One of my favorite bloggers—and a person who has many other fans as well—is Gary Conn, who offers no-nonsense advice and encouragement to people looking to make money online.  Unlike most bloggers in the “make money” niche, Garry actually backs up his advice with solid earnings, and his example of making a full-time income from blogging is an inspiration to people across the Blogosphere.

The thing that makes Garry stand out from other pro bloggers is his strong voice and an obvious eagerness to share the “stuff that works” with his readers.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a blogger who makes himself more available to interaction with his readers (even going so far as to occasionally list a phone number where fans can call in to leave questions).  Readers appreciate this kind of attention from bloggers, and it’s evident in Garry’s killer RSS subscription numbers.

And readers who feel that they are being paid attention to are more likely to buy advertising, as well.  Right now Garry Conn’s advertising page only offers 125×125 sidebar banners for 25 bucks a month, a very low price for a blog that has as much traffic and respect as his.  He has spots filled, but I have no doubt that he could probably sell even more spots and links on his blog if he wanted to do so.

I suspect that Garry doesn’t want to over-monetize his blog, instead using it as an outlet that is primarily dedicated to mentoring other bloggers . . . which is great.  But that shouldn’t stop you from looking to Garry’s example as an inspiration for you to make yourself more available to your readers and speak with a stronger voice on your blog.

By doing so, you’ll be much more likely to attract advertisers and subscribers!