Femi-Oyewole Oct 29, It is true there are lots of sites that means opposite of what they say or write but yours is different. Keep on doing a good job out there.

Alfonso Nov 01, CLAY STEADMAN Nov 05, Jon Morrow, thank you so much for this post! I needed to hear this stuff. I am looking forward to learning from you in the future. I have been inspired but your writing so far. Albertus Indratno Nov 10, You are man of kind. I do blogging since 7 years ago. I pushed them to click my advertising.

But, now, i understand that readers need something useful for their life. I called it human to human approach. Not human to machine, like the way i did. E Since months ago, i read your blog everyday. Just like a breakfast at Tiffany. Nov 16, Jamie Hudson Nov 17, This is what I call a pillar article.

Amazing post on blogging and actually making money doing it. This will be extremely helpful for newbies. Franklin Okeugo Nov 18, Jan Nov 21, This is a really interesting post Jon.

Every type of business has a list of things specific to that business that must happen in order for their to be income produced. Many begin blogging for fun and then realize their might be money to be made. Others use their blog as the means to an end, a hub of activity to attract customers and traffic to their main event.

Adam Nov 21, Amby Felix Nov 25, Thank you so much for this post! I am one of those people who decided to blog full time for a living and am loving every thing about it regardless of the lack of time, social life or sleep. I truly believe that we have an opportunity to do what we love for a living. I agree about foregoing ads and instead selling your own products in those ad spaces. This might however not be applicable to bloggers who are still new and running the ropes, and to blogs that are still in their growth phase.

After having some time to build a community and learn what your readers like to learn, you can then create your products and link to them from banners on your sidebar. Nick F Dec 01, You opened my eyes with your lessons. They are pure gold! Sumit Thakur Dec 02, I like when said no SEO for one year, It is rare when someone gives statement like this. I also admit it that creating relationship is what matters the most. Mi Muba Dec 03, Your every point is the voice of my heart. The only difference is that you heard it before me and that is why you are earning k dollars and I am still a struggling blogger.

I think there are two types of people in this world. One type is of those who think they know and other type is of like you who really know and can tell others what they know.

Selling services first and then creating a product is an amazing idea which I never read before. It will be just like the reproduction of whole post. And thanks a lot for sharing this post and once again thank you for helping me conceive an idea for my next blog post. Lindsey Hayward Dec 06, At this point, I seriously feel like a deer in the headlights.

How to Make Money Blogging (with Pictures) - wikiHow

But I have a question…. Reversing the sales funnel is also very smart and makes a lot of sense. Dennis Simsek Dec 29, Plain and simply brilliant. So many bloggers including myself have made leaps toward creating more and more content in the beginning, when in fact many top bloggers spend most of their time diving through other sources to generate that traffic, that moves to leads, and eventually profits.

Ankit Prakash Dec 29, Jon, as always a wonderful post. Loved your thought on blogger: Rocky Jan 01, What would you suggest to someone who has a blog that is in a very small, niche field? How does one gain a bigger audience and what types of products do you suggest selling? Bonire Jan 02, Thanks Jon This is one of the greatest and most inspiring articles i have ever read online.

I however seem to have one challenge to over come. This is has to do with what specific niche to settle for because, i am only about starting out and blogging is going to be my major occupation and source of livelihood.

The niches i have in mind and passionate about is making money online and self improvement. Dee The Kitchen Snob Jan 05, As a food blogger, my mind goes to e-cookbooks, actual hold-in-your-hand cookbooks, books on how to start a food blog and how to do food photography.

But according to this post, those I should sell later…the cheaper products. Brooke Jan 07, Still wondering how to maximize my potential….

I do get caught up with wasting time sharing to Twitter and Facebook and not seeing the traffic. I had my 1st Blogiversary in Nov and am getting a lot of positive feedback but not seeing the traffic. How do you get on some guest blog spots? We have an Farmhouse and do most of the work restoring the house and also I have a passion for cooking so I do a lot of food presentation and recipes. Love to hear what you think at BeFedAgain.

Luis Peres Jan 07, I have another about oriental movies that has reached about Wendy Jan 09, You brought up some really good points in your posting. I have not even heard of that. The Happy Creatioms Jan 11, I think I need to start making money just to have you as my mentor: Daniel Daines-Hutt Jan 11, Willson John Jan 12, Salah Farid Jan 14, Thanks for sharing all this useful and relevant information Jon. This is some confidence needed to be successful in anything. Ali Iqbal Jan 14, This is awesome post.

