7 Steps to Grow Blogging into a Career
Starting a blog is easy, right?
You pick a niche, you create a publishing schedule, you start writing, and you attract your audience.
Does that make you a successful blogger?
It does… if that’s where you want to stop.
If you want to start making good money through this hobby and turn it into a full-time career, then it’s not enough.
Tucker Max started a blog out of pure fun. He started writing about his drunken adventures and attracted thousands of visitors with his witty writing style.
The blog became a source of a career for him. It brought him to publishing several books.
Get this: he made it into The New York Times Best Seller list each year from 2006 to 2012.
Quite a career, huh?
So what makes these successful bloggers so good?
How do they manage to elevate blogging to the career level?
We’ll provide 7 actionable tips that can bring you such results.
Here’s a suggestion: Gizmodo.
Check the frequency of posting. There are several posts per day! Gizmodo is a highly popular blog with an entire team behind the content you see.
When you start blogging, you don’t have the capacity to publish content that frequently. However, you still need to do this as consistently as possible.
Write at least one post per week. Pick a day and hour when you’ll publish the post.
Get your target audience used to such frequency, so they will keep checking out the blog for new content.
However, we’re talking about turning blogging into a career. You can’t do that without strong commitment.
If, for example, you start a blog about truckers, you have to understand the exact problems these people are facing. Then, you have to provide them clear solutions that deliver results.
You need to do your research. Start with social media and explore the competitors.
Of course, you can’t write all blog posts at once.
You have a blogging schedule, remember?
Put those themes in your blogging schedule, so you’ll always know what the next topic is going to be. This strategy will help you stay focused and consistent.
Fortunately, you have tons of opportunities to bring your blog to the attention of your target audience. Just use social media! Work on your presence there.
Think of something your followers will recognize you by. It may be the appeal of your visual content, the wit in your status updates, or the way you respond to comments. If you don’t have personality in this process, the rivals will easily swallow you.
Free social media marketing is great!
Is it enough?
Unfortunately, no. Fortunately, paid social media ads don’t cost a fortune. If you use this opportunity well, the ROI will be great!
They offer easy solutions or enjoyable entertainment for their readers. It doesn’t take much effort to read a great blog post, but you get tons in return.
Go through your connections. You’re looking for people whose interests are close to your blogging niche. They should be very popular on social media.
Their posts should attract tons of likes, comments, and shares. To find influencers beyond your connections, explore relevant hashtags.
Then, suggest collaboration! Big brands are doing it all the time.
You’ll notice popular Instagram users promoting clothes, blenders, watches, skincare products, and anything else you could think of.
Your blog is your brand! Drive your marketing efforts in that direction.
It’s mostly about the personal brand they managed to build. People come to their sites not only for the knowledge they get, but for the personality, too. Branding is a long-term process.
First of all, you have to focus on delivering content from your niche.
However, the theme shouldn’t be the only point of connection between the posts.
It’s your character. Infuse your personality in everything you write.
Infuse it in the blog’s design. Infuse it in the marketing strategy, too!
You don’t need them at your site for a single post. You want a loyal audience.
The kind that will share your content and attract more people, who will become loyal followers, too. The only way to gain such momentum is by providing value.
Tons of it.
You need to leave your leaders with something more than a nice feeling after reading your post. You must trigger actions. You must give solutions.
You want lasting popularity, so you must distribute your energy across your posting schedule.
Every single one of your publications has to be awesome.
That’s why it’s important to approach this process with a strategy in mind.
You pick a niche, you create a publishing schedule, you start writing, and you attract your audience.
Does that make you a successful blogger?
It does… if that’s where you want to stop.
If you want to start making good money through this hobby and turn it into a full-time career, then it’s not enough.
Tucker Max started a blog out of pure fun. He started writing about his drunken adventures and attracted thousands of visitors with his witty writing style.
The blog became a source of a career for him. It brought him to publishing several books.
Get this: he made it into The New York Times Best Seller list each year from 2006 to 2012.
Quite a career, huh?
So what makes these successful bloggers so good?
How do they manage to elevate blogging to the career level?
We’ll provide 7 actionable tips that can bring you such results.
