# Picking Up Extra Money From Your Blog



## katlupe

I just thought I'd share something I have been doing that is giving me some extra money. Not a lot, but I made $135. from 6/21 through 7/30 from them. It is called Blogsvertise and once you join and they approve your blog/blogs they will send you information to write a review of certain companies' products or services. 

They like you to have an up-to-date blog and write about various things besides doing reviews of products. Each review I did, only had to have 2-3 links on it and be 2-3 paragraphs. I found them very easy to incorporate into my site Solar Baby. 

katlupe


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## How Do I

Thanks for sharing katlupe! Always good to have options.


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## busymomof7

That sounds very interesting. Thank you!


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## fransean

How much time do you devote to blogging? I have considered it but was concerned about the time investment and if I forget to post what happens to the traffic ....etc


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## katlupe

I devote much time to blogging. I have four and two websites. But this is my job so I have the time to devote to it. As for the blogs, if you post 3 times a week that is usually good. One of mine is technical in a sense, about solar, so I have to spend more time researching my post to make sure it is correct. Then I spend time promoting it as well. 

katlupe


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## busymomof7

Fransean: I work on my blog everyday. I spend about an hour a day. It is a hobby. 

Katlupe: How do you promote your blog? I had an article published on Dollar Stretcher that brought me a little blog traffic...but I'd love to get more readers.


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## GoldenCityMuse

If you live in Philadelphia, you get to buy a business license for blogging! Be aware.


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## katlupe

Well I don't live in Philadelphia, but New York will probably jump on that bandwagon if nobody protests it. But I already have a business license that covers my blogs. I have formed an LLC and am setting up a website right now with pages to all my interest. 

I promote my blogs on Blog Catalog, The Blog Frog, which is great and I love it! I get so much traffic from there, and from Face Book too. I will be setting up a business page for Homesteading On The Internet this coming week. Social Media is what promotes it and gets traffic. Twitter too. I get a lot of traffic from here just from my signature line. 

katlupe


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## katlupe

busymomof7 said:


> Fransean: I work on my blog everyday. I spend about an hour a day. It is a hobby.
> 
> Katlupe: How do you promote your blog? I had an article published on Dollar Stretcher that brought me a little blog traffic...but I'd love to get more readers.


I just went to your blog. You need to put a follow button on there. Then go to Face book and sign up for a account (it's free), then sign your blog up to the networked blogs and you WILL get traffic. I am now posting your link on my facebook wall for your latest post. There are a lot of HTers on there and they will follow you especially writing about homemade foods! 

katlupe


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## copperhead46

I'd like to write a blog about my daily farm life, but don't have a clue about how to go about it, guess I'll have to look it up. I think my life is a riot, maybe other folks would think it was interesting too.


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## katlupe

It's easy. Go to Blogger and sign up. I know lots of people will recommend WordPress but I like Blogger better. I think it is easier to work with and has the "follow me" button which is easy for others to follow you. I hate feeds and do not sign up to blogs that only have feeds. 

My solar baby uses the WordPress software and so many times I regret doing that. It is not hosted by them either.

If you have any questions just post them and I will do my best to help you.


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## busymomof7

Thanks for the advice, katlupe. I appreciate it.


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## glwalker

Another website that's similar to Blogvertise and is worth looking at is Sponsored Reviews.


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## katlupe

glwalker said:


> Another website that's similar to Blogvertise and is worth looking at is Sponsored Reviews.


Thanks, I am checking it out now! 

I have a rule that I will not accept a review of anything I don't like (like I refused to do one about insurance or Hughes Net) and not for less than $10. And that is for 3 paragraphs and only 3 links. Anything more is $20. at least. 

I also write reviews for Book Sneeze. They don't pay you, but send you books that you pick out. Then you write a review on the book on your blog and a site like Amazon. You can write a good review or a bad one whatever you think. You can keep the book and they are brand new.


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## SurvivalBus

the bad thing is these companies use PayPal as the form of payment. I used paypal for years, then out of nowhere then froze the account and I lost a crap load of money. After that happening 3 time over 10 years im done LOL

alot of people dont use paypal for there unethical ways


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## katlupe

I love Paypal! I use it for my business and have from the very start. It has protected me many times from buyers who stole someone else's credit card. It also makes it so easy for me to accept sales internationally. People can pay on my websites for their purchase with a credit card and not even have a Paypal account. 

Recently we had a sale from a guy who had bought before but Paypal would not let this one go through. I Googled the customer's name and found out that him and his wife had embezzled over 6 million dollars from a bank that she worked at! I was glad that I did not send him his strings and then find out that his credit card was no good.

What kind of problems did you have with them? I know people complain about them, but you can't please everyone all the time!


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## SurvivalBus

katlupe said:


> What kind of problems did you have with them? I know people complain about them, but you can't please everyone all the time!


I bought my wife a phone then went out to eat at Red Lobster for my birth day and they froze my 3 year old account for the transactions on the account, they wanted to verify who I was I sent all the right documentation, but was never good enough, and its still froze to this day, the account was in great standing and never any charge back or anything. Most people never have problems, but I after the change in TOS last June I caution everyone. 
I was a little to dependent on them I found, when the account froze I lost tons of advertisers that were on recurring banners. I miss the old days of the "unsecure" internet LOL :happy:


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## katlupe

SurvivalBus said:


> I bought my wife a phone then went out to eat at Red Lobster for my birth day and they froze my 3 year old account for the transactions on the account, they wanted to verify who I was I sent all the right documentation, but was never good enough, and its still froze to this day, the account was in great standing and never any charge back or anything. Most people never have problems, but I after the change in TOS last June I caution everyone.
> I was a little to dependent on them I found, when the account froze I lost tons of advertisers that were on recurring banners. I miss the old days of the "unsecure" internet LOL :happy:



I can't say I miss the "unsecure internet" because we have hackers constantly trying to get into our sites. I have 2 sites selling strings, my company site, and my solar blog site and it is a constant fight with them. We have defenses in place for protection but they find ways around that and then it is time to build it stronger. I guess that is the cost of doing business online. 

