Monetizing A Blog Part 1

There are primarily four different ways to make money blogging. This is known as monetizing, so let's get started.

Coaching

This industry is booming right now and one can be a coach on just about any topic. The key to being a good coach is many, but first one needs to be extremely knowledgeable on whatever they are coaching on. One can not just coach individuals, but businesses as well that are not geared to business specifically. Some coaching genres to consider.

• 
  
• Business - This is broad as it incorporates various aspects of business.  
• Lifestyle -  Another broad genre.
• Motivational - Let's face a lot of individuals are looking to get motivated in life, work and relationships.
• Health - Various aspects of health include fitness, diet and complete lifestyle changes

We all are very knowledgeable about something. Why not turn that into a coaching business? Even if it's not online, put yourself out there and let others know what you are capable of.

People Need You

There are so many people out there struggling in various aspects of their lives and you can be their savior. 

Freelancing

Freelancing is a great way to monetize your blog. You can also land a regular job working with one company. When I was a freelance writer, my niche was natural living. I created healthy recipes, wrote content for websites, wrote blog posts for various businesses through Elance. Upwork has taken over Elance, but for the 14 months I was there I loved it. Here are a few areas businesses  and individuals hire freelancers for.

• Editing
• Blogging
• Articles
• Images
• Web design
• Copywritting (spelled right)
• Virtual Assistance
• SEO
• Research
• E- Books 
• Ghost Writer
• Videos
• Voice Overs 

There are so many businesses looking for freelancers in just about any category you can think of. Just because it is not on the list above do not cancel out a talent or service you might have to offer. 

Writer Beware

Personally I would never do an e-book or be a ghost writer as the client will make more money then us. When looking for freelance opportunities one must know what to look for. For instance many clients will put up a job for an article on say snowboarding equipment, but have another job up for best places to snowboard. This person is looking to take all these things together for a book. A lot of the time they are not willing to pay a lot. 

Blogging for a Company

When a freelancer blogs for a company most of the time they will not receive credit for the post. I had at least one job writing blog posts for a company and did not mind not having my name on the posts. It was an ongoing job and the pay was decent. As a freelancer you have to pick and choose what you will and won't do. 

Do What you Know and What you Love

Stick with what you know and are passionate about. Doing this makes it easier and more enjoyable. There are other websites one can find freelance work like Fivver. Craigslist also has some freelancing jobs listed, but they are few. 

Create a Bio

When creating your bio include as much about yourself and what you offer as possible. One of the things I included in mine was the fact that I love to do research which allows me to get more accurate facts and original content. Use third party when creating such as Joyce has been a natural living researcher since 2012.

Work With Me Page

Create a work with me page on your blog. If you are all set up as a freelancer on a website be sure to include links to your bio. I know Upwork and Fivver clients can rate your work and leave comments. You might also be able to include a link to this page on your freelancing accounts. It is nice for potential clients to be able to take a closer look at you.

Would you like to be a freelancer, if so doing what?

Have you ever done any freelancing? Please share your experience.

 

Writing a Guest Blog Post

When writing a guest blog there are a few things to do before you start. The first is find out if there are any specific guidelines to be followed. Find out if there is a specific number of words, is there a specific topic?

Creating a Guest Blog Post

When we create a guest blog post it should be done in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Somewhere where it can be shared easily with the host. This is because we don't post it directly to the blog that is the job of the host. Where ever we create the guest blog post the guest needs to be able to access it easily. If the host can not easily apply the guest post to their blog they might just forget it. Let's face it we are a busy society no one wants to sit longer then they have to trying to figure something out. 

Including Images

Include your own images. This can be within the document or can be sent via an attachment through email. Be sure to resize images, so the guest does not have to do this. If the images are not included within the text one can include a note suggesting where the images should appear. This could be something like paragraph 5 or for a subheader. Avoid to much detail less is more.

Create a Bio

Create a short bio to be used at the end of the guest blog post. Make it short and to the point. Some hosts will allow us to include our social media, so this something else we want to check on. Below is a sample bio.

Joyce Wheeler

Joyce is a natural living blogger, researcher, podcaster, speaker, writer and coach. She has been living this lifestyle since 2012 and loves to share her knowledge with others. On Saturdays you will find her at the local farmer's market selling her home brewed Kombucha, natural skin care products and various items she designs using crystals. Her passion is to aid others with living a better quality of life naturally.

