Have you ever thought about launching a blog but wondered, ‘How can I actually earn money from this?’
Well, you are certainly not alone. A lot of people aspire to build a successful blog that not only provides an online platform to share their perspective, but also generates income.
Like anything valuable in life, creating a successful blog is no easy feat. Indeed, there’s a great deal of hard work, patience and dedication that goes into it.
But if you’re actually willing to put in the work then you certainly have the potential to be a successful blogger. Take it from me: working non-stop on my blog has enabled me to build a significant base of followers and a rewarding business.
You know the funny thing? When I started my business I didn’t consider writing as one of my strengths but as time went on I learned to love it.
How Do You Start?
So, what does it take to do blogging the right way? Let’s take a look at the essential elements involved.
Pick Your Niche:
The very first step is to decide on your blog’s niche. This serves as an anchor for the content, so it has to be clear, and more importantly, it has to be interesting for you and I always suggest to my clients to choose something in their everyday life, and/or something they have knowledge or skills in.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be an expert on this field, you don’t need to study your topic at TAFE or uni, life experience can certainly be enough or at least the willingness to learn about it. You won’t be able to work long hours on something you have little interest in, so pick a niche that is right for you but on the flip side, don’t worry if it isn’t a passion. A general interest is enough to get you started and that is the most important thing right now.
Keep in mind that the goal of a blog is to reach a massive audience. If your niche is too obscure, then you’ll be limited to a very small pool of potential followers. On the other hand, choosing a niche that is already quite popular means that you’ll have so much competition that it will probably take you a long time to generate money from the blog. Make sure to keep these considerations in mind and decide on a niche wisely.
Always Publish Excellent Content:
Blogging is, first and foremost, a writing venture. And if you’re serious about making your blog earn, then your content must be relevant, engaging and insightful to your target audience. Think about what topics are useful for your readers. This way, you will attract visitors who find value in the content you publish but when you’re getting started don’t be too hard on yourself. Consider your first few months as a learning, education and practice stage.
It’s also important that your high-quality content includes keywords that enable you to maximise SEO. If you’re at a loss as to which topics will attract your audience, you can use Uber Suggests, a free tool that shows you the keywords and phrases that users are typing on the search engine. Make sure not to overdo this, though. Try to strike a balance between what your audience wants and what the search engines can favourably rank.
Stick to Attention-Grabbing Content:
Blogging is a competitive business, and if you don’t stand out, then your gains will be little to none. One way to break through is to create cornerstone content, which is both authoritative and referenced. Comprehensive lists, surveys and annual trends are some examples of cornerstone content.
Additionally, publish content that not only says what, but shows users how. Online readers are now more interested in content that helps them solve an issue or spurs them into action rather than just explaining concepts to them.
Forget fluff and focus on writing how-tos for your blog. For instance, if you are writing about the ‘Biggest Nail Trends’, don’t be limited to sharing those trends alone. You can include a step-by-step on how to achieve some of the looks mentioned in your article.
And don’t forget the power of effective headlines. A survey of social media blogs showed that successful headlines are persuasive (e.g., ‘This __ Will Make You __’, ‘This Is Why __’) and are numbered (e.g., ‘5 Amazing Tips’). These headlines emphasise the value of the content, making users more inclined to click and read.
Hone Your Craft:
Writing can be wholly intimidating, especially for a lot of new bloggers who don’t see themselves as writers. And coming up with a post that has viral potential? That can feel even more overwhelming.
Actually, if done strategically, writing great content doesn’t have to be all that hard. To start, all you have to do is practice some mini-skills.
These mini-skills include writing quality sentences, adopting a conversational tone in your content, adding flavour to otherwise bland sentences, smoothing out your transitions, coming up with engaging sound bites and using metaphors and anecdotes to make your content richer.
Be Real, Vulnerable and Relatable:
With so many bloggers out there, it’s so easy to just follow the trends and do what everyone else is doing. But how are you going to stand out?
To be successful in blogging, you have to have the courage to share your own distinct voice. There’s no point in blogging if you’re just going to copy other people’s style. Instead, stick to what’s real for you and what your opinions are.
Don’t be afraid to be genuine and vulnerable in your posts – your readers will appreciate your sincerity, and it will make you more relatable to them. Your articles will come across as something written by a real person, and not just a generic, corporate-churned product. Find your voice and own it. Use it and let yourself be heard.
Blogging is about believing in yourself and staying your course. So get to work and inspire your audience. We’ll be waiting to hear from you.