I have been to your site. It is nice and I was wondering if you write those articles yourself? Do you live that way? I have affiliate links on my blogs but have taken most of them off as I don't really make enough money from them to warrant the space.


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## SurvivalBus

yea I write most of my articles there has been a few like the delivering a baby i got the info from somewhere else, but it if it has bad spelling, grammar, and format, I wrote it, my wife has yet to proof read my stuff. 

I have been living the preparedness life style for the last few years, I hope one day we can get a little chunk of land out side of town. But till then Im getting the bus ready


I use google that draws alot of revenue and my affiliate links I use in the menu bar, there slow but can draw in $300-$600 month


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## katlupe

Well, I must admit, reading your posts have made me take a look at my blogs today. So I am working on my solar one. I have links on that one and have made a little bit of money but not a lot.....not as much as you have. I want to keep it honest and not just be pushing affiliate links, but I would like to make money on it too. I'd be crazy not to.


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## SurvivalBus

I use my sites as a major source of income, and it pays for all the work on the bus, I hope I can get better posting soon once the my new baby comes next month, once the bus gets the sway bars and tent im going to start the solar panels and getting it more self reliant.

If your looking to make money I would recommend google adsense you make money per click,

I just got my sewing machine set back up so I home to do a few things with that to make a little extra.


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## katlupe

Give me a hint. How do you figure out what affiliate links are worth putting on your site? My niche is solar, self-sufficiency, preparing, off-the-grid and there are not really a lot of choices there.


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## SurvivalBus

http://www.cj.com/

Commission Junction, is a good company to go with I have used them for years, they have thousands of advertisers, and you apply to a advertiser to post there banners, they do direct deposit or check. my biggest banners are 

US Cav
ACUArmy
Nitro-Pak
armynavydeals.com
Sportsmans Guide
Cabelas

I make a percentage off sales from clicks from my site, they average around $30 for me with each sale, traffic has been buying $300-$400 most of thetime



https://www.google.com/adsense

My biggest profit maker is google adsense, you apply to this program and post there banners on your site, the benefit is its a pay per click system which means if a visitor comes to your site and click the google banner, like the ones on this site, adsense pays you a small amount just for sending that visitor to the link, I get between $0.02-$4 per click. Its all about ad placement, they have text and image ads and I use text they seem to pay better, the best on on SurvivalBus.com is this spot









my CJ and Other affiliate programs are in the menu bar there just the link and not the banner










hope this explained it a little better, PM me and I can give my number if you have questions that you need a little more help with Im a crappy typer


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## katlupe

Thanks for all the info! I have added some links to my solar blog and will work on it a bit more. I have 4 other blogs I can add links to also. So I'll see how it goes. For the time being though, I will hold off on Google Adsense, as I just don't care for the way they look or how they give you compete with you if you are selling something. Like if I mention guitar strings, they will put my competitors right alongside of my post! I hate that.

Working on it today again. Thanks for building my fire! :bouncy:


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## SurvivalBus

cool, adsense you can actually put your competitors address in a black list in adsense and it can block them from showing on your sites, just a note, if you decide to try them


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## furholler

Katlupe, what's your handle on blog frog? I'll friend ya.


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## AnnieinBC

Great info on this thread! I use Adsense on our blog and it does help. I don't make a lot, but every bit helps. 

I did sign up for BlogFrog, thanks to Katlupe posting about it, but I need to set aside some time and go over there to figure things out.

I made a Facebook page for our blog too. Wish I knew my way around FB better, but I guess that will come with time.

I second the idea of putting your competitors on a "blacklist" for Adsense. You can easily do that.


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## melissa78

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ditto everything AnnieinBC just said.
Except for making a facebook page for my blog...I didn't even think of that!


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## katlupe

furholler said:


> Katlupe, what's your handle on blog frog? I'll friend ya.


It is katlupe, of course! I'd like that furholler. :nanner:


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## katlupe

On the blogfrog you can also make a community for your blog. I don't do that myself, because I just can't spare the time to keep it up. I am a contributing member of The RedHead Riter community and it is enough for me. Believe me that site has increased my blog traffic a lot. I even had someone contact me yesterday to advertise their homesteading store on my blog for a monthly fee.


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## AnnieinBC

katlupe said:


> I just went to your blog. You need to put a follow button on there. Then go to Face book and sign up for a account (it's free), then sign your blog up to the networked blogs and you WILL get traffic. I am now posting your link on my facebook wall for your latest post. There are a lot of HTers on there and they will follow you especially writing about homemade foods!
> 
> katlupe



Katlupe, I just went over to Facebook and signed up for networked blogs. I even managed to get the box to show up on my blog 

Thank you!

Also, sent you a friend request on Facebook....

Annie


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## katlupe

AnnieinBC said:


> Katlupe, I just went over to Facebook and signed up for networked blogs. I even managed to get the box to show up on my blog
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Also, sent you a friend request on Facebook....
> 
> Annie


Thanks, I accepted! Now you have get networking and promoting your blog. I recently had someone contact me about placing an advertisement on my blog. Little bits of money here and there add up.............


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## Halfway

Wow, this was a very informative thread. I have a blog I use as a journal, but I could see creating one to generate some cash while providing quality content. 

I have a question on sponsoredreviews......they are asking for SSN if you don't have a taxpayer ID. Is giving out your SSN a good idea? Those that are using the site, have you had any issues with security? 

Also, how do I put my blog into the signature line as some of you folks have done? http://frugalhydroponics.blogspot.com/

Thanks in advance!


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## AnnieinBC

Hi Halfway, welcome to the forum....I don't have an answer for you about sponsoredreviews but I can help with your other question.

To put your blog into your signature, go to your User CP, then go into Settings and Options. Then go in to Edit Signature....put your link in there.


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## Halfway

AnnieinBC said:


> Hi Halfway, welcome to the forum....I don't have an answer for you about sponsoredreviews but I can help with your other question.
> 
> To put your blog into your signature, go to your User CP, then go into Settings and Options. Then go in to Edit Signature....put your link in there.


 
Hmmmm....I don't seem to have that option. No worries. I think I have a thread waiting for a moderator approval, so probably some safeguards for a new member.

This really is a quality forum and I am surprised I didn't find it earlier. I did lurk for a while though!

