If You're Blogging for Money, Go Home
I hate to say it so harshly, but it's got to be said. This doesn't necessarily apply to everyone blogging for money, but it's a crucial kick-in-the-backside. So please forgive me.
If you have a blog or website you update regularly and you're looking to blog for money, don't. Because it's not happening any time soon.
If you have a website selling a product or service, that's different. You have something to sell. However, if you're here with the hopes of blogging for money, go home. Paid bloggers are rare, elusive creatures. Even believing in them is dangerous.
The truth: no matter how diligent your are, how wonderful your content is, or how happy your followers are, they might not convert into ad clickers, paying customers, or whatever else you might need to cover the bills.
Believe me, I hate that this is true. There is no clear-cut map to success when it comes to blogs.We can try our hardest, but that doesn't always translate to success.
Do you know what does? Following your passions.
So many people laugh, scoff, and shrug off those words when really, that's the only thing that separates me from the guy next door: I love what I do. Or conversely, he loves what he does, and I don't like what I do.
Go back to the time right before you started your blog. Why did you do it? What's your end goal here?
Are you blogging for money or for love? Those don't have to be mutually exclusive, in fact they tend to fare better when they're stuck together.
I've started and closed down countless blogs because I hated working on them. No number of good intentions could negate my inability to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys). If it feels like pulling teeth to write about your blog's main focus, it isn't going to happen. Even if you find the dedication to write about the goods, there needs to be an extra fire in there.
People will come to your website for the content they need, yes, but they will keep coming back over and over again if they like you. And they won't like you, or have the chance to learn who you are, if you aren't showing your passions.
Think about it. Which blogs or social media profiles do you frequent? Why? Is it the information, the speaker, or both?
A passionate writer will create content that communicates with you on a deeper level. A bored or annoyed writer will create content that gets the job done, and that's it.
So let's get to my point here. I don't want to send you away from your project. Instead, I want you to know what you're doing here. Are you willing to write day after day for months or even years without seeing a single penny in earnings? Do you fight yourself to do the work? Do you resent your blogging obligations?
If you say yes to these, reconsider why you're here in the first place. Look for a way to write about an aspect that you do love. Then, do it. Make this your personal goal. See it through. Just know the odds, have an idea of when it's too much work for too little return, and follow your gut.