Making Money With Your Blog

“Bloggers have only three reasons to blog: make money from your blog; communicate for passion, or both.” Pratik Dholakiya—  Co-Founder & VP of Marketing of an internet marketing company, E2M Solutions.

 

As journalists, we need to think of ourselves as entrepreneurs in the wake of massive layoffs within media. So how do you develop streams of revenue? Monetize your blog.

The Basics

First, you need strong content on your blog to draw and keep an audience. Pratik Dholakiya says “invest in a hosting account, setup the blog properly, and start generating quality, niche-dominating content.” He says you won’t make money until you get the basics right. “Once you get your blog to attract tons of traffic, reader engagement, and allow readers to see a perceived value in your offering, it’s easy enough to monetize.”

Tools

Check out these websites to place ads on your blog:  Google Adsense, Chitika, Bidvertiser, Clicksor, and BuySellAds.com. You may need to test where to place them on your page. For example, will they more effective in “your blog sidebar or after every post? Will they work better when they are colored and formatted matching the look of the rest of your blog or leave them as is?”

Dholakiya adds:

• Do you stand to make the most of click conversions when ads show up repeatedly within your content or when they are left prominently as “sponsors” or “advertisements” somewhere away from the content?
• No two sites are alike and only A/B Testing can help you answer these questions, Adpushup lets you A/B Test your Ads to optimize ad revenues.
• Leave a few blocks of ad space open for advertising opportunities for merchants who’d specifically request you (or you’d hustle and request them) to advertise on your blog.

Offer Your Services

Speaking of advertising, your blog is a perfect place to offer your services as a consultant, speaker or writer for a fee. You can offer your expert advice, invite readers to see you in person for seminars or workshops, or ask companies to hire you to write for them.  You could also do radio or television interviews.

Photos

Did you know you could get paid for the photos you post on your blog? Shareapic.net is a hosting service for your pictures. It allows you to get paid for the number of views they get. You can publish them on your blog and get paid every time someone reads a post with one of your Shareapic.net photos on it.

Merchandising

If you have a large following, maybe your readers would like to show their support by buying your merchandise. CafePress.com makes it easy for you to put your blog’s logo on shirts, bags, coasters and other items. Printfection.com and GoodStorm.com offer similar services. You could also compile your work into a book. Self-publish your work with services like Lulu. No major book deal needed. Sell it on your blog.

Just plain beg

Ask for donations. PayPal’s system allows you to place a donation button on your blog. The Amazon Honor System allows you to accept online donations. Or, provide readers with a P.O. box that they can mail donations to.

These are just a few ideas. You can find more at: 101 Ways to Monetize Your Blog Without Irritating Your Readers.

I know it’s a lot of information and it won’t happen overnight, but I’d like for journalists to feel empowered.

Making Money With Your Blog

“Bloggers have only three reasons to blog: make money from your blog; communicate for passion, or both.” Pratik Dholakiya—  Co-Founder & VP of Marketing of an internet marketing company, E2M Solutions.

 

As journalists, we need to think of ourselves as entrepreneurs in the wake of massive layoffs within media. So how do you develop streams of revenue? Monetize your blog.

The Basics

First, you need strong content on your blog to draw and keep an audience. Pratik Dholakiya says “invest in a hosting account, setup the blog properly, and start generating quality, niche-dominating content.” He says you won’t make money until you get the basics right. “Once you get your blog to attract tons of traffic, reader engagement, and allow readers to see a perceived value in your offering, it’s easy enough to monetize.”

Tools

Check out these websites to place ads on your blog:  Google Adsense, Chitika, Bidvertiser, Clicksor, and BuySellAds.com. You may need to test where to place them on your page. For example, will they more effective in “your blog sidebar or after every post? Will they work better when they are colored and formatted matching the look of the rest of your blog or leave them as is?”

Dholakiya adds:

• Do you stand to make the most of click conversions when ads show up repeatedly within your content or when they are left prominently as “sponsors” or “advertisements” somewhere away from the content?
• No two sites are alike and only A/B Testing can help you answer these questions, Adpushup lets you A/B Test your Ads to optimize ad revenues.
• Leave a few blocks of ad space open for advertising opportunities for merchants who’d specifically request you (or you’d hustle and request them) to advertise on your blog.

