The Stoner Mom Brand: 1st Quarter Updates

The Good

Things have sloooowly begun to start moving over here. I opened up the brand to affiliate sales and have made $200+ passively with that. Over like three months. My YouTube channel has a current ad revenue of like $130 or something but I’ve been too lazy to sign in and like, tell them how to pay me. So yeah.

I also got my Patreon site up and running and am really hoping to get some pledges so I can start making more videos. I’m starting to play around with the idea of subscription vlogs, like a daily periscope or something for my pledgees. If you haven’t yet, please check out my Patreon page. I have a super cute video up there and you don’t have to pledge a thing to watch it.

The Typical

I have yet to sit down and figure out a marketing strategy with my husband, a marketer. A lot of it is totally fear and self-sabotage, which by the way I am the queen of. Hail me. It has become clear that I am using my role as best mom evah as an excuse. That’s how I rationalize. It’s not self-sabotage if it’s just me taking care of my kids right? Here is how I know that’s false. 1) my kids are fine, better behaved then most kids and do not require my eyeballs on them 24/7 anymore. 2) During the regular and predictable hours I have away from them, I often find myself doing something other than working on the business. Like playing GTA. Or housework. Or shopping. Or sleeping.

So, goals for the next two weeks or so is to get ahead on blog posts, start Periscoping again, and get my Patreon videos off and running. Oh, and I’ll notify subscribers when Patreon stuff is available, so be sure to get on my mailing list.

Q&A: What it takes to be a Blogger

I get asked questions about blogging all the time. All these questions have led me to a totally different career goal by the way, outside of The Stoner Mom, but that’s for another post and another year. Anyway, I wanted to share some insight as someone who has blogged continuously for about 13 years now. Today I’m focusing on blogging for income, which is different from blogging in general.

My first advice to the newbie blogger is to educate yourself. Monetizing a blog requires several avenues of income, so you have your hands in many pots. Blogs typically bring in revenue with advertising, sponsorships, affiliate sales, and product development and sales. If you are going to be one of the remarkably few blogs that succeed, it is required that you know what you are getting into.

The Stoner Mom is Going to Drop some Realness Right Here

You totally cannot replace regular income with a blog right away. I think people tend to not realize that having and running a blog is a huge metric fuckton of work. You are essentially an entrepreneur. You are creating a brand, building social presence, becoming an authority in an industry, building and maintaining relationships with your fans, and forming relationships with brands.

It’s about writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing. and writing and writing. And then writing some more.

So take that writing, and then, add the job of full-time graphic designer, webmaster, IT person, oh and you must learn at the very least a minimal amount about coding. You need photos. Blogs without photography do not work. So you need photos. And then you need to do all the marketing, most of which takes place on social media. Oh, and social media is on 24/7. All the time. So if you slack off for a day or two because you fucking can’t stand the sight of it, well, everyone will know. And your popularity will plummet. So yes, becoming a full-time marketer for the brand that you created yourself around content that you also created yourself, is required.

You have to know how to write. Bad copy won’t sell, it’s noticeable and is not taken seriously.

I am trying not to be pessimistic here. I am trying to be real. No, blogging will never be a job until you create something significant that commands income from advertisers, or that you can sell for yourself. That is it. It is a ton of work, far more than people seem to realize. And thus failed blogs litter the internet with unresearched ideas and dreams of an easy work from home lifestyle.

But, for the Few…

IF you have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, if you have a history of creating something (anything) that is exceptional, if you have time to dedicate to the work, then yes, you have a chance, and you should totally give it a try. For the right person, blogging for profit is exciting, almost no brainer work, but it’s work nonetheless.

For everyone else, I suggest blogging for pleasure first and seeing how that works out. In my opinion it will become clear very soon. Personal blogging has been near and dear to my heart for many years, and I think it helps me significantly; in remembering things, documenting life, managing my emotions, and keeping my brain healthy and my tech skills sharp.