It takes money to run a blog, even a hobby blog. When it comes to choosing the CMS (content management system) for your blog, you could use a free hosting service, such as WordPress.com or Blogger (does anyone use that one anymore?), but they have limitations. To get all the bells and whistles I recommend using a paid blogging platform such as WordPress.org. If you are a business, or ever plan on selling e-commerce or digital products, you might want to consider using a shopping friendly platform. A few of my freelance clients run their e-commerce business on Magento, or even Shopify, and both platforms also let you add a blog to your website.
Right now I’m not selling anything on my blog (that may change in the future) so I decided to go with WordPress.org. Also, many of my clients run their websites on WordPress, so I was already familiar with this CMS. WordPress.org isn’t free – you have to host it somewhere (BlueHost, HostGator, etc.) and that costs cash money. Also, domain names and security software cost money too, and you may have other expenses like advertisements, business cards, renting office space (if you’re a really big cheese in the blogging space), etc.
So, since running a niche, hobby website isn’t free, things like affiliate marketing and sponsored posts help pay the bills. The Creative Cottage is run on the hosted version of WordPress.org. I used to offer paid banner ads and sidebar ads but other than ads served by Google Adsense (which are only bringing in a few dollars a year) I am no longer offering ads on my site, although this may change in the future.
Occasional Blog Expenses
These are items that should last you many years. But, they are all high ticket items so when they do need replacing, they can result in a serious hit to your budget.
- Laptop computer
- Docking station
- Digital camera
- Camera tripod
- Camera light box kit
- Printer – projected expense as my old printer has been acting up so I’m guessing I’ll buy a new one around the new year
My old 2011 17″ Macbook Pro computer finally died in May of 2018. It served me well for many years – I even upgraded it few times – including adding more memory (RAM) and a larger hard drive. The video board went caput a few years ago, luckily that repair was FREE as it was covered under a class action lawsuit against Apple after continual complaints from consumers. But about 4 months ago, the motherboard went caput. That would have been a very expensive repair and I thought my dollars would be better spent towards a new laptop.
My old Macbook was a tank, extremely heavy and bulky, they don’t even make the 17″ size anymore. I went with the 13″ Macbook Pro with Retina display and touch bar. It’s extremely light-weight and super speed fast compared to my old computer. If I’m doing a lot of research and writing for a freelance client, I’ll place my laptop on my desk in my home office and hook it up to 2 monitors with a full size keyboard and mouse. But most of the time the laptop on its own is just fine for all my blogging activities.
So, upgrading my laptop was a very big expense, but a necessary expense none-the-less.
Yearly Blog Expenses
My yearly blog expenses run to hundreds and hundreds of dollars per year (probably close to $1,000) – there is no way of getting around this. You can shop around, but eventually you’ll have to pay someone to host your blog and store all your data.
- Web hosting
- Extra storage space
- SSL certificate
- Domain name
- Email marketing service
- Business cards
- Social media management software
- Computer software – Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite
In the old days, you bought your software once (usually on CD) and owned it outright. Every few years you could upgrade to the new version, or keep running the old software until it was no longer supported. Now it seems like most/all software is subscription based.
I pay a yearly subscription to run the latest version of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook). I’m doing most of my basic graphic design work in Canva, but am thinking about upgrading to Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, LightBox, etc.) I’m not really a graphic design so not sure if I want to learn new software, but probably a good skill to have for my resume.
Monthly Blog Expenses
- Printer ink
- Printer paper
- Facebook ads
- Google ads
Unlike one of my favorite Kevin Costner movies Field of Dreams, just because you build it (or blog it) doesn’t mean they’ll come. It takes money to build an audience of readers and followers to your blog. I share many of my blog posts to my social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but so does everyone else with a blog.
I started using Facebook ads to boost a few of my blog posts. Except for a few affiliate links, I don’t really sell anything on my blog. I don’t have an e-commerce store, I don’t sell on Amazon, etc. So, my advertising budget is pretty low right now. But I have noticed a boost in traffic and followers anytime I boost a post on Facebook. I may use Google ads in the future but because I’m small potatoes I think I get more “bang for my buck” using Facebook ads.
Blogging as a Business
I would love to be able to make a full-time income as a blogger, influencer, brand ambassador. I know many people do – the Kardashian’s would be the ultimate example of successful social media influencers. They get tens of thousands of dollars per instagram post. I’m far, far away from being the next Kylie Jenner – my sponsored posts currently bring in a bout $50 each – and I’ve never been paid to post on any of my social media sites (hopefully in the future – keeping fingers crossed). Please note: if you decide to add any type of sponsored content, or setup affiliate ads, etc. you’ll need to add a disclosure policy to your blog.
Right now my sponsored post income is just an occasional post here and there, so nothing I can count on on a regular basis. Read my previous post (Guest Posts, Product Reviews and Sponsored Content) that discusses the details of a few companies I’m working with for sponsored posts. I guess my hobby blogs are getting some attention – the companies I’m currently working with contacted me. They emailed and asked if I had heard of their platform and if I was interested in working with them. You have to apply to join these networks – they look at your Google analytics, how many followers you have and the engagement level of each of your social media sites, etc. Some of the bigger influencer marketing sites have very strict requirements (and require high social media followings) for acceptance into their program.
Electronic Media Kit
I’m still small potatoes so I haven’t put together my media kit. But, I have helped clients create their EPK (electronic press kit) – to share with media sources. I don’t have that many followers/fans but eventually, to attract larger brands and businesses, I will have to do this. So, I’ll talk about creating your media kit in a future blog post.
Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share on how you’ve made money as an entrepreneur not tied down to a regular 9-to-5 job? Shoot me an email: info@thecreativecottage.net.
Take care,
Lynn Smythe of The Creative Cottage
© 2018, The Creative Cottage. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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