How To Make Money On A Photoblog: Where To Start And How To Monetize

How To Make Money On A Photoblog: Where To Start And How To Monetize


It doesn't matter if you are an amateur or a professional photographer. Creating your own photography blog is a great way to regularly share your work and generate additional income. And if you take it seriously, photoblog income can be the main one. After all, a huge number of people are interested in photography, and the revenue of the photo industry is growing every year. Here is a short guide that will tell you where to start, how to develop and how to make money on a photo blog.

Where to start a photoblog

So how to start a photography blog. There are two main stages:

1. Choice of themes

First you need to decide what the blog will talk about. These can be the following topics:

  • Photography in general. Principles of classical art, design and photography. Filming.
  • Technique for creating photographs. How to set up a camera and auxiliary equipment, set up lights, build a composition, choose an angle, etc.
  • Photo processing. For example, working with Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
  • Making money on photography. You can talk about ways to make money in photography. For example, about working with photo stocks, collaborating with studios and agencies, etc. This can also include promotional tips for beginners and professional photographers.
  • A specific kind of photography. You can talk about one thing. For example, portrait photography, wedding photography, smartphone photography, landscape or city photography, etc. Sports photography, animal and wildlife photography, travel photography - the choice of themes and genres is limited only by imagination.
  • Overview of photography techniques. You can view cameras, tripods, lenses, and other equipment.

You can choose one of the listed topics, or you can cover all at once.

If you are a professional photographer, having your own blog will not only allow you to showcase your work to more people, but it will also help form a name. Perhaps a brand.

2. Choice of name

The title should be sonorous, memorable and immediately reflect the theme of the blog.

It is advisable not to make the title too long. Otherwise, it will be more difficult to remember.

You can use your first or last name. For example, SokolovFoto.

Where to Blog: Site Selection

Site selection is an important aspect. Available methods of promotion, monetization, as well as audience coverage depend on this. Here are the main options.

Note: you can use several sites at once.

1. Blogging platform

This is a standard blog on a platform site. In addition to yours, this site will host many other blogs. So you can comment on their articles (and they are yours), change links, publish guest posts, and more.

There are only a few reliable blogging platforms:

The main advantage of these sites is that you can start right away. You do not need to deal with the creation of a website, with the registration of a domain name, etc. You just need to register. However, such blogs have limited features and few design templates. If you want a shorter address, for example sokolovfoto.com instead of sokolovfoto.wordpress.com, you will have to pay extra. You will also have to pay extra for the ability to connect ads on your blog.

2. Own website

Your own website gives you much more freedom and possibilities. First, you can do whatever design you want. Secondly, the choice of functions can be practically unlimited.

However, to create a website, you will have to hire a programmer and web designer. Or figure it out on your own. Fortunately, with modern platforms it is not so difficult.

What you need to create a website:

Web hosting.

Roughly speaking, this is the place where the site will be hosted. Without hosting, the blog cannot be seen on the Internet.

Domain.

The format address is adressbloga.ru or adressbloga.com.

CMS.

It is an engine that allows you to conveniently edit and publish articles. And also change the design of the site. For example, there are such CMS as Wordpress, Joomla, MODX and OctoberCMS. The most popular is Wordpress. Many sites work on it, and on the Internet you can find a huge amount of materials on working with this CMS. So it is recommended to start with it.

Sample.

He is the site design. There are many ready-made templates on the Internet. Including for photoblogging. However, you can come up with a design yourself and create it, for example, in the same Photoshop. Then it is enough to give your layout to the layout designer. Or figure out the layout yourself.

The CMS is usually free. Hosting and domain are paid. On average, hosting will cost about $3-$4 per month. Domain - approximately $15-$45 per year. Depends on the tariff and the site where you will purchase them. For a photoblog, you can safely take the cheapest rates. It is also advisable to prefer a plan with a shared server, rather than a dedicated one. The latter is needed for large projects with huge traffic and heavy workload. Photoblog does not apply to such projects, so you don't need to overpay.

3. YouTube and other video hosting

YouTube is a video hosting and ideal if you blog in video format. For example, you record videos about working in Photoshop, visually show the creation of portraits, do travel photography or review equipment.

YouTube has a simple registration, intuitive interface and convenient settings. However, the main thing is that there is a huge attendance and ease of promotion. The site also makes it quite easy to connect ads. For example, classic ads from Google Adsense.

There are other sites besides YouTube. The most famous:

They don't have that huge attendance. However, they can be used in parallel with YouTube. It is convenient to publish short videos on TikTok.

By the way, it is convenient to use the Ezoic ad network with a video blog. There are many monetization settings here.

4. Instagram

Instagram is another perfect photoblog option. After all, this entire site is dedicated to beautiful photography. If you don't want to bother with videos, but have a strong desire to share your photos with the world, Instagram is your choice.

However, this site has its own specifics. The main target audience of Instagram is girls and women from 16 to 40 years old. So topics such as wedding photography, interior photography, animals and landscapes, fashion, food, city photography, travel photography, etc., are well suited here. If you are doing portraits, it is desirable that they have something unusual. For example, elements of surrealism.

