Although there are over 152 million blogs worldwide with 1,896 blog posts being published every minute, blogging isn’t for everyone. Here are 9 reasons to help you decide whether or not blogging is actually for you!
Let’s be real. Although anyone can own a blog, blogging isn’t for everyone. Ouch!
I’m sorry if that offends you 🙁
This is a lesson I learnt quite early in my blogging career. That’s right! You can have a richly rewarding career as a pro blogger.
There may be an estimated 152 million blogs worldwide with 1,896 blog posts published every minute or about 3.39 million blog posts published daily. There are so many blogs because people just start blogging without learning how to blog, how to create a blog, how to start a blog or even the best way to start a blog!
And this is such a big shame because there is so much blogging resource out there. I mean, there are blogging sites for beginners with tips for good blogging, blogging tips for beginners and a wealth of information on how to start a successful blog.
Still, blogging isn’t for everybody! And I will tell you why in a moment.
But first, what’s a blog. And who’s a blogger?
Quick Navigation
Blogging Definition
While this isn’t a beginner’s guide to blogging, it is important to know what a blog is. A blog is an online journal (think diary or journal), which is housed on a web page on the internet. A blog is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent blog post at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom. Here is an example on our blog page.
The term “weblog” was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. The short form, “blog”, was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May 1999. Shortly thereafter, Evan Williams at Pyra Labs used “blog” as both a noun and verb (“to blog”, meaning “to edit one’s weblog or to post to one’s weblog”) and devised the term “blogger” in connection with Pyra Labs’ Blogger product, leading to the popularization of the terms.
Most Popular Blogging Terminology
Here are the main blogging terms to be familiar with:
- Blog (noun) – an online diary or journal.
- Blog (verb) – to write, edit or post a blog post.
- Blog post (noun) – the content of a blog (noun)
- Blogger (noun) – a person who blogs (verb), keeps or owns a blog (noun).
- Blogging (verb) – the act of writing a blog post.
A blog is a way of sharing information, which people can read, webmasters can link into, and search engines can access. It serves to bridge the gap between the demand for information and the supply of information. There is probably a blog for every subject or topic under the sun in blogosphere. Therefore, blogs help to fill the huge gap between the demand and supply of information. There is a sense in which a blog encourages social networking.
The First Blog Ever
The very first blog post was published on October 7th 1994, by Dave Winer, a software developer in California, credited by the Guardian as having invented the blog.
A new blog is created somewhere in the world every half a second. Since there 86,400 seconds in a day, it means 172,800 blogs are created every day. 172,800 new blogs every single day!
But blogging isn’t necessarily for everyone who blogs.
IMHO, blogging is only for those who are either passionate or disciplined enough about blogging, that they are willing and able to invest time, money and everything else that’s required to improve themselves, and make themselves better at blogging.
Here’s another way to look at it.
Blogging for Money
If blogging is an expensive hobby that drains your resources, then blogging isn’t for you. However, if blogging brings you an income (no matter how small), then you’re probably on the right path to becoming a blogger!
Want to know how to blog for money, or put differently, how to make money blogging, then check out this awesome article 12 Pro Bloggers Reveal How They Make A Living Blogging
So are you cut out to be a blogger? There’s only one way to find out!
9 Reasons Blogging May Not Be For You
#1. You’re not prepared to work hard to see your blog succeed.
Blogging isn’t for you because you’re not prepared to work hard (night and day) to see your blog succeed.
Think about it this way.
There’s an estimated 152 million blogs worldwide jostling for the same readers as you. Why do you think yours will stand out, if you don’t work at it?
In the world of blogging, success is earned. It’s not given on a platter.
Jon Morrow of Smart Blogger puts it this way:
If you want to succeed, you can’t wait for the world to give you attention the way a cripple waits for food stamps to arrive in the mail. You have to be a warrior. You have to attack with the madness of a mother whose child is surrounded by an army of predators.
You can’t just write them down and expect them to succeed. Writing isn’t about putting words on the page, any more than being a parent is about the act of conception. It’s about breathing life into something and then working to make sure that life becomes something beautiful.
That means spending ten hours on a post, instead of 30 minutes.
That means writing a guest post every week, instead of one every few months.
You have to realize that your blog is more than just a collection of ones and zeros floating through cyberspace. It’s more than the words on the page. Your blog is a launchpad for your ideas, and you are the rocket fuel that lifts them off the ground.
#2. You think blogging success will come instantly.
You can’t succeed as a blogger because you think you can have instant coffee, sorry, instant success with blogging. And you don’t have the stamina to stay for the long term.
In every field of endeavor, success comes through innovation, and hard work. And it doesn’t happen overnight.
