Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina, USA
(Updated 7/14/2022)
Bloggers sometimes seem confused about how blogging usually works.
Different advice comes from all corners. Some bloggers seem to succeed fast. Other bloggers succeed after a long time.
How does success find you? How long does it take to get traffic? How long does it take to get money?
When will you go pro?
No blogger can give a dependable answer to any of these questions because every blogger walks a different journey.
Time frames change for each blogger based on too many factors to take into account. Some bloggers cling to deep fears regarding money and worldly success. Other bloggers seem to think, feel and act like entrepreneurs quite naturally.
But almost every blogger who goes pro knows that this is how blogging usually works:
Create and connect for free for a long time. Traffic and profits slowly but steadily flow to you after you work for free for a long time.
Definition of “a long time”: blog for 1000’s of hours spanning years of your life.
Does that sound good? Or does it sound too difficult?
Keep blogging if it sounds good. Quit if it sounds difficult.
Everything depends on your intent.
Going pro usually requires ample time and work because most people bury unconscious fears related to freedom, money and business. For example, most bloggers bury fears triggered as intense panic arising 1 week, 1 month or 1 year into their blogging careers. When these bloggers see zero traffic and profits they panic and quit blogging rather than face the unconscious, uncomfortable fears fueling their panic.
What About You?
Can you tolerate creating and connecting for free for a bit? Blog until you go pro. But if blogging for free for a while sounds unpleasant simply quit blogging now before punishing yourself.
Blogging usually involves doing simple things patiently for a while before amateur bloggers become professional bloggers. For example, an amateur blogger patiently publishes excellent content and builds genuine friendships with pro bloggers for months before making a penny.
Perhaps you publish 5 dazzling posts and comment genuinely on 30 top shelf blogs for this month to receive zero dollars in profits and 10 to 40 visitors daily. This is exactly how blogging goes; even though you are doing excellent work you simply have not blogged for a long enough time to gain the skills, exposure and credibility to be seen and to profit.
Most bloggers quit at this point because they believe that they are doing something wrong. But the only thing that they are doing wrong is NOT having patience.
Most bloggers quit at this point because they believe that they are doing something wrong. But the only thing that they are doing wrong is NOT having patience.Click To Tweet
Pay Your Blogging Dues
You will publish sensational posts, make blogging buddies by being generous and see little traffic plus zero profits for a bit because you have not paid your blogging dues.
If you have only 6 months of blogging experience you will not experience astounding success because no blogger has access to a time machine. You need far more blogging experience to be a high level blogger; no blogger can travel forward in time so you need to put in time to become highly skilled, confident, credible and seen. Bloggers with 6 months of blogging experience can only be as skilled, able and exhibit as much potential as a blogger with 6 months of blogging experience.
However, bloggers with 15 years of blogging experience can do things that make 6 month blogging veterans look on in awe. If you blog for 20,000 hours you will be highly skilled, clear and confident. Most everything comes easily to you blogging-wise but only because you blogged for 20,000 hours.
Blogging goes this way. Work for a long time until you go pro. Flash solid skills after putting in some time but prepare yourself for modest if not scant blogging success as a beginner blogger.
Avoid the Shakeouts
You have to stay in this blogging game long enough to experience the inevitable ego shakeouts all amateurs go through before becoming a professional. For example, you may blog for 2 years spanning 1000’s upon 1000’s of hours to earn roughly $2000 per year. Do you honor your ego shakeout at that point to quit? Do you give up because earning $2000 feels like a terrible yearly payoff after blogging for 2 years?
Or do you ride out this shake out until you thrive during year 3 or year 4?
One well known online entrepreneur made $5000 after 5 years of working diligently. He refused to quit during this stretch of many shake outs. Eventually, he became worth $10 million because he did not quit.
One blogger worth millions of dollars made $600 after 1 year of publishing 2-3 valued blog posts daily. He resisted his shake outs to become a millionaire many times over.
I rarely focus on money goals as a teaching mechanism but intend for you to understand that being free, happy and prospering involves blogging for free for a long time before thriving.
Are you up for that?
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Bloggers Get Paid?
Bloggers receive money through:
- payments sent directly to their bank account via online setup
- merchants like Paypal and Payoneer
as prime means of receiving payment.
However, the means through which you get paid are solely receiving channels.