[…] Related:What I’ve Learned From Blogging In 2 Months […]
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This post is going to be a different one for me. Instead of talking about self-care or how to create a life you will love, I am going to give you a no-bullshit account of my blogging journey so far and explain what I learned in my 2 months of blogging. I am also going to include what other bloggers have said about blogging at the end of my rambling.
I started blogging at the end of February of this year. Full disclosure- the reason why I got into blogging is that I want to make money online, and eventually, even leave my current job and make blogging my full-time income.
Has that happened yet? No. Not even close. I have made exactly $0.00 from blogging, and I have been blogging for 2 months, which is not a long time in blog years, not by a long shot. This does not mean that I am going to quit blogging. On the contrary, I am determined to make this work, no matter how long it takes to monetize it. Even if it never gets monetized, I enjoy writing and interacting with internet strangers far too much to quit.
So without further ado, here is what I have learned about blogging so far.
Do not start a blog without doing your homework.
When I first started blogging in February, I used a hosting website which looked like a breeze to set up. And it was. Until I found out that I could not place ads on my blog, and people could not comment on my posts unless they signed in, which half the time they couldn’t do anyway. This was a huge slap in the face for me, since I’d already paid for self-hosting for an entire year, and already had 15 posts up on the site.
Guess what I did? I made an entirely new website using WordPress, and it has been the best blogging decision I have made. It took me ages to re-do the posts, buy a theme and customize it to my liking, and to re-link my Pinterest pins. But it was worth it. Moral of the story: Do your research, and do not rush into blogging.
Becoming an affiliate is not easy.
Because I’m based in the Middle East, a lot of affiliate websites do not want to work with me. Why this is an issue in the times of PayPal, I have no idea, but I have not successfully applied to any affiliate programs to date. All of the ones I have applied to are easy to work with if you’re based in the US, and possibly the EU, but if you’re based anywhere else, it may be a pain in the ass for you to become an affiliate.
I tried becoming an affiliate through a popular program today, and if you live outside the US there is a huge legal document related to taxes which you have to fill out. Not going to lie, where I live, we don’t pay taxes, so I didn’t understand a thing in the document. I decided I don’t want to sign a legal document without understanding what I am agreeing to, so I gave up on it.
You have to network with other bloggers.
This one is huge, and not something to overlook. If you want to be successful and have the blogging community’s support, you have to interact with other bloggers almost daily. My absolute favorite way to do so is on Twitter. I didn’t really think much about it prior to signing up (I have not used Twitter before in my whole life), but now I can not shut up about how amazing it is. In the one month I have been on it, I have made so many blogger friends, it’s unreal.
Another way of interacting with bloggers is by commenting on their posts. If you subscribe to someone’s blog through WordPress, you will be notified whenever they have a new post up. Twitter is also a good place for bloggers to advertise their new posts, and any comments and likes are appreciated greatly, and almost always returned.
Do not think that blogging is easy.
Most bloggers are either still studying, or working people. As someone with a full-time job, it is not easy managing everything in life including a blog. In addition to writing, you have to search for or take your own images for your posts, constantly promote it and interact with the blogging community. It is a constant job, and there is something new to work on every single day. I read somewhere (probably on Twitter, let’s be honest) that in order for blogging to work for you, you have to treat it as a job. Show up for it daily, and eventually, you will see that it was well worth it.
Write about what you love to read about.
This one is a no-brainer, but I’ve heard that some people blog about things that don’t really interest them. This is not what you should be doing. If you love to travel, write about travel. If you love to bake, then share your recipes and passion for baking with others. Do not follow what others are doing. Be yourself, and write the same way in which you speak. I’m not a great writer and I’m okay with that as English isn’t even my first language. But your readers need to read your content in your own voice, nobody else’s.
Views aren’t everything.
I used to be obsessed with checking how many people have viewed my site every day. Until I realized that views without engagement don’t really tell me if people like my content. Focus on your comments instead of views, and make sure you interact with those who comment on your posts. After all, they have taken the time to read your content and leave a comment, so you should be focused on that more than on views which don’t really tell you anything concrete other than numbers.
