Blogging all the way to the bank

Why do I blog? It's fun. I like to share tidbits, ideas, or everyday nonsense that other people might relate to and I truly feel like "it's a small world after all" when someone leaves a comment.

Do I blog for money? Hell no. I would be on food stamps and homeless (can I get food stamps if I'm homeless? hmmm) if I depended on this free blog to bring in some cash-o-la.

Since I've been searching for ad space on blogs for my DRESSiNG oN THE SiDE tshirts that I'm shamelessly promoting, I realize that there are LOTS of people out there that do blog for money.

Not just a $100 here and there.

We're talking THOUSANDS of dollars a month in income.

I get it. But, I don't get it.

I get the concept of supply and demand in marketing.

The more people that read you = the demand to be a part of your blog= a higher price for ads.

And you know what? $25,$50, $75 for an ad space is fair. Fair for the independent shop/store/product and if the blogger gets ten or so of these ads--an extra $500- $1000 each month. That's great.

Now, here's where my muffin gets a little burnt.

I've been contacting some of the big guns aka the queens of the blog world about ad space. With the holidays approaching I began to think I would suck it up and fork over $150?$200? for an ad space from one of these uber popular blogs and get a few new lookers and possibly buyers on my etsy site.

WRONG

The ads on these higher level everyone reads me blogs run $600 to $800 DOLLARS per month for a TINY (think of a shoebox for a cricket's pair of golf shoes) advertisement.
AND--there's not just one or two of these ads on their blogs....oh no, my friend...there are a minimum of 15-20 ads going on. Let's do the math, shall we:
These big league bloggers are getting $12- $16,000 a month for just slapping your ad up on their blog, which works out to be OVER $100,000 a year for a space for ads. That's huge.

It's not like these bloggers write about the cure for cancer or world peace either...it's just fluff and fun things.

My husband would say "good for them. if somebody will pay them that much then they should ask for it. Get the formula."

But, here's where I turn into Obama and say "shouldn't there be ad space that EVERYONE can afford available on EVERY blog? Even the big blogs?" Think lower income advertising for those that are just starting out...a space for the small and meek. Why just give a space to those with the big bucks? Remember your humble beginnings BIG BLOGS.

I'm sure if I were in the ranks of the Queens of Blogdom (and to be perfectly honest, these Queens seem kind and gracious albeit a bit greedy) I might be singing a different story-- but right now I'm a lowly worker bee, a drone, and I get to buzz and bitch about what I want.

image: adam holtrop