Tag Archives: Advertising

How To Make Money Blogging Part 1

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The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger , blogging, blogs, how to be a successful blogger, blogger, blogging, Catherine BalavageSo here it is. Number one in how to make money blogging, or with your website or online magazine. It is possible to make money blogging, but you need the knowledge and you also have to work hard. The nature of making money blogging is that you never know how much money you will earn month-to-month or day-to-day. It is precarious and sometimes scary, but with the right guidance it is possible. As long as you work hard and are prepared to adapt with the times. Here is part one, I hope it helps you on your blogging journey. I will be telling you all you need to know about blogging in a series of articles. You can also check out my book, The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger.

Affiliate Links.

Affiliate links are a great way to make money, even if you have a small blog which doesn’t get a lot of traffic. If you can build your blog up and get loyal readers who trust you and your judgement, then you can earn a lot of money this way.

Working With Brands.

You can earn a lot of money working with brands. Either by sponsored editorial content, featuring their products, or working together to create your own fashion line or perfume. Yes, you CAN do that. You just have to belief in yourself and work hard. (I know I say work hard a lot. I won’t say sorry, a blog is a business and any business requires a lot of work).

Sponsored Posts.

Years ago I earned a reasonable amount from sponsored posts. Then Google changed their policy to penalise sites that paid for links, and those that featured them. The revenue stream dried up overnight and I had to get creative. Now the negative part is out of the way let me tell you that you can still earn from sponsored posts. I know some of the top personal blogs charge about £750, but the sky is the limit. Even sites like the Daily Mail and the Huffington Post feature sponsored posts. Print magazines do a similar thing with their advertorials. Just flick through any magazine and you will see some of these. Oh, and avoid people who want sponsored posts but try to disguise them as ‘guest posts’.

Public Speaking.

I have done public speaking. Sometimes it pays well and other times they will ask you to do it for free, but you can either promote yourself or sell your books.

Advertising.

Banner ads and general advertising doesn’t make that much money. I am sure it can, but it is not the way to get rich, or even wealthy, blogging. It will cover the blogging costs however, and that is worth something.

Freelance writing.

I have been approached by publications and sites to write for them after they have come across my work. It also makes my internet presence more prominent and helps my brand. (And before you roll your eyes, we are all brands now).

Partnering with Brands.

You can make a lot of money doing this. Building relationships with brands and getting your name out there can result in lots of money and will also give a huge boost to your career.

Books and eBooks.

I have written three books and I publicise them through Frost. Our contributing editor Margaret Graham is also a bestselling author. Write about a subject you know, or even write a novel. If people are reading your blog they already love your writing.

Selling Your Blog.

In 2011 Arianna Huffington sold The Huffington Post for $315 million. Yes, $315 million. That may be an extreme example, but you can sell your blog for quite a bit of money. Some small blogs even sell for £20,000.

Vlogging.

Vlogging is huge. There are more YouTube millionaires than ever. You can earn relatively good money from this, but it is a lot of work and an overcrowded market. The good news is that Amazon are taking on YouTube with Amazon Direct Video so you can make money streaming your videos there too. I will write about this more soon.

Consulting.

You can consult by helping businesses and brands to build their blogs. Either by writing, or by giving your creative (and tech, if you are so inclined) opinion.

Subscriptions.

You can put things behind a paywall and charge for it. This does work with certain content.

Donations.

I noticed on The Guardian today that they have a donate button at the bottom with the – very true- comment that the powerful will not investigate themselves. If they can do it, you can.

Classifieds.

Old school, but sites like Gumtree and Craigslist charge for people to list and make a good amount of money.

Merchandise and Selling Products.

Plenty of sites sell T shirts and such. You could also make your own products.

Public Appearances.

If your blog does very well you can do a Paris Hilton and get paid simply to appear at clubs and events. You may have to wave though. Hard life.

Doing Talks or Teaching.

You can do talks, teach and do workshops. Offer people a solution to their problems and you are doing good while making some money. Pass on your knowledge and educate people.

I will be going through all of the different revenue streams in more detail. It is an amazing time to be a content creator. There are so many creative ways to build your brand and make money. Good luck and I will help you on your journey.

You can also read how to make your blog posts go viral here.

The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger by Catherine Balavage Reviewed By Margaret Graham

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how to be a successful blogger, blogging, writing, working from home, Catherine Balavage, freelancing, money from writing, business, Catherine Balavage, Margaret Graham, Crikey- is it me, or is running a blog harder than it looks? by Margaret Graham

Read the: The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger by Catherine Balavage and cut out the stress.

Catherine is the owner and editor of Frost Magazine, and I am her contributing editor. Working on a blog, or online magazine as I think of Frost, was a new addition for me, because my main thrust is as a bestselling author for Random House Publishers. (Arrow).

As the weeks, months, and soon – years –go by, I have learned a great deal from, and about, this extraordinarily generous and accomplished young woman. Not least is her amazing energy, not to mention her attention to detail. What’s more, she’s so polite, acknowledging and appreciating her writers for their submissions, whilst not taking her eye off the ball for a moment.

