Blogging as a career: All you need to know

Are you passionate about a specific subject or love expressing your thoughts through writing? If so, blogging may be a perfect career choice for you. Many individuals with these qualities have found success and fulfilment as professional bloggers.
In this guide, we will explore Blogging as a career and provide insights on how to become a blogger. You’ll be surprised to learn that blogging can actually be a lucrative endeavour. Discover how this enjoyable profession can work to your advantage!
A Blogger
A blogger is someone who writes articles, tutorials, and other material for a blog. Blogs are typically written in a conversational style and can cover a wide range of topics, from personal experiences to news and current events. Bloggers can be anyone, from stay-at-home moms to professional journalists.
Bloggers typically write about topics that they are passionate about and that they believe their readers will find interesting. They may also write about topics that they have expertise in. Bloggers often use images, videos, and other multimedia to enhance their posts.
Bloggers can make money through a variety of methods, including advertising, affiliate marketing, and selling products or services. They can also make money through sponsorships and speaking engagements.
What’s a Professional Blogger?
Bloggers can be classified into two categories: hobby bloggers and professional bloggers. The key distinction lies in whether blogging is their primary source of income. While both types of bloggers can earn money from their work, professional bloggers are primarily focused on monetizing their blogs.
Bloggers create and publish content on various topics such as recipes, photos, how-to guides, videos, and informational articles. They may work for companies or operate as freelancers, and their content is typically tailored to a specific target audience.
As a professional blogger, your daily activities may include:
- Generating and publishing fresh content at your desired frequency
- Incorporating relevant images to complement the written content
- Managing and maintaining social media accounts
- Promoting and sharing content across multiple platforms
- Engaging with readers and managing comments
- Updating the blog’s backend to ensure its functionality and performance
- Seeking partnership opportunities and conducting research
- Cultivating a community of followers
- Conducting or participating in interviews
- Attending conferences related to your blogging niche
- Tracking readership, engagement, and analytics
- Collaborating on projects with other bloggers or brands
- Developing and promoting branded products.
These activities are integral to building a successful career as a professional blogger.
The Pros of Being a Professional Blogger
If you follow any bloggers or engage with their social media, you might perceive their work as exciting and enjoyable. However, the reality is that being a blogger requires a significant amount of hard work. Nonetheless, there are numerous advantages to this creative profession. Here are some of the benefits of being a professional blogger:
- Being your own boss: If you run your own blog as a freelancer, you have the freedom to set your own schedule, define your branding strategy, and pursue opportunities according to your preferences. You enjoy complete creative freedom and flexibility.
- Continuous learning: Blogging naturally fosters a learning mindset. You have the opportunity to explore new products, try different marketing tactics, connect with bloggers in your niche or other fields, and more. The learning possibilities in content creation are endless.
- Location independence: Blogging relies on internet connectivity, allowing you to work from anywhere. Many bloggers take advantage of this, particularly travel bloggers who can engage their audience with captivating travel content while exploring new destinations.
- Building connections: Bloggers form a community of like-minded individuals, enabling you to connect with others who share your interests. Collaborations and partnerships with fellow bloggers are also common opportunities within the blogging community.
- Flexible schedule: As your own boss, with the ability to work from any location, you have the freedom to design your schedule to suit your needs. This allows you to establish a work-life balance that aligns with your unique circumstances.
Becoming a professional blogger may require effort, but the advantages and opportunities it offers make it a rewarding career choice for many.
Blogging as a Career – How to Become a Blogger
There is no single path to becoming a blogger, as it varies for each individual based on their definition of success. However, if you’re looking for steps and best practices to set up your own blog, here they are:
- Choose a blog name: Select a unique and memorable name for your blog that aligns with your values, vision, or content. Ensure the domain and matching social media handles are available.
- Purchase a domain and hosting: Use platforms like GoDaddy or Namecheap.com to buy the domain and set up hosting for your blog to go live on a secure server.
- Design your blog: Create a visually appealing blog by designing a logo, selecting a colour palette, and choosing typography that reflects your brand identity. You can either design it yourself or hire a web designer.
- Publish frequently and strategically: Create a content calendar to organize your writing and publishing schedule. Stay consistent and engage readers with giveaways, contests, or user-generated content.
- Grow your email subscriber list: Include an email subscriber form on your blog to gather subscribers. This allows you to share new content and drive traffic to your blog. It can also create additional revenue opportunities through email newsletters with paid ads.
- Research and optimize for SEO: Conduct niche research to understand popular topics and audience needs. Implement search engine optimization techniques to improve visibility and attract organic traffic. Learn about keyword usage and optimization strategies.
- Promote your blog: Utilize marketing tactics such as email marketing and social media promotion to increase your readership. Effective promotion is essential for attracting visitors to your blog.
- Monitor metrics: Track your blog’s performance by monitoring metrics using tools like Google Analytics. Analyze data on user engagement, site traffic, and popular pages to optimize your content and improve the user experience.
By following these steps and continuously refining your blogging skills, you can establish and grow a successful blog.
How Much Can Bloggers Earn?
Based on data from Indeed.com, the average annual income for bloggers is approximately $37,072. However, it’s important to note that blogging income can vary significantly depending on several factors that are subject to change. Factors influencing your earning potential as a blogger include your experience, audience size, location, partnerships, and advertising clients.
In fact, some bloggers are able to earn six-figure incomes, highlighting another advantage of professional blogging. Your success in the field is directly influenced by your dedication, the quality of your content, and a sprinkle of luck. With a combination of these factors, you have the potential to achieve substantial financial success as a professional blogger.
Conclusion
Whether you’re embarking on a blogging career or simply indulging your passion for sharing content, running your own blog grants you incredible freedom. The beauty of blogging lies in its unique expression for each individual. However, when done effectively and authentically, you can cultivate an audience that shares your passion and becomes equally enthusiastic about your published content.