How to turn blogging into a career

Blogging has become more than just a hobby in 2023. It's been a long time since it's been a way to just share one's life stories or to put down one's thoughts randomly. Today, it has evolved into a legitimate career option for many individuals. And is a means for businesses to grow.

Whether you're a fresh graduate, a young professional, or simply someone seeking a fulfilling and profitable career that makes a real impact, blogging is a career possibility you should not ignore.

Done the right way, it holds immense influence over people, businesses, and public opinion. But the journey to blogging as a career needs specialized knowledge.

And this is where this post helps. Here's everything you need to know to turn blogging into a successful career. We'll look at what blogging is all about and how to turn a passion for writing into a fulfilling income-earning activity.

What blogging is all about today and why do it

Blogging has been around for a long time, but it's been a relatively short time that it's considered a valid career that can make money.

Nowadays, blog content is considered a valid source of online information. Especially when crafted by verified individuals and real businesses. As a result, blog posts have evolved into powerful marketing tools used by individuals and companies alike.

There are many roles blogs take. They act as a platform for sharing information; they can promote products and services, build communities, and connect with audiences on a personal level.

One good example of a brand using blogs is Canva. Their blog provides helpful information about branding and design, which can help their users and also promote their business.

Imagine creating a blog just as Canva does, except you write about an area you're an expert. Such an effort has long-term challenges and benefits too. You stand to earn passive income and build the brand of 'you' via blogging.

And this can help you stand out in your field and even transition to living off your blog in the long run.

Not to forget, freelance blog writing is an established way to make money - whether full-time or as a side-gig.

I hope you can see how blogging has a lot to offer in your career - whether you want to earn some extra money or build a personal brand that helps boost your current career.

Building The Right Skills For Blogging

To be a successful blogger, you need to have a combination of skills and knowledge.

Unfortunately, you can't just write a blog post and expect it to be successful. There are some necessary skills you should possess. Check out the following:

Content Writing

It's obvious that blogging needs content writing skills. Whatever content you create should be engaging, informative, and well-written to keep your readers hooked. And for that to happen, you need a good grasp of writing as well as specific blog writing tips like:

Writing simply and directly. Not using jargon, especially when your audience is not an expert or professional in your industry.

Formatting your content with H1, H2, and H3 subheadings. As well as using bullet points and white space to make your writing scannable.

Giving audience value through useful content without going off into tangents.

These tips and more are the cornerstones of blogging. Learn how to write better, and you'll have a legitimate blogging career.

Research

Blogging requires some serious detective work to provide accurate information. You should stay on top of the latest trends and news in your niche to find something interesting and useful to say.

There are many places to find information:

• Podcasts
• Books
• Blog articles
• Journals and news platforms
• Google Trends
• Online courses and more

The more you do research and process it into useful information, the better you'll get at it. My best tip is to be knowledgeable about a specific topic and seek blogging jobs around it instead of getting blogging work from any industry and then trying to fit your knowledge into it.

Creating Graphics for Blog Posts

Visuals are essential for creating an engaging and Google-friendly blog post. They make your content more appealing and help break up text, making it easier to read.

You don't need to be a professional graphic designer but should build a basic knowledge of how to use Canva or Adobe Spark. These are free and intuitive image editing tools that make it easy to create engaging content.

You can also build your skills in this area by doing tutorials (freely available on YouTube) or by checking out these platforms' online documentation.

Strategizing Blog Content

If you want to make your own blog website work or to build more advanced blogging skills, you need to learn blog strategy.

This is where you create a body of blog content around a central theme or topic and cover all important areas. The idea is that you show authority in a specific niche by covering important sub-topics and building high-level blog content.

You also need to take such a strategy and convert it into a content calendar. So that there's a clear plan for what to write and when. This key skill is invaluable if you want to get traffic to your site and build authority.

Collaboration with Other Bloggers and Marketers

Blogging can be an individually driven activity or a collective one where you collaborate with others.

It's critical to learn how to network with other bloggers and influencers to cross-promote your blogs. You also can get more content through guest posting as well as commercial opportunities like sponsorships. You stand to make money and boost your standing and knowledge in your industry.

