How I Made Over $500 With My Blog To Pay Off Debt

by Christopher Holdheide on May 13, 2009

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5001Almost nine months ago I started this blog, Stumble Forward, to help those who would like to find simple and unique ways to get out of debt and save up some money.

Well after nearly 9 months of writing post, commenting and answering emails I have finally started to make a few bucks blogging on the side.  In fact I have made over $500 in that time. 

So how did I do it?

I will share that with you and more.

How I Made $500 To Pay Off Debt

Before I go any further I want to mention something up front.  If you’re looking for some ‘get rich quick’ scheme–this isn’t it, nor do I promote them.  The method I used took a little bit of time and a little bit of hard work, and if you are willing to do that then read on.

First off, you need to set up a blog.  Now this may seem like a very hard task at first but once it’s set up the hard part is already complete.  In fact, you can find some great free resources with a great little website I’ve been using called, Become A Blogger.  

 ’Become a Blogger’ has a great 10-step video series showing everything you need to do to set up your blog.  Everything from finding your domain name to optimizing it. 

Now at this point, you will also have to decide what you want your blog to be about.  For your first blog, pick something that you are passionate about.  If it’s video games then do that.  Don’t pick what is popular at the moment.  For me, it was helping people find simple and unique ways to get out of debt and save up money.

Second, once you have your blog set up start writing content.  Now, these first two steps may sound a bit mundane but content is the currency of the web and without it you have nothing. If you create great and useful content from the beginning then people will come back.

Third, market your blog to others.  This implies a whole lot of tactics and tips I don’t want to get into right now, so instead check out ‘Blog Mastermind’.  ‘Blog Mastermind’ is an entire membership site totally dedicated to helping bloggers build a successful blog from A to Z.  The program includes everything from forums and coaching calls to lesson plans. 

‘Blog Mastermind’ was worth every dollar I spent on it.  So take some time and check it out.

Fourth, build it and they will come.  After several months of working hard putting content up on my site and marketing I finally got my first email to put some advertising up on my website.  But it didn’t stop there. Shortly after, I received emails one after another over the span of a few months asking me to put up some advertising on my website.

The best part about this whole situation is that I didn’t contact any of these people to post any ads–they all contacted me.  Now obviously this won’t work in every niche but I would venture to say that it would work in bigger markets, like finance, or making money online. 

It’s Your Turn

Take some time and try it yourself.  It has worked for me so I know it can work for you.  If you already have a blog and have had some luck at this, share your experience below by leaving a comment. 

Chris

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{ 1 trackback }

Carnival of Personal Finance #205: Pay it Forward Edition
May 19, 2009 at 2:20 pm

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

David Stillwagon May 13, 2009 at 4:20 pm

I just started to blog a few months ago, the traffic is still slow but I’m going to give it some time to build up. Your post is encouraging.

Christopher Holdheide May 13, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Just hang in their David. It will take some time to build a following, but the wait is definatly worth it. Thanks for commenting.

Chris

insaliproossy June 18, 2009 at 9:48 pm

Thank you for blog post. It is really imformative read.
I really like to browse stumbleforward.com.

LnddMiles July 21, 2009 at 2:01 pm

Great post! I’ll subscribe right now wth my feedreader software!

Bill Bartmann September 2, 2009 at 10:33 am

This site rocks!

Johnathen Jnr November 7, 2009 at 7:44 am

Yo
I i saw yer msg on stumbleforward.com
Very interesting
In fact I have been searching for something similar for months
stumbleforward.com is a site i’ll keep bookmarked
Great effort well done !
John

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