There are so many grassroots efforts that offer MLB picks today, whether that is based on their models or their own research. It has become an increasingly competitive space but is such a solid niche because sports gambling is becoming legal across the United States, and people love baseball.
Starting a blog is easy, but finding ways to be creative and able to profit and live off those wages is difficult. At the start, writers can expect to have a main job until this gets launched and running. Anybody starting out for the first time, especially young writers, will have an uphill battle to get their website to where it needs to go.
But in a world where there are so many different interests, there have to be some things to focus on to find the best audience. Here are a handful of tips for monetizing an MLB blog.
Finding a Niche
People often think that writing about the entire league is the best way to generate interest in their blog. But unless someone is an established reporter with a big brand and following already, that could not be further from the truth.
The reality is people work hard for their money, and they can already go to the best publications to read the most plugged-in writers. Finding a niche audience is the key to success for those wanting to start an MLB blog.
Whether that is finding a small market team and filling a void or taking a unique approach to content creation that would get people to subscribe is key. Though baseball is mostly in the top 30 metro markets in the U.S., there are still gaps in coverage to be had.
Laying the Foundation
Building the website is the most difficult part. There are so many different options to build something out. One of the best publishing platforms is WordPress because it is easy, and the ability to monetize posts from it or limit them to subscribers is fairly easy.
Though, there is some work that would need to be done on the back end. In contrast, using a site like Wix could offer a writer both the ability to design a website and also publish on their own platform.
Then there is Substack, which allows users to create a subscription model and will deliver stories to subscribers’ inboxes when they are published. It is an easy way to host a site and just focus on writing.
But people also need to be sure their platform is aesthetically pleasing, too, with a good graphics package and logo, and the ability to create those on your own is a big bonus.
Building Trust
It is incredibly difficult to break into a saturated market. There are people who are already ahead of the game after building up their own sources and being able to get exclusive stories. They are trustworthy and have big brands to break.
Being new to the blog and beat, there will need to be trust earned on several levels. First and most important is with the communications staff of the various teams. Once they know your intentions and see some of your work, levels of trust will be built.
Once you become a recognizable figure from news conferences and being around media availability – traveling would be a bonus – connections could be built to earn the players’ and coaches’ trust.
Content Plan
The biggest hurdle is generating the trust of readers and potential subscribers. Giving away some content from the start will have to be done to varying degrees. However, there are other ways to generate that trust, too.
There are a lot of people who already break the news in the industry, so it is difficult to factor that in. The other way to get exclusive stories is through feature writing. Being able to do a deep dive from the new player’s hometown or find a cause he is passionate about is something that, if well-written, can generate more subscribers. But being able to deliver those consistently is huge.
Then also, defining what you will deliver to people and when around game coverage, news, takeaways, etc., is a big key.