Blogging for Money, is It Really Worth It?

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Blogging for Money, is It Really Worth It?

Posted on October 15th, 2009 in Writing by emmahaynes

This article discusses blogging and writing in general, the efforts we go to and the limited success we receive.

We all consider it at some point. Is all the work we do every day really worth it? We know that in order to make a healthy living from blogging and writing we have to put serious effort in. Sometimes we write and write to no avail and yet we continue to do it, why?

Well I for one am a firm believer that one day it will all pay off. One day I will be earning enough money from my writes to warrant using my writing as a full time career.

I see my earnings go up and up each month and you know what they say; the proof is in the pudding. I am always looking for ways to increase my earnings faster and hopefully get to my end goal a few months earlier wherever possible.

I do wonder though whether my efforts are wasted sometimes. We do have those days as writers where we give up trying and don’t bother writing at all. Other days we run out of inspiration and simply can’t write. Is it better to force utter rubbish out for the sake of continuing your goal? Or should we wait for the natural flair to begin to flow once more?

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I think the question is whether you have a choice. If the writing becomes a necessary part of your life, for mental or financial reasons, sometimes you have to write-regardless of the quality.

I had a message recently from a fellow writer who uses the same website as me. She asked me if I wouldn’t mind telling her how much I make from my writing and if it was possible to make more than five cents.

I thought long and hard before replying to that message. It wasn’t because I didn’t know the answer, or even because I wasn’t keen on telling her how much I earn. I don’t mind, it’s not as though it’s a government secret or anything!

I didn’t respond immediately because it got me to thinking about just how much there is to be made from writing online. Yes I can see an increase in my monthly earnings but what does concern me is that if I don’t continue to increase the amount I write every day my daily earnings start to fall. With that thought in mind, if I get to the point where I cannot physically increase my daily writes, my earnings will cease to rise. Then what?

Do I re-circulate old articles in the hope that they may generate more views along the way? I honestly don’t think that would work. Once an article has been submitted to digg.com for example, you can’t submit it again.

This leads me to the conclusion that whilst writing online can be a lucrative form of income when used correctly, at some point you will have to consider the point that your income will grind to a halt. My question is at what point? Moreover, at what cost?

If my income slowly grinds to a halt because my old articles are no longer making money and I cannot physically write any more than I already do, how do I establish my source of income once more? Surely if this is the case, I am playing catch up with my old articles as they become more and more redundant each day.

I enjoy writing and dedicate as much of my day to the cause as is humanly possible but with three children and a house to tend to I don’t have as much time to spare as I would like.

I dislike the thought that I will never make an income as a writer and dislike the thought of ghostwriting for pittance even more. I guess this is inevitable really-or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe one day I will look back at this article with hundreds in the bank wondering what I was ever worrying about.

For now though at least, I can’t seem to shake the nagging feeling that I’m wasting my time.

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19 Responses to “Blogging for Money, is It Really Worth It?”

WriteEditSeek
October 15th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

Great, well-written article. I have been down all the roads you talk about in your article. I don’t want to believe that all of our efforts will be for nothing if we stop producing. Ugh, at least on Triond that appears to be the case, though. I’m experimenting with some other sites–particularly Demand Studios and Constant Content–that offer lump sum payments. I love Triond and the freedom it gives us to write about anything, but on the other hand, I can’t only be waiting for pennies to trickle in–though they do continue to trickle and more trickle each month. I think one of the keys is to have a diversified approach to writing–in other words, have various sources of income.
Sourav
October 15th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

I would like to think positively. As for now I can say it works. If you write and share it properly then there’s no point you can’t earn a significant amount. But for that one needs to be pro-active. I liked the article. I hope and wish that you’ll do good in the writing field.
emmahaynes
October 15th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

WriteEditSeek, I’ve heard demand studios are fantastic but unfortunately if you’re not a U.S citizen you can’t write for them
Hollywood James
October 15th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

