Blogging can be big business, there are many people I know that are profiting nicely from their blogs, particularly if it’s on a niche subject. If you are tempted to go into an already saturated market like beauty or fashion you still can do well but you’ll need to work hard to make your mark and build your following. Blogging provides a great way to earn passive income and is something you can do whilst working your 9-5 that you’ll eventually leave if you do it right and really commit to the process consistently. So yes if done correctly, blogging can bring in enough money to overtake your wage!
So where do you start? Here are 5 tips to get you started:
1. The topic of choice – Decide on a topic you’re passionate about, don’t be driven by money on this. For your blog to be a success you’ll be investing lots of time producing content so you have to enjoy the topic. As the saying goes do something you love and it won’t feel like a job!
2. Set up a website – you’ll obviously need a website to blog. There are many platforms that provide these services. There a few ways to go about setting up your website. You can purchase the site domain name and domain hosting together or separately. If you’re not ready just yet to set up your site and but you have a great name for it you can purchase the domain name from 123 reg or Go Daddy to secure it. Once you’re ready to set up your blog site you might find that choosing the best web hosting platform and website builder can be a bit of a mind field of confusion. But I’ve shed some light on this. Long story short, my top three recommendations are WordPress, WP engine, HostGator – to find out my reasons why and to weigh up the pros and cons read this here.
3. Consistent content – you’ll need fresh and consistent content to upload to your blog, include videos and images to bring your blogs to life. Look at similar blogs in your chosen area and think about how yours can be different and build on that. Be honest with your content If you’re reviewing products be authentic your readers will appreciate it.
4. Research companies & PRs –If you plan to blog about makeup, for example, you’ll be interested in checking out new products. PR consultants and agencies are looking to secure coverage for their clients and you can give them that coverage. So be sure to drop an introductory email to PR contact responsible for looking after products and service that are relevant to your blog. Note that they’ll want to know your visitor stats etc. If you have a solid following you’ll get lots of freebies to review be sure to say that you are reviewing so your readers are clear.
5. Social media – Use social media, there’s no point having a great blog if no one knows about it. Make use of your social media platforms to help build your blog following and do make the most of relevant hashtags # for both your chosen topic and the blogging community e.g. #bloggerRTs. There are sites dedicated to helping promote bloggers, use everything relevant that’s at your disposal.
Finally, go for it, enjoy the process and be patient with yourself, it won’t happen overnight but with dedication and graft you can make a success of it!
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