Thanks for the welcome and Merry Christmas!


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## katlupe

Halfway said:


> Wow, this was a very informative thread. I have a blog I use as a journal, but I could see creating one to generate some cash while providing quality content.
> 
> I have a question on sponsoredreviews......they are asking for SSN if you don't have a taxpayer ID. Is giving out your SSN a good idea? Those that are using the site, have you had any issues with security?
> 
> Also, how do I put my blog into the signature line as some of you folks have done? http://frugalhydroponics.blogspot.com/
> 
> Thanks in advance!


I have had to give my tax ID number out, but haven't had a problem with that. I don't think I had to give it to Blogadvertise though.


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## katlupe

Halfway said:


> Wow, this was a very informative thread. I have a blog I use as a journal, but I could see creating one to generate some cash while providing quality content.
> 
> I have a question on sponsoredreviews......they are asking for SSN if you don't have a taxpayer ID. Is giving out your SSN a good idea? Those that are using the site, have you had any issues with security?
> 
> Also, how do I put my blog into the signature line as some of you folks have done? http://frugalhydroponics.blogspot.com/
> 
> Thanks in advance!


I am your newest follower and left a comment. I like your blog because that would be an interesting way to grow food.


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## Halfway

katlupe said:


> I am your newest follower and left a comment. I like your blog because that would be an interesting way to grow food.


 
Thank you Katlupe.

We are readying for a major lifestyle change and that involves a new part of the country, more acres, livestock, and much greater reliance on ourselves. It is time to live the life we spent a couple decades preparing for!

I have pursued hydroponics as an extension of raised bed and container garden efficiencies. I get great fulfillment from gardening, but efficiency is the underlying thread as I want to produce nutritious veggies quickly and effectively.

As you can see by the blog, I am achieving those goals and will further expand this spring using the sun outdoors. I believe these skills are easily transportable and scalable and the more arrows in my quiver to stay off or partially off grid the better.

Thanks for following and feel free to ask anything. Hydroponics is still very new to me, but I will freely share what my research and experience have taught me so far.


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## Betho

What a great thread, and thank you! I've been blogging for several years but when I moved to my own domain from blogger I lost much of my traffic (plus my irregular posting schedule didn't help, I was so exhausted when I was a working mom).

I recently signed up for networked blogs (link to my blog is in my sig) but I had no idea of these other places... thanks! I've been wanting to monetize my blog, and I signed up for Kontera in-text ads but I don't have the traffic to support it. I also need to switch to a new theme, I don't particularly like how this one works.

**Oh and if anyone wants to go with Kontera, let me know - I can send you an invitation that will get me a bonus for referring someone  Just a thought...

Anyway I will check out these links... just signed up for blogfrog. Very cool!


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## luvrulz

SurvivalBus said:


> the bad thing is these companies use PayPal as the form of payment. I used paypal for years, then out of nowhere then froze the account and I lost a crap load of money. After that happening 3 time over 10 years im done LOL
> 
> alot of people dont use paypal for there unethical ways


I *LOVE* paypal - they make buying on the internet so easy. I buy and sell and use them exclusively. If a vendor doesn't take paypal - I won't buy. I have never had a problem with fees or anything and the only time I had an incident, paypal stodd behind me and make the sell refund my $$$. You must be doing something wrong.......?


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## katlupe

Betho said:


> What a great thread, and thank you! I've been blogging for several years but when I moved to my own domain from blogger I lost much of my traffic (plus my irregular posting schedule didn't help, I was so exhausted when I was a working mom).
> 
> 
> Anyway I will check out these links... just signed up for blogfrog. Very cool!


Be sure to check on The Redhead Riter community on The Blogfrog. That is how I improved mine and increased my traffic. In less than one year on there, it has become a much better blog. Redhead Riter writes a post every Sunday on her blog that gives you instructions on how to do different things to improve your blog and bring more traffic. You can read past posts if there is something in particular you want to do and don't know how. She is very helpful to everyone.


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## Betho

katlupe said:


> Be sure to check on The Redhead Riter community on The Blogfrog. That is how I improved mine and increased my traffic. In less than one year on there, it has become a much better blog. Redhead Riter writes a post every Sunday on her blog that gives you instructions on how to do different things to improve your blog and bring more traffic. You can read past posts if there is something in particular you want to do and don't know how. She is very helpful to everyone.


Wonderful! Thanks for the tip - I am just now trying to make my blog "better" because now I am thinking of writing more for content itself rather than just a glorified diary. I will definitely join there... thanks


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## Halfway

Cool. Added a "like" button from facebook after creating a facebook page. Learning something new everyday down this rabbit hole!


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## sticky_burr

can i double dip on Blogvertise and Sponsored Reviews IOWs use the same review for both?

do they send you samples or goodies to review  free stuff rox .. even better is getting paid to take free stuff


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## katlupe

sticky_burr said:


> can i double dip on Blogvertise and Sponsored Reviews IOWs use the same review for both?
> 
> do they send you samples or goodies to review  free stuff rox .. even better is getting paid to take free stuff


No, you can't use the same review for both. What Blogvertise does is send you a email with the company that you are reviewing. It will have some keywords that you have to link to. Has to be permanent links that stay on your blog forever. They want 3 links in about 2-3 paragraphs. You will need a FDA Disclosure on your blog somewhere. I have a separate page for mine. In 30 days usually, the money goes right into my paypal account. 

Sponsored reviews I am not that familiar with. For me to do them and put a special post up with links like that, I won't take cheapies. I refuse any that are less than $15.00 now. But in the beginning I did them starting at $8.00.

I also do sponsored tweets but they are little bits of money here and there. You have to constantly do them to make any money. But hey, every little bit adds up over time.

What kind of a blog do you have? Mommy bloggers get a lot of free products to try and have giveaways with and get one to keep too. One friend of mine gets free tickets to events to take her 3 kids (teens) to. Like the circus, Ice shows, museums, concerts, etc. 

