Everything Typepad

Making Money With Your Blog: Creating a Paywall

Today, we'll teach you how to use Typepad's multiple usernames feature. Using this feature, you can create a paywall on your blog. Readers would not be able to read select posts unless they have paid. Once paid, you can create a unique username and password, just for them..

If you sell content of some sort on your blog - anything from life coaching lessons to a recipe for a specific food dish or even a card made with stamping supplies - with individual password protection, you can make the content available to your readers, but only after they pay you to access it.

To set this up, you can create a main post or Typepad Page that has information on your subscription and rates.  On that page, you can link directly to PayPal so people can pay you or you can add an e-mail link so that people can contact you before paying you.

Once they pay you for the content, you would go to Settings > Basics and create a new username and password for each paid reader.  After doing this,  you would simply go to the post(s) with the paid content and check the box for their username.

Setting individual access for a post.

The reader would then be able to see the content the next time they visited your blog.  This means you only have to keep up content on one blog, granting access to the content only to those that you want to be able to view it. It's a snap to set up a paywall this way.  You can learn more about this feature in our Knowledge Base.

Have you set up a paywall yet for your blog?  What kind of content are you selling behind yours?

Update Your Security Question

What would you do if you could not get access to your blog???? Do you know your username and password or just rely on the auto-fill  function? While you still have access to your account, it is important to create or update your security questions and answers. This saves you the trouble of verifying a bunch of information to get into your account.

To add or update your security questions, click on the Account tab, then Under Account Information look for Security Questions.  From the drop down you can pick one of our questions or use the custom question option to create your own. You will need to set up two security questions. After you have selected the questions and provide us with the answers, click on Save Changes.

The security questions will be used by Typepad support to verify ownership in case you need help getting access to the account or need private information about your account. 

If you ever need help getting access to your account let us know! You can contact us through our support form or email us at [email protected].

Interview with Joe from the bookofjoe blog

Bookofjoe is the musings of Joe Stirt. He uses his blog to post something that will interest, amuse or inform anyone who happens to visit. He has many interests and his blog explores all of them. In one post he will show you the Big Mac index and in another he explores the evolution of the Lego logo. Thankfully, he took the time to answer some of our questions so we can learn more about him and his blog.

1) Can you tell us about yourself and your blog?

I’m an anesthesiologist by profession and a writer by passion. I started bookofjoe in August of 2004 when blogging was THE thing and I’ve never stopped, even as blogging has lost its “flavor of the month” quality. No matter; it’s become part of who I am and what I do.

When I began, I posted daily, ramping up quickly to 8 posts/day, appearing hourly 7 days/week 365 days/year.

I kept up that pace until a couple years ago, when a major depressive episode (my fourth) leveled me and it was all I could do to put up a post every week or so. I recovered after 21 months of being pretty much inoperative, and resumed posting, twice/day.

I’m apt to post on ANYTHING: major topics include fashion, medicine, art, history, design, poetry, books, movies, sports, inventions (my own and those of others), writing, science, food, technology, cars, current events… you name it.

2) What is your process for writing a blog post?

I find something interesting and write about it, whether it be a picture, news item, idle thought, what have you.

3) What is the funniest thing that has happened to your blog?

Soon after I began bookofjoe, I posted about Steve Wozniak, remarking on his lack of athletic prowess. Somehow he happened on my post, and posted a comment that, on the contrary, he had been a varsity pole vaulter on the Homestead High School Track and Field Team. That taught me not to EVER assume anything but rather to source everything that appears on my blog. Excellent lesson.

4) What is your favorite feature in Typepad?

a. The fact that I — a certified card-carrying TechnoDolt©® (my neologism) have been able to use it from the get-go, which for me was in 2004.

b. Also, it’s rarely down in recent years, unlike earlier outages which, let’s be honest, happened far too often.

c. I like the format and the way it looks on my computer screen; I am very pleased at how good it looks on my iPhone — and how all functionality for my readers has carried over intact regardless of device.

5) What is the most important thing you have learned from blogging?

That readers like it A LOT when they can count on your posts appearing on a schedule.

6) You have a few minutes, what is your go to tip about blogging?

Use correct spelling and grammar. Readers unconsciously devalue material that fails to meet that standard, thinking if you aren’t accurate about stuff they know, it’s likely your content falls short as well.

7) What is one goal for your blog in the next 6 months?

Just keep on keeping on the way I have been for 13+ years.

About Joe

Joe was born in Milwaukee, left for sunnier skies (U.C.L.A.) at age 18, stayed there till he was 35, then got tired of LA and retreated to Charlottesville aka Podunkville, Virginia, where he remained. He wanted to be a major league ballplayer until he was 15 and realized it wasn’t gonna happen. He had no idea what he would do next, until Viet Nam became a real war and medicine & the draft exemption that accompanied med school attendance beckoned. Life takes you places you never thought you’d go. 

Recent Blog Post

Hello Kitty Earthquake Hood — Bousai Zukin Disaster Protection for Kids

Social Media

The bookofjoe is on Twitter, YouTube, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Google Scholar.

Books

Baby and Quantations

Get customers the information they need with Typepad Pages

Whether you're a well-known corporation looking to share company news with customers, or an ordinary person who would like to make a little money selling your arts, crafts, or services online (or anywhere in between!) your blog should be a key part of your business strategy.

This month we've looked at how to promote your products in your blog's sidebar, write sponsored and affiliate posts, and motivate your readers with a call to action button. Today we turn our attention to sharing information with Typepad Pages.

Most blogs display their content in a series of posts with the most recent at the top. This is great for keeping readers coming back again and again for new content. But what if you have some information you'd like everybody to see and don't want it to get lost among the new updates? This is where Pages come in.