More energy for new bloggers and monetization methods. The ultimate way to earn from blogging is to have something your own to sell. Charlotte Jan 20, Love your writing and love this website. Anil Agarwal Feb 08, You ARE a true leader Jon. You share what you follow. Sarah Feb 10, I found your blog after hanging my head from another post on yet another site saying to forget about blogging as your source of income. Completely ignoring that advice and seeking out some that matched my determination, I found yours and so glad I did!

Nader Feb 13, These tips are worth WAY more than gold… Way too awesome man. Me Feb 17, I think you have made very important point.

However, there is a need to distinct between 1 a blog which will be a business, and 2 a business which has a blog. Your case seems to fall under 2. You do not want to blog, you make money from the blog, it is just a way of marketing. My blog is a blog for blogging. To express my thoughts, and maybe make money as a side effect. There is a huge difference between those situations, and the differences lead the use of ads, guest posts and so on.

I will be happy for your reply. It is superb post. Nice guide to make money from blog. Bloggers need both patience and strategy to be successful. Peyton Helm Feb 26, Collins May 18, Luke May 19, Benjamin Carter-Riley May 19, This is one of the best articles I have ever read in my entire lifetime, Jon. While there have been a lot of articles talking about making money blogging, your is the BEST one I have seen so far! This is giving me motivation and a huge push to continue working on my blog.

You can really make a lot of money blogging, but you HAVE to put the work in you get what you put in. One thing that really struck me in this post is the reverse sales funnel. To be honest, this reverse funnel sounds scary, but since you said you had great results, I should probably give it a try.

My gosh, the information in this post is so good that you can charge for it. Monica Leftwich May 19, But doing it for the motivation to make money FORCES you to create a damn good product s. Makes complete sense, Jon. Excellent breakdown of the real deal man. Thanks for dispelling many of the get-rich-quick crap circulating about how to use blogging as a revenue stream. At MFJLabs we use blogging to augment our SEO efforts for client sites. Coach JL May 19, Thanks for updating the post to more relevant data.

It does provide hope and renews my spirit to keep working. My hurdle that you make seem so easy comes for this one line: I know that I write good content, but content that gets lots of traffic … well.

I still have work to do and I really appreciate the value you offer for free. You are an inspiration to me. Arpita May 19, Dividend Beginner May 19, Reading this for the first time…. I feel like going through it again and again. I love the concluding part so much.

Scott May 19, Just be aware that affiliate marketing with the wrong company can damage your brand. I am now on day 5 of my site, and e-mail being down, with NO estimate from Blue Host as to when it will be back up. Jon Morrow May 21, Amelia Brazell May 19, As a profession, it lacked luster. So, the pros me among them, though I was a cub then: It seems we are at the same juncture for professional blogging.

It strikes me as a positioning opportunity for professional blogging. You have generously done as much or more than anyone I know to move the profession forward. I want to be part of that process. Lugui Herreros May 19, As usual, Jon Morrow, you are the Master of Bloggers.

Thank you so much for sharing you wisdom and knowledge. Mary Ann Rollano May 19, Jon, this is a great article. As usual, you are full of useful information.

I am new to blogging just launched in March and I initially started with the small e-mail list from my business website, which does not have a blog.

I started a completely new website after realizing I was on the wrong platform altogether to grow an audience. I learned this thanks to the information you and other professional bloggers provide.

You recommend affiliate marketing to monetize a small new blog, which are my exact thoughts for my blog. Do you have an affiliate program? If so I would love to promote your info on my site. Aduloju Tobi May 19, How do I get an advert that matches what my site does? I blog on religion, all ads I subscribed for gave me contrary outputs. Charlene Woodley May 19, I knew the changes on this site would be phenomenal, but good grief, Jon! Ravi May 20, Pavankumar Karnati May 20, Man k per month from just a single blog is absolutely Awesome.

You are really an All-In-One Internet guider. I am starting out with my new blog, we are at setup stage, we are preparing free courses for email optins. Brandon Lewin May 20, Why am I just reading this? A real eye opener. The enite article brings a lot of value. Grow SEO May 20, Thanks for the motivation and transparency in the numbers!

