One of the biggest questions asked to me about this blog is ‘how much do you make with it’… I’ve answered this a lot in private, but here’s the public answer. Directly, I make next to nothing, have always made next to nothing, and probably will make next to nothing in future. For those interested in the figure, it’s around $500/month give or take a little bit 
The thing about blogs… is that there is a cap on earnings. There is only so much ad space, so many affiliate products you can push and so many other types of ways you can monetize it without people getting pissed off. Bloggers look at John Chow, and think they can reach that stage… with a blog in this niche, it’s very unlikely you’ll make even a tenth of what he makes, monthly.
I stopped concentrating on directly monetizing this blog ages ago… yes, there are direct ads, but apart from that next to nothing. I’ve promoted one or two affiliate products to you guys in the last year, mainly because I feel it’s not worth the hassle.
Now indirect income… that’s an entirely different thing altogether. This blog makes quite a bit more than a tenth of John Chow’s monthly income indirectly, and although a large chunk of that is through profitable joint ventures, a lot of this is also through occasionally promoting products and projects of my own.
You can make a full time living doing this, and quite a few marketers do.
I did this when I started out on this blog… every week, I promoted a different product (which no doubt pissed people off 
), got a few sales and then sold off all rights. Of course, your blog readers will get irritated if you constantly try and sell them things… which is why you should promote your own projects and reap the benefits.
I haven’t done this in ages, as most of my projects tend not to be in this niche… it’s far easier to promote where people are unaware of internet marketing. However, those of you that remember the old owner at John Cow – he used to do this quite a bit, and I did this for the launch of Blog Premiere – nearly every single member of that site came from here.
If I sold Blog Premiere today, I’d net at least a few thousand for it. With no costs on promotion etc. Of course, Blog Premiere was a slightly expensive project to get off the ground for people that would be starting out, but what about other blogs?
Had I promoted DaBlogger on TUK when I started it, it would have 2x – 3x the readers it does today, and would be worth a lot more. I didn’t, because at the time I wanted to use it as a case study and work at it from the newbie’s perspective… so didn’t want to distort the statistics.
The thing is, blog readers actually LIKE hearing about projects, whereas they HATE being sold to. Due to this, they’ll check out your new projects, maybe interact or subscribe… and you have a project that you’ve recently started getting visitors with you doing nothing.
You can do this for every single project you ever launch (if you are that way inclined)… start one, benefit off the initial boost of traffic and revenue (while having to do less promotion yourself) and sell it after a month. Rinse, repeat, over and over and over again. Of course, do not do this too much as if you give people too many options, they’ll usually choose none of them
I’ve always recommended people have a flagship, ‘personal’ blog… it’s a lot better for networking and here’s just another reason why you should. You don’t even have to try and directly monetize it – indirectly works far easier and is a lot less work.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Nice work, what’s your view on running more than one blog simultaneously?
Danny Cooper’s last blog post..What’s on Your RSS Reader?
[Reply]
Jason (702 comments) Reply:
October 6th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Personally, I’m a lazy schmuck…. so for me, outsourcing is king. However, if you can do it yourself, go wild.
The standard saying is that ‘two heads are better than one’ … if you can do them of equal quality, or even slightly less quality… two blogs are better than one, and three blogs are better than two… and so on and so forth.
[Reply]
Anonymous (9 comments) Reply:
October 6th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Ya outsourcing is really great. I only started doing it a few weeks ago when I made another site that I was flipping. It saves me a lot of time while still achieving what I want.
[Reply]
Sly from SlyVisions dot Com (21 comments) Reply:
October 6th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Oops. I forgot to fill in my name/email/website in the anonymous comment above. That’s what happens when you only see a portion of a site on a small iPhone screen.
Sly from SlyVisions dot Com’s last blog post..And the Winners Are…
[Reply]
kahthan (6 comments) Reply:
October 6th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
but outsourcing comes at a cost, if you are making enough to cover the cost of outsourcing then it is definitely viable.
kahthan’s last blog post..Adsense Focused Niche Site : Adsense Earning Potential
[Reply]
kouji (7 comments) Reply:
October 18th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
commenting from an iphone? nice.
kouji’s last blog post..blog action day 2008: philippine poverty haiku poems
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 9:35 am
that’s a very good point, though for some of us, a tenth of what john chow earns for our main blog like this would be enough
add that to the indirect and then you have a full time income.
i think the trick is also to be the first to promote affiliate marketing schemes to your visitors, and you make money from referrals for the rest of your life. a lot depends on your visitors and what they are looking for.
kahthan’s last blog post..Adsense Focused Niche Site : Keyword Research
[Reply]
Franklin Bishop (16 comments) Reply:
October 6th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Yes you are right. You practically have to be an affiliate whore when new programs come out. You’ve probably would’ve liked to be the only person to advertise new programs so you can wreak all the benefits, which is making money.
