Can You Make Money Pet Blogging?

Pet bloggers are making an impact on the pet industry. Brands realize the power of a well-written and visually appealing blog post by an authoritative source.  Anyone can tell you that blogging is lucrative. Anyone can tell you that if you stick with blogging long enough, you will succeed. Anyone can tell you that you can make a ton of money blogging. So can you make money pet blogging? Well……

Working for it and not wishing for it are two completely different aspects and I am not just anyone. I am working for “it” (pet blogging), too. And yes, you can make money pet blogging: It all depends on:

A. How you do it – as defined by your blogging business plan,

B. If you are willing to put the time into achieving (A), and

C. What your idea of “making money” is.

BlogPaws would like to share some of our 2014 accomplishments and let the numbers speak for themselves. We at BlogPaws are here to help you succeed in your pet blogging, microblogging, and monetization goals. If any of the following appeals to you,  you need to be a member of the BlogPaws Community to partake. All of our call-outs from brands looking to work with bloggers are then sent out to the bloggers who are a part of the BlogPaws Community:

• In 2014, BlogPaws worked with 35 brands – double what we did in 2013;
• In 2014, we showcased over 1,100 sponsored blog posts; 
  
• During the year, we activated over 780 bloggers for campaigns;
• That’s 207 UNIQUE bloggers – individuals receiving payment for campaigns;
• Our overall growth in 2014 was 175% over 2013 for sponsored posts;
• PLUS… we paid out over $160,000 to our participating bloggers;

In 2014, the BlogPaws Community grew to over 4,300 passionate pet people, who in some way, shape, or form, found the BlogPaws Community, applied for membership, were accepted, and then connected with like-minded pet-loving people.

Here’s a list of actions to take depending on how (and how much) you want to make money pet blogging:

Click here to —–> Make Money with BlogPaws

Click here to —–> Join the BlogPaws Community

Click here to —–> Find out 13 Ways to Afford  Attending BlogPaws Conference 

Click here to —–> Read the Do’s and Dont’s of Being a Sponsored Blogger at the BlogPaws Conference

Click here to —–> Get a Start on Creating a Blog Business Plan

Ways to Monetize a Pet Blog or Lifestyle Blog with a Pet Section

Fact: Most people do not work full-time as a blogger relying solely on income from ads. It just doesn’t happen unless you are running multiple blogs and have such a high volume of traffic while ranking high in Google and being SEO friendly that you can afford to do so.

However, there is money to be made from ads, click throughs, and banner displays, etc.

Maybe your blog is a platform for a book you’ve written or plan to write. Having a platform in place (i.e. a blog) before your book is released is a great way to monetize. At the BlogPaws Conference in Nashville in May 2015, an entire workshop was held to teach attendees how to use your blog as a springboard to professional publishing by learning how to write, research, edit, and design your blog posts in such a manner that they become a portfolio of quality work to help open the door to publishing deals. These are people who have been there, done that, and will offer their advice.

Another panel discussed the current state of publishing from the “traditional” to “indie” paths, how publishing has changed, why bloggers should write a book (or become a publisher), how to choose your publishing path, pitfalls to avoid, and how to leverage social media and blogging to build your author platform. Future conferences will build on those themes.

There are dozens of ways to monetize a blog, but it takes a plan, consistency, and keeping current on the ever-changing dynamic that is social media.

More Tips on Blogging for Profit

• Blog on a regular basis. Does this mean every single day, several times a day? No, unless that’s your goal and your desire. Regular means at least once a week, if not more, preferably the latter.
• Create and grow your fan base across social media platforms. Determine where your fans are and how to best reach them and then really educated in how to rock those platforms.
• Create an email blast that is targeted and is a return on your time and investment.
• A tip from Felissa Elfenbein, who works with bloggers and BlogPaws campaigns, “Run CPM ads not CPC. CPM ads work with you by monetizing the traffic you are already driving to your Blog. CPC ads or affiliate ads are great if you can drive enough traffic that a small portion of them will click and or click and purchase.”
• If you are spending time in community groups, make sure that it is use to advance your blog in any of the above categories. Spending countless hours on Facebook but not putting in any actual work is still not a money making activity. Using Facebook and other social media content to drive traffic, raise awareness, and defining yourself as a resource all can help achieve your goals.
• Become a VA for another Blogger and/or become a Social Media Consultant for a brand.
• Work for a company in a department that deals with Social Media Marketing.
• Blog for bigger brands.
• Learn and don’t stop. Make the BlogPaws Community a daily stop.
• Start saving now for the BlogPaws Conference.
• Write a traditional book.
• Write an e-book.
• Speak at conferences.
• Teach.

Ask yourself the bottom line: Is the activity I am engaged with working to monetize my blog or is it something that sounds good, but in theory does nothing to help me achieve my goals? Yes, you can make money pet blogging, and yes this is YOUR year.

Is blogging for profit part of your plan?

Carol Bryant is the Marketing and Social Media Manager for BlogPaws and runs her own blog, Fidose of Reality and its fundraising arm, Wigglebutt Warriors. When not busy playing with her Cocker Spaniel, Dexter, she stays far away from cooking. Her trademark is her mantra and is tattooed on her arm: My Heart Beats Dog.®

Image: Kim Howell/Shutterstock.com