Can You Make Money Blogging Anonymously? (2024)

If you are an introvert or just a private person, can you make money blogging anonymously?

I wanted to blog since the early 2000s, but was too self-conscious to start what was often seen as an “online journal.” Or even a full-on diary for some folks.

Writing and sharing experiences and advice runs through my veins, but publicly “oversharing” is not. Plus, with all the internet stranger-danger out there, I never wanted too many photos of myself and my family floating around the internet.

But today, blogging has drastically changed. It's a valuable resource for everyone from individuals to large companies.

Having a blog allows you to showcase your thought-leadership and share your voice with your audience.

And of course, blogging is an amazing way to make money from the comfort of your home.

So the question is, can you blog anonymously and still make money online?

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If you want to start a blog, it's certainly easy to jump into. In fact, I have a full step-by-step tutorial on that right here. I am a big advocate for everybody grabbing their own piece of internet real estate!

However, once you start blogging, you may realize you want to keep a majority of your personal life more personal.

Similarly to my story above, bloggers travelers may want to share their adventures and experiences, but not necessarily socialize all of their personal vacation photos.

Putting words to virtual paper does not directly correlate to a desire to post your photo alongside every piece.

Anonymously bloggers may choose to do so for any combination of the following:

A prime example?

Mom bloggers may be sensitive to sharing photos of their young children for one of many reasons.

So, should you still start a mom blog if you won't post pictures of your mom life and your kids?

Yes! But read on.

One of the biggest reasons people do not blog anonymously today is because it becomes harder to connect with your audience.

The “know, like, & trust factor” is key to making money in the online space. With so many scams constantly circling the internet, potential customers have to feel a sense of safety.

And yes, a blogger should consider their audience as potential customers, even if they do not technically sell a product.

The higher your traffic, the more potential money you can make as a blogger. That means, you need readers to start to know you, like you, and continue to come back for more of your truth worthy and reliable information.

No matter whether you are monetizing your blog through ads, affiliate links, or direct sales, more traffic is more valuable.

Readers don't connect as directly with a business or company as they do with a specific individual. This is how the rise of influencers became popular.

It can also be harder to network both on- and off-line as an anonymous blogger.

People may start to recognize your blog name, but not recognize you as the face running the show behind the scenes. As you work to build out your blogger network by guest posting and interviewing on podcasts, you create that one extra layer of distance between your blog and the individual people want to connect with.

If blogging anonymously is still your plan, there are a few routes you can go. Try to keep some level of personalization and persona connected to your blog to make it approachable for returning readers.

1. Blog Under Your First Name.
There are no rules saying you have to share your full name with readers on your blog. Include just your first name on your About Me page and instantly be that much more relatable. Ideally, you will even get comfortable posting a headshot to put a face with the name. And remember – it can be a small, modest thumbnail image if you prefer.

2. Blog Using A Pen-Name.
Like many famous authors, you can create an assumed pen name. Blog under this alias as the author, and you will still have a person to show. You can also use stock-photos of a real person to make it feel more authentic.

(Decide what your end-goal is here, because there can be a slippery slope between a fun pen-name persona and a purely made up catfish phony.)

3. Blog Under A Company Name.
You don't have to be a large corporation to use a company name. In fact, you don't even have to formally have a business.
If you write about travel, use can create a travel-agency sounding title. Better yet, combine this with option one above. You can post as “Beth at Surf's Up Travel Agency” and still keep a semblance of anonymity.

There will always be tools and technology that trace back to you if someone really wanted the information. I say that not as a fear-monger, but as a friendly PSA (public service announcement.)

Especially as it comes to making money blogging, the financial side will require your real identity. Financial institutions (banks, payment processors like Stripe and PayPal, etc) all require identity confirmation to ensure they are not helping to solicit less-than-angelic money movement.