Lies That Are Holding Your Blog Back
Most people don’t make enough money from their blogs to quit their day jobs and blog full time. If this is true for you, then it’s probably one of the following lies that is holding you back.
I Just Need to Know How to Do This
Most bloggers fall into one of two basic categories - writers and techies. Strong writers often have trouble with the simplest plug-ins, whereas techies may have issues with grammar and writing compelling and comprehensible content. You could spend hours, days or weeks trying to learn how to do something for your blog, but is that time well spent?
I have a personal rule that I follow. If I can’t do something well, I hire someone who can do it for me. If you are not familiar with how to install plug-ins, why not pay someone to do it for you? For a few dollars, have someone setup your blog exactly how you want it. If you’re shy on cash, perhaps find a blogger buddy with the opposite skill sets you have, and trade off on tasks, work together, and eventually you will both improve your skills.
It Takes Money to Make Money
How many times have you heard that line? Well it’s certainly not always the case, so don’t let it demotivate you!
If you have a budget of $10 or less, rest assured that you can and will find some seriously more creative ways to market, then if you’d had a $1000 budget. Looking at John’s own expenses for his blog, he spends very little money marketing it. The majority of marketing he does do is viral marketing, which John would agree, drives much more traffic to his blog then any other advertising.
I Just Need to Get My Blog Out There
How many hours do you spend commenting and reading blogs? Now compare that to how much time you spend actually posting. If you’re currently not posting once a day because you are allocating more time to getting your blog out in the sphere, then stop and take the time to post. Remember, your blog is about content and should give your readers a reason to return time and time again. If you are currently posting once a day, consider slowly increasing your postings to twice a day.
Experience Will Benefit Me
Many people assume that successful bloggers have been writing for years and that only the long-term, experienced blogger are benefiting from blogging. The truth is though, that there are plenty of topics to blog about and niches to take advantage of. In the words of Ray Crock, founder of McDonald’s, “If you’re green you’re growing, if you’re ripe, you rot.” Sometimes experience brings staleness. When you’re new at something, you can offer the blog sphere a bright new idea or concept.
Are any of these lies holding you back?
This post was guest blogged by Gary Jones from BlueFur.com. BlueFur provides Dedicated Servers in Canada like the one that runs John Chow’s site.
- Posted in Make Money Online, The Net
- 59 comments what's your take?
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Great post. It’s so true though. I consider myself more of a techie blogger and your description makes perfect sense. I know I’m guilty of no tposting as often as I should, especially with a blog involving fairly current events. Like you said, the more experience you gain, the better a blogger you’ll be.
Reply to this commentI agree about being creative when you don’t have money to spend on marketing. I started with 1 penny.
BeachBum
Reply to this commentwhat did you do with that 1 penny to make money? I’m sure you had more than that to work with lol. you can find waaay more than 1 penny on the street.
Reply to this commentDude I believe in you 100%, this dude here traded ‘one red paper clip’ for a house with in one year. Anything can be done with a plan, motivation, determination and dedication.
http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/
Reply to this commentThat is an incredible story and should be an inspiration to everyone who’s starting out with something.
I can’t believe some of the trades he managed to pull off along the way!
Reply to this commentwow thats amazing. paperclip for a house?!
Reply to this commentGetting viral marketing in place is probably the biggest challenge for any blogger. I bet it sure helps to have a few grand to advertise with!
Reply to this commentThis post couldn’t have come at the same time. I feel like I’m in the middle between the techie and writer or at least I think.
I actually already quit my job so I have no choice to forge blindly ahead. I do need to start thinking ways of spending money on adwords or other forms of advertisement.
Nice post Gary!
Reply to this commentI hope you are already making money online or have nice sum saved up. It can be tough going the first few months.
Reply to this commentTo make a sustainable stream of income it will probably take a lot more than a few months!
Reply to this commentI was 2 years in the making before I packed in the 9-5. Even then it was probably 6 months earlier than what I would have liked.
Reply to this commentI like your first point, if you can’t install plugins get someone to do it for you or give them something in exchange for their business.
Reply to this commentWell, good post, tag!
Reply to this commentThis post just inspired me to make one post a day. I love when people post daily especially if I like their blog. If that appeals to me then I’m sure it will appeal to the readers who like mine. So starting tomorrow I will make this happen.
Reply to this commentPosting regularly is good but you can’t forget to market yourself as well. I don’t think once a day is some sort of magical threshold. I post once a day during weekdays. I think you could be very successful posting once a week as long as the quality is there.
