Blogging for Profit: How to Get Started
In the past, blogging was a purely personal venture. It was something that people did to express themselves, share their lives and generally reach out to those they knew on a personal level. We’d use blogs to share pictures of our day-to-day lives, muse on general goings-on and, in short, they often served as a sort of public diary. But nowadays, blogging can be used in a very different way. In fact, for many people, blogging is a full-time source of income and can even become your main job or full career. There’s a lot of potential from blogging on a professional level and, nowadays, more and more people are looking to make money from sharing their opinions online. If you’re considering getting into blogging for this purpose, you’re not alone. We’re living through a cost-of-living crisis, and many people are looking for new and innovative ways to generate some cash flow.
Many people also seek the influencer status that can come hand in hand with running a successful blog. This can, again, in turn, lead to revenue, as many companies seek to pair with bloggers for paid reviews and other forms of paid content. But where should you start to experience as much success as possible on this journey? Here are some top tips to guide you on your journey!
Creating Your Blog
Let’s start by actually creating your blog. There are so many different ways to go about this and only you can know which will best tick your boxes. The most common option for people just starting out is to set up a free blog on a hosted platform like WordPress. This is low commitment, as it isn’t going to cost you anything, and can make things a lot simpler.
All you need to do is sign up, choose a blog template and you’re good to go. If you want to look more professional from the outset, you may want to choose a paid domain, which removes companies’ names from your URL. You can choose a URL that makes your blog look like a more professional website. If you go for this option, you may even want to reach out to a web designer or developer who will be able to make your pages from scratch, crafting a blog that meets your individual wants and needs and really stands out from the crowd.
Most blogs have a number of pages. The first is your home page. This is the page that most people will land on when they get to your blog and is your one chance to impress and get them to click onto other pages rather than clicking the exit tab. Make it engaging and on-brand. Next, you will have your blog page categories. These help you to organize your posts, letting readers easily find the content that they’re looking for. Then, most blogs will have an “about” page, where you can let people know who you are and familiarise themselves with you.
Have What You Need to Create Your Content
It’s important that you have the materials you need to produce it. Most bloggers start off small. This may mean using free images - you can find stock photos here - or using their phone to take images and videos to post. As you begin to generate a larger readership, more demand for your content and more money to justify blog-oriented purchases, you can start to invest. This may mean buying a camera, a camcorder, a better laptop for editing, new software for editing, a mic for better sound quality, or other equipment and materials that will improve your content and help you capture more followers and readers.
Decide What Content You Will Post
If you’re planning on creating a blog, chances are, you already know what kind of blog it will be. But it’s always best to do your research and really hone this down. It’s generally best to create a blog that sticks to one kind of subject. This will give readers consistency and can help to pull in a loyal reader base. People will feel lost and stop checking in if one day you’re posting about beauty products and the next you’re posting about car repairs or bird watching. Now is a good time to start thinking of who your target demographic will be and how best to cater to them. What kind of content do they want to consume? Do you they like lots of images? Short-form copy? Long-form copy? Videos? This is where you will start to form your blog’s style and tone of voice.
Create a Content Calendar
Next up, it’s time to create a content calendar. It’s best to make sure that you post regularly and consistently. If people know that you’re going to post a new blog post or video every other day, they’ll likely visit your page every other day to check in, racking up your readership, page views and more. If people know you post every Wednesday, they’ll check in every Wednesday and consume your content. If you post sporadically and inconsistently, chances are, people will just check in occasionally, hoping to find something new when they do. A good way to manage your posts is to create a content calendar. This allows you to check when you need to post and can allow you to prepare in advance, getting ahead with your content and being able to post consistently.
These are just a few starter steps when it comes to blogging for profit. Hopefully, each step will help you on your journey and will see you experience success!
