ReadWriteWeb: Top Tier Bloggers Make $25 Per Post

Categorized | Blogs, Technology Topics, Web Design

ReadWriteWeb: Top Tier Bloggers Make $25 Per Post

Posted on 10 October 2008 by Thord Daniel Hedengren

ReadWriteWeb asked 20 top-tier bloggers how much money they make, and analyzed the data. Naturally, the span is great, but the average top tier blogger made $25/post.

RWW also analyzed in-house bloggers, either employed, or with special contracts, and got the following:

Our respondents reported annual pay rates ranging from $45k and $55k with benefits (!) up to $70k, $80k and $90k with bonuses. We’re tempted to say, based on the anonymously submitted but descriptive replies we got, that the closer to pure journalism our respondents were doing the lower their wages were.

For more, like where the big money is, check out the post.

Now, what does this mean?

Professional bloggers work a lot, and I do mean a lot. RWW got an hourly wage at $20-$35 when doing the math for the in-house bloggers, and they get that kind of surprisingly low number by the fact that most successful bloggers put down 50-60 hours each week (compared to 40). Now, I’m not sure what you can be expected to earn in the US, but if you’re an expert in your niche (which most probloggers try to at least seem to be), $35/hour doesn’t sound too good. For instance, when I do consulting work in Sweden, we’re talking some $200/hour. I’m not earning that much when I’m blogging, obviously, and should I focus on what makes the most money, you’d see me writing a lot less. Luckily, I like writing, although not everybody enjoys it, but that’s another story.

Besides, my $200/hour doesn’t sound so bad when RWW talks consulting. $300 is obviously the most common hourly wage among the top tier 20 they talked to, so I’m actually cheap to hire, it seems! I wonder what the number would be if we looked at web, and blog in particular, design?

As someone being milked by one of the world’s highest tax pressure’s (Sweden), I have a hard time digesting these numbers. So based on this, can you make a decent living blogging in the US? What do you think, and how low would you go?