How to Make Money as a (HR) Blogger

October 7, 2008 · Filed Under Blogging as a HR Guy 

A few weeks ago, a discussion started on HRM Today and on Laurie’s PunkRockHR blog about making money as an HR blogger. I wrote up something around the same time but I lost some steam and dumped it. Now though, I think I am properly inspired and that’s what you like, right?

I am not an expert on making money by any means. I like writing and blogging is a natural fit for that. I’ve also learned much more than I would have if I hadn’t started blogging. There is tremendous value in blogging even if you aren’t getting a cent out of it. I am sure Dan Schawbel would say it is a good personal branding tool. I think it is a great learning opportunity.

Laurie said nobody gets rich from just blogging. Well, I’d argue that nobody gets rich from doing any one thing (other than winning the lottery). If you are a rich HR professional, you are probably doing a lot more than just doing your job and going home. You are probably on the board of an organization or two, you probably regularly do interviews or press junkets. You probably speak to other organizations and you probably work on functions beyond your job scope on a regular basis.

Most people who want to make money at blogging don’t want to be rich from blogging. For me, blogging has turned into a reliable second job where I can determine the workload and have a ton of flexibility. You do realize I am writing this at 9pm on a Sunday, right? So how can you turn your passion into an income stream?

  1. Focus on a niche and have something interesting to say. I have a limited amount of time so only a few posts a day really catch my attention to read through all the way. I need to know what you are writing about and that it will be interesting.
  2. Focus on regularity and consistency. Sounds boring? Maybe if you’re too methodical about it. It is all about setting audience expectations though. I post twice a week. I know this is a pace I can handle and I can focus on providing quality content for your enjoyment.
  3. Be a good blogger. Give credit where credit is due, respond to comments and e-mails and comment on other people’s blogs. I am still working on all of those myself but I’ve been getting better.
  4. Let advertisers find you. Or seek them out. I prefer the former over the latter because people that seek me out already know what my blog is about and they already think it is a valuable resource. Some advertisers I have worked with include:
    1. Joel Cheesman - I made my very first dollar advertising with Joel over two years ago. I made enough to cover hosting and to grab a nice cheeseburger once in a while. Everybody who has worked with him always praises him and I have to agree.
    2. CrimCheck - CrimCheck was the third company that contacted me about advertising and the first that I accepted. They were also the first people to jump onboard with HRM Today when it was relatively untested. They get it and it has always been great to work with them.
  5. Become a paid writer. I now write for two different websites. Vault.com first contacted me about blogging for them and I have been doing that for a year. Just recently, I started blogging for CrimCheck.com as well. These companies have been easy to work with and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to expand my writing to a different audience.
  6. Hawk Products. I’ve done this once for a software program that I had used and enjoyed in the past. You obviously have to be careful as to what you hawk because if you are just faking it, people will be able to tell. I would also advise that people be open and honest about whether a post is sponsored or not.

Now with this money, I’ve been able to do cool things like buy a new(er) laptop, develop HRM Today and obviously stick some away for myself. I think any HR blogger can do something similar. I don’t know if you can do it full time but if you need a second job, it is better than McDonalds.

What I haven’t tried or what hasn’t worked:

  • Google AdSense - Never tried it and I don’t know many people who have had success with it.
  • Other Ad Networks - Tried it before, didn’t like it.
  • Affiliate marketing - Never tried it. Anybody give that a shot?

What are some other ways that you can make money with your blog (HR or not)?

Check out HRM Today for the latest in the HR blogosphere.

Comments

5 Responses to “How to Make Money as a (HR) Blogger”

  1. Dan McCarthy on October 7th, 2008 4:26 pm

    Lance –

    Thanks for putting yourself out there and writing about what I believe to be a sensitive topic in our HR blogging community. It’s funny, when I was checking out your blog the other day, I was thinking about how much I admired the “business” side of what you’ve been able to accomplish. I just made a reference in a recent post on how much I enjoy the business and marketing side of blogging, even more so that the writing. It’s the personal satisfaction of starting and growing a business, and like it or not, making money is how we measure business success.

    Thanks for the tips; I’m sure many others will find them to be of great value.

    I’ll sing Joel’s praises too, he’s been great. And I’m actually doing OK with Adsense. It took a while.

    [Reply]

  2. Irina Shamaeva on October 7th, 2008 7:26 pm

    Thank you for your advice! I have recently become interested in blogging to share my knowledge related to candidate sourcing on the web. Now I’m finding that it’s addictive. :)
    I would sure like to make a bit of money with it. Your posting helps to think it through.

    This was one of my first posts and I won an iPod touch with it.
    http://thetalentbuzz.com/2008/08/i-disagree-with-donato-diorio

    I guess it’s time to start my own blog… especially if I am going to recommend software and websites to others. What is the best/easiest way to start a blog?

    Thanks,
    Irina Shamaeva,
    http://www.linkedin.com/in/irinashamaeva

    [Reply]

  3. Chad Kreutz on October 7th, 2008 11:37 pm

    The #1 reason why I do read your blog:
    You approach HR the way most intelligent business managers and owners would - practically. There are few things more frustrating to someone running a business than HR extremists (HR pros who think HR is more important than the business they’re a part of). I always appreciate your well-grounded posts. We, your faithful readers, know your blog’s success is attributable to the salient and entertaining content you crank out every week.

    [Reply]

  4. Chris - Manager's Sandbox on October 8th, 2008 6:23 am

    Lance - great article!

    My particular bit of advice, as another HR blogger, would be that you shouldn’t start an HR blog to make money. That can come (as you noted) as an unintended side-effect, particularly if you put out good content and market yourself a little.

    To answer your question about affiliates - that’s actually were most of my blog income (meager as it is) comes from. I offer some higher return electronic products (e-books and such), and a heavy selection of books and movies from Amazon that appeal to HR professionals. Amazon affiliates has an insanely low return rate, so you need quite a bit of volume to really see a good return on there. But they offer great brand recognition (people know and trust them) and a terrific selection of products.

    Keep up the great writing, and best of luck to anyone who’s just getting into it. Feel free to reach out if you want some more advice.

    - Chris

    [Reply]

  5. Lance Haun on October 8th, 2008 3:16 pm

    @Dan - Thanks for your kind comments! I do like working on the business/marketing side as long as it doesn’t interfere with my ability to write. Also good to know about adsense.

    @Irina - I think you should make a splash and get into blogging.

    @Chad - If I didn’t know who this was, I’d think you were being too sticky sweet.

    @Chris - Oh I absolutely agree. In fact, when I started, I didn’t even know you could make money at blogging. It is a nice side effect though.

    That’s good to know about affiliate marketing. I knew about Amazon and I’ve heard of the e-book sales and some ridiculous commissions you can make doing that. What do you think about actually selling a product that you create (software, ebook, etc…)? Seems like that could be lucrative if done correctly.

    [Reply]

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