Offer Your Services

Speaking of advertising, your blog is a perfect place to offer your services as a consultant, speaker or writer for a fee. You can offer your expert advice, invite readers to see you in person for seminars or workshops, or ask companies to hire you to write for them.  You could also do radio or television interviews.

Photos

Did you know you could get paid for the photos you post on your blog? Shareapic.net is a hosting service for your pictures. It allows you to get paid for the number of views they get. You can publish them on your blog and get paid every time someone reads a post with one of your Shareapic.net photos on it.

Merchandising

If you have a large following, maybe your readers would like to show their support by buying your merchandise. CafePress.com makes it easy for you to put your blog’s logo on shirts, bags, coasters and other items. Printfection.com and GoodStorm.com offer similar services. You could also compile your work into a book. Self-publish your work with services like Lulu. No major book deal needed. Sell it on your blog.

Just plain beg

Ask for donations. PayPal’s system allows you to place a donation button on your blog. The Amazon Honor System allows you to accept online donations. Or, provide readers with a P.O. box that they can mail donations to.

These are just a few ideas. You can find more at: 101 Ways to Monetize Your Blog Without Irritating Your Readers.

I know it’s a lot of information and it won’t happen overnight, but I’d like for journalists to feel empowered.

 

 

Final Post: ICM 506

I’ve learned to use more details in my writing. Pastel green lapels are important. I’ve learned to be bold in my writing like Muhammed Ali. Writing is truly a craft that needs to be practiced to grow.

I will continue to work on developing my voice as a travel writer through blogs,  Facebook and Twitter. I will share information and ideas that I think are fascinating or challenging. But most importantly, I hope to inspire people to travel.

 

Television Commercial Revised

((Natsound of a camera shutter. Several images of photographs pop across the screen))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

THOSE VACATION PHOTOS ARE YOUR TICKET TO AN ISLAND GETAWAY.

((Calypso music. Scenes of a couple walking on a beach))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

IMAGINE WALKING ON A SANDY WHITE BEACH, LETTING THE WARM OCEAN AIR CARESS YOUR SKIN.

((graphic of flyaway photo contest with picture of beach and palm trees, calypso music continues to play underneath))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

JUST ENTER YOUR BEST PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE FLYAWAY PHOTO CONTEST.

((video of the Diamond Luxury Hotel and Spa. Camera pans to show waiter in formal uniform opening

a door. It looks like he’s welcoming you to come in))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

THE GRAND PRIZE IS A TRIP TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND A THREE-NIGHT STAY AT THE “DIAMOND LUXURY HOTEL AND SPA.”

((video of suite, lobster, spa/massage))

ENJOY A LUXURY SUITE, FINE DINING, AND A FIVE-STAR SPA.

((video of couple at laptop computer. then video of computer screen))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

LOG ONTO FLYAWAY.COM. LOOK FOR ‘PHOTO CONTEST’ ON THE HOMEPAGE AND FILL OUT THE ENTRY FORM. UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO.  THERE IS A $15 ENTRY FEE. THE DEADLINE IS AUGUST 31ST.

((music stings out))

Social Media Campaign

Frito-Lay launched a successful social media campaign recently called “Do Us A Flavor.” https://vimeo.com/65056544 It invited people to help the company come up with the next flavor for its potato chips.

Actress Eva Longoria was the spokesperson for the campaign that covered television commercials and appearances on television talks shows. However, the campaign really took off on Facebook. That’s where people could submit their ideas, and post their comments and videos. People could create, share and get recognized for their ideas. Plus, they could interact with others. The winner was chosen on Facebook.

The bottom line for Frito-Lay was that the company increased sales of its potato chips by 12-percent and increased traffic to its Facebook page.

This campaign shows that companies look at social media as a key ingredient in marketing their product. A campaign must now go beyond print and television ads. Facebook and Twitter are at the center of social media with millions of people using them on a global level.

Frito-Lay had already done this campaign in other countries and this was the first time it was doing it in the United States. So, the company needed social media to surpass the previous campaign numbers.

I thought the campaign did a good job of engaging customers and creating a dialogue with them. By having people help create the next potato chip, they felt a vested interest in the company.  Overall, the campaign did a good job of increasing the company’s visibility and name recognition.

