A blog reader named Alicia asked me an interesting blogging question the other day.
Hi Abby, I remember reading something from you awhile ago about when you decided to take the leap from your blog being a hobby to really making it a career and why you chose not to get involved with affiliate marketing and google ads even though almost everyone else is. It’s something I have gone back and forth with since. I really admired that confidence to our your brand first.
My current question/dilemma is sort of similar. These “round-up” type posts are extremely popular right now. I have mixed feelings about them. I could create a bunch of round-up type posts and include affiliate links but where’s the fine line between that being beneficial (bringing in traffic and money) and those being harmful (in the sense they are taking business away from you)? I was really curious what your opinion is.
Alicia is referring to a post I wrote in 2015 about my decision to not do affiliate marketing. I’ve flexed some since then. I’ve been an Amazon affiliate for several years now and use Amazon affiliate links in my podcast show notes and gift guides.
I still don’t have ads on my blog. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making money through ads. I have ads on my podcast and classified ads in my newsletter. Creating media, whether it’s a blog post, a podcast episode, or an email newsletter, takes an incredible amount of time and effort. Content creators need to get paid and selling your audience to advertisers is one way to do that. If you wish to know more about advertising your business, look for Move Ahead Media and let their experts guide you.
As a content creator myself, I try to shift perspectives and think about my blog from the perspective of a reader. Sometimes ads are confusing to readers (this is part of the post? or is this an ad?) and sometimes ads can slow a site down. But most of all, it’s important to realize as a reader that when you’re consuming a blog that has ads you’re not really consuming that content for free: the advertiser is tracking your views and clicks and is using that information for their own profit. So while it may seem like its free, you are actually the product.
Once you’ve sold your audience to advertisers you become motivated to get as many views and clicks as possible. That motivation starts to determine the kind of posts you write. As Alicia rightly points out, round-up posts are an attractive genre because they tend to be big traffic drivers; on Pinterest an image promising 30 free pincushion patterns is going to get lots of repins and clickthroughs. These types of pins tend to build up steam over time so the more round-up posts you can generate the more ad income you’ll earn as the months and years go by. My friend, Stephanie, at SwoodsonSays, is doing a great job building a revenue-generating blog this way. (She talks about how her ads work here).
When you choose not to have ads, you’re choosing to give up that income stream, especially if you have a sizable audience. Instead, you’re giving your audience a really clean reading experience, meaning all that they see on the page is what you’ve put there. Embroidery designer Kelly Fletcher and sewing pattern designer Sarah Kirsten have blogs like this. How does it affect your motivation as a blogger when you don’t have ads? Who are you writing for and why?
This is not to say that ad-free bloggers don’t care about clicks or about earning money. Writing an intriguing headline, optimizing the post’s SEO, creating attractive images for Pinterest, all of these things are important to anyone trying to build an online audience. And so, to answer your question Alicia, round-up posts definitely have a place (I did one not long ago: 10 sewing YouTubers to watch). But in order to generate revenue, you’ve got to do something else with those visitors when they arrive on your site from that pin. If you’re not selling their attention to advertisers, you should be capturing it for yourself. A pop-up or slider that invites visitors to sign up for your newsletter or follow you on Instagram is key. In this process of audience retention, it’s not just about immediate engagement but also establishing lasting connections. One effective strategy involves building links within your niche. Incorporating niche link insertions within your content can offer additional value to your audience by directing them to relevant and valuable resources. These links not only enrich your content but also contribute to the credibility and authority of your website within the niche community. When visitors find these niche-specific resources, they are more likely to stay engaged and view your platform as an informative hub, leading to increased loyalty and potential conversions.
I have the same dilemma as Alicia, I tried Amazon affiliates but then I realized after a few months that it’s too stressful for me right now to plan and think about what should I write. I enjoy writing blog as I used to enjoy writing diaries. I always enjoy your newsletter Abby!!
As a reader whether a blog has ads or not makes no different to me — I browse with a set of ad blocking and tracker blocking extensions that ensure I see none of them. Web browsers are including more and more ad blocking features by default. I’d be curious to know what the ad blocker usage rate is — at what point does the ad blocker usage rate make ads irrelevant?
I finally started doing very limited affiliate links marketing a few months ago after holding out for a long time, like “I’m gonna be authentic and not sell out! I’m gonna work for FREE!” Right?! Because as a reader of other people’s blogs, I always want to know things like what kind of appliqué pins is she using and where did she get them? Whose gorgeous shot cotton fabric is that and which color way is shown in the blog photos? So I have always tried to provide resource links for my readers as a convenience to them, as well as a record for myself when I come back to a project 6 month later, I’m short on a fabric, and can’t remember where I got it. My blog was full of UNPAID links to my favorite books, tools, fabrics and notions on Amazon, Etsy, etc. So my content has not changed at all, and I still have lots of unpaid links to places like Bernina, if I’m writing about a specific machine feature or accessory, and if I’m writing about a project I’m making using someone else’s pattern I will ALWAYS link to the pattern designer or source, no advertising affiliation there either, just want to give credit where it’s due and make it easy for readers to find the pattern if they’d like to make their own version. But now, when I link to a product that I’ve purchased on Amazon or Etsy, I’m using an affiliate link. So I “advertise” for Bernina and independent pattern designers for free, but if Amazon is willing to pay for those links I’m going to let them pay me!
It’s not much money, though. It reminds me of pioneer quilters who kept chickens and sold some of the eggs for “pin money.” My blog’s monthly advertising revenue covers a spool of thread, a pack of glass head extra fine pins, and maybe a pack of needles if I’ve had high traffic on the blog that month. :-). I suppose that if I was deliberately monetizing my blog as an income generator, I’d write different kinds of posts and work harder to increase traffic and clicks — but my blog is an extension of a personal hobby, I am not selling anything online or using the blog to promote anything I’m selling offline, either. So I’m not terribly worried about whether my readers like/don’t like my content, my layout, the “reading experience” or whatever. I’m sharing my writing, my ideas, my photos, and my resources for free, and if someone doesn’t like how I do it, they are under no obligation to keep reading…
To answer Alicia’s original question; and I’m sure some would disagree, but I like creating round-ups around my content. A round-up of patterns or tutorials that include my own and other people’s: earn me $ via ads, earn me $ through the paid ones that are affiliate links, and earn me $ through people buying my own product that was included (or additional affiliate/ad money if it is a free tutorial they click through to and view, buy supplies off of, etc). I also try to interlink them with other posts I’ve shared with relevant tips. I also just like making them, it feels good to organize the internet, direct people to other sites I love and trust, etc. They’ve also been a nice way to network with other people, I usually email people to invite them to read it or repin it (after initially asking for permission to use their photos) and have made great connections that way, after the fact.
I have no problem with bloggers trying to earn money from advertising, it takes a lot of work to have a good blog and that means it takes time you can’t spend on other paid work and most of us need to earn a living. However, there are many cases where I have to wonder if the blogger has ever opened her own blog as a reader would. I can only assume she hasn’t because surely she is not intentional with all the ad clutter and the pop-ups that get in way of being able to read her content. Keep it to a reasonable number or you risk driving readers away, killing the goose that lays the eggs for you.
I was curious about the blogs that show add so I clicked over to Stephanie’s blog. I actually found all the ads annoying and appreciate now that you don’t have them. I don’t mind following links, that’s my choice to do or not. Personal preference.