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Earning Crypto on Hive Social
While earnings can be made from delegating HP or Token Power in general (not to mention other ways unknown to me at this time), the most obvious ways that we earn crypto on Hive Social from upvoting, commenting, and posting. All involve engagement between post author and the readers.
Three Kinds of Hivers Who Blog on Hive Social
Hivers who don't earn much HIVE even after months or even years of posting. This could be for any number of reasons (some of which aren't what we would think they are).
Hivers who have OK earnings; maybe enough for a day at the stadium and restaurant, but nothing to brag about.
Hivers who make bank just from one post, and they post 1 time or more daily.
Characteristics of the Third Kind of Hiver
The third kind of Hiver tends to have a large following (however you want to define the word "large"), but many of the upvotes and comments they receive also come from non-followers.
They also tend to have been blogging at Hive Social for a long time. Like all Hivers, they had beginnings also. As beginners, they started with 0.001 HP.
The Role of Curation and Upvoting
Perhaps after one year their earnings from Hive Social were good, but they weren't anything like what they are today. They also earned from the upvotes they gave fellow Hivers; this is the curation we keep hearing about.
When you're well established, curation rewards are a big deal. When you're just starting out, your voting power is dust which keeps getting swept away until it reaches the magic 0.002 HP threshold; only then will you begin to see curation rewards. All Hivers (or Steemians) passed through this, but some passed through that stage faster than others.
The Power of Hive Power
During the first and second years they notice their earnings increasing at a faster pace, and part of that is due to the constant increase in their Hive Power. The greater one's HP, the greater one's upvote becomes, and the greater their curation rewards become.
Although it's apparent during the first year, it's in later years when increases in HP become greater and take place faster. Assuming a constant rate of post publishing, upvoting, and comments made, there will come a point in time when mathematics takes over and both HP and earnings essentially take off and earnings per post become jaw-dropping.
Hidden Earnings
This post concerns Hive Power, which is gained at the Hive blockchain level. We don't think of it this way, but HIVE and HP are earned at Layer 1.
Depending on where posts are published, it's possible to earn tokens native to Layer 2. These are tribal or community tokens. The ones I know best are LEO from LeoFinance and POB from Proof of Brain.
If a community develops enough to become a tribe, that tribe will have its own Layer 2 token. In just the last month the CENT tribe came online, and with it its CENT token and "# cent" tag for posts. Also coming forth is Decentralized Collaboration & Cooperation tribe, and with it its DCC token and "# dcc" tag for posts. Proper use of tags can earn one a surprising amount of Layer 2 tokens. After a while, you'll have more earnings from Layer 2 tokens than from actual HIVE. Just be sure to regularly visit Hive Engine to claim these Layer 2 tokens.
Depending on the niche taken by a blogger on Hive Social, it's possible to earn even more Layer 2 tokens along with the the standard HIVE from Layer 1. As an added bonus, using a tribe's front-end-- if one exists-- adds an extra boost in Layer 2 token earnings; it can be an extra 10%, or some other percentage specified by the tribe. It's like found money. If you published the post, then whenever possible use the tribal front-end to post, upvote, and comment.
How Long Does It Take To Make Blogging The Main Source of Income?
Short answer : I'm still new here, so I don't know.
Longer answer : It depends on how long you blog consistently.
For Hivers who are also ex-Steemians, that could be 3 to 5 years of consistent and persistent blogging and engagement. If you're dormant for a significant chunk of time, then it will take longer. But I've been noticing 3 to 5 years for this set of current Hivers.
Post count includes comments, but over 5 years it's still a significant amount of blog posts published.
How Can I Speed Up My Earnings by Blogging about Crypto?
I don't claim to have all the answers, or even a small number of answers. But I can offer suggestions based on my (admittedly, limited) experiences and my observations. If you need answers beyond that, I would suggest seeking a Hiver who is right now where you want to find your future self.
Post in communities which have an active mmebership.
There are communities we think are active but have minimal members and fewer opportunities to be visible. Finding active communities which are a good fit for you involves trial and error, and the sooner the errors are out of the way, the sooner you can be active and have an audience willing to give you a chance.
Tag Your Posts with Appropriate Tribal Tokens
Regardless of the front-end you use (Ecency, PeakD, Hive.Blog, or a tribal front-end), your posts need tags. Besides using relevant tags for the content of your post, include relevant community or tribal tags. General topic tribal tags are always good. Use "# leofinance" and "# cent" for financial or crypto content. Don't use "# leofinance" tag for posts to be published in "C/Shadow Hunters".
If Available, Always Use Tribal Front-End
Using the tribal front-end gives your posts, upvotes, and comments a boost in earnings. Tribal front-ends also show a post's earnings in its native Layer 2 token. A setting in your profile can be adjusted to show earnings in local currency, Layer 2 token, or both. Use the right front-end for the right kind of post.
Engage with Readers
If readers have questions, concerns, or comments about your post, addrress them as best as you can. It's OK for comments to be brief, but the comments need to be of value. If you like a reader's comment, give it an upvote.
If your tribe or community offers a -TALK post for casual conversational text chat, pop in there and see ow things are going in there. It lets people know you in a better way, better than just a name on the New feed.
We all needed help when we were trying to figure out this place; be willing to help anyone asking for help.
Market Yourself
We came to Hive Social to blog and post and interact with fellow Hivers. Sadly, it's not enough to post in the hopes that the readers will discover you.
We're encouraged to post an introductory post with a description we give about ourselves. That's a good idea, but it's not enough. If people find your posts via search engines or even just from clicking links on the feed, they need to get an idea of who you are and what you post. Just look at the final sections of posts by the bloggers on Hive Social who have made substantial earnings here.