For a Luddite like me, The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Blogger has been an eye-opener. It shows just how absolutely crucial it is to keep that eye glued on the ball, and includes numerous tips which would require a great deal of time and research to unearth on one’s own.

It’s a fascinating insight into just how much hard work and dedication, constant attention, and nurturing is needed. It put me in mind of running an enormous allotment, or nurturing a baby, or indeed a puppy – said from the heart as I introduce into the house a pal for Rosie our cockerpoo. None of these can be left for many minutes before things start to fall apart.

This book starts with basics, such as design, name and the benefits of blogging, through to the all important revenue streams, and how to determine what readers want, and so on.  It’s all here, accessible and essential, and written in Catherine’s unmistakable brisk but friendly style we have come to know so well. Just take your time, and let the expert take you by the hand, and save you zillions of hours of stop and start mistakes.

 

Bravo, a book that needed writing, a book about to take off into bestsellerdom.

The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger is available here.

 

 

Miley Cyrus For Marc Jacobs Campaign

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Miley Cyrus’s first fashion campaign is for Marc Jacobs Spring Summer 2014. Shot by David Sims and Katie Grand, we barely recognised her with her clothes on.

Marc Jacobs said to WWD: ‘We wanted this beach with girls kind of sulky and broody, and we thought it would be cool if it was Miley with what could be two friends, feeling distant and quite dark. We all just love her and her entire being, her energy, her talent, her intelligence, everything. There’s nothing I don’t like about her. She is just genuine and very natural.’

However Juergen Teller, who usually shoots Marc Jacobs campaigns, didn’t shoot the campaign this time; ‘I have worked with Juergen for years and love him as an artist. He just didn’t want to shoot her.’ Ouch.

Miley Cyrus for Marc Jacobs

What do you think?

BBC To Commercialise World Service

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BBC_TV_CentreThe BBC have unveiled plans to commercialise the 80-year-old World Service, causing anger in some parts.  Coverage of politics will be downplayed. The BBC is to take over funding of the World Service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It will transfer to licence-fee funding in April. One of the reforms may be advertising on the site, which staff believe that the changes are in part to attract advertisers, outside of the UK the BBC relies on commercials on it’s channels and websites. BBC Global News Ltd lost £800,000 last year, and £21million was lost in the UK operation according to accounts, most of the loss was offset by advertising and sponsorship money made overseas.

A spokesperson for the BBC told The Independent: “The BBC’s reputation for providing impartial and independent news will always take precedence over wider commercial goals. Our experience with World News, bbc.com and some limited World Service commercial activity shows that these forms of funding are generally accepted by audiences outside the UK, and that editorial standards and public service priorities can be maintained.”

 

However Shadow culture minister Helen Goodman said: “The proposed drift away from the core purpose of the World Service is precisely what people feared when this Government said that the Foreign Office would no longer finance it. It’s really important that the World Service stays on mission as a reliable, truthful broadcaster of important news to people in places where this is not otherwise available.”

 

What do you think? Is commercialisation a good or bad thing? Is this just a sign of the times?

 

PR or Advertising: So What’s The Difference?

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What's the difference between PR and advertising?Jane Ellison-Bates of Manifest Marketing outlines the difference between PR and advertising – and why that matters

We all make assumptions that certain aspects of our businesses are as clear to others as they are to us.   Whatever trade you are in it’s probably the same; there are some areas of knowledge which are so fundamental that you may assume other people, especially your customers, know what you know. But maybe they don’t.

I have been amazed on a few occasions when business owners have confessed to me that they don’t really understand the difference between advertising and PR.  After more years than I care to reveal in the business, to me it was obvious, but I have come to realise that it’s always worth highlighting with a new client the differences between the two.

My favourite way to explain it is the ‘earned versus owned’ principle.

When you decide to book and pay a publication for space or airtime you therefore ‘own’ it.  Quite simply, this is advertising.  Its principal advantage is that because you are paying for it, within reason you can say what you like.  You get to choose how it looks, where it appears and when it appears.  You are completely in control.  If anything goes wrong or contravenes the T&Cs of your booking then you have the right to complain and seek some form of recompense.  You are essentially blowing your own trumpet, and if you do it well you will convince some, if not all, of the people who see, hear or watch your advert that they should buy your product or service.

PR is a whole different ball game.  This time you need to ‘earn’ your space or fifteen minutes of fame.  You can’t pay a TV station to be featured on the news, or a magazine to run a feature; you have to be offering something that an editor wants to share with the audience.  It’s much, much harder and as such commands a greater value.  This time someone else thinks you’re interesting and is prepared to publicise it over and above other contenders. As a result, as a basic rule of thumb in the marketing industry, PR coverage is valued at three times its advertising equivalent, so, for example, a full page valued at £1000 in the advertising media pack is worth £3000 as editorial.  And you don’t actually pay them for it.  Weird but true.

