Let me be blunt – five minutes spent on some blogs makes me feel… dirty! No, I’m not talking about blogs with questionable material, but rather blogs that are built on greed. It’s one of my pet peeves, and it’s one of the reasons blogging is getting a bad name – greedy bloggers marketing to other greedy people.
Help me make more money by telling others how to make more money so we can all make more money… if we aren’t careful, the “make more money” mantra begins to affect our design and content decisions.
It’s okay for a blog to make money. In fact, I think it’s a good thing when online entrepreneurs are successful at their trade, but don’t lose your generous spirit in the process.
Some quick tips for staying unselfish…
- Give more content than ad space. I mean, let useful content take up a majority of the page and never hide it under a pop-up.
- Invest in another blogger, or a few dozen other bloggers. Promote their work, encourage them, and support what they’re doing.
- Provide resources. That is – link out. Yes, there’s a big SEO and traffic benefit to linking to other posts from your own posts – I encourage it. But don’t be afraid to link to another great resource too. People will return to you as the resource provider.
- Give stuff away. Doesn’t matter what it is – ebooks, t-shirts, rubber duckies… be generous.
- Give yourself to the public. In other words, come out from behind the screen and be as available as possible. Take questions. Provide answers. Be accessible, as much as you are able to do so.
Well… what else?
About Brandon Cox
I think too many people write blogs for indexing/seo purposes and don’t particularly enjoy the blogging – if you are one of these people STOP and pay a ghost writer to blog on your behalf – it will at least have more passion than most of the other terrible blogs out there
I agree with what you have pointed to give on more content than ad space because most of the time it is very annoying to read web content that has so many pop-up advertisements.
Great points that you bring out about blogging. I was just thinking today if I should always close with a “click here…” type of thing to steer potential clients to my services or just write and don’t expect anything more than just sharing my writing and helping someone else.
Since I have taken my blog to the next level and its apparent that I do sell some products and services, I am going to focus more on my content. Especially sharing content from others, which I do now, and creating more content for people who are looking for the answers that I possess.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
No problem, Carol – glad to help and contribute to your thought process!
Hey Brandon!
I am new here. This the first post of your blog I am reading and ……and ..liked it…:D
I have some question abt your post. You said in #2 that to invest something. On there what the “thing” you told to invest? Sorry…i might be bad in English and bad to understand better.
you said to give link others. But what is the benefits to give link others as my PR is zero.
Personally, I don’t think about pagerank at all. This blog was a PR 0 and after just two months was a PR 4. I think the idea is more to be willing to include external resources to your readers. So the favor isn’t for the source, but the reader.
And thanks for stopping by – welcome!
I agree. Show more of you and not that you’re wanting everyone’s money. Show who you really are and make yourself true to the community you’re targeting and you will go so much further with all this stuff.
I mean, isn’t this all about being who you are and being true in the first place?
I also find it better to leave a comment (if I find I can add value to the conversation) before re-tweeting as someone will then see that I put in what I had to say and then shared the love.
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Pop Posts =-.
Eric, that last point is a good one and I do the same much of the time. Extends the conversation that much further.
Good points, Brandon! People will see through you if you are blogging only for money.
The more you can share useful information and help others the more you will receive as well.The point is to build trust.
.-= Tom Lindstrom´s last blog ..5 Ways To Use A Blog To Develop Content For Your eBook =-.
Absolutely, Tom!
Give out free money? Oh wait. Nevermind.
.-= Tony´s last blog ..6 Reasons to Ditch Facebook and Use Twitter Instead =-.
Nice article Brandon!
Blogging is a team thing for sure. I would share with fellow bloggers what my successes are. I’m not the selfish guy, better yet I love to be un-selfish.
I just started my online presence 6 to 7 months ago and I learned a lot from that day on. I’m still learning. And it’s because of people like you and my most recent blogger friend Nicholas that also commented on this article, that are willing to share the wealth.
I also connected with others and they on their turn are also new to blogging. Now they’re asking me what I did when I start blogging, what are my tricks used on the blog, how to do certain things etc etc. And I always stand open to help and share with them because I think that’s a good or maybe the best thing a human being should always do.
I’m sorry for the long comment, but add this one to the list also:
Every blogger can use at least one comment from a fellow blogger. It’s not a must to share your way of winning your money, just drop me a comment on one of my posts and I be happy you. I call it appreciation, even if it’s a small blog trying to make it through all the established ones. :)
Regards
.-= Shurandy Thode´s last blog ..Spotlights on: Colourful Design Art by Zairon Jacobs =-.
Shurandy, excellent thoughts! And yes, it is a team thing. Or even better, a community thing, and it’s pretty nice!
Thanks Brandon. This year I have set my things to-do and that’s definitely start to connect with the people I follow.:) I have been busy with other things concerning myself and not engaging with my friends. So I hope to get connected with you even more this year! And yes I’m now also subscribed to this wonderful unselfishly blog. =D
.-= Shurandy Thode´s last blog ..Spotlights on: Colourful Design Art by Zairon Jacobs =-.
good post Pastor.