Reply to this commentI definitely agree with the post. I think I fall somewhere between writer and techie. Plus, instead of trying to promote my own blog, I think I focus way too much on what to write and not enough time to check out other blogs and commenting on them. Well, I guess that’s why I’m here now and I love reading this blog! =)
Reply to this commentYou def dont need money to make money on the internet. I just sold a website for $1500 it cost me $7 for a domain name and i already had hosting. It took me about 8 hours to complete. Again you dont need money to make money. You just need to play google correctly for traffic.
Reply to this commentIf it took you 8 hours to complete and only $7 to set up then you just need to do that 5 times a week and you’re laughing!
It certainly beats going to the office for 8 hours 5 times a week!
If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of website was it that you set up?
Reply to this commentI am really glad that I realized early on that posting once a day was one of the best ways to get traffic, Google likes web sites that update often. I have been doing so for a few months now and I still haven’t seen a good increase in traffic, maybe I’m doing something wrong, or maybe it is just that it is summer time and no one wants to sit at their computer all day and read blogs.
Reply to this commentHi Michael,
I know how you feel. When I started my blog I decided that I was going to post at least once a day as I hate going to a blog that does not post often. I have had very little traffic since I setup nearly a month ago. I didn’t start promoting my site until aprox a week ago. I have 53 visitors since. But I am still promoting my site so Hopefully I will have more soon.
I am in the same boat as you.
Mike
Reply to this commentI was making a steady stream of posts per day then decided to spend a couple of days posting two. The traffic increased significantly and it has brought in a lot of new organic traffic from Google as well.
Reply to this commenttoooooo useful!
wow, johnchow has reached what i would like to call a higher level need referred to as self actualization. John i complement you and honestly hope you notice my blog. You are an awesome guide and hope that i can follow your footsteps to be a fulltime blogger. I breakeven at 60g’s thats is what i should be worth in the job market? do i have what it takes? i take constructive criticism.(pardon me i’m tech savvy type can’t spell)
Reply to this commenthttp://www.yeoq.com
Great advice. I like the quote from Ray Crock (even though all this time I thought the founder of McDonald’s was actually named McDonalds - learn something new everyday)
Reply to this commentI have started posting once a day as well and have notice my traffic has exploded. Not to mention I have been focusing on something I am passionate about and that is Backyard Skiing at Home.
I have also started to get others involved by featuring a backyard ski/snowboarding hill of the week. I am already getting backed up!
Now if they will just start clicking ad’s
Reply to this commentAhh, but you’re missing the most important thing that holds people back: What to blog about? It seems like every little niche has been filled.
Reply to this commentI am a success because I enjoy blogging and it has not become a mondane chore. I refuse to make excuses I only make a way.
Reply to this commentI’m more of a research writer than a technologist, however there is nothing to stop me from learning the ins and outs of scripting, server side handing,a fair grasp of coding in various programming languages just enough to deliver my immediate needs any advanced stuff I seek consultation or a free training guide online.
I believe my greatest lie is accepting the notion that I can’t be disciplined enough to settle and promote my blog to more dominance as I might entertain the notion that I will sell the minute it hits a PR of 5 but on the other hand it is such a labor of love and the sense of losing control after having brought to stand up and launch itself into something significant (as I have added over 500 natural back links over the last few weeks avoiding the use of software to add links) therefore I see it a bit more difficult to dispose of whenever it hits that target.
Reply to this commentGood post, its always good to refresh this stuff
Reply to this commentGreat post. I think I’m less of a techie, but then again I’m not a super awesome writer either, I guess I have a bit of both. I can figure out anything technical I come across so far.
I think what I need to do the most is develop a more consistent posting schedule, I try to post at least once a day, but sometimes I post 3 or 4 and other times 1 and sometimes I don’t get to post at all. So I’d like to get into a consistent posting grove.
Simon
Reply to this commentVery true Gary. I’m a techie but I can write and theres one more lie you can add to the list, i’m sure you know this one.
The absolute perfect blog… written as if by a god, coded as if by a grandmaster, will still not be enough. I suppose you could call that “it takes traffic to make traffic”.
Many people look at the “pagerank” button on their google toolbars to see if a blog is worthy before even considering a comment. With traffic comes pagerank… It’s a nasty circle.
Reply to this commentI think it’s important to post regularly but the most important thing is the quality of each post.
It’s quite easy to post often but it’s difficult to post often and well - I think that’s what makes some blogs stand out from others.
Reply to this commentYou are very correct. I went to a blog recently where there was certainly lots of fresh content but all of it badly written and you could almost feel the blogger was clutching at straws just to fulfill his daily post quota. Needless to say, I haven’t been back.
