You’ve considered starting a blog to boost business, or a vlog to launch a product – both are great ways to increase sales and enhance your online profile.Then somebody mentions starting a podcast, and you’re back to ‘square one’, in a dilemma over which would be best for realizing your fantasy of making a cool million next year. Do people want to watch, read about or listen to you talking?

You’re confused. You’re frustrated. You sense you’re losing business to internet-savvy competitors, and you know what? You’re probably right. But fear not: we can help you sort out which way to turn – or whether you should turn to all three – modes of communication to help you spread the word and get famous. And famous means rich, yes? 

Starting a blog, or podcast doesn’t automatically mean wealth is just around the corner, of course. But each tool has merits you should consider, and which one is right for you depends on your message; it depends on your market, and it depends on what you’re selling. The choice may not seem obvious when you’re mired in information overload about social media platforms, but once you’re through the fog and settled on what it is you want to convey, it’s smooth sailing.

Blogs are a great way to reach readers on an ongoing basis, and their numbers are easy to track. Let’s say you a health food store – any kind of store, really – and you’ve got some products, home made and original, you want your customers to buy.

 A blog is a great way to show them your “creative process,” like what goes into that marvellous jam you make. You can do a marketing “tease” by offering five free jars to any reader who can guess the secret ingredient. 

Then ask them to drop by your shop to pick them up and browse. This is just one example of how blogs can make you money; people will read, then buy, then drop in. It’s a wonderful cycle, interactive up-to-this-moment in a way no other kind of social media platform allows. And it’s easier to measure your audience on a blog, the demographics, and whether it’s growing (you hope) or shrinking (ugh oh!) and remedy the situation immediately, if need be.

A vlog has lots of money-making opportunities, too. Clips can go viral – blogs, not so much – and that can mean money; for your business, or for you as an individual. If you are suddenly well known, you’ll have better luck finding sponsors.  And vlogs can utilize drawings, and charts, and maps, and just about any other illustration you can think of.

 And people today love visuals. A vlog is cheap to start – all you need is a phone, at the most basic level, and an internet connection. And video can make a dull subject seem exciting, if the presentation is good and you’re a sparkling host.

And what of podcasts? They aren’t as ubiquitous as blogs and vlogs just yet, so that means less competition. If a marketplace isn’t jammed, you have a better opportunity to get out there, build an audience, and dominate it. But (you knew one was coming, right?) podcasts can have a tough time building an audience, and that might mean you have a tougher time getting sponsors. Some podcast host turn to their communities for funds, or donations, or pledges – call them what you will. 

They can have a tough time getting good guests too; it isn’t a monologue, remember?  But in the end, with a podcast the big revenue lies in the number of folks who download it, and that takes time. But your products and services are easily promoted on your podcast, and there’s money in that marketing reach, too.  It may not happen as quickly as it does with a blog, or even a vlog, but it will happen if you’re patient and your content is solid. 

And so as you now realize, choosing a blog, vlog or podcast as a way of making money is a great idea; some folks even have all three! That covers all bases, but it also takes an enormous amount of screen and microphone time to maintain all three.

 It’s probably best that you start with one, or perhaps two if you’re really eager, depending on what you want “out there,” — a business, a brand, an idea or an issue – and go from there. Don’t expect the dough to roll in overnight. But work hard, and it will indeed roll in!