There are a lot of opportunities out there. I learned about them on the Blogfrog.

katlupe


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## lonelyfarmgirl

I had no idea there was such potential to making money with a blog. mine is very new. I do have a facebook page, but I dont go to facebook much. I did go to sign up for networked blogs, but I cant figure out how to do it. I put networked blogs into there search bar, but it doesn't come up with that, and I also tried clicking on networks, but it doesn't say anything about blogs. can you help?


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## katlupe

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> I had no idea there was such potential to making money with a blog. mine is very new. I do have a facebook page, but I dont go to facebook much. I did go to sign up for networked blogs, but I cant figure out how to do it. I put networked blogs into there search bar, but it doesn't come up with that, and I also tried clicking on networks, but it doesn't say anything about blogs. can you help?




http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/editblog.php

Go there and you should come to the page to register it at. If not, let me know and I will see what I can do.


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## How Do I

Top Earning Blogs (just a _bit_ dated) - I'm posting this as more of a motivator than anything. Keep in mind, these are estimated _monthly_ earnings. Most of these "blogs" have evolved into full-fledged companies with full-time employees. Some started with just a simple idea. The more you learn...the more you earn. Depending on your personal interests, you've probably come across their websites before. If not, it may help some to study what they do if you intend to take a stab at blogging for income. Adsense also publishes Success Stories and a few more here. I enjoy following the progress of sites and blogs more than anything. Guess I'm just weird that way.


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## katlupe

That is an interesting bit of info! In the link to the top bloggers, most of the bloggers I am connected with follow Darren Rowse the most. He is pretty helpful to us. Of course, he is only 17 on the list. But $40,000. a month is nothing to sneeze at! I have been to many of them but not all. 

I am not trying to make my blog a business where I would have to hire employees. I don't want to be that successful! I am trying to make just enough to properly care for my critters, hubby and me, and finish remodeling our home. Pay our bills and have enough money to buy what I need, but I will always be a frugal minded person. 

I don't have any adsense on my blogs as I just don't care for their ads. I never make any money on them. I have started to make bits of change on Amazon links but not much. 

I'd rather make the money on my own products. I have ebooks for sale, one I am updating and I have ideas for more. Plus I write a fictional blog that I am making into a regular novel. 

And the other idea I am presently working on is some tee shirts. I have to admit, as far as products go.........nothing beats the information products that are downloadable. That is the best!


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## Halfway

I always appreciate your insight Kat. 

Thanks for the post and heads-up on Darren Rowse.


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## Pelenaka

Kat, how do I get blogvertise to send me offers that work for my blog ?
Despite countless emails they only send me offers from Texas businesses or gardening websites that sell $40 trowels. 
Considering that my blog is about fugal urban homesteading in New York I just wanna laugh.

~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## katlupe

Pelenaka said:


> Kat, how do I get blogvertise to send me offers that work for my blog ?
> Despite countless emails they only send me offers from Texas businesses or gardening websites that sell $40 trowels.
> Considering that my blog is about fugal urban homesteading in New York I just wanna laugh.
> 
> ~~ pelenaka ~~
> http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


You want a laugh? They sent me one yesterday that they said had asked for my blog specifically...........get this......to post about the benefits of artificial turf.....in other words fake grass!!!! Like I would put that on my blog!!!! I turned them down first on account of the money (not enough), then after I read it I knew I would never post that.

I believe we have to stand up for what we believe our blogs are about. I have posted a few that I wasn't thrilled about.......well, I am not thrilled about any of them. As I increase my views, I think I may be able to attract advertisers on my own. 

With blogvertise what I have done is refuse anything that is less than $10. and lately I have been requesting $15.-$20. None of that $8. business. I don't do very well with the affiliate stuff either. But if you look at my blog now, I have added buttons I made for "Rent This Spot." So far, I have one regular advertiser that pays me a monthly fee. No writing a post for them or anything. Easy and it is for grain mills which falls into my niche.

Maybe an idea would be if other homesteading businesses that want to increase their traffic could pay us bloggers to write a post about their business, farm, book, products or they could pay for a link on our blogs with their banner or button??? It is cheaper than pay per click or Google words or paying for SEO. 

Another way to get traffic is tweeting. I know this because I tweet my products on a regular basis and those are the ones that get traffic. On Bonanza all the sellers tweet each other's products just for the fun of being nice. Working together seems to help everyone.


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## Pelenaka

Thanks for the answer. I don't feel so bad then if u are getting offers on astro turf.
I'm not really having an issue with traffic just people clicking the adsense buttons. 
Lehman's turned me down flat as did Realgoods via Linkshare. No doubt due to posts that describe how to make your own hometeading tools on the cheap. I've had TS also without any true orders. 

I like the idea about other homesteading biz buying ad space on our blogs. What would be a fair starting price $5 per month?

Drives me crazy when I read about blogs making thousands of $ a month when I would be thrilled with just a few hundred. A few hundred would cover the electric & grocery, or 2/3 of the mortgage. Sorry whinning ...


~~ pelenaka ~~


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## AnnieinBC

I've had a few offers from Blovertise like that. I just decline it, and since they want to know why, I just say that the subject is so far removed from my blog material, I just can't accept the offer.

Never had a problem with them about declining.

One thing I do find strange is I have yet to ever find a Grab Bag icon like they say I should. When I emailed them to request a pay increase, they agreed right away and said they also increased the amount of Grab BAgs per day I could grab.

I've never seen one! Has anyone else?


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## How Do I

Pelenaka said:


> Thanks for the answer. I don't feel so bad then if u are getting offers on astro turf.
> I'm not really having an issue with traffic just people clicking the adsense buttons.
> Lehman's turned me down flat as did Realgoods via Linkshare. No doubt due to posts that describe how to make your own hometeading tools on the cheap. I've had TS also without any true orders.
> 
> I like the idea about other homesteading biz buying ad space on our blogs. What would be a fair starting price $5 per month?
> 
> Drives me crazy when I read about blogs making thousands of $ a month when I would be thrilled with just a few hundred. A few hundred would cover the electric & grocery, or 2/3 of the mortgage. Sorry whinning ...
> 
> 
> ~~ pelenaka ~~


A lot of it has to do with ad placement. You might want to try placing ads in the body of your posts. That may turn some of your regular readers off. If you don't like that option, you could at the very least move your ads from the bottom of the sidebar up towards the top.

