Are you itching to start your blogging journey this 2023? You’re not alone!
With round-the-clock connectivity and a global audience, the potential to build a community of fans and like-minded people is limitless! It can even help you start a passive income stream.
Luckily, you don’t need a degree to get started. This article will show you how to become a blogger from scratch.
We’ll give you tips on creating your first blog post and hacks on making money from your blog online.
An Overview of a Blogging Career: A Primer
Bloggers are content creators with solid authority over their niche.
They dominate different channels like Youtube, WordPress blogs, and social media. They’re the dominant voice of cyberspace, and they’ve built a reputation for being trustworthy sources of information among their followers.
What they say impacts their audience’s purchasing decision.
Successful bloggers narrow down on a single niche and create content around it. They keep current with what’s trendy in their industry and adopt the lingo of their audience.
Bloggers are consistent and in complete control of their schedules.
A blogging career offers a lot of flexibility and is one of the best creative ideas that help you make money. While it’s not for everyone, it’s a great place to share expertise and earn cash discussing a topic you’re genuinely interested in.
How Much Do Bloggers Make?
Bloggers earn between $45,000 to $50,000 a year. But these are just ballpark figures. Net earnings often fluctuate and largely depend on the following:
- Your blogging platform
- Affiliate link earnings
- Your niche and level of expertise
One of the most successful bloggers with 4.37 million followers on Youtube is Ali Abdaal, who’s earning millions by blogging.
Of course, mentioning how his success took time to happen is important. It took him over five years to do it!
What You’ll Need to Become a Blogger [& Associated Costs]
Blogging as a career requires commitment. Once you decide to do it, the next step is to identify what you need to hit the road running.
Here are the essential must-haves to start a blog from scratch.
- Blog Niche: Your niche will dictate your blog content. What is your blog about? Start by listing your interests and conducting keyword research. This gives you data on how much people are talking about it online.
- Platform: Where will you blog? WordPress remains the top blogging platform powering 43% of all websites. If you’re into videos, Youtube is the place to go.
- Communication Skills: Whether written, verbal, or visual, high-level communication skills help your blog stand out. You don’t have to enroll in communication classes, but the idea is to learn the vibe and lingo of your market so your content sounds and feels relatable to them.
- Blogging Software & Apps: This covers all tools you’ll need for sharing your first blog post. Popular tools include Photoshop, Bluehost account for blog hosting, and a content management system.
- Social Accounts: Creating social profiles for your blog has become necessary. Decide on socials that match your blogging sphere. You don’t have to create accounts for each platform. Start with one or two and scale later.
How Much Does it Cost to Become a Blogger?
Starting a blog can cost as low as $30 up to $1,000 annually, depending on your niche, goals, and marketing strategies.
If you’re outsourcing some tasks, the cost can go up.
For example, if your blogging medium is all about writing blog posts, then your cost breakdown while doing all the legwork can look like this:
- Web Hosting Plan – starts at $30 annually for the first year.
- WordPress Theme – starts at a $39 one-off fee for premium options. Free WordPress themes are also available to start small before upgrading.
- Search Engine Optimization – tools for optimizing written content can start at $19 monthly.
Remember that these figures are estimates, and other blogging platforms like Youtube have their initial costs.
The bottom line, your startup expenses depend on how big you want to start. If you aim to make blogging a full-on business plan and hire people, the cost can go up to thousands.
Is it Hard to Become a Blogger?
It’s easy if you think of it as starting a personal blog, where the goal is pure self-expression. It becomes challenging when you build an entire blog for monetization.
While initial setup can be easy, it’s the consistency of providing fresh blog post ideas about your niche that feels tedious.
Your audience won’t care if you’re in the mood to produce content or if your creative juices are running low. They want value, and it’s your job to provide it.
Blogging also doesn’t guarantee success. Many times, it’s a hit-and-miss.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Blogger?
You become a blogger when you hit that publish button from your WordPress dashboard, Youtube channel, or social media.
Building a profitable blog, however, is a different story. An average of one to two years is a decent time frame for having a solid online presence and enough audience.
How to Become a Blogger in Five Simple Steps
Starting a blogging career is exciting as it is challenging. These five steps are designed to help you start and navigate the most crucial elements of blogging.
