Anyone can start a blog that makes money. Seriously.
Some of you can even generate enough money from your blog to quit your job.
Don’t believe me?
My blog gets over 2,436,100 visitors annually and generates more than one million dollars in revenue.
Above is an example of a 30-day earning period from a previous year. I earned over $381,000 in one month that year!
I can show you how to start a blog that earns more than $3,000 per month, even though you probably won’t reach that amount right now. I started from scratch just like you. But after more than a decade of trial and error, I’ve finally figured out the secret to running a successful blog that makes money.
You can avoid these mistakes and generate profits much quicker by following the blueprint outlined in this guide.
Your 2-Minute Quick Start Cheat Sheet
Looking for a barebones, quick start guide to get started as fast as possible? In this section, we won’t cover everything, only the essential steps. Everything is covered in way more detail later, so jump down if you hit a snag.
Before you begin, it’s important to understand the principles behind starting a blog.
Pick a big enough niche. Make sure to pick a niche that is bigger than “vegan Caribbean recipes” but smaller than “nutrition.”
Don’t stick with one platform. I know I’ve told you that you need to use WordPress as your blogging platform, but it shouldn’t stop there. Use Medium, Tumblr, or even LinkedIn instead. Control your destiny. Post in multiple places and always link back to your site so you can better control traffic to your site.
Blogging is both about “you” and “I.” People want to read stories. They want to be involved in a conversation, and the easiest way to do this is to use the words “you” and “I” within your blog posts.
Always ask questions. Always pose a question at the conclusion of each blog post. If you don’t ask a question, people won’t know what to do next.
You have to stand out. You must exceed expectations. Sadly, there is no single answer as every industry is different, but typically, infographics, visuals, and branching off from everyone else in your space will help you stand out.
Your content needs to be portable and easy to digest. For example, creating video-based content or audio-based content (podcasts) are simple ways to make your content portable.
Content isn’t king unless it’s good. Writing mediocre content isn’t good enough. It won’t do well, and you will just be wasting time. So, don’t write content unless it is really, really, really good.
You have to produce quality and quantity. To increase your odds of success, you need to be willing to produce amazing content in quantity.
Your blog isn’t always the best place to blog. From industry blogs to large sites like Entrepreneur and Business Insider, consider placing your best content on places with more visibility and higher domain authority, especially in the beginning.
Viral content is superior to useful content. Instead of focusing on creating viral content (when you have less than a 1% chance of producing it), focus on creating useful content. Useful content tends to be evergreen, which means it can generate steady traffic over time.
It’s easier to build a personal blog than a corporate one. People connect with people more than they connect with corporate brands.
A blog won’t work without a community. Blogging is about creating conversations. But without readers and community, there is no conversation.
No man is an island. Make sure you respond to each and every comment. Not just on your blog, but even when people comment on your social profiles, make sure you respond back.
People don’t read; they skim, so write your content with that in mind. From leveraging headings to even writing a conclusion at the end of each post, this will help your readers get value out of your content even when they don’t fully read it.
It’s all about the headline. 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but only 2 out of 10 will click through and read the rest. So focus on creating amazing headlines, or else you won’t get tons of traffic.
Reveal your cards, all of them. When making a point and having something to back it up, make sure you do it early on in each blog post. It is a great way to hook your readers and get them to read the rest of your content.
Consistency will make or break you. Start a blog only if you are willing to maintain consistency. Not just for a few months or a year, but I am talking years (3 plus).
Don’t ever rely on 1 traffic channel. You need to have an omnichannel approach in which you are leveraging all of the feasible channels out there that work for your niche.
Don’t forget about Google. You should always write for humans and not search engines. However, this does not mean that Google should be ignored. Be sure to include keyword research from Ubersuggest and blend them into your content.
Understand not all content is meant to last forever. As your blog gets older, your responsibilities will grow. One of them is the willingness to kill some of your content. Not all of your content will be relevant a year or two from now.
It can’t be set and left alone. As your content gets outdated, you’ll want to keep it fresh, or people will find that it’s useless and bounce away.
People won’t come back to your blog unless you ask them to. No matter how good your content is, people won’t just come back unless you ask them to. The easiest way to do this is through emails and push notifications.
Don’t wait too long to monetize. If you go years before trying to monetize, people will assume everything on your blog is free.
Have multiple monetization strategies. Not only is it a safer strategy to have multiple monetization methods, but you’ll also make more money.
Be willing to pay the price. If you want to succeed, you have to be willing to put in the time and energy. And if you can’t, then you have to be willing to put in money. If you don’t. then you won’t do well, no matter how brilliant of a writer or marketer you are.
Now that you know the jist for starting a blog, it’s time to break it down into actionable steps so you can be on your way to making money.
Step 1. Unleash Ideas Within You
Stop. Don’t get overwhelmed about this whole thing. Just breathe. You got this. You don’t need to reinvent blogging to be successful.
You just need to be specific about what you want to talk about.
The best way to do that is to get inspired by someone you admire in the same niche or industry. Do they have a blog?
If yes, read it. After that, start letting your ideas grow. If you have no one specific, find someone you admire. Then let the thoughts develop. Take your unique experiences and speak about them in your voice. Use your vocabulary and personality, and don’t think about it too much. Allow it to go. Your tribe will follow if you stay consistent.
When it comes to choosing your blog’s niche, there are two key questions to ask yourself.
1. Do I Enjoy Learning About This Topic?
If you don’t love the topic, it’ll show in your writing. You shouldn’t even start a blog if you don’t love what you’re blogging about.
Whatever topic you pick, you need to love it and be naturally curious about it.
If not, you’ll run out of ideas quickly. You’ll lose any momentum you built up at the start.
Most importantly, you won’t be able to consistently create content that will build your audience.
If you are still lost, think about the items about which people come to you for advice. Do friends or family ask you for fitness tips? Recipe ideas? Career advice? With just a little thought, you’ll quickly determine where your areas of expertise exist.
2. Are Others Interested in The Same Things?
You might feel like the only 20-something who’s obsessed with knitting. But there are others out there.
Do a quick Google search, and you’ll find over 1 million results aimed at people just like you.
