Blogging for A Living

When you think of the world wide web, think of it as one gigantic newsstand. On it are online magazines and journals called BLOGS - where small, independent publishers write away.

BUT can you actually earn a living blogging? 

Well, folks like Dooce, Arianna Huffington, Matt Drudge and Perez Hilton are doing just that, in their cases, earning a very good living. 

So, yes … it is INDEED possible.  Read on for tips on how you, TOO, can become a blogging mogul.

You’re not going to get rich overnight

Unless you’re a celebrity with built-in PR power, it takes time to build a following and readership. Do not come to blogging with the idea that you’ll post one entry and millions of people will sign on to read your brilliance.  Just because you add your blog to the newsstand does not mean it will be picked up and read.

Blogging Isn’t Easy

Again, one post does not success make. The blogs mentioned above are successful because they offer FRESH, WELLWRITTEN, and ENTERTAINING content. In the case of Huffington Post, a team of writers and posters provide fresh content throughout the day.

Now, most of us are part time bloggers. We have jobs and other commitments like a family and a home to care for, but in order to be successful, plan to add to your blog often and build your content. The more often you add content, the faster your blog will build.

Content is King

If you expect readers to come back time and time again, you must offer them something of value. Information, entertainment, humor — no matter the genre of your blog, it is only as good as your last entry. So, don’t get lazy about your content.  In fact, if you’re feeling particularly uninspired on a posting day, I recommend you post nothing at all.

What is Your Blog About?

This, actually, should have been the first tip. This is where you MUST start your blogging career — with deep introspection of what it is that you have to offer potential readers.  Don’t choose your blog topic lightly — because BLOGGING ISN’T EASY and CONTENT IS KING.

Choose a topic that you can go on and ON and ON about for days — a topic on which you have so much to say, and you love it so much, that you are a walking encyclopedia and/or research lab about said topic.  Because, indeed, you will have to go on and on about it with passion and commitment in order to be successful.

You can go political like Huffington and Drudge, pop celebrity culture like Hilton, or personal like Dooce. Better yet, blaze your very own unique path.

There is room on the WWW newsstand for everyone. Just as the internet has opened up opportunities for retail Indiepreneurs to set up virtual shops, the internet has also provided cheap and affordable methods of virtual publishing for indie-writers. No longer do you need a huge printing press with a budget to match. A computer with an internet connection is literally all you need to get started.

So what are you waiting for? Get started already!

To come in future installments in this blogging series: choosing a name and domain, blogging platforms, advertising, and much, much more.

 

Contributed by:
Jane Q. Citizen