Written on September 23rd, 2005 at 01:09 am by Darren Rowse
Six Figure Blogger Interview - Manolo from ShoeBlogs
One of my favorite blogs to show people when they ask to give examples of innovative ways to use blogs to earn an income is Monolo’s Shoeblog. If you haven’t seen it before you really must go have a look - it’s a blog written by ‘the Manolo’ about shoes and celebrities. Odd topic? Yes and no - in fact the more I reflect on ‘the Manolo’ the smarter I realize that they are as its a blog that crosses two popular niches - shoes and celebrity.
The blog is written in the third person by ‘the (anonymous) Manolo’ who has a real cult following. The style of writing is quirky, fun and at times quite bizarre - but I (and many thousands of others) love it!
I’ve been emailing the Manolo off and on for a while now and have been hassling them for an interview - today my wishes came true. I decided to get into the third person spirit and do the interview in that style. The Manolo answers my questions very candidly and even tells us how much the Manolo earns from the shoe blog - you might be surprised just how lucrative shoes can be!
The enternetusers - How did the Manolo get into blogging?
The Manolo - Ah, this it is the good question. The Manolo he had been blogging in the tiny small way for many years prior to the launching of the shoe blog, but it was always most unsatisfying because it was not about the Manolo’s true love, the shoes, and so the Manolo he finally decided to follow his bliss by starting the blog about the shoes and the fashion.
The enternetusers - If you had to describe Manolo’s Shoe Blog in less than 15 words how would you do it?
The Manolo - Shoes, fashion, celebrity, humor and Manolo!
The enternetusers - How long has the Manolo’s Shoe Blog been going? Does Manolo have other blogs or websites?
The Manolo - October 16th, it will be the first anniversary of the Manolo’s Shoe Blog.
Yes, the Manolo he has several other blogs that have been spun off from the Manolo’s humble shoe blog: the Manolo’s Prada Blog, Manolo for the Men, Manolo for the Brides, Media Galore, and the variety of the related single pages about the shoes and the fashion, such as the Gallery of the Horrors. Most can be accessed from the front page of the Manolo’s Shoe Blog.
The enternetusers - Did the Manolo choose to start blogging about the shoes because Manolo loves the shoes or because Manolo saw a good way to make money from a blog through the shoes?
The Manolo - When the Manolo invented the shoe blog last year, it was simply the way for the Manolo to celebrate the beauty and glamour of the feetwears. Within the first month or two, however, the Manolo he began to recognize the commercial potential.
However, the blog of the Manolo it is not about the moneys. It will always first be the blog about the shoes and the fashion and the fun, not the blog about the *selling* of the shoes.
This person, Mr. Snitch, he has discussed the marketing aspect of the blog of the Manolo quite accurately (here and here).
As has the Manolo more briefly.
In the short the Manolo loves the shoes, and the capitalism!
The enternetusers - Does the Manolo blog for a job full time?
The Manolo - As the Manolo has said on many of the occasion, the Manolo he is the flaneur.
The enternetusers - What are the main ways that the Manolo makes income from the Shoe Blog?
The Manolo - In the order of importance, the affiliate sales of the shoes and the fashion, the contextual ads like the google and the chitka, the blogads, then the Amazon, and then the tshirts and the miscellaneous. This, of the course, does not count what the Manolo receives for writing his new column in the Washington Post Express.
The enternetusers - Why does the Manolo write in the third person on Manolo’s blog? How do readers respond to this?
The Manolo - On many of the occasions the Manolo he has been asked about this, all the Manolo can say is that this it is the authentic voice of the Manolo.
The Manolo he is the Manolo, it is not more complex than this. And, of the course, the readers of the Manolo they react most favorably. One need only look at the comments section in his blog to see the response.
The enternetusers - How much does the Manolo make from blogging?
The Manolo - The Manolo he is the six figure blogger.
The enternetusers - What advice would Manolo give to new bloggers wanting to start making an income from blogging?
This it is difficult to do, because the Manolo’s blogging journey it has been so idiosyncratic. What he does it is not like what anyone else does.
Yes, since the Manolo invented the shoe blog, there have been started many of the shoe and handbag blogs, some of them very good. Yet none of them are like the blog of the Manolo, none of them have the particular combination of shoes, fashion, celebrity, and humor that makes the blog of the Manolo one of the more popular places in the blogosphere.
And so the lesson the Manolo he takes away from this for the new bloggers is to be aware that the large part of the mission of the blogging it is to entertain, and so you must write well, in the lively manner.