You'll most likely get the majority of your clicks from ads showing "above the fold". _Above the fold_ means simply the portion of the website/blog showing in a browser window when the page initially loads. If you moved one of your ad units above your labels category, your ads would be showing above the fold. Some of your image ads are cut off in my browser, just FYI. I'd personally try some text ads above the labels category and see how that works out for ya.


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## katlupe

AnnieinBC said:


> I've had a few offers from Blovertise like that. I just decline it, and since they want to know why, I just say that the subject is so far removed from my blog material, I just can't accept the offer.
> 
> Never had a problem with them about declining.
> 
> One thing I do find strange is I have yet to ever find a Grab Bag icon like they say I should. When I emailed them to request a pay increase, they agreed right away and said they also increased the amount of Grab BAgs per day I could grab.
> 
> I've never seen one! Has anyone else?


When you login, it should show a page that says:

Alert: We noticed you have "grab bag" blog ads available that match up to your blog. Click Here and look for the grab bag icon. Click on the grab bag icon next to your blog to view the offers.

It is located on your "home" page.

I have never used them. One of the grab bag offers is for Vista Print. You can go sign up with them on your own, and get more $ than you'd get from blogvertise. That's what I did.

Another thing many of those grab bag offers are for guest posts than someone else has written and I won't accept them. I will never have someone guest post on my blogs.

I never do any of the grab bag offers because they just aren't the kind of offerers I'd like. Lots on insurance stuff and I will never put that on my blog either.


----------



## katlupe

Pelenaka said:


> Thanks for the answer. I don't feel so bad then if u are getting offers on astro turf.
> I'm not really having an issue with traffic just people clicking the adsense buttons.
> Lehman's turned me down flat as did Realgoods via Linkshare. No doubt due to posts that describe how to make your own hometeading tools on the cheap. I've had TS also without any true orders.
> 
> I like the idea about other homesteading biz buying ad space on our blogs. What would be a fair starting price $5 per month?
> 
> Drives me crazy when I read about blogs making thousands of $ a month when I would be thrilled with just a few hundred. A few hundred would cover the electric & grocery, or 2/3 of the mortgage. Sorry whinning ...
> 
> 
> ~~ pelenaka ~~



I understand what you mean! I wish I could make a few hundred a month on it. Maybe I will. I am really working on it. Improving it. One thing I have been doing this month is trying to post every day. So far, I have. 

I have people asking me questions and you know a lot of them are not homesteading in the least but they really want to. There are tons of people who live in the city and cannot understand how to get started. So our blogs are really valuable to many people. 

The one ad I have is paying me $4.95 a month for his ad. He came to me and asked. He gave me that idea. So I am trying to make a decent ad to put out for others that may want to do the same. I mean my stats are showing I get a lot of views and I am increasing my followers. That is social networking that gets me those things and it takes a lot of time. If I could make $ on it, then it is my job.


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## katlupe

Pelenaka said:


> Thanks for the answer. I don't feel so bad then if u are getting offers on astro turf.
> I'm not really having an issue with traffic just people clicking the adsense buttons.
> Lehman's turned me down flat as did Realgoods via Linkshare. No doubt due to posts that describe how to make your own hometeading tools on the cheap. I've had TS also without any true orders.
> 
> I like the idea about other homesteading biz buying ad space on our blogs. What would be a fair starting price $5 per month?
> 
> Drives me crazy when I read about blogs making thousands of $ a month when I would be thrilled with just a few hundred. A few hundred would cover the electric & grocery, or 2/3 of the mortgage. Sorry whinning ...
> 
> 
> ~~ pelenaka ~~



I just wrote a post on my blog about advertising on homesteading blogs.

And your post here yesterday made me think, I know why Lehman's turned you down! Emergency Essentials 
turned me down too........_*because we live in NY state!*_ It is a tax issue for affiliates. Many companies will no longer use NY or CO affiliates due to the tax issues.


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## Pelenaka

Tax issues - hadn't thought about that. 
But I still think that in my case it's also about encouraging peeps to make instead of buy their homesteading tools.

Going to read your post now.

~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## Bebop

So I just signed up for Blogsvertise.. I haven't really thought about making money off my blog until recently. 
My blog is just about our family: Military family that is trying out homesteading. We're not exactly new to gardening or farming, but this is a little different I suppose. We don't exactly have a lot of money either. My husband really likes online gaming and technology, but so do I, so we're trying to integrate that in, as well as scrounging money and materials for chickens, shelters, fencing and things like that.
I have been in a slump of sorts. I used to craft A LOT, but still new to juggling a baby, housework, taking care of the animals, etc, so I'm using the blog as an outlet for now. I hope this year will be different and I can post more and get more readers and support in my endeavors.

The Idle Jackalope
www.theidleidol.wordpress.com


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## katlupe

Bebop said:


> So I just signed up for Blogsvertise.. I haven't really thought about making money off my blog until recently.
> My blog is just about our family: Military family that is trying out homesteading. We're not exactly new to gardening or farming, but this is a little different I suppose. We don't exactly have a lot of money either. My husband really likes online gaming and technology, but so do I, so we're trying to integrate that in, as well as scrounging money and materials for chickens, shelters, fencing and things like that.
> I have been in a slump of sorts. I used to craft A LOT, but still new to juggling a baby, housework, taking care of the animals, etc, so I'm using the blog as an outlet for now. I hope this year will be different and I can post more and get more readers and support in my endeavors.
> 
> The Idle Jackalope
> www.theidleidol.wordpress.com


Welcome and glad to meet you!


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## AnnieinBC

katlupe said:


> When you login, it should show a page that says:
> 
> Alert: We noticed you have "grab bag" blog ads available that match up to your blog. Click Here and look for the grab bag icon. Click on the grab bag icon next to your blog to view the offers.
> 
> It is located on your "home" page.
> 
> I have never used them. One of the grab bag offers is for Vista Print. You can go sign up with them on your own, and get more $ than you'd get from blogvertise. That's what I did.
> 
> Another thing many of those grab bag offers are for guest posts than someone else has written and I won't accept them. I will never have someone guest post on my blogs.
> 
> I never do any of the grab bag offers because they just aren't the kind of offerers I'd like. Lots on insurance stuff and I will never put that on my blog either.