Franklin Bishop’s last blog post..Viral Marketing by Free Content Use (Guest Posting)
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Yeah, slick. That’s how I use my blog to promote my services and that right there is worth it alone. But I go for the same thing I see at TUK high quality content means readers will stick around even when they know you’re out for a sale. But a pitch disguised as an experiment or a walk through on a new project for the sake of your blog and readers can just go right under their radar . . .
music. marketing. management.’s last blog post..Kurb Music Video Promotion and Production Packages
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I agree I mean they are evn receptive to talk about the projects that you’ve posted… Although i never talked much about some projects on my blog I see most succesful bloggers doing it
Melvin’s last blog post..September 2008 Income From My Whole Life
[Reply]
Franklin Bishop (16 comments) Reply:
October 6th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I still do not know why talking about projects on your blog would even interest people. I guess these people just have to say that their projects are becoming very successful and everyone gets jealous so they continue to read their blog to to find out how they’re doing it.
Franklin Bishop’s last blog post..Viral Marketing by Free Content Use (Guest Posting)
[Reply]
Simon from Otooo (3 comments) Reply:
October 7th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Yeah, talking about it and actually seeing results would convince people to buy it / be interested.
Simon from Otooo’s last blog post..IronBlogger’s Holding a Huge Contest – $1,000 Of Prizes
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I am trying to make money in multiple ways and TUK is right, most of my income online (1k+) per month is not from my main blog. I make it off services and such. Although I do make about half of what TUK makes online per month.
I would also assume if someone could actually build another MMO blog to the subscriber and traffic counts that John Chow has that person could easily be making what Chow is making. But who knows!
Shannon Lilly’s last blog post..Play With Alexa Rank While Making Money
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
hey you are right jason.we cannot be looking forward to make money only with our main and popularsites.We need to move on with other blogs and sites too.
Harish’s last blog post..Sunday Link Luv-October 5
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Indirect income from your personal blog, interesting. I like this thought and can see it really happening. I am in the middle of building my personal blog after owning the url for about 5 years now.
I am beginning to see the benefits of what you are talking about as I am developing relationships with other bloggers. Can’t wait for it to bare fruit, you know?
Freddie’s last blog post..Goal Setting Sunday: Week 6
[Reply]
Franklin Bishop (16 comments) Reply:
October 6th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Developing relationships with other bloggers is very important so I’m glad you are doing that. I always tell my students to build as many relationships as you possibly can with other bloggers.
Franklin Bishop’s last blog post..Viral Marketing by Free Content Use (Guest Posting)
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Great post Jason, this is exactly the reason that I hold a blog. There’s only so much that you can do directly with the blog advertisements, but the leverage that exists from having a dedicated community of readers is priceless. Well put my man
The Net Fool’s last blog post..Win BIG with TNF’s October Spectacular!
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Great pist Jason
I never really monetize my blog properly. I just have things on there that I thought were good and I use myself. I’ve always focused on high quality content to provide to my readers.
Bruno Auger’s last blog post..How to Make your Blog a Success
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
A flagship blog, I guess that’s exactly what my blog is… or, what I want it to be
Rajaie AlKorani’s last blog post..By: Rajaie AlKorani
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Very interesting post. I’m surprised that you make so little with this blog. When I say little I wouldn’t turn down $500 a month, for a blog post a day. In fact if any one is offering
?
Clog Money’s last blog post..E-book great success!!
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Thanks for the awesome post Jason. I’m using my blog as a sort of promotion for my projects and its seeming to work.
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
blogging is definitely not a good income source unless you are chow/shoe…
go for affiliate
Problogineer’s last blog post..Motive Interactive Launches Advent 2
[Reply]
October 6th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
This is a great post, its true blogs do work well promoting your other projects. And it helps bring traffic to your other sites too
[Reply]
October 7th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Great Post, and your so right. I use this as my flagship site. And am working on a lot of other niche sites as well. I have to disagree though about 500/month being next to nothing lol… 99% of bloggers would be dieing to get 500 dollars a month. Maybe one day I’ll get there.
mastersofseo’s last blog post..Should I get a Site Map?
[Reply]
October 7th, 2008 at 1:37 am
I think that is ideal scenario, especially for an “MMO blogger”. You build the community, the friends, the followers in one place for free, and they support your other projects because they like you for who you are and providing them good info.
You can see that basic principle being applied by tons of the “big dogs” as well. There might be slight differences, but the basics are the same.
Great article.
Cheers!
