Want to become a full-time blogger? Here are some of the crucial things you need to consider before becoming a full-time blogger.
Blogging can be a lucrative investment. It can generate passive revenue that supplements other forms of income and, when successful enough, it can even completely replace a traditional salary. If you’re thinking of becoming a full-time blogger, the sky is the limit.
However, that doesn’t mean you can go into the venture without a second thought. If you’re trying to find success in the blogosphere, here are a few essential questions to ask yourself before you take that leap of faith.
Have You Considered Your Finances?
When it comes to full-time blogging considerations, finances have to be discussed first. This is because it’s the factor that, more than anything else, will make or break your blog’s success.
Now, this isn’t referring to the costs associated with starting your blog. Truth be told, those are typically pretty low. It really doesn’t take much of a cash infusion to get a site off the ground.
No, the focus here isn’t what money you can put into your blog, but rather the revenue (or lack thereof) that it will give back to you. Have you considered the financial demands that come with depending on something for full-time work? Monetizing a blog is no easy task, as it requires building up a base audience, maintaining traffic, and then implementing things like advertisements, affiliate links, and even your own products.
While all of these things are certainly potential sources of income for any blog, the important thing right now is to see if your blog is generating enough money to allow you to live off of the proceeds for the foreseeable future. Addition factors to consider that can impact this include:
- What portion of your blog’s income do you need to reinvest back into it to maintain and build on its success?
- Have you created a budget that allows you to live at, or ideally below, the means provided by your blog?
- Do you have solid credit you can fall back on to get a loan if you temporarily lack blogging income?
By asking the tough financial questions now, you can save yourself a world of trouble in the future.
Do You Have the Time, Skills, and Output to Run a Quality Blog?
The idea of “blogging” often invokes images of sitting by the window on a sunny day, sipping a cup of coffee as you express your deepest inner thoughts through the written word. The truth is, though, while writing good copy is obviously a requirement for a blog, running a successful blog takes a lot more effort, time, and entrepreneurial skill. Before you ditch your current income to go for a blogging career, make sure to consider the following:
Have you seriously addressed the design of your website?
Your site’s design, usability, accessibility, load speed, color scheme, layout, and countless other factors should all be carefully chosen based on your target audience — ideally as early on in the project as possible.
Do you have a plan to create consistent, high-quality content?
Quality content is a necessity for modern blogs. With search engines becoming increasingly sophisticated, you should prioritize the reader over things like SEO, mass production, or poor writing. Do you have a plan in place to generate content that genuinely relates to readers’ pain points, provides authentic solutions, and is consistent in its voice, tone, and presentation?
Have you considered how you’ll market your blog?
Are you familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), influencer, social media, email, and other forms of marketing that often are critical to bringing in the bread and butter in the blogging world?
Are you ready to manage a team?
Sure, for a while your blog may be manageable on your own. However, if you do find enough success to blog full-time, there’s a good chance that you’ll need some help along the way. Whether it’s teaming up with influencers for marketing purposes, hiring freelancers to create graphics, or working with an accountant to crunch the numbers, are you ready to confidently and accurately cobble together a winning crew for your blog?
I’ve been using Cloudways since January 2016 for this blog. I happily recommend Cloudways to my readers because I am a proud customer.
Can You Find Success Working Remotely and On Your Own?
Blogging may bring you a lot of readers and plenty of attention, but it doesn’t change the fact that it can be a lonely professional path to walk. Even if you do eventually end up hiring a staff, chances are you’ll all still be working remotely. Before that point, you’ll likely be isolated and alone as you develop your blog, grow its readership, and begin generating an income.
This point may seem trivial, but it’s actually one of the most important of them all. Countless careers have atrophied in isolation, especially in the remote-work-first 21st-century. The massive work-from-home experiment that took place during the early months of the coronavirus crisis only served to underline the mixed results that come from asking millions of people to operate remotely and on their own.
The question that has to be asked, then, is if you’re cut out for a life of working remotely, physically disconnected from others, and operating as a solo entrepreneur? Even if your answer to that question is a resounding “yes!” it’s still wise to take steps to set yourself up to be as successful as possible in your remote-work lifestyle. Before you officially go full-time, make sure to:
- Get the basic tools lined up, such as a good computer, a quality desk and chair, and a trusty internet connection.
- Set boundaries and get organized with a home office that is separated from the rest of your life.
- Plan in daily routines and breaks that can help you maintain optimum productivity.
By taking the time to properly set yourself up for remote work, you increase your chances of finding long-term blogging success.
Become a Full-Time Blogger
Blogging full-time is an admirable goal. The entrepreneurial nature of setting up on your own and making a living from your artistic creation is about as rewarding as it gets.
However, before you dive into the world of blogging as your primary source of income, take the time to consider things like finances, business skills, and remote work tendencies to ensure that you’re set up for the best chance of success as you move forward into whatever the future may hold.