I think that in the end time will tell the true motives of someone blogging. Again like it was said, nothing is wrong with making money while blogging, but if that is the ultimate goal it will show eventually. Even if you try to cover it, that can actually make it worse because now instead of just turning people away from the get go, you betray your readers trust.
Blog because you love it, it being whatever you blog about.
Excellent truth – if you don’t love it, you won’t be in it long anyway.
Excellent post,this is my first time here and In love with your site, people often forget that they are blogging for REAL people and become so selfish in their own activities, Posts like these will help them come to REAL life…
.-= kalyan´s last blog ..Minimalism-What’s All The Fuss About? =-.
Why thanks so much, and glad you stopped by – hope it’s not your last visit!
Great post! You are exactly right. What’s wrong with building your brand around being an unselfish person? There’s nothing wrong with it. We should be working to reach out and help others as much as we can. Way to many bloggers are in it just for the cash and that’s it. And it’s obvious when you visit their blogs.
.-= Nicholas Cardot´s last blog ..Featuring Your Blog’s Guest Authors =-.
Nicholas, thanks, and your blog is a great example of an unselfish one!
You’re probably just saying that to be polite. I know that secretly you dislike me and my blog and you hope that sea urchins eat me in my sleep.
.-= Nicholas Cardot´s last blog ..Featuring Your Blog’s Guest Authors =-.
Interesting theory… gives me the chance to be the first person on my blog to give a fourth level reply to a threaded comment… ;)
So then that makes me the first person to leave a fifth level response. I feel privileged to be that guy.
I also think it’s cool that you came out in your follow up article to this one and announced that you had stripped a few of the elements off of this site that you didn’t feel were supported by the theme we’re discussing here. It’s good.
I used to have a lot of ads on my site and after I got rid of them I feel like the site is much more inviting to users. I guess I kind of learned the hard way, but I said all that to pretty much agree with you. You’re right.
.-= Nicholas Cardot´s last blog ..Featuring Your Blog’s Guest Authors =-.
Couldn’t agree more.
I’ve only got two areas of the site (6 x 125 buttons & at the bottom of the sidebar) monetized on my site. When I started blogging, the thought of people actually making money with it was unheard of. Then it became fashionable to write a “make money online” blog which was just plastered with crap. Now it’s gone back the other way, and that can only be a good thing.
.-= Rhys´s last blog ..Does Great Social Responsibility Come With Great Social Marketing? =-.
Yes, but my one fear is that we won’t be able to monetize sites at all without being labeled negatively. Somewhere, there’s a healthy (but generous to the reader) middle ground.
I visited a bunch of websites tonight that have not a single word of their blog post content visible above the fold thanks to ad saturation.
Maybe they’re making a few dollars, but I bet a lot of people are just exiting without reading and certainly without sharing the post with their own friends and followers.
.-= Paul Cunningham´s last blog ..Blogger Interview: Darren Rowse of Problogger =-.
Good point. I didn’t want anything blocking people from immediately seeing the beginning of the content itself, and it’s in the bright white area for a reason.
You can count me into that group of people that exits immediately.
If the ‘above-the-fold’ portion of the page has more ads than content or if I have to scroll down to see the first headline then I guess I’ll see you later…actually no…I won’t. I won’t see you later. I’m not coming back.
People don’t realize that they would make more with less. Focus on the users first and then the income will come. I’m with you Paul.
.-= Nicholas Cardot´s last blog ..Featuring Your Blog’s Guest Authors =-.
Twitter: AlisonMSmith
says:
Very thought-provoking post.
Good to hear other opinions, but this is one of my favorite site designs ever. (I think I posted that before.) And I’m really easily persuaded to critique a site!
.-= Alison Moore Smith´s last blog ..Traffic Tutorial: Add Your Blog to Kindle =-.
Haha, thanks again Alison. I’m going to keep the design for a while – at least a few months! :)
These are great tips. I get tired of seeing sites, that spend more time on advertising and cluttering up their sites with adds and sponsors then on writing good content.
I am still working on the best way to have advertising and not ruin the design layout.
.-= element321´s last blog ..Floating Twitter Follow Me Badge for Your Site =-.
I think a good place to begin is in determining how you can advertise to those who have opted in in some way. That is, someone who subscribes will be more apt to be okay with ads than a passerby. Perhaps the RSS stream, etc.
Brandon,
I found this post perfect for me today, having just read something about bloggers focusing on monetizing and money-making online. I started blogging (not long ago!) to share my experiences with others on the path, out of excitement and joy in exchanging ideas. I agree with you about unselfish content, and as I develop my (neonatal, still on a free wordpress theme) blog, I appreciate bloggers like yourself where I can learn about online marketing and building readership with a balanced approach to gaining benefit (monetary or otherwise).
Thanks,
Linda
Linda, glad you liked the article, and glad it inspired you today!
Blog for the joy of it. Do it because you love it and you won’t focus solely on the results – making money or getting readers.
When blogging with a passion you’ll become a content demon. You’ll provide immense value to others without being aware of it. This is because you’re not tied to any particular outcome other than doing what you love to do.
.-= Ryan´s last blog ..The Law Of Attraction =-.
Absolutely, Ryan – joy is high on the list of priorities!
