Why I choose not to make money from my blog

Why I choose not to make money from my blog

My little blog is well over 2 years old and it’s amazing how far it’s come in that time and also how much it’s changed.

When I started my blog it all happened quite fast, it flowed and I was consumed with starting it up and learning all the new jargon. I had wanted something to channel a creative side that was stifled with the normality of having my job and family and just functioning.

What struck me quite early on was that so many people were talking about how to make money from your blog. At first it baffled me as I had no idea that writing about the random thoughts in my head would have any relationship with earning money, yet there it was, everyone was doing it. I started reading about ads that you insert into your sidebar or posts, you know the sort I’m sure. They advertise different products depending on your audience and sit there quite happily trying to blend in. I normally end up clicking on them by accident as I think they are part of what I’m reading. Clever really!

There are so many pins with amazing statements such as ‘how I make thousands per month’ or ‘make money now from your blog, let me show you how’, I even saw one recently that said how they were making $50,000 per month! Wow, are you kidding me, that’s incredible. So, you can imagine, I was pretty much sidelined by this and pound signs started flashing in my eyes, luring me in their direction. Now the daft thing is that the whole reason I started my blog was to have a hobby that would help with a bit of relaxation-not to earn money-yet there I found myself applying for affiliated links and google ads and all manner of ad companies hoping they would accept me. I’d check my emails frantically to see what news there would be of my requests. Most of them didn’t even reply as I hadn’t really published anything and had no value to them at all, well doh that was pretty easy to see had I taken the time to think about it. The thing is that I still really didn’t want my blog to look like it was advertising anything as I wanted it to represent me and the things that I like, I was still finding my feet with what I was creating. I didn’t want to be a follower, surely to work for google ads is to be a very small fish in a massive shoal. The blog is for me to stretch myself not to stand rigid and conform quite so much.

I remember posting my first piece and including the one advert I had managed to install, I then sat back and  expected people to suddenly flock to the blog clapping that I had appeared, read my stuff, click on the ads and general revel in the fact that I was here…..funnily enough, that didn’t happen.

I gradually came to realise that content is key to keep a blog going and to keep my interest in it. I left my little ad on that post and left it at that. I want people to read what I have to say and not get taken away by the ads and lose interest in me.  That said, I love reviewing products and I certainly wouldn’t turn my nose up at a lovely big commission to work with someone. I’m not against making money in general, after all it’s how I help keep a roof over my head.

I’m now having fun with my blog, I run giveaways which is great, talk about my family, write poetry and cook, it’s a wonderful outlet. For the time being the ads will not have a home here – not now, not yet, but maybe sometime.

What do you think of ads on blogs, do they make you stay, shop or click away?

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49 thoughts on “Why I choose not to make money from my blog”

  1. I don’t use ads or do sponsored posts. I’m willing to work with charities or I don’t know, review days out but that’s about it. I blog because I want to write and tell a story. I’m glad I’m not the only once – sometimes it feels like I’m on my own. #kcacols

  2. Such an honest post and people blog for so many different reasons. At the end of the day your blog is your blog, and you shouldn’t feel pressured to make money from it. I’m now at a cross roads where I’m deciding to take the blog to the next level, as having recently quit my job I need an income stream. I’ve never got on with the affiliated links either. Thanks for linking up at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x

  3. Hi, blogging is a very personal experience that works differently for everyone. It’s nice to hear that you use as a creative outlet, Chloe #BrilliantBlogPosts

  4. Hi Mainy,
    I have not had luck with ads on my blog. I now use Media.net. I have a designated account manager, so if I have trouble or questions, I can ask.
    Thanks for coming to the Blogger’s Pit Stop last week.
    Janice, Pit Stop Crew

    1. I haven’t heard of that, thanks for sharing I’ll have a look, Mainy

  5. I have a couple of ads on mine and occasionally use affiliate links, but I try not to do it too much. I think everyone has their on ideas of whether to earn from their blog or not, which is great. Blogging is versatile and gives each individual a place to get across what they want.
    #KCACOLS

  6. Congrats on sticking to your guns. I suppose it depends on what your goals are, and money can’t be one of them. I know blogging can be a source of income, but I believe the money is secondary to the real mission of a blog. I have a blog, and I have a mission for it. If there’s a little or a lot of money in that, it’s fine. But personally, I wouldn’t be able to blog with the sole purpose of making money.

