Can You Make Money Blogging?

The answer is yes, and the author of the brand new bestselling book, The Million Dollar Blog, shares the wisdom of some of the UK's best bloggers

Across the blogosphere it is the fashion and lifestyle bloggers who are perhaps the most visible and well known. They are the online equivalent of Hollywood stars in the mainstream media, the ones who seem to lead the best lives, get to do the best things and who seem to have their world at their feet.

But until recently, blogging was perhaps more a hobby that lead to a nice lifestyle, or something that some people got lucky with.

That all changed this year, when the first beauty blogger, Kristina Bazan, 22, from Sweden, signed a rumoured seven-figure contract with L'Oreal Paris. Blogging became big business.

And fashion blogging is just one part of the huge and profitable blogosphere.

In the UK there are already a handful of women running million dollar digital businesses with blogging at the heart of them. And there are many many more building six and multi six figures businesses from their blogs.

So how do they do it? Here, they share their top tips.

1. Be business savvy

Many bloggers could make more money sooner if they understood their business model and then were strategic about monetizing it.

One of the most business savvy bloggers killing it online are gorgeous sisters Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman from Missouri are the owners of A Beautiful Mess, a DIY crafts and food blog with an income over $1.5million per year. They strategically add an income stream to their blog each year, testing multiple ideas to work out which is the most profitable.

For income, they leverage the blog to sell advertising BUT ALSO sell online courses such as scrapbooking and sewing to their craft audience as well as classes on blogging, photoshop and Instagram strategy.

And it doesn't end there. They also have a range of their own stationery, books, planners, scrapbooking supplies, iPhone covers, cards, art prints and apps – their popular photo editing app has been downloaded more than 1 million times.

You need to think about what business model your blog fits into. Most blogs are one of the three following business models. 'Big', which is about millions of views and turning your blog into a multi million dollar media brand in its own right.

Then there is the 'rewarding and personal brand based', which is the one taken by many 6 figure bloggers.

Although they might not have multi-million dollar media brand empires that could exist independently of them, they are still enjoying lucrative incomes and incredible lifestyles. Theirs is a more personal brand-based business, and cultivates a more intimate audience through which more niche-specific brand deals can still be made.

And finally, there is the 'authority and personal brand' based business model. This is people who are blogging as professionals. It enables individuals or businesses to become leaders in their field and the financial benefits come from such things as more clients and books, speaking and digital products.

2. Build a clear personal brand

Your brand is part of what sets you apart and give your own edge, your own story, your own message and your own distinctiveness.

Carrie Green is an entrepreneur who founded the Female Entrepreneur Association. Through sharing the stories of successful women on her blog, she has a hugely successful website plus social media following of over 300,000, and a membership club for female entrepreneurs which has over 3000 members from around the globe paying $30 per month (and with a waiting list for entry).

But Carrie leads with elements of her personal brand - the fact she is immediately likeable, you can tell how much she cares and she doesn't try to be anymore than what she is are a huge draw for her: a bright and enthusiastic woman trying to help others build businesses.

With so many voices around, it can be difficult to believe you can be unique. Think of it like this. You are not trying to reinvent the wheel. You don't have to be whacky. But you are the only 'you' in the world and you can find your own voice by speaking genuinely as yourself and not trying to be someone else, and sharing your own experiences and viewpoints.

3. Remember, success takes time

There is a saying in the online world that 'Most bloggers give up in three to six months; and most of the ones who 'make' it simply last longer than the others.' Consistency is the most important quality of successful bloggers. Whether this is once a day or once a week, be organised, schedule your posts and don't stop posting. Remember, the most successful content strategies are more about consistency over time than one blog post going viral.

Madeleine Shaw is one of the UK's best known health and wellness bloggers. In three years she has built up an audience of millions including 300,000 monthly visitors to her website, and over 220,000 followers on Instagram. She has two bestselling books, an app with over 31,000 downloads, a food range in Harrods, a monthly supper club in Fulham - and continues to create create content for her hugely successful blog.

But Madeleine did not launch with the vision she has today - she originally began blogging to get clients as a nutritionist. In fact, it was only after getting started that her goals became clearer. As Madeline Shaw says 'Remember that everyone starts from nothing.'

4. Start even if you don't know where it will end up

In business, the term 'Minimum viable Product' is regularly talked about. This is about accepting that you can't have all the answers in advance and sometimes you just have to get started with the minimum viable version of whatever it is you want to end up with.

I'd like to tell you about Carly Rowena, someone who used content creation to change her life entirely and has now been taken on by Gleam Futures, the social talent agency that manage the likes of Zoella.

Carly Rowena is a fitness instructor and fitness vlogger who is known for her down to earth attitude, professionalism and realistic approach to everything from healthy eating, fast paced workouts, product reviews and motivational advice.Yet when Carly started, she wasn't a fitness instructor and had no idea she even wanted to be one.

5. Success isn't always about money

A cause or mission can be just as powerful a motivator as cash and can certainly have huge impact in terms of reaching an audience, spreading a message, and bringing understanding, support, compassion and help to a particular need.

Hayley Goleniowska started Downs Side Up in 2012 about her daughter Natalia (Natty), now 9, as a way of helping other parents with children who suffered from Down's Syndrome. But she's been able to not only change the life of her daughter, Natty, who was the first child with a disability to appear in a UK television advertising campaign for a clothing range; she's also won numerous awards, appeared in a recent BBC documentary, and has increased visibility and awareness for people with Down's Syndrome in both the parenting and wider community. For her, blogging isn't about money, but changing the perceptions of disabled people and making life easier for her daughter.

More and more, people are using their voice in the online world to make changes in the real world. The impact that certain blogs have made on global matters is proof that its power should never be underestimated.

Author Natasha Courtenay-Smith

The Million Dollar Blog is available to preorder on Amazon.co.uk.

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Source: Can You Make Money Blogging?