Many financial gurus recommend using a blog as a way to build a side hustle. However, building a blog is a slow payout. You may put a lot of time into it and wait a long while before you get any serious payout. How can you be sure that the time and effort you put into your blog will be satisfying enough to keep going until the money starts coming in?
Figure Out What You Want to Say
If you’re interested in writing a blog on fashion, the options for adding advertisements are myriad. However, if you want to blog about minimalism, homesteading, or thrifty living, plugging in ads will be challenging and may even feel false.
What are you interested in? Is it a passion that you want to share because it improved your life? If your story is compelling and you need to share it, writing a blog that never pays you a penny may be worth your time. If you need money now and you’re interested in writing, put the majority of your time into something that pays out faster than a blog.
Choose a Name
Your blog name can be something catchy, something funny, or something lovely. If you are writing on a painful or heartfelt topic, a title that discusses the risk of triggers is a wonderful way to protect your readers from a jolt.
You can also use your title as your blog title. “The Bloggess,” Jenny Lawson has already taken that one, but if you’re the Chief Panic Officer or the Princess of Chaos, use it. Royal titles are eye-catching and invite readers in to enjoy the joke.
Pick a Platform
There are a lot of platforms out there. Start out free unless your creative juices need fancier graphics or more exciting plug-ins. Putting out the cheapest blog in the world won’t ever make you any money if you’re not inspired to add to it.
If you look for tutorials online, you’ll note that most of them direct you to just a couple of platforms. However, be sure to check out the best Wix alternatives to see what niche platform options exist.
Build a Habit
Writing takes discipline until you get the habit built. The hassle of building a habit will get easier as you dig the groove in your brain that says, “I sit down at 7 pm every night and write for 30 minutes because that’s how I can build my blog.”
This will be much harder if you have a family, are a single parent, or have an unsupportive partner. Do what it takes to guard this time. If you think it’s hard to write when you have a whiny child or a nagging spouse that won’t help, the trolls will completely derail you.
It takes some tough skin to put your work on the internet. Hang in there. Keep pushing. Carry a small notebook that you can use to enter ideas. If you can carry a tablet during your daily routines, write a blog headline or build a basic outline when the creative burst comes. When you sit down to write, fill in the outline or write based on the topic.
Ask For Help
Your potential audience as a blogger is huge. If you have friends and family who love your stuff, ask them to share. As you build a bigger stock of readers, search around for podcasts on your topic and offer to be a guest for free. Get your data out there.
If you do plan to use your blog to sell your products, keep an eye out for influencers. The world of TikTok is a nice reminder that one great video featuring your products, designs, or ideas can offer huge marketing potential for little to no investment.
As your market for your products expands, look into the world of celebrity promotions. If the newest star of everyone’s favorite sitcom likes to loop a scarf around her jacket and you paint scarves, find the name of her publicist and send her a gift. She may give it away, she may send you a note, or she might just wear it while strolling around New York and turn People magazine into a marketing tool.
If you’re going to teach through your blog, be as honest and sincere as you can. If you’re going to market your creations from your blog postings, never stop sharing and promoting your work. Ask your admirers to share your insight, your creations, and your efforts.
Lizzie Howard is a Colorado native who after graduating from the University of Colorado spends her time as a freelance writer. When Lizzie isn’t writing, she enjoys going on hikes, baking for her friends and family, and spending time with her beloved yellow lab, Sparky.
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