Paid to Blog: Staying ahead of the Curve

Yes this is a real check from Google. I earned this from blogging.

How to make money blogging! 

It is true that you can make real money blogging. Write good useful blogs (doesnt matter if its funny, informative, entertaining, techinical, sad, romantic, etc. as long as its useful to people) and convince people to read it, and sell ads on your blogs. Enough hard work and consistency you will get checks in the mail.

If you browse my blog long enough you can read about all of my successes and failures (mostly failures), so that you can avoid some of the mistakes I have made. I have gone down many dead ends (see also: survey sites, pyramid schemes, link pirates, fake promotion software, etc) but settled into some very consistent truths. Find the tried and true way to make money, and then try to stay ahead of the curve!

Stay Ahead of the Curve
I google search bloggers all the time. I soak up all the ideas and strategies that each blogger uses to attract readers, attract advertisers, and ultimately make money. Once I started trying to think ahead, everything was a lot easier for me. It is true that simply copying others is the best way to start, but once you do the math you quickly see why you need to stay ahead of the curve.

For instance, those that imbraced Twitter right away (something I failed to do) and use it to its full potential can make paychecks upwards of $400 funneling readers into their blogs. Twitter is still useful for this reason, but those that grasped the concept first are the ones really being rewarded. Every new opportunity in social media should be learned, mastered, considered if you are going to stay ahead of the curve.

As a blogger, you will learn and embrace many things that fail, like Entrecard for one example, which I use specifically because I was constantly updating about entrecard during its rise and fall of success. News flash: Entrecard failed! The last thing you want to do is miss out on a Twitter, because 90% of new social media ideas fail withing 6 months. Embrace them all, learn from them, benefit, and let them go when they are gone. As a blogger we must be fluid, if we want to make money. Take each chance as a chance to grow.

Growth and Dollars
One key advice I can give you is.....start now! Even if you arent sure if you can keep up. The sooner you start a free blog, the sooner your site with get readers and links etc. Even if you quit for a year, it still lends credibility when you come back. It's like investments in a bank. Even you are only dropping pennies in now (pennies equals infrequent blogs) it will still pay dividends in the long run.

My blog focuses on finding ways to stay ahead of the curve and new ways to blog, advertise, and strategize to make the most out of your time. I would love to hear more from my readers about what works for you!