Making a Living with a Blog – Interview!

It’s well known that many bloggers are making a living blogging about different topics. Today we’re interviewing one of our clients, Rebecca from ElasticPop.com

We’ve known Rebecca for a little over 3 years, and seen her site grow from a personal hobby blog to something that is now her full time job, working from home and doing what she loves!

Tell us about yourself. How long have you been blogging?

I set up my first blog sometime around the end of 2003. I was just one of those typical ones where I linked to articles I liked, talked about my favorite music, pets, etc. After a couple of years of that, I got bored with it and took it down. In mid 2006, I got the idea fir what eventually became ElasticPop.com

How long did it take you to get your blog launched?

I would say it really took me about a eighteen months. Because my blog is a Blu-Ray/DVD review site, it took time to make contacts with the studios and PR firms that provide titles. In order to convince them that I could write and publish the reviews, I wrote for some established blogs before soliciting material for my own.

How many hours per day do you spend working online?

During the week, anywhere from 7-11. On the weekends, I try to cut it down to half that, but It doesn’t always work out that way!

What are your favorite revenue sources?

Google AdSense, Commission Junction, Amazon Affiliate Program, iReel

How long did it take you to see real profits from your blog?

That took a good eighteen months, and I’m always looking for ways to refine and increase profits.

What were some of the challenges you had to overcome to see your online visions come to life?

For me, I think the biggest thing was remembering that the site needed to be accessible to people, no matter their level of computer expertise. My first impulse was to build a site with all sorts of bells and whistles, but in reality, a clean speedy site is more likely to be revised.

Any particular methods to generating traffic you could share?

Use Social Networking! Twitter your posts, put them on Facebook and make sure you’ve set up an RSS feed. Outside of that, Make sure your URL is in the signature of every email account you have. Also, you might consider having business cards made up and giving them out, posting them on bulletin boards of business etc. Another great thing to do, is visit forums related to the topic of your blog, participate in discussions, leaving your URL.

What are some online resources you could recommend for people looking to becoming a Professional Blogger?

These are sites I keep bookmarked.

http://www.problogger.net/
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/

Did you ever think you would be successful?

I hoped I would, but I had a fair amount of skepticism going in.

What’s the most common mistake(s) you see other bloggers make?

While it’s important to choose a topic that is popular, it’s equally important to choose something you’re interested in. Too many people choose something they clearly aren’t passionate about, and the site dies before it really gets off the ground.

What’s the best advice you have for would-be bloggers out there?

If you’re going to be a professional blogger, it’s best not to expect overnight success. It’s a lot of hard work, and growth tends to come in increments. However, if you are in it for the long haul, it can be a rewarding experience.

Any future plans you would like to share?

I’m in the midst of getting my forum up and running, so I hope my visitors will come on over and join the discussions!

Thank you Rebecca for taking your time to answer our questions! We wish you best of luck and great success!