You can find her at her skin care products at Heavenly Bodies and her blog So You Want to Blog

Facebook link
                                         Pintrest link
                                         Linkedin link

With your social media do not include the name of the page just which social media it is. I include the bio at the bottom of the guest post and put bio in bold. Again you can include the image within the text or send it as an attachment.

Posting Guest Blog Post Blurb

Once you know the guest post is live create a teaser on your blog. I put up the first paragraph or two and a read more link for them to click on. 

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Fear

Fear, what is it and why do we have it? There are various reasons for fear. Some fears come from within ourselves, lack of confidence. Other fears stem from past programming from family, friends, teachers, peers and other areas. Fear is located within us and most of the time for no good reason. I want to change the word fear into uncertainty. Because in truth that is what most of us are experiencing.

Reasonable Fear

Some fears can be validated due to past experiences. My mom was in a bad car accident and never drove again due to the fear of it happening again. When we lose a loved one we might have fear about losing another one. There are all types of scenarios which one might find themselves in which is not a pleasant experience. In these cases fear is valid and very real however, it needs to be dealt with, so we can move on with our lives.

Dealing with Reasonable Fear 

My mom could have gotten back in a car again to drive, but didn't. Now my Southern Man was in a head on collision and able to get back in and drive. However, every time a car veered over the line he had fear of it happening again. For some the fear is so bad they need to get professional help. I lost my first husband when my children were 5, 7 and 12. My daughter and the 7 year old would get up at night to make sure I was still breathing. When I found this out I knew I needed to get them some professional help to deal with this event in their young lives. As time passed they got over that fear that something would happen to me as well.

Photo credit

Fear of Failing

We have fear of failing, but let me ask this, why do we fear failure? Failing is a part of gaining knowledge of what to do and what not to do. There are many people who have failed the first time around, but kept going. Thomas Edison failed to get the light bulb right the first time and even the second time. If he let that stop him we would still be in the dark. The author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" approached over one hundred publishers before he found one that would publish the book. Now they are all over and in other languages as well.

I Feared Failing

When I was in grammar school I never did well on tests. After dropping out of high school I decided, years later, that I wanted to go to college. I decided to get my GED, but told no one because if I failed I didn't want anyone to know. I'm sure they knew considering every night after work I would sit at the table with a big book labeled GED however, no one ever said anything or questioned me. Now mind you back in the day this was a 5 hour test. If I failed I would have to take it all over again. Needless to say I did pass and earned my GED.

The fear of failing tests stayed with me and I avoided doing things I really wanted to do, like becoming a personal trainer. At the same time I had later earned a scholarship to attend an online program to formulate natural skin care products using organic ingredients. Oh was I nervous, to pass the course I needed to complete a two part test. Really???? Not one, but two parts!!! This was something I wanted to do really bad and while I was afraid of failing I didn't let it stop me. I passed both parts of the test the first time around.   

Do it Afraid or Fake it til you Make it

If I would have let the fear of failure rule me I would never have earned my GED or have gone on to earn my associates in business. I would never have been able to formulate safe skin care products or even create custom products for individuals. Sometimes we just need to do it afraid or fake it til we make it. 

Photo credit

Sounds Easy

I am not trying to say facing a fear or the fear of failure is easy. I am saying that if you don't try you will never know and maybe miss out on a great opportunity for your life. You can use my don't tell any body if it makes you feel safer and allows you to step out of your comfort zone. Take baby steps if need be, but don't let fear hold you back from having the life you want or doing the things you so badly want to. It's like getting into a pool. start with a toe, then a foot before you know it you'll be fully submerged in what it is you want.

This post is dedicated to all the members of the Facebook group "So You Want to Blog" who have expressed their fear of starting their blog. 

Fear on Biteable.

How do you deal with your fear?

Promoting Your Blog Part 2

We are now going to focus on the most apparent way to promote your blog "Social Media." While many bloggers simply add their blog posts to their business/personal social media there is more then this. You have not read part 1 click this link and go.

Facebook

Of course Facebook!! Most of you have already done this, but if you haven't, join groups. Groups are a great way to promote your blog. Promoting your blog in groups instead of your business page allows others to get to know you. When people are able to get to know you, you become an expert in your field in their eyes, they trust you more, this is more personal then a business website where they can not connect with you on a personal level. 

