Define your product

You could not have not heard about a blog. Everyone from Amitabh Bachchan to your neighbour’s wife seems to have one. Various estimates put the number at over 100 million globally, with readerships of each varying from millions to just the blogger and his dog. It’s time you added to the number and start your own.

Yes, there is chaos out there. And a big clutter. How can you make money from a blog when most people don’t? There are ways for your blog to go beyond being a mere statistic and making a healthy contribution to your personal balance sheet. The following could help you get started:

DEFINE YOUR PRODUCT

Every suggestion in the book on monetizing your blog will come to nought if your product is not strong. For a blog, the product is mainly content. What is more important in a newspaper: the quality of production or what it offers to read? Same holds true for a blog.

Start by asking why you are writing a blog. This will bring clarity on who you are writing for, and this in turn will help you determine what you are writing. Readers will come to you only if you carry something impactful, informative or even humorous for them. Just because so many blogs have little more than incoherent ramblings of the publisher does not mean you have to subscribe to such low denominators.

And here’s more to make your product buyer friendly:
Quantity does not beat quality: While frequent postings may help you go up the search rankings, don’t do it for the sake of doing so. Ask yourself if anyone would care to read what you are writing. Post once or twice a week if need be but ensure it is quality writing. You don’t want to turn away readers or bury your good pieces under the debris of poorly written ones.
Is it unique? Unless the first blog Rip Van Winkle goes to after waking up is yours, your content is valuable only if it is unique. Search engines such as Google can now catch those who copy content from other sources. Spooky, but true. A combination of originality and quality works beautifully—it takes you higher up on the search engines.
Is your content ‘buzzworthy’? It can be if you offer scoops or write controversial stuff—but be careful and don’t go over the top. A positive buzz will get people talking about you and send links and traffic your way.
One Blog, One Subject: A blog is usually a success if it covers only one subject area, exceptions always being there. This gives the blog its own unique positioning proposition. Your audience knows what to expect. If you want to cover multiple subjects, have multiple blogs. A technology follower may have little interest in personal finance matters.

“Start by asking why you are writing a blog. This will bring clarity on who you are writing for, and this in turn will help you determine what you are writing. A combination of originality and quality works beautifully—it takes you higher up on the search engines.” - Rajesh Lalwani, Founder and CEO, Blogworks, India