Monetizing content: how this personal blog generates 20M$ in revenue
The perfect example of the importance of having a voice and being authentic.
In 2010, Kyle Taylor didn’t have any money and worked many side jobs. He decided to blog about his personal finances, how he tried to save money and dig himself out of his financial situation.
Six years later, he has 42 employees and 20M$ in revenue from this same personal finance blog.
Simon Owens, a tech and media journalist, recently published a great, detailed article on how Taylor went from nothing to something by publishing content.
He talks about the importance of finding a voice, a key point how The Penny Hoarder, as the blog is called, really connected with his audience. As some of you know, I am a strong believer in writing in the “I” tense, being authentic, telling true, authentic stories.
The blog didn’t make money at first, Taylor says it took about two and a half years before it became a salary, but once it did, it all went uphill from there.
The post goes into great detail about how the company behind the blog was built, how it started monetizing content and how they now work with brands with native advertising.
Brands should more and more act as media, and The Penny Hoarder is a great business case that shows how one must be patient when bootstrapping a digital publication, stay true to its voice in the process, but also how once you have built a sustainable audience it gets easier to drive results and revenue.