Professional Blogger vs. Amateur Dipshit Blogger

Entrepreneurs love new ways of making money. So it’s only natural that many choose to explore the dogfight otherwise known as blogging for a living. And as somebody who makes good money through owning various blogs, it’s a subject I’m going to spend a lot of time dissecting.

Before I get in to details, I want to explain why blogging probably doesn’t deserve the rep it has. There’s a theory that goes along the lines of “if you can’t do… teach”. I’ve never subscribed to that line of thought. But I certainly can’t deny there are many bloggers who would lead you to believe it’s actually quite a valid statement.

When I use the term “Professional Blogger”, two images spring to my mind.

The first is of the emo kid scribbling away on his LiveJournal. Desperately publishing another bullshit “day-in-the-life” that only a small circle of his friends would care to read. This guy could call himself a professional blogger, in every negative sense of the term.

Then you have the annoyingly successful web personalities who write about seemingly nothing, but never fail to have a large crowd of naysayers hanging from their balls. These guys seem to have developed worldwide brands from the mere drag of hammering a Publish button twice a week.

Many thousands of people would love to have the latter privilege. One of the things I’m going to be writing about in future posts is how you can aim to replicate this kind of brand. Nothing that hasn’t been done before, right? Well, I’m hoping I can show you a few unique and inventive ways of monetizing your blogs, developing that reputation of authority and hopefully enjoying the ride along the way.

Yes, it’s important to enjoy the ride. If you wouldn’t write without the bait of a monetary reward, you probably shouldn’t become a blogger. The world needs less miserable keyboard trolls, and more bloggers who are enthusiastic with something to offer to their readers.

Running a blog starts as an ego trip, a great struggle to be heard and to believe that what you think actually matters. It usually ends when you’re satisfied that nobody is reading. But sometimes, writers strike a sweet spot where people are actually interested in what they have to say. Before you know it, there’s money on the table and that idle rambling never seemed so lucrative.

These pages are going to be about making that step. I’m a writer myself, obviously. I have many successful blogs littering the web. These are sites that earn me residual income that increases with the passing of every month. And for some of them, I don’t even have to write anything.

Blogging is, in my opinion, the single easiest way to get started making money online. As a guy who works from home, people often ask me for the fastest way to get money in their wallets. Of course, I can never tell them. There’s no secret trick. Any guru who offers you an overnight success formula is simply spreading mish-mashed bullshit with a different coloured background.

But when you take away the hype, blogging is a little different. The financial investment and barrier to entry is so low that truly anybody can try it. When people ask me how they can earn money online, my answer is the same old template:

“Go away, start a blog, write about something you’re passionate about every day. Keep posting for six months and then I’ll tell you how you can make money from it.”

The difference between the bloggers who make fortunes from their writing, and those amateur dipshits who become the subject of jokes among their circle of friends, can be narrowed down to having a point and having a purpose. Don’t expect instant results.

When you start treating blogging like a business, and less of a vanity parade, you’ll notice that what was once a slow march towards obscurity can turn in to a great way of generating income. I’m not suggesting that every blogger is going to make money from his craft. But it’s possible.

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