It may feel awkward to advertise yourself in your own posts, but who else will do that for you? Many of our fellow Hivers are kind people willing to help however they can, but they aren't obligated to do anything for anyone. So it falls to each of us to market ourslves.
It may feel like self-promotion at first, but people understand it's just part of doing business here-- and if you want to blog for crypto, then you're in business.
Where Do I Find Topics for My Blog Posts?
Even if you have a niche where you focus your writing, there are times when the topics aren't apparent. How many times can we post about Dogecoin or SafeMoon? Sorting through the FUD we find in various news sources can be a mental drain.
So where else can you find a topic for a new post?
Read other posts for inspiration. -- See what your role models as bloggers have to say about something, then see how you can add to that. See what people new to you are writing about in your chosen niche. Experiment a new topic, a new posting format, or even a new style. Something out there can put you on the road to making that post.
Read the comments -- While reading a number of posts, I saw a comment or two which prompted me to reply. When I noticed how long the reply was, I decided to make it into this very post you see here. Putting this text as a reply would have given me massive downvotes due to a captive audience needing to get past it to move on to the next comment, so separate post it was.
A trip to the bathroom / restroom / head / WC/ loo. -- You'd be surprised at the ideas you can get while taking care of other business in there! (or maybe not.)
Choosing Crypto Themes You Can Handle
Even if you limit yourself to crypto, there are numerous sub-niches to be covered.
Below is just a partial list of topics for crypto blogging at LeoFinance or at CENT:
| Topic or Niche | Description |
|---|---|
| SEO | Search Engine Optimization to help our posts rank higher on search engines |
| Web 3.0 | The Decentralized Web (which includes Hive) |
| Decentralization versus Centralization | Even cryptos have this debate; then there are Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDCs |
| News | Posting links and reactive commentary |
| Technical Analysis | Charts, interpretation, etc. |
| Fundamental Analysis | Whitepaper, development team, roadmap, leadership team, tokenomics, etc. |
| Trend Analysis and prediction | related to both Techhnical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis |
| Crypto versus Fiat | How crypto is superior to fiat money; how FUDsters try to denigrate crypto |
| NFTs | Non-Fungible Tokens |
| Legal environment | Favored in some places, banned in other places, who-knows in others |
| Investing | Crypto, stocks, precious metals, commodities, art, collections, etc. |
| Taxes | Cash out your crypto too soon, you get banged over the head by your taxing authorities |
| Foreign Exchange | Currency pairs traded, currency versus crypto |
| Budgeting | Personal, business, enterprise |
| Educational | Different types of cryptos, Proof of Work versus Proof of Stake, glossary of terms, etc. |
| Consumer | Reviews of cryptos or services such as DeFi |
| dApps | Decentralized Applications |
| Recreation | Gaming, social media, etc. |
| Development | News about the coding and infrastructure side of crypto |
| Shitcoins | Yes, this topic is covered by a couple of people here |
| Crypto for Cheapskates | Usually it's about crypto faucets or ad viewing |
| Scams | Think of posts in this niche as a public service announcement, only you get paid in crypto for it |
| Memes | As long as the they relate to crypto somehow, they are welcome here |
| Satire | Dogecoin, anyone? Same as for memes, but this is a virtually untapped niche for crypto posts -- Maybe you can make it your own? |
| Slice of Life | Stories or examples of how crypto is used in daily life by a wide variety of people |
| Gossip | Even cryptophiles need water cooler talk |
| TBD | Some sub-niche each of can find or discover or create within LeoFinance or CENT |
It's OK if we don't have a niche yet. That's what trial and error is for. We try whatever seems to make sense for us and see if it works for us. If not, we try another; if yes, we stick with it and make each post better than the previous post.
Even if we bounce from theme to theme, after a while your name becomes known to readers and they know what to expect from your posts.
Conclusion
If people outside of crypto can make a living blogging about money matters, then it shows that we can make a living writing about crypto as we earn crypto while writing about it.
Even if we decide to make a living writing about crypto, we still need to make others aware of our work. That's where marketing comes in, and that's a separate skill needed for any writer to find work and to succeed in writing. Just posting isn't enough; readers need to know where to find it.
There are so many topics to be covered even if we limit ourselves to crypto. Even if it takes a while to find a niche within the crypto niche, we can experiment with various topics until we find one we're comfortable with as the focus of our blogging.
Role models exist on Hive Social, so earning a livingg as a crypto blogger can be done. Start it as a skill to be developed (not like a hobby, which is a more casual undertaking). Develop the blogging habit. Over time your crypto blogging can become a side hustle. After a while the numbers reach a point where you can turn the side hustle into a full-time hustle. It's not easy, but it's been done.
Can you blog for crypto? Yes.
Can you make a living blogging about crypto? Yes.
Will it be quick? No.
Will it take work? Yes. Consistency and Persistence, too.
| ● If you liked this post, please give it an upvote. ● Please reblog or re-Hive this post if you found it useful. ● If there are corrections or clarifications I need to make concerning post content, let me know in a comment so I can update the post and give you credit for the correction. |
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| About @magnacarta |
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| My main focus is cryptocurrencies from a number of angles (educational, commentary, observations, even pop culture). A secondary focus is sharing my discoveries about the world of Hive Social. Most of my posts can be found at these two locations: * LeoFinance : @magnacarta * Proof of Brain : @magnacarta For posts I make at other tribes or communities, start here to locate them : * Ecency: @magnacarta/posts I also expect Festivus to take off in popularity in the coming years. |