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Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

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Re: Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

#41

Post by thomashabets2 »

I used to have ads. Partly because why not get a little money, and partly for the more direct fun of turning something fun on my own time into actual money that can buy the proverbial coffee. (also partly because I started working for a company that makes most of its money from ads)

But then I realized that why am I making my fun little hobby product (the blog) worse, by putting shit on it, that I wouldn't want to see? So it was not worth the two benefits.

Later, someone asked in a comment if they could donate some bitcoin as a "tip". Sure, I created a wallet for it, and got a little tip.

A few years later, when I'd thought more about cryptocurrency, I felt too disgusted to hold any of it. Holding it would mean being part of the problem. So I cashed out my tipjar. It was the same feeling as when I got ad revenue. In both cases was it "magical internet something" turning into real cash in my bank account.

So in both cases it was just a gambler's high. And at risk of sounding like General Ripper, I was able to interpret these feelings correctly, and got a better understanding of why cryptocurrency advocates can get so delusional.

Not on my blog, but on my opensource stuff page I've had a paypal donation button for maybe 15 years. It's gotten me maybe $15 per decade. But it's not intrusive.

Anyway, my blog isn't much, and I'm sure yours are much more popular. I would not try to monetize until it got bigger. Don't put ads until it can pay like a job. Patreon maybe, if you think it could help your community-building. Donation buttons are unobtrusive, though.

Kurzgesagt has a breakdown of their revenue: https://youtu.be/1x-i9z617z4. It's more merch than you might think.

But really what the internet needs is quick and easy microtransactions. If it cost $0.10 to click a "like" button I'd still click it if I like the content. It shouldn't be hard to make, but we don't have it. Probably mostly because bootstrapping problem.

Re: Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

#42

Post by tcfhgj »

keiferski wrote: post #39
tcfhgj wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If one isn't willing to pay for it, the price is obviously too high for the content. PS: it's not like ads aren't payment. It's just the price to you isn't transparent and only a fraction of it ends up at the blogger compared to a real payment

There are plenty of things that people “aren’t willing to pay for” on an individual level yet are overall beneficial for society at large. That’s why the tragedy of the commons is a concept. The point is that unless you’re willing to pay people enough money and provide enough job security to create high-quality content, you will inevitably end up with advertising, attention-seeking, and subsidization as the main busi…

True, but if we as society want something like that we can still chose to explicitly pay that.

For instance, Germany and other countries funds public journalism or public infrastructure through tax or obligatory fees.

You will never be able to be willing to pay enough, because there is always someone who provides a little less value, but also wants to earn money that way. And it's not like earning enough money to make a living is enough... our system encourages growth beyond that.

Re: Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

#43

Post by mrprogrammerguy »

qznc wrote: post #5
jwr wrote: post #3

I don't! I long for the early days of the Internet, when you published because you wanted to, and things didn't have to be "monetized". Yes, you do have to make a living, but let's be honest: you won't make a living "monetizing" a tech blog anyway.

Me too. I’m privileged with a well paid job though.

>> I’m privileged with a well paid job though.

No excuse not to make more money. You can start a business if you have more money and employ a bunch of not so privileged people.

Re: Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

#45

Post by mrprogrammerguy »

vanilla_nut wrote: post #30

- Create some "paid only" articles a la substack. - Small ads on the right side of the site. Can be standards ads, even better if you can get "sponsored" directly by companies with no adtech middle man. - Store of probably-not-actually-worth-the-price merch that people might still buy if they like you. - Be content with not monetizing everything. I personally don't follow any monetized blogs (besides substack and min…

I got some very unique content that I think people would be willing to pay for. But very good tips thanks!

Re: Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

#46

Post by mrprogrammerguy »

okaleniuk wrote: post #8

Very indirectly. My https://wordsandbuttons.online/ helped me cement a publishing deal with Manning, and the book I wrote for them ( https://www.manning.com/books/geometry-for-programmers ) works as a hourly rate magnifier in contract work negotiations.

Nice. I did some paid articles for a blog a while back and some technical presentations at conference. Got me a deal at O'Reilly. You should try get a gig at O'Reilly. It won't be that hard since you got something with Manning already!

Re: Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

#47

Post by mrprogrammerguy »

thomashabets2 wrote: post #41

I used to have ads. Partly because why not get a little money, and partly for the more direct fun of turning something fun on my own time into actual money that can buy the proverbial coffee. (also partly because I started working for a company that makes most of its money from ads) But then I realized that why am I making my fun little hobby product (the blog) worse, by putting shit on it, that I wouldn't want to se…

"I felt too disgusted to hold any of it. Holding it would mean being part of the problem."

Lol what problem.

If people don't wanna see adds, surely they can just use a good adblocker.

Re: Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

#48

Post by mrprogrammerguy »

asicsp wrote: post #16

1) Write blog posts for another company who pay for articles 2) Package your content as an ebook (add illustrations, exercises, online/offline support, etc to make it more featured than your blog posts)

I used to do this. But damn writing articles for other companies can take super long and be boring especially if they come up with the topics. But good points!

Re: Ask HN: How to you monetize a tech blog?

#49

Post by hnrodey »

I wanted to see how some of the comments evolved and then compare to ChatGPT. I made up the specific revenue/visitor details. The answers from ChatGPT roughly align with the ideas from the comments.

Prompt:

I run a successful blog about software engineering and get about 250k unique visitors per month. What are the top 1-5 options I should pursue to monetize the blog? I'd like to generate $15k USD per month within the next year.

ChatGPT:

Congratulations on running a successful blog with high traffic! There are several ways to monetize your blog, and here are some of the top options:

Display Advertising: You can place display ads on your blog, such as Google AdSense, which pays you when a user clicks on an ad. The revenue generated from display ads depends on factors like ad placement, ad format, and the number of visitors to your blog.

Sponsored Posts and Reviews: You can write sponsored posts or reviews for companies or products related to software engineering. Companies pay you to feature their product or service on your blog. However, it's essential to ensure that the sponsored content aligns with your blog's theme and interests your readers.

Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing involves promoting products on your blog and earning a commission for every sale made through your affiliate link. You can promote software development tools, software courses, or books related to software engineering.

Digital Products: You can sell digital products such as e-books, courses, or templates related to software engineering on your blog. This requires creating high-quality products that your readers are interested in purchasing.

Consulting and Coaching: With your expertise in software engineering, you can offer consulting and coaching services to individuals or companies. You can promote your services on your blog and generate leads.

Generating $15k per month within a year is a reasonable goal, but it depends on various factors such as the monetization strategies you choose, the engagement level of your audience, and the competition in your niche. It's crucial to experiment with multiple monetization strategies and measure their effectiveness to achieve your income goals.

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