I was recently asked, “Where do I go to learn to be a blogger?” Here’s my response:
Blogging in it’s simplest form is just “writing” on a blog, but since you mentioned getting paid, what you’re really asking is “how can I make money by blogging?”
There are several ways to do this and even more teachers who have already written about this topic and are more than willing to share with you, but these are my thoughts.
How to Write Content that Attracts New Blog Visitors
I like to use the STAIR method, which is just an acronym for: State the problem, list your Tools, create an Algorithm, Implement a solution, and Revise the solution.
Problem: You don’t know how to make money online by blogging (let’s disregard for a second that there are other ways to make money, online and off).
Tools: WordPress for the blogging platform; Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+ for social networking; Mailchimp for email marketing; Photoshop.
Algorithm: Determine what questions people have about a topic, write the answers to those questions, repurpose the content, and then monetize the blog.
Implementation: First determine who your audience is, figure out what questions they have, choose one question, and then write a blog post answering that question.
Revisions: Once you’ve written a few blog posts, use Photoshop to create images about those blog posts and then post the blog posts on social media.
Over time, if you’re writing valuable content that people like and you’re capturing email addresses from visitors, you’ll be able to build up a audience you can monetize.
How to Monetize Your Content and Your Audience
Once you have an audience, you can do things like:
- Write an ebook
- Create an online course
- Start a mastermind group
- Throw a conference
- Create and sell physical products
There are other ways to make money from visitors:
- Ads by Google Adsense
- Affiliate programs such as Amazon Associates or Clickbank
- Asking for money and providing a “Donate” button
- Direct sale of ads to brands
- Getting paid to write about a company or product
I’ve written previously about how to make money from blogging in Blogging for Profit. But blogging for money is not necessarily the best way to make money (online or off). It should be done as a “twofer”.
Other Possible Reasons to Blog
- To become a better writer
- To get thoughts out of your head
- To journal or leave a legacy
- To share what you’re working on
- To attract attention to yourself
No matter what the other reason, to blog as a business is probably not the best way to make money. Here are 5 reasons why blogging is not the best way to make money online or off.
Reasons Not to Blog for Money
- It can take a long time to get visitors
- You don’t always know what people want to read
- It may be hard for you to convert visitors to click ads or buy products
- You might write something you later regret or that could be used against you in court or by an employer
- You could show everyone that you don’t know as much as you thought you did.