  7. I totally understand where you’re coming from. I also started blogging about a year ago, and I still have to get my head around possible revenue streams. I for one never click on Google ads on blogs I visit, so I am in no hurry to apply for it. I like the idea of using my blog as a showcase of what I can do, both in terms of writing and photography, but I would also love to do product reviews, and possibly sponsored posts. Que sera sera! 😉
    #FabFridayPost

  8. I have to agree with you! I started mine 2 years ago – I used it to keep people up to date with our wedding plans and write tutorials about how to make things. Friends told me I should start adding family days out – so I did! In that two years I have had 1 sponsored post (I made £30) and since then nothing. I enjoy writing my blog and sharing our days out – that is all that counts. I would LOVE to make more money but it’s not my priority. Sarah #FabFridayPost

    1. Your blog is great and I’ve enjoyed your posts. I’d love loads of money rolling in too if it happened for me doing what I enjoy, my dream would be to be asked to review a lush holiday! Oh what a dream 😉 thanks for your comments, really appreciated x

  9. I do have a few ads on my blog page and to be honest if I want to read something I tend to ignore ads anyhow. Those social things that ping up though GRRRRR

    1. Oh yes I know what you mean, I was going to try and put one on once but I couldn’t work out the coding, good job too:) thanks for taking the time to comment x

  10. IT depends what the ads are like…yes i can see the appeal of making money from them, and some do manage to blend in. But others drive me mad as a reader and I would like to inflict that on my readers!! #KCACOLS

  11. I don’t mind the odd ad but sites which are littered with them and where every other post is a sponsored post or a review turn me off and ensure I don’t return.

    I do occasionally do the odd commercial post but money has never been a motivator for me. I write because I like to write and because I’m not driven by monetisation I feel free to write about whatever I please. It’s quite a liberating feeling. For me, blogging has always been a hobby rather than a job. #bloggerclubuk

  12. Congratulations on your first year of blogging Mainy! It’s horses for course the whole monetising thing isn’t it? I earn a bit each month but even without it I’d still blog as I love writing.

    Thank you for linking up to #KCACOLS and I hope to see you back again on Sunday x

  13. I think that’s awesome that u don’t have ads! I’ve had to click out of some blogs even turned away from entering their giveaways because the ads just take over my screen! Like how many ads do u need on one screen? And u have to click out of ten dif ads just to see the content.

  14. I struggled at first with the same kind of thoughts; I started my blog as a space to talk about whatever I want and it was a while until I realised it was even possible to make money from blogging at all!
    I currently have a couple of ads and that’s it. I have done a few sponsored posts but due to me not really getting much traffic, they are very few and far between. I’m happy with my blog being as it is I think so I’m completely with you! 🙂

    #brillblogposts

  15. That’s the great thing about blogging, I think, is that you can choose exactly how and what you do with it. I use some ads on my blog, and the odd amazon link here or there, and I blog as my full time job so earning a living is in the forefront of my mind but it’s still a place for me to speak my mind, share, help and hopefully inspire others. Even if I wasn’t earning anything, i would still blog. It’s just fantastic for me that I can make it a career 🙂 #fortheloveofblog

    1. Yes it’s an amazing outlet for ideas and to be able to make it a career shows how good you are at it. I really enjoy your blog:)

  17. Being a blogger myself, I totally understand people using ads on their blogs to make a little extra money for their families or themselves. However, I’m totally put off when it seems like there’s just as many, if not more, ads than actual content. I like reading product reviews, sure, but I’m more into reading blogs for what they have to say, not what they have to sell! #fabfridaypost

    1. Good point, I could lose a day reading different blogs, I love times when I just find competitions on blogs or reviews or makeup, the list is endless and we are lucky enough to be thoroughly spoilt by choice. Thanks so much for your comment

  18. I’ve only just started my blog and keep reading everywhere about making money – which I had no idea about. It was refreshing to read this perspective on it instead as I want the writing to speak for itself #FabFridayPost

  19. It’s an interesting subject!! I think most of us start our blog wanting to share our experiences with no thoughts of monetization. I know, for myself, it’s fun to style clothing and a great way to spend time with my mom (the 70’s model) and my step mom (the 60’s model). But there are times that it’s hard not to want a little stream of income for all the hard work! It’s probably how stay at home mom’s feel?
    jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
    #fabfriday