Blogging is no different. In fact, somebody once said that the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
[callout]If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs. -Tony Gaskins.[/callout]
There may be many stories out there of successful bloggers. But most of the time these stories do not talk much about the time it takes to get to the point of success. The result is that often bloggers expect too much in too short a time – and give up long before they can realistically expect success.
#3. You’re not disciplined enough to post consistently
You’re not cut out for blogging because you’re not ready to post consistently. You’re too sporadic for your own good!
Consistency is key – if you want to build your audience.
You must be consistent and post when you feel like it.
You must also be disciplined enough to post when writing a blog post is the last thing on your mind.
By writing a blog post regularly, your audience knows to expect you. They will come to accept the flow of your work.
Statistics show that bloggers who post consistently throughout the month, see around 4 times as many leads as those who blog sporadically.
You don’t have to post everyday. You don’t even have to post every week. But I think you need to post between 2 – 4 times a month, every month. Be consistent. Just be there!
#4. You’re neither willing nor able to deliver value
Your blog needs valuable content. Blog content that’s unique and compelling. Unfortunately, you’re not willing to provide valuable blog content to your readers.
We all have off or barely functional days, every now and again. Because we are human. However, you’re different because for you everyday is barely functional. That’s why you can’t hack it as a blogger.
To keep your audience coming back for more, you’ve got to do your best to provide value, more often than not.
Google’s John Mueller confirms that quality is key. He writes, “There’s no minimum length, and there’s no minimum number of articles a day that you have to post, nor even a minimum number of pages on a website. In most cases, quality is better than quantity. Our algorithms explicitly try to find and recommend websites that provide content that’s of high quality, unique, and compelling to users. Don’t fill your site with low-quality content, instead work on making sure that your site is the absolute best of its kind.”
A constant stream of new blog content that is both compelling and insanely valuable is the foundation for growing an audience. Each piece does not have to be perfect; it just needs to be interesting and valuable to your target audience.
#5. You’re not ready to build an email list
You’re wasting your time calling yourself a blogger because you don’t have a strategy for growing your email list and using it to communicate with your target audience on a consistent basis.
As a blogger, your email list is your greatest asset. Not your content. Not even your experience or expertise! Email represents the backbone of nearly every successful content initiative and digital marketing success story you’ve ever heard about. There is no better tool for building your online community and communicating with them on a regular basis than email.
Email is a far more friendly medium than social media. When people see your email in their inbox along with all their other friends, this builds trust. And when you start a conversation in someone’s inbox, they feel like they can be themselves and share whatever they may be struggling with, what they want, or questions they have.
If you’ve been putting aside the idea of building an email list for whatever reason, it’s time to face the facts.
Email isn’t going anywhere. It remains the #1 way to sell your products and services online.
That’s why your money is in your Email List. So start building your email list right NOW! If you need any help to build your email list click here.
Still not sure about why you need an email list?
Check out this super helpful post: Electronic Marketing: 12 Reasons Why You Need A Targeted Email List
#6. You’re not prepared to network with other bloggers
For reasons best known to you, you’re not prepared to network. That’s another reason why blogging isn’t for you.
You’ve got to realize that blogging is not a one-way traffic. It isn’t isn’t all about your blog. It isn’t all ‘me, I and myself’. No!
Blogging success is not just publishing content and spreading the word about it. A large part of blogging is also networking, connecting and collaborating. Or in other words: Blogging is about nurturing a community.
Part of networking is commenting on blogs, primarily to make friends, but also to drive traffic. Make comments that are thoughtful and add value to the conversation. When was the last time you commented on another blog post? Are you sharing other blog posts? Be a good neighbor and help other bloggers by commenting on, and sharing their posts.
#7. Like Matt Cutts, you think guest blogging is dead
You’re not a blogger at heart because the idea of guest blogging revolts you.
But first what is guest blogging? According to Lifewire, “guest blogging is a method used by bloggers to increase blog traffic where bloggers write posts to be published on other bloggers’ blogs. Guest blogging can work in one of two ways: You write a post to appear on another person’s blog. Another person writes a post to appear on your blog.”
Kristi Hines in The Ultimate Guide to Guest Blogging published on Kissmetrics, says that typically there are three main goals for guest blogging:
- Positioning yourself as an authority and well-known name in the industry.
- Getting exposure (traffic) back to your website.
- Building backlinks to your website.
In 2014, Google’s Matt Cutts got the blogging community in an uproar over whether or not guest blogging was dead. (It’s not.) Actually, what Matt said was that guest blogging for “backlinks” was no longer going to be tolerated by Google and that we should be especially concerned with spammy links in guest posts intended for SEO. He cautioned us to only accept guest posts from trusted bloggers who we could vouch for.
