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794 - Can You Still Get Paid to Blog in 2025? With Megan Porta of Eat Blog Talk
Over the past few years, I've heard several people suggest that "blogging is dead." However, one of my favorite coaching clients earns her primary income from her blog and also hosts retreats and an annual conference for an entire community of food bloggers who earn an income from their blogging efforts.
So I invited my client, Megan Porta, and asked her the question, "Can you still make money blogging in 2025?" Short answer: Yes. It's doable. It looks different than it did a decade ago. It requires real passion, patience, and a focus on what serves readers right now.
Below are thorough show notes to meet you exactly where you are. If you want to start or revive a blog as a real income stream, these notes double as a step-by-step primer.
What This Episode Covers
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Why blogging still pays when you pair patience with passion
Megan has seen brand-new bloggers “crushing it.” The difference now is you cannot fake it. Your readers and Google both know when you do. Authenticity wins.
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The fastest realistic path to first income
Join a quality ad network once your traffic qualifies. We name the two big players and their current thresholds. We also discuss why Google SEO and Pinterest are still the two traffic pillars that move the needle.
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Niching way down to win
Broad “everything” blogs struggle today. Specific sub-niches serve specific people and get rewarded. Think “vegan cakes” instead of “vegan.” The love for your topic has to show up in every post.
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The collaboration playbook for early momentum
Smart email list swaps. Contributing value inside the right Facebook groups without spamming. How one helpful post can put a niche creator “on the map” in months.
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Income beyond ads
Digital products. Memberships. Sponsorships. How to think about affiliate income post-HCU and what still works if you are selective.
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Platform and tech choices that save you pain
Why WordPress.org with solid hosting is still the move. Why a VPS and proactive security matter. Real-world cautionary tales about updates, backups, and malware.
Key Takeaways and Insights
1) Yes, you can still get paid to blog. The bar is higher.
If you bring patience and genuine expertise, you can absolutely build an income today. People starting in the last year or two are succeeding. The difference is the landscape. Authenticity and user value must drive your strategy.
2) Niche inside the niche
Winning examples are laser-specific. Pick a tight segment of a larger category, then become unmistakably helpful to that reader. This is how you break through and build trust.
3) Traffic plan: SEO and Pinterest first
To qualify for premium ad networks, prioritize traffic that comes from search and Pinterest. Current thresholds discussed in the episode: Mediavine at roughly 50,000 sessions per month and Raptive at roughly 100,000 pageviews per month. Build to those numbers, then let ad RPMs start compounding.
4) Collaboration without spam
Use email list collaborations. Show up consistently inside large, topic-relevant Facebook groups. Earn trust by answering questions with real substance. This moves traffic quickly when your niche is dialed in.
5) Create on-topic, helpful content
Google’s Helpful Content updates pushed bloggers to stay tightly aligned with user intent. Keep posts on point for your niche. Tangential personal stories and off-topic content dilute perceived expertise and can hurt discoverability.
6) Monetization mix that works in 2025
- Display Ads once you hit network thresholds. This becomes semi-passive as your library grows.
- Digital Products as quick wins: ebooks, guides, we
Published on 13 hours ago