Many bloggers started out when the only reward was the self-satisfying one of being able to express their thoughts, creativity, knowledge, and even dreams.
Knowing there were some visitors, who stopped in regularly to read what they had written, was quite enough in the way of reward for them.
And then slowly something started to change.
A small few started to make a living using those very same blogs, and not just a "scrape by, pizza and beer" living, but in some cases they were seeing more income in a month, than they had previously been earning in a year.
Some people like Darren Rowse from Problogger were making their money primarily from the Google AdSense program that came out in 2003.
Others with higher traffic levels were selling advertising space to companies that tied in well with the theme of their blogs.
So if it's so easy, why aren't more people doing it, and being successful at it? That's just it, despite many people's perception that marketing online is a magical push button style of marketing, the truth is it is actually quite a bit of work in the beginning to launch a high traffic popular blog complete with hundreds of posts, thousands of readers each day, and a marketing plan that works.
As someone who was lucky enough to leave his suit and tie management job, in order to pursue a career in internet marketing, and who earns his entire living through his blog, I thought I'd share a few of the primary income streams that I rely on, so that if you should choose a similar career path, you'll know the key areas to focus on, and won't waste time on those that are either poor performers, or simply don't perform at all.
Income Stream 1 Your primary source of income will come from the list that you build of subscribers, people who are interested in the topic of your blog.
Typically you offer your visitors something of value like an EBook, or ECourse in exchange for their email address, and the right to send them updates, and offers.
The average subscriber is worth approximately $5 to $12 per year, which while it might not seem like much will grow over time to become your primary source of income.
I recommend you invest as much of your resources into this stream as you can.
However it is important to note that this income stream will start off making you next to nothing, and should be considered a long term investment.
Income Stream 2 Once you've built up your traffic levels to the point where you can start attracting advertiser to your website, you can then sell ad locations within your blog.
These can take the form of banners in the header, footer, or sidebar, and can even be within the posts themselves in some cases.
A blog receiving 2000 or more unique visitors each day can do quite well with this method.
However again this is not a short term solution to any income problems you might have.
Building up to these levels of traffic takes a lot of hard work.
Income Stream 3 Normally I'd consider Google's AdSense an advertising stream of income, and lump it in with revenue stream 2, but since I've only given you two long term earners so far, I thought I'd share one that can start producing income right out of the gate.
A brand new blog can easily earn enough to pay your server costs each month, and over time in can be grown into something that could even be making payments toward your vehicle.
My blog earned $25.
00 its first month, and has continued to grow from there, and yes, Google makes my car payments each month.
Income Stream 4 Affiliate marketing has long been a favorite of internet marketers.
There is no need to build or create your own product, and you can instantly set out to sell those products that are already hot commodities on the net.
By promoting someone else's product in exchange for a portion of the sale, or commission you can start making sales, and earning money by leveraging the popularity of affiliate sites like ClickBank, or Commission Junction.
These sites couple up vendors with affiliates, and take care of all aspects of tracking and reporting which ensures that you will get paid exactly what you earn while promoting the different products that are available through those marketplaces.
By incorporating affiliate links into your blog, you can earn generous commissions each time a sale is made, often between 50% and 75% for many of the digital products.
Income Stream 5 Now I hope I haven't discouraged you from pursuing a dream of working from home or trying to make money blogging, because that wasn't my intention.
In fact I believe everyone should experience the freedom that comes from owning their own business, and being their own boss.
Here is the income stream that can make you an income right away.
It is also the most like work out of any of the methods listed.
Selling a service online can start generating income for you today.
It's a simple matter of hiring yourself out as a freelancer.
If you can write, there are a thousand bloggers looking for people who can write good content.
If you can design graphics or websites, again you'll be able to find a market for your services without having to look too far.
It's up to you to decide which skills you have that can be marketed, and will tie in with the topic of your site.