Beer Up May 20, I have been reading your site a lot lately you probably already know that and love the wisdom you are passing on.

I am constantly seeking new ideas and insights and glad I found the site. Keep up the good work and your entertaining writing style! Anette May 21, Thanks for this informative blog post! I am about to start blogging on my business website and this is some great advice.

Killerbiz May 21, Thanks for the tips. I think affiliate marketing is really a good way to earn more especially when u have a blog read by a good amount of people. Katharine May 21, This may seem odd, and I totally respect you and cheer for your every success, but what if a person does not really want to make K per month? Just not my goal. Having extra to give away on occasion would be fine. But my main goal is to teach, and by teaching to help people who have enough desire to be helped that they would actually make an effort to learn.

I have read about being careful to charge enough to cover my expenses, also not to undercut others who must cover expenses, and really, I think that an admirable goal. I just want to publish, successfully, and thereby help as many as possible. Always demanding top dollar? Not so much… Can a person live like that through a blog? A couple of months after that, Brian Clark asked me to become the Associate Editor of Copyblogger, and so I sold On Moneymaking for five figures and went to work at one of the most popular blogs at the world.

Laurel Bern May 30, Ian Hetri Jun 21, Silly boy, Unless you have something to offer like the HeadLine Hacks that Jon generously gave for us all and I personally used it to build my trial blog to 33K views in 9 months, its best you shut up.

Peter Fritz May 21, Jon — no one educates like you do. I have printed this priceless information and placed it on my desk so I can read it every day until it sinks in. Thank you so much!! John Richardson May 22, Thanks for the update, Jon. In fact, the number one change is change itself. What used to work Google Adwords, keyword optimization is actually a way to lose traffic now.

The secret is they all work, for the right message, and the right person. Thanks for laying it on the line. Chris May 22, Just started a new blog this week and this post is SO valuable.

Thanks for sharing your expertise and experience! A very informative article , it helped me in clearing my doubts about online money making. Bloggers like you help hundreds of new and budding bloggers like me to understand things and move ahead. Thank you very much. May god bless you with lot more success and love.

Keri Vandongen May 22, You always share valuable messages with your readers, Jon. I still recall one of your suggestions in your original April version of this post to begin by offering services.

I followed your advice and learned loads of insight from conversations with clients and referral sources. Hmm… It may be worthwhile to think about growing blogging businesses by speaking more often with your current or potential audience.

Thank you for posting this. SEORoyals May 23, You can collect all the emails in the world, however if you do not have a tested system, all those emails will go to waste. Value is so much more important than just selling.

If your audience feels they are getting something in return, be sure they will take that next step to buy a product or service from you because they know you and trust your advice…. Thomas May 24, Wow, are you kidding me? I knew if you had a really popular blog you could make good money, but k a month?! I am a blogger myself and make no where close to that. I make enough for a living in hope of some day catching up to you.

You instilled a little bit of fire in me, knowing that there is someone achieving the impossible. You literally make pennies and dollars. That is not enough to support yourself. A mentor of mine who taught me how to make REAL MONEY online writing about what I love.

Never give up or sell yourself short! Noah has his own website where he talks about how to achieve the same success he has. I have just read your advice on domain change in one of your posts but now what should i do.

I also changed domains—twice. Pavitra Kumar May 25, Thanks for sharing this valuable information. I am a regular reader of your blog and looking forward to read these types of informative articles.

For sure, I will refer this write-up to my friends. Rahman May 25, Great Post… i am a newbie,your post helps me a lot. Harpreet Kumar May 25, What a great article sir, the information is well organized and very comprehensive. I can imagine the effort you put into this and especially appreciate you sharing it. Anyone starting a blog should make this their go to place to start. Jay Valento May 25, Thanks for sharing about blogging. I appreciate your time. I took notes to improve my real estate empire….

Sarah Weaver May 25, Thank you SO MUCH for this helpful post. We are just starting out on our first travel blog. I truly believe in it as a business, and I appreciate your words of wisdom and encouragement! I think they are especially helpful in the early years. Kevin May 26, Rajendra May 26, Msgsnd May 26, It sounds that simple but it is not,you should have a lot of experience and good knowledge of that.