Now that I’ve finished rambling, here are some blogging dos and don’ts from amazing members of the Twitter blogging community:
@ItsNicoleCarman
Do – Write from the heart without worrying what people will think of you’re writing.
Don’t- Force yourself to write a post if you aren’t feeling it. Give yourself time and let some ideas come to you.
@ruxandrasoare
Do – be consistent
Don’t – never give up
@ssabasays
Do: consistency is the key.
Don’t: considering Instagram as a blog.
@AliceInSheff
Do – Write about what you know not about what you ‘think you should’ Don’t – EVER Compare yourself, everyone’s journey is different.
Last but not least, the amazing Khalipha Ntloko over at khaliphantloko.blog had this to say about collaboration between bloggers, which is something you should definitely consider if you are serious about blogging:
“When it comes to the blogging world, doing collaborations should be well within your orbit. These help to not only reach a new or greater audience but you learn something from a fellow blogger and form a new network with them.
You don’t have to do something big for this. As a beauty blogger, I’ve often collaborated with other local bloggers on Instagram to create makeup looks. These collaborations require you to reach out to other bloggers though; not everyone will simply come to you. Let the blogger know why a collaboration could be mutually beneficial and be open to accommodating their suggestions if need be. Don’t forget to stay in touch with one another – having connections with other bloggers can be just as fulfilling as having one with your audience.”
You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
What’s something that you have experienced while blogging? Maybe you have debunked a blogging myth which you’d like to share with others? I’d love to read what others have experienced! 🙂
Special thanks to all the bloggers who collaborated with me on this post, you all rock!
This is how I feel, I had my whole wedsite filled out Live and like 8 posts on there and 2 on the back burner. All of a sudden it was gone due to a bug on my host end, and they refunded me and all my stuff gone. So, I’ve been working on the new website. While I was waiting on my archives from the host I’ve been doing research, and I should done the research first! Great write!
Aw I’m sorry that happened to you! I’ve heard that there is software which can back your whole website up, it might be a good idea to look into something like that!
My god I made the same mistake as you by starting my blog without doing my homework! I started on squarespace (ugh) and eventually scrapped it and started over with WordPress. Painful but necessary. Also wohooo for mailmunch!
I started with Wix and quickly regretted it, lol! Mailmunch is the best!!
Awesome post and I thoroughly agree with everything you’ve written, especially the part about loving Twitter, that’s where I’ve met some of the most amazing bloggers and stumbled across some great posts! Keep it up girl you’re doing great and can’t wait to see what your blog turns into x
Thank you so much Sarah! I’m honestly so thankful for Twitter and all the wonderful bloggers who I get to interact with on a daily basis!
I couldn’t agree more with this! Although my blog’s been up for ages, I’ve only started treating it like a job recently, and it pays off so so much (as does networking on Twitter, hooray!). I think the most important point in this list is writing things you would love to read – and I think an important qualifier to that is: something you would love to read if you were another person with similar interests and priorities. That is, you may find your routine fascinating, but why should it be fascinating to someone else? You have to frame it! Anyway, this post really made me think – and good luck with your journey <3
I found your comment among many others in my spam comments folder! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and share your thoughts! Good luck on yours too! 🙂
Love this post so much! It’s 100% not easy to start a blog and I hate it when people presume that it is! xx
If it were so easy, everybody would be doing it! It definitely takes a lot of hard work and dedication.
Great post blogging is always assumed to be easy and it isn’t! Greta post x
It most definitely is!
This was such a great post. I really like the last point on engagement being more important that views as well as the do’s and don’ts. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Thank you for reading 🙂
Great blog post! Was an interesting read, keep it up! X
Thank you Louise 🙂
You always have to hustle to make your blog work. I work a full-time job, have activities, but also try to make time to hustle for my blog. I know there are days where I cannot dedicate time for my blog, but I try my best. And not jsut my blog, I work on social media (all of them) and I am working to engage with others more often.
