I used to think that some people who monetized their blogs were sell outs and/or fake bloggers.
I KNOW
I’m sure you’re saying to yourself right now, “I don’t know about this Fatty McCupcakes chick. She’s kind of a snatch.”
Let me point out the word ‘some’ that I used above. Many of my most favorite blogs are self-hosted and are working on monetizing.
The people I viewed as fake sell outs were those people who didn’t seem like real humans behind their blazing advertisements and affiliate linked half-assed posts glaring with grammatical errors.
After some time pondering the way of the world in Blog Land and doing my own wretched writer soul-searching, I’ve come to realize that there are still a hell of a lot of fake-seeming bloggers and total sell outs, but there are also a lot of people who realized long before I did that blogging can be a full time job and who the fuck with half a brain works for free?
Me, that’s who…
Words, actions, thoughts- if they’re stupid, they’re coming from me.
You might have noticed that my site was down or private for a time a few days ago. You might also have noticed it looks or feels a bit different. (Sorry about that.)
This is because I’m finally self-hosted, ya’ll.
After all those years of thinking that only “real” writers blog for the joy until they magically make it big after a publisher stumbles onto their blog (yeah right), I’ve realized that published writers do it for the joy and because it pays off debt/funds travel/supplements and/or replaces income from a more tedious/sucky/soul-sucking job.
So, because I feel like *maybe* my writing is worthy of a paycheck one day and because I’m a broke ass teacher, you’ll be seeing this hypocrite working to monetize this shizz.
Maybe you’ll be seeing me do some affiliate links (but, I swear I won’t sound like a fucking car salesman).
For pretty sure, you’ll be seeing some ads (sorry, they’re a necessary evil that’ll earn me $0.35 a month, so.)
For absolute sure, you’ll be seeing my brand-spanking-new logo that Oriana from Oriana’s Notes did up for me!
Hopefully, you’ll be seeing some better (perhaps even semi-funny) and more regular content.
So, please bear with me as I learn to navigate self-hosting and (I’m sure) some of the problems that can come from it.
While you’re hopefully still supporting me (or not- whatever then), remember that I was wrong and everyone else who was smart enough to eek out some pennies by doing something they enjoy, were right.
At least I’m willing to admit it.
So, tell me while I continue to work out the kinks on my site, are you self-hosting? What’s your experience? Have you monetized? How is it going? How do you balance being real and affiliate links?
Thanks, ya’ll!
Congrats on moving to self-hosting 🙌
I’m self-hosted but not monetized yet. It’s always in the back of my mind though 😉
I’ve made money over the years through techy services – mostly mail chimp setup and bew blog setup / tweaking. *not doing either right now*
Thank you!! It’s a hard to figure out system, so I get why some people don’t do it or wait awhile!
I’m just glad you’re anywhere in cyberspace……monetizing or not!!! I have been very curious about this whole monetizing deal because I sometimes feel like for all the zillions of things I buy off of the biggest online retailer, it seems like maybe I could be reaping at least a tad bit of a “return” on it somehow. So, I will be watching to see how it goes for you. Wishing you the best of luck! Love your work!
Thank you!! It means everything to hear that ☺️❤️☺️❤️!! I’m gonna see what I can do to make some pocket change. We shall see!
Nope. I’ll stick with hosted, because I need a babysitter and spend too much time on the blog as is. (I’m supposed to be a fiction writer–whoops.) I enjoy blogging and connecting with a global community and trying out my essayist’s voice a bit–and having a platform to be able to interview authors from–but don’t want to blog full-time. Then, I’m not nearly as funny as you are, and I think that’s what it takes to separate the hobby bloggers from the real. You’re real–and I’ll keep following no matter how many dumb ads!
That means a lot, lady!! Thank you ☺️☺️☺️. I went with Lyrical, which is a hosting company that does all of the hard techie stuff I don’t have time for. They are awesome!!
I love connecting with the global community. That’s my favorite part ❤️🌏🌍🌎
Welcome to the world of self-hosting friend! And let me tell you, I feel like there are 2 types of self-hosted bloggers. Us, the ones who write and do so for the joy of it and realize we are worth a paycheck and the self-hosted sell outs who only write about blogging. They post their monthly income statement, they talk about “how I got 10,000 followers on Instagram”. Blah, blah, blah. Their blogs even look the same. Anyway, glad your back up and running!
That’s EXACTLY the kind of blogger I do not want to become! Those are the people I think we all get annoyed by, because their content doesn’t seem genuine, but ours is, so how do they get that many visitors?! It’s all baffling to me.