A Page is a content page similar to those on a non-blog website, with information that doesn't change frequently. You can set up a special "about page" with information about your company and its history; provide a street or mailing address or a phone number for customers to contact you; or share testimonials from clients who love what you do. Pages can also be a great way to consolidate all information about your services in one place, or to display a portfolio of your best work.

The information you provide on Pages may be what convinces a customer that your business is stable and reliable, or that demonstrates you can provide exactly what they need. If you're looking to close a sale from your blog, you'll want to make sure you're using Pages.

To create a Page, log in to Typepad and click your blog's name on the Dashboard or in the "Blogs" drop-down menu along the top. On the Overview page for your blog, you'll see a yellow "Compose" button near the top with an arrow to the right. Click the arrow and a little menu will drop down where you can choose "New Post" or "New Page". You'll want to select the "New Page" option.

Need to set up something else for your blog first? You can access the yellow Compose button, and the "New Page" option from any of the configuration pages for your blog inside of Typepad.

Clicking the "New Page" link will take you to a new Compose screen where you can create your Page. Give your Page a descriptive title, type up the content you want to share, and add any desired formatting or images. When you're done, publish your Page. You can click the "View Page" link that appears after the Page is published to check out how it looks on your blog.

Now you need to make sure visitors to your blog can find the new Page! Go to the Design > Content area in Typepad, choose the "Links to Your Blog's Content" category then the "Pages" module and then click "Add Module".

Once you've added the Pages module, your blog's sidebar will display a list of all public Pages, which automatically updates each time you add a new Page. You can also link to especially important Pages using the navigation bar.

If you'd like to make a Page the first thing visitors to your blog see, rather than your blog posts, you can set up a landing page. Don't forget to provide a link to your recent blog posts in this case!

Are you using Pages for your business's blog? What types of Pages do you think are the most useful for your customers? Let us know and share your tips in the comments!

Create A Call To Action Button

One of the best pieces of advice I got about marketing is “Tell people what you want them to do.” A Call To Action button is a great way to tell people what you want them to do. Drive readers to join your mailing list, subscribe to your blog, or purchase a product or service. Buttons make your blog interactive and can be branded to fit your business. There are 3 great free sites that we use to create buttons for Everything Typepad. 

Da Button Factory

Da Button Factory may sound funny (maybe spammy), but it is fun to create buttons here. Put in your call to action, change the font and the color, then download the image to your computer. If you want a fancy button, you can add text, style, border and shadow. Very simple to use! Below are some examples of buttons you can create through Da Button Factory.

Button Optimizer

As with the other button maker, you can change the text, color, add padding and much more. What makes this stand out is you can add an icon to your button. Search through the many icons they offer to find one to help your call to action stand out. They have many to choose from! Here are some examples of buttons created by the Button Optimizer.

ImageFu.com

ImageFu is another free button and badge making site. You can make a button, but what is cool is you can make a badge to go with your site as well. If you are great at something or were voted #1, let the world know. Add your badge of honor to your website. You can use the badges as buttons as well. Below are examples of badges we would give out if we voted for best blogger in the world. 

Once you have your button saved to your computer, you can upload the image to your post. Once you have the image where you want, click on the image to highlight, then click on the Insert/Edit Link button (looks like a chain). Put in the URL and click OK.

These Call To Action buttons can be used in posts or added to a sidebar to direct readers to your shop. The easier it is for readers, the more success you will see!

There are many sites out there that can help you create buttons for your blog. Share in the comments any that you use! 

Featured Blog: A Blog Called Wanda

A Blog Called Wanda is about paper crafting, card making, art, and photography. Wanda started blogging on Typepad in 2009! It has been a fun journey for her. She posts 2-3 times a week with tutorials on how to make handmade cards. Wanda shares her insights on color theory, photo tips, coloring with different mediums, and photos from her travels.. Her blog just passed one million lifetime hits (Congrats!) and she has developed such a fun community through blogging.

Follow: Typepad | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Would you like your blog featured on Everything Typepad?

Making Money With Your Blog: Sponsored & Affiliate Blog Posts

Are you ready to take your blog to the next level and make some money off of it? Typepad allows you to place advertisements on your blog, but what if you want to limit the number of ads that appear on your blog? There are other ways to make money blogging besides displaying ads.  You can write a blog post with curated affiliate links or a product review from a sponsored business.

Affiliate Links - Write What you Love

Is there a product you love and you want everyone to know about it? Blog about it!  Link back to the company, and see if they have an affiliate program.  When you join a business' affiliate program, you can insert text links into blog posts linking back to their business.  Some programs share commission with you if sales are made through clicking your links.  Amazon has a great affiliate program if you are not sure where to get started. Remember to keep your blog engaging and informative with its content and not heavy with spam.  Write from your own experience and make your posts personable. The more engaging you are in your blog, the more visitors will come back - the more views, more ca-ching!  Even if some time has past and someone happens upon your blog post, the affiliate links will still work.

Sponsored Posts - The Work Will Pay Off

Once your blog starts to get noticed, don’t be surprised if more businesses reach out to you and offer you free products and services in exchange for a review. This is all well and good if you’re just looking for freebies, but if you want to make money, do not be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for compensation for your review and offer to publish a "sponsored" blog post where you are promoting the business as well as the product.

Making money as a blogger does not happen over night. It takes work and patience to bring readers to your blog and keep them coming back. This includes leaving comments on other blogs, sharing your blog on social media, and building that engagement with readers.  If you are writing a review about a business, make sure you share that review with them.  They may want to share the link with their followers.