What Skills Do You Need to Become a Blogger?

Over the past few years, we’ve come to accept that blogging is a viable career choice. Admittedly, not everybody is so forthcoming with accepting this fact, namely those in the field of traditional print media. But conflicting opinions aside, blogging holds the ability to better our lives, connect us with like-minded people and even provide us with a healthy income, should you choose to monetise your platform. 

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Successful Blogger?

It might sound like a cliche, but you already possess the majority of skills you need to become a professional blogger. Provided that you’re interested in becoming a full-time blogger, you’re half-way there. It’s true that many people make money from blogging purely by responding to what’s popular on their analytics report. A carefully curated blog post with some strategic SEO is a sure fire way to get your blog noticed and guarantee financial gain. However, the typical dream of how life as a blogger looks is quite different.
Most bloggers start blogging because they’re passionate about conveying a message and building a community of people who share the same interests. It’s always easy to tell those who are passionate about their blogs from those who see it as a potential “get rich quick” scheme that requires little work and pays you back in the most luxurious of rewards. Naturally, the latter don’t last long in the blogosphere. They often end up joining the many eager blog creators who permanently abandon their blogs within 12 months after launching. In fact, more than 75% of people who start a blog today will have either forgotten about or closed down their blogs by this time next year.  Blogging is an optional career choice open to the masses, but just like with any business - you must treat it like a business. And this is usually where many fail.

“First comes passion;

Then comes strategy!”

 

Putting Your Thoughts into Words

Studies suggest that the average person generates 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day! No wonder many of us suffer from overwhelm! If you were to sit and write down these thoughts, your word count would quickly equate to that of a book! This just goes to show that we all have the words inside of us but few choose to elaborate on them and put them in writing or share them with the world. This is just based on our typical thought processes throughout the day. Each individual has their own special talents and interests - giving them even more to write about! Learn more about turning your blog into a a full-time career here.
 

How to Earn Money from Blogging

 
There are endless ways to make money from blogging and I’ve found that the more unique you can be in your money-making strategy, the better. Generally, most professional bloggers earn money from one or more of the following methods.
 

Affiliate Marketing

Share and write about products you love and in return you’ll earn a commission from each and every sale you make. You’ll need to sign up to an affiliate platform in order to acquire your own unique affiliate link, but once you’re set up you can easily earn money repeatedly from the same links. I can tell you from personal experience that it’s completely doable to turn your affiliate earnings into a full-time income. Plus, the beauty of affiliate marketing is that you can earn money when you’re not working, such as when you're on holiday or even while you sleep.
 

Blogging Networks

Blogging networks, such as Get Blogged, offer brand collaboration opportunities and writing tasks that you can apply to and get paid. There are many blogging networks out there offering paid blogging jobs suitable for all different niches. The difference between joining a blogging network and accepting paid tasks compared to independent brand collaborations is that the blogging network takes care of a lot of the administrative work for you. They deal with collecting the payments from the end client and guarantee that you’re paid within a certain time frame. Although rates paid by blogging networks are usually lower than if you cut out the middle man and work directly with the brand, the network ensures that you get paid on time and makes it easy for both new and experienced bloggers to earn money from the tasks they complete. Blogging networks are a fantastic way of earning money if you’re a professional blogger, as well as for new and part-time bloggers who are looking to gain experience.
 

Brand Collaborations

When brands and bloggers team up on a collaborative, advertising campaign, this is know as a brand collaboration. Editorial content and photography style is negotiated between both parties so that it is brand-appropriate and appeals to both audiences. Whereas at one time brands would call on magazines and traditional, trusted media streams to advertise their companies, these days they’re turning to bloggers instead. The majority of bloggers are individual personalities who have worked hard to build a natural and authentic bond with their audience, which really appeals to brands from an advertising perspective. Brand campaigns usually involve planning, back and forth negotiation and professional content curation but rates are usually very attractive. Brand collaborations are usually only accessible to established bloggers and once you reach that point it’s a fun and lucrative revenue stream.
 

Selling Your Own Products and Services

You may have noticed that some bloggers are primarily content creators, whereas others are business owners who run blogs alongside promoting their own products and services. A blog is an excellent marketing tool, whether you’re selling your own products or services, or promoting third party items though affiliate links. The option of what you might choose to sell is unlimited. It could be services, ebooks, clothing, gadgets, or whatever else takes your fancy.
 

I hope you found this helpful. Remember that in order to be a successful blogger, you have to be authentic, committed and treat it as a business if you intend for it to be your business. Good luck!