Can you make a living out of blogging? We took a deep dive into what it means to have blogging as a profession in this day and age.
Blogging as a full-time job? If you rolled your eyes on this concept, we completely understand. It's hard to picture the possibility of turning a simple hobby into an income-generating endeavor that pays the bills.
After all, the blogs most of us are familiar with are those that dabble only in the recreational.
A 15-year old rattling away on his online diary is every bit a blogger as those who claim to make six-figure incomes every year out of managing a blog site (and we often shrug the latter away as mere myths).
But most of us already know that it's possible to make money out of blogging in today's web-centric age. We only turn our noses up at the opportunity when we're discussing blogging as a profession.
Though its hard to believe, making a career entirely out of blogging is possible, but the road to prosperity is long and winding. I’m living proof of this fact.
I’ve made over $300,000 just from blogging in a year with the help of Bluehost – one of the best web hosting providers. It wasn’t easy, but the effort really paid off.
In this article, we explore what professional blogging is, how much a professional blogger makes, and how to make blogging as a full-time career.
Table of Contents
What is a professional blogger?
What is a blogger job and what does it entail?
There are two types of bloggers: bloggers who blog as a hobby which we call hobbyists, and professional bloggers.
The line between the two is obscure, as some hobbyists are able to manage massive, high-traffic sites, while some professional bloggers work on small-time publications.
What does a blogger do if he chooses to take the professional approach?
The difference between a hobbyist and a professional blogger is not in how much they make or the quality of the website they're working on.
Professional bloggers write online content as their primary occupation and their main source of income as opposed to hobbyists who treat blogging as a pastime activity.
With that said, bloggers who run blogs without getting paid or those who only earn little profit to supplement their main income are not considered professional bloggers – regardless of the quality or size of their blog.
Is blogging a good career?
Definitely, in a vast number of ways. The benefits of blogging as a career extends even to your life outside of blogging, making you a better professional overall. Here's why blogging as a profession is a good idea.
Blogging improves your professional profile. Most hiring managers want hard proof of your expertise, and blogging is a great addition to your portfolio as it highlights your expertise.
This means that you'll be a great candidate for other jobs (if you still wish to apply to other jobs aside from blogging).
Do note, however, that blogging only benefits your career if you choose to write about the industry you wish to penetrate.
Blogging offers opportunities. A career in blogging opens up a plethora of opportunities, mainly because you're exposing your expertise to the world. Since your platform is public, anyone can discover your blog – be it companies, authorities, or thought leaders.
This leads to the possibility of being invited to write for a large publication, speak at conferences, or setting yourself up as a community leader.
Blogging is lucrative. Professional bloggers can make lots of money if they put a lot of work into their blog, and the news speak for themselves. 20-year old Matthew, for example, is a game developer on track to earn $500,000 from his blog, True Valhalla.
Matt Marshall earns $100,000 a month writing about technology, finance, and investment ideas in his blog, Venture Beat. The list goes on.
If you find a lucrative niche and employ the right SEO and monetization strategy, you can strike out and generate lots of income with just your blog.
Blogging can enhance modern, in-demand skills. Writers who are blogging as a profession are required to master a number of modern skills and strategies, which include content writing, email marketing, copywriting, SEO, lead generation, and even social media.
These are some of the most in-demand skills in today's internet-reliant world which you can apply in other aspects of your professional life.
See Related: How Bloggers Make Money – 8 Ways to Monetize
How to make a career out of blogging
If you intend to make blogging as a profession, it's integral to know what your options are.
No matter how you start, there are three main ways on how to become a professional blogger, so let's take a look.
1. Start your own personal blog.
If you're looking to have the most freedom in becoming a professional blogger, launching and monetizing your own blog is the way to go.
This route is the most common for people who are looking to start a career in blogging.
You can start a blog from scratch if you have the time, or you can buy a blog on websites like Flippa for less startup work, better search engine traffic and ranking factors, and the ability to use the website's existing customers.
Here is a video on how to start your own blog from scratch in less than 10 minutes.
Advantages
You’ll have the most freedom. This includes having complete control over what you want to blog about, your work schedule, and your income. You'll feel liberated from being your own boss, and you also have enough time to pursue other interests.
Starting a blog can be a great choice for people who don't want to work under a traditional work schedule and structure. It's also great for those who want to travel more or have other pressing responsibilities.
It’s easy to start. It's also very easy to launch your own blog, especially when you're doing so with a platform like WordPress and a web host like Bluehost – two platforms that are absolutely beginner-friendly.
