How I Profit From My Blog (and How I Don’t)

There are two ways I profit from my blog: Google AdSense, and referral links through Amazon Affiliates. I like these forms of revenue because of how passive and indirect they are. I write about what I want to write about, and at some point later (in my case way, way later) a check shows up.

I do not accept any other form of payment in exchange for product reviews or mentions. I do not accept free or specially discounted products for review, nor do I accept sponsored or guests posts.

My Personal Pledge on Affiliate Linking:

• I will not trick you into clicking affiliate links
  I make an effort to avoid vague descriptions that would require a person to click through the affiliate link to see what product I’m talking about. An affiliate link might therefore be labeled “50mm f/1.4” rather than “my favorite lens”. I may not be exact (there are multiple 50mm f/1.4 lenses out there), but I try and get as descriptive as I think most readers would like to know.
• I primarily only use affiliate links on products I have already purchased myself.
  Price and value are interlinked. Purchasing an item myself, without a special discount, is the surest way I can ensure objectivity.
• I sometimes link to upcoming sales, or items I plan to purchase in the very near future.
  I love sales, and sometimes post about upcoming ones, especially around Black Friday. Who doesn’t love to get great products at below market prices? I will always make it clear when I do not own a product, and thus cannot speak about the item from personal experience.

Alas, my blog is PR Unfriendly

While I’m flattered by the interest in my blog I’m afraid I have to admit [In my best Obi Won Kenobi impression] This isn’t the blog you’re looking for.

My web traffic visitor patterns is not ideal for advertisers and guest bloggers. I rank well in most search engines for certain key queries, and I get a fair amount of traffic from them (which is why AdSense works for me), but I also have a high bounce rate. Those visitors are coming for specific posts, and thus not likely to see your guest post, or review and give away.

Besides, most of the folks who regularly read my blog (at least those that I know about) are friends and family from the non-digital world, most of whom have either attended my wedding, or I’ve attended theirs. When someone offers me a product for free in exchange for a review on my blog I feel like I’m being asked to pitch a product at Thanksgiving dinner. A guest post on my blog, when the blog title is my given name and not a pseudo name or catchy “brand”, feels equally awkward and clumsy. I liken it to signing into facebook and seeing a guest status on a friend’s timeline. It just doesn’t feel right, which means it wouldn’t be a good idea for either of us.

In the course of blogging, I sometimes mention the name of the company with which I have patronned. I am more than happy to share positive experiences, especially with local and small businesses (like my moving experience), and occasionally vent about bad experiences. I typically refrain from such mentions until service has been fully rendered to ensure objectivity. Again, I do not accept direct compensation for product or company mentions.