Video Blog #001 – Make Money Online Writing About Things You Have Passion For
What are your passions? What are things that truly interest you? Enough that you’d be willing to write about? Often I marvel how I enjoy so much covering the topic of making money online. The reason why I find humor in writing this topic is because the topic doesn’t typically monetize the way I want it.
If I had a passion for another topic and GarryConn.com covered that topic with just as much energy as I invest into my current topic, I can’t even calculate how much money this blog would earn. The reason why I suspect this is because it kind of dawned on me that I do have another topic that I equally enjoy writing about.
That topic is eyeglasses. My other blog, The Optical Blog, is a place where I write about pretty much anything related to eyeglasses and contact lenses. My former career of almost 12 years was as a certified and licensed optician. It was a job that I really enjoyed. Covering this topic on a blog is something that comes easy for me and is very fun to do.
With that said, The Optical Blog just so happens to be my second most profitable blog. So my advice to you is to really sit back for a minute and figure out a topic that you have a lot of passion for. When you figure that out, apply everything that you have learned while operating a make money online blog and apply these skills to your other blog that covers a topic that you have passion for. If you do, I think soon you’ll see an increase in your month to month earnings.
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I find that my writing is so much better if I’m writing about something I’m passionate about. I don’t have to try so hard to make it flow. If it’s something that isn’t as interesting, I think my writing is a bit more “stilted” for want of a better word.
Because my time is so limited, I’m sticking to what I love to write about, and outsourcing the rest!
I couldn’t agree more. The problem I’ve had is to find that other passion (besides MMO) that I could write about. I think I’ve found it to be setting up systems and creating leverage in my business. I might not be able to write about it but at least I can spend time outsourcing and planning my business
Hi Garry! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Personally for me, most value of your post was brought by your Optical Blog example. And there are at least 2 my personal reasons. First, it’s learning by example. I know it by myself. One single page (or word!) example worth a bunch of manual or tutorial’s pages. And second, and most amazing part… I have to ask you a question… Garry, are you reading my mind?! LOL, I know you didn’t even barely aware of my existence, not to mention to bother with. But you did your post exactly at the moment I thought about just this – “I want to see any REAL blog of any of those people who run online business from home! And such a blog should not be connected directly to blogs/sites/squidoo pages etc. I usually see when I *meet* those people!”
Hello Garry
Great timely post …..
I spent an hour “brainstorming” with an online friend last night about my 2009 goals, and my “stuck in rut”
issues.
He asked me WHY do I do what I do?
and
He asked me “What do I want to be known as?”or “What do I want to be when I grow up?”
Those are all questions about my passion or reason to be….and forced me to rethink MMO vs my passions.
Like you I had a long term career but in the telecommunications industry, and project management, and trouble shooting systems, and processes……
So now I like you am re-looking at what I do and why………..
Thanks for the nudge post!!
Leo Hanes
Great video Garry. I really like this format.
I hope that your readers take your advice and venture out beyond the Make Money Online niche. There really is more money to be made in other niches.
As you can see from my name above, I have a coin collecting blog. I have been coin collecting for a couple years and it is fun to write about a hobby that I love.
-Fred
Very true. At the moment, I have a blog in another niche that makes more than my MMO blog for sure.
You have to pick your niches carefully.
I agree about the topic choice statement. I love SEO and love talking about it, but I get a ton of MMO viewers. I pour time into SEO Zombie, but it has the worst ROI of all of my sites. Mainly because it doesn’t monetize as well with affiliate ads.
I think an MMO blog can be monetized in an indirect fashion. It doesn’t provide much direct income, but can be leveraged to get into a position I couldn’t if I was an unknown.
Right now I do niche sites, but have been brainstorming possible topics for another flagship blog on another topic. The same effort in another niche would have a much higher ROI imo.
intriguing ;]
Hey Garry, that’s funny, I actually recently gave up my original office so it could be my 1.5 year old’s play room.
I have a lot less space now, but there’s a kitchen and bath back here of my own, so that’s kinda cool.
You have dishwasher, I have washer/dryer right outside the door. However, I have the power of headphones and loud music.
I don’t even try to monetize my “mmo” blog really (if that’s what SuiteJ is), except for an aff link here and there when I mention something worthwhile. But, it does benefit me in other ways. I can make money “because of my mmo blog” instead of “on my mmo blog” (benefits include networking, branding, etc.)
Anyone who’s trying to make real money with blogs should definitely start “non-IM” sites, unless you plan to sell your own membership subscriptions, $40 videos, and other info products.
Great post.
Cheers!
Jay
I think it is much easier to relate to a subject that you have an interest in because you already have knowledge about the subject and can easily promote it in anyway. Also you easily relate to other people that have a knowledge about that subject because you are creating a discussion that comes naturally. I try to only work on things that I can relate to, then one day I hope that people will use me as guest posts and I will become an authority – I think that is what any blogger should aspire to – then hopefully I can give up the day job and make money from home ;O)
Very excellent post, Garry. This is something I’ve been thinking about for awhile now. I have been putting in a lot of time online on things that are not profitable, both monetarily or in any other way. That’s not entirely true –they are things that can help me earn money in the future, and are important activities — they just aren’t the MOST important things I should be doing. So what I need to do is sit down once again and prioritize. And then discipline myself and stick to my plan.
I think now that we’ve seen your video, it has become clearer to us, or become clear for the first time, what we need to do. After taking the time to determine what our passion is, we can now make a decision to stick to a plan — part of which will include a niche blog about our passion. Not only will we know what kind of blog to write, but we can make a posting schedule, etc. — which would entail us to be more organized, and require us to waste less time online.
It’s hard to be disciplined at times, and remember what is really important in your life. Sometimes you may not want to give up the instant gratification — because it’s more exciting to play a video game, go on Twitter, or post for an hour a day on an unprofitible blog (because you like its subject matter more than your other blogs). You do know you should be creating and maintaining a blog that monetizes yet still is about one of your passions. Yet you still resist.
I find it all comes down to this: either you want it or you don’t. You want to be a professional blogger or not. So do something about it. Do it if it is important enough to you. Do it! End of story.
Oh, and if I bored or offended you, please don’t be offended. I think that lecture was for myself mostly, unless you want it too, LOL.
krissy knox
my main blog: Sometimes I Think
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/iamkrissy
Always nice when a blogger does a video so you can see and hear him or her. Makes you more human I think in a weird way.
One of my blogs is about the world of professional wrestling and MMA (huge passion) but I don’t make that much money with it.
I make more out of my personal blog which has no real direction other than me ranting about things that annoy me.
Just like almost everyone who thinks about making money online, I started a money making blog. Of course as a newbie, it hasn’t been doing very well and I couldn’t sustain my motivation. Now I am trying to look at ideas that are my passion so that I am motivated to work on these niche sites.
Thanks for your insight.
Great post! I worked for an optician during my high-school and college years. My current eye-doctor is always amused that I can read his prescriptions.. My friends still ask me advice and questions.
I think it’s interesting how people “look” for something to promote, where you really need to decide what you like and are interested in and then find promotions to fit you.
Of course, I’ve made this same mistake myself and then lived to regret it when I very quickly ran out of knowledge.
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