Thanks for that answer Kat. I have kept logging in to Blogvertise and Never see that. 

I'm going to be moving my blog over to a different host, getting away from blogspot. At that time, I can go ahead with different advertising, more than just Adsense and Google Affiliated Networks.


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## AnnieinBC

Hi Bebop...I am going to go check out your blog now.


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## Pelenaka

How Do I said:


> A lot of it has to do with ad placement. You might want to try placing ads in the body of your posts. That may turn some of your regular readers off. If you don't like that option, you could at the very least move your ads from the bottom of the sidebar up towards the top.
> 
> You'll most likely get the majority of your clicks from ads showing "above the fold". _Above the fold_ means simply the portion of the website/blog showing in a browser window when the page initially loads. If you moved one of your ad units above your labels category, your ads would be showing above the fold. Some of your image ads are cut off in my browser, just FYI. I'd personally try some text ads above the labels category and see how that works out for ya.


Dislike adds in the body of the post. 
I'll try placing an add above the fold. Thanks for the tip.
I have tried & tried to fix those image adds. Will switch them back to text then if it's just not my browser that there're cut off on.

Thanks for the tips.

~~ pelenaka ~~


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## AnnieinBC

Making sure the Google Ads are "above the fold" is something I have read over and over. There is also supposed to be a certain size of ad that is by far the best (so They say)...They being an Adsense forum.

I made those changes over on my blog, if I can find the piece of paper that I wrote that "best" ad size on, I will come back and post it for you.


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## How Do I

Pelenaka said:


> Dislike adds in the body of the post.
> I'll try placing an add above the fold. Thanks for the tip.
> I have tried & tried to fix those image adds. Will switch them back to text then if it's just not my browser that there're cut off on.
> 
> Thanks for the tips.
> 
> ~~ pelenaka ~~


As far as your ad being cut off - It looks like you're using a 250 x 250 ad unit in a 220px sidebar. You can either change the width of your sidebar (*width: 220px;*) to 250px or use the 200 x 200 ad unit that you are using further down the page. Below is the code where you'll find the wrapper width for your sidebar:



Code:


/* Outer-Wrapper
----------------------------------------------- */
#outer-wrapper {
width: 660px;
margin:0 auto;
padding:10px;
text-align:left;
font: normal normal 100% Arial, sans-serif;
}
#main-wrapper {
width: 410px;
float: left;
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long text breaking sidebar float in IE */
overflow: hidden;     /* fix for long non-text content breaking IE sidebar float */
}
#sidebar-wrapper {
[B]width: 220px; [/B]   <<<<<---------------/////////////
float: right;
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long text breaking sidebar float in IE */
overflow: hidden;      /* fix for long non-text content breaking IE sidebar float */
}

You'll have to edit the html in the template design for that.


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## Pelenaka

HDI, I just removed it since I have no idea how to edit html.
But I do appreciate your help, thank you.

~~ pelenaka ~~


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## katlupe

Here is a blog written about making money with your blog. She has some pretty good info and has a community on The Blogfrog too. On there you can ask questions and it is all about making money on the blogs. 

Monetize Your Blog


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## Pelenaka

Thanks Kat.
Stay warm or dry since today is 36 degrees & EVERYTHING is melting !


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## Halfway

Great info Kat.

Thank you.


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## katlupe

If any of you are an Amazon associate, you may already know this, but this is for anyone who does not know. You can add an astore from Amazon to your blog. I have added one to Solar Baby and one to Homesteading On The Internet. I handpicked the products that suit my blogs. Solar Baby has products for someone wanting to build a small alternative energy system. Such as solar panels, wind turbines, charge controllers, inverters, books, etc. Homesteading On The Internet has cast iron cookware, books, gardening products, canning products, etc. 

If you are not an Amazon associate, it is easy to sign up. You can not hit your own links though to buy. Can't make money off your own purchases. If anyone has a store on their blog, let me know and I will be sure to use your links to make my purchases on Amazon. If we can share this way to help each other have success and make money that will be good.

Another thing I have done recently is to make a list of how much I charge for advertising on my blog. You can do this easily too. _The more posts you put on your blog, the more valuable it will become._ I am starting out with low prices but believe as I add more followers to it, I can charge more. My smallest one link text ad is $7.00 a month. Not a lot, but it brings in a little bit of $.

If anyone needs help doing this or has questions, feel free to ask here or PM me or contact me through my blogs. I have a contact me on the side of both of them.


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## Pam6

I just signed up for Google AdSense for my blog...after reading this thread. Now I am just waiting for my blog to be approved.
http://www.pamspride.blogspot.com/
I am going to change up my blog some and add more cooking, baking, sewing, and homesteading stuff to it so it is not just about my family. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!


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## katlupe

Pam6 said:


> I just signed up for Google AdSense for my blog...after reading this thread. Now I am just waiting for my blog to be approved.
> http://www.pamspride.blogspot.com/
> I am going to change up my blog some and add more cooking, baking, sewing, and homesteading stuff to it so it is not just about my family. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!


Good for you! Just writing blogs about every day things seem to bring the traffic. If you post a recipe, take pictures of you making it and then the finished product. I get the most traffic from those type of posts. Same with the garden. You would not believe how many times the keywords that bring people to my blog are "antique wheel hoe." We use one for our garden and I wrote about it and put pictures on of my husband using it. Just look at your life.

_The most important thing to make $$ a blog is to post often and consistently._ That is why I can tell Blogvertise I will not do a post for low amounts. Plus, now I am getting web designers coming to me for their client! 

Don't give up and have patience! Join the Blogfrog where other bloggers like you will assist you in many ways. 

Good luck!


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## Pam6

Thanks Katlupe! I am still waiting on approval. I have TONS of ideas for posts! The last couple of days I have been commenting on lots of other blogs to bring some more traffic into mine.

Does my most recent recipe post look okay? I think that was my first one I have ever done with food.


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## Pam6

How do I find out what key words are bringing people to my blog?