Do not be afraid to be different, in the fact, being different it is the advantage in the marketplace where there are fifty hundred new blogs on the topic you have chosen. Also, do not be afraid of the odd combinations of the topics, or of the peculiar view of the world, or the different way of approaching your subject as long as these things can be entertaining. Do this, and post faithfully everyday, and be generous with your links and with your readers, and your audience it will find you soon enough.
The enternetusers - Do any of the Manolo’s readers know who Manolo is? What are the advantages and disadvantages of blogging anonymously?
The Manolo - Anonymous? The Manolo he is not anonymous, he is the Manolo.
Yes, the particulars of the Manolo’s existence they have remained hidden from the view of the public, and indeed it pains the Manolo to keep such the artificial distance from his many internet friends, but the readers of the blogs of the Manolo they know the Manolo, the real Manolo, very well.
The enternetusers - What tools does the Manolo use to run the Shoeblog?
The Manolo - The Manolo uses the Wordpress for the Shoeblog, and the Blogger for most of the other blogs, but only because he is too lazy to move the other blogs to the far superior Wordpress application. This it is all he uses.
I’d like to thank the Manolo for the time and effort taken to answer my questions. You’re a truely remarkable and unique individual - thank you for sharing your story with the enternetusers readers!
This post has been very popular around the web - I’d like to welcome new readers to enternetusers - this site is about helping bloggers find ways to make a little (or a lot of) money from their blogs. Feel free to look around my archives (some of my more popular posts are in the top three menus on each page) and/or to subscribe to my weekly newsletter in which I keep you up to date of the latest enternetusers news and give a few tips on blogging. I hope you enjoy your stay.
45 Responses to “Six Figure Blogger Interview - Manolo from ShoeBlogs”
Randy Charles Morin
September 23rd, 2005 1:04 am
Not bad! 30 subs and he’s already a 6-figure blogger.
Pat
September 23rd, 2005 1:08 am
I have loved the Manolo and his Shoe Blog for a long time. In fact, I named him as one of my 5 favorites on Blog Day. He is truly unique! I am not surprised that he is doing so well! It just goes to show that you need to be unique.
Another Six Figure Blogger Goes Public: Blog Tips - enternetusers
September 23rd, 2005 1:48 am
[…] Update II - Ok - no one got the answer - its Manolo. Filed under Pro Blogging News | Get the Free enternetusers Newsletter […]
Matt
September 23rd, 2005 2:06 am
Ahhhh! The Manolo is hilarious!! I ran across his site awhile back when someone else mentioned it and have read it occassionally ever since. Not because I like shoes, but because I think the shoeblog is funny as heck, despite the fact that it is about shoes.
Bonnie
September 23rd, 2005 2:12 am
I never heard of this blog! He gets lots of points in my book for the tender posts directed to “the girls with the big feets.”
shoelover
September 23rd, 2005 2:23 am
Manolo, sorry THE Manolo (if he ever gets knighted it will be Sir Manolo) is what the internet is all about.
He has his toes firmly around his niche and entertains.
One of my inspirations for building a blog into our store’s website. While our purpose is to get close to our customer, Manolo demonstrates that people love to interact.
SL
John (SYNTAGMA)
September 23rd, 2005 2:43 am
And I associate shoes with fetishes. It obviously pays.
Anne-Marie
September 23rd, 2005 3:14 am
The Manolo, he is so funny. But I think enternetusers is cool too.
Khurrum
September 23rd, 2005 3:57 am
thats it. The Khurrum will start talking like this now.
:)
The Peschel
September 23rd, 2005 5:01 am
And bless him for his honesty about the money. I can believe that he stumbled his not-doubt well-shod feet into the lucre, but, still, one must appreciate the bit of the ready, no matter what your politics or writing style. As the hunter must thank the kill for giving up its life for his nourishment, the blogger must thank the dollar for providing the same service.
The writing style, it is infectious, no?
mymarkup.net
September 23rd, 2005 5:03 am
Manolo.se? Sold!