    1. Yes it’s good to be rewarded for hard work and our blogs can certainly do that if we wish:)

  20. I’m not much of a fan of ads on a blog either. When (if!) I make money I’d like it to be more organic. I have reviewed a few products, but I didn’t get paid – I just got the product. I’ve also reviewed a few local attractions (a hotel, and a haunted walking tour.) The hotel I got to stay at “media rate” but the haunted walk was free. We loved it!
    I prefer to talk about what I like and hope brands come to me eventually (or through influencer networks) rather than clutter my words with ads.
    Great post!
    ~Jess
    #FabFridayPost

  21. Good for you lovely, once you start down the money making route then it’s really just about making the money. I like blogging for self-expression, experimenting with writing, any money making efforts are very much secondary. #bloggerclubUK

  22. I don’t have ads on my blog (but like you, I had it installed initially, but I felt it detracted from what I was writing and cheapened my blog somehow). I do make a little money from my blog but mostly from reviewing products. I always write “collaborative post” at the top if anything has changed hands (money or products) because I hate it when you get to the bottom of a post and then find out that someone was writing it because they had to. I prefer to be upfront and honest at the beginning. #brillblogposts

    P.S. congrats on getting to 1 year – that’s a big milestone. I’ve got a few months to go before I get there

    1. Thanks Lucy and it’s made me think about the review posts that I do (which I love) maybe I should put collaborative post at the top too, it’s worth thinking about. Thanks for your comments, Mainy x

  24. I make a few pennies from affiliate links, but won’t put them the middle of my posts or anywhere really obnoxious like you are supposed to, so they don’t serve much purpose other than to make me feel like a professional. #brillblogposts

  25. I find it really frustrating when there are a million ads that pop up and block the content! A few well placed adverts don’t bother me though. I do plan to monetise my blog, but through working with brands I like and selling products I’ve designed. Thanks for sharing #brilliantblogposts

  27. Good for you. I’ve not made any money from blogging either (after 8 years) but I have done a few reviews. I’m open to more reviews and potentially making a little money from my blog in the future but content comes first. #bloggerclubuk

  28. I’ve never had an interest in GoogleAds because they can basically advertise anything and you have very little control over what they choose to put on your blog – I recently saw an alarming number of blogs advertising Russian mail order brides lol!
    I’m not against independent advertising where I would design the ads myself or sponsored posts etc.
    One thing that really bugs me is when I go to read a blog and it takes forever to load because of all the ads. It’s very rare I stay long enough for the article to load!
    Thanks for linking up to #BloggerClubUK 🙂
    Debbie

    1. Oh wow, I didn’t see any of those ads:) I get a bit frustrated when I have to close 2 or 3 ads before I can’t see any text to start reading. It’s good to be in control of our blogs so ads on our terms are pretty good.

    2. You can tell Google which ads you don’t want them to show on your blog. So you do have some control over the ads.

      Personally I love Google ads on my blog.

      1. That’s great, we all do what we wish and what makes us happy with our own blogs. I think that we are all so lucky to have so many ways to advertise if we wish and to make some money too.

  29. Good for y0u. It would be easy to sell out and write any old crap for follow links and make money or allow ads. Its about stsying true to why you started blogging. Im all for paid work if its something that interests me or reviews of products I like. #bestandworst

  30. I would like to make money out of my blog, but I haven’t taken the plunge with Google Ads or affiliates – I’d rather find my feet with content and really understand where I want to take my blog. Thanks for sharing your view – I think a lot of bloggers will relate! #KCACOLS

    1. Thanks, it’s all a personal journey and I’ll see where it leads me too. Thanks for your comments x

  31. Good for you. What I love about blogging is that there is a space for everyone. I advertise and make a tiny bit of money from it, but it doesn’t bother me. I just like to ramble away about the nice things that have happened in my day and that’s about all really

  32. I recently took google adwords off my blog because even if you get tons of traffic, I’m not sure it had its place. One day when a post had only just been published, the ad content was so far from my blog theme, it was laughable. So no ads for me. If I have ads, they will be placed there with my target audience in mind!

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