So you have made up your mind to become a blogger. Or maybe you already have a blog and are wondering why you aren’t getting the results you want from it yet.
Then you should check whether you also meet the following 10 requirements in order to be successful with blogging in the long term.
But don’t worry if you can’t tick all of them:
After all, what is not can still become!
I also struggled with points 7 and 8 for a long time…
1. You are an expert at something
As a blogger, you solve problems. Impart knowledge. Teach others something.
To do this, you have to meet one important requirement: you have to be an expert in the field you want to blog about.
Otherwise, your credibility won’t be very good.
But to calm you down:
You don’t have to be a star chef to blog about cooking. Or famous literary critic to write book reviews. You also don’t need to have any formal training, study, or work experience in what you’re writing about.
It’s enough that you’re a relative expert. This means that you know more about a topic than the people you want to reach with your blog.
This means that if you are targeting beginners, you should be an intermediate level. If you’re going for advanced users, you should be a professional, etc.
2. You can handle criticism
Anyone who blogs always exposes themselves to some extent and makes themselves vulnerable.
You have to expect that your views will sometimes meet with criticism and sometimes a strong headwind will blow in your face.
It is therefore very important that you can deal with criticism and not take everything personally.
Otherwise, you will be constantly on the defensive, which will inhibit your creativity and make blogging torture.
But thank God you can learn how to deal with criticism correctly.
3. You enjoy writing
As a blogger, a big part of your job is writing.
And not just for blog articles, but e.g. B. also for newsletters, social media posts or e-books.
So if you don’t enjoy writing, stay away from blogging (or consider becoming a podcaster, vlogger, or blogger on Instagram). Recently, there is a solution even for those who are lazy about writing: AI text generators are currently on the rise.
4. It’s not just writing that you enjoy
As a blogger, however, you don’t just write your own thoughts online and that’s it.
Bloggers are jacks of all trades who have to fight on many fronts and acquire knowledge in many different areas.
They are also:
- photographers
- Vloggers
- Podcaster
- Photo models
- Forum moderators and administrators
- Social media manager
- SEO manager
- Web designer (or even web developer)
- Webmaster (or even server administrator)
This means that it’s not enough to have fun writing.
You also have to be willing to deal with other things, such as B. social media, technical things, or photography. Things that may not suit you or not yet.
5. You have no problem working alone on the computer
Blogging is varied. But:
As a blogger, you will spend most of your working time on the computer.
Alone. With no work colleagues and no boss to kick your ass.
So if you have a problem with being alone, don’t like screen work, or lack intrinsic motivation, think twice about whether you really want to become a blogger.
6. You are ready to invest money
As a blogger, you don’t need a lot of start-up capital.
All you need to get started is a hosting package.
And for just €5-10 a month, you get really well-equipped hosting packages:
Most bloggers can probably get by on €10 a month for the first 5 years, even if they get 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000 visitors a month. Even cheap hosting packages offer a surprising amount of performance, as you can see in my detailed web hosting comparison.
Nevertheless:
If you want your blog to become a serious business and you want to make a living from blogging, then you have to be prepared to invest significantly more money.
For example:
- Tools and software (image editing, social media planning, etc.)
- WordPress plugins and themes
- Tax and accounting outsourcing
- Professional logo design
- A laptop or desktop PC
- A good microphone (e.g. for video tutorials or podcasts)
- A good camera and accessories
Don’t be a penny pincher or you won’t get very far with blogging!
7. You are patient
Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.
You shouldn’t have the illusion that you’ll go online with your blog, publish a few articles, and within a few days or weeks, you’ll get a stream of readers.
Nobody was waiting for you. And no one will be interested in you from now on!
Building a large regular readership, let alone making a living from your blog, can take a long time.
At least for the first year or two, you can expect to put a lot of work into your blog and get very little out of it.
8. You are a team player
Bloggers are not lone fighters!
You don’t write for yourself but for your readers. You’re not solving your own problems, you’re solving those of your readers.
It is also very important to network as a blogger:
You can become successful as a blogger much faster and make your blog better known if you make contact with other bloggers!
You help other bloggers, they help you. You mention them, they mention you. You link to them, they link to you.
9. You have time to blog regularly
If you want to become a (successful) blogger, you need one thing above all:
Enough time.
Don’t you have at least 10-15 hours a week to devote to your blog?
Or are you not ready to take this time and give up other things?
Then you have to expect that your blog will only grow slowly. And you are only slowly developing as a blogger.
And it would be fatal, especially in the labor-intensive initial phase of your blog.
10. You have the support of friends, family and partners
Of course, a lack of support from your friends, family, and partner shouldn’t necessarily stop you from blogging.
But it’s always better to have support from the people who matter most to you!
It is well known that sailing with a tailwind is easier and gets you to your destination quicker than cruising through a headwind.
conclusion: how to actually become a blogger?
Once you have clarified whether you meet all or most of the requirements, you can worry about the how.
There I will explain to you step by step how you can create your own blog, e.g. B. how to find the right blog topic and blog name and how to host your blog yourself.
FAQ
Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about blogging:
How long does it take to make a living from blogging?
The question cannot be answered in general terms.
This depends on many factors, such as choosing your niche, time invested, previous experience, personal motivation, whether you have a mentor or mastermind group, etc.
However, the conditions were even simpler back then.
How can I make money as a blogger?
There are many different ways to make money as a blogger such as: E.g.:
- Collaborations/Sponsored Posts
- Affiliate marketing
- Coaching and advice
- Advertising banner
- Link sale or rent
- Offering online courses, e-books or other digital products
- VG word
- Offering services
- to collect donations
- Organize events (e.g. conferences or workshops)
Which platforms can you blog on?
The best-known blog platforms include:
- WordPress.org (installed on own server)
- WordPress.com (basic functions free)
- Blogger.com (free, offered by Google)
- medium
- Wix
If you want to run a purely private blog, then I recommend WordPress.com. It’s easy to set up and free too.
Are you planning to make money with your blog or would you like to use it to promote your company, products or services?
Then choose WordPress.org. You have significantly more freedom of design.
How do I become a blogger on Instagram?
Blogging on Instagram is different from “normal blogging” in many ways.