ETA: Okay I think I found my answer:

blogger
22
quail hutch
21
pams pride
15
pamspride.blogspot.com
7
www.pamspride.blogspot.com
4
pam's pride
3
pams pride blog
3
quail hutches
3
breakneck bridge
2
chicken coop
2

I have this under referring sites:
asouthernfairytale.com
31
How can I tell why I was referred from there?? All of the other referral site links make sense.


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## katlupe

> I have this under referring sites:
> asouthernfairytale.com
> 31
> How can I tell why I was referred from there?? All of the other referral site links make sense


.

Did you make a comment there? Did you have some kind of interaction with the writer of that blog? She has a food blog.

I get hits in my stats from sites I would never go to. And if I go there, one is a single dating site and when I go there you have to sign up. But there is no link to my site from it. Oh well. I am not going to worry about it.


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## Pam6

I don't ever remember visiting that site before. But oh well! I will take the hits from it!  I have posts prepared now for the next two days! 
Do you know how to schedule a post to go up at a certain time? Right now I just have them saved as drafts and I have to go in and post them myself. I tried under Post Options to change the date and time and it would not schedule it.


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## katlupe

Pam6 said:


> I don't ever remember visiting that site before. But oh well! I will take the hits from it!  I have posts prepared now for the next two days!
> Do you know how to schedule a post to go up at a certain time? Right now I just have them saved as drafts and I have to go in and post them myself. I tried under Post Options to change the date and time and it would not schedule it.


Go to your blogger page where you write your post. Go to Post Options. It is right there. Go to Scheduled At.


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## AnnieinBC

Pam6 said:


> I don't ever remember visiting that site before. But oh well! I will take the hits from it!  I have posts prepared now for the next two days!
> Do you know how to schedule a post to go up at a certain time? Right now I just have them saved as drafts and I have to go in and post them myself. I tried under Post Options to change the date and time and it would not schedule it.


Hi Pam, I will go check out your blog tonite. I just wanted to mention about that one referral you got. If someone leaves a comment that mentions your blog, on another blog, and someone else clicks on the link to your blog, that will count as a referral - does that make sense? So it's not that You had to have visited. 

Also, about the Post Scheduling....I often have a problem with Blogger in that way. I do a post and then schedule it and then hit publish. Then I go into Edit Posts and see that somehow it got saved as a draft instead.

So I go Edit the post again to get it to show up, scroll down to the bottom, and then make sure it is scheduled then publish it again.

I don't know why, but it sometimes takes a couple times for it to "stick" as a Scheduled Post. Never use to have that problem with Blogger, it's just a recent thing.


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## Pam6

Thanks for the info and comments Katlupe and Annie. The scheduled post thing is just not 'sticking' for me. I have tried it several times. I guess I will just have to manually post them. At least they are prepared...that is 99% of the battle! LOL!


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## AnnieinBC

Pam, when you go back into the post, just put your cursor somewhere in the window...just so there is some "action" on your part. Then go down to bottom make sure it was saved as Scgeduled, then hit Publish Post.

Worth a try, it works for me.


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## Pam6

I was NOT approved for Adsense!!  

The email said:
Page type: Your website is a type of website that we do not currently
accept into our program. Such websites include, but are not limited to,
chat sites, sites that drive traffic through cybersquatting, and sites
that use excessive keywords in the content or code of their pages.


For a complete list of AdSense criteria, please visit:

https://www.google.com/adsense/policies?hl=en_US

https://www.google.com/adsense/localized-terms?rc=US&ce=1&hl=en_US

To update and resubmit your application, please visit
https://www.google.com/adsense?hl=en_US and sign in using the email
address and password you submitted with your application. Our
specialists will review your account for compliance with our program
policies, so please make sure to resolve all of the issues listed above
before resubmitting.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team


What could I be doing wrong??? The ONLY thing I can think of is that I have a swagbucks widget on it...would that make a difference?? Do you think I should take it off and then resubmit my application??


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## Pam6

Ok, from what I am reading blogspot NEVER gets approved and I would have to buy my domain name and then have it established with GOOD traffic for at least 3-4 months before they will approve it.  UGH!


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## AnnieinBC

Pam6 said:


> Ok, from what I am reading blogspot NEVER gets approved and I would have to buy my domain name and then have it established with GOOD traffic for at least 3-4 months before they will approve it.  UGH!


Pam, using Blogger cannot be the reason you didn't get approved for Adsense. There are many many blogpost blogs that do have Adsense.

It May be the swagbucks button. I'd remove the button and try again.

Were you trying to Monetize from inside your Blogger Dashboard?

You could try loggin out of Blogger and just going over to Adsense, opening an account....trying it from that end.

Good luck! Other folks will have more suggestions for you than I


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## katlupe

Sorry to hear that Pam. I can't help you on that as I do not like Adsense at all. I had it though in the past on my blogspot blog. I took it off. Maybe one of the bloggers on The Blogfrog would know more about this question.


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## Pelenaka

I have adsense on my blog from almost the begining. 
Did ad the widget for swagbucks in the past 6 mos.
I wish that they offered more homesteading type product adds. I have yet to make my `1st $100. 
I did send off an email to blogvertise answering their question about why I don't use them (not appropriate to my blog). No answer back.


~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## AnnieinBC

Pam, did you try removing the Swagbucks and then resubmit to Adsense? Hoping you got that straightened out.


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## Pam6

No, I didn't. I have been working midnight shift and I have been to tired to think about it. I also read a lot about people getting banned for no apparent reason and that has kind of scared me off a little!


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## Pam6

Ok, I tried adding the Amazon swidget to my blog. I am awaiting approval for it now. Can you all take a look and tell me what you think of the swidgets and if you think they are to much on there? Thanks!


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## katlupe

Pam, it looks good!


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## Pam6

Thanks Katlupe!


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## therunbunch

Thanks for sharing! I'm going to give this a try. I have written for AC (Now yahoo distribution network) since 2006 but I only get about $25 per month for that (even if I write nothing). So that will a good way to bring my blog back into use maybe.