I agree with the idea behind your article, content should be king. However, as a first time visitor to your blog, I find that you don’t execute as well as you could.
With your design, it looks like you’ve used every widget you can think of: Twitter/Facebook links, top commenters, blogroll, latest posts, twitter feed, facebook fan widget, blogging bookmarks, “Subscribe to updates” WP Greet Box that looks like an ad, and that Facebook-esque toolbar at the bottom. All of these distract from what I came here for in the first place: your content.
I know all of those widgets don’t necessarily generate revenue, so it doesn’t make you selfish, but it seems like to a first time reader you’re trying more to convert me into a long time customer instead of first engaging me with your unique content. I take selfish to mean “wasting your reader’s time” and all of those things unfortunately waste my time, even if it’s just a few seconds to glance over it.
Here’s my example of a truly unselfish blogger: http://mnmlist.com/best-posts/ His design does everything to reinforce the importance of his content. (He doesn’t even copyright his articles.)
Kevin, uh… ouch! You probably make some really good points.
I do appreciate a minimalist style, which is what I strive for on my personal blog, but I’ve wanted to turn WeBlogBetter.com into a nice little resource for bloggers. Actually, other than the two little 125 buttons at the top right, nothing on this blog is monetized, and the widgets I’ve chosen have behind them a purpose – connect bloggers to resources.
The Twitter widget connects bloggers to other bloggers. The blogroll points bloggers to great blogs. The links widget on the bottom left points out great links – none of which are back to this blog.
I think you make a mistake to assume that a non-minimalist approach is somehow selfish, when all of the things you pointed out are links out to good, useful resources. And my content is front and center.
Nonetheless, I will take your advice to heart. This blog is a work in progress, so I will consider all that you’ve said as I shape it to maturity.
Please don’t take my comments too seriously. I wasn’t trying to put you or your blog design down, but rather playing devil’s advocate. Overall, I love the design, but it’s still a bit busy for me.
I see your point that your widgets are all helpful resources, but I personally think they would be more useful as a separate page or RSS feed (maybe have one for absolutely everything: bookroll, articles, great comments, cool links, etc). That way your website is all about your content with a few links to a “Best Resources” page and your main RSS feed is all about your awesome content with the option to subscribe to all the other good stuff :-)
As a follow-up, I did de-activate the Wibiya bar at the bottom, which I found annoying and unuseful myself. I owe you my gratitude. :)
You’re a good man :-)
See, your level-headed attitude in response to my critical comment is what made me subscribe to your site, not your FB widget or WP Greet Box. Well done!
Good decision in de-activating the Wibiya bar! I find them really annoying. I think blogs should provide value first and focus on making money second. People know when you are just trying to sell them stuff!
.-= Tom | Build That List´s last blog ..Squeeze Page Tips For Better Conversion =-.
Glad you took it off Brandon. Also, it’s nice to see Kevin participate in the comments. By the way, I really like the points that were made in this article as well as the discussion.
Personally, this is what I believe. While all of the tools and resources are helpful in some way, I do believe that we can have too much good things. I think the key is to find the right balance between the tools and the content and your design and not to go overboard with any of them.
I really do like the design of this site though, a little busy with all the nifty features, but nonetheless it still looks great. :)
.-= Design Informer´s last blog ..Lorem Ipsum is Killing Your Designs =-.
Kevin,
In looking at your sites, you are EXTREMELY minimalistic and take it to a level not seen very often. I went to your minimali.st site, I would not stay there long either, so I think everyone has their own taste and while your taste might be different than mine, I like to see some colors and graphics on a site.
While some sites can be too busy, having nothing but big black text is probably just as bad in my view.
.-= Keith´s last blog ..Top 10 Posts by Comment Count =-.
I completely agree, Keith. Thanks for the feedback on the site design. Right now, I’m just using a basic WordPress theme while I make some content. My problem is that I always made a blog design and then kind of lost interest in the actual blogging part of it. I’m trying to go the opposite direction this time.
A better display of the way I design would be http://iloveusability.com I designed that from scratch and wrote a few articles for it, but decided it was too specific so I’m making minimali.st more about general design (even though I still love usability :-)
I’d love to hear your thoughts on that design.
Another way is to share content from other bloggers on your networks ie: re-tweet, digg, stumble, vote on BE, etc… I try to be unselfish on blogs I read as well, it shows on your twitter and facebook accounts that you are not all about “self”.
BTW your new toolbar at the bottom announces it’s existence with a pop-up, won’t stop me from reading but I hate pop-ups ;-)
.-= Keith´s last blog ..Top 10 Posts by Comment Count =-.
Very true, Keith, and you’re definitely an unselfish guy! I think this is true even for brands – it’s surprising when someone isn’t self-serving.
That’s a great point Brandon, especially the fact about give more content. Some authority sites that you go to, prevent you from viewing the content right away with massive pop-ups and redirects.
I think all bloggers should go ahead and read this article.
.-= Design Informer´s last blog ..Lorem Ipsum is Killing Your Designs =-.
Yes, which is very poor branding too. I really think they’d see higher profits in the long run by building on trust and not immediate impulse clicks.