1. How
How
How
How To
To
To
To Make
Make
Make
Make Money
Money
Money
Money Review
Review
Review
Review
This
This
This
This post
post
post
post is
is
is
is from
from
from
from GRS
GRS
GRS
GRS staff
staff
staff
staff writer
writer
writer
writer Donna
Donna
Donna
Donna Freedman.
Freedman.
Freedman.
Freedman.Donna writes the
Frugal Cool blog for MSN Money, and writes about frugality and intentional
living at Surviving And Thriving.
Let me say that initially I was skeptical about both the size and cost of How
How
How
How I
I
I
I
Make
Make
Make
Make Money
Money
Money
Money Blogging:
Blogging:
Blogging:
Blogging: The
The
The
The Beginner
Beginner
Beginner
Beginner’
’
’
’s
s
s
s Guide
Guide
Guide
Guide to
to
to
to Building
Building
Building
Building a
a
a
a
Money-Making
Money-Making
Money-Making
Money-Making Blog.
Blog.
Blog.
Blog. The $27 freight seemed a bit steep for a 32-page e-book.
Then
Then
Then
Then I
I
I
I opened
opened
opened
opened the
the
the
the PDF
PDF
PDF
PDF and
and
and
and began
began
began
began to
to
to
to read.
read.
read.
read.
Within minutes I realized that you shouldn’t judge a
book by its cover price: Reading “HIMMB” is like a
long, fruitful session with an Internet consultant.
The difference is that a consultant might give you
only part of the picture in order to guarantee a
follow-up appointment. The author, Crystal
Stemberger, holds
holds
holds
holds nothing
nothing
nothing
nothing back
back
back
back –
–
–
– and
and
and
and the
the
the
the
reader
reader
reader
reader benefits
benefits
benefits
benefits.
Stemberger owns or co-owns eight sites and while her posts won’t win Pulitzers
for prose, they’re lively and informative. Ditto her e-book: While she at times
needs an editor (who doesn’t?), the information comes across as chatty advice
from a trusted friend who’s been at this a lot longer than you have.
She is, in fact, as Internet-savvy as a person can be without actually being an
android. As noted in her GRS Reader Story (“Turning a side hustle into
self-employment“), in the space of a year Stemberger went from blogging for fun

2. to earning as much as $25,000 in a single month. She did this without spamming,
running naughty-bits ads or polluting the Web with SEO-drenched “content.”
Note:
Note:
Note:
Note: SEO stands for “search-engine optimization”, techniques that make a website
more appealing to search engines like Google — but less useful to readers like you.
SEO is a shortcut to high search results, but it comes at the price of long-term
usefulness. As J.D. is fond of saying: “The best SEO is actually great content that
other folks want to link to.”
That’s not to say that the author is averse to search engine optimization and other
traffic-enhancing tricks. That’s how online commerce works, and “HIMMB” gives
all the equipment you’ll need to play in the big leagues. For example, here’s how
the author suggests you choose a blog title: “Figure out some keywords that will
be searched for and include them in your name.”
On first read, that piece of advice gave me the wimwams. It seemed so calculated,
maybe even a little cold-blooded. But that’s because I tend to approach blogging
from a writer’s angle vs. a business mindset. If you want to write for free,
nothing’s stopping you. If
If
If
If you
you
you
you hope
hope
hope
hope to
to
to
to bring
bring
bring
bring in
in
in
in a
a
a
a little
little
little
little (or
(or
(or
(or a
a
a
a lot)
lot)
lot)
lot) of
of
of
of extra
extra
extra
extra
money,
money,
money,
money, then
then
then
then you
you
you
you need
need
need
need this
this
this
this e-book.
e-book.
e-book.
e-book.
An
An
An
An evolving
evolving
evolving
evolving landscape
landscape
landscape
landscape
Plenty of us could search all day for information on the business of blogging yet
be unable to comprehend it completely once we find it. Much of what’s out there
is so larded with jargon as to be impenetrable. I’m not a complete Luddite; for
example, I know that the Internet isn’t really a series of tubes. Yet the alphabet
soup of online shorthand sometimes makes me long for the days of Linotype.
Not knowing what we don’t know can cost us, literally. Many newbies (like,

