5 Hard Truths About Blogging
Blogging for a living isn’t always fun. If you’re thinking about becoming a blogger, you” want to check out these hard truths about blogging first. I’m a blogger – and I love it. I still stand by my 13 reasons why I chose to become a blogger. But there is a dark side to blogger, like there is to everything. In my 2 years blogging, here’ are what I have found to be the hard truths about blogging:
1) People say negative things
The internet is the internet. Depending on how thick your skin is, the comment section of your blog may be something you’ll need to learn to take with a grain of salt. Comments calling your posts stupid, complaining that you have ads on your site, or aggressively arguing that your point of view is wrong. The first time I received a negative comment I had a harder time dealing with it than I thought, and I let it hang out in my mind that day. But remember, you are in control of your website. You create the content, you pay the hosting fees – so if you don’t want something on it, it doesn’t have to be on your website. If you choose to only approve positive comments and ignore any negative ones, that’s completely your prerogative. If you like to debate and want to take on the challenge of that and/or have a controversial post you whole-heatedly believe in, you can do that, too.
2) Traffic doesn’t come overnight
In my first year of blogging, I spent entirely too much time staring at my analytics and nearly obsessing over their growth. It changed nothing, and I wish I had relaxed and let my site do it’s thing. Every day, the traffic here grows, but I used to get extremely impatient. I wanted this to be my full-time job and income right away, and even though I knew that wasn’t realistic, that knowledge didn’t change the fact that I still wanted it to happen. Much faster than it does. I’ve heard other bloggers say the 3-year mark is a good place to aim for (but there are tons of variables).
3) In your real life, not everyone takes you seriously
A lot of people can call themselves bloggers. That’s great. But it’s a loosely defined term. You can have a journal online that is completely private and generates no revenue and call yourself a blogger. You can have an incredible home and lifestyle blog that runs affiliate ads and promos and giveaways and generates a 6-figure income, set up in its own office in your home, with multiple employees, and still be called a blogger.
Most people know the journaling type bloggers. So don’t be surprised when you tell people you are a blogger and they still ask “But…what do you do for a living?”
4) It takes more than being able to write
For writers, keeping a blog with posts helps keep their writing fresh. But it’s important to remember that it takes way more than writing chops. Social media, basic computer skills, web/graphic design and business prowess is essential as well. Of all the successful bloggers I know, they have at least a moderate amount of experience in each. And if they don’t, they have someone else handling that piece of their blog for them.
5) It’s not free
It doesn’t take a lot to start a blog, but it still costs money. For a self-hosted site, your domain name, and a custom web design, you can spend a good amount, usually starting around $200 for all of these things. Other monthly subscriptions will cost you too, like having a subscriber list and a social media manager tool like Buffer or Tailwind (for Pinterest).
Blogging is lovely. I’m incredibly happy I do it and feel very lucky to be part of it. But like everything else, there are some hard truths about blogging. I’d love to hear yours in the comments below.
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Thanks for these words! I just started my blog June 8th, and am trying to soak in all the knowledge I can from bloggers who have done this already…I appriecate the help!
You’re welcome, Kyleigh! Thanks for stopping by and good luck with your blog!
3 years… sounds reasonable. i’m a few months in and ready for the challenge!
Woot Woot, you got this!
Thank you for the great and honest read! Love your blog!
Thanks Lauren! I’m so glad to have you as a reader 🙂