Truths About Blogging
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 by proven bloggers with success!
I’ve learned that all those 5 figure successful bloggers out there have a very special way of making it sound like blogging, and making money from blogging is a piece of cake.
Well, I’m here to give you the brutal, honest truth – they’re WRONG.
I mean NO disrespect to all those amazing bloggers out there because, quite honestly, I devour their blogs and each and every word of their advice.
From my experience, 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.
This post is inspired by my own experience and journey as a blogger (I promised to carry ou 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.
And so, I came up with this post. These are truths about blogging that you may not read from top bloggers. I hope it helps you adjust your expectations towards blogging.
8 Truths About Blogging:
Truth 1. Blogging isn’t about you:
Blog with your readers in mind. Not your personality.
Many top blogs about blogging will advise you to write a blog that reflects your personality. They tell 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’d 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 contents every day that help their readers solve a problem.
People come to your blog for niche-specific contents. They want advice, tips, how-to’s, 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. Think of what challenges they face daily, and how you can help or you simply ask them…
Truth 2. Blogging is not easy.
If you regularly read blogs or have been blogging for any length of time, you’d straight away agree with me that “blogging isn’t easy.”
Blogging takes time. A lot of it. from the idea, research, hosting, design, schedule, content creation, and even more time to see it build some momentum. You have to create compelling content, read and comment on other blogs, learn SEO, and write guest posts, network with other bloggers and so on.
However, blogger burn out happens faster than most people anticipate it. A lot of people lose sight of their goals when they don’t see traffic coming their way. You can’t be blamed. It’s just human nature. We want results. Our actions are inspired by results.
We need motivation to do something. It’s no different with blogging.
When you start blogging you are really motivated and super excited. How can you be not so? You are doing it for the first time. You are thrilled by the experience. Your expectations are sky high.
Six months down the road, you still do what you were doing when you started off. You are yet to receive loyal readership or feedback. It’s kind of de-motivating. I know. I have been through it on my first blog. My second blog also had a short life. Heck, even my third blog suffered the same fate.
Success happens when you slowly learn to swim against the flow. You keep pushing until you reach your goal.
Becoming a successful or authority 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 number of years to achieve success.
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 blog. It’s okay to be inspired by this 3, 4, 5, 6, figure bloggers. But don’t allow yourself think that you will start getting a couple 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 makes you money.
So, you want to make money from your blog? Start thinking about what activities you will be doing, what service will you offer on your blog? Are you going to be promoting other people’s products or you will 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. Good content is king, but that doesn’t make for good writing
You have a really awesome topic in mind for an article. It’s meaningful and thought-provoking. And you’re pretty sure many would like it, cause, after all, others have blogged about it before so there’s simply no reason why you shouldn’t receive the same amount of attention.
Sadly, that’s not the case.
There are many nuances in writing and blogging that can make a huge difference in the overall picture.
Think about this: The Lord of the Rings books have more content, but why is it most people would rather watch the movies?
The answer may be obvious, but if it’s so obvious, why then do we have many blogs with good content yet are still struggling to make it big, while the big guys up there have it all?
It all lies in nuances of writing.
In writing, you need to have a unique perspective, your own style and ultimately, the ability to offer readability.
Good content should jump out to the reader, not for them to think and analyze it through first. By then, it’d be too late.
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.
- Understand and listen to your readers (Using analytics, surveys, feedbacks etc)
- Write quality content and make them 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 it 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’d be many articles like, “Top 10 sure-fire techniques to make money on Twitter” 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. Blogging is a full-time job.
It is a serious business.
And like every other business venture, when you are just starting out, it might demand more than 24hours of your time, daily.
When you read the stories of most successful, 5-7 figure pro bloggers, you will discover that these guys worked around the clock to get their blogs to where it is today.
Some of them hire people to handle certain areas of their blog. This means you are going to spend more time on your laptop, with a notebook or phone.
Thinking about what to post, when to post it, traffic, engagement, marketing/promotion, getting subscribers, graphics, networking with other bloggers, etc. Are you ready??
Truth 8. Because of the lack of preparation, too many expectations, etc. Most blogs fail just about when they were 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, 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.
Now you know a few truths about blogging.
It’s not overnight. But it’s just possible with time, patience, and persistence.
I promise you’ll be the first to know if I end up either a giant success or the other blogger no one talks about. And I solemnly swear when I end up successful, I will never post any false claims or try to sell you my guidebook to becoming a successful blogger overnight. I will only sell you what worked for me and make you understand that it may not also work for you.
You have my word.
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P.S. Did you get value from this post: truths about blogging that you should know? What truths have you discovered about blogging? Is there anything you might add or remove from this post? Let’s chat in the comment.
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.