5 Blogging Business Success Stories [2024]
Looking to express your thoughts and connect with an audience? Consider starting a blogging business. Simple to start, this venture revolves around creating and publishing high-quality content that resonates with readers.
Setting up is straightforward—choose a niche you're passionate about, register a domain, and create your blog on platforms like WordPress or Medium. Regular, engaging posts will attract a readership over time.
Once established, your blog can generate revenue through various channels, such as ads, sponsored posts, and affiliate marketing. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme, though—consistent effort is required to build an audience and monetize your content.
The appeal lies in its flexibility; you can start this venture as a side hustle and transform it into a full-time career as you grow. If you enjoy writing and sharing knowledge, a blogging business offers a fulfilling way to earn income online.
In this list, you'll find real-world blogging business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a blogging business that makes money.
1. StartupTalky ($120K/year)
Shubham Kumar, the founder of StartupTalky, came up with the idea for his business after realizing there was a lack of community and resources for entrepreneurs in India. He started a Facebook group and began posting valuable content for aspiring startup founders, which quickly gained traction and grew to over 100K members. To monetize the community, he started a blog featuring stories and challenges faced by founders, which eventually led to a profitable media platform making $10K/month.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $99
How many people on the team: 13
Indian startup founder Shubham Kumar shared his story of how he founded Startuptalky, a community and media platform for entrepreneurs; the platform currently focuses on content and the Indian region, with notable achievements including a Facebook group for entrepreneurs with 100k members, a media company startuptalky.com with over a million page views per month, which also has a Digital PR service, a lead-capturing tool called Seizelead, and profits collectively from blog and the PR agency of $10k per month, serving startups including unicorns from across the globe.
2. Tons of Thanks ($100K/year)
Having learned about blogging back in 2013, Heidi wanted to enter a niche she could perform well in. Thank you writing was one space she was good at, having written notes since her childhood. Seeing the examples of other such notes and cards on the internet felt way too generic to her, and she knew she could better than them.
How much money it makes: $100K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10
How many people on the team: 0
Heidi Bender started Tons of Thanks in 2014, developing it into the go-to resource for over 15 million people to write meaningful thank-you messages, handling ad revenues, SEO and learning to not give up even when the "passive income" point is reached.
3. 411Writers ($60K/year)
Constantin Coutun, the manager of 411Writers, came up with the idea for the business while working at 411 Locals as a blog writer. After realizing the potential of his writing team was being limited to the company's clients, Coutun decided to create 411Writers to help his department and provide a platform for writers and editors to express their creativity. Through strategic marketing efforts and the launch of new services, such as targeting app developers and offering a Guru content plan, they were able to attract and retain customers.
How much money it makes: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 65
Content writing company 411Writers started with $13.99 and now generates over $50,000 revenue per month, providing clients with unique website content for both search engines and human readers.
4. Niche Twins ($36K/year)
Mike Donovan and his identical twin brother Keith came up with the idea for Niche Twins after finding success with their individual niche sites. They started by sharing monthly income reports for their respective sites and quickly gained a following on Twitter. Today, Niche Twins earns over $3,000 a month and continues to grow through partnerships, ad space sales, and a weekly newsletter.
How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 0
Identical twin brothers build a successful side hustle starting with just $386.63, now earning $3,000/month revenue through affiliate programs and ad space, with a Twitter following of 43,000, and plan to diversify their revenue streams through their newsletter, Youtube channel, and digital products.
5. SideGains ($36K/year)
Paul Franklin, founder of SideGains, started his business in 2015 after being made redundant. He initially began freelancing as a contractor, focusing on PPC campaigns. As he gained clients through recommendations, he saw an opportunity to monetize his blog and create a more stable source of income. Despite the challenges of maintaining a blog, Franklin is committed to long-term growth and plans to scale his business by outsourcing work and making the blog his primary source of income.
How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 1
This case study follows the journey of Paul Franklin who runs SideGains, offering PPC campaign management and WordPress development; despite COVID-19's impact, his blog generates 10% of income and he plans to shift this to 50-50 in a year's time.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.