OK, let’s be real here. When someone describes herself as a blogger, the most likely reaction she’ll get is a blank stare, a half-smile or a raise of both eyebrows – or even worse: A raise of only one eyebrow! And you know why I think that happens? Because “normal” people have no idea about bloggers: What do they do the whole day? Selfies? Pics of food? Do they cook the whole day? And what about the ones “working” on the beach? Do they make money at all? Why don’t they stop traveling around and look for a real job?

But the truth is that it lets you thinking and comparing your 9-to-5 working-at-an-office life with that – apparently – glamorous lifestyle of hers. Actually, who hasn’t ever wondered one of these questions?

• How do bloggers make money?
• How long does it take to make money blogging?
• How do you start a blog to make money?
• How can I become a blogger? Is it a good fit for me?

So let’s try to answer all of those questions – and demystify what those “mysterious” bloggers do the whole day.

What Do Bloggers Do The Whole Day?!

Well, blogging is all about writing, so if you wanna become a blogger, you’ll have to get used to the idea that you have to write. A lot. And when you aren’t writing, you’ll find yourself doing all things related to publishing that brand new post of yours. So what does a blog post involve? Wasn’t it all about taking pics? Here are some of the activities every single blogger has to perform to get her content online:

1. Research. Depending on the subject you’re writing about, you’ll want to research some info, stats, and ideas or just have a look at the online – and offline – world for inspiration.
2. First draft. This is your first piece of writing. Where you put all your ideas together, and either use or discard them. You may even get several posts out of a first draft. This happens to me all the time! If you find yourself wondering how to balance two ideas for your post, my friend, you’ll most likely need two posts. Not just one.
3. Review and proofreading. Once you have your first draft, reviewing it is inevitable. This is the moment where you stop and read it all again. Does your first draft make sense? Did you expose your ideas in a clear and logical way? Do your ideas convey your conclusion? In fact, the most important question you should ask yourself here is whether your post works as a cohesive unit.
4. Images. This might sound like fun, but it’s a pain in the a**s, at least for me! You can choose and take the pictures yourself, or select some stock images. I mean, it could be a fun activity, but not when you’re under time pressure and can’t seem to find the pic you’re looking for in order to convey your content into an image. After you take or find the picture, you’ll have to edit it – not only for your blog post, but also for the social media channels where you’ll be posting it!
   • I use Haute Stock, and I love it! If you’d like to get free images each month, register here!
5. Social Media. Once you have your post published, you want to share it with as many people as possible, and social media is probably the most effective way to do so – at least to do so for free.

How Do Bloggers Make Money?

Bloggers can earn money from different sources, but you don’t have to use all of them on your blog. In fact, each blogger has her own strategies to earn an income for their blogs:

• Ads. One of the most common – but also traditional – ways to earn money. You get paid for having people click on the ads placed on your blog. It’s as easy as joining an ad network and letting them place their ads on your website. You’ll be most likely expected to have a minimum amount of website visitors, but you can also start with Google AdWords! You won’t get much money at the beginning, but it’s quick and easy to start with.
• Collaborations with brands. This is the kind of income stream you see, for instance, when a famous YouTuber talks about a product (a smoothie, a moisturizer, etc) she’s being paid for. Another typical example is influencers mentioning the brand they’re wearing with a hashtag for people to see who their dress’s designer is. You’ll usually need a specific number of followers for any brand to want to collaborate with you.
• Own products. Once you know what your audience needs, you can create your own products, no matter if they’re physical products (like planners or deco articles, for instance), digital products (like ebooks or online courses) or if you offer services tailored to your audience.
• Affiliate marketing. Working with affiliates might be the least known way of earning money as a blogger. But I find it actually the easiest and quickest way to start making money! You just have to recommend those products and services you use and love – and let people click on your affiliate link. If they make any purchase, you’ll get a commission! Wanna know more about affiliate marketing? Check out this blog post and learn how affiliate marketing works exactly.
• Other business opportunities. This could include writing guest posts for other websites and blogs, for instance. Being out there on the Internet can offer you tons of possibilities to find new income streams, even if you’re not actively searching for them!

How Can You Become a Blogger?

Are you wondering whether blogging would be a good fit for you? Is it something you’d like to try? I can only say that blogging can be ideal for you if you:

• are ready to work hard and consistently.
• love – or, at least, don’t mind – writing.
• are ready to take up several different tasks.
• are willing to learn new things almost on a daily basis.

Feel free to download this content brainstorming sheet if you think that you will struggle with coming up with ideas for your blog posts. I hope you find it useful! And who knows, you may get the blogging bug!

Would you like to know anything else about blogging? Leave a comment below and let me know!

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