Oooo heyhey!! You lost your like button in the switch 😥
I hope this transition works well for you. I follow a blogger on Twitter who started to self-host and she periodically makes posts like “how I made $3000 in January on my blog” it’s awesome she can do that and I hope the same will be true for you! 💛💛
Oh wow! I highly doubt I’ll be that successful, but you never know!
Darn It!! I’ll have to see where that dang thing went 😬😬
Her Twitter is @FlightScarlet if you wanted to check it out. I haven’t read a lot of her income posts but the few that I have seem to be easy ones? Just sponsorships from places and things.
Haha it seems to be a common missing thing when people switch to lose the like button haha! And comments are weird too. Like I can’t see in my notifications that you’ve replied but I can fill out the comment form and follow the replies and get an email whenever someone replies after me 😉
The comment thing is going to be what will drive me crazy. Making people do one more extra step is the LAST thing I want to do!!! I just don’t know what to do about that…
Hmms isn’t Hot Mess self-hosted? She might know? It’s an easy step to do though, the web browser automatically fills it out haha
Oh good!!! She is!
Omg!!! I got an alert you replied to my comment on my wordpress dashboard!! Progress! 💛💛
Oh phew!!! This is good to know!!
Congratulations on getting self hosted, I have felt exactly as you do for sometime. I work really hard on not letting ads and such overtake my blog as well. For the most part I am in the same position as you are right now. Struggling to make money but still writing well and not ever being a sell out. The only thing I use on my blog at this time is Amazon affiliates and to date I’ve made $2.81 sad I know but I love writing so I refuse to give up. I am working on a book to sell on my blog eventually? But not a how to book it’s a fiction book based on some of the places I’ve been. Good luck with your endeavors I’ll be following to see how it all goes.
I have a feeling that is about what I will probably make! It is a tough game to play. I am also working on a book! Good luck yourself and I will be following too 🙂
I’m the monetized blogger who then publishes the “Let Me Tell You All Why You Can Suck It” post. Counterproductive? Maybe. But, also, buy my book.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I really need to buy your book!
I wouldn’t even know what to do with that kind of wealth.
Right?! The stress of working out how to spend it is already eating away at me 😂.
I hope you make loads of money! You totally deserve it for making us all giggle so many times!
I have been self hosted from the start, but I didn’t try to make any money. I figured I’m blogging as a hobby, because I enjoy writing about my adventures. If I ever became popular (like you or Jessica) I’d consider it…but I don’t think I’d get much with my teeny readership!
You totally don’t have a teeny readership! I’m so amazed at how you’ve grown your blog from the beginning as self-hosted. That is no easy feat, Friend!!! Your blog deserves a HUGE readership ❤️
Well I got kicked off the Amazon Affiliate Program because I just didn’t make the initial sales they require, but as we’ve discussed previously, I’m doing ok with my Zazzle shop! Someday when my audience is bigger I’ll try Amazon Affiliates again.
I barely made it under the wire with AAP, Kat. I mean, it was down to the final day and I made just enough sales. LOL Things have gotten better–but the struggle was real for a little bit there.
I don’t even know what any of that even means! I’m the lamest self-hosted blogger in existence. What did you sell!!?
In the Amazon Affiliate Program, you sign up to earn a “commission” or “bounty” if someone buys something after clicking on a link from your site. It’s pretty easy to sign up and integrate onto your site–but a lot of people struggle to get enough sales during the “trial period” to stay in the program.
Right, that was totally me! I forgot what it all entailed 😂🤣🤦🏻♀️
I got kicked off too! High five!!
I’m the type of monetized blogger who publishes posts like “Ten Reasons Why You Can All Suck It”. But also, buy my book. I keep it real, but stay faithful to the hustle. LOL
Congrats on moving your blog forward!
Something that I’ll probably never do, because I’m not putting words on the screen for anything other than my own enjoyment. It was hard enough for me to set up an Etsy shop (and even harder to actually sell stuff off it!).
I totally get it!!! It was even hard for me to just answer some of the questions and prompts Lyrical requested of me. Like, basic shit I should know 😂😩. I still don’t have a like button and I don’t even know where to start in fixing that! HAAAAAAALP!
I’m still not self-hosting because I’m still waiting for my WordPress paid plan to expire. Despite being monetized with ads and affiliate links (until Amazon dropped me for not making any sales), I’ve never earned a single cent from my blog. So, I’m debating whether I want to keep shelling out the cash for it. I’ll see in May (when my plan expires). I’m still trying to set up my RedBubble, Zazzle, and Etsy shops. Hopefully I can generate some cash from that.