3. um,me) have accepted criminally low ad rates because we just didn’t know any
better. Anyone who buys this book will know exactly what to charge: Stemberger
provides a list of revenue types and how much each one should bring in, based on
page rank.
What’s a page rank? Good question. Stemberger explains three different types of
rankings and goes into some detail about Google vs. Everyone Else. It’s a complex
issue because many bloggers live in fear of being penalized by that particular
500-pound gorilla. The upheaval from two recent tweaks to Google’s algorithm
cut many online entrepreneurs off at the knees, financially speaking. (The
author’s own page rank slumped to zero and hasn’t budged since.)
Does
Does
Does
Does that
that
that
that mean
mean
mean
mean that
that
that
that big-bucks
big-bucks
big-bucks
big-bucks blogging
blogging
blogging
blogging is
is
is
is a
a
a
a thing
thing
thing
thing of
of
of
of the
the
the
the past?
past?
past?
past? Not
Not
Not
Not
necessarily.
necessarily.
necessarily.
necessarily. Stemberger explains that even though many of her advertisers and
clients were body-slammed by those algorithm updates, “there is still plenty of
money to be made online – it’s simply a matter of adapting your strategy as the
landscape evolves.”
Yet she also says what must be said: “
“
“
“Don
Don
Don
Don’
’
’
’t
t
t
t be
be
be
be in
in
in
in this
this
this
this for
for
for
for the
the
the
the money.
money.
money.
money.”
”
”
”Your
blog might not make much right away – or ever. If you think you can slap
together a few basic sites, staple on some SEO-heavy content and sit back as the
money rolls in, you’re likely deluding yourself. Those algorithms are getting
smarter all the time, and so are readers.
Reasons
Reasons
Reasons
Reasons for
for
for
for writing
writing
writing
writing
It’s the readers — not the lucre – that should keep you in the business, the author
cautions. While the money is “a huge bonus,” it’s building an online community
that motivates her to work so hard.

4. And it is work. Note that the title calls it “building” a blog, not “lying in a
hammock while the blog makes you rich.” Although
Although
Although
Although the
the
the
the notion
notion
notion
notion of
of
of
of passive
passive
passive
passive
income
income
income
income is
is
is
is a
a
a
a persistent
persistent
persistent
persistent online
online
online
online meme,
meme,
meme,
meme, it
it
it
it takes
takes
takes
takes considerable
considerable
considerable
considerable effort
effort
effort
effort to
to
to
to
bring
bring
bring
bring in
in
in
in the
the
the
the big
big
big
big bucks
bucks
bucks
bucks consistently.
consistently.
consistently.
consistently.
Incidentally, those bucks need not come only from advertisers. The author reveals
a list of other online gigs she has done/still does, such as ghostwriting,
commenting for hire and acting as a blog virtual assistant.
What
What
What
What about
about
about
about those
those
those
those who
who
who
who just
just
just
just want
want
want
want to
to
to
to write
write
write
write for
for
for
for an
an
an
an audience,
audience,
audience,
audience, to
to
to
to share
share
share
share
ideas
ideas
ideas
ideas and
and
and
and generate
generate
generate
generate conversations?
conversations?
conversations?
conversations? I’m sure some of you actually exist. But I
bet the rest of you alleged purists would leap on even a penny-a-click ad account
if it were offered – and I say that as someone who maintained a personal website
for months without ever investigating how she might make that blog pay for itself.
Putting ads on your site is not selling out, by the way. The laborer is worthy of his
e-hire. Ideally your readership would grow to the point where you could make
writing your full-time job. Unlikely, mind you, but it could happen – after all, this
time last year Stemberger had just bid farewell to the cubicle life.
Yet even if you don’t want to “monetize” (ugh) your site, Stemberger’s book is still
incredibly valuable for its traffic-generating tips. That audience you crave won’t
find you all by itself.
Note:
Note:
Note:
Note: Crystal Stemberger, the author of this ebook, is also a long-time GRS reader.
She’s created a $10-off code for readers of this blog. Use
Use
Use
Use the
the
the
the code
code
code
code “
“
“
“GRS10
GRS10
GRS10
GRS10″
″
″
″
throughout
throughout
throughout
throughout the
the
the
the month
month
month
month of
of
of
of August,
August,
August,
August, and
and
and
and you
you
you
you can
can
can
can purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase How
How
How
How I
I
I
I Make
Make
Make
Make
Money
Money
Money
Money Blogging
Blogging
Blogging
Blogging”
”
”
”for
for
for
for only
only
only
only $17.
$17.
$17.
$17.
Addendum:
Addendum:
Addendum:
Addendum: As has been pointed out in the comments, this
this
this
this book
book
book
book

5. is
is
is
is available
available
available
available in
in
in
in a
a
a
a Kindle
Kindle
Kindle
Kindle edition
edition
edition
edition for
for
for
for $9.99
$9.99
$9.99
$9.99. Not everyone has a
Kindle but those who do will pay a lot less.
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