Promote things you believe in and speak the truth, even if it means no sale. Having solid business ethics will serve your readers and you!

Good to know about the contests. I’ve thought about trying to do that, but haven’t had time. Often is seems like a crush of traffic from people looking for the freebie, but then it drops quickly back to normal. OTOH, having a bunch of free stuff sent to you isn’t all bad.

Years ago I owned an educational products company for homeschoolers (Bright Spark Press). Every week I’d get a new boxes of books, school supplies, educational games, manipulatives, etc. We were just out of college and trying to make our way in the world, and I’m telling you, it was like Christmas when we’d get these piles of fun, new things to try.

I think the most important thing is diversifying the revenue streams and not counting certain things out. I used to completely ignore affiliate marketing and now it’s almost as big as my Adsense income.

Contests honestly don’t seem to do much for my site. However, it is a reward for my loyal readers. I get so many products sent to me that I enjoy sharing them with readers.
.-= Todd´s last blog ..Top 20 Sites About Construction Managers =-.

@Ileane I’m glad you’re getting interested! There are many ways to monetize that take very little time. Since you’re already working on SEO to get traffic, no reason not to bring in some income with it.

@Todd you are a great example of the potential of blogging. Any tips on how you have been so successful? What methods do you like best? I notice that you run a lot of contests. I’ve never done that. Any pointers?

As you said, blogging is not a quick way to make money, but it has many advantages. Using this as additional income, as you have, is one. Another is being able to work from home. And, yea, it’s fun.

@Hesham thanks. What has worked best for you, so far? I think you have a great space to work in some affiliate marketing. Since there are so many possibilities, it’s likely that you can find some really good matches.

@Karl I’m pretty much in line with you, although the keyword strategy has done really well on some of my older, bigger sites.

Thanks for sharing Alison
.-= Karl Foxley´s last blog ..My Number 1 Tip For Achieving Your Blogging Goals =-.

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Great informative post.
.-= Hesham @ FamousBloggers´s last blog ..How to Win a free access to The Income Blogging Guide course? =-.

Great advice. I started my first blog (HCI) just over three years ago. It now makes over 40K per year and the best part is….I have fun doing it. The blog started as a hobby and soon turned into a profitable part-time job.

The key however is hard-work and patience. It took well over a year before it really made much money. As they say….”Nothing is Free!”……Thanks for sharing your tips.
.-= Todd – Home Construction & Improvement´s last blog ..Top 10 Things To Consider In A New House Plan =-.