Basic Requirements in Making Money through Blogs at Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wow! I'm surprised that a lot of people have tried to contact me regarding my blog. The most popular question I've got so far is, 'Is this site for real? Can you really make money just by blogging?' The clear and obvious answer is a big YES! Thanks for visiting my blog by the way. I will be posting more payment proof from several affiliate programs very soon. I have a lot of articles lined up. Didn't find something interesting? You might want to visit the archives too.

Some friends of mine have congratulated me for doing it. And I told them, actually I just started doing this. Like I said in my disclaimer, I am not yet an expert and I have yet to reach that point where advertisers come to me and not the other way around. Still, making a small amount of money is good. Who knew that a blog can pay for a telephone bill, buy you a PSP, or pay for your little sister's tuition?

Yes, these things have happened. There are dozens of bloggers who've written about their first purchases using the money they earned from blogging. When I read them, I got so ecstatic. I signed up for tons of affiliate, PTC and sponsored content sites. This is something I do not recommend to other bloggers who are new to this. Why? You have to meet some basic requirements before you start blogging your way to that first buck. Here's my own list:

1. Aged blog - You don't just have to have a blog. Your site has to be at least 3 months old. Sites do require their members to age their blog before joining.

2. Decent traffic - Later, I will be writing about driving a decent amount of traffic to your blog, the PikaBucks way. I am no expert when it comes to SEO or internet marketing but there are tons of easy ways to drive people to your site. Why is this a requirement? Your advertisers need an audience! Period.

3. PayPal account - The most common question for someone who hasn't heard about monetizing blogs is 'How do I get my Money?' The answer is PayPal. Most affiliate programs send earnings through your PayPal account. That is why it is best to get one and verify it right away.

4. Good Content - Like I said I've signed up for a lot of programs online and let me tell you that I've been rejected more than 5 times now. This is because my blogs where just full of blogorrhea, a common disease bloggers have once in a while. Don't just write about how great your day was when you sat beside your crush at work. Write good content, form an opinion, elicit opinion from readers. After all, in blogging you're not just the writer, you're the Editor-in-chief! You have full control over your content.

5. Find Your Niche - This is something I'm still working on believe it or not. I guess I found the niche for Pikabucks (duh!) and BoobooStrider (entertainment). I still haven't decided what niche Boink should have. It is important to find a niche because this will be the basis for the advertisers if they want their product to be reviewed in your blog.

For example, there was this advertiser who was looking for bloggers to write about a speed-dating site. I grabbed the opportunity despite seeing on the basic requirements that they require women-bloggers only. When it came to having the post approved, it was declined by the advertiser because the post was obviously testosterone driven.

These are the only ones I could think of right now. Will get back to you if something comes up.