Blog startup advice

Hi all - I’m in the research stage of creating a blog-business, which will hopefully allow me to pursue a career involving writing. I am just starting to build a portfolio of content, which includes scientific articles, creative writing and instructionals/tips and advice. Currently I’m volunteering for other blog-businesses, but eventually I would like to derive an income from it and begin forming a career from it.

You’d really need to know all my strengths and weaknesses, interests and passions etc. to be able to make broad suggestions, so I’ll be specific:

I am thinking of utilising a donation system (inspired by what I’ve observed some pro-gamers on Twitch doing) that could allow consumers to interact with me. The idea is that the donations would facilitate the provision of more interesting services and allow the public to directly influence the content of my blog by being presented with predefined options or invited to make suggestions.

My theme of choice in general is essentially Biohacking/Personal Growth. Services that donations could facilitate would include experiments with supplements/nootropics/etc. and detailed journaling of the experiences, physical excursions and documentary, focal points for scientific research and the publishing of findings etc. and the list can go on as long as you guys like; I’m all eyes!

Do you think the above principle is likely to generate enough interest to justify the effort as a career path (assuming I deliver the goods more than adequately)? Any additional or alternative suggestions?

Greatly appreciated!

Cheers

You might want to consider using this service:

Getting people to pay for content is extremely difficult. Also, generating money from ads is becoming nearly impossible thanks to ad blocking tech. The most consistent path to profit seems to be using free content on your blog to develop an audience and then marketing paid products to that audience. I have a lot of people following me to view landscape photography and I make some $$$ marketing photography courses, cards, and prints to them. Not enough to give up driving a fuel truck, however.

The free content I post also attracts people who hire me to do family portraits, weddings, etc. Definitely consider creating paid products to go alongside free ones. That is what is working the best for the most people right now (e.g. www.theoatmeal.com).

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Wow! Thanks for sharing. The implications of my own ignorance of Patreon are saddening; how many other people are also unaware, I wonder?

Patreon looks like the kind of platform I would have been developing for my blog, but a lot more convenient.

I agree with your conclusion regarding free content and related product placement. Explaining my idea a little further; I would provide regular free content, but allow users to influence campaigns requiring funding. The product they are buying is information: data, metrics, results, reports etc. that are likely to help them make more informed choices leading to other financial investments into health solutions.

Thanks a lot for so willingly sharing your advice; it is not uncommon for the dog eat dog mentality to overwhelm human compassion in the world of business. Good heart :slight_smile:

I’m planning on going back to uni to study Biomedicine next year, so income from this venture would be a bonus meanwhile, but I really do hope to get some form of financial supplementation from it after I start studying.

I’ll check out your website :slight_smile:

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The Oatmeal is not me, but a fellow named Matthew Inman. I wish it was me - I’d like to have his income!

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