Which makes sense. Right?
If you want to learn the basics of guest blogging, then check out Jon Morrow’s Guest Blogging Certification Program. It walks you step-by-step through the entire process. There are over 50 lessons, hours of video instruction, and fill-in-the blank templates to help you with your pitches.
Alternatively, for step by step strategies on how to come up with good ideas for guest posts and pitch the blog owners, see these two excellent articles:
- Neil Patel’s How to Find the Best Places to Guest Blog
- Buffer App’s The Ultimate Blueprint for Guest Blogging and Syndication
If you need help finding blogs that accept guest blogs, then look no further. Check out this awesome resource: 3,000 Blogs that Accept Guest Posts put together by Elvis Michael which you can download here.
#8. You’re neither creative nor do you want to improve
I know you’re not a blogger because you’re not prepared to think outside the box! As bloggers, we must be creative. We must come up with new ideas all the time.
Don’t just do what everyone else is doing. Great and successful bloggers don’t just follow the norm. They play to their strengths. They think outside the box.
You have a unique message. You have a unique voice. Make use of it.
Secondly, you’re not willing to invest time, money and everything else that’s required to improve your craft, and make you better at blogging. You’ve got realize that your great post from last week doesn’t give you a hall pass. Experiment. Learn from those posts that didn’t do well with the search engines. Read other great bloggers in your niche. Assay, break down, cut, analyze and dissect what they’re doing and try to improve your game. Go on courses. Attend conferences.
Be a part of 3 Mastermind groups:
- One of your peers.
- One that you pay to be part of; and
- One that people pay you to be part of.
#9. You’re not ready to put your readers first.
I know that blogging isn’t for you because you think blogging is all about you: Your concerns, what you’re passionate about and what you want your readers to know.
When I first started blogging, this discovery shocked me: people are only interested in wiiFM – what’s in it for me! Nobody gives a hoot about your products, your services or you. Most people don’t care about you or your products.
People aren’t interested in you. They’re interested in themselves.
Dale Carnegie
What do people really care about? Solutions to their problems, access to compelling information and recognition. If you can provide content that provides quick solutions to the challenges faced by your target audience, they will provide you with bread. For the rest of your life. What more can a blogger ask for?
Now your turn
So, is blogging for you? If it isn’t, simply get over it and move on with your life!
Question: Are you a blogger? What do you think about popular blogging? Do you use a content management system for automating your blog content? If so which? Are you making money through your blog?
Is blogging for you? If so, why?
Kimberly Love says
A very informative article, and true when it comes to maintaining a blog. Blogs can often become neglected if you don’t work on them consistently.
Kimberly Love, Author, kimmilove.com, writer of the Upcoming novel, You Taste Like Whiskey and Sunshine, instagram.com/kimmiloveauthor, twitter.com/kimmiloveauthor, facebook.com/kimmilovetheauthor
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Kimberly,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your perspective. Yes, blogging requires consistency!
Good luck with your upcoming novel!
Best regards,
Pedro
Yolonda says
This was so dead on! I actually agree with everything you say, but especially the part about adding value…I literally tell my readers that “my goal is to provide practical information about food that adds value to your everyday life” and I take that seriously because if I can’t be bothered to take the time to create content that provides value, why should they take their time to read it?!
Awesome article!
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Yolanda,
Thank you for sharing your experience. Love your perspective.
Good luck with Kitchen Yolanda!
Best regards,
Pedro
Tushar Singh says
Nicely described. Couldn’t agree more.
I just recently started my travel blog. After reading your post, I think I should spend more networking with other bloggers. Thanks!
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Tushar,
Networking works wonders for bloggers. Glad you like it!
Best regards,
Pedro
Malini @ LakesandLattes says
This is great! I actually started guest posting a bit before I took the jump on starting my actual blog. It was the positive comments and feedback I received from the guest posts that made it a bit less scary.
Thanks for sharing!
Pedro Okoro says
Hey Malini,
Glad you like it. Guest posts can provide great exposure. Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Best regards,
Pedro
Jeff Bishop says
Great post! I think blogging definitely takes dedication. It’s almost like being in a relationship. The passion gets you started but without commitment, it will never last! Thanks for sharing!
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for sharing your perspective! I love the analogy with a relationship!
Awesome stuff 🙂
Best regards,
Pedro
Ching says
I love your honesty. I couldn’t agree more.
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Ching,
Thanks 🙂 Really glad you like it.