How to manage Instagram accounts properly?

5. Vkontakte and Facebook

Photos can be published on your own page or have a public page.

The platforms allow you to publish several photos at once in one post and supplement them with large text. By the way, educational content or entertaining content is better on Vkontakte or Facebook. So these sites are better to choose if your blog teaches something.

How to develop and grow your audience

Building a successful photography blog isn't just posting a couple of photos and adding a little text. For a blog to become popular and profitable, you need to develop it.

What is needed to promote and increase the audience:

How To Increase Facebook Followers For Your Business Page?
Interesting headlines.

That grab attention. Headlines like these make you want to click on them and therefore attract more people.

SEO and SMO.

In order for search engines to index your blog faster (even if it is on YouTube) and put it in high positions, you need to use keywords. They are search queries. These are the words that people search for. For example, how to choose lighting for a portrait. It is advisable to include such keys in your content. SMO is the same, only in social networks.

How To Do SEO For Free?
Quality content.

This way more people will want to become your subscriber and regular reader. Give only useful information, do not be greedy with exclusives and try to follow the interests of your subscribers.

How To Write A Good Blog Article And Get More Traffic?
Advertising.

Many will find your site, public or video blog on their own. However, this is not enough. The audience will grow much faster if you regularly advertise your blog. For example, other bloggers. You can also use social networks, contextual advertising and native advertising on sites with similar topics.

Use these techniques together.

Monetization methods

There are also many ways to monetize your photoblog. This includes display advertising, and selling your own services, and affiliate links, and much more. Here are the main ways:

Display advertising optimization

Google Adsense, Yandex Direct and other ad networks

The best way is if you have your own website or video blog on YouTube. After activating monetization, advertisements will automatically start showing on the site or in the video.

However, in order to partner with a particular ad network, a blog must meet their requirements. For example:

  • have a certain attendance (per day or per month);
  • have unique interesting content;
  • have a nice design.

Google Adsense and Yandex Direct are the most popular platforms. It's easier to get into Google Adsense as there are no traffic requirements. Yandex Direct has.

Besides them, it is possible to use other ad networks. For example, Ezoic, AdSterra or PropellerAds.

  • easy to connect
  • guaranteed income.
  • attendance requirements
  • low income with low attendance
  • suitable only for websites and video blogs.

Photostocks

You can publish your photos on photo stocks. These are online stores where you can purchase images and videos. Depositphotos and Shutterstock are the largest and most popular platforms.

In the photoblog you can:

  • Publish links to your account in the photo stock. In this case, your work can be found and bought by design studios, freelancers, webmasters, representatives of small / medium-sized businesses, etc.
  • Publish affiliate links to the stock photo itself. In this case, other photographers can register using your link. If their work is bought, you will be charged a percentage of each purchase.
  • permanent passive income
  • high requirements for photo quality

Affiliate Links

The best option if you survey photographic equipment or are engaged in commercial photography. For example, wedding or tourist.

In the latter case, a partnership of travel brands is possible, as well as all kinds of hotel rental and ticket services.

When reviewing equipment, you can publish links to online stores with photographic equipment. For example, to the same Yandex Market.

An affiliate link is a link to a product or service, at the end of which is your unique code. If someone clicks on it and buys something, you get a percentage.

  • you can start right away without expecting an increase in traffic
  • suitable for any blogs
  • high income with good traffic.
  • you need to constantly search for suitable products / platforms and make relevant content
  • non-guaranteed income.

Direct collaboration with companies and other bloggers

As the blog grows up, it will be possible to advertise other bloggers, photo studios, companies, etc.

  • high income with high traffic
  • individual conditions.
  • you need to unwind.

Selling your services and goods

Blog visitors can offer their services as a photographer. Or the services of your studio.

You can also start producing your own goods. For example, postcards with your photos.

  • suitable for any blogs
  • high income with high traffic
  • individual conditions.
  • large financial investments
  • labor intensity
  • you need to unwind.

Important tips for creating a photo blog site, or how to drive traffic to your photo blog.

  • 1. Post photos regularly, preferably daily.
  • 2. Be sure to use RSS/Atom. The vast majority of photoblogs are viewed using this technology.
  • 3. Install on your site buttons-links to the site www.photoblogs.org. Each time you click on these links from your photoblog, a link to your photoblog will be placed on the main page of photoblogs.org.
  • 4. Use bookmarking systems like del.icio.us. Save interesting photos with the photoblog-posts tag, the best of which will be published on the blog.photoblogs.org blog.
  • 5. Add your RSS feed to photos.vfxy.com. VFXY Photos is a syndicate of photo blogs, also collected via RSS.
  • 6. Participate in contests for photobloggers (Photofriday, Vazaar, etc.).

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some innovative methods for photobloggers to sell their photography online?
Photobloggers can sell their work through online galleries, offer framed prints, or collaborate with brands for commercial photography.



Comments (0)

Leave a comment