Day 4: Blogging Revenues, Brands and Blogs: SOTB 2009

More bloggers than ever are making money from blogs, however they are not the majority. Most bloggers who are making money from their blogs are generally doing so as entrepreneurs by hosting advertising on their own sites and by using their blogs to drive speaking engagements and traditional media assignments. Some bloggers are even reporting profits that place them squarely in the middle class, so the rise of the professional blogger is clearly underway, but still evolving.

72% of respondents are classified as Hobbyists, meaning that they report no income related to blogging.

Of those who have monetized their blogging to at least some extent:

• 54% are Part-Timers
• 32% are Self-Employeds
• 14% are Corporates


Because Corporates report working for an organization or company, while Part-Timers and Self-Employeds run their own organizations and companies, we asked the two subgroups different questions about how they monetize their blogs.

Part-Timers and Self-Employeds say that the main ways they generate revenue are through display and search ads, as well as through affiliate marketing links. 15% say they are paid to give speeches on the topics they blog about.

Among Pro and Self-Employed bloggers, 17% of the total respondents derive their primary income from blogging.



We asked Part-Timers and Self-Employeds who generate revenue through advertising (approximately 40% of such bloggers) to estimate their annual revenues from advertising.




51% of Corporates – 58 respondents – report receiving a salary for blogging. This result is highly directional, but given the small size of the overall cohort of Corporates, worth noting. Too few bloggers to report say that they are paid by the post. 

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