Most bloggers fantasize about how to make a living blogging. We connected with 12 successful pro bloggers who run some of the top money-making blogs in the world and asked them to tell us their #1 blueprint on how to make a living blogging. Here are their top tips!
It’s okay. You can admit it. You’ve recently been asking yourself if you can make a living blogging. I know because most bloggers fantasize about the freedom that comes with making a living from blogging.
Sadly, many bloggers don’t make a cent from their blogs. And with an estimated 152 million blogs worldwide, there is no shortage of guides and tutorials about how to make a living blogging.
But here’s what makes this one different:
Success leaves clues.
Tony Robbins
Les Brown, acclaimed motivational speaker, put it this way, “Whatever area you are interested in, find people who have mastered it, and follow their example because success leaves clues.”
So we reached out to successful online entrepreneurs who’ve been there, done that and have the t-shirt.
We connected with 12 successful pro bloggers who run some of the top money-making blogs in the world. We asked them to tell us their #1 blueprint for making a living from blogging. Some of them answered the question, Can you really make money blogging? Others mentioned the blog niches that make money and the types of blogs that make money.
They all spoke from the heart, and we were amazed by what they said. It was refreshing, compelling, practical and down to earth. Although accomplished pro bloggers ourselves, we learnt a lot from them. And we decided to share their insight and wisdom with you in this blog post.
Here is what they said:
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12 Successful Entrepreneurs On How They Make A Living Blogging
# 1. Mark Webster – “Just Get Started!”
Our business specializes in growing authority sites and we have had a number of successes with many different sites over the years. If I were to provide just one tip on how to make a living blogging, it would be the following: Just Get Started!
Blogging is about continual improvement, not trying to achieve perfection. I’ve seen countless people get stuck poring over the color scheme or logo design of their site, but the fact is, these things won’t make you money. Writing content and promoting it will.
That’s why it’s important to get started with this as soon as possible and continue to make improvements to your process as time goes on. Don’t go into the whole process with the mindset of My blog will be the best! Because even if you take every step to ensure that, chances are, it still won’t be. Instead, think about how you can continually improve your blog and focus on the things that actually make you money!
-Mark Webster, Co-Founder of Authority Hacker, an industry leading online marketing education company.
# 2. Sa El – “Get Educated. Buy A Course…Seriously!”
My number 1 tip for people who want to make a living blogging is to first get educated by purchasing a course about blogging. It can be any type of course because you just need something that will give you a focus.
Before I started my insurance blog I was an agent and had been selling over the phone for years. I didn’t know anything about blogging or selling online.
It took me about 8 months to make my first sale for $120.00 blogging online and I never would have been able to grow it to 6 figures (in less than 2 years) without purchasing educational courses.
When it comes to blogging there are so many aspects that can either grow your blog or sink it. Trying to build it and having no education at all will lead you to failure.
-Sa El, Co-Founder of Simply Insurance, an online digital insurance blog that makes 6 figures a year
# 3. Mike Greig – “Treat It As You Would Any Other Business.”
My number one tip for those who want to start a money-making blog is to treat it as you would any other business. Many bloggers start a blog thinking it will be easy. While there’s undoubtedly a lower cost of entry than other businesses, it still must be treated as a business if you want to succeed.
Make a business plan including your focus topic, planned sources of revenue, how often you plan to publish etc. If you treat a blog as seriously as you treat any other business, you will succeed in time.
-Mike Greig, Founder & Personal Finance Blogger at Ninja Budgeter, a personal finance blog for families
# 4. Donovan Gow – “Concentrate On Link Building And Content.”
My number one tip to aspiring bloggers is to spend as much or more effort on link-building as you do on content. If content is king, then link building is queen and arguably just as powerful.
Many bloggers focus too heavily on creating excellent content and then hope traffic will magically materialize. This rarely happens or, if it does, it takes years. To accelerate the process, bloggers need to educate themselves on link-building strategies. Pick one or two to focus on, and then execute relentlessly to build your website authority and traffic.
