Blogging is definitely not easy to make a career of. It does take a lot of time and depending on your ambition, quite a bit of money. It is no surprise that blogging has become a way of business for many people. However, is it for you? Here are 5 questions one should ask before selecting blogging as a career.
Do you really have an interest in the topics you want to blog about?
The niche you choose could be a small one or one that you have a lot of topics that you can cover, but really, it boils down to whether you have the passion to keep writing. You will sometimes find yourself covering every nook and cranny of your niche when you write, and that can be tedious….at least to some.
Are you patient enough to know that it takes a lot of blogging, engaging, and social media marketing to become a successful blogger?
Becoming a successful blogger does not happen over night. It DOES take time. It is no get rich quick scheme and frankly, because of social search, you cannot just rely on link building techniques alone. You really have to market your brand to others through engagement. Of course, you do not want to spam people, and if you are truly interested in connecting with people, you will eventually end up sharing information about what your site is about or even about what you sell.
Are you willing to seek outside your normal informational resources to make sure your knowledge is on the cutting edge in your niche?
You probably have a routine when you get online. You see the same sites and the same people. Well, if you keep exposing your product to the same people, and no one new… how can you expect to reach more people? You have to go outside your normal means of seeking information and even seeking people to engage to become a top blogger in your niche.
Are you willing to invest time and money to making sure your blog succeeds?
Like I said earlier and usually repeat this in articles from time to time, success in blogging takes time. It also can take money for the tools to make your site run. Of course, there are free and open source tools like WordPress that help cut costs. However, you may need to invest in advertising or take time to trying to reach others.
If you are not willing to invest time or money… why bother even starting a blog?
If you are starting a blog as a career and have no money to spare, you might want to think about getting a job, or depending on the nature of the blog, you might be able to apply for a small grant. However, in doing so, you must have a logical business plan or your start-up site will be a failure.
Are you open minded?
Not every reader will agree with you. Some readers might even have just as much, or even more knowledge of your niche than you do. You may receive harsh criticism from time to time. Blogging is a form of media and the crowd can be tough to please sometimes. You have to be open minded enough and have a backbone in order to handle criticism.
Criticism even if it is harsh may mean that you will need to learn more about specific topics to become better. Really, each blogger has to be willing to learn from their readers. The blogger- reader relationship is interesting because a blog can literally become a community in itself from the feedback going back and forth.
Please note, these are 5 questions one should ask before selecting blogging as a career. What other questions do you think a person considering to enter into blogging as a career?
Great tips for the person who want to become a blogger , I will tell other to read this article ..
Hi Nile,
There are many other things as well, for example your technical knowledge, I have seen many people in IT industry who have years of experience but they were not good bloggers just because they have not much knowledge of server side things like web hosting etc. 🙂
Yes sir, you are right! I am agree with you..Thanks
This is a really good outline of the thought process one should take when considering blogging as a career. I find that most people think that blogging is a lot easier than it really is and they have a rude awakening when they actually start doing it. This should give people an idea of what to expect. Thanks Nile!
very nice tips post.. everyone should know the answers of above questions before starting blogging as a career..
thanks for this great post..
I am a Journalism major and let me just say – blogging is where it’s at! But it is definitely not easy and I will use these tips for sure. Thank you for this post!
True! The first place many people get tripped up is just in exercising the work and patience it takes to build a quality blog and get traffic flowing to it. Your article could save a few people a lot of frustration and disappointment!
I also agree. This questions can determine if a blogger could chose blogging as career. Otherwise, those 5 questions can also make bloggers stop their career in blogging.
Dear Admin,
I am new in this field of blogger via internet…was searching in Google about it and i landed on your blog,Learnt a lot of tips on it …how i ‘m create the new blog ,,,Please guide me if
I want to do blogging but the problem is when i start how can i bring people to my blog, it is also diffictul to write even when i want to.
Nile,
You are right on the money here. Many people start with the quick turnaround success. It does not take long before they get disappointed and they quit.
