16 Harsh Truths About Blogging
Are you starting a blog in 2025? Well, here are some harsh truths about blogging you should know before starting.
Have you ever felt like no one told you the real truth about blogging? Maybe you jumped in expecting quick traffic, viral posts, and passive income, and then… crickets. You’re not alone.
Feeling totally inspired and convinced, you start your blog and being the hardworking person that you are, you read up online all the best and proven tactics that can help make your blog soar.
They should work, right? I mean, the internet is filled with so much information about blogging, and these tips and tricks are from proven bloggers with success! As one who manages multiple blogs for some of these big bloggers and businesses, I can tell you for free that there’s more to blogging than they are letting.
Untold Truths About Blogging
Blogging is rewarding, but it comes with challenges no one talks about upfront. Blogging is not ”easy’ and making money from your blog isn’t a piece of cake.
Now, is it possible for people like me and you to make money (or a living) from blogging? Definitely. But beyond those income reports you read from top bloggers, there are so many untold truths.
The internet is riddled with so much information that only real experience and failure can set what is real, and what works for you.
Whether you’re a beginner or years into the journey, these harsh blogging truths will give you clarity, direction, and renewed motivation. Plus, we’re sharing how to navigate each one with or without AI.
This post is inspired by my own experience and journey as a blogger (I promised to carry you along on this whole blogging thing, right?) Like a lot of us, I thought it would be easy, or at least not that hard to work a successful blog. After my first 2 epic blog fails, I have taken my time to take note of and document everything I have found to work for me.
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8 Harsh Truths About Blogging You Should Know Before Starting a Blog
Truth 1. Blogging isn’t about you:
The first harsh truth about blogging I want to share with you is to Blog with your readers in mind.
Many top blogs about blogging will advise you to write a blog that reflects your personality. They say that your blog is all about you, you and only you.
Well, I’d like to say a blog is all about them, them and only them. Who do I refer to as them? “Them” are the readers who visit your blog.
With thousands of blogs created every day around the world, blogging has gone beyond a personal online journal or just writing what you love. People are now pushing out valuable content every day that helps their readers solve a problem.
People come to your blog for problem or solution-specific content. They want advice, tips, how-tos, what works, and what doesn’t and a little bit of motivation.
So to stay relevant in the sea of bloggers, you have to write contents that add value to people in some way.
This is writing with your audience in mind.
Truth 2. Blogging Success Takes Years, Not Months
You’ve probably seen those income reports claiming bloggers made $10K in 6 months. But the truth is, building a blog that ranks, gets consistent traffic, and makes money usually takes years of consistent effort, learning, and adaptation.
Success happens when you slowly learn to swim against the flow. You keep pushing until you reach your goal.
Becoming a successful or authoritative blogger takes a while. If you need an instant result, either become a celebrity and start blogging or develop patience. It takes 1 or 2 or even more years to achieve success.
Tip: Focus on building helpful content and growing your SEO steadily. Think marathon, not sprint.
Download our Free 12 Month Blog Plan.
Truth 3. Blogging is not a ‘get-rich-quick‘ scheme.
Yes, there are many bloggers who are making hundreds and thousands and millions of dollars monthly/yearly off their blog.
But there are also millions of bloggers who aren’t making a dime from their blogs. It’s okay to be inspired by these 3, 4, 5, and 6-figure bloggers. But don’t allow yourself to think that you will start getting a couple of dollars in your account the very moment you start your blog. That’s how frustration starts. That’s how you lose your motivation.
Your blog is a platform on which you sell yourself, skills, services, etc.
It is not the blog itself that makes you money. It is the activities you carry out on your blog that make you money.
So, you want to make money from your blog? Start thinking about what activities you will be doing and what service you will offer on your blog. Are you going to be promoting other people’s products, or are you going to be creating and selling yours, or both?
Whatever it is, figure out what you will do on your blog to fetch you the dollars you dream of, and include it in your blog plan before you even get started.
Consistency is key. Develop a strategy (monetizing, marketing, etc) that works for you and run with it. Be open to learn more and grow.
