For-profit blogging has certainly been a hot trend in recent years. So how did the top-earning bloggers in 2020 make as much as they did? What trends drew the readers to these top 10 Most Paid Bloggers and ranking blogs, to begin with?
Forbes has been recently ranking the top highest-earning bloggers every year and analysis of the members of this list helped shed more insight into the success of those particular bloggers. Blogging has expanded vastly over the years in terms of topics, ranging from everything in proprietary blogs to third-party blogging hosts like Linken In Pulse and medium. Even microbloggers who blog through social media captions have been successful. There has also been a major overlap between those who have started out as bloggers but have moved on to pursue a career as an influencer.
This afforded online content creators new creative and commercial avenues, but that came at a cost of diluting the nature of what we have come to know as “blogging,” making it a harder industry to report on. Even the term “blogging” itself seems to be slowly waning from the online vernacular these days. In fact, in June of 2019 the search volume, around the globe, reached its record lows and has plateaued since.
This also made it harder for reputable sources like Forbes to grant accurate estimates of blogger earnings, as YouTubers and Instagrammers have been included in the consideration of online content creators, diluting the traditional “blogger” pool. Having said that, we have continued to track the careers of top blogging earners in 2020, and we feel there is still quite a bit to say about these high-earner bloggers.
Most Paid Bloggers To Get Inspired from
So what lessons can be derived from the 2020 leading blogs? Let’s explore each of the leading earners and try to identify the lessons learned. The best available estimates are calculated in US dollars for each blogger and are sourced from Owler.
1. Huffpost – $143.1 million (Founder: Arianna Huffington)
The founder of HuffPost (known as The Huffington Post until 2017), Arianna Huffington, began her site as a blog centered around commentary on current affairs, but between 2005 and 2011, grew it into a massive media empire. In 2011, the entity was acquired by AOL for $315 million with Huffington staying on as the Editor-in-Chief until 2015, before taking the role of CEO of Thrive Global (a website, training center, and blog focused on corporate wellness). She also serves on the board of Onex and Uber.
With its estimated $500 million per year annual revenue, HuffPost is not just bigger than most other blogs on the internet, it is comparable to some of the country’s biggest newspapers. Its scattergun production and distribution of digital content have been the primary factor in HuffPost’s incredible success. On a typical day, the platform gets a stunning 600 to 1000 articles posted, with 10 to 100 of them going viral.
With a near-ideal combination of the right strategy at the right time, HuffPost excelled at attracting readers early in its life, the primary factor in the sustainability of any blog. With the changes in search engine algorithms and higher demand for high-quality content in 2020, it was tough to know whether that similar approach would have worked for new up-and-coming blogs.
2. Engadget – $47.5 million (founder: Peter Rojas, current editor: Dana Wollman)
Former Gizmodo editor Peter Rojas founded Engadget in 2004, establishing a blog sphere with a focus on the spectrum of tech topics including everything from robotics and smartphone games to wearables and search engines. Rojas departed Engadget in 2008 to focus on venture capitalism, and three years later AOL bought Engadget, just like they did HuffPost. Since then, the site was purchased by Verizon Media.
The site’s annual revenue is an estimated $47.5 million, ranking it near the top of the tech-centric media list. A prominent portion of their profits is acquired through affiliate partnerships. The site features an extensive set of product reviews with many products being referred to via affiliate links. The call-to-action button users see when they click on these links encourages them to buy the product, with Engadget making some portion of that sale for their affiliate profit.
So what did Engadget do right? They learned what is most commercially viable and pushed forward with it. This is a great takeaway lesson a fellow blogger should take from Engadget. Regardless of whether your blog monetizes through affiliates or other methods, setting up your blog to work with elements that drive your revenue can pay off in a big way.
3. Moz – $44.9 million (founded by Rand Fishkin; currently edited by Morgan McMurray)
Moz chooses to focus on providing services that offer SEO software, large-scale publishing, and conferences within its vastly grown and popular community. Moz is headed up by an influential blog, with their content achieving a standing as one of the leading search marketing publications on the internet.
Among many other exciting features, visitors to Moz can find things like industry reports, case studies, and educational vlog series called ‘Whiteboard Friday’ formerly hosted by the Fishkin himself, a practice that he still engages in from time to time, though he moved to SparkToro, an audience intelligence provider back in 2018.
While blogging isn’t Moz’s primary motive, it is one of the most prominent, popular, and influential digital marketing publications. Beyond that, the site’s digital publishing is a major driver of the company’s revenue, helping to generate an impressive $44.9 million a year of earnings.
Moz has illustrated how blogging can be leveraged to drive sales of services and products. They did not take the conventional blogging route of simply posting articles to their standing blog from time to time, but rather set up one of the industry’s best blogging atmospheres. The efforts have paid off, as Moz is now a primary destination for the SEO community, largely thanks to its blogging efforts.
4. PerezHilton – $41.3 million (founded by Perez Hilton)
When it comes to showbiz journalism, Perez Hilton (born Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr.), a media personality and celebrity blogger, founded a blog that is the go-to source for all news entertainment, and gossip. Hilton took a clever approach to how he started the blog back in 2005. He would write stories about celebrities like Johny Depp, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus, and while doing so, he would immerse himself into their celebrity culture.