Great article. I would recommend focusing on your writing rather than thinking about how much money you might make. Making money the primary focus can sometimes block the creative flow.
ceegirl
October 15th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

Great information, thanks.
cutedrishti8
October 15th, 2009 at 1:26 pm

Great article. We can make a good money if keep it in mind that what are people searching for on the web, if we write on that topic we will definetly earn a good long-term coming income
ken bultman
October 15th, 2009 at 1:54 pm

Keep writing. Keep your daytime job. Keep on the sunny side.
Eric Goode
October 15th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

You should always do what you love whether it offers little to no incentives. Unfortunately it is in our human nature to want more intrinsic rewards to remain motivated from doing even the things we love. I work full-time and use my writing more or less as a stress-reliever or a get away from all the hustle and bustle of the world and that makes me happy. It is a hobby not a profession so if I receive any incentive no matter how minute it does not matter to me. However it does make me happier to be doing what I love to do and getting rewarded for doing so.
Teves
October 15th, 2009 at 5:34 pm

Very good writen…Nice one.
Papa Sparks
October 15th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

Show me the money!

Nice article. There are some people who do quite well with writing on these sites, but a lot has to do with the kind of articles that get the hits that generate the revenue.

It’s a crap shoot.
Guy Hogan
October 15th, 2009 at 7:49 pm

This is my plan. I will write only for Triond. So far I average one submission every other day. My old articles keep making money as I add new articles. My income increases by at lease %30 every month. I now have 170 pieces in my Triond account. In a little more than six months my earnings have gone from a penney a day to 50 cents a day. I consider writing for other sites a waste of my precious time. My only fear is that Triond will go out of business. Triond recently had an investor invest $1.5 in Triond. So I feel good about Triond’s future; and I feel good about what my monthly income from Triond will be two years from now.
John McDonnell
October 15th, 2009 at 7:52 pm

Good article. When you start out, it seems like you’ll make a lot of money because as you add more articles you’ll make more money. You figure it will grow exponentially. What happens, though, is that some of the old articles don’t get any hits after a month or two. I guess those are the ones that don’t get high search engine rankings. So, you’re really only making money on the new articles every month, with some exceptions. I think you can make money on these sites, but you have to know how to optimize your articles, promote them the right way, and keep turning out more work.
Joe Dorish
October 15th, 2009 at 8:18 pm

Almost all of the most successful bloggers publish many times every day.It’s a grind so you better love your topic.
Avaxier
October 15th, 2009 at 8:20 pm

I was also intended to make money here. The monthly earnings is pretty good for me after I wrote some articles and promote them greatly. It’s almost matched the monthly salary of a half-timed waitress in my country. And the great thing is, it’s fun instead of exhausting. Of course, for a rich western country, it’s small compared with a day-time job.

I think the earning will become great if we’re dedicated on this and spend at least 2 hours per day to write, promote and exploring other people’s works.

Nice article, thanks for sharing!
Yusuf6899
October 15th, 2009 at 11:49 pm

Nice articals, thanks for that
goindia
October 16th, 2009 at 2:10 am

A really great article with some original thoughts. Keep the good work going on.
niknish
October 16th, 2009 at 2:13 am

A pretty much similar thought had been going on in my mind. I am pretty new to this business of writing. But going by what you have written you seem to be a man of some experience in this field. And to know that you too think the same way that I do (which is can writing really get you enough money always) I guess this thought creeps into everyone’s mind. Nice article.
Lee Ness
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:25 am

HI,
I agree with article wondering will the money keep coming in after I stop writing from all the articles I have written and will Triond be there 10 years from now or 20 years I hope it is I reallly do. So many of write here. Very good article
Lee Ness
Christopher East
November 18th, 2009 at 7:03 am

Wonderful Article Emma! I took a 2 month break from writing anything through triond recently, and my earnings went up not down!

Writing long standing articles seem to be the key, ensuring that those articles will be read for years to come, with an ease of reading that provides anyone with the ability to read no matter what their reading ability actually is.