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## Pam6

I just did a post on dehydrating apples then I put a link for a apple peeler, corer, slicer from Amazon at the bottom of my post.
Check it out, please, and let me know if you think it is to much? Thanks!
http://pamspride.blogspot.com/2011/03/dehydrating-apples.html


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## katlupe

Pam6 said:


> I just did a post on dehydrating apples then I put a link for a apple peeler, corer, slicer from Amazon at the bottom of my post.
> Check it out, please, and let me know if you think it is to much? Thanks!
> http://pamspride.blogspot.com/2011/03/dehydrating-apples.html


Looks good Pam! That little tool looks like it really works.


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## Pam6

If you have the Amazon links on your website for making money are you allowed to plug them on places like facebook....like: If you are going to be ordering anything from Amazon click on one of the links of my blog for A so I can earn a percentage??


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## sunflower-n-ks

Pam6 said:


> I just did a post on dehydrating apples then I put a link for a apple peeler, corer, slicer from Amazon at the bottom of my post.
> Check it out, please, and let me know if you think it is to much? Thanks!
> http://pamspride.blogspot.com/2011/03/dehydrating-apples.html


Wow, they still make those apple peelers? That looks just like the one we had when I was a little girl, and that was a lot of years ago. We used it a lot.


----------



## Pam6

sunflower-n-ks said:


> Wow, they still make those apple peelers? That looks just like the one we had when I was a little girl, and that was a lot of years ago. We used it a lot.


Well, feel free to order one from my link to try one out and see if it is just like you remember! :happy:


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## Pam6

I got my first Affiliate link today!!


----------



## pamda

Very cool pam. I managed to order another 5.00 amazon card today. 3 so far and a week to go. I really need to get my blog working for me. It's sitting stale and all alone.lol


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## Pam6

I am an Amazon Affiliate and it says "Increase your referral rate to 6% by referring 2 more items." Does anyone know how to refer more items so I can reach my full 6% if someone should order?


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## katlupe

I believe just doing what you are doing. Including the links in your posts and along the side. Maybe go to their Affiliate forum and ask there. They are pretty friendly and will answer your questions. There is also a LinkedIn Amazon associates group that answers questions and has discussions on how to increase your sales.


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## katlupe

I also have added some links from Shareasale. And have one interesting manufacturer who has offered me a free product for a giveaway on my blog.


----------



## PMcNemar

I've only gotten 1 traffic from Blog Frog so far, a handful from networked blogs and facebook, and the rest from this site. lol

I'm doing okay on traffic considering how new my blog is, just hoping that people will not just look but also buy some of the products I'm linking from Amazon or will see an interesting ad from google. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can turn my blog into a success. Entertaining and informing people about homesteading is my first goal, but I hope I can pull off a little extra money to put into my homesteading fund.


----------



## equinecpa

Here's another suggestion for traffic: Add your blog address to your signature on all the sites that you post on such as this one.


----------



## PMcNemar

I wanted to do that, but I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to add a signature here.


----------



## forfreedom

PMcNemar said:


> I wanted to do that, but I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to add a signature here.


Click on UserCP (On the top menu), then click Edit Signature on the left-hand side menu. Then copy an address of your blog from the browser and paste it to your signature box, like you do the posts here.


----------



## PMcNemar

There isn't an 'Edit Signature' option. That's why I can't figure out how to put a signature on my posts.


----------



## Halfway

PMcNemar said:


> There isn't an 'Edit Signature' option. That's why I can't figure out how to put a signature on my posts.


It won't let you post a sig for a while. It is set up to prevent spammers.


----------



## katlupe

I thought I'd revive this thread. It seems like some of us are making some $$ on our blogs at long last.

Yesterday, I had a meeting at the local restaurant supply store that I buy groceries from. They contacted me and want me to write a blog post monthly in exchange for some free gift cards. I will be posting on my blog, on their facebook page (which has 15,430 people) and on their website. A first for them and for me too. This is a store that sells most items in bulk for restaurants but sells to the public too. I am hoping to expand this so they ask me to do one post a week. For now, I will work on getting them to love my posts so much that will want more. This is the biggest employer in our area right now, so I feel like I can get somewhere with this.

Any blogger could do this in your local area. It is a good way to get free food or money, if they pay you instead. I like the food idea myself.


----------



## Halfway

katlupe said:


> I thought I'd revive this thread. It seems like some of us are making some $$ on our blogs at long last.
> 
> Yesterday, I had a meeting at the local restaurant supply store that I buy groceries from. They contacted me and want me to write a blog post monthly in exchange for some free gift cards. I will be posting on my blog, on their facebook page (which has 15,430 people) and on their website. A first for them and for me too. This is a store that sells most items in bulk for restaurants but sells to the public too. I am hoping to expand this so they ask me to do one post a week. For now, I will work on getting them to love my posts so much that will want more. This is the biggest employer in our area right now, so I feel like I can get somewhere with this.
> 
> Any blogger could do this in your local area. It is a good way to get free food or money, if they pay you instead. I like the food idea myself.


That is a great opportunity and now you will be getting a token for your efforts in promoting local business. I gladly promote the products and services that I feel are a great value or have great customer service without reimbursement, but a gift card or other "appreciation" is a plus!

Thanks Kat!


----------



## katlupe

I was promoting them I guess, by writing about what I bought in their store. Actually, I buy meat in bulk there and can it and do blog posts about that. They are some of my top rated posts that get the most traffic. So that brought them to my blog looking to see why they were getting hits to their site.

Today, I did the post and I think it came out really good. I have lots of ideas for future posts. I really am hoping it will turn out being a weekly thing. This is the post:

Shopping For Food Frugally


----------



## Pam6

katlupe said:


> I was promoting them I guess, by writing about what I bought in their store. Actually, I buy meat in bulk there and can it and do blog posts about that. They are some of my top rated posts that get the most traffic. So that brought them to my blog looking to see why they were getting hits to their site.
> 
> Today, I did the post and I think it came out really good. I have lots of ideas for future posts. I really am hoping it will turn out being a weekly thing. This is the post:
> 
> Shopping For Food Frugally


Katlupe, that is an EXCELLENT post! Very well written and very well done!


----------



## katlupe

Pam6 said:


> Katlupe, that is an EXCELLENT post! Very well written and very well done!


Thank you!


----------

