How much do mommy bloggers earn?
There is a fascinating discussion led by the fearless Gwen Bell on Twitter tonight.
At issue – how much do mommy bloggers earn for our work here in cyber space? Or, more importantly, how much should we earn?
I quit my day job in June to become a full-time blogger but quickly found I needed to supplement that income with freelance writing projects. Soon I was working so hard I thought I would snap. Then a job offer came along and I snatched it up. And alas, my dream of becoming a full-time mommy blogger is temporarily on hold.
I agree with Gwen that we need to start talking, openly, about the future for mom bloggers as more and more marketers want our attention – and believe me, do they want us. The more we talk, the more we can demand. Because blogging is not easy.
For starters – if you are a mommy blogger take this annoymous poll. And be honest. If not, you’ll have to live with the guilt and the last thing us mamas need is more guilt.
Then stay tuned to Gwen Bell’s Twitter and blog for the latest on this evolving discussion.
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Does this survey include money for consulting, teaching classes, etc, or just strictly on the blog?
Good question! I’ll ask Gwen and Type A Mom.
You know what… until I hear back – let’s say – yes, include the extras because you couldn’t do them without your blog, right?
So – anything you earn because you blog.
I’d be interested in knowing other things…how many readers do these bloggers have? How long have they been blogging? How often do they post? Are these things correlated to how much they earn?
Yes, we need to make more polls…
Maybe there should be a 0-$100 option? It skips from nothing to over $100.
You’re right… but it only gave me so many options. But this is annually so if it’s less than $100 a year, no need for a specific amount. Right?
I’ve been blogging about my pregnancy/baby since July 08 but didn’t know there was such a thing as being a “mommy blogger” until a few months ago. I’ve gotten nothing of any monetary value out of it, but tons and tons of support, new friends and helpful advice. Not to be a sentimental jerk about it (because who doesn’t want to get paid for something they love?) but I absolutely would not change anything about my blog just to make money – that’s not why I write.
Are some people joking? Because if you’re someone who checked $100,000+, I need to know…HOW. Well, heck, I’d take how for most any category, but seriously. All right, off to catch up with the Twitter feed.
i’m interested in some of the same questions that earlier commenters asked. blog traffic, page views, are those that important? i’ve been blogging for 2 years and seriously…i’ve made $160. that’s it.
i’m fine with that actually. because if the only way to truly make decent money is by doing reviews like what i’ve heard…
i’ll just keep on doing what i’m doing.
this future of blogging is going to be very interesting to watch…
I agree. I’ve been blogging for a few years now and already its changed so much. I remembers when reviews started, now everyone does them. It used to be a luxury, now some bloggers think they have the right!
You can easily make money doing paid services. Bloggers used to bring in payloads by payperpost services. Now it’s different. Although premium social spark bloggers can make hundreds on just one post.
WOW! My advice to people is to keep on keeping on, a wise woman once told me it takes at least two years to really start seeing a difference. If you love what you do, you’ll hopefully prosper and succeed!
Mostly I don’t make money off of my blog (although I save money by getting things for free that I’d otherwise have to pay for), but I was able to get a paid writing gig because of it on a parenting site.
So where is the minus category? I vote for -10,000 to zero!
Hi all,
Jumping in to add that I consider blogging to be blogging and all the things that surround/feed your blogging life. For me that’s blogging, speaking at and attending conferences, conducting workshops, updating statuses around the web, taking/editing/uploading photos and consulting. I do both paid and unpaid work – in fact, I segment off some of my time every month to give freely to non-profits that come along. And I use the paid gigs to make it so that I can get back to the blogging and commenting and engaging in community. (More coming soon on my blog, actually. Thank you for the post & shouts, Ms Single Mama.
This is a complicated one for Janice and I to answer.
5 Minutes for Mom does bring in a fair amount of revenue, but we also pay a full time virtual assistant and a part time bookkeeper and designers and developers and the list seems to go on and take away most of the revenue. Basically at this stage we are continually reinvesting in our company.
We do also own ecommerce toy stores and that is where we tend to generate more income. Those stores helped subsidize 5 Minutes for Mom in our early days.
I think blogging is one of the toughest ways to make an income. We work ridiculously hard and are constantly belittled in the press and even amongst other bloggers.
But, we wouldn’t want to do anything else.
Another side to that coin (perhaps another poll) is –
Do you actually LOSE money as a mommy blogger?
I do – I pay for hosting out of pocket JUST so I don’t have to run afoul of some corporate bloghost’s ToS. I’m also considering paying for someone to help me design my blog instead of using a free template.
Are we using a broad definition of “mommy blogger” as a mom who blogs? Because that category I fit, but my blog is not a journal or specifically about being a mommy.
I also think a key here relates to Sarah’s question in the beginning. Most of my income comes from the things I do because I blog — consulting, etc. — rather than from my blog itself, although I do earn income from my blog as well. I almost think it should be two separate polls to get a more accurate view.
Curious about that too–I’m a “mom who blogs,” but my blog doesn’t seem to be the typical mommy blog talking about parenting, kids, etc. I don’t even show pics of my kids very often. I found this to be true at the Type A Mom conference, too, that I was earning way more $$ than others, but my type of blog lends itself to the diversity of impression ads, affiliate links, and other revenue earners more than most. I actually don’t do reviews at all. After meeting some of the moms who blog parenting/personal issues, I think there are ways to monetize (if that’s one of your goals), but it is different than what I do. And I think you have to see “earnings” as more than cash. Gift cards, clothing, products, etc. should count.
Do you consider the value of products received as a contribution to income?
I make a fair amount of income from blogging, but it took a year and a half and a staff to get there. Plus, lots and lots of mistakes.
And i still dont make as much as I would if i used my college degree.
Blog income doesnt exactly equal real life income….atleast not yet.
trisha