How to Monetize a Blog Like a Pimp!
photo by taberandrew
Our pal Jim Wang, of Bargaineering (and Scotch Addict!), came on the Entry/Exit Podcast this week. Jim knows a thing or two about making money online and he’s one of the authorities on using a blog to generate a living.
Jim’s pretty much the de facto face of the personal finance blogging space and has made numerous press and television appearances (big dog places like the New York Times and ABC).
We talked to Jim about how he built Bargaineering and he gave some great insights on how aspiring blog moguls should think about growth and monetization.
Have a listen and let us here your thoughts!
Don’t have flash? Want to download? Click here.
Program Outline
The Beginnings
- Money is scary!
- Why not journal what I’m learning?
Hard Work
- It’s never easy, but being early is an advantage
- Bring something unique (distilling complicated financial info)
Going Full Time
- Began as a hobby
- Traffic and popularity was more fun than $$$
- Found affiliate marketing
- Difficult to monetize a blog, all about traffic
- PF blog network
Guest Posts
- Network in your niche
- Good for SEO, better for influence
- Being big really helps
Site Design
- Simple and functional
- Do things to build credibility
- “As seen in” needs to link
Monetization
- Show that you can provide value to get better affiliate payouts
- Get traffic, convert it, profit (Sounds easy!
) - Are my leads high quality? Raise payout if so!
- Leads are great because you’re not charging consumers to get a commission