I can relate to this a lot. I’ve been busy with a million things lately and didn’t have much time to work on my blog, but scheduling posts has been very helpful.
Great post packed with practical information. Getting visitor traffic and comments is a challenge. I would love if more bloggers set up writing prompts and returned visits. If you know of any prompt hosts, please drop me a line.
Thank you! I’m not sure I’ve heard of any bloggers doing that. How would that work?
Thank you for the tips! I just started a twitter and the networking portion is something I’m hoping to get better at. It feels like a very large platform for my small blog at the moment.
There’s place for everyone on Twitter 🙂 I’m sure you will get the hang of it really quickly.
Oh my gosh, I was under some of these misconceptions when I started blogging almost 2 years ago (and they continued for quite a while). It wasn’t until we really started getting serious about our blog last summer (and then rebranding in the fall) that I realized how much work really went into blogging. And if you don’t have the traffic, affiliate marketing is a waste of time. Not to say that I haven’t joined some for that point when I have the traffic but you first have to build the community in order to market to it. Another thing I have come to learn is how important building an email list is (and why I wish I had started it earlier!). Great post! I love the design of your blog and can’t wait to see how your journey progresses. Best of luck on your blog!
I completely agree! Affiliate marketing is only effective when there is a lot of traffic going to the site, but the good thing about blogs is that you can continue to advertise those older posts with affiliate links whenever the traffic picks up! And having a mailing list is suuuuper important! Thank you so much for your kind words on my blog, I really appreciate it!
This is all so true! Running a blog with a full time job is especially taxing. For me, the whole idea about including legal pages in your blog was eye-opening. I mean, my blog is still not in perfect shape but it’ll always be a WIP and I guess I need to make my peace with it!
Love your blog btw❤️
Shalvika
I didn’t think I needed legal pages in my blog but after reading a lot about it, I made them just in case. Better safe than sorry! Also, no blog is perfect and I think even more established bloggers are always working on their blogs so it’s just something that everybody goes through. Thank you so much for your kind words on my blog! 🙂
Thank you for this post! It’s encouraging. I started my blog a year ago and just recently started treating it like a full time job. When you read other posts on blogging the authors make it seem like you will be making lots of money within the first couple months. I found out the hard way this is not true. It’s nice to have someone so truthful and realistic about how blogging really goes.
All the best on your journey!
Stephanie
Yup, I’ve read my fair share of blogs that promise serious money in the first few months. It doesn’t work that way for the vast majority of us. Thank you so much, Stephanie! Best of luck to you too!
Question, not being a huge twitter fan my knowledge in it is lacking. Is there a way to bust into like a twitter community for blogging? or do i just have to find people’s blogs I enjoy following and follow them that way?
Do you mean just finding other bloggers on Twitter? When I first started I would search people up using the #bloggers hashtag and I found lots of people that way!
I love your write-up. I have learned a lot just reading this exceptional piece. Thank you.
As a newbie to blogging, this is a wake-up call. I need to do my research before I can take off
I am sure I will continue to learn from your journey thus far. I really appreciated the do’s and dont’s by other bloggers. They are a wealth of knowledge.
I wish you all the best in your blogging
SOSO MWEENDO
loved this post.
I am going to start blogging soon these tips are very helpful.
thank you dear blogger.
Congratulations on the start of your blogging journey! 🥳 We’ve been blogging for nearly 4 years now and, as far as affiliate money goes, we MAY have made 50 dollars …. But we KNOW that our topic is very unusual—DIY musician lifestyle—so we know that it was going to take a while and we had two other more important priorities and they are to build authority in our area and to sell our music to the fans that we unearth. The best news is that you’re right; if you enjoy writing about what you create, you’ll never regret the time, money, and energy that you spend on it. And even though normal affiliate money has not been easy to come by, we are doing well with our other two goals and, in fact, just sold two of our past albums in the past week! We SINCERELY believe our sakes came from folks who are curious about us from reading our blog, listening to our podcast, and watching our YouTube channel. And we have a very strong feeling that we will be approached by brands soon for sponsorships. Thanks for sharing your blogging journey! 😀
Great blog and look forward to receiving ther ‘homework’!!