Björn Jeffery bekräftar att det är Manolo.se som ska “säljas” till ett Bonnierförtag. [V]i ligger i förhandlingar för att sälja…
LcF
September 23rd, 2005 5:57 am
shoes?! wow!
affiliate sales… Hmm…
Un blog con floggera » Blog Archive » Blogeando por dinero
September 23rd, 2005 7:15 am
[…] Uno de los que se sabe a ciencia cierta que ha ganado arriba de los $100,000 dólares (porque él mismo lo ha publicado) es Kevin de enternetusers. Otro blogger que se encuentra dentro de esa categoría es El Manolo de Manolo’s Shoeblog, quien le dió una entrevista al propio Darren, y que se puede leer el día de hoy en su blog. […]
Jesse
September 23rd, 2005 8:29 am
>> (if he ever gets knighted it will be Sir Manolo)
Wrong. It will be The Sir Manolo…
Vix
September 23rd, 2005 10:23 am
The Manolo is hilarious and this interview made me smile. Goes to show that small niches can pay big dividends!
Sandra
September 23rd, 2005 10:37 am
When reading the Shoe Blog in my mind I hear the voice of Hank Azaria’s character in the Bird Cage, LOL. Great interview. I’m surprised he was so candid.
Martin (HomeOfficeVoice)
September 23rd, 2005 11:48 am
What a whacky and surreal read this was …
the lesson the Manolo he takes away from this for the new bloggers is to be aware that the large part of the mission of the blogging it is to entertain, and so you must write well, in the lively manner … Do not be afraid to be different, in the fact, being different it is the advantage in the marketplace where there are fifty hundred new blogs on the topic you have chosen.
Agree 100% with what The Manolo says. him, he a breath of fresh air in an ever-growiing bland blogging world - differentiate or die is what The Manolo (! can’t believe I’m getting into the spirit of this ;-) is essentially saying and while you’re at it … entertain us!
Vince Chan
September 23rd, 2005 4:06 pm
I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned this. But doesn’t Manolo seem eeriely similar to “Mango” from the Saturday Night Live skits? Perhaps, they are long lost siblings? cousins? Would make a great blog event to have a Manolo/Mango reunion!
jared l.
September 23rd, 2005 5:28 pm
Great coverage of shoes and fashion. And, it pays handsomely after lotsa of hard work!
Mostly Muppet Dot Com
September 24th, 2005 2:22 am
Blogging for Dollars
My year-to-date earnings from Google AdWords: $28.29
My year-to-date earnings from Yahoo! Publisher Network: $0.00 - I haven’t implemented it yet.
My year-to-date earnings from Blogads: $0.00 - I haven’t implemented it yet.
The Manolo&#…
FrenchBitch
September 24th, 2005 5:11 am
Liar. No one makes over 100k from ads. Manalo is a shill.
Darren Rowse
September 24th, 2005 8:51 am
Why do you doubt it FrenchBitch?
I make that much from ads - I know quite a few people who do.
Anything’s possible these days
DelD
September 24th, 2005 9:25 am
Frenchy, read the interview again. He says his #1 source of income is affiliate sales of shoes, contextual ads come in second.
Martin (HomeOfficeVoice)
September 25th, 2005 1:31 pm
FrenchBitch - you’d be surprised by how many pure-play blogging enterprises are starting to make serious money - and as DeiID said it’s not just from AdSense. A tight niche of affiliates, sponsorships and other income-earning avenues are quickly catching up to AdSense.
With my projections, I’ll get to 100k from my blogs in the next 6-9 months (all based on past projections and conservative future outlooks , of course) and I project only 15% will come from AdSense.
Sponsors and advertisers are after good quality, highly niche blogs to place their advertising/sponsorship dollars on - highly niche topic to a focused audience being to main word here.
AdPulp
September 27th, 2005 12:09 am
There’s Money In Them Shoes
Pro Blogger has an interview with The Manolo. In said interview said shoe blogger talks about revenue garnered from the site, use of the third person and other oddities. The enternetusers - What are the main ways that the Manolo…
Chitika Mini-Malls Review: Blog Tips - enternetusers
September 28th, 2005 1:12 am
[…] I’ve also seen them producing very relevant ads over at ShoeBlogs (remember in the interview I did with Manolo that he said that chitika ads were in some of his better performing ads). I’ve also seen a couple of bloggers so impressed with mini-malls that they’ve ditched Adsense all together as they were able to earn significantly more from Chitika. […]
dior or bust
September 29th, 2005 2:10 am
For a self-styled (roflmao) fashion guru this Manolo sure has terrible taste. He should rename his blog ‘the safe, unimaginative, requires-zero-mental-acuity exercise in sartorial boredom BLOG for ditto monkeys’. And what’s worse is that people actually listen to him and proceed to sink into a blackhole of boredom and fashion oblivion. A bit like the agony aunt who gives anxious teenagers advice that an experienced adult would cringe at hearing. Prada? Please. A more cliched example of wannabe luxe cannot be found. You’re better off reading Vogue or something. Really.
