I believe that anyone can make money as an online publisher. I\’ve always believed that and I\’ve seen enough people set up websites and generate income to keep believing it.
But I know there\’s something wrong with this picture.
I\’m not going to kid myself and it would be plain wrong to try to kid anyone else.
Some publishers are going to have an easier time than others.
If you choose to create a website that explains how to buy a plasma television, for example, the chances are you\’re going to find it pretty easy to make money. You\’ll get good ads from a wide range of different advertising programs and they\’ll pay great returns for clicks, commissions and impressions.
If you create a site in which you talk about your ongoing project to build a model of the Statue of Liberty out of matchsticks, you won\’t get such great ads. Nor will you get users who are looking to buy and who are therefore more likely to click ads and see what sellers are offering.
That doesn\’t mean you have to abandon your plan to write about your hobby though and focus on creating a product review site instead.
What it does mean is that if you want to maximize your income, it might be a good idea to look for ways to introduce occasional product-related posts. Someone describing matchstick modeling for example, could write a post discussing the best craft knives. An article like that should get targeted ads that generate higher revenues than other posts.
It would still have to be relevant and interesting to the people reading it — there wouldn\’t be much writing about plasma televisions, for example, just because the payments per click are high.
But if you can find a way to work product posts into a site that doesn\’t usually discuss shopping, you\’ll still be able to write about exactly the topics you want. You\’ll just find it easier to make money at the same time.