Step 1: Identify Your Niche
Matching your interests, skills, and market demand is vital in finding a profitable niche. Here are the reasons why:
- Blogging about something you enjoy keeps you motivated.
- Having the skills about your niche boosts your audience’s trust in you as an authority figure.
- Choosing a niche with a high readership ensures that somebody is willing to read, watch, or listen to what you share.
Having a niche focuses your attention on creating content for people interested in it. In effect, you’ll save time!
Step 2: Choose a Platform and Content Types
What type of blogger do you want to be? Do you want to start blogging by writing, or does a Youtube channel sound like a better fit? What about podcasting?
Seasoned bloggers have no issues being on multiple platforms, but that’s because of their content-rich website that contains enough material for repurposing.
A podcast interview, for instance, can be converted to a transcript and published as a new blog post.
For starters, starting on a single platform and focusing all strategies on it is recommended. This allows you to study your audience’s response and enhance your content production as you go along.
Step 3: Create an Editorial Calendar
A content calendar efficiently organizes the creative chaos of creating your own blog.
You can use Google Sheets or a paid scheduler like Trello or CoSchedule. Block some time off your week to brainstorm and plan your posts.
They don’t have to be the final entry. List raw ideas and plot them in your calendar.
This helps you keep track of your ideas which you can polish at a later time.
Step 4: Promote Your Content on Social Media
Let people know about what you’re doing! Blogging as a career requires you to be public. Once you start producing content, share them on socials too.
Like creating content, you can automate this process using tools like Tailwind or Buffer. Just remember not to overdo it.
The key is to understand your audience’s behavior. What’s the most popular platform they’re using? What time do they often browse online?
Sharing content when your market’s online helps drive search engine traffic, which is crucial when you’re just starting.
Step 5: Monetize Your Blog
This is the highlight of most beginning bloggers’ journey and takes time and patience to execute. Real money from blogging happens only when you have a significant number of followers.
The most popular option for monetizing is through an affiliate program, which allows you to market products from businesses or companies and earn commissions from sales bought using your affiliate link.
Another method is providing advertising space. It’s where companies pay you to use a portion of your blog pages for ads.
Reasons to Consider Becoming a Blogger
If you still find blogging a tricky venture, these reasons can help you decide whether or not it’s worth trying this 2023.
- Earn Money on Your Passion: Many, if not all, esteemed bloggers love what they blog about. They’re passionate about it, and it shows. If you’ve got a burning desire and experience to match your niche, you’ll find blogging a fun way to make money.
- Flexible Time: You work at your pace. You create your schedule, whichever fits your preference and lifestyle.
- Limitless Blog Topics: There are over 600 million blogs on the internet, yet opportunities for new bloggers are limitless. People are always looking for new things.
- You Can Start Free: While initial blogging costs are given, you can start at a $0 budget. Some blogging platforms provide a free domain as part of their packages. You’ll eventually spend, but you’re welcome to test the waters at no cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many aspiring bloggers ask these questions before committing to this hustle.
What Should I Blog About?
A blog is usually personal, so an ideal niche is something that you care for. But if you’re stuck with too many options, money blogging or finance is one of the most lucrative topics to talk about.
Other top picks include health and fitness, photography, recipes, fashion, and travel.
Do I Need Computer Skills to Start Blogging?
You don’t need to know how to code to start blogging, but you’ll have to know computer fundamentals. This includes creating and formatting text using Google Docs or MS Word and uploading photos or videos on the web.
Similar Gigs to Check Out
Here are some careers you should check if you’re into building online influence:
- How to Become a Content Creator: Earn money by creating valuable content online! If you have the skills and passion that others love, this guide helps you make money!
- How to Become a Brand Ambassador: This gig fits anyone with a solid social media following. Learn how to capitalize on your influence to start earning money.
- How to Start a Freelance Marketing Career: Skilled in marketing? Take control of your time and use your expertise to make money as a freelance marketer!
Wrapping Up
Becoming a blogger is easy, but building a successful blog takes time. This guide should help you get the basics covered.
Start finding a topic that resonates with you and use this guide to assist you in your next steps.
Ready to start your blogging career? Tell us which step looks challenging, and let’s discuss them in the comments!