Remember the old maxim, that if you have nothing good to say, don’t say it at all. Wise words for us bloggers.
Reply to this commentI’m not really sure if I am a techie or writer, like most people, I see myself as somewhere in-between. I know It’s been challening for me to gain traffic to my own blog. Sometimes I feel as though I concentrate too much on posting and figuring out the content and less time promoting and being more social by commenting on other people’s blogs. Well, I guess this why I decided to comment now. I wanted to say I enjoy reading your blog John and look forward to reading more!
Reply to this commentGreat article! thanks! Now, I just gotta make time to post twice a day.
Reply to this commentPost quality content on a consistent basis. Dont post twice somedays then none for a few others because you are pushing yourself and cant think of anything to write
Reply to this commentSome of those are true. Nice post
Reply to this commentWell what about your still building up your network and it doesnt happen over night
Its not an excuse but a fact
Reply to this commentI’m learning to be a techie! It’s actually fun but striking a balance between posting and techie stuff and promotion is difficult.
Posting daily is also very difficult when you are working full-time. I am already running a bit behind on my blog which is making me feel horrid.
Reply to this commentI don’t know if increasing the amount you post is necessarily the best approach. As long as you post regularily and the content is of high quality then I don’t see any reason to up this - a post a day is probably more than sufficient. There are lots of bloggers out there who make a lot of money posting far less because when they write they have something to say and its well thought out rather than just dropped in there.
Reply to this commentVery good post John. Probably the best I’ve seen on here yet. I feel blessed in the fact that I am a techie (Network Engineer in my day job) and a good writer (BS degree in Communications). But it also takes some marketing skill and that is really the fun part because I learn as I go and it is always fun.
I don’t make a lot of money from my main blog but the ultimate goal for me is to build the traffic to my product website where I sell relaxation DVD’s (sunsetsofhawaii.com). I have managed to make a decent amount of money every month without doing any paid advertising (yet).
It is all link building with related sites and building the buzz from other blogs that I run. It also doesn’t hurt that my products are available on Amazon I guess
Reply to this commentBlogging isn’t expensive, I follow the nine nine’s approach.
9 bucks /year to get your domain name.
9 bucks /month for web hosting, usually unlimited domains.
Reply to this commentI’m pretty sure I’ve said each of those excuses at least once. Great Post.
Reply to this commentGreat post Gary, I think thats the first quote Ive ever heard from the Mcdonalds guy.
Reply to this commentLOL. You said it in your very first sentence - quitting my day job is what I am about. I’ve got three years. Wish me luck.
I hate my job and I am going to NUKE it at
Reply to this commenthttp://www.DayJobNuker.com
Good Luck something I plan to do also
Reply to this commentI hope every blogger gets the chance to read this post. I’m glad it doesn’t take money to make money.
Reply to this commentIf you can’t write properly then there is a good chance that your blog will not be successful. I can’t stand reading articles that have little or no punctuation, breaks, etc. I don’t mind the odd spelling mistake or grammatical error in a post but at least take the time to copy it into MS Word for basic spell check! (or use Firefox for theirs)
Reply to this commentI agree. Even with just 8 dollars you can get a domain. ULMB (or something like that) has free hosting with no ads (i don’t understand how, but it’s cool) Wordpress is free. Most advertising networks are free to join.
Reply to this commentYeah, definitely. I think to create a site, all you need is about ten dollars max. I use HostGator and to get your first month for a penny, you just put in a word. So, for ten dollars max, you could EASILY create a site.
Reply to this commentI am new to blogging and do find it a real hassle to think up information every day, but my blog is slowly rising up the PR rankings. Thanks for the inspiration.
Reply to this commentThere are so many excuses well its hard to keep track. Breaking free of them is the key.
Reply to this commentGreat Post
Reply to this commentFor me it’s pretty simple yet hard to face and finally resolve. Since our blog is primarily about health and nutrition, we, along with my fellow writers, vowed to report health news that are only factual and backed by a strong number of clinical trials. Sometimes, when we run out of topics to blog about, or felt the need to update the site immediately, we do the usual blog fillers, you know, the less significant and trivial stuff you may find even in professional blog websites; or worse, a copy of another recent blog, only to paste and claim it as our own. Tsk. I personally feel the psychological guilt that comes with it, knowing at the back of your mind that you only do it for financial gain, or at least primarily for such reason. It has become a mental battle between ethics and survival. I guess, in conclusion, something has got to give.
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