Linkedin

Linkedin is a great place to promote your blog for a lot of the same reasons mentioned above. People want to get to know who you are, why should they trust you, and what are your expertise. Use the ability to write an article on linkedin and talk about a blog post you created. You can then create a live link for them to read more. Again join some groups where you can share your blog and expertise. You can also just share your blog post for everyone to see. Personally I have had more success using the write an article option.

Google + & Twitter

While these are two other options for promoting your blog they tend to get lost in the mix. That doesn't mean you should exclude them, I just don't take a lot of time on either platform.

Pintrest

Pintrest is a great place to share blog post as you can create content for it along with creating specific boards. For instance I have a board for products and one for ingredients. I'm planning on creating one for crystals and jewelry. Here again there is an opportunity to join with others to post on a group board.

Promoting Your Blog Part 1

There are various ways to promote your blog. One is blog hops/link ups, since I already wrote a blog post on this on one of my other blogs you can just click here to read it. I don't think I covered looking for other parties while on a blog hop/link ups. I always look for other parties and try to remember to pin them or add them to my "I Party Here" page.

Guest Posts

Guest posts are a great way to attract more readers to your blog. The way it works is you find another blogger whose content is similar to yours. Bloggers create a blog to be posted on another bloggers, blog. Usually it contains a short bio, a link back to your blog and social media links. You then add a snippet of the blog post to your blog with a link leading to the blog it was posted on, so your readers can go there, read it, share and check out your hosts blog.

You can also ask another blogger to create a guest post for your blog. Some bloggers have a tab on their blogs just for guest posts. Here they will put what type of content they are looking for along with a way to contact them. They put a snippet of the post on their blog and it sends their readers to your blog. 

Giveaways

Giveaways are another way to promote your blog and business. Once again we are looking for a blogger with similar interests and one that hosts a blog hop/link up is even better. A short post is created which usually contains a short bio along with a description of what is being given away. Readers can enter the giveaway by completing various tasks such as following you on social media, leaving a prompted comment, signing up for a newsletter etc. Giveaways are done using "Rafflecopter." This is available for free, but has limitations. 

Host/Co Host a Blog Hop/Link Up

Hosting or co hosting a blog hop/link up is an excellent way to promote your blog, but can be time consuming. You can start your own party. If you do this I highly recommend finding co hosts. You can find many bloggers who are hosting parties who will have ongoing co host or ask during the party for co hosts. This is a good option because it is usually anywhere from a week to a month commitment. To promote the party find other parties to link up your post at. However, some parties state in the rules "No Parties." 

Time and Next Post

My time is very precious at this time in my life, so I am splitting this post up. The next post will include promoting a various social media. Don't miss this post as there might be some things one has not thought about or does not know about. After we don't know everything and must continue to be opened minded and always be willing to learn. See you next time.

Do you have a question about this post? Leave a comment or join the "So You Want to Blog" group on Facebook.

Blogger for Beginners

I have been blogging on Blogger since 2008. While I find this the easiest platform to use there are some things that are not right out there. Up point is you can pretty much Google any help you need for most platforms.

The first thing you want to do is sign for a Google account. Once you have done that go to the home screen and click on the blogger icon, which is a B in an orange box, then click more. Once you have done that look at the bottom of the page where it prompts you to create a blog.

Hopefully by this time you have the name of your blog, if not go back to brainstorming. 

• Make a list of what you are going to blog, if you have not
• Brainstorm various names that coincides with what you are blogging about
• Ask family and friends for suggestions
• Have family and friends vote for the right name
• Consider a logo, but this can be done later

When it comes to the address I have always just used blogspot.com. You can also add your own domain, sorry have not done this, but I can find out. When using blogspot.com it will search to see if the name you want is available. For this site it was not, so I added the number 2 after it. You can play with it until it still gives the name of you chose.

I started creating a fictitious blog for this post by the name "Come Dance With Me" which has been taken. This is another reason to play with words. We want to be sure the name we chose is unique. It took me 15 different names with the word dance in it until I found "Dance and Prance." 

Once that part is done you can start creating your blog. Start by choosing your theme. Don't worry about images or color those can be changed. Just click on the "Customize button. To customize the font, colors, images and more go to the "Advanced" tab. Don't forget to save your changes.

The theme I chose did not have tabs, if your doesn't you can go to "Layout" to add them. There you will see "Cross - Column" and the words "Add Gadget." Click on add gadget and scroll down to "Pages." Click the plus sign to add tabs.

For new tabs go to "Pages," create your page, publish it and go back to layout to add the new page to your tab.

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