What Some Top Bloggers and Social Media Consultants Earn

If a recent survey is anything to go by, blogging for dollars is not a way to instant wealth. Perhaps not even to long term wealth. Except for a few: there are exceptions to every rule.

On ReadWriteWeb, Marshall Kirkpatrick reports on a survey he undertook with a fairly small group of top “tech bloggers and social media consultants” – twenty invited, ten participated.

The results are summarized under three headings:

Payment Per Blog Post

– based on responses and assuming an average of 3 blog posts in 4 hours at $25 per post, he posits a blogger with two part-time blogging jobs earning $40,000 a year

The Wages of the In-House/Full-time Blogger

– reports of annual pay from $45k with benefits to $90k with bonuses, 50-60 hour work weeks, so most making the equivalent of $20-$35 an hour, with a handful making six figures

Consulting – The Big Money

– social media consultants reported hourly rates not less than $150, commonly $300 an hour

None of that surprised me, but I did find it helpful.

And being in the business of helping companies with social media and coaching executives and entrepreneurs in the use of social media, I was encouraged by the author’s bullish view of the market.

It’s a new world online and people with experience succeeding in it are widely sought-after by businesses wanting to catch up fast. There’s a nearly bottomless need for and a strong demand for high-quality social media consulting – the big challenge is bridging the gap between living a Web 2.0 life and reaching out effectively to people.

John Chow points out that the bloggers surveyed are writing for others’ blogs, not their own.

Allan Stern does some  debunking of the survey (and Marshall replies in the comments).

From where I sit, there is a dearth of data on what bloggers and social media consultants earn. I believe Marshall’s survey, even with the limitations which he readily acknowledges, is a helpful contribution.

Des Walsh

Business coach and digital entrepreneur. With coach training from Coachville.com and its Graduate School of Coaching, and a founding member of the International Association of Coaching, Des has been coaching business owners and entrepreneurs for the past 20 years. Over the same period he has also been actively engaged in promoting the business opportunities of the digital economy. He is a certified Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) coach, and a certified specialist in social media strategy and affiliate marketing.

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One Comment

  1. It’s an interesting commentary, Des. I think there’s quite a few people who are unsure of the concept of blogging for money, and think they can just throw up anything and it’ll bring in money. I’m learning that there has to be some sort of consistency, as well as hitting the proper market, just to make a few dollars here and there. I have two blogs, one for over 5 years, the other just started in December. The older one is a specific business blog, with little flexibility, and doesn’t generate tons of interest, though I guess it serves its niche well. My other blog, the one I’m highlighting here, allows me to be very creative, talk about certain topics, and yet branch out whenever I feel like to be something else. It’s gaining in popularity at what I consider a drastic speed, and who knows, maybe I’ll reach the bottom rung of the success of guys like John Chow and Problogger. One can only hope, right? Great post.

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