Toby
September 29th, 2005 1:57 pm
Fab interview with one of the most creative and fun bloggers! The Manolo he is the shoe man.
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September 30th, 2005 6:41 pm
[…] stuff (especially if you like shoes) over at enternetusers. • General • TrackBack • Contact • Kevin Connors •Main […]
Juho Tunkelo
October 2nd, 2005 6:37 pm
What a great example of a creative person truly going after his passion and realizing the inherent income potential almost as an afterthought.
Mary’s Blog » Blog Archive » Blogging - Deathless Prose or Waste of Time?
October 6th, 2005 9:18 am
[…] And, so it is goes with blogging. It’s as good or bad – as trivial or thought-provoking – as the writer and the reader. For example, the cutesy Manolo the shoe guy’s blog is pretty much a yawn for me. Once was definitely enough. However, it has many fans and is reportedly making a lot of money for “Manolo.” So, good for him/her/them! It’s all about knowing the target and talking to them in their language. […]
Manolo hires Blogger: Blog Tips at enternetusers
October 7th, 2005 1:53 am
[…] Six Figure blogger - Manolo the Shoeblogger has just hired his first blogger for his brides blog. Congratulations Manolo and congratulations to the new blogger - never teh bride. Filed under Pro Blogging News | Get the Free enternetusers Newsletter […]
Brides
April 17th, surf- fish stock video
- white lace chemise soccer jersey contest
- Stock video Footage
Good блог. It is necessary to ask Manolo to learn to work with blog’s
He needs to sell exclusive footwear for the brides, for wedding
Comfortable shoes
April 19th, surf zone.5:25 am
Hmmm… Have a darn good time + Play with lots of people + Act smart = 6 figures!
James
May 24th, surf zone.7:11 pm
That is mind blowing! Wow…more inspiration! Now I just hope blogging stays popular for years to come… please God. :)
Marc
June 21st, surf zone.12:48 pm
I wonder how long before some of these blogs start becoming real print magazines. You can build subscriber lists, show that you have a niche unexplored demographic and presto - new magazine title…
Paul
June 26th, surf zone.6:22 pm
wow…I dont know why people bother going to the shoe blog. It seems very boring and annoying at the same time. I guess people on the internet could be fooled easily by the use of simple techniques such as a third person point of view.
Sandal flip
September 1st, surf zone.4:06 am
All I can say is I love The Manolo! The Manolo is sexy, sexy, sexy!
makubex
January 29th, 2007 5:28 pm
If not the first, then surely the best!
Chitika Blog Bash : 30 DAYS 30 EXPERTS : » Blog Archive » Dare to Be Eccentric -By Manolo
April 5th, 2007 2:07 pm
[…] Manolo says, over the past two-and-the-half years, since the Manolo started his humble shoe blog, many other professional bloggers have asked the Manolo, “Manolo, how can we be more like you, the God of BlogMarketing, the Six Figure Blogger, who has been mentioned in the publications as diverse as the Vogue, the Times of London, and the Sydney Morning Herald, and who has his own weekly newspaper column, and will soon have the very amusing pamphlet and the autobiographical book coming out?” […]
TheRunwayScoop
April 6th, 2007 10:56 am
Wisdom From The Manolo…
Manolo the Shoeblogger (Oh, don’t we all love The Manolo!) has written an article over at the Chitika Blog where they are having a Blog Bash - 30 days with 30 exert bloggers. The Manolo offers a great tip on……
The Consolation of the Shoes » Blog Archive » Who is Manolo the Shoeblogger?
May 27th, 2007 1:22 am
[…] King of the Heel Shoe are You? Super Fantastic Manolo in the British Vogue The Click Super Fantastic Shoe Genius Six-Figure Blogger […]
The Wardman Wire » Secrets of Successful Blogging: Don’t Be Scared to Be Different
June 8th, 2007 6:37 am
[…] Source. […]
A Summary of Successful Blogging | Daily Tech Tips
June 8th, 2007 1:18 pm
[…] Source. […]
Andrea
September 10th, 2007 5:01 am
I absolutely love the Manolo. His blog is fantastic! Maybe I’ll grow up one day and emulate is savvy blog style. I have a shoe blog that is designed for women who specifically wear larger size shoes. I hope to be a six-figure blogger like Manolo very soon.
Visit Your Feet Make You Unique at www.yourfeetmakeyouunique.com
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