I have been blogging since 2012 which is like a Hollywood marriage that lasts past the 10 year mark-a bit unbelievable. blogging has become a party of my daily life, taking pictures of random stuff, posting to social media, checking in with my Mastermind group and the list goes on.
Becoming a blogger has even changed my career I am now a freelancer working on my long-term goal of being an entrepreneur. I became a freelancer due to my blogging experience and if you would like to start a blog as well check out the following link.
If you’re thinking about starting a blog I have some observations about the process.
20 Lessons Learned
- It’s a labor of love-I truly love the process of blogging. Sometimes it’s hard but when I have a moment when a reader reaches out to let me know that something I’ve shared resonated with them-it makes my day!
- It’s NOT a get rich quick scheme-It is highly, highly unusual to make a lot of money in the first year of blogging. The people who are making bank right now in my niche (personal finance) typically take around 2-3 years after they’ve started a monetization process to really make crazy money. I just started monetizing my site about a month ago and I’m projecting that it will take at least 2 years to really build my passive income. If I’m wrong and it happens faster remember that I’ve been blogging since 2012 and have built up a following since then.
- But once you have the numbers and theĀ process down-you can make good money over time.
- You have a “voice” use it wisely-I will never understand the bloggers who spend time tearing down other people, are snarky in a mean way, or spread discord. What’s the point to that?
- In Real Life-You Will Actually meet your favorite bloggers in real life and that makes all the difference.
- Blog conferences rival any fraternity party I’ve ever gone to…and I was a sorority girl! See you in San Diego FinCon Peeps! Personal finance bloggers, parent bloggers, etc-they work hard at doing what they do. When it’s time to have fun-they go buckwild.
- 100,000 -The first 100,000 page views are the hardest to get (especially before Pinterest)
- Blog Monetization-I am in the beginning stages of monetizing my site. I spent a lot of time in the past year looking at other bloggers income reports and seeing how they made money in a way that was in line with the voice of their blog. Every single person who monetizes has a different mix. Once you figure out your “mix” rinse and repeat.
- There is no one way-Every person approaches blogging in a way that is authentic to them. Do what feels comfortable for you.
- People buy pet rocks-There is an audience for every topic. Period. Figure out what you love and could talk about for at least a year and then go for it.
- Haters gonna hate-Not everyone will like what you do. Don’t take it personally, you can’t make everyone happy-so don’t even try.
- The Lure of Easy Money can ruin everything-There will be a point when you will start receiving monetization requests. Some will be great, others will feel shady or will dilute your brand. Trust your gut and hold on for the better opportunities that will come along if you continue blogging and growing your tribe.
- Be Yourself-Simple, but not so simple.
- Don’t Forget Your Readers-Without them, you wouldn’t have a blog.
- Don’t Forget Your Readers-Be careful when making changes. As time moves on you will change and find that you want to write about different topics, challenge yourself in different ways intellectually, or monetize. Ease your readers into the process. You may lose some, but if you do it with care you will keep that loss to a minimum.
- Don’t Forget Your Readers-Talk to your readers, what do they like? Don’t like?
- You make your opportunities-There are an infinite number of opportunities that can arise from blogging. You can create them or attract them. Work hard and pay attention so that you don’t miss them.
- Not everyone is as they seem online-Sometimes people are emboldened online due to being anonymous. Not just the readers-the bloggers to.
- Have Fun-If it’s not fun what’s the point?
- It will change your life
Are You A Blogger? Would You Like to Be?
Interested in the Elite Blogging Academy?
If you’re looking to take your blog to the next level the Elite Blogging Academy is gearing up for it’s Spring 2016 class. If you’re interested in signing up for the waitlist and receiving the free ebook “7 Surefire Ways to Boost Your Blog Income Overnight” click HERE.
The following two tabs change content below.
I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.
Latest posts by Michelle (see all)
- How Work Policies Against Black Women Birthed a Love of the Soft Life - 20 March, 2024
- How Taylor Swift’s IP Victory Could Change the Business of Music - 28 February, 2024
- Why Don’t More Personal Finance Content Creators Talk About Policy - 16 January, 2024
Loving this post!!!
Thanks Giulia! Anything that you would add to the list?
Dope post. I agree with a lot of the lessons. I really like the “Be Yourself” lesson. It’s easy to fake an online persona, but if you keep it real and be yourself your readers will LOVE you for it.
Thanks Jason!! I am thinking about blogging, personal branding (online and in real life). At the end of the day being fake is a waste of time because people will smell that on you fast! But, being timid will also keep you from making money as an online entrepreneur. So be prepared to see me be a lot more visible on my blog and in other places too as I transition to a more business oriented phase of my blog’s life.
Having been a blogger since 2009, I agree with pretty much every single one of these. One other thing I’ve learned is that with blogging, it’s not a competition or a zero-sum game. In the beginning, I would think along the lines of “How do I get people to read my blog instead of other blogs?” and I really didn’t enjoy it. I later learned to think “How do I get people to read my blog as well as other blogs?” That seems like a subtle difference, but it really changed my perspective and approach on blogging, and made it a ton more enjoyable.
I love the “it’s not a competition” part of your comment. There are 7 billion people on the planet. Billions who speak whatever language that you do-there is plenty of audience to find and to share. It can also be a bit disheartening if you compare yourself to others but comparison is the road to nowhere and keeps you from doing whatever you need to do to get to where you would like to be.
Just like your blog. I can feel that you are yourself, Michelle, and that is what I like about your blog.
Thanks Jayson! You made my day š
I love this. So inspirational. Good reminder that it is a process!!
I still love blogging. It has been a helpful tool for me to change my life and I’m finding that what I’ve been sharing has helped/inspired other people which wasn’t what I initially set out to do. It’s a wonderful by product of the process. Now, helping others is my intention.
These are all great lessons! I couldn’t imagine trying to get to 100,000 page views without the help of Pinterest, haha.
It took a LONG time to do that.
Great post!
I’ve been blogging for less than a year and I love it! It’s been nice connecting with other bloggers and feeling like you have a voice that people actually want to listen to.
My biggest challenge so far has been consistency. It’s just hard for me to post on a weekly basis! I don’t know how everyone does it with their full time jobs and personal lives! How do you keep it going on days that you just don’t feel like writing or you feel stuck on a post?
Thanks Vic, I just checked out your blog and I love it! As for consistency I would say create a simple editorial calendar and then pre-write some posts. This will help you on days when you just don’t feel like writing-you already have a post ready to go. Use a Calendar plugin that will help keep you organized. Am sending you good vibes and will be in touch.