Also to be open minded and willing to be even ridiculed is a quality of a leader.
i wish i had red this article when i was starting three years ago but nevertheless i can still improvise and bring out the best of me.
You’ve done an excellent job of outling what it takes to be a successful blogger Niles. I must confess that, even though I’ve been blogging for two years now, I’ve never thought of it in terms of being a career itself – more of a tool to support other activities in my career … like writing books. While many of the points you’ve presented still apply, the purpose of my blog primarily as a branding tool for me.
I really appreciate you words , good for new newbies ..
Hi Nile
Nice post mostly because I’ve been fed up of “kids” thinking that it is acceptable and easy to finish your undergrad degree by the age of 21, getting a masters certificate when you’re 22, joining a PhD and getting the Dr of it when you’re 25, a couple of post-docs when you’re 27… And then, by the age of 28 you’ll get to be a Professor. So thanks for Great post.
I started my blog since 2 year back,I completely agree to your opinion because there is no easy way to successin blogging, only hard work is needed. Your article could save some people’s who are in beginners in blogging.
Time & money is the more challenging aspects of blogging for me. The ability to acquire new knowledge and adapt to changes is necessary. But most importantly – passion & patience to persevere, when all seem to go awry.
Yes these are the simple questions that were asked by my brother when i said him that i would like to blog just like him.
Hello, I am new here. What a nice article. I especially agree with patience and real interest in your topics. I know many people who failed because they blogged only for money, not because they loved their topics. Others didn’t make it because they wanted immediate results. In life (and in blogging especially) patience pays off.
Greetings!
The first and most important question is, Do you love the topic your blogging about, do you have the passion. when you love something you succeed with and you give all of your effort to make it happen and you enjoy doing it
Niles, I look at blogging as one of the many things I do to engage my specialized niche client. I really don’t view blogging as a career, although I suppose I should. I totally agree that blogging is a commitment and require time and energy in order to see a return on investment. The worst thing a blogger could do is write infrequently and ignore their blog.
I am an engineering student and doing blogging as my part time fun, many of my bloggers friends established themselves in blogging but i did not feel bloging as a secured career. i wanna your sujjestion Nile.., plz help me..
This blogging stuff looks like a lot of hard work. And I thought I was going to throw one up and money would rain from the heavens and gold would fly out of my .
Seriously though, I think if you can accept these five truths about blogging you can really succeed at it. Just don’t let yourself get beat down by people who have been doing it longer that you and like to talk down to newbies. They can be a bit jerkish at times, but in the end you may just learn something.
Nile,
Once again another great post of you saying what needs to be said. This is way beyond the day of the movie “Field of Dreams”! Like you said, you best be ready to do more than just write your blog post. You best be ready to get out there and promote each week, as well, without being spammy. And you better like the niche you are in because trying to be consistent month after month, year after year is not something that will ever happen if you don’t love the topic you are supposed to be writing on! And, of course, to do blogging right, it can cost you a few bucks for some important plugins for backing up your site, or promoting it, or a high-quality theme or framework, so don’t get involved if you are not passionate, and dedicated and prepared to spend a few bucks to grow your blog business now and again!
Thanks for sharing!
~ Jupiter Jim
Hi Nile Flores
Thanks for sharing with us.my question is , Do you love the subject your blogging regarding, does one have the eagerness. once you love one thing you succeed with and you provide all of your effort to form it happen and you relish doing it
exactly, these questions matters allot… as after choosing and investing on a blog if you will back off then it will harm you can your career too. I must recommend my friends to read this post.
WordPress is probably the best tool for the job if you’re worried about technical difficulties but it is extremely hard to keep in the game and deliver great content all the time. Hard to keep up with the big players.
Nile,
Yeah, I remember 2-3 years ago I started a site on credit repair, just solely to make money. The problem is I could care less about writing about that. So now I write about stuff I am interested in, such as blogging, web hosting, and lizards. Nice little mix there 🙂
People need to consider that they are going to have to go out and actively participate in order to get their blog popular. There is no magic bullet.
