Brian Clark is the founder of Copyblogger. He started the blog back in 2006 as a resource for entrepreneurs to learn to be better copywriters, content marketers, and all around “kings of content.” The blog has since grown to become an authority on creating killer content for the web. With 100k+ subscribers, Brian got smart and leveraged his readership to launch Copyblogger Media, which launched several spinoff companies. These software companies include Scribe, Synthesis, Premise, and StudioPress. The genius behind his business model is that his loyal readers love him and line up to buy the marketing software his company creates. Brian is still very active in the day-to-day of running Copyblogger.
5. (thedishdaily.com) Meet Andrew Sullivan.
Andrew started his blog, The Daily Dish, near the end of 2000. By the middle of 2003, he was receiving about 300,000 unique visits per month. Just this year, Sullivan made some big changes and decided to leave his other his other blogging gigs (formerly at TIME, The Atlantic, and The Daily Beast) to work on The Daily Dish full-time. On launch day in 2013, the blog reportedly took in over $330,000 in recurring revenue, charging an average of $20/month to readers.
6. (TMZ.com) Meet Harvey Levin.
Harvey is an American lawyer, legal analyst, blogger, and celebrity reporter. His website TMZ is a leading authority on celebrity gossip. You can frequently see Harvey hosting his own TV show or appearing as a guest on celebrity related matters on CNN, FOX, and other networks. He managed to leverage the popularity of his blog to build a personal brand for himself.
7. (TechCrunch.com) Meet Michael Arrington.
Michael is one of my favorite bloggers of all time. He started out as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer working on tech deals in California. After realizing his passion for the startup world, he decided to start a tech blog called TechCrunch.com, where he profiled and reviewed some of the best up-and-coming tech companies and entrepreneurs from around the world. TechCrunch became one of the most widely read blogs in the tech industry, and as a result, it was Acquired by AOL for $30 Million dollars. Michael used the proceeds of the sale to become an angel investor and to set up his own investment fund, CrunchFund, to invest in startups. Today, Arrington is still considered to be a mover and shaker in the valley.