So, this past year I doubled my income and officially made a full time income blogging. As many of you know, I am very passionate about helping people in this business succeed. I ran into many closed mouthed bloggers that didn’t want to help me out, and was determined to never be like that.
I get a lot of e-mails and messages each day asking me questions about how I become a full-time blogger, and I always try to offer helpful advice that will help someone monetize their blog. So, I thought writing down some of my most helpful tips would be easier to refer people back to, and help a larger audience.
First, I should mention that I have been blogging for 3 years. I started making money after 6 months, and was consistently bringing in a part-time income after a year. In year 2, I started moving from a part time to a full time income from blogging. Finally in year 3, my income almost doubled from the previous year and I was making close to my husband’s full time income at his job in finance. That is all to say, you can REALLY do this. You can work from home, build a business, a influence, and make a nice income doing it.
However, this isn’t a get rich quick scheme. Nothing is.
You have to put in a lot of work to be successful at this, just like any other job. It is not easy, but it is well worth it. Running a business from home, especially while I’m raising 3 boys is pretty much as good as it gets!
So, here are 5 tips that I believe helped me make a full-time income blogging.
1. Put in the time, before you make a dime.
Well before I brought in a dime, I was working 30+ hours a week. I was willing to put in the time to research, and post consistently on my blog and social media channels. I spent most of those hours learning as much as I could, and googling everything under the sun.
I knew that if I put in the time now, it would pay off, but I couldn’t have a “hobby” mentality. Before it was a full-time job, I decided it would be. This meant scheduling my hours throughout the day just like I was working a full-time job.
My tasks in the beginning were focused on learning how to take better photos, searching how to use editing apps, how to make my site look better, and constantly putting out new content in a consistent manner on all channels.
2. Form relationships with those already doing it.
I picked a few different influencers that I really looked up to on social media, and in blogging and consistently commented on their websites, and social media platforms.
I wanted to consistently show my support for their businesses before asking any type of questions that would help grow my business. I noticed when I just reached out to people they were hesitant to want to help.
Now, being on the other side of this, it’s not great feeling to have people pop up in my messages that I have never seen support my business, asking me to help and support theirs.
Bloggers all notice the “regulars” that are constantly watching their stuff, commenting and liking their content, and will start to recognize them as well. Once you make that relationship, reach out and ask for a tip, help or how they connected with a brand. They will be a lot more willing to help!
3. Get connected to Networks.
Networks are how almost every blogger gets started towards monetizing their blogs or social media networks.
Networks are websites you can sign up for that work with a variety of brands. The brands come to the network to hire influencers for various projects with an agreed upon rate. The rates usually aren’t very high as most will keep a large cut of the budget the brand provides. However, it is a great way to start getting some collaborations under your belt and start bringing in some income every month.
The real money is in PR agencies or brands contacting you directly. However, many times they will see your work on these networks, and you can create a relationship with out outside of the network in the future.
Some of the networks that are great to get started with are: Social Native, Socialix, Social Fabric, and Aspire Q to name a few.
4. Be consistent.
Most brands want to see that you consistently post on your blog at least once a week, and on one of your social media channels on a regular basis for 6 months or more. So set up a schedule for writing posts, taking photos, and posting them to social media. Pick one social media channel to focus on more than others, and focus your growth efforts there. Many brands love Instagram right now so, it’s a great place to start.
They want to see that this isn’t something you are dabbling in, but that you are serious about making this a career, and building a platform to share and influence others.
5. Invest.
I started my blog without money to invest, and at the lowest cost possible. I didn’t have a lot of extra money to use on it, so I had to start with what I had. I mainly paid for hosting, a simple template, but started with less than $100.
This means I had to spend a lot of time learning to do stuff, that most people hired out. I was constantly trying to learn how to make my website look more professional. I made sure that I studied others websites for inspiration while still remaining true to my vision.
As I started to bring in few hundred dollars a month, I decided to put that money back into my business to help me get to another level. I bought more expensive templates for the blog, and purchased some other programs that would help me regulate posting on various social channels as well.
I started to pay people to help me learn SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Pinterest, an assistant, and editing tools for photos. As my income grew, I would never just bank it all. I found ways to invest a good amount of it back into helping my business go to the next level.
Many times this feels like a risk, but this risk is worth taking.
The truth is that the more you put into this business, the better it will do.
Make a decision to make it a full-time job, and don’t look back. Don’t let the “NO’s discourage you, don’t let comparison distract you, set your mind to it and push forward! If I can do it, you definitely can!
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For more articles on blogging, check out: “Top 10 blogging questions answered”
Also, one of my favorite articles can be found here: “Top Blogging Secrets.”