Jay
SuiteJ’s last blog post..SuiteJ Vs Bryan Clark: Why The Blog Flipping Blueprint Review Didn’t Happen
[Reply]
October 7th, 2008 at 2:52 am
That is a very pertinent point, that people love to hear about new products but hate having them rammed down their throat.
And I can see how a flagship blog would be a good idea for a great many people.
[Reply]
October 7th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
This is interesting stuff. I’m fairly new to blogging (about 6 months), and your tips are a wealth of information. Thanks!
Ibrahim | ZenCollegeLife.com’s last blog post..Why Vote, Really?
[Reply]
October 7th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Great post Jason, as always. This is exactly the reason that I hold a blog.
Salwa’s last blog post..Ways to Increase Traffic
[Reply]
October 7th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I go with this idea, but as far as really making money online is concerned, blogs are a lot of work. I guess the safest thing to do is get someone to do the research and writing, then you can just tweak it a bit and add your ’signature’ tone. That way you can go on to do the things you love, while maintaining the flagship blog
Profitable Internet Niches’s last blog post..5 Profitable Keyword phrases – Low competition !!!
[Reply]
October 7th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
So basically you’re talking about flipping?
Dennis Edell’s last blog post..Knowledge Link Love #1: What Are Your Favorite Social Networks and Why?
[Reply]
Jason (702 comments) Reply:
October 8th, 2008 at 6:18 am
You do not have to flip the project if you do not want to, however that is what most entrepreneurs that promote projects through a flagship blog do.
[Reply]
October 7th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Jason, I thought you were making more than $500 a month – then again, with the wealth of blogs out there, making money from blogs is getting harder everyday.
Ace
Ace Carter’s last blog post..Get Involved At Student On Campus!
[Reply]
October 8th, 2008 at 7:19 am
[...] good example to follow is that of TUK. He shares a blogging philosophy close to mine. He blogs for the benefit of the readers. The [...]
October 8th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Just posted on a similar subject.
I see blogs as a “home base” for projects as well. I have made it a point not to really use my blog for advertising unless approached by and advertiser.
My focus is on beneficial content that will keep readers interested, and traffic coming.
[Reply]
October 8th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Thanks for this info.. This one is really a good one.. I will try it out
SEO Tips’s last blog post..New Theme
[Reply]
October 9th, 2008 at 12:10 am
I’ve been planning to officially launch mine for a while. I’m thinking something like a running bio of activities and such.
Dennis Edell’s last blog post..Knowledge Link Love #1: What Are Your Favorite Social Networks and Why?
[Reply]
October 9th, 2008 at 4:02 am
I just have one blog now. Earlier I had a plan to start different blogs with different topics. But now I’m trying to include all that topics in the same blog itself. That is what I call Jumbled Topics!
My Blog – http://jumbleblogger.blogspot.com/
Shafar’s last blog post..Make Stylish Fonts for your Community Profiles
[Reply]
October 9th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
That’s the whole idea of having some great site/blog.
Aleks’s last blog post..Funny picture – Running boy
[Reply]
October 10th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Currently I only have one blog, so i guess its my flagship blog.
Eva White’s last blog post..Breast Cancer Awareness Month
[Reply]
October 10th, 2008 at 3:32 am
It is possible to make more than 500 a month on a flagship blog. just need to work out the kinks.
Eva White’s last blog post..Breast Cancer Awareness Month
[Reply]
October 19th, 2008 at 7:16 am
[...] Use a Flagship Blog to Provide a Boost to Your Projects at The University Kid. [...]
October 26th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Of course it is possible, if you make things right.
Aleks’s last blog post..Quotation of the day – Mark Twain
[Reply]
November 1st, 2008 at 12:37 am
Yep, I agree! It’s a smart move to benefit from the community you have built up, to help breath life into other projects.
Normal Joe’s last blog post..JoeCow.com,IMwithJohnCow.com – What do you think? Should I Take Over The Cow Pasture?
[Reply]
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 am
Very inspiring post! Not only do you lay out exactly what someone has to do, but you inspire them to do it. For myself, I’m going to put all that positive energy into my existing blog, because I don’t feel that I have it established enough just yet to be able to use it as proper leverage for adding more blogs.
Got to build up a solid foundation first. But thank you for the inspiration!:-)
[Reply]
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:11 am
[...] Use a Flagship Blog to Provide a Boost to Your Projects at The University Kid. [...]
March 12th, 2010 at 5:56 am
I know what you mean, I’m recently looking for projects I can launch using sites that do well with traffic, affiliate marketing is really quite fickle. I might earn a few hundred one month and next to nothing the next, But im starting to look at other, small niches I can dominate and earn a few bucks everyday, this seems to be agood path.
thanks
joe
joe @ making money ideas´s last blog ..Simple Making Money Ideas: The Book
[Reply]