Editorial coverage for your product, service or story wins you kudos in your field and sets you apart. The downside might be that your story isn’t deemed interesting and doesn’t appear, or that it gets edited in a way you don’t like; possibly even erroneously.  It happens.  Unless it’s actually libellous you are likely to have no comeback.  Alternatively, you may not like the position of the piece; but don’t even think about complaining if you want to have any hope of getting future coverage from them.

And that’s where a PR company comes in handy. Let them get to know your business and they will winkle out the interesting stories, present them well to minimise editing and ‘earn’ you that coverage that you covet.

Get Rich Blogging | Book Review

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get-rich-bloggingI met Zoe Griffin at a fundraising event for cervical cancer which was hosted by Jo’s Trust. Zoe is very vivacious and it is hard not to notice her as she is a social butterfly. I chatted to her on the night and said I would review her book, “Get Rich Blogging”. Zoe was the Sunday Mirror’s showbiz gossip columnist. She bravely left her job to start her blog, Livelikeavip. She did this three years ago and now earns a six-figure income and gets 80,000 hits a month. An impressive achievement. But what about the book? Here is my opinion….

Part one lets you know all about blogs and what Zoe wished she knew when she started hers. The book also has great exercises to get your business brain into gear. You may think you know all about blogging and what a blog is but Zoe leaves no stone unturned.

The section on making money will be popular – obviously, otherwise why would you have bought the book- and it does have a lot of great information on Skimlinks, google adsense, link-based advertising and other ad networks. This information is valuable and took me a lot of research to find when I started Frost. I do have to say that earning money from some of these is not as easy as you think, in the three years I had Skimlinks on my blog I made £32, and only $50 per year from infolinks. It is hardly setting the world on fire, and barely covered the cost of running the site. Zoe’s book has given me lots of ideas for other revenue streams though, and I was lucky enough to become a member of Handpicked Media.

The income section is separated between direct and indirect revenue. The above is direct while the indirect is things such as speaking arrangements, public appearances, collaboration and freelance contracts.

The other great thing about the book is that it helps you find the marketplace, and therefore the readers, of your blog. It is full of exercises, tips and quotes. The end of each chapter also has a checklist. The book then talks you through design, preparing for business, getting images and building your brand.

It also has a great chapter on social media: very important in these times. Building a loyal readership and boosting your income are also covered.

Part II is a great chapter of interviews with other bloggers, sectioned into their niche area. Along with tips of each niche area.

This book is an essential resource for those who are not only starting a blog, but also those who already have one. A great book. Five stars.

You can buy Get Rich Blogging here

I will be interviewing Zoe soon so check back for that,

 

Funniest Viral Video Ever? Bear Interrupts Samsung Crew

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Just what you need when you are trying to set up a shoot, a bear joining in on the fun. This video is the funniest video we have seen in a long time.

We all need clean clothes but doing a lot of washes at high temperatures is not good for the environment. Maybe one of the reasons the bear was so interested was that the Ecobubble from Samsung allows washing at 15degrees so uses 70% less energy than a 40degree wash cycle. Not only that but it mixes air and water to create bubbles allowing the detergent to quickly penetrate clothing. This means less energy, a smaller wash cycle and less wear-and-tear to clothing – result. It is advertising at it’s best, so well done Samsung for being entertaining.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/ecobubble/

Sponsored Post.

Brits Rely on Their Mates when choosing a Tradesperson

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Word of mouth x 4 more powerful than Advertising – survey reveals

Happy customers are the most powerful form of marketing, according to new research from Checkatrade.com – the UK’s most trusted website for monitoring the reputation of tradespeople.

The research, conducted amongst 2,000 homeowners, found that more than two thirds of people said they valued a reliable recommendation from a friend or family member friend more than any advertising or marketing.

In contrast, only 15% said they were content looking through the local directory to find a tradesman – just a quarter of those who favour the views of friends and family. However, despite rogue traders and cowboy builders on the rise and increased internet usage, only 1 in 20 people are taking the trouble to consult a tradesperson review site before employing a trader.

Brits rate tidiness
The survey also highlighted that, with the exception of price and workmanship, Brits rate tidiness above all other qualities when choosing a tradesperson. Almost two thirds (61%) cite it as the deciding factor, and, despite our increasingly hectic schedules, just 1 in 13 property owners favour tradespeople who simply get the job done quickly.

Meanwhile 1 in 7 busy homeowners are more concerned with whether their tradesperson turns up to the job on time, and 1 in 7 homeowners say being polite is the best way to win them over.
For one in twenty people builders arriving in scruffy overalls simply won’t do – they say it’s more important than anything else that their tradesperson is clean and well presented.

Commenting on the findings, Kevin Byrne, founder of Checkatrade.com, said: “Our research findings just go to show that tradespeople competing in difficult times need to offer the whole package – accuracy, speed, punctuality, politeness and personal presentation. Homeowners consider it vital for tradespeople to treat their properties with respect.

“Reputation matters. Word of mouth and recommendation are immensely powerful and this is what we have built our business on. Customers remember a job well done, but neither will they be quick to forget poor service.”