has become more popular than ever, especially since many people have started to work on earning passive income. Many companies, also, invest heavily in these days because it’s the best way for them to get more links to their website.
With becoming an essential part of today’s business strategy, every company needs a .
In this , we’ll look at the definition of a , the key skills that differentiate a novice writer from a , and how can drive growth for any brand.
We’ll also share tips and techniques to get right, and examples of successful .
Table of Contents
What Does It Mean to Be a ?
A is someone who has monetized their (generally with ads or ), has a strong strategy, and is always looking for ways to grow their audience.
Other may not monetize their blogs but have enough skill and experience to write for companies and charge for the blogs they write.
are individuals or small teams who for their living. is their primary means of income. They put the same amount of work into growing their blogs as someone would with any other full-time job.
On the other hand, an amateur or a is someone who writes a for fun, does very little (if any) outreach, does not usually monetize their has a strategy. They also do not make a living from it.
There are both pros and cons to being a . The main advantage is that you can make money , but the disadvantage is you have to work hard for it, and progress is slow.
Although can give you financial freedom, it doesn’t necessarily mean earning six figures off your , at least not right away.
can monetize their blogs through:
- Advertising
- Paid subscriptions such as newsletters, daily digest, etc.
- Donations
- Online courses, online coaching, or consulting
Employed are more like marketers. Many go this route because for a company ensures they have a steady income, as well as other benefits.
They can earn well too, and apart from good skills, they usually need to know the following:
- Ad copywriting
- management
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5 Essential Skills a Must Master
To become a , there are very few skills required, but they are all incredibly important.
Let’s look at these in a bit more detail.
#1. The ability to write effective
The ability to deliver great, effective is critical, especially since you want to attract audiences to your .
You can only engage your audience if you are engaged by what you’re . If the subject matter doesn’t interest you, then chances are your audience won’t find any value in it as well.
There are almost 600 million blogs on the internet. That’s a huge number to compete against. If your doesn’t engage or captivate your audience, you won’t be able to make a living off . Utilizing tools such as an AI writer is one of the smart ways to get ahead of the competition.
A understands the relevance of the they’re creating.
#2. Marketing & networking aptitude
When you start a , either your own or for a company, you get an opportunity to build a community. This community is a way of increasing your credibility in the online space – they read your articles, leave comments, share, etc.
To build a community, it’s important to network. You can reach out to other , collaborate with them, and build relationships.
Once you start putting out consistent , your network can help you promote your . You can also consider running link insert campaigns, and building your network.
Another advantage networking gives you is .
You can cross-post affiliate links on other blogs and earn commissions to monetize your .
A solid presence is also beneficial. A with good influence always connects well with their and is better at monetizing their through paid sponsorships and ads.
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#3. Basic understanding
When you choose a topic or market to write on, you must conduct primary research. This research defines your strategy, the tone of your , and the value your adds to readers’ lives.
is arguably the most challenging aspect of growing your .
If you want visitors and site clicks, you have to make sure your ranks for the right keywords. You want to make sure that your is easy to find — () helps with that.
On-page optimization refers to optimizing your website so that crawlers can easily understand what your article is all about. This will help them rank your website higher on their page results, based on how user-friendly your is.
By investing in good practices — such as keyword research, topic ranking, etc., — you get a deeper understanding of your audience. It also helps you stay on top of current trends in your niche, which is time well spent.
You can use free tools like Google Analytics, Keywordtool.io, and Whitespark to boost your .
One point to note: is a long-term strategy. You won’t see immediate results but working on consistently will help you build a well-rounded plan.
#4. Audience analysis
Every needs an understanding of the audience they’re for. When you know your audience, you can ensure that you write that is tailored to their needs and preferences.
You want to write that resonates with your audience. The relatability factor is what drives reader loyalty and site visits. When you write for the audience, you base your around a solution to a problem they’re facing.
It also helps with writer’s block. If you’re unclear about a topic, but you know what subject is trending, you can start drafting your around that.
Once you understand and define your , it becomes easy to craft your around a shared idea.
Other advantages of understanding your reader base are:
- They can share your with other people who may also have an interest in that particular market. You can indirectly grow your reader base and get more visitors to your and also, increase revenue.
- You get a broader, more engaged audience base. If your readers relate to the , they are more likely to leave comments and feedback. You can use this as a way of connecting with your readers and building loyalty.
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#5. Consistency
A requires a lot of active work. One of the best ways of staying relevant is staying consistent. Being consistent with your ensures that you build a greater recall in your audiences’ minds.
A more technical advantage to consistent : improved search ranking.
Google loves . Posting regularly means that Google will crawl your and arrange your ranking.
Bloggers who only once in a while rarely get any of their ranking on the first page of the Google search results.
A low bounce rate and a longer average time spent on page per visitor will also help improve your ranking.
Furthermore, consistently is also how you can get better! regularly will help you build a unique style of , and that connects better with readers over time.
Read also: The Circle of Marketing — A Guide to the Marketing Lifecycle
Tips on How To Start A
The video below from a full-time can help you figure out an initial road map for your .
As you can see, starting a professional blog isn’t all that easy, but it can be rewarding work. To get there quickly, keep these tips in mind:
- Define the objective of your . Have complete clarity on what kind of and at what frequency you can dish out for your readers.
- Outline the routes you can take to become a . You can be a personal with an online diary, a niche , an affiliate , or a .
- Decide on the topics or niches to write on. Look for trending topics and keywords that will help you to relate to the audience.
- Choose the right platform: you can start with a free and then move to a premium hosting service based on your requirements.
- Share and connect: a is successful when you reach a large audience and gain dedicated . This requires connecting and relationship-building with your readers. Social media can be an effective medium through which you can connect with your reader base. Buying Instagram likes can generate initial social proof and activity that can be used to develop that relationship with your existing audience.
Read also: How to build a strong digital brand with social media
3 Most Effective Techniques
requires a lot of trial and error. Despite putting in a lot of effort and creating plenty of blogs, you can go wrong and end up attracting little to no traffic.
To make sure that does not happen, follow these three best practices in your journey:
1. Choose the right topics
Choosing the right topic is very important for engaging the audience and increasing . It can be tempting to write about safe topics — beauty, health, skincare, etc. — but if you have no interest in it, your audiences will pick up on that.
Once you choose a niche or topic that you want to write on, you can do research and create insightful .
2. Quality vs Quantity
After deciding what to write, it is very important to decide how much to write. These days, the most successful blogs are about 2,500 words long.
Longer articles are correlated with success, so it is better to write quality stuff in sufficient quantity for a target niche audience. You can also create shorter infographics that generate more interest on .
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3. Rewriting old posts
Re-articulating old blogs and republishing them (with the same URL) is a good way to get more traffic and engage existing readers.
Republishing can be an extremely effective strategy for driving traffic and building awareness because can often get outdated over time. You can repurpose your old for new posts to keep your audiences engaged.
To quickly repurpose your blog content for social media, use an online tool to summarize articles and create engaging posts.
Looking to make some extra cash without the extra effort? Check out our guide on passive income apps you can start using today.
Blog vs Vlog: Which is Better for Small Business Marketing?
How Helps a Brand
A isn’t just for individuals or creators. can help companies and businesses, as well.
Businesses can derive tons of benefits from having a good .
A can be a great source of generating inbound leads, increasing website traffic, and building a brand identity. Statistics indicate that 66% of B2B marketers who write blogs generate more leads than those who don’t.
Let’s look at how exactly can help businesses:
1. Helps drive traffic to your website
We discussed this point above but it bears repeating: a improves your ranking. Customers discover your either organically or through paid ads. A more long-term, sustainable way of attracting customers is by optimizing your for search.
Every is another opportunity to get ranked on a . The more optimized posts you have, the higher your chances of appearing in search results.
2. Works as a knowledge base
A is a great way to educate and engage customers. posts are always accessible — ads and promotions are short-term.
Your blogs can become a repository of information for many people, and some of these can turn into your loyal customers later on. A well-maintained can help your business build a great brand image.
Additionally, you can revamp and optimize older posts, as well.
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3. Builds trust
Business blogs can help answer common questions that people have. Since blogs encourage discussions, they’re a great way to build trust and connect with a wide audience.
You want your to be a catalyst for a community – an active, engaged audience translates into good advocacy for your brand.
4. Offers value for customers
Your is there to inform, educate, and engage your potential customers. It doesn’t necessarily have to sell your product or service.
Generally, readers use blogs as a pit-stop on their purchase journey. Your gives your customers an idea of what they can expect from your business.
If the focuses on being informative without being too salesy, you can offer value to your existing and potential customers, who will, in turn, spread the good word about your brand and its authority on niche subjects.
Read also: 14 Creative Customer Engagement Strategies for Small Businesses
Examples of Top & Their Earning Patterns
Now that we’ve discussed the ins and outs of and effective techniques, let’s take a look at writers who have successfully made a living out of .
1. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner from MakingSenseofCents.com makes around $125,000 a month from alone. Her niche is . She relies on sponsored partnerships and to drive her ’s revenue.
2. Harsh Agarwal
Harsh Agarwal of ShoutMeLoud.com, with a monthly income of $40,000, makes the most of , advertising, and selling products and services. His niche is tips, online marketing, etc., and he’s a great example of how one can monetize their .
3. Matthew Woodward
Matthew Woodward of MatthewWoodward.co.uk earns approx. $26,000 per month. He uses and Display Ads to monetize his . He blogs about internet marketing strategies, , and related topics.
4. Marc Andre
Marc Andre of VitalDollar.com, who writes about money and finance, earns up to $25,000 from his every month. , Display Ads, and Amazon Associates Program make up his strategies.
5. Neil Patel
Neil Patel of Ubersuggest is well-known in the world of , and he has been listed among the Top 100 Technorati Bloggers. His business and marketing earns over a million dollars a year and is a good source of learning for a .
Neil Patel relies on advertising and selling his ebooks as a means of income.
Conclusion
Being a is more than just making money online.
A needs a whole range of skill sets to be successful at monetizing the .
With only on the rise, there are plenty of resources available for . Businesses, too, can benefit greatly from having onboard.
We hope that this helped you understand how you can become a and make some decent income at it.
You can also read insightful and engaging blogs on topics like digital marketing, e, marketing automation, b, , and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) on Engagebay’s .
If you’d like to see how EngageBay’s free CRM can help you market and promote your effectively, check out EngageBay’s many features here.
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