Blogging: Creating Art and Making Money

For most bloggers, blogging is a labour of love. It certainly is for me. Thinking up interesting things to write about every day takes a lot of time - and doesn't normally earn the blogger much money. 

The standard ways to try to monetise a blog a little bit are to host adverts and join associate schemes. In my experience, these bring in a tiny bit of cash each month, but usually only about enough to maybe buy myself a book or a bottle of wine. Not enough to give up the day job!

However, many companies are now realising the power of blogging to promote their brands - and are looking for good bloggers with popular blogs to do business with. In the past year, I've been approached a few times by PR people to write paid-for posts. I'll only accept if I feel the product is something I want to write about and is appropriate for A Bad Witch's Blog, but I've taken up some offers.

A couple of posts I've been paid to write include one about Glastonbury for Premier Inns, and one about hot tubs for Arctic Spas. They were both features I really enjoyed writing and it was great to get a bit of money as a bonus. I realise some bloggers prefer to keep their posts completely free from commercial interests - and that's fine. Personally, I'm happy to aim for a healthy balance between art for art's sake and money for God's sake, as the old 10cc song goes.

A new website called Hire Bloggers has just been set up to help bloggers connect with companies that want to pay for their services.

Tafuta, the brains behing Hire Bloggers, said:

"Hire Bloggers is a new service that is looking to connect brands with the right bloggers. Most brands are looking for writers for their blog, or exposure of their business on your blogs. Either way, we find the right business, for the right blogger at the right price. Often if the blogger has a good social media presence, they can charge a bit more for promotion of the content on social media too!
"Typically after we have worked with you, we would offer 20% payment upfront, and after building a relationship with you, we would offer 50% payment upfront. And there are no obligations; if after being awarded a job, you are unable to complete, let us know, refund the deposit, and no harm done!
"For businesses this is great because it allows them access to good quality writers and blogs with a decent readership. For bloggers, it is a great way to make a bit of extra cash!"

I admit, I'm getting paid a small amount for mentioning Hire Bloggers, but I don't feel I'm selling out by doing that. I think it is a good idea and have signed up to the service myself. If you write a blog, have a look at the website http://www.hirebloggers.co.uk/ and see what you think.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.hirebloggers.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/03/hot-tubs-naked-witches-and-ritual.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/01/glastonbury-tor-entrance-to-land-of.html