I look at this campaign and I can see using some of the same concepts with my interest in writing about travel. I could use Facebook and Twitter to engage followers about their ideas about travel, where they’ve been and where they’d like to go. I could get followers to share their horror stories to help other travelers avoid the same pitfalls.  I could also get followers  to share their photos and videos. I would focus on Facebook and Twitter because so many of my friends, family and colleagues already use them. Facebook and Twitter would be an easy starting point.

Egypt Violence Plummets Tourism

Tour groups are steering clear of Cairo and parts of Egypt ever since the military ousted President Mohamed Morsi on July 3. He was the country’s first, freely elected president.

Egypt’s tourism minister has quit. Plus, five other ministers, including the foreign minister, have also resigned because of the violence sweeping the country. (CNN.com)

Just this past weekend, more than 80 supporters of Morsi were killed when they clashed with security forces in the streets. The British government and the U.S. State Department have warned “against all but essential travel” to or within Egypt.

On Monday (July 29) following the deadly violence, seven flights into Cairo’s airport were cancelled. The other flights that day were half full, according to the Huffington Post.

Egypt’s economy has taken a hit with the loss of tourism dollars. Tour guides, merchants, hotels, restaurants, and cafes have all lost money. They depend on tourists coming to the region to visit the pyramids of Giza, the Nile and the coastal resorts of Sharm-el-Sheikh.

Tour guides said they normally had around 1000 tourists a day visit the pyramids during the month of July. They were lucky to see 100 people a day last month. (CNN.com)

Half the working population is said to be gripped by poverty on pay of less than $2 a day. (news.sky.com) Tourism normally employs around 10% of the Egyptian workforce. It brought in $10 billion in 2012. (CNN.com) Tourism numbers were up the first four months of 2013, but they’ve dropped since Morsi was ousted from power. (Reuters.com)

Toppled presidents are not new to Egypt. In 2011, President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power. Egypt lost about 3 million visitors that year.

In Southern Egypt, in the city of Luxor, the head of the chamber of commerce is hopeful tourism will rebound. Mohamed Othman says, “We plan to embark on a European tour to market Egypt’s landmarks. We will offer very attractive packages indeed, seizing on the rise in the US dollar against the local currency.” (CNN.com)

But despite his upbeat assessment, Luxor faces an uphill struggle to regain the ground its lost.

Egypt’s political future will be the key to turning around the country’s tourism industry.

Television Commercial Screenplay

This is a :30 commercial screenplay for a television ad encouraging people to enter my photo contest.

((Natsound of a camera shutter. Several images of photographs pop across the screen))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

THOSE VACATION PHOTOS COULD BE YOUR TICKET TO AN ISLAND GETAWAY.

((Calypso music. Scenes of a couple walking on a beach))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

THIS COULD BE YOU WALKING ON A SANDY WHITE BEACH, LETTING THE WARM OCEAN AIR CARESS YOUR SKIN.

((graphic of flyaway photo contest with picture of beach and palm trees, calypso music continues to play underneath))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

JUST ENTER YOUR BEST PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE FLYAWAY PHOTO CONTEST.

((video of the Diamond Luxury Hotel and Spa. Camera pans to show waiter in formal uniform opening

a door. It looks like he’s welcoming you to come in))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

YOU COULD WIN THE GRAND PRIZE OF A TRIP TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND A THREE-NIGHT STAY AT THE “DIAMOND LUXURY HOTEL AND SPA.”

((video of suite, lobster, spa/massage))

LEAVE ALL YOUR CARES BEHIND FOR A FEW DAYS.  ENJOY A LUXURY SUITE, FINE DINING, AND A FIVE-STAR SPA.

((video of couple at laptop computer. then video of computer screen))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

IT’S EASY. JUST LOG ONTO FLYAWAY.COM. LOOK FOR ‘PHOTO CONTEST’ ON THE HOMEPAGE AND FILL OUT THE ENTRY FORM. THERE IS A $15 ENTRY FEE. THEN UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO.  THE DEADLINE IS AUGUST 31ST.

((more snapshots of photos))

((NARRATOR TALKS))

WE’LL POST THE TOP 10 PHOTOS. SO SHARE YOUR PICTURES WITH OTHERS WHO LOVE TO TRAVEL. IT COULD BE YOUR TICKET TO YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE.

