Bloggers need to make money. Everyone needs to make money. Its just the reality of life. We all need a certain amount of money to survive.
I find it funny how readers of a blog will enjoy free content for years. This content will help them greatly in life. The blog will provide them with a frequent source of information. Then when the blogger tries to make some money everyone is quick to judge. Why?
There are different monetization strategies out there for your typical blog. A few of the common ones include:
Google Adsense.
Affiliates (any product that you promote).
Text links.
Sponsored posts.
Premium products.
I find that readers have become adjusted to Adsense just because it has been around for so long. The text links also go unnoticed most of the time.
Affiliates can go either way depending on what you try to promote. Bloggers walk a fine line when it comes to promoting a product/trying to push it on their readers. Some readers will appreciate you bringing a new product to their attention. Others will (myself included) will become frustrated if all you ever do is promote stuff to us.
Premium (paid) products and sponsored posts usually receive many complaints. The sponsored posts detract from the usual style of the blog. I understand why readers would not appreciate these. However, they allow the blogger to earn some extra revenue.
When it comes to premium products I just don’t understand the hate. These products usually take a lot of time to put together and can stretch you to the limit. If you don’t want to buy the item then simply don’t buy it. Don’t resent the blogger for trying to produce a quality product.
One thing that I want to mention is that I really hope you guys understand that bloggers need to make money. The more money a blogger earns from their blog, the more time and effort they can put back into the blog. This is just the reality of it. It’s tough to spend all of your time on something that doesn’t make you any money when you have bills to pay.