Anyone who blogs usually has visions of making money from blogging. And why not. We here all sorts of stories where someone started making millions from blogging about the most mundane things. But for most of us, the opulent lifestyle is far from our reach. I count myself lucky that my own earnings are sufficient to cover my hosting expenses – that is, my site is self-sufficient. But it didn’t come easy.
I currently use three forms of revenue earning tools – AdSense., Amazon, and Text Link Ads. The first two are easy to add to your site. Free registration, content generated ads and simple to ad code. The third is a little more difficult to get (must be approved) but tends to pay better (at least to start).
There are also the PPP systems which I avoid. What little credibility I have as a blog would be lost on PPP or Pay Per Post programs. Essentially, you get paid to blog about a product or service offered by the program. It’s great if you are good at sounding genuine and can make the post interesting but it’s not for me. Google ads are for those who didn’t find what they were looking for, Amazon for those that did and TLA , well, they’re for the spiders. But PPP…It would be like watching an infomercial – not what you came here for. Unfortunately, many people make good money at PPP so it’s very tempting.
A while back, I was contacted by an advertiser to add a short paragraph to one of my posts. It was early on in my publishing career but I managed to earn $35 for adding his text and link to a single post for one year. We discussed the terms and he provided the content and link prior to coming to an agreement. Unfortunately, not all offers are genuine. Below is a recent email I received regarding an opportunity I shall decline.
Hi,
I hope you are well and remember me from my last email. If not, allow me to remind you. After coming across your site http://archshrk.com while doing some browsing on Google, I found it somewhat related to the subject of my sites. That is why I offered to buy text-links on your site.
Do come back to me on this if you would like to hear more.
Waiting to hear from you,Brad Burrows
Sounds good and no appearant scams going on here, but this is not the first email like this I have received. The last time this happened, i did a simple search and found the exact message all over the web. That’s a sure fire way to identify a spammer. But don’t just take my word for it. Check out what happened to my friend Shelly over at This Eclectic Life ? Too Good To Be True
Hey! Thanks for the link. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if these weren’t scams?? The problem is, there is no way to be sure. Even if they weren’t, the price they want to pay is far too low to buy what integrity I have!
Yes, that pay per post is tempting, too. Some people might be able to pull it off. I’m considering doing it on another site I’ll soon be adding, but doing it as farce. If they will pay for my fictional character to recommend them in a smart aleck way…then I’ll do it.
I think I was accepted for Text Link a long time ago…but I never followed through with it. Is it worth it? Google is not doing a thing for me! Fortunately the BlogHer ads are paying the rent.
Ha! I missed the picture the first time around. One of my all-time favorite movies, that.
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I had someone offer me $ for text links; used the contact form on my site, so it didn’t seem like a spammer. Since it’s not my “thing” I just didn’t respond. Then she (I think it’s a she, but who can say for sure you know?) sent me like, a reminder. You want me to forward it to you?
:)