What do viewers look for in a blog? What makes a blog interesting? In short, I would like to learn how I can earn big with blogging. I heard people who left their day jobs when their blogs started raking in money.

...i follow about 500 blogs daily...what i look for in a blog is the author's bio.
if the bio is not impressive/relevant, i don't subscribe.

now...what you're saying by "I heard people who left their day jobs when their blogs started raking in money" is the same as "i heard people made heaps of money publishing a book".
blogging is online publishing. just because some people are making money working as authors, doesn't mean you're cut out for this kind of work.

i know lots of people who make lots of money trading real estate. perhaps you might wanna look into that instead.

- Find a niche that you have valuable knowledge about
- Write original engaging content that is interactive and not one sided (meaning it warrants the readers response and engages them in conversation)
- Have a tangible service or product for sale on your blog don't just don't rely on advertising income
- Market your blog through SEO & SEM techniques
- Be consistent with your blog (the blogs that I follow give at least 5+ interesting posts a week that actually mean something to my business)

Here is my experience. I started my personal blog in 2008. In my very best month I made a little under $300 with the blog via advertising. On average I make $25 to $50. This isn't enough to call this project profitable. I've experimented with hiring writers, using auto posters, posting video responses (these work well), and varies other methods to create content. My biggest failure has been in my marketing of the blog. If you do not dedicate real time to SEO and SEM you're never going to make money on your blog. Two months ago I decided to pick a single topic/keyword (business consultant) and now I'm putting all my efforts into getting my blog to rank on that keyword. For all I know I may spend a year doing this and still never hit the 1st page. I did use a few sub-keywords as backups.

I've also developed a product platform for my blog which will launch in August. This to me will significantly expand my blogs ability to create income.

Blogging isn't easy... but it isn't hard. The hard part is blogging well (enough to make money). You need to have a realistic approach to blogging. If you expect to post a brand new blog that will bring you in a ton of money then you'll get frustrated and quit. A blog is just like any other website in the fact that if you want to make money from it you have to treat it as a business.

I hope this helps... PM me if you have any specific questions...

I believe that people want interesting content in a blog that they can use. They best way to give them that interesting content, is to pick a popular niche that you are a relative expert in and passionate about--a subject where you will never run out of things to write about. Then blog away.

that is correct...but most important is to keep posting on a regualr basis, understanding the viewer's needs and giving content that attracts them...

soloughlin wrote:
now...what you're saying by "I heard people who left their day jobs when their blogs started raking in money" is the same as "i heard people made heaps of money publishing a book".

I think those examples are probably pretty exceptional. And I think in many cases, the very successful people found niches that they were passionate about and used that to devote the time to their projects.