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If there's one internet trend that has taken the world by storm in recent years, it has got to be blogging. What used to be nothing more than a bunch of online journals ten years ago is now a multi-million dollar industry – and it has even spawned its own breed of celebrity. Yep, the rumours are true: blogging means business, and as a result, more and more people are coming looking for a slice of the action. If you're a naturally talented writer, or someone looking to hone your skills, blogging makes perfect sense. It's free, you can do it from the comfort of your own home and yes, it can now make you money. However, there is a downside to this success, and that it that the blogging sphere is becoming more and more saturated. Competition is rife, and if you really want your blog to take off, you're going to have to be prepared to put in the work. Here are a few tips on how you can start to monetise your blog (if you're not doing so already), so that you can make extra cash writing about the things you love.

 

Focus your content

One word you will hear being thrown around a lot in the ‘bloggersphere' is ‘content'. This term merely refers to the work you showcase on your blog – be it pictures, penned articles or your social media feeds. When they first started out, blogs tended to be online journals, where people posted a whole range of things that represented their lives. Now that blogging is, for many, a legitimate business plan, most blogs are much more condensed. Take a good, honest look at your own blog and consider whether it has any true direction. Companies, guest bloggers and readers are all much more likely to engage with your blog if it has a distinct focus – a USP, if you will. If you're not entirely sure what you want your blog to focus on, make a list of the things that interest you and that you know you can write about. There's no harm in deviating from this mold occasionally – but still, it is better to have at least one clear theme running through your blog, so you can attract the right kind of audience and build a brand.

Be prepared to learn the ins and outs of the trade

Words like ‘SEO' and ‘analytics' may seem like a foreign language to you at the moment. But, if you want to turn your blog into a business, you will have to be prepared to learn about these and more! Unfortunately, blogging is not merely as easy as posting an article about something you like, getting 10k views in three hours and then being offered a brand deal by a company. It is much more intricate than this, and you will need to embrace all the tools the internet has to offer in order to make your blog a success. Firstly, start off by reading a guide to becoming an SEO expert. SEO is integral to how well your blog performs in search engine rankings, and therefore how much exposure you get. Analytics are all to do with pageviews, audience interaction and what kind of demographic you are hitting. Often, it makes for surprisingly fascinating reading, and can teach you a lot about the direction your blog is heading in.



Be consistent and build a brand

The majority of blogger income comes from brand sponsorship and from ad revenue. In order to attract the best of the best, you will need to make sure you blog looks like something such brands would want to engage with. A visually attractive blog draws the reader in even before they've seen the content, so spend some time creating a stylish online space for you to showcase your work. Additionally, ensure that you are consistent with your blog – both in terms of your frequency of posting and in upholding your brand image. Blogs with regular content are far more likely to take off than a blog that merely uploads a post every two months. Plus, make sure you have all your social media linked to your blog, and that it represents you in the best way possible. Of course, not everyone is okay with putting their personal life out on the internet, and that's totally fine. If this sounds like you, simply make separate social media accounts for your blogging persona – this will also make it much easier for brands to work with you, too.

Chiino
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