Kim Willis May 27, I started 10 years ago as a big ticket affiliate marketer. I made money quickly and quit the rat race 55 days later. It made sense to me to avoid creating a product a tortuous path for a newbie and let a third party take care of product creation and delivery, not to mention customer service. I also like the fact you made it very clear that bloggers are growing a business, and that it is hard, not easy.

Although I have a couple of blogs now, I see blogging as just one of the elements in an overarching strategy. Yasar Ali May 29, It is really inspirational content and I love reading it. Sean Floyd May 29, Good tips you gave out here! I am really looking forward to start my first blog about coding with WordPress. I really hope that I will be making a lot of money from blogging. I will remember your tips and give my best to become the next big blog! Esthetique May 30, I built my email list with a carefully crafted optin.

I now, have over 13, subscribers. I created two products that my readers were dying to have. I knew this because I did a survey. I worked insanely hard to create the best products that NO ONE else had ever done, still doubting; still not believing it was possible. I did not have much of an outside life for a time because that is how much effort and time it takes. I am beside myself with gratitude.

Jon Morrow May 30, Sharing this with the rest of the team. Wow, what an amazing story! I felt like that for a long time until I decided to do something about it recently. I am really small right now and so far I have zero subscribers. Yet that only means there is work to do! I am definitely checking your blog or website, too.

Helen McCarthy Jun 28, Laurel, I am so thrilled for you. Evans Jun 02, All along I have always wondered how bloggers earn a living but now I know thanks to this post. Dan Jun 02, This is the most useful blog post I have read in a long time!

So much rubbish flying out the internet about how to make money and this hits the nail on the head! Subscribed to your email newsletter.

Odira Jun 02, One of the hardest thing to figure out as a blogger is the best way to monetize you, and I think you should have this figured out before even starting the blog. Msgsnd Jun 03, Yosua Jun 03, Affiliate marketing is the smartest strategy? Oke i will try it.. Maybe, I success with it. The Crazy Thinkers Jun 03, This post truly made my day. I am glad that you just shared this helpful information about how to create successful for beginners.

Yogesh Jun 04, I never thought there can be a number of options to earn from blogs. I always thought serving ads is the only way. Thanks a lot for changing my mind set. Keep sharing informative articles. Pretty encouraging to say the least. I am definitely going to become part of your list and I hope I can find information on how to write to attract more readers! GeekyShark Jun 10, Interesting, why did you choose to promote Siteground Hosting not other.

Is it because you user their service and you love it? Or maybe there is some other reason. DNN Jun 12, Trust continues to be a major issue on the World Wide Web between bloggers and readers. Readers want to see bloggers posting lots and lots of meaningful content to their sites on a daily basis and giving them something to think about. Creating quality content and putting people first puts a full-time or part-time blogger in the front seat to earning honest and passive incomes from affiliate marketing.

Keep up the good work! Billy Inelus Jun 12, This post was so good that I bookmarked it!! George Hudson Jun 13, This is a great post!.

I really like the step-by-step instructions you listed here. Anyone who wants to start a blog must keep these steps in mind to have a successful blog. Tatiana Barbosa Jun 13, Your story is quite influential and its easy to understand the ways to make money blogging. I also use various methods to make good money blogging such as.

Desirai Jun 16, Thank you so much for taking the time to share a bundle of knowledge. I am very new to blogging. Reading your article has helped me tremendously and greatly inspired me as well. Martin Szakmary Jun 16, So much valuable information in one blog post. Thank you for sharing. I have years of experience in the internet marketing field but I learnt new things again today. Barry Jun 16, I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into it. Ahmad Imran Jun 17, Jon, love the part when you said, it is your responsibility to pay back to the industry.

You are generous in sharing. Keep it up the good work and thanks. Abhishek Jun 20, Reynier Chua Jun 21, An eye opener indeed. I have 2 blogs one for sales small business and one as a hobby posting lists of anything. I learned a lot from this single post. Thank you, Jon, for sharing your knowledge to us little guys. Hardik Jun 21, You are spending lot of time and effort into writing this post. I am also professional blogger like you. John Jun 21, Wow, your article is very long, but…is great!

I like it when someone clearly and specifically explain his success. J Jun 22, Emir Jun 22, Great post and very valuable reference to get back to. Do you plan on offering year-long coaching anytime soon? You are damn smart!

But as I own one technology blog also. I think advertisement is necessary for me. What do you think? Daniel Jun 23, How does that part work? PayPal in some ways?