#1 – Stay on Schedule
Go ahead and open any successful blog that comes to your mind.Here’s a suggestion: Gizmodo.
Check the frequency of posting. There are several posts per day! Gizmodo is a highly popular blog with an entire team behind the content you see.
When you start blogging, you don’t have the capacity to publish content that frequently. However, you still need to do this as consistently as possible.
Write at least one post per week. Pick a day and hour when you’ll publish the post.
Get your target audience used to such frequency, so they will keep checking out the blog for new content.
- Don’t fail their expectations!
However, we’re talking about turning blogging into a career. You can’t do that without strong commitment.
#2 – Find Out What the Audience Wants
By this point, you already have your niche, so you have a general idea of your target reader’s preferences. A general idea is not enough. You need specifics.If, for example, you start a blog about truckers, you have to understand the exact problems these people are facing. Then, you have to provide them clear solutions that deliver results.
You need to do your research. Start with social media and explore the competitors.
- What do they blog about?
- What questions does their audience have?
- What solutions are they providing?
- How can you be better than them?
Of course, you can’t write all blog posts at once.
You have a blogging schedule, remember?
Put those themes in your blogging schedule, so you’ll always know what the next topic is going to be. This strategy will help you stay focused and consistent.
#3 – Invest in Marketing
It doesn’t matter whether you’re blogging for business or for yourself; marketing is essential in any case.Fortunately, you have tons of opportunities to bring your blog to the attention of your target audience. Just use social media! Work on your presence there.
Think of something your followers will recognize you by. It may be the appeal of your visual content, the wit in your status updates, or the way you respond to comments. If you don’t have personality in this process, the rivals will easily swallow you.
Free social media marketing is great!
Is it enough?
Unfortunately, no. Fortunately, paid social media ads don’t cost a fortune. If you use this opportunity well, the ROI will be great!
#4 – Keep It Clean
Do you know why blogs attract so much attention?They offer easy solutions or enjoyable entertainment for their readers. It doesn’t take much effort to read a great blog post, but you get tons in return.
Simplicity is the secret to success.Focus on writing easy-to-digest content, which will be clear even for people without advanced knowledge in your niche.
#5 – Connect with Influencers
Once you gain some traction, you’ll start developing a community around your blog. Influencers can help you enhance this process. You’ll find them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.Go through your connections. You’re looking for people whose interests are close to your blogging niche. They should be very popular on social media.
Their posts should attract tons of likes, comments, and shares. To find influencers beyond your connections, explore relevant hashtags.
Then, suggest collaboration! Big brands are doing it all the time.
You’ll notice popular Instagram users promoting clothes, blenders, watches, skincare products, and anything else you could think of.
Your blog is your brand! Drive your marketing efforts in that direction.
#6 – Turn the Blog into a Brand
When you think about the success of your favorite bloggers, you realize it’s not just about their creativity and writing skills.It’s mostly about the personal brand they managed to build. People come to their sites not only for the knowledge they get, but for the personality, too. Branding is a long-term process.
First of all, you have to focus on delivering content from your niche.
However, the theme shouldn’t be the only point of connection between the posts.
It’s your character. Infuse your personality in everything you write.
Infuse it in the blog’s design. Infuse it in the marketing strategy, too!
#7 – Value, Value, and More Value
When you’re trying to turn blogging into a career, you have to give a lot to your readers.You don’t need them at your site for a single post. You want a loyal audience.
The kind that will share your content and attract more people, who will become loyal followers, too. The only way to gain such momentum is by providing value.
Tons of it.
You need to leave your leaders with something more than a nice feeling after reading your post. You must trigger actions. You must give solutions.
Over to You
These 7 steps will help you turn blogging into an actual profession:- Consistency
- Audience analysis
- Marketing
- Clarity
- Influencer connections
- Branding
- VALUE!
You want lasting popularity, so you must distribute your energy across your posting schedule.
Every single one of your publications has to be awesome.
That’s why it’s important to approach this process with a strategy in mind.
Guest contribution by: Justin a blogger from Leicester, England, UK. Currently, he is working as an editor at EssayOnTime. Follow Justin on Facebook and Twitter.
