Passion vs. Profit When Blogging

If you’re versed in the lingo of Internet Marketing and Blogging, then you’re used to terms like “keyword research”, “building a list”, and “finding a niche”. There’s a clear underlying theme in most of these conversations: money. Its the fuel that powers the engine of the internet. Even people who start out with a fun personal blog will soon find their Facebook pages lined with ads educating them how to monetize their mind grapes.

Making money through a blog is awesome. And every Internet Marketing course that teaches the basics of how to make money online through a website or blog will walk you through the same steps: find profitable keywords, write content, build links, sell your own product, affiliate products, put up AdSense ads, etc. This is super exciting in the beginning, until you check out some of the most profitable niches: things like insurance and paralegal training. Woo hoo.

I run about 10 websites. For a time each of them was doing well in Internet Marketing terms. That is to say, I was making a few bucks each month from AdSense, or signups through one of my dating sites.In the old days, you could just throw up a keyword rich domain with a couple of articles and no backlinks and BOOM, you’d get traffic and referrals to Amazon. Nowadays, it ain’t so easy.

Good SEO and Blogging is a commitment. You and your blog need to be together for a long time. Like many people, I started several blogs with no long term plan and more of a feverish desire to get rich quick. When I stepped back from my blogging binge and realized what I’d commited to: writing about car insurance, how to get abs, and office furniture. Yikes!

I went through the motions of writing my own content, or outsourcing it. Building links, blog commenting, etc. And after a few weeks I was spent. I didn’t know if I could find another way to write about comparing car insurance quotes or why sit ups are really bad for you. I wanted to slam my head into the wall.

On the flip side, I did have one blog that I never really thought would make me any money. It was in the filmmaking niche, and its based on my experience in film school. I feel very passionate about this topic. I decided to create a course on what young people should do instead of blowing $40,000 on film school. I applied all the SEO techniques and sales letter creation instructions I’d learned from Internet Marketers, and forgot about it.

6 months later that site is the one that consistently makes sales, even though I am selling a $67 digital product and not AdSense clicks. The other sites are still babies, and I will keep watering them with content, but the film school one is the big winner.

What did I learn? Find something you are passionate about or enjoy to blog about. Even if its just a peripheral interest. It makes for better blogging, a more authentic voice, and higher reader retention. Plus, you’ll actually like what you’re writing about, and probably make more money doing it.