Truth 4. Blogging is Not Just About Writing Anymore
Blogging used to be mostly about writing. Now it is everything. And until you can outsource, you will wear many hats.
You’ll be the writer, editor, social media manager, tech support, graphic designer, Pinterest strategist, SEO expert, email marketer, and affiliate strategist. It’s overwhelming, and that’s normal.
You will learn and use AI tools, project management tools and more. You’re not just a writer, you’re a full digital strategist.
Tip: Automate or batch tasks like pin design, content creation, and social posts. Use simple systems or tools (like Trello, ClickUp, or Notion) to manage content planning and promotion.
Download our Free Airtable Blog management database to help you manage, plan and organize your blog.
Truth 5. You don’t need a lot of blogging advice
You don’t need to read blog tips every day. All those excessive pieces of information and income reports can be intimidating, overwhelming and confusing.
Keep the basic points in mind.
- Keep a list of 2-5 blogging pros or coaches with proven results, whose advice you can trust, and unfollow/unsubscribe from the rest
- Understand and listen to your readers (Using analytics, surveys, feedback, etc)
- Write quality content and make it readable.
- Promote your blog posts through guest posts, social media or other means
- Observe what others in your niche are talking about
I am not saying that you shouldn’t read the tips online. It’s good that you have an understanding of these tips because they worked for some. But it may not work for you.
The only thing you need to do is start doing things your way. If you keep reading articles about blogging and wait for the right moment to start a blog after grasping everything, that moment will never come.
Nothing can teach you better than experience. Go ahead, try blogging your own way, and see what works and what doesn’t work.
Truth 6. All those top 10 lists of easy moneymaking tactics may not work for you
You and everybody else started off the same way. We are all enticed by the “ease” of internet marketing and blogging.
Just do a simple Google search, and there will be many articles like “Top 10 sure-fire techniques to make money with AI” or “Make money on autopilot while you sleep”.
And people even SWEAR by those techniques…
…but they aren’t going to bring you the incredible results you hoped for.
What you need to actually do is figure out a way to add value to your readers long-term. You need to be able to establish a relationship with people and engage them.
You need a strategy, not just spam tactics.
Truth 7. AI Can Speed You Up, But It Won’t Save a Weak Strategy
This is another harsh blogging truth: AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, DeepSeek and many others can help with outlines, ideas, and SEO, but they can’t replace original thought, unique voice, or strategy. Overusing or overreliance on AI can lead to generic, underperforming content.
Tip: Use AI as a brainstorming partner, but always inject your experience, opinions, and voice.
Truth 8. Because of the lack of preparation, too many expectations, etc. Most blogs fail just when they are starting.
Are you prepared? Apart from the fact that people are doing it and making money from it, what do you know about blogging?
How much have you educated yourself about blogging?
Why do you actually want to start a blog?
I would say, plan, prepare, read blogs that teach about blogging, read books and stuff written by bloggers about blogging, and take a course or courses on blogging.
You might spend some money. But this will be your investment.
And cut the expectations of becoming a millionaire overnight through blogging.
There is no ‘overnight’ millionaire blogger anywhere. Get a little closer and you’ll discover the pile of work they do daily.
Truth 9: Traffic Doesn’t Always Equal Income
You can have 50K monthly views and still not make money if your content doesn’t serve the right audience or solve a clear problem. Monetization requires strategy, not just numbers.
Just publishing content doesn’t bring income. You need funnels, ads, lead magnets, affiliate strategies, or products.
Tip: Focus on value-rich content tied to your products, services, or affiliate offers. Align every blog post with a monetization goal, email signup, affiliate click, or product promo
Truth 10: You Need to Invest Money to Grow
Free tools can only take you so far. Web hosting, premium themes, SEO plugins, AI tools, and email platforms require investment. Blogging isn’t free.
Tip: Start small, then upgrade tools as your income grows. Budget for education and essentials.
Truth 11: Google and Pinterest Are Unpredictable
The next harsh blogging truth is that if you don’t know what to do to rank your blog posts on search engines (Google, Pinterest, Bing, etc), you will struggle to get noticed, and traffic won’t just happen magically.
