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Don’t believe anyone who tells you that there isn’t some serious money to be made from blogging. What may start out as a hobby simply writing out your thoughts, opinions, or guidance can be easily transformed into a lucrative side-hustle, and for some, even a fully-fledged business and a full-time income. Here are four things that you may want to do to help you make the transition from hobby blog to a business blog.
1. Invest in a custom site
Although it is possible to create a money-making blog using the free WordPress or Blogger accounts that you may have started out with, most brands are looking to work with bloggers who own their own domain name and who have built their own custom website. This doesn’t mean that you need to be an experienced coder, or even have any web design skills, it simply means upgrading your blog to a hosted version which will then open up the door for new custom themes, and if you’re really committed, the creation of your own unique website.
2. Affiliate links
Affiliate links are one of the most common ways that bloggers make money from their sites, earning a commission of any sale made through the link that they post on their blog. There are a number of different affiliate schemes out there, but one of the most common, and the easiest to get started with, is Amazon’s, which allows you to link back to millions of products that can be bought on the Amazon website. The success of affiliate links is largely determined by the traffic your blog receives and the trust you have with your reader, so don’t expect too much, too soon if you are still growing.
3. Metrics
When blogging for a hobby you may not worry too much about your blog statistics but when blogging as a business, metrics such as your domain authority, monthly page views, and blog followers become a whole lot more important. Brands will need to know your blog metrics in order to assess whether they consider it worth paying to advertise their product or service with you, so it’s a good idea to stay on top of them and also to create a quick one-page document with them on that you can send with any pitches.
4. A niche
As a hobby blogger, you may have written about everything and anything, but as a business blogger, you need to find and define your niche. A niche is important as a business blogger because it makes it easier to grow your audience and will also help brands to find you when they are looking for bloggers to promote their product or service to a select group of people. Having a niche means more than just focusing on one topic, it will also include things like determining your writing style and approach – are you funny and crass, or formal and direct?.
So there you have it, four things that will help you to take your blog from a hobby to a business – are you ready to take the leap?