Earning a Livable Wage as a Blogger
March 1, 2009 by Deb
Filed under Blogging Jobs
One thing I’m asked about all the time is if one can really make a living as a blogger. My answer: It depends. I’ve been writing and blogging online since 1999 so I’m sort of qualified to share a bit about what I know of the online content writing world. Whether it’s blogging, or writing – or in some cases where the lines are all blurred – whether or not you make a living as a blogger all depends on who, what, and where you work.
For instance, if you work for a network the chances are pretty good you won’t earn enough to pay the mortgage, or in many cases a week’s worth of groceries. Even the best networks only pay a few bloggers a livable wage. The majority of network bloggers don’t earn much money at all.
Those networks that haven’t closed their doors might pay $1 per post or less. I worked for several networks and only one paid a very good wage. I used the others for experience, tools and to supplement my income. In fact, I’ve always made more with my own blogs than other people’s.
After blogging for other people for so long it occurred to me that I’d earn more money if I devoted the same energy and time towards my own blogs. Lo and behold I began earning a lot more money – and keeping all the profit for me. Then I found a full time job blogging and managing a community. I earn more money now than I ever did in Corporate America or as a freelance blogger.
Now, that’s not to say you can’t earn a decent living as a blogger for hire. As I mentioned at FWJ today, my first paying blogging gig paid $500 for 200 words a week. If you’re truly interested in earning a livable wage, you have to look in all the right places. If you want to go beyond hobby money and more into earning to support your family, try looking beyond networks. Businesses and corporations are hiring bloggers to add a more personal touch to websites and products, and for community management. Plus many individuals, media outlets and others are looking to hire bloggers.
Don’t worry though, we have your back. In the upcoming weeks we’ll explore how to earn a good living as a blogger. We’ll discuss ways to make your own blogs work for you and also who is paying bloggers a good wage. And we want you to share what you know too. Please leave your comments and let us know how you earn a living as a blogger. Who you work for, the earning potential and whether or not you recommend it to others.
Rock on.
Hi Deb, you may know I was long ago the freelance writing guide at about.com… I was there when we switched from a web page base to a blogging base, but it didn’t feel much like blogging does now. Soon after I left there I became part of a tiny blogging network which got bought by a much larger one. For awhile our pay was decent then it changed for the worse… much worse, so I struck out on my own. Long way from being a 6 figure blogger but I am pleased with the growth so far.
Looking forward to the rest of this series.
Anne Wayman, now blogging at http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com
Most of my writing gigs at this point involve some amount of blogging. I write for several companies that aren’t technically networks, but do maintain multiple blogs — and those jobs can work out well because a good blogger can wind up posting to multiple blogs.
In a lot of cases, though, I think that blogging for hire can be one of the harder ways to make a living as a freelance writer: there is a huge disparity between pay rates and the burnout can be pretty high.
Since I am starting out, I find that blogging alone can’t make up for expenses. But writing for print or online submissions on the side can reel in a bit of extra but that’s a bit of a risk. You never know if these get accepted.
I am currently under contract with three different sites as a blogger. It’s not enough to earn a living, but I am well-compensated.
It is my choice not to get involved with “pay per click” or “percentage of ad revenue” networks. The network gets fresh content on an ongoing basis and the writer gets a few dollars. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I agree that your own personal blog will benefit you more than that.
Good bloggers — those who can be counted on to meet deadlines and produce quality posts on a regular basis — are hard to come by.
I’m actively seeking additional opportunities in this vein and hope that the quality of my work will lead to bigger and better opportunities.
I’m going to be very interested to read the rest of this series. I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not I’d be better off using my content for my own blog instead of constantly scrambling for someone else. I think my big fear is that I haven’t learned enough yet to make my own blog work, but maybe I need to get over that. At any rate, for what I’m making, will it be that much of a loss? Doubtful.