You do need to learn about SEO, and learn how to grow on Pinterest to help your blog posts rank.
Algorithms shift constantly. You may lose traffic overnight, even if you’re doing everything right.
Tip: Diversify traffic sources. Build an email list. Stay updated on platform changes.
Truth 12: Blogging Burnout is Real and You’ll Want to Quit
Constant content creation, comparison traps, and low results can wear you down mentally. This isn’t often discussed, but it’s one of the top reasons bloggers quit.
There will be days you feel like giving up, especially when growth stalls. Even successful bloggers face this.
Tip: Schedule regular breaks, repurpose old content, and revisit your why. Look at past wins. Every blog has a slow season.
Truth 13: AI Won’t Replace Bloggers Who Adapt
AI can write faster, help you generate lots of ideas faster, but it can’t replace emotional connection, storytelling, or thought leadership. Bloggers who evolve will thrive.
I’ve seen most bloggers and business owners completely reject the use of AI in their blogging or content workflow, saying they want only “original human-written content. The problem with this mindset or position is that, there’s only so much you can write at a time, and if you decide to outsource your writing, your budget can only accommodate a limited number of content per month, and there is also no guarantee that your writer isn’t using AI in their workflow.
You will, over time, realize that bloggers are now able to produce and publish so much content faster, with the use of AI. They are leveraging AI to write, publish and monetize faster than you.
Tip: Use AI as a tool to speed things up. Lean into your unique experiences, stories, and insights. That’s what separates real bloggers from content farms.
Truth 14: You Need Your Content in Multiple Formats
Gone are the days when all you needed to build a loyal or wide audience was one format – text. These days, people consume content in different formats and need options.
Depending on your niche, target audience and topic, creating great content is only half the battle; you need to spread it across formats to truly grow. Repurpose your blog posts into short-form videos, reels, podcasts, or carousel posts. People consume content differently, and meeting them where they are boosts your reach.
Tip: Turn long-form posts into bite-sized videos, quote graphics, and Pinterest pins. Experiment with vlogging or adding audio snippets to posts.
Truth 15: Blogging Is Mentally Exhausting at Times
There’s self-doubt, analytics obsession, and moments where you feel like giving up, especially when traffic is low, the algorithm is playing house of cards with you, and you aren’t seeing enough traffic to get monetized by your favourite ad network.
Tip: Join blogging communities or masterminds. Don’t blog in isolation.
Truth 16: There’s a Lot of Competition, And That’s a Good Thing
The last harsh truth about blogging is that the blogging world is crowded, and yes, some niches are saturated.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for you. In fact, competition is proof that there’s a hungry audience actively searching for content in that space. What sets you apart is your unique voice, your experience, and the way you solve problems.
Tip: Use competition as confirmation that you’re on the right path. Lean into what makes you different, and serve your niche deeply, not broadly.
Final Thoughts
Blogging in 2025 is more complex and more powerful than ever before. Yes, these harsh truths about blogging are real. But so are the rewards. If you’re willing to learn, evolve, and stay consistent, you can build a blog that not only ranks but resonates with your audience.
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Very informative Gracie. Thank you for sharing with us. Keep writing your heart out.
Great information! A lot of these are very true and it’s sad sometimes
I agree for the most part with your findings. When I started my blog two and a half years ago, it wasn’t easy. I was especially frustrated with all the techy stuff there was to deal with. Truth be told however, I do love blogging and the fact that it gives me some income now, makes it even more enjoyable. I have met many great people through blogging and if given the chance, I would do it all over again.
This is so true. Blogging like every job or business out there needs persistence and like you also pointed out, the journey isn’t an easy one.
I hope we are persistent enough to make it to the top.
Thank you for stopping by.
Hello Casey, welcome to the blogosphere! I hope you find resources that helps you make your stay worth the while.
Thank you for dropping by my blog.
Great post. I read a lot about blogging, but for the first time someone wrote about it so sincerely. The blogger’s road is hard. It’s a job for persistent people. I am glad that I could read your thoughts on this subject. Thank you.