Coding and WordPress

It stands to reason that since you'll be blogging on an online site, you need some technical knowledge. Today, creating your own blog and website is easier than ever, thanks to ready-to-build platforms like WordPress. However, basic coding knowledge and similar skills are always a plus point to deal with technical issues as they come up.

Now, these are just some of the skills that are important for blogging. But as you keep working, you should come across more to build. Now we'll look at two main ways to make blogging a career: freelancing and building your blog as a business.

Freelancer Blogging - Why it's a Good Idea

One of the ways you can make money is by doing blog writing as a freelancer.

Freelance bloggers work with various clients, writing blog posts on different topics and audiences. This allows them to gain experience, build a portfolio, and earn an income while exploring their interests and niche.

This is a great path if you just want to dip your toe into blogging.

But even for embarking on a freelancing journey, you need a few extra steps to make it happen:

• Build your Portfolio: Before you start freelancing, it's important to have a portfolio of your work. You can create a simple portfolio website or use platforms like Contently or Clippings.me to showcase your writing samples. Of course, there's also About.me and LinkedIn.
• Pitching Clients: You need to be confident in pitching potential clients with your ideas and rates. This requires good communication skills and an understanding of the client's needs. Some practice and trial and error should help you here. Always focus on the client's needs when pitching to them.
• Social Media Presence: As a freelancer, you are your own brand. Having an active presence on different social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter can help you connect with potential clients and showcase your expertise.
• Building Relationships: Along with pitching clients, relationship-building as a general skill is also crucial. You need to keep former clients in touch and know how to forge a relationship with potential new ones. This can lead to repeat business and referrals, helping you sustain a steady income.

As you build a reputation as a freelance blog writer, you'll gain more clients and be able to charge more for your writing. Now, let's look at how blogging can be a career by taking on the mantle of a business.

Turning Blogging Into A Full-Time Business

Have you heard of Nomadic Matt? Matt is an author-turned-travel blogger who turned his passion for traveling into a full-fledged business.

He has actually built his blog into a multi-six-figure business through various income streams such as affiliate marketing, advertising, sponsored content, and his own travel books.

He is so popular today that people pay him to talk at conferences and share his stories of traveling around the world. And behind all this are his stories, bestsellers, and of course, solid blog. His blog has been helping people travel around the world with practical tips for over a decade. It's what powered his popularity and led to his success.

Not everyone will have the same goals as Matt, but it's important to know that blogging can be a profitable venture if done right.

Like him, you could turn blogging into a full-time business by following simple steps:

• Launching Your Blog: Before you can make money from blogging, you need to have a blog up and running. Remember, you have options like WordPress and also others to provide user-friendly options for designing and launching your blog.
• Choosing A Profitable Niche: To turn your blog into a business, you need to focus on a specific niche that you're passionate about. One that is too competitive will be too hard to break into. And one that is too niche will have no audience at all. Try to find a niche that has the potential to generate income. This could be anything from lifestyle and fashion to food and travel.
• Monetizing Your Blog: There are various ways you can make money blogging, such as affiliate marketing, sponsored content, ads, digital products, and services. You can choose the ones that align with your niche and target audience. First, you have to build your blog and attract traffic, however. And you can do this with consistently good and regularly published content. Next, you can monetize it through various means.
• Offer Value to Your Readers: Remember, your blog should always add value to your readers and offer them something unique. This means writing posts about topics they care about and being consistent with it. This will help attract a loyal following, who are more likely to engage with your content and make purchases, and now you have a way to leverage your blog over the long run and make money in multiple ways.

And the most important thing to remember is that your blog will turn into a business over time. You need to create at least 50 posts before you see any actual traction. And 100 or more posts are even better. That's a lot of work, but it shows Google you're serious, and it will lead to great rewards in the future.

Get Blogging

Blogging is a legitimate career.

And like any career, it can take time to build.

It's no 'get rich overnight scheme.' Rather, it's a hard-won and even slow path to carving your presence online.

Blogging as a career requires a mix of skills, consistent effort, and long-term planning. So, even if you're not certain to see results today, you should start now because you don't know where you'll reach a few years from now.

Use the tips mentioned here and start a blog. Treat it like a valuable asset and learn how to leverage it. In this way, you can turn it into a career or a business!