Monetize Your Blog, part 2: Take your time
start here: Monetize Your Blog, part 1: Don’t do it for the money
So, you really want to try this. You love blogging, and you want to see if you can make a little money in the process. Maybe you'll even make a lot. You'll never know if you don't try!
TAKE YOUR TIME.
Blogging is fun, but it takes a certain level of know-how. If you're new to the blogging world, don't try to learn it and do it all at once. Start with a personal blog, and learn to use your blog platform of choice. We like WordPress, because it's free, user friendly and offers complete control and total power [cue evil maniacal laughter].
If you know your way around a computer and you are serious about blogging, get your own domain and go right for the self-hosted option. If you're technologically challenged and have no idea what I just said, you can start your own blog in about 30 seconds for free at wordpress.com. Your blog will be located at yourblog.wordpress.com - just sign up and start posting. Your moneymaking options will be limited and you won't have total power until you get your own domain (we'll talk about this next week), but this is a great place to get your feet wet. Don't worry; it's not hard to transfer your posts to your own domain later.
WordPress doesn't take long to learn if you are a self starter. Once you create a username and a title for your blog, spend some time clicking around inside your dashboard and just look at what you can do. Be nosy, and get a feel for the place. Try out the controls. You can't do much damage, and you don't have to worry about losing your content if you haven't created any yet.
Problems? Check out the forum. There's a good chance your question has already been addressed and answered by other users.
Of course there are other popular blog platforms as well. This article gives a good comprehensive rundown of the pros and cons of each popular choice.
READY? START WRITING.
Now it's time to generate some content and find your voice. This can take time. If you do it properly, this should take time.
Plan. What do you want to write about? How personal do you want your blog to be? Is this the one that will make you rich, or is a quiet little place where you'll polish your skills? Either way, you need to know who you are and what you want to communicate. Not every post you type will be on topic, but try to have a direction in mind.
Think like a salesman: what is your USP - your Unique Selling Point? Why do you expect people to read your blog from among the 160 million blogs in existence? Are you smart? Funny? Unusual or just plain weird? A great cook and a spectacular photographer? Do you have special skills that you can teach others? Are you passionate about a particular subject?
Write. The first part of finding your voice is knowing what you want to say. The other part is knowing how you want to say it. This comes with practice. A blogger is a writer, and a writer writes. Write, write, write. Your style will emerge and evolve. Read other bloggers and let your writing be influenced by those you admire.
Learn. Writing is not just for the benefit of your readers. Be amazed as you grow through your writing. I find that the very process of writing helps me to formulate and clarify my own thinking on issues. You'll probably discover that you grow and change in unexpected ways as a result of your own writing.
Proofread. Don't forget this part! You must edit. Attention to detail is not just a matter of pride. It is a courtesy to your readers. A typo now and then can be amusing if you're lucky, but more often they will confuse, frustrate, or even annoy your readers. Too many typos will drive them away entirely.
NOW YOU'RE READY TO GET STARTED.
What? You thought you already did that? Nope. Part 3 is where you really get started.
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- Monetize Your Blog, part 3: Get your own domain start here: Part 1: Don’t do it for the money...
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3 Responses to “Monetize Your Blog, part 2: Take your time”
April 26th, 2011 at 7:35 am
Great post! I’ve been blogging for years but for many different reasons. I never blogged as a hobby and now I find myself trying to not leave my computer. It’s a great process and I love having my readers comment. Whether I make money or not it’s been one hell of a journey.
-Ravi Gupta
April 26th, 2011 at 10:18 am
I usually recommend someone to start monetizing their blog after about 6 months in because they need to build up a lot of value first
May 11th, 2011 at 7:08 am
I’m always trying to skip to the end result in life, but avoid the process. Thanks for making the process clear and emphasising its importance! This gives me hope!
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