Someone asked me recently how much I make blogging.
Now, guess what my answer is to that question.
Zero.
I don’t make any money blogging. As a matter of fact, I spend money to keep my blog running and active.
But then they ask, why then are you blogging if you’re not making any money doing it?
Very nice question.
Here’s why I write on my blog even though the act of blogging doesn’t make me any money directly.
I Love Writing
I really really love writing and putting my thoughts to pen.
If I didn’t have any other thing doing, I would write all day until I drop. That is how much I love to write.
So, blogging gives me the platform to throw my thoughts as far as I can.
I Write to Sharpen my Thinking and Writing Skills
Like they say, every master is a good practitioner.
You can’t master anything unless you practice it.
So, I write so I could master the art of writing and putting my thoughts together.
The more I master this skill, the more money I could demand from people who want me to write for them.
I Write to Attract an Audience that I can Sell to
Now, even though blogging does not make me any money, I actively seek ways to make money with my blog.
The first step is to write to attract different kinds of audience. When different kinds of people converge on my blog, I could offer them different products and services to buy.
So, the money doesn’t come because I write. It comes because I intentionally find avenues to make money on my blog.
I Could Sell my Blog in the Future
I’ve sold a blog in the past, so I understand the end game and my exit strategy.
I’m writing with one eye on the future.
And it motivates me daily, because I know that when I get tired blogging, I could just flip the blog and go on vacation.
More so, maybe sometime in the near future, someone would pay me an amount of money that would convince me to sell my blog to them.
All I know is that it would be a happy ending.
Blogging Itself is not a Business
The art of blogging itself is not a business. If you just want to make money, then you shouldn’t start a blog.
It just doesn’t make sense to start a blog with the aim of making money when you can make more money with your writing in faster and easier ways.
Blogging is hard, and it takes consistent effort and improvement to manage one. Only genuine passion would keep you going.
Now, if you just want to make money with your writing with lesser fuss and lesser stress, then you should try these other options.
Make Money with Freelance Writing
Big fact. I’ve made more money with freelance writing than I’ve made in all my blogs put together in the last 10 years, including the money made from selling some of them.
Now, read that again.
Freelance writing will pay you fast and pay you well, so much that you will think writing is blood money.
For more context in this area, kindly download my free ebook here.
Make Money with Amazon KDP
If you want to get paid for every single content you’ll ever write, then Amazon KDP is your best bet.
With Amazon KDP, you’ll get paid when someone reads your content as well as when they buy it.
One of the biggest misconception about Amazon KDP is that you have to spend a lot of time writing a book.
Far from that.
Nowadays, you could turn your 1k-word article into a KDP short book and start earning royalties from it.
Make Money Transcribing Content
Transcription is one of the fastest ways to make money writing if you are just starting out.
You don’t need much skills, just listen and write. I think most people can easily do this.
If you don’t enjoy writing that much, then transcription is one of the best ways to make money writing small copies.
So many freelance platforms allow you to offer transcription services and get paid for it, but there are other niche service websites that hire transcribers and pay well.
Make Money Syndicating Content
If you just want to make money fast without doing a lot of work, then content syndication is the best way to go.
You could turn your voice notes into whiteboard tutorials, or syndicate other people’s podcasts into videos or ebooks for sale.
In fact, the number of syndicators currently online is more than the original content creators.
Syndication is legal and is a good way to aggregate better content and get them shared to the right audience.
Many content creators even pay syndicators to help them syndicate their content into different formats.
Conclusion
If you’re at crossroads, then I’ve probably helped make your decision-making much easier. Simply find what you can do at the shortest possible time, and start making money online.