I think the Blog is Self Portrait of the Blogger. So One should choose a subject which he is most passionate about and never gets bored of it. Never blog on basis of keywords blog on your moral values.
great job nile,
the blogger must and should have the patience to promoting his/her business blog.the way i,e., explanation was very neet &clean every bloger sholud follow the above points.
Well – great post for blogging, but you also should be interested in SEO and marketing if you want your blog to be successfully made
This is so true that I could not agree more with your post. These 5 questions could be a perfect start. And if a person says ‘no’ to at least one of them, s/he should think twice before starting a blog.
A question I would like to add: “Are you ready to listen to and hear your readers, putting your finger on the pulse of the target audience?”
For me the toughest question to answer is number 5. But then don’t look at criticism in a negative way in a manner that it will drag down your ambition to become someone in blogging. Look at criticism as an inspiration to make quality post so to lessen criticism coming from your readers.
Great article there! I really enjoy reading you and Thank you so much for the great info you provide us. I’ll stay tuned! Please, keep the good work up! =)
for me “Are you patient enough to know that it takes a lot of blogging, engaging, and social media marketing to become a successful blogger?” this one really hits home.
When I first started out I had absolutely no idea it would take as much as it has.
Now I make a point with all my clients and perspective clients to let them know just what it is going to take. Nile, I will have to bookmark this post and send them here so they have a better understanding of what it take.
One of the reasons I started my blog was to help me overcome my fear of criticism. It has helped me so much to see other people’s view as valid.
For the most part commenters are cordial but occasionally I do get some tough ones.
I think for people thinking about blogging, these are excellent questions to answer. I personally believe that people are initially too scared to put themselves out there and start blogging to begin with. But they do need to realize that success takes persistence and time.
Hi, Nile. Thank you for the thought provoking questions. Your friend, Kimberly Castleberry, also asks a good question. If you’re just blogging to blog, without having something to sell, or without seeking to market, then why are you blogging?!
I like the thought of being willing to go beyond our niche. I’d love to hear how you’ve gone outside of your niche. I’d also love to see an article expanding on this concept!
If you are planning to become a freelancer, you need to get things going for yourself and it is very essential to have that go getter attitude. Having this attitude, should be your strongest trait. Without this, there are very little chances of you surviving as a freelancer.
Let face the reality, probably there are only about 20 bloggers in the world that make living from blogging. It is not that almost everybody can do, but 99% fail.
Google may be friendly but they lack the support which is a big factor in ranking any organization.
reviews of interesting, really helped me. I was looking about this,
thanks for sharing ..
and Greetings from Indonesia
I am a new blogger
I don’t think anyone should select blogging as a career… It’s a little like selecting ‘rock star’ as a career. That’s great, but it probably won’t pay the bills! Do it as a hobby, with a view to earning money, and see how it goes!
Tom… let you know a secret. You can earn a living blogging and I known many who do based on sponsorships, advertising, and sponsored posts. A couple years ago, just on sponsored blogging alone, one gal made $36,000… yes, just blogging. And no, not all of her posts were sponsored. Those posts that she did do paid gigs for were natural and fit in seamlessly with her site.
Could not agree more with everything, we write a blog to engage our clients and just people who are interested and curious about anything in relates to jewellery, it certainly takes a lot of energy and efforts!
A great post here, I think this will be great for any beginners. You have actually answered many of my questions in this post and I think many people will be able to relate to this. So thank you for sharing.
Well, as nice as working from home sounds, you really have to use more discipline that you’d think. You have to be incredibly organized and stay focused. This was a great post-thanks!
Thanks for pointing this out because I often find myself at the 2 extremes: either I am working too hard and sometimes late into the night of I am not working at all for a whole day. Striking a balance is really important
These are important questions for beginner bloggers to consider, Nile.
It’s not enough to just start blogging to get recognition, establish credibility and authority, and it’s certainly not enough if you intend to profit from your efforts.
Yet, blogging is a great place to get your foot in the door if you are willing to face these 5 questions square on and still maintain your determination to make a go of it.
Nile,
first of all, thanks for pointing out the 5 questions above… they are great questions that truly make you go deeper to find out what you are doing and why… the one that I like best is” Are you open minded?”