-Donovan Gow, Owner of House and Tool, where they help you pick the quality home tools that are right for you
# 5. Tom Nathaniel – “Write, Write, And Write!”
I have been blogging since 2006, making it a full-time living. If I could recommend one tip, it’s to write, write, write for your audience.
Don’t worry about search engines. As long as you keyword research appropriately and write the best long-form post out of the top 10 current results, you can see much success.
Today, there are so many SEO metrics, with so much noise out there as to what works. I can promise you that if you keep on creating content, things will start to snowball and provide you with a nice income. Don’t give up. Keep writing and good things will come, I promise!
-Tom Nathaniel, Owner of LushDollar
# 6. Deacon Hayes – “Build A Following.”
One of the best tips I can share is: Build a following. There are several different things you can do including:
** Write engaging content **Network with other bloggers in your niche and comment on their posts **Share your posts on social media, such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. **Offer a product and have giveaways **Do freelance writing for other bloggers with links back to your site
Once you build up a following you can add affiliate marketing and other money making tactics to make more money blogging.
-Deacon Hayes, financial expert, Founder & CEO of Well Kept Wallet, a personal finance blog
# 7. Ingmar Folk – “Establish Yourself As A True Expert In Your Niche.”
You need to do some research before starting out. Pick a niche where people are willing to spend some money (e.g. finance, health, fitness or anything else with high pain points). Because there is a lot of competition in those markets you must be able to solve a specific problem that a whole bunch of people in that niche experience all the time.
In other words, become an expert on that specific topic and blog about it. But be aware not go give away too much of your problem solving content. Hold back the real game changers and put them into a coaching product that you offer on your site. Best to establish a tailored high price coaching with yourself as a coach and sell it directly to preselected people via phone calls.
You don’t need to build a list first and if you do your SEO right, you don’t even have to
publish a lot of content. This will get you the biggest and fastest cash flow you can achieve from one blogging website.However, if you just want to blog without being a coach yourself you need to find other experts who have little to zero reach in the online world. Then start promoting them on
your own blog and earn money from the recommendation you give to your audience.
-Ingmar Folk, Risk Management and Trade Management Expert, CoinFlip Trading
# 8. James Pollard – “Never Stop Listening To Your Audience.”
My #1 tip for those who want to make a living blogging is to never stop listening to your audience. Constantly seek their feedback. Survey them. Jump on the phone with them and talk with them about their lives. Get active in social media groups.
I’ve found that if you keep your finger on the pulse of your market, you will be able to find out which products and services they want the most. As a blogger, most of your income will come from advertising, affiliate products, your own products, or some mix thereof.
By knowing exactly what they want, you’ll be able to more effectively give it to them. Plus, they’ll recognize how much you care about them and be more likely to share your blog.
-James Pollard, CEO of TheAdvisorCoach.com, a marketing consultancy that works specifically with financial advisors
# 9. Taylor Randolph – “Avoid The Pitfall Of Prioritizing Money Over Writing Exceptional Content.”
Don’t prioritize making money, prioritize writing exceptional content. There are many ways to monetize your blog and even the very average bloggers will make some money on the side if they blog long enough.
But the best trick to a money-making blog isn’t much of a trick at all. It’s just simply that you need to avoid the pitfall of prioritizing money over writing exceptional content. Find your unique voice and perspective as a writer and start creating incredible content.
Don’t write the same top ten lists as everyone else! There are already too many unimaginative, derivative bloggers out there. If you want to get your blog to Google’s first page (where the real money starts being made), then you need to be
publishing fresh, unique, and valuable content.Write blog posts that are chock full of solid information that your readers will love. Write about a unique solution to a common problem. Give unexpected tips for a popular destination, or share surprising misconceptions about an accepted theory or idea. Aim for 2,000 – 3,000 words for each post. These pages will start ranking on Google and soon you will have companies contacting you for advertising.
-Taylor Randolph, Travel Blogger, The Travelling Souk
# 10. Khris Steven – “Always Carry Out Keyword Research.”
Performing keyword research is one of the initial steps every blogger must take before they plan and write their contents. This is a process of finding the right words or phrases people are searching for in your chosen niche and map out your blog contents based on that.
