Try Googling “Can you make money from blogging?” and watch as pages of results appear. Almost all of them will tell you the same things:
- Yes, it’s possible.
- It’s so easy.
- You can do it, too!
Even Forbes and Entrepreneur.com have jumped on the bandwagon, explaining the road to riches in simple, easy steps. They’re not the only sites to do so, either.
Several top results are from bloggers touting their success stories. Some even sell e-books and guides with all the answers you need to do the same.
Very few people talk about the truth of blogging for profit as a side hustle. While the dream might be to make an income from your website, you should know a few critical facts before getting started.
The Good News
You can still make money as a blogger. It’s not going to be easy, and it certainly won’t happen quickly, but it’s still a viable option for a side hustle. However, you’ll be able to earn an income just by writing about things you love.
The Ugly Truth
Unfortunately, that’s the only real good news. If you’re serious about making money from your blog or website, there are a few hard truths you’ll need to know first.
It’s Hard Work
That’s an understatement. HubSpot recommends that even small businesses post between one and four times a week. On the other hand, Huffington Post got started by posting between 1,600 and 2,000 articles every day. When you consider that most people take about four hours to write a single piece, you might already feel a trickle of cold sweat running down your back.
Thankfully, your young blog won’t need to match these crazy numbers. However, you’ll still need to push out quality content on a consistent schedule before you’ll see any significant traffic to your website.
You Might Need Help
If you decide to outsource your content writing to an online marketing agency, you won’t be the first professional blogger to do so. Some depend on paid teams of content creators to supply a steady stream of articles. Others invite guests to create thoughtful leadership posts or promotional pieces.
If you’re not going to blog full-time, consider taking on a few helping hands.
Money Comes Much Later
In 2013, Abby Lawson started a simple lifestyle website. Seven years later, she’s almost consistently earning mid-five figures. Lindsay and Bjork, a couple from Minnesota, run two food blogs and rake in approximately $90,000 a month.
These content creators didn’t achieve success overnight. They put in enormous amounts of effort, and they can proudly post their income statements online almost a decade later.
Can you make money from blogging? Yes, but you might have to wait a few years.
Prepare for Content Theft
Online plagiarism and content theft are running rampant. It’s so easy to go to a popular website, copy a few words, and repost them as your own. Once you start producing valuable, high-quality articles, the same thing is going to happen to you.
There are ways to defend against content theft, but you won’t always manage to stop the culprits. Unfortunately, that’s just how the blogger’s cookie crumbles.
Know the Facts
Are you feeling discouraged? Don’t! You can make money from carefully crafting an online blog. However, unless you know about the good and bad, you’re far more likely to get discouraged before ever making a penny.
If you’re serious about turning your website into a successful side hustle, prepare to put in a lot of time and effort. You’re more likely to spend quite a few dollars getting your blog up and going, and it might take several months or even years before you see any significant amounts of money.
Keep to a schedule and learn how to analyze and optimize your articles to get better results. Remember, it can take a long time to start generating a steady income.
Stay focused on your side hustle goal and, one day, you might just be the one teaching new writers how to emulate your success.