Best regards,
Pedro
Prateek Goel says
What I think is that blogging is made of only those who are really serious about following their passion. Starting a new journey is of course hard but with an unshakable will power, it can be done. Thanks for sharing such a blog post. Impressive.
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Prateek,
Great to see you here on Astute Copy Blogging. And delighted you found it helpful 🙂
Best regards,
Pedro
Anjali Chawla says
Hey, Pedro!
I’m a newbie in this blogging world and your post helped me in a lot of many ways. It cleared few doubts I had about blogging. But I’m glad to discover a blogger in me at the end of the post 🙂 Also I realised that it’s time to start my e-mail list! Thanks for sharing this wonderful post!
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Anjali,
Delighted to hear that you found it helpful. And really glad that you would like to start building your Email List. Go for it, girl 🙂
Best regards,
Pedro
Neha says
It sounds harsh. But every bit of it is true. Blogging does require a lot of hard work put into it. And I have realized that in the first year of blogging that I have spent. Really helpful points called out here to help one access if they are cut out for it
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Neha,
Yes, a bit of tough love … 🙂 Glad you like it though! And as you rightly said, blogging requires a lot of hard work. Good luck with your blogging.
Best regards,
Pedro
Theresa Doghor says
Hi Pedro,
You’re absolutely right. Blogging isn’t for everyone!
Harminder says
Wow… It just blew my mind and made me strive for becoming bettter and better… Rea
ly motivating..thank you
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Harminder,
Thanks for dropping by! Delighted you found the article both inspiring and motivational 🙂
Best regards,
Pedro
Pranav says
Pedro,
So true! One should be prepared about his next move and work consistently!
Thanks for this amazing article 🙂
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Pranav,
Delighted you found the blog post inspiring. Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Best regards,
Pedro
Alice says
Hey pedro
i read your this post , and analysis many things about blogging , and you are right blogging not for everyone , but i want to know which things are necessary for long term blogging , and how much i get huge traffic on my blog ?
Thank you for sharing Pedro
Donna Merrill says
Hi Pedro,
I’m so happy you wrote this post because people have the wrong idea of blogging. And it isn’t for everyone….especially those who have the expectation that if they set up a blog, they are in business.
It takes patience and persistence. It not a quick money making process as some are mislead to believe.
One has to be prepared to work in a disciplined manner, get out there and comment on other bloggers and be on social media. A blogger needs a goal of monetization. It starts with an email list….something that has to be attended to every day….and then one can promote sales.
Glad you wrote this piece!
-Donna
Prosper Noah says
Great Post Pedro,
All of the reasons highlighted on this Post are very correct!
I strongly agree with the Networking with other bloggers aspect.
That’s One great way to step up blogging.
I’d sure give this a share.
Have a nice day!
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Noah,
Thanks for stopping by. Always a delight to see you here on Astute Copy Blogging 🙂 You’re so right about networking with other bloggers. As I always say, content may be king, but networking is key.
And thanks for sharing with your readers.
Best regards,
Pedro
Cleange Harrison says
Great article.
This post gives me a hope that if I show positive attitude, I can make enough cash as a blogger.
Thank you.
Pedro Okoro says
Hi Cleange,
Thanks for stopping by on Astute Copy Blogging.
Delighted you find our blog post inspiring.
All the best with your blogging.
Best,
Pedro
jerry says
Wooow…
Really nice article….very informative too.
Thanks for sharing!
Yuusuf says
The article is very useful with clear and guided information.
Thanks
RAHUL says
Thanks for sharing this article. this whole information is very useful for me to grow my blog.
ProBulldog says
You are very correct sir. Blogging is not an easy task. It is not meant for everyone…. It requires extra hours and efforts.
Thank you for this eye-opening article.
Anoop Gupta says
Hi Pedro,
Wonderfully described, can’t deny the point you mentioned. The topic is very interesting surely, it’s going to open an eye for many before they think of blogging to start. Blogging success needs patience, effort, and time.
Thank you for sharing such a great piece of information with us.
Esther says
Hi Pedro,
I must say every reason you talked about here is correct especially that of being consistent and working hard on our blog. Truthfully, consistency isn’t easy but it’s worth the effort.
Furthermore, I love how clear and straightforward your content is, if you have a post on how to write better, kindly point it to me. Thank you.
Pedro Okoro, Chief Editor says
Hi Esther,
Great to see you here and thanks for visiting Astute Copy Blogging.
Really glad you found this article interesting, engaging and useful.
Since you’ve asked, let me recommend our cornerstone article: “Unstoppable: Jon Morrow’s Top 10 Tips for Boosting Blog Traffic” in which we share Jon’s tips on how to write better.
Let me know if you require anything else.
Best,
Pedro