When Should I Monetize My Blog?

The Jon Lymon Blog is really taking off. So much so that I’m contemplating the big question: When should I monetize my blog?

Authoring alone isn’t getting the bills paid. Nor is my copywriting anymore thanks to the advent of you know what. And I’ve recently released two albums of songs written and recorded in the late 80s and early 90s under the name Fascination Force. It’s a bit early to judge how well they’re selling or streaming, but it’s safe to assume they're unlikely to be getting radio airplay anytime soon.

So, the chance of a fresh revenue stream, even if it’s more of a trickle or as paltry as a drip from a tap will be welcome.

What Does Monetising Mean?

Monetising will likely mean accepting ads onto my thus far untainted pages. As a copywriter, I’m familiar with the writing of ads, of course. (I once wrote an ad looking for supermarket staff in West London which carried the headline Missing In Acton. Another for shelf stackers with the headline Challenge Yourshelf. Quality stuff.) But I’m also familiar with how poor 99.99% of ads are these days. That said, we live in a free market economy or whatever they call it, so I’m happy to do my bit and let advertisers try and sell their wares on my pages.

Irresistible to Advertisers

The attraction of my blog to advertisers is hard to resist. I’m posting fresh, witty, relevant content on a daily basis. As daily as the milkman used to deliver pints to the doorsteps of Britain.

My target audience is clearly defined, namely fellow writers struggling to make a few quid, and readers of dark comedy and horror fiction who really don’t want to be paying more than 99 cents for their reads.

Who wouldn’t want to have their brand associated with such brilliance?

And then there’s the stats. And this is the clincher. Before you read these, I’d like you to remember the saying that’s oft wheeled out: There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

So make of these stats what you will: The 30+ posts on my blog have been read a grand total of 6 times according to the analytics. Six. And some of those reads were no doubt by me, checking spelling and stuff.

So come on advertisers, if you want stratospheric brand exposure, you must surely be willing me to monetize sooner rather than later.

Jon Lymon writes novels that sell modestly and blog posts that er...