On top of pointing out the 5 questions, you done a great job to explain all of them… I did not have any bad encounters with any one and that is great but as you pointed out “Criticism even if it is harsh may mean that you will need to learn more about specific topics to become better. Really, each blogger has to be willing to learn from their readers. The blogger- reader relationship is interesting because a blog can literally become a community in itself from the feedback going back and forth.” boy, I am so glad that I did not… because I am not certain how I would reack or deal with it.
Great thing to know.
Thanks once again for teh great informations.
nickc
Thanks for nice write-up. I too looking for pursue my career in blogging field. Your blog has cleared my thoughts. Thanks very much
Knowledge of open-source tools and keyword research also very important if someone wants to opt his/her career in blogging.
Thanks
I’m a newbie blogger so this is all great info for me.
Hi again ,
Now its final for me after reading 5 questions , that blogging is not for “ME”.Its better for me to find something else …….Well Nile yuo are really a good or i have to say a better blogger ever i saw …….. nice post
Thanks and Regards.
There are a lot of good tips here; thanks for the share.
That said, I agree with those who say one should blog about what most interests you and what you are most passionate about. If you’re blogging with one hand over your nose, it’ll show.
Also, what is the theme of this blog? I haven’t seen it before. Is it a free theme or a paid one?
Thanks…
i think i got all of the above five qualities that’s why i recently started my new blog and i think i will be successful if i keep on going on the same track, any way its a great post for newbies or for someone who is going to start a blog,thanks for this nice post
I am extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to see a great blog like this one nowadays..
Hi Ranvir! I developed this site myself.
Earning from their blogs is often the top of the mind of most newbie bloggers. I believe that successful bloggers write because they want to impart something good for their readers. Earning from their blogs becomes a big bonus as soon as the blog becomes popular and can attract more traffic.
Nice article Nile. There is one thing that we all should know about become a blogger… once that you are in, is gonna be hard to get out. This world makes you fall in love even when you do not receive the expected rewards. Don’t get me wrong, money matters, but this is hell fun!
Interesting blog. It would be great if you can provide more details about it. Thanks you
Logo Designing Chennai
You are so right about this Nile. But sadly, people start blogs for various other reasons than actually having an interest in it. Mostly it is because some of their friends are making money from blogging or because they heard that blogging is the easiest way to start an online business.
I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and have my children check up here often. I am quite sure they will learn lots of new stuff here than anybody else!
Great post! This is very helpful in freshman online entrepreneur like me. Looking forward to your another post.
Thanks Dear , m totally agree with your opinion
I love writing technology news, should i consider blogging as a full time carrier ?
If you really want to be a blogger, patience is key. Very good tips.
Patience is definitely the key but work consistency is very important also. You must be self disciplinary to achieve this, just because you work for yourself doesn’t mean less work. Probably needs more effort than when you worked for a company.
agree with you about being consistent
online world just like offline work
it need dedication and hard work to succeeded
Nice article. if you love to write article then blogging is best career.
Sound advice and nice wake up call Niles. Too many people think that simply bogging away mindlessly will do the trick. Bogging has to be worked properly and consistently if one wants to achieve success and money.
Hi Niles,
First time here.
I think the biggest thing when it comes to it is patience. Most people for some weird reason think they are going to build a blog and its going to start receiving traffic over night. Yes, starting a blog is quick and easy nowadays, but getting it in front of a worthy audience is time consuming and requires lots and lots of hard work. You have to have think skin to last in this game. But if you have the patience and the drive, the rewards are great as well.
Hey Nile,
Nice post and Thanks for sharing this post with us. Yes for blogging we have to first invest into it and also have to do lots of hardword in starting. For getting success in blogging we have to keep patience for the right time.
You pose five extremely excellent questions Nile!
And to this point, the average newbie blogger hadn’t given a second thought to!
but once they find themselves mired in the trenches, the reality of their situation will
definitely start to sink in!
But still in all, it’s awfully nice of you to give us a heads up!