Executive Summary Presentation

People enjoy sharing their vacation photos. Many times, they’ve traveled to a beach paradise or various corners of the globe and they want the world to see their adventures. Now, we can take that joy and channel it into a photo contest on the Flyaway Website.

A photo contest sponsored by the Diamond Club Resort and Spa in the Cayman Islands is a great opportunity for the company. The contest will raise the resort’s visibility and showcase the beach-front property and its world class amenities. The contest will draw new customers who will visit over and over again. Plus, they’ll tell their friends and family about what a great time they had. Then, they’ll become visitors as well.

As a sponsor, the Diamond Club Resort and Spa would provide the grand-prize of a free, three-day stay at the resort for two people. This would include transportation to and from the airport, a luxury suite, meals, drinks at the bar, a massage and two activities like parasailing or horseback riding.

In return, the resort will get an abundance of advertising as a sponsor. There would be video and pictures of the Diamond Club Resort and Spa on the Flyaway Website. We could run any promotional videos the company has produced, showing its sandy-white beaches and turquoise, blue waters. The advertising would also detail the resorts great customer service, fine dining at four restaurants, and the five-star rated spa.  It will be a big campaign leading up to announcing the winner of the contest.

The contest will have people submit their best vacation photos with a $15 entry fee. The $15 entry fee would help pay for advertising the photo contest and off-set any other expenses. The photos would be accepted over a month period. Judging would follow for two weeks. Then, the winner would be announced a week later. The website will have a countdown clock the day before the winner is announced.

I’m sure we’ll get some great submissions. So the website will show the 10 best photos leading up to the grand-prize photo and the name of the person who won.

This will be a wonderful partnership between the Flyaway Website and the Diamond Club Resort and Spa. It’s a simple concept that will offer big results for both of us. The bonus is it’s a lot fun.

So I hope this proposal will be accepted.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from the Diamond Club Resort and Spa very soon.

New Orleans After Katrina

Blue Nile

The food, music and people of New Orleans are simply intoxicating. I was in high school the last time I visited the Big Easy, so my trip last summer was long overdue.

If you haven’t been, you must see this beautiful city and how it’s fighting back after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Lower 9th Ward was the worst hit area with some 400 people losing their lives when the levies broke and flood waters rushed in.

I took a bus tour of the area. Some homes were abandoned by their owners. They still looked the same as the day the flood waters receded.  You could see the water line where the flood waters once stood.

But now, with the help of actor Brad Pitt’s foundation “Make It Right,” new, energy efficient homes were being built. Each house looked a little different with a contemporary style and pastel colors of pink, yellow and green. They all had solar panels on the roofs. There were also escape hatches built into each roof in case there’s ever a major flood again from a storm. Many people were killed during Katrina because they were trapped in their attics.

You could see the pride in the homeowners’ faces. There were happy to talk about their new houses and how their neighborhood was coming back to life.

I don’t think there’s a bad place to grab a meal in New Orleans. My friends and I stopped at “Deanie’s Seafood” on Iberville Street. The portions were large, enough for two or three people– easy. We had the fried shrimp and catfish. The fish was fresh, seasoned well, and cruchy. Oh, so good!

You must listen to some live music when you visit New Orleans. We visited “The Blue Nile” club on Frenchman Street in the French Quarter. I snapped the above photo of the band. We pulled up a few chairs, relaxed and listened for hours.

Or you can just go bar-hopping on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. People love to dress up in costumes. We ran into a man dressed like a pink monkey. We met some vampires, too. Two guys wore colored contact lenses and fangs. They took pictures with people for tips. I gladly paid them for a photo with me. They were so entertaining.

So, if New Orleans is not part of your travel plans, you’re missing out on a wonderful city.

Executive Summary For Proposal

People enjoy sharing their vacation photos. Many times, they’ve traveled to various corners of the globe and they want the world to see their adventures.

Now, we can take that joy and channel it into a photo contest. The goal is to have people submit their best vacation photos with a $15 entry fee. The photos would be accepted over a month period. Judging would follow for two weeks. Then, the winner would be announced.

The grand prize is a three-day stay at a luxury resort. This is a great opportunity for a resort to sponsor the photo contest and provide the grand prize because it would offer a wealth of advertising and exposure for the company. The contest would easily put the resort in contact with people who like to travel and draw more customers.

The $15 entry fee would help pay for advertising the photo contest and off-set any other expenses.