This is super important, because if you don’t know or have an idea of what your target audience are looking for in search engines – it’ll be difficult for you writing on the right topic, attracting the right people and most importantly gaining traffic to your blog.
The foundation of every successful blog starts from keyword research and it should never be neglected. You wouldn’t want to spend hours writing on a topic, publish it and you realize afterwards that nobody is interested in it.
-Khris Steven, Owner and Chief Editor, Khrisdigital
# 11. Meg Marrs – “Don’t Quit Your Day Job Until You See Traction.”
Don’t immediately quit your current job just because you’ve decided you want to become a blogger! Start blogging in your spare time, and treat it like a part-time job. That means weekends and evenings are now dedicated to building and promoting your blog! Set specific work hours and stick to them. If you don’t have enough dedication to commit your weekend and evenings to building your blog, there’s no way it will last.
If you start to see some serious success with your side hustle blog, see if you can negotiate with your full-time job to get a month or two off. Alternatively, transition to a part-time position that will allow you more free time to work on your blog. Or, if you’re currently out of work, take on some freelance clients while you work on your blog. Build the opportunity to dedicate more time to your side blog project and see what happens.
Remember that it can take 6-12 months to really see traction with a blog. Once you start to see significant success (and make some revenue that will at least allow you to survive), only then should you consider devoting yourself to your blog full time!
-Meg Marrs, Founder of K9 of Mine
# 12. Ryan Goob Eubanks – “Don’t Take No For An Answer.”
My Best Tip: Don’t take no for an answer! Use the free FMTC database (they have paid options, but we just need the free options!) to find affiliates you didn’t know existed in your niche. No matter how narrow your site’s topic, there are guaranteed to be affiliate programs, big and small, that match perfectly with your audience.
If you get declined by an affiliate, email them directly! Use the email listed in the affiliate directory or find an employee on LinkedIn and send a polite, short introduction. 9 times out of 10, this is all it takes to get your foot in the door and start a profitable relationship.
Remember, it’s impossible to make a living blogging if you’re not making any money.
-Ryan Goob Eubanks, Owner of Hey, It’s Free, named 1 of the Top 7 Money Saving Websites by the non-profit Consumer Reports
Can you make a living blogging? – Now Your Turn
Which is your favorite of our 12 entrepreneurs?
What did they say about how to make a living blogging online would say resonated most with you? Are you a pro blogger? Do you make a living blogging?
Do you know the top money making blogs, the best blogging platform to make money, and the blog niches that make money? What do you know about ‘make money wordpress’‘?
Can you really make money blogging? Do you now know which are the high demand blog topics, the types of blogs that make money? How will blogging for a living help you live the life of your dreams?
Disclosure of material connection
Some of the links in this article are “affiliate links” as defined by the FTC. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, Astute Copy Blogging will receive an affiliate commission, at no additional cost to you. However, please note that we only recommend the best products and services.
Awesome read! Thanks for sharing this was really informative and helpful. – Danielle
Hi Danielle,
Great to see you here at Astute Copy Blogging.
Super delighted you found the article informative and helpful.
Thanks for stopping by.
Best,
Pedro
Great insights from these 12 entrepreneur bloggers, especially from #11 Meg Marrs to be patient in 6-12 months. Learnt something…thanks for sharing.
Hey Kusuma,
Glad you liked the article and you learnt something.
I think Meg has got a greta point.It makes sense to not resign from the day job until one starts to see traction, and one is making good money blogging.
Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation.
Best,
Pedro
Nice read!
For me #4 is one of the most important when I look back at my own experience in blogging. At least when we talk about growing your audience long-term and in a sustainable way.I think it was one of the main reasons I struggled and finally lost patience with my site.
Honestly said tip #7 catches my attention when it comes to think about monetizing a blogging website effectively.
Keep up the good work Pedro …
Hi Henrik,
Great to see here. And really glad you liked the post.
Thanks for your meaningful contribution to the conversation.
I think Donovan has a great point. Link building and quality content will always pay off, no matter how long it takes. And Ingmar’s point about being an expert in one’s niche makes sense.
Thanks for stopping by.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Best,
Pedro