Blogging all the way to the bank

Photo: Rayhab Gachango has turned her passion for writing into a career, through her blog, Potentash

Faith Gachobe @wangechi_gachobe

Rayhab Gachango grew up in a family where they were all encouraged to pursue their dreams and passion. Reading and writing were almost mandatory and for this reason, her passion for print and written word could not be quenched without her pursuing that path.

It was no surprise to her friends and family when she started blogging in 2009. At the time, she was working for Mastermind, a tobacco company where she would spend most of her day in the field selling cigarettes. Rayhab would wake up at 4am, work on a post, then set it up to post at around 7am before going to work. "I am addicted to words, the only way I can get my fix is to read and write," says the writer, poet and blogger.

Turning point

Her family cultivated the culture of writing. When she was still in Moi High School; she used to write for her family magazine, Gachango's Family Magazine. Her extended family would meet every first Saturday of the year to discuss content and she was the biggest contributor, mostly poems. At some point, she became an editor.

She joined Daystar University where she pursued a diploma in electronic media, and later a degree in advertising, which she completed in 2007. Currently, she is pursuing Masters in Corporate and Development Communication.

Though Rayhab had started blogging in 2009 it was not until 2012 when she realised she could turn her passion into income. She later quit her job to concentrate fully on blogging as a career. Although she first made money out of blogging in 2014, she professionalised blogging in 2015 and has since been paying her bills from her famous blog potentash.com.

Some of the ways bloggers make money is through placing ads on their site. There are two popular types of ads: CPC/PPC Ads: Cost per click (also called pay per click) ads are usually banners that you place in your content or sidebar. Each time a reader clicks on the ad, you are paid for it. Another way is creating traffic on your blog, which means that the number of people who visit your site determines how many potential clients you attract. Before blogging had picked up, one had to sell numbers, but according to Rayhab, companies are now looking for an engaged audience.

Investment

"Blogging is like being an entrepreneur, it may put food on the table, but it may not be as consistent as you may like it to be. I look at it as an investment. Many people are still of the wait-and-see opinion, they are sceptical about delegating work to bloggers," says the second born in a family of three children.

Her journey like any other has not been without challenges. She admits that she does not always get monetary reward for work she has done. More often than not, it is a case of barter trade where the work she has done and the deal she has been offered balance out.

Rayhab says her constant flow of ideas comes from having a content plan. This enables her to come up with timely and relevant content. Reading online newspapers religiously and keeping up with trends also plays a huge role.

With some of her categories such as Single Lady in Nairobi doing well, she says that the secret is to tell stories that have not been told by the mainstream media, which often times narrow down to the basics in the society. For this to work, Rayhab works with contributors, part-time writers and a few interns.

Going  forward

With time, Rayhab has observed that the more she stays in the business, the more she realises that it's an opportunity as more companies are moving digital. She admits that it still isn't easy convincing companies or individuals to invest in bloggers, especially if a company or the person has never worked with one before.

Rayhab's long-term goal is to write African short stories for children and young adults that will influence them positively and give people hope. She likes to tell entertaining stories, but also act as a mirror to the society and bring to light issues affecting everyone. "Blogging is a career but writing is my passion," she says.

Source: Blogging all the way to the bank