Good luck with self-hosting/monetizing! I really hope it pays off for you.
Thank you!! I’m really not expecting to rake it in at all, but it doesn’t hurt to try!!!
Yay! Well done for getting your shit together and answering the hard techie questions- that’s even more impressive than going self hosted IMHO.
I am a cheapskate, still on the WP basic, freebie plan, when I got started almost a year ago, I thought I’d best see if anyone would read my nonsense first, before I had to pay for the privilege of sharing my shit with the world.
The idea that I could monetise seems ridiculously far off lol. Maybe someday
I felt the EXACT same way. I had to test the waters first to see if anyone would even stick around long enough for me to get a feel for things. I’m also a cheapskate, but $11.99 is basically nothing, so 😂🤷🏻♀️
You know I was on the free plan for 7 years, and now I’m not. No ads yet, but I do affiliate stuff for things I believe in and use. And I even blog about blogging sometimes, but I’m not a sellout. I’ve started to look at my writing and the blogging as two different but connected things. The writing is number 1 and helps with the blogging, but the blogging goes toward my bills, until I write bestsellers and Neil can quit his job, and we take the kid around the world. I would always encourage people to be authentic on their blogs, and part of that is realizing we can’t be the nice kids who blog for free. We can be the grown adults who work from home or elsewhere, put our true selves online, and appreciate the support we get for the work we put in.
You write, I’ll buy.
Preach! It took me a LONG time to figure that out-we just can’t be nice kids who blog for free forever. I agree with everything you’ve said. I also hope you make enough to take your kid around the world ❤️
Congratulations on self hosted and enjoy it! Good luck with all new ventures☺
Thank you, friend!!!
Hurrah…Its not just me then that got kicked off Amazon…I tried so hard and gave up…Maybe my mistake was to keep my baby ( 1st blog) and run two..I wish you oodles of luck and maybe I will try again one day 😀x
Thank you!! Sadly, I think A LOT of us get kicked out 😬😬😬
I think they do…lol…:)
This is really good advice and I need it. I’ve blogged for a while, yet have no idea how to do affiliate links, making money by blogging, that parts new to me, and I have no idea how to start. Would you do a post on getting started? XPip
For sure!!! I’m basically an idiot at all of it, but I could definitely post about my experience with it all so far ☺️
All the best with it love. I hope you make your millions. You deserve it xx
Why thank, you my friend!! That means a lot ❤️❤️
Holy cupcakes, Katie! I’m so excited for your self-hosting endeavors! Make it big, kick ass and take no prisoners! Then laugh at Amazon for kicking you off their stupid program one of these days! You’re going to be one of those motivational heroes that we’ve all read about — like Colonel Sanders, who went door-to-door hawking his chicken just to get doors slammed in his face over and over again (no he didn’t) until he hit the big time! Through persistence and a lot of basic bitch lattes, Katie, you’re going to triumph and become rich and famous and then you’re going to laugh your ass off 35 cents at a time all the way to the bank — stay away from Target — you’re going to the bank, remember! So…Go, Katie, Go! *tries to do a hurkey but ends up in a mess on the floor screaming, ow! instead.* I’m okay. Just someone help me up now. I know, a little awkward here, but I’d do it again if it got you closer to your success! I believe in you!
Mona
This made me smile and laugh so much! Thank you so much, Mona! I’m totally gonna do a Colonel Sanders! 👊🏻😂🍗
I am self-hosted and JUST started monetizing. My biggest hindrance was how much I DESPISE pop up ads when I visit a site. And soooo, I shall be pop up ad free. But I’d like to make a buck or two with this gig. We shall see!
Good luck to you. You’ve got a writing style I dig!
I feel the SAME way about pop up ads! It’s such a conundrum, because, unfortunately, the way to make a buck is doing things I don’t really agree with. Are you using ads at all? Good luck to you and thank you!
I am using affiliate ads. So, I snag their banners (with my code) and place them however I want on my site. I prefer that to just any random ad popping up. Yes, the other ads are geared towards the user but it skeeves me out. I write a post to talk up the company or product and then select ads as I choose.
That sounds like something I might try to start doing!
You’re talented and hilarious, good for you if you can make money off of it!
Awwwwww! Thank you! That means a lot ☺️☺️❤️☺️❤️☺️❤️☺️❤️
I have thought fleetingly but haven’t given it enough thought yet. Your site is very good tweaked. I like it a lot.
Ooh! Thank you!!