Turning your casual blog into a genuine career can be serious business, and the pressure of making all the right choices can feel like the weight of 1,000 suns. But with that many suns comes lots of light, and just because you’ve bet the farm on becoming a star publisher doesn’t mean you have to be scared of losing your chickens. This week’s newsletter is about choosing niches that are profitable, revving your revenue engine, and knowing how to monetize. Let’s go!
In this week’s issue 📨
- Choosing a successful niche
- Speed up your profit process
- Your ideal monetization method
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Roll the dice
When beginning to blast off into the blogging stratosphere, it can be challenging to decide what to write about, let alone know if your chosen niche will turn a profit. Transforming a blog into a sustainable business takes time, but there’s always a way to accelerate the process, and knowing which niches will create the most capital is a great way to give yourself a head start.
Ling Thich, founder of Blog Savvy Panda, shares some essential tips on choosing a profitable niche for your blog.
Passion & desire
- If you’re not passionate about your niche, you won’t follow through. Plain and simple. Motivation is a key element of monetization, so it’s essential to choose a niche you are, or want to be, an expert at. If you’re naturally interested, your writing will be naturally interesting.
- You may be extremely passionate about something, but are enough people interested? Before hunkering down on a niche, peruse places like Reddit, Discord, or Quora to discover if audiences will match your energy. Already have followers? Ask what they’d love to see more of and gather feedback.
Comprehension & competition
- You don’t have to be the expert in your chosen niche to see growth. You just need to be knowledgeable enough to provide your readers with solutions they can utilize. If they know you can help solve their problems, they’ll pay up, especially if you keep things fresh by constantly learning about your topic.
- There are very few unique ideas anymore. Most everyone has done mostly everything, but nobody else is uniquely you. Your own insights and experiences are what separate you from the pack. If you’re worried your chosen niche is overly saturated, make it your own to stand out.
Research & write
- Once you’ve chosen your superstar niche, it’s time to identify profitable keywords so that your hard work is shown off in Google Search results. Your readers should always be top of mind when writing, but it’s also a good idea to utilize all the ways that help you gain more traffic.
- After you’ve compiled a list of profitable keywords, you can optimize new or existing blog posts by injecting those keywords into your writing to get as many eyes on your site as possible. SEO has changed over the past few years, but it’s still worth your while when combined with a strong point of view.
Narrow and sharpen
- Broad niches work, but “niching down” can get you more bang for your buck. Narrowing your expertise into a specific sub-category can help you create more recognizable work within your chosen niche. Having particular knowledge allows you to find new angles and deeply connect with your readers.
- If you’re unsure how deep you’d like to go, start by identifying who your target reader is. Narrowing your niche doesn’t mean you’re limiting your audience. In fact, being the go-to person in a specific field can help increase engagement and growth, as your audience will know what to expect.
Interesting stories & ideas 📚
Quick draw
Blogging has never been a fast way to get rich. Great things take time, and if you’re diving into the publishing pool simply to make a quick buck, you’re going to be extremely disappointed. In reality, it can take months or even years to turn your passion for writing into a full-time career, but there are easy, actionable steps you can take right now to help gain traction.
Eb Gargano, creator of Productive Blogging, walks us through how to make money from blogging as soon as possible.
#1 Don’t waste time on peripheral activities like constantly tweaking your site design. Most of your time should be spent writing and posting instead of trying to get your site to a 100% perfect state (because it never will be).
#2 Take down your coming soon page so that Google can index your site as quickly as possible. Making your site private can keep unwanted visitors at bay, but the longer your blog is hidden, the longer it’ll take to start earning.
#3 Master SEO (Search Engine Optimization) by researching keywords and creating quality content so your Google ranking is as high as possible. More pageviews often equals more payback.
#4 Grow your email list to keep the traffic you gain from SEO. These days, a robust email list can be way more valuable than a good Google ranking. Site visitors come and go, but loyal subscribers sign up and stick around.
#5 Write a lot and often, but make sure to always prioritize quality over quantity. A healthy combination of volume and value is one of the best ways to see growth in traffic, subscribers, and income.
#6 Use multiple monetization methods, such as affiliate marketing, selling digital products, or adding a tip jar to your site to cast a wide net. Sticking to just one or two income streams can stall your growth.
#7 Treat your blog as a business instead of a side hustle or hobby. Adjusting your attitude and outlook to match your revenue goals will get you there in no time. If you’re not taking it seriously, you won’t see serious results.
#8 Be consistent and determined, but don’t be afraid to switch up your revenue strategies if they’re not working. The faster you nail down what does work, the quicker you’ll see all your lovely lines go up instead of staying flat.
Ace up your sleeve
Deciding you want to make money blogging is easy, but knowing exactly how is the confusing part. How do you know which revenue models to use, and how do you balance them all? You can talk to 100 different creators and they’ll all tell you 100 different ways to earn a living, but those are the ways that worked for them. How do you determine what’s right for you?
Let’s examine the pros and cons of different monetization methods based on the type of blog you’re running.
‣ Memberships are our top pick for any blog looking to make money. Leveraging the power of subscriptions opens the door for dependable, recurring revenue. However, be aware that building a subscriber base takes time and trust. Crafting the right offer for your audience could take some trial and error.
‣ Running ads has historically been one of the easiest ways for new creators to generate revenue. If you create quality content, readers will come, and other companies will pay you for it. Posting ads allows for quick gains if you have a high-traffic blog, but if you don’t have many site visitors, you may not see much.
‣ Premium services like consulting, speaking, or coaching are solid ways for smaller blogs to turn a profit. If you’re just starting, try creating highly relevant content for a smaller audience while providing a valuable service. This might shrink your plate, but it’s a good way to build brand loyalty.
‣ Affiliate marketing works well for blogs focusing on best product lists, tutorials, comparisons, and reviews. Affiliates pay you each time someone clicks their link and makes a purchase, creating passive income. Just be sure the products you recommend are actually great so you don’t lose audience trust.
‣ Sponsorships are best for B2B (business-to-business) blogs that love building industry relationships. You’ll create content that targets high-traffic keywords, then pitch your work to potential partners who’d like to be highlighted in your posts. This approach can be time-consuming, but getting it right pays off.
‣ Products like online courses or brand merchandise are best for B2C (business-to-consumer) blogs that are looking to attract a large audience with content that attracts a variety of people. Profit for this approach may be a bit unpredictable, but if you create satisfying products that solve unique problems, you’ll flourish.
Curator’s pick ✍️
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