The business side of a creative blog

I’d like to share a little about the business side of a creative blog. I’ve been blogging in this space for 13 years and I’m constantly learning new things. (I use WordPress as my platform.) It’s not as simple as writing content, adding pictures and hitting “publish”. There is an etiquette to follow, regulations to adhere to and keeping up with new technology. And beyond that, there is research, writing, taking photos and editing them, making sure all links are correct and that everything is optimized for SEO (search engine optimization). And then you cross your fingers and hope that technology does the rest.

The business side of a creative blog often includes keeping my fingers crossed that technology will do it's thing.

Monetization

Many creative bloggers have monetized their content with affiliate marketing and by partnering with ad networks. I do both of these things, and it’s not because I’m greedy. This is how I make my living. There are many costs that go into running a website, blog and newsletter. Fees include domain name, web hosting, spam filters, email provider, and technical help. Other costs include software programs, photo equipment, and workshops.

The use of my time; this is a big one that I have a hard time putting a price tag on. I spend hours every day on creating content, checking email, and managing my business. Even though this started out as a hobby, it has grown into something much more. I love sharing everything I know about quilting and the lessons I’ve learned. This includes free tutorials, favorite finds, tips and current events. You are my quilting community and I love that you are here with me. I appreciate your support and your kind interactions with me.

This is a screenshot of some of the photos I took for a tutorial on flanged binding.
Screenshot of photos taken for tutorial

Affiliate marketing

I’ve used affiliate links in many of my blog posts for the past ten years. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but I make a small amount on any sale made using one of my links. It’s very “non-invasive” in terms of your reading experience. I don’t make a lot of money as an affiliate, but it’s still something that adds to the pie. And rest assured, I don’t promote anything that I wouldn’t use myself.

My favorite book for binding is the Ultimate Binding & Edge-finishing Guide

Ad networks

I’ve partnered with an ad network for about five years now. This is a company that manages display ads and places them into my blog posts. I have some control over the amount and type of ads, but not total control. This is where I make most of my income. And it still doesn’t equal to a minimum wage in my area. I’m not complaining, that’s just to put it into perspective.

Early this summer, I changed ad network companies. I had enough traffic on my blog to move up to a more robust company. This has increased my ad revenue, but perhaps it has come at a price.

Many of you have complained that you can’t read my content without pop-up ads taking over your screen. I take this to heart, I really do. Unfortunately, I don’t have as much control over the frequency and spacing of ads. There is a minimum ad requirement and I’ve just adjusted everything I can to that minimum.

Pattern Sales

Another revenue stream is through quilt pattern sales. I use Etsy to sell patterns in (mostly) pdf format. I’ve really enjoyed designing patterns, working with tech editors and pattern testers. It’s opened up a world of creativity as well as learning opportunities for me.

The front page of My Vinca Blossom quilt pattern

Full blog post vs. excerpt

Many of you subscribe to my blog feed through email. This means you receive new blog posts directly to your inbox. Any time I published a full blog post that contained an Amazon affiliate link, I was in violation of Amazon’s affiliate marketing regulations. You’re not allowed to use Amazon affiliate links in email format. UPDATE: This policy changed recently, and now Amazon affiliate links are allowed in emails under most conditions.

This is why I switched to publishing an excerpt of my post instead of the full content. You have to click on the “continue reading” button which takes you to my website/blog. And here is where you get all of the wonderful ads displayed. Some of you let me know exactly how you feel about this. I understand it’s not what you’re used to and it’s annoying. Obviously, that’s not my intention and I hope to make things better for all of us.

You’re reading this as a full blog post because I changed the settings for this particular post. I’m also publishing this to my subscribers only, so I don’t think it will show up on my website. This is now available to all.

Solutions

When I say “solutions”, I’m referring to making your reading experience here more positive. In the past few months, I’ve received many unsubscribe requests and complaints about the ads on my blog. That’s part of running a business. I’m trying to be as transparent and helpful as possible by offering a few solutions.

Going forward, I’ll post in full format most of the time. If you see a “continue reading” button, you’ll have to click over to my website to read the full post. And that is much appreciated.

This is kind of like shooting myself in the foot, but you could install an ad blocker. The one I use is AdBlock. It’s free and it will block all ads from most websites that use them. Some websites won’t allow you to read their content unless you disable the ad blocker. My website does not do that.

I have a separate newsletter that I email twice a month. You may already be on that list as well. If not, you’re welcome to sign up here. The advantage of that newsletter is that I always include direct links to any free patterns that I publish on my blog. So, you can download them straight from the email without having to go to my blog (with all the ads). You’ll also get a little more “behind the scenes” snippets of home and family.

Final thoughts

I’m sure there are many quilt bloggers that you follow. I have a long list of them, myself, and I love seeing what everyone is up to. Hopefully, this peek at the business side of a creative blog has been informative and helpful. Maybe you’ve thought about starting your own blog. It’s a lot of fun and a lot of work. It definitely keeps the mind sharp and active!

I’m so thankful that I get to share my creativity with all of you. I love that I’m my own boss, and I can set my own schedule and pace. I have total control over what I write and the projects I create. The reality is that it can be overwhelming at times. I don’t have an assistant, or a tech advisor, (or a housekeeper for that matter.) It’s just me here…. and you. You make it all worth it.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day and happy quilting!


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5 Comments

  1. Julie,
    Thanks for taking the time to explain this. I can’t help but compare the creation of your blog to the creation of a quilt. It takes time and money to make a quilt. Many people don’t realize the cost of the materials or the amount of time spent until the quilt is finished and ready to gift, sell, or donate. I will gladly scroll through the ads to see the information you so graciously share. Thanks again.

  2. Julie, I appreciate your behind the scenes look at blogging, I appreciate you as a person and learn from you every time I read your emails.

  3. I’m glad you gave us this insight into this “working” side of a creative site. It’s easy to get irritated with technology, but the reality is you should be able to monetize what you can, and going this extra step to explain what you have done to respond to feedback is great. I will say I need to read more on my bigger screen on my PC instead of my phone, since the ads truly do overwhelm the content and that’s not just your site. I so appreciate the free patterns and creative spark I get from reading your posts (which I do not do often, since like many quilters I am trying to wade through my existing stash of UFOs). So do not get discouraged and keep doing what you love!

  4. Personally, I don’t feel scrolling past the ads is a deal breaker. I totally understand that blogs cost money to run. As a side note I had an ad blocker app loaded but I decided to remove it. If I am going to read a blog I will SUPPORT the blog.

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