January, 2010, was a breakthrough month for Strongandfit.net. It was my first time earning over one thousand dollars in a month. The month was a “perfect storm”—a culmination of a few factors:
- Over a year of consistently producing content.
- Sticking around long enough to get ranked and indexed in google.
- Discovering affiliate marketing.
- New Year’s Resolutions—people thinking about fitness and being willing to invest in their health.
There are probably other factors (let’s not forget dumb luck). But you get the idea.
I thought I’d share three lessons I’ve learned. What I’m about to tell you isn’t new. Instead, I’ll be reminding you of some things you’ve probably read here or elsewhere, but maybe is forgetting to apply.
1. Don’t blog for money.
This may seem counterintuitive for an article about earning money. But it’s true. Yes, I’ve enjoyed financial success that month. But before it there was a whole year of tirelessly producing content with relatively little financial gain (especially during the first six months). And there’s no guarantee I’ll make a dime next month.
I’ll keep blogging about fitness, regardless of the financial benefits (or lack thereof). Why? I LOVE the topic! If I blogged for money I would have given up a long time ago.
I’d never recommend anyone blog for the sake of money. Just blog because there’s something you love to write about.
