Writing for Your Wealth

Who are you writing for?

When you read that, did an answer pop right into your mind? Or did you have to think about it?

…

Are you still thinking about it?

A lot of people start sites without thinking of who their readers will be. This is fine for a personal journal, but if you want to make money, it’s important to consider your target audience (ideally before you even get started!).

The first “for profit” website I built (at least it was supposed to be for profit) was a history site. I wrote all sorts of articles on topics I enjoyed… pirates, castles, medieval weapons, ninjas, Native Americans, great heroes, and infamous villains. I picked topics at random, choosing whatever interested me at the moment.

My big monetization plan was to put in Amazon affiliate links to history books, and I believe I signed up for the History Channel’s affiliate program at one point too (I reviewed a few of their Modern Marvels shows and linked to the DVDs).

I started reading about internet marketing and SEO, and I worked hard to get visitors to that site. Eventually all the work paid off…

I made 93 cents from Amazon.

Yup, I could barely lug my bag of riches to the bank to deposit it.

That site never did become a big money maker for me, but the process taught me a few things. Here is the biggest one:

Choose the Right Target Audience

When I made that site, I didn’t think about my audience at all. I picked history because it was something I liked, and I wrote articles on topics that interested me. There’s a lot to be said for picking a niche you’re passionate about, but it is oh so important to pick a niche that has the potential to be profitable too (at least if you’re in this to make money).

While I did get traffic to that site, it mostly consisted of middle and high school students doing research for papers (I know because they’d write me from time to time asking how to properly cite my page as a reference).

The first problem was these weren’t people who could afford to buy history books. The second problem was… who really needs a book on pirates, anyway?

When you’re choosing your niche, pick one that comes with an audience that…

1. Has money to spend
2. Needs products or services related to your subject

It seems simple, doesn’t it? And yet, if you’re like me, you might have started your first website or blog without ever considering who you were writing for. And if you did consider that target audience and have a good picture of them in your mind’s eye, you might not have thought about their spending habits (or whether they even have money to spend).

My second site became the first one to make me notable money, and by chance it had an audience that met the above criteria.

This one was about home gyms (at the time, I’d just picked up a used Bowflex and was motivated to write on the subject). That was the first site I placed Adsense on, and I had a wonderful click-through-ratio, meaning lots of people who came to read my reviews and articles clicked on links to merchants selling fitness equipment. I also made some money through affiliate programs, and let me tell you something: your cut of a $500 home gym is a lot more than your cut of a $20 book!

It turned out to be a great target audience.

Not only do people who look for information about fitness equipment probably have money to spend, but they also have a driving desire to lose weight or get in shape, thus turning them into what marketers will call a “starving audience.”

These folks aren’t just interested in what you’re writing about, but they’re driven to buy products related to what you’re writing about, because they want to improve their lives somehow.

If you’re writing a book for such an audience, it’s a lot easier to move copies off the shelves. If you’re blogging for such an audience, advertisers will come to you once your site becomes popular–they’ll be eager to buy such lucrative ad space.

So now you know what I learned the hard way:

Pick a niche you’ll enjoy writing about, but also pick a niche with a profitable target audience!