From Hobby To Homemaking: What’s Stopping Your Blog From Being A Business?
There are now 600 million blogs online, and they’re increasingly being treated as businesses, rather than just the hobby outlets that they used to be. Fuelled by advertisers who are increasingly realising the value of online influence, as well as readers who are more willing to support creators through platforms like Patreon, blogging is now as viable a business proposition as becoming a lawyer. But without a clear career path of uni, training, and salary, many bloggers don’t quite know how to break through.
That can be frustrating, especially when you’ve been posting religiously for years, and you hear about Sally’s £1k+ monthly salary after just six months on the blogging circuit. In reality, though, if you’re struggling to make your blog professional, there are probably some easily adjustable reasons for it. We’re going to talk you through them here!
# 1 – Your outlook
Your blog is never going to become a business if you continue to treat it like a hobby. Instead, you need to switch to a business-first outlook that gets you taken seriously. Even simple things, like investing in a more professional domain or looking into branded banners and custom business card printing will help to change your headspace and the overall impression your blog creates. Equally, looking into proper editing software, and making sure that you reply to comments promptly, are all going to help you stand out as an authority, rather than just a regular hobby blogger.
# 2 – Your subject matter
Blogs are great because they give everyone a voice, but it’s important to realise that voice alone isn’t enough. The plain fact is that, while it’s not impossible, it’s unlikely that you’re going to make real money here from blogging about what you do each day with no clear goals in mind. Instead, proper business blogs will typically have a niche and will include informative articles surrounding that key topic. That’s not to say you can’t still do the odd ‘day-in-the-life’ post (especially if you can find a way to tie it into your niche), but being more concise and informative with your content makes you more appealing to readers and sponsors alike.
# 3 – Your schedule
It’s no surprise that you’ve struggled to make a go of things if you only reply to emails on weekends, and upload every month or so with a late-night post. While you probably won’t want to jump into full-time blogging straight away, setting a regular schedule for everything from uploading to admin and beyond is key to blogging for business. This lets advertisers and readers know that they can rely on you, and it’s also going to increase your engagement a fair amount. Simply get into the habit of scheduling at least once-weekly posts if you can, and make sure that you check your emails nightly so that you never let formative business opportunities pass you by.
Blogging for business can be incredibly rewarding. But, are you willing to put in the work to overcome these setbacks at last?
