• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Jared Dees

Author. Speaker. Teacher.

  • About
    • Now
    • Projects
    • Speaking
    • Contact
  • Books
    • Beatitales
    • Tales of the Ten Commandments
    • Take and Eat
    • Do Not Be Afraid
    • Pray without Ceasing
    • Prepare the Way
    • Advent with the Angels
    • Take Up Your Cross
    • 15-Minute Stations of the Cross for Kids
  • Articles
  • Worksheets
  • Children’s Stories
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

Why Blogging Is Free

By Jared Dees

In the summer of 2017 I took The Marketing Seminar online course with Seth Godin. This is an adaptation of a post I wrote in the course forum. It helped clarify my thinking about the purpose of blogging. 

For years now there has been a lot of talk about “monetizing your blog.” The thought is that you blog for free for awhile then eventually you start converting all those blog readers into buyers of your products.

Here are some questions to consider:

  • What change are you trying to make?
  • How can you spend the emotional labor on behalf of the people you want to help?

You don’t monetize a free blog. You create a tool that someone can use to help make the change you wish to see in the world.

The blog is where you built trust. It is there that you can build tension, too.

But you don’t monetize it by slapping a bunch of adds or affiliate links on the site. Even that online course you want to create should be born out of the empathy you have built up with your audience as you write.

Don’t blog with the intention of some day monetizing it.

Write a blog for a very small, specific handful of people.

Help them.

Serve them.

Connect with them then let it spread if others find it valuable.

November 11, 2017 Filed Under: Author Tips, On Entrepreneurship Tagged With: blogging

About Jared Dees

Jared Dees is passionate about sharing practical resources to teach faith. He is best known for his website The Religion Teacher and is the author of many books including 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Praying the Angelus, Christ in the Classroom, and Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children.

Previous Post: « Document Your Journey Like It’s 2007
Next Post: Newsletter Names: Don’t call your email newsletter a “newsletter.” Use one of these ideas instead. »

Primary Sidebar

Jared Dees

Author, Speaker, Teacher

📬 Tools to Teach Faith 📬

I send many weekly email newsletters every week with tools to pass on faith:

👨‍🏫 The Religion Teacher’s Sunday Planner 👨‍🏫

Lessons, activities, videos, and worksheets for religious educators.

Get teaching resources here >

📖 God’s Word Wednesday 📖

Bible stories for kids.

Get Bible stories for kids here >

🏰 Formative Fiction Friday 🏰

Short stories to help kids find confidence, character, and a relationship with Christ.

Get stories for kids here >

Jared’s Newest Books

  
    
 
 
   
 
 

Jared’s Popular Website for Religious Educators

Search the Site:

Footer

Connect with Jared Dees

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Jared Dees is passionate about sharing practical resources to teach faith. He is best known for his website The Religion Teacher and is the author of many books including 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Praying the Angelus, Christ in the Classroom, and Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children. See all of Jared's Books →

Stories for Children

Copyright © 2023 · Jared Dees