Hi
I am on Squarespace and I can relay to what you write, but I am so nervous about changing, also because I don’t know what to change to. I chose Squarespace because it looked so simple, and it is, but it is very limiting, VERY. So, any suggestions where to go, and how difficult is it to use WordPress? I have prepaid the Squarespace site for a year – wupii – and I am not too happy about signing up for another place for a year, if it is the same kind of deal…
Annette
Hi Annette!
I would recommend you go self-hosted with a WordPress site. You can get a LOT more freedom in what you do with your site, and WordPress is actually not hard at all to navigate. I always advise going self-hosted, and you will get much more customization features making it very worth your investment.
Thanks for the tips! I’m a newbie, still working on my first post. It’s something I have always wanted to do but just never actually went for it.
Thank you for the tips. Certainly a brain opener and helpful. I am seeing a new face to what I thought blogging was.
This was very insightful & a wonderful story …Ddnt have any idea wat blogging is all about;after reading it i can full understand…looking forward to ur writings
Splendid
I really love your post❤️and agree with your thoughts what you have written. For me it’s first time to interact with blogs..I am really excited to explore and learn new things from you. Thank you 😊
Thanks for the reminder to not just jump in and to do our homework. I am tempted to do just that so this reigned me in!
Thank you so much for this! I have been interested in becoming a blogger for a long time! I just haven’t figured out what I want to write about. I did sign up for your mini course! I’m so excited to see where I end up! I am hoping I’ll be able to keep in touch with you!
OMG this blog was so useful. I’ve just started my blog 2.5 months back ( http://www.kokumber.com ) and these tips are so useful. I never knew twitter is useful for blogging collaborations. Now that I’ve learned about it, I’ll give it a try for sure. Thanks!
Wow, this article is exactly how I feel at the moment. I am Lucky to find your blog. I may visit your blog to learn how I progress my blog. Thanks and see you next time visit. now I am gining to research how to do tweet.
Love love this, I’m inspired to continue with my interest in blogging… Love that you are not selling dreams, you simply tell it as it is. Thank you
Hey M!
Oh my word, what can I say and where can I start?
I’m grateful for your content which I signed up for in March. I’ve always wanted to start a blog for the last 4 years since I enjoy writing. However, I’ve been postponing it because I simply didn’t have the courage. With that being said, I must acknowledge that you’ve helped me build my courage to start my blog- which I will pretty soon.
Equally important, you are doing a stunning job sis! I could almost visualise you through your content. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you so much for the kind words, you really made my day! I love that you find my content helpful and congratulations on taking the first step towards starting your own blog! Best of luck to you!
Nice post! I discovered you on Pinterest yesterday and came to check your blog. I really like it! I have just started blogging and these kind of advice are very useful to me, so thank you for sharing.
I also have one unrelated question – is English your native language? Cause it seems excellent.
Hi Evie! Thank you so much for reading through my blog! No, English isn’t my native language, but thank you!
I must say that I’m impressed! And that gives me hope at the same time. English is not my native language either, and I am stressed about it sometimes… I’m worried it will be obvious to everyone and that my posts won’t sound good.
May I ask how you became that fluent in English?
Aw thank you! Honestly, I went to an English school and have heavily used it for many years now. I also read tons of English books and watched all my movies and TV shows in English. Practicing itall the time really helped me.
Thank you for your info, it was great! It’s nice to know there is support throughout the blogging community. I appreciate the effort and encouragement.
I found this post very helpful, and I enjoyed reading it, thank you:)
Thank you so much Mariam for giving us so many tips. I have yet to start a new blog i really hope it works out well. Thanks again
I am indeed impressed by what I read so far😊… well done miss/Mrs Mariam
Thanks for sharing the information