Monetizing your blog with affiliate links, ads, and sponsored posts will take a lot of work but the process is straightforward.
You can build an audience and community with an email list. Try my free course on how to build a blog audience organically.
Disadvantages
Monetizing takes time. While you'll have the most freedom in starting your own blog, monetizing it takes the most time. Most blogs can take months or even years to start earning a considerable profit, and you'll only be able to do if you apply the right search engine optimization, management, and web design.
You’ll have to work hard. As a beginner, you'll have to exert a lot of time and energy while receiving little to no payoff. If you're okay with the hustle involved for the promise of greater freedom, then this route is the best for you.
If not, there are other blogger career opportunities.
See Related: Are Blogs Still a Thing? [What You Need to Know]
2. Get hired to manage a business blog
With blogs becoming an integral part of companies' digital marketing plan, businesses looking for professional bloggers run rampant.
Applying for any of these jobs can be the most lucrative and secure route for professional bloggers.
Advantages
Job security. Writing for a business blog means you'll benefit from the guaranteed income. With paychecks coming in on a regular basis, this means that you mostly won't have to stress about click-through rates and traffic levels.
We said “mostly” because most jobs will still have these factors as indicators of your job performance.
Benefits. One of the benefits of being a full-time professional blogger for a company is, of course, the benefits. You'll be entitled to vacation days, health care, and a retirement plan.
Benefits like this will offer you more peace of mind – an advantage you won't have when striking out on your own.
Disadvantages
Lack of freedom. In most cases, one of the biggest drawbacks of blogging as a profession for a company is the lack of control one has over the content they're creating.
When blogging for a business, you'll probably spend most of your time drafting marketing and business-focused posts than you might like. You're also limited to writing about topics your company deems important.
Competition. Since bloggers and copywriters are in demand, you'll most likely encounter steep competition when applying for a blogger job. If you're planning to apply, make sure to have a solid portfolio of samples ready.
Your writing skills will be primarily scrutinized, but your knowledge of SEO and digital publishing is also important.
See Related: How to Blog Anonymously
3. Work as a freelance blogger for multiple clients
Blogging as a side hustle is a great middle-ground for aspiring bloggers who want to have more freedom in their work with the promise of a steadier pay.
With the right experience, freelance blogging can be the most lucrative ways of making money online – but that's only if you know how to play your cards just right.
Here are the upsides and downsides of freelancing and blogging as a profession.
Advantages
More control. Freelance bloggers have more control over their blogs as they get to pick and choose which clients to work for and what projects they want to pursue.
Freelancing comes with the flexibility of being self-employed while being able to maintain a more predictable income.
More experience. Working with various clients will enhance your skills in ways working on your own blog post or working for a company won't – this is especially true if you're writing about different topics in several niches simultaneously.
See Related: Blogging vs Vlogging
Disadvantages
Finding clients can be tedious. As a freelancer who is blogging as a profession, you'll be tasked with the responsibility of finding your own clients. This can be one of the hardest parts of becoming a professional blogger.
Thankfully, you'll be able to join a plethora of job marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr where you’ll find a lot of writing jobs to make money.
Your income relies on your clients. This should go without saying, but the amount of money you make depends on how many clients you're able to shoulder and your skill of negotiating rates.
Looking for high-quality clients can be difficult, especially since a lot of businesses, especially those who aren't knowledgeable about the blogging industry, tend to shortchange bloggers.
See Related: Fiverr vs Upwork – What is Better?
Things to consider before becoming a professional blogger
If you're interested in becoming a professional blogger, know that there's a lot more involved in this job that just being ridiculously good in writing.
While being able to write well is a blogger's most important quality, other factors that make professional bloggers successful need to be considered.
You need to brush up on your knowledge of SEO. Search engine optimization is a skill bloggers must have if they're aiming to get higher rankings. Remember, the strategies employed decades ago, like keyword stuffing, are no longer effective today – so its good to know the latest advancements in the SEO field.
Knowledge of email marketing is essential. If you're launching a professional blog and you're serious about it, then there's absolutely no reason to ignore the lead generation capabilities of email marketing.
Email marketing is one of the secrets of generating a bigger income through blogging.
This free four-day audience building course teaches you expert strategies on how to build more email subscribers and in effect, make more money.
Having the right host is important. Bloggers need to rely on a good host when it comes to speed and traffic. Bluehost boasts of one of the best uptimes with great load speeds at affordable rates.
It costs only $2.95/month and you get FREE domain name when you set up a blog with Bluehost.