The blip.tv blog

Making money with video

At last night’s Video 2.0 meet-up a number of people asked about how many people had made money with videos on blip.tv.  Some, maybe, even engaged in some trash talk.

Last month a USA Today story came out that talked, among other things, about how much money people had earned on blip.  I wrote a follow-up to that story noting that advertising is still unreliable.

Some people are making money right now.  There are shows on blip that have received rather large checks.  I have one hanging in my office.  It’s for $26,481.20.  It’s not the largest check we’ve ever sent to a content creator, it’s the largest check we’ve ever sent to a content creator who wasn’t directly sponsored by a brand.

The reality is that these checks are exceptions at this point in history.  In order to earn any money at all on blip.tv you have to opt into advertising.  In order to earn real money you have to have significant traffic.  And a little bit of luck.  And a show that is “advertiser friendly.”

If your goal in creating a Web show is simply to make money you’re simply not doing it right.

We’re working incredibly hard to make independent Web show production a self-sustaining business.  It’s about all we do.  In the last two days we’ve closed two major advertising deals for blip.tv show creators.  But we’re the first to tell you that it’s difficult.  It’s not easy.  Web video is not a get rich quick scheme.