You’re Not A Newspaper, Stop Acting Like One

13 | Posted In Make Money by David

Hey, you know what?

Newspapers aren’t doing so well these days. Revenue is way down and they’re trying to find new ways to live in the age of “new media”. Their income comes from ads and classified listings. Well, advertisers have a lot better options these days. And Craigslist makes newspaper classified ads less enticing. I could go on and on about it, really, but I’ll spare them.

The newspaper model is slowly dying away. So, why is it that so many bloggers are trying to act like them?

Why is it that banner ads are still considered the de facto way to make money with a blog?

When I tell people that I make my living as a blogger, their first response is usually something like, “So, how do you make money doing that? Ads?”

My long-time readers know that I’m all about the direct monetization via direct product sales. If you’re in a market where you’re helping people accomplish things with your blog, then you can monetize it via product creation.

The money is in being an enabler, not a reporter.

Don’t be a newspaper. That model is dead. Even the New York Times is foreseeing the end of their print publishing. Obviously, there are mega-costs associated with print and bloggers don’t do that. But, it goes deeper than that. It is the model itself. They rely on ads alone.

The big publications have the power to garner enough page views to be interesting to advertisers. Most bloggers don’t get that kind of traffic, so they’re stuck with small ad deals or Google Adsense leftovers. That’s small potatoes compared to what you can do with product sales.

Adsense is low-hanging fruit. If ads are your money-maker, you are a commodity (unless you’re in a tight niche that can warrant it). You can’t stand out. You’re in the mix with all the other bloggers making a nickel per day. You could go the spammy route and set up a whole bunch of Adsense blogs, but the fact that that even happens goes to show you how much that model has commoditized.

So, how do you stand out and grab the higher-hanging fruit?

Help people accomplish things.

Give people solutions.

Charge for it.

Become an authority on your topic.

Value yourself.

Be an enabler, not a reporter.

Free eBook!

Like what you read?

If so, please join over 12,000 people who receive exclusive online business and blogging tips, and get a FREE COPY of my eBook, Six Figure Blogger Blueprint (PDF and MP3)! Just enter your name and email below:

  • http://www.jamienorthrup.com Jamie Northrup

    Hey David, you’re absolutely right, I’m actually guilty of this, I run 9 websites, one of them was run in a Newspaper style (currently still is) but over the past 3 weeks or so I’ve pretty much let it die because it’s not the right way, and it doesn’t hold up even close to the other 8 and requires much more effort. I’m working on a new way of doing that website, and your post just reaffirmed my thoughts! Thanks!

    Jamie

  • http://twitter.com/yolandafacio Yolanda A. Facio

    Excellent! I would also say “add value”. It is not enough to be an authority and it’s not enough to simply provide solutions. First you need to do ALL of the six things Dave lists then add as much value as you can, more than anyone else. The stakes seem to be getting higher, the competition greater. How do you stand out? Give more than anyone else does.

    The newspaper is indeed dying.

  • http://www.mikestenger.com Mike Stenger

    I remember at your guys’ panel the last day of BlogWorld, you saying “The newspaper industry is in a downturn, so the last thing we need to do is act like them.” Thought that was absolutely brilliant because you have so many people put up tons of ads, then wonder why they’re not making any money.

  • http://www.mikestenger.com Mike Stenger

    I remember at your guys’ panel the last day of BlogWorld, you saying “The newspaper industry is in a downturn, so the last thing we need to do is act like them.” Thought that was absolutely brilliant because you have so many people put up tons of ads, then wonder why they’re not making any money.

  • http://twitter.com/eyuzwa eyuzwa

    I’m only running 3 sites, and have been lately thinking of pulling down AdSense across the board in an effort to reboot things and just focus on adding more value and products. Thanks for posting this David!

  • http://www.stevescottsite.com Steve Scott

    Great info.

    I have currently been resisting running any sort of ads. I have only made free lead magnet info products so far, but I am working on my first real product for direct monetization and I have a rough plan sketched out for the second one.

    Thanks for reaffirming that this seems to be a good way to go rather than making chump change on ads

  • http://www.wilsonusman.com/ Wilson Usman

    that’s a really good point you made David, I started out with adsense at first and slowly learned that business wasn’t working for me, now I’ve decided to start providing value and will be making products myself. Thanks for the quick tip.

  • http://claimid.com/bizlaunch Trinity

    So true, personally I no longer read newspaper, I can receive news update directly from my phone and know what’s happening around the globe online. I don’t have to buy a newspaper, and when I do see blogs that has so many ads, I get disappointed. It’s becoming more like a core of your blog rather than provide information, there are sure ways to monetize your blog but not that annoying ads.

  • http://www.BruneianDollar.com Bruneian Dollar

    I think you’ve already mentioned this over and over with your past blog posts. Making money with ads is just a small thing to have. Kinda nice sometimes to actually help another person get more exposure through a blog that has great PR results. I mean that’s what PR can do for us in terms of income.Enablers… Perfect job title to substitute bloggers in the blogosphere, don’t you think?

    Oh and one more thing, they’re still making money because of printed sales to distributors. Though, slowly they be dying still.

  • http://www.BruneianDollar.com Bruneian Dollar

    True. There is another way they can actually benefit from selling ads. Not around the content but on a separate webpage. Like another classified ads site. Imagine having your own community that actually wants to pay for ads on your highly exposed blog but you put their ads somewhere behind the blog. Just as David had said before, “Blogging is promotion but the business is behind that blog.” Might as well put the ads there.

  • http://www.BruneianDollar.com Bruneian Dollar

    Maybe. But here’s a scary thought. If the newspaper industry is going down and later there won’t be anymore printed newspapers, would they actually close down their public media business? I’m just sayin’.

  • http://www.spiceupyourblog.com/ Paul Crowe

    Interesting post David..

  • http://twitter.com/DrWriteBrain Dean Fitzpatrick

    I totally agree, David. One