My WordCamp Philly presentation discussing blog monetization, ad networks, how to write/promote posts as well as tricks of the trade.

1. +
How My Blog Pays
My Rent
By: Yasmine Mustafa (@myasmine)
Blog: http://myasmine.com

2. + Agenda 2
 About Me
 How I Monetize My Blogs
 Personal Case Study
 Other Ways to Monetize
 Main Factors of Success
 Soup to Nuts (Step-by-step process from blog post idea to launch and beyond)
 Tricks of the Trade
 FTC Disclosures
 Q/A

3. + About Me 3
Late 2006 –
Started Mid-2009 – Hit 2011 – Hit
blogging 5 figures $15k
Late 2007 – Mid-2010 –
Experimenting Launched
with 123LinkIt
monetization

4. + Blog #1 - Personal Case Study

5. + 5
Background &
Definitions

6. +

7. + 7
This industry has been the leading
edge of Web technology almost from
day one…

8. + Ways to Monetize a Blog 8
 Selling your own product
 Donations
 Direct Advertising
 CPM Networks
 CPC Networks
 Sponsored Reviews*
 Affiliate Marketing*
 Lead Generation
*Require FTC Disclosure

9. + Direct Advertising (fixed revenue)
Advertiser
contacts
blogger
directly

10. + CPC & CPM Networks
CPC - paid per click
CPM - paid per 1000 impressions

11. + Affiliate Networks – paid per sale/lead 11

12. + 12
Main factors of
success

13. + 13
#1. It’s not your main
priority

14. + 14
#2. Relevant,
unique & valuable
content

15. + 15
#3. You have an
active, engaged
community

16. + 16
#4. Traffic!

17. + Common Advertising Pitfalls to Avoid 17
 Starting too early
 Irrelevant ads
 Too many ads
 Bad design
 Inactive blog
 Little or no engagement

18. + 18
Soup to Nuts Guide

19. + Posts that perform well
1. Comparisons between products/services (or Alternatives)
2. Product/service reviews
3. Gift ideas
4. How-to Guides/tutorials
5. Informational
6. Hot Topics

20. + 20
[Example Break]

21. + How to Write your Posts 21
 Be objective
 Write for search engines (focus on one keyword)
 Make lists!
 Include visuals
 Add incentives if there are any (limited time sale, satisfaction
guaranteed, etc)
 Capitalize on the latest trends

22. + How to Promote your Blog Posts 22
 Linkbacks using specific anchor text is key!
 Maintain a community on your blog
 Set up Google Alerts for your “Keyword”
 Leave comments on other posts/blogs with the blog URL
 Stumbleupon/Pinterest
 Guest blogging
 Q&A sites (Yahoo Answers, Quora, etc)

23. + Tricks of the Trade
 Being objective
 Consider it a PT job
 Keeping the audience in mind first
 On-page SEO and blog post titles
Reporting stats to track:
 Listing alternatives to a service/product •Revenue to date
•Revenue by advertiser
 Don’t forget to promote your post! •Revenue per advertiser per
month
 A/B testing (e.g. lists) •Top performing posts
•Monthly traffic/page views
 Monthly stats
•Keyword rankings

24. + FTC Disclosures 24
 A disclaimer within the post if services/products were exchanged
free of charge or for a reduced fee.
Example disclaimer: Intuit provided me with a free copy of Quickbooks 2011 in
return for an honest review.
 A disclosure statement (or page) which outlines how you make
money from your blog.
Example disclosure: The FTC requires bloggers to disclose any type of
advertising revenue received from our blog. As such, please note we make
money from in-text affiliate links as well as the banner ads on our Resources
section. We do not review free products or provide paid reviews. The main
goal of our blog is to provide you with resources to help you increase your
blog revenue. Thank you!

25. +
Questions?
Keep in touch!
Twitter: @myasmine
Blog: http://myasmine.com
Email: myasmine@gmail.com