Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

“Who blogs anymore?”

That was a question I asked myself before starting this here blog. As I was scouring the internet for answers, it was nothing but bloggers that were answering this question for me with a resounding “Heck NO!” (I may be paraphrasing) but blogging is far from dead.  With the steady growth of social media, there doesn’t seem to be a downward trend in sight. It seems more of a question of if you can adapt and grow with your audience. 

 There are blogs on just about every topic imaginable, from finances and comics to survival skills and pet care. If you can imagine it, it’s out there. 

I will go over 3 major reasons why you should start a blog today.

1. Creative Outlet

Blogging is a way to express yourself.  You have complete control over your blog design and the topics you choose to write about.

You can help others by sharing your knowledge and personal stories. No matter how trivial you think a topic is, if you enjoy it, write about it. This can lead to you starting your own community of people with similar interests.

Here are a few examples of blog niches:

• www.apartmenttherapy.com -interior design
• www.meleciaathome.com -remote job leads
• www.startamomblog.com/blog -the URL says it all

A bonus is that your writing skills will improve over time, so don’t let your lack of confidence in your writing discourage you.

2. Monetization

We have seen through Covid how important it is to have multiple streams of income.There’s a variety of ways you can earn money blogging. These include but are not limited to: hosting ads on your site, affiliate marketing or selling digital products.

Affiliate marketing is when you create content to market a product for a company.

According to Indeed.com, as of February 2022, the average blogger in the United States earns around $43,187. There are bloggers that earn well that, in six-figures and above range, so really the sky is the limit.

Six-figures or Above Blogs:

• https://believeinabudget.com/
• https://createandgo.com/
• https://www.moneyunder30.com/

3. Expand Your Brand

If you have an existing business, building trust with your target audience is the way to get more lifelong customers.

There are content creators I feel a connection to because they share their personal stories and interact with their audience. It also helps that they have honed their skills in their topic of choice.

Product + Trust = Higher Change of a Sell

Blogging Resources

Ok, now if I have hyped you up for this blogging adventure, YouTube is definitely the first place I would recommend anyone to turn to for information and guidance on how to set up your blog and create a business out of it. I would also definitely classify myself as a lifelong learner at YouTube Academy. I’ve watched loads of YouTube videos since I’m someone that doesn’t like to ask for a lot of help and I like to do things on my own. This usually results in hundreds of videos in my “Watch Later” queue and me in a state of analysis paralysis, as well as jumping all over the place.

 It was through my delve into the internet that I eventually came across Create and Go’s, specifically the ‘Launch Your Blog Biz’ course, and it helped me to get out of my head to finally launch my blog.

Alex and Lauren(the owners of Create and Go) do an excellent job of breaking the course down into checklists and including visual aids to follow along with getting you taking action towards building your blog and creating a business out of it.

The course includes:

• A walkthrough of the initial steps of setting up your blog
• Suggestions on apps to install for the best functioning blog
• How to use Pinterest to build traffic (hope I’m making them proud)
• Tips for picking a niche
• Intro to email marketing and funnels
• Information on how to monetize your blog
• SEO and how to help your content stand out
• but wait there’s more (sorry I just always wanted to say that)

But honestly, it was money well spent on my end and I still am working through the course (hey I mentioned I like to jump around)

Here’s a link to the Launch Your Blog Biz course, but they have other courses as well that I’m looking to take in the future to further advance my blog.

I’ll include an update when I try out some of the other courses they offer, but in the meantime, if you’re interested, go check them out.

Honorable Mentions(Some time well spent YouTube Videos):

• How Writing Online Made me a Millionaire – YouTube
• How To Start a Blog with WordPress and Bluehost | Full Tutorial – YouTube
• MAKE MONEY BLOGGING | My first 1,000 month blogging – YouTube
• How to Use and Setup Pinterest for Your Blog – YouTube
• Make Money Blogging: From 0 to $1,000+ per day (2020) – YouTube