I was a little sceptical about considering blogging as a career when I had no idea about it. I thought it was just an online diary or a journal where people try to save their special memories and access them from anywhere in the world when I first came across the term blogging in 2010.
As it became popular with time, my curiosity grew and I started collecting all the information related to blogging, to know if there was any opportunity in blogging as a career. Of course, I didn’t get fooled by the false claims of many strugglers, but the real picture was something you simply can’t ignore.
Over time, it didn’t take me long to realize that it was completely different than I thought. It’s not just like a mom trying to share her experience with other moms or a freelancer trying to list assignments she’s completed. But there is a motive to connect with the audience in the business they are in.
Many blogs have been created to fulfil this purpose. For example, The New York Times, The Economist, The Guardian, Huffington Post and even Condé Nast Traveler, all have blogs. The list doesn’t end here, but you can find countless such blogs today.
Even some website owners use the blog section to attract more buyers to their site. If the space is full of so many possibilities, then why not consider blogging as a career.
A blog is a regularly updated website where new content is posted regularly, usually written in an informative or interactive style, often to attract readers and achieve certain blogging goals. And what that goal is, we have discussed earlier.
Why choose blogging as a career
There are many but here are some important points to explain why one should consider blogging as a career or pursue it if they are already doing so.
Reason#1: To develop new skills
Owning and managing a blog is more technical than we think. Learning website customizing, copywriting, managing social media, PR, graphic design, video editing in some cases, SEO and much more requires a lot of dedication. If you choose blogging as a career, you may not be able to master it, but you can certainly learn many skills.
While it may sound intimidating, virtually anyone who knows how to use a computer and has access to the Internet can learn all the basic skills to start blogging as a career. For example, here in the blog section, there are many blogging-related articles, tutorials and courses that you can always access to improve your knowledge.
You don’t need to be a web developer or a coder to make a blog live on the internet. There are many options available that you can use as per your requirements without having to learn any of them. You can easily learn basic graphic design using Canva without using Adobe Suite.
There are several user-friendly apps, such as Kinemaster, Canva and Squoosh, that you can always use to learn all about video editing and graphic design in a matter of days.
The best part is that later if you find yourself in a situation where you do not want to pursue blogging as a career, you will have already learned so many new skills that you will have more career options.
Reason#2: To be an authority in the business you are in
Blogging as a career offers you the opportunity to master the skill you are interested in. I am sure you must be hesitant to choose blogging as a career because you feel that you are not a writer. What if I told you that some of the most successful bloggers aren’t even writers?
What is important is that you should have sufficient knowledge of a specific subject so that others can learn from your experiences. Ultimately blogging as a career requires providing value to other people and solving their problems with your expertise.
It can be virtually anything you can think of, from advice on finance and investing, tourism and travel tips, educating kids, teaching English, food and cuisine, health and fitness tips, personality development, fashion or dog training.
If you have a full-time job and decide to start blogging as a career (as a side hustle), this can be a great way to show your expertise if you focus on your niche related to your day job. This way, not only can your blog be used as a portfolio, but it can also help you connect with other people in your niche.
Blogging offers you so many opportunities that even if you fail to pursue it as a career, it can lead to discovering many new career paths.
Reason#3: To make money
“There’s no money in blogging as a career anymore.” Have you ever heard this, or have you already made such an assumption? Many top bloggers do not share their income openly, so you may have no idea what to expect from blogging.
Making money from blogging is the second most important craving that many people want to try (while passion comes first). Depending on how much time you decide to invest in blogging, you can not only earn an extra income but also make a decent living out of it.
Some bloggers make nothing at all and others make $500,000 or more each year. There are plenty of bloggers who make six or seven figures a year, often without employees. On average, bloggers around the world are earning anything from $2,000 to $100,000 per month.
The best thing about blogging is that you get what you put in. If you are willing to put in all the necessary effort, you can grow your blog into a flourishing business that can provide you with the lifestyle you want.
Here are some of my favourite bloggers who are absolutely crushing it.
Ryan Robinson (ryrob.com)
Ryan started blogging as a side hustle during his college time and is now pursuing this venture as a full-time job making it possible to reach a six-figure blog income.
Neil Patel (neilpatel.com)
Neil is another example who made it possible to reach a six-figure blog income with all his efforts and is now a brand himself.
Reason#4: To be your own boss
Blogging allows you to do whatever you want without being accountable to any authority. Blogging as a career requires a lot of time and dedication, however, if you are serious and can put in some extra effort, you can see the expected results in months instead of years.
You can compare this with the time it takes to skill yourself to find a good job. But the opportunities are not equal. It takes years to get a promotion or a pay raise but, you can start earning more than $5,000/month after 12 to 18 months of blogging.
Being an employee, you cannot even think of reaching that figure. By any standards, earning $5,000 a month is a figure that could make you your own boss.
Unlike other types of businesses, blogging requires minimal investment, around $3/month to host a blog and $10-15/year for a domain name. All you need is a domain name and hosting to make a blog live on the internet.
How do we earn from a blog?
There are many different ways how you can monetize your blog. Below are some of the most important ways to make money by adopting blogging as a career.
- Selling Your Services as a Freelancer
- Joining affiliate programs
- Through sponsored blog content
- Selling courses such as e-courses or e-books
- From advertising networks
- Podcast sponsorship
- Selling physical products or software equipment
- From writing reviews
Which monetization option you should choose will depend on the niche you are blogging about. Some bloggers make money mostly through advertisements, others through affiliate marketing, and some through all of the above.
Ryan makes most of his earnings from affiliate marketing. Most of Neil’s earnings come from creating and selling his own digital products like Ubersuggest. however, he also earns a decent amount of money through advertisements and affiliate marketing.
The bottom line is that blogging as a career offers you an option to earn a fictional figure and be your own boss which is not the case with any other business.
My verdict on blogging as a career
Blogging, as a career, allows you to build a business around a topic that interests you. You can have your own schedule, work from anywhere and have more time to spend with your family and loved ones.
If you are convinced to give blogging a try, don’t forget to read my detailed guide on “How to start blogging on WordPress” which will walk you through the step-by-step process of how to create a WordPress blog via Bluehost.