The blog features numerous sections of note including photo galleries, quizzes, and the latest in celebrity gossip. But before you think of this as just another “dirt sheet” you may want to know the true strength of Hilton’s blog. That is the fact that puts the spotlight on famous names and faces via his blog content through features of specific celebrities with paparazzi photos, as well as red carpet stunners. The best lesson to take away from PerezHilton is that this blog shows a very firm understanding of what makes its content compelling and leans into it. This is valuable advice for any up-and-coming blogger.
5. Copyblogger – $35.1 million (founded by Brian Clark, currently edited by Stefanie Flaxman)
Bloggers who want to learn more about blogging, come to Copyblogger for that exact purpose. When it comes to blogging and other content writing methods, Copyblogger is considered the most influential space for content marketing. Among its many features are podcast episodes, writing tips, and news about the world of content marketing.
As expected, a blog about blogging and copywriting faces immense pressure to practice its own preachings and deliver a terrific product. True to form, the formatting of the posts is very clear and interesting, delivering conversational writing content for easily digestible yet significantly effective content.
6. Mashable – $30 million (founded by Pete Cashmore, currently edited by Jessica Coen)
Young overachievers, take note. Mashable, the tech and media blogging powerhouse was founded by a 19-year-old web consultant Pete Cashmore in 2005. They cover a variety of topics including science, technology, and social benefits. The blog’s most notable feature is a content series dedicated to raising awareness, spotlighting, and taking action on the issues of racial equality, called Amplify.
Mashable also monetizes through a blog section called Mashable Deals by promoting and reviewing products through commercially geared content.
7. TechCrunch – $22.5 million (founded by Keith Tears & Michael Arrington, currently edited by Matthew Panzarino)
If you’re looking for fantastic coverage of advanced tech topics and startup news, TechCrunch’s content with a keen focus on industry juggernauts like Amazon, Alphabet, Uber, and others, this site is your port of harbor. TechCrunch even split off into a secondary popular startup content database callee Crunchbase, running it concurrently from 2005 to 2015, until it split off into an entirely separate entity.
8. Envato Tuts – $10 million (founded by Collis Ta’eed)
Few have done a better job in setting up an educational platform with courses, tutorials, eBooks, and guides in blog format than Envato Tuts. This treasure trove of content covers every topic hobby topic including photography, music, web design and coding, graphic design, and business. A portion of the platform’s content is freely available, while certain items are behind a paywall. The company, founded by Colli Ta’eed in 2006, is run from its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia.
9. Smashing Magazine – $5.2 million (founded by Vitaly Friedman and Sven Lennartz)
There is a very slim chance that if you are a web designer or developer that you don’t already frequent the 2006 start-up Smashing Magazine blog, as it has become one of the leading sources of commentary and guidance for all web related matters ranging from IA (information architecture) to website aesthetics.
This blog utilizes a clever feature to engage its members. While they do charge between $3 and $7 monthly for the site’s premium features, they keep a running counter of joined members in order to bolster the value of the reader’s financial contributions to the blog and quantify their ascension in popularity.
10. Gizmodo – $4.8 million (founded by Peter Rojas, currently edited by Kelly Bourdet)
Peter Rojas, who has already appeared on this list earlier, actually founded another blog. Gizmodo centers around tech, science, design, and even science fiction. The site has various operating centers located on multiple continents in countries including Brazil, the UK, and Japan.
As far as content one will find on Gizmodo, it will be everything from the latest on smartphone designs to an analysis of the original Star Wars trilogy. The ‘Giz Ask’ is one of the site’s well-known content series which addresses theoretical concepts like whether animals plot revenge or if teleporting is actually an achievable possibility.
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Conclusion:
In conclusion, blogging has become a lucrative profession for many individuals, with some bloggers earning millions of dollars through their content creation and marketing efforts. The top 10 highest-paid bloggers are a source of inspiration for aspiring bloggers looking to turn their passion into a successful career. By focusing on quality content, building a strong brand, and leveraging various monetization strategies, anyone can succeed in the blogging world.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do bloggers get paid?
Bloggers can get paid through various methods such as advertising, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, selling products or services, and paid collaborations with brands. The amount of money a blogger can earn depends on their niche, audience size, engagement rate, and monetization strategies.
How much do fashion bloggers make?
The income of fashion bloggers varies widely, with some making a few hundred dollars a month and others earning millions of dollars a year. Factors such as their level of influence, engagement rate, brand collaborations, and monetization strategies can significantly impact their earnings. Additionally, income streams like affiliate marketing, advertising, sponsorships, and product sales can affect their overall earnings.
Hello, my name is Idammah, and I am the founder of Wolfionaire.com, a personal development, and finance blog focused on motivation, success, and wealth. I am obsessed with studying the world's wealthiest individuals and learning about their path to success. I believe anyone can achieve their financial goals with the right mindset and strategies, and I hope to inspire and empower my readers to pursue their own path to success.
