Welcome to the second post in my new series for bloggers,
Blogging Myths. We'll be covering some common misconceptions that many bloggers (and readers!) have about blogging. If you want to start from the beginning, you can click
here.
Myth #2: Blogging is an Easy Money Maker
I think that the majority of bloggers open a site because they either want to post family related updates and stories, or because they need an outlet to share creative thoughts and projects.
But there are people out there who see some of the bigger blogs with sponsors, expensive Giveaways, and ad networks and think, "How hard can it be? It'll only be a matter of weeks until I'm counting my money bags."
This weeks' myth is slightly misleading because it is really twofold:
Blogging is not Easy. And it is most decidedly not an easy Money Maker.
I think it's easiest for readers, and perhaps for new bloggers, to click on a blog wondering, "What's the big deal? I'll just slap some pictures and words on the screen, hit "Publish," and link up to a bunch of blog parties."
Why is Blogging Hard?
It's really not difficult, if you are genuinely starting a blog for fun, and you don't care about reaching a certain number of readers and you're not looking to make an income from your work.
But before you can even think about making money from your blog, you have to look at certain variables that go into growing a blog beyond publishing good content:
As we discussed with
Blogging Myth #1, you can have great content, but if no one knows you are there, they aren't going to stop by and read. There is a fine balance between over-exposing yourself by linking up to too many blog parties, annoying your Twitter/Facebook fans with too many links and not enough
you. Basic, genuine networking with fellow bloggers and readers is your best bet to loyal readers.
A lot goes into writing weekly posts beyond just taking photos and jotting down the accompanying words. Coming up with ideas, making drafts, editing and uploading photos, proofing, making sure to update Twitter and Facebook...and let's not forget those days that you have a bit of writer's block and you still want to produce fresh content for your site!
Add more man-hours if you're working on a craft or a project to update your home. I don't know of any DIY bloggers whose board and batten has finished itself!
Pressure to perform, pressure to be funny/crafty/creative/brilliant (insert your pressure here), pressure to keep up with everyone else. How do you think I became a
Pinterest addict? Everyone else was doing it! (And, okay, it's a pretty awesome way to catalog all those neat things you see online)
Bloggers who are blogging for an income (even if it's a small one!) feel pressure to post regularly, stay on top of comments, host blog parties, and come up with fabulous things to write about.
Why isn't Blogging an Easy Money Maker?
I suppose there is something to the old adage "you have to spend money to make money."
When you become serious about blogging, you have to think about site redesigns, blog buttons, paying for link party hosting sites, photo hosting services, and more.
I haven't dealt with any ad networks or Google Adsense (yet), but I can say from experience that thinking about adding Sponsors to your blog is a big deal, and it certainly does not make blogging easier. In addition to everything listed above, you have to stay on top of a whole new ball game.
Why I recommend waiting at least a year before you add Sponsors:
This has nothing to do with competition, because anyone can see there are enough Etsy shops, small businesses, home businesses, online businesses, and corporations to keep us all afloat.
Instead of jumping in to finding sponsors for a fledgling blog,
I challenge you to get your feet wet first. Find your voice, find an audience, and establish your blog before you try to earn an income off of it. Sponsors want to know all sorts of things beyond your stats. They'll check out your blog to see how often you post, what your niche is, and what kind of content you offer.
Take some time to work on your writing skills, beef up your projects, get some good photos, and build up an audience before you venture into the world of Sponsorship. Remember that with paid ads comes the pressure to perform/post regularly/stay motivated and on a schedule.
And, most importantly,
readers need to be able to trust you. If you've collected hundreds of Followers in two or three months from linking up to blog parties like an insane person, chances are you haven't done much by the way of real networking. Readers are smart. They know when they see a fakey fake plug for a product you have no business hawking. Do the work to win loyal readers and you are more likely to get a better response when you do take on paid ads.
Is blogging easy? No. Can you make money off of it? Yes.
But don't stress about it. When you are ready, ease into things. Forget about the frantic rush for success that seems to be so prevalent in the blogosphere these days and focus on your work.
Good things come to those who wait.
Hope you'll join me next week to check out Myth #3!
{What's the most difficult thing about blogging for you?}
