Examples of Successful Blogs

There are countless examples of people who started out writing a simple blog and were able to turn that into an exciting career or success story.
Among the most obvious examples would be Ree Drummond, a housewife from Oklahoma who began writing her blog, The Pioneer Woman, in 2006. In it, she documents her life as a wife and mother living on the plains, as well as including homemaking tips and recipes. It quickly gained in popularity and by 2010 Drummond was listed as one of Forbes magazine Top 25 Web Celebrities. Shortly afterward, she was given her own weekly television program on the Food Network and has written several successful cookbooks, one of which became a New York Times #1 Bestseller.

Another blogging success story is Jenny Lawson. This Texas-born blogger is the author of The Bloggess, in which she uses her quick wit and irreverent writing style to discuss her life and daily adventures. Some of her

blogs were collected into a book, “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened,” which also was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Lawson currently is an in-demand guest on talk shows and has received numerous prestigious awards, including being recognized by Nielsen Ratings as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Mom Bloggers.

You may have never heard of Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr., but you probably have heard of his blog, PerezHilton.com. He began his blog about celebrities and gossip in 2004 and within six months it was one of the most read blogs in Internet history. Hilton soon became a celebrity in his own right, appearing on countless television programs and even serving as a celebrity judge for the Miss USA pageant in 2009, in an episode of “The Sopranos”, and as the star of his own reality TV series.

And then there’s Arianna Huffington. This Greek-American ex-wife of US Rep. Michael Huffington (R-Mich.) had already a successful career as a political candidate, television personality and writer when she launched her blog, HuffingtonPost.com, in 2005. In it, she wrote opinion pieces, shared articles and featured a stable of regular columnists writing mostly on politics and business. In 2011, Huffington sold her blog to AOL for $315 million, making her one of the most financially successful bloggers in history.