Summary: So, you want to be a professional blogger? But what exactly do you need to do to make money from this? This week we take a deeper look at how to start generating revenue from your blog. Whether you have a fledgling WordPress blog or are a well seasoned blogger with an entire community built up, there are a number of avenues you can go down. But which is best? And how do you actually make it all happen? There are always some growing pains as every new blog strives to get its feet off the ground, not least of which is trying to generate revenue. We start off this week by taking a closer look at the stages of development a site goes through as it matures. Joost gives an insight into the journey of his own site, Yoast.com, and gets down to the nitty gritty of what worked for him and what didn’t. Joost lifts the lid on Google AdSense, and explains its pros and cons. Affiliate marketing; we explain the importance of having both high readership and the trust of those readers. We recommend taking a look at PepperJamNetwork and Commission Junction. We explore other avenues within traditional banner advertising, including some surprising and very neat little hints and tips! The value of the personal brand: In the long haul, this could be the most beneficial thing you do. We explain the how and the why. Joost tells us how his blog has lead to consultancy work for some top customers. Frederick talks through the benefits of monetising old blog content by selling it as an eBook. Producing products that can be ‘built’ once and sold multiple times has huge benefits. The importance of scarcity! Who you take advertising from is important – if they are ads for less than respectable services or products it could be incredibly detrimental to your personal brand and the reputation of your blog. There is no escaping accountability, and especially not on the web! Why you should tread carefully when asking your readers for money. The bottom line? Make money, but always keep your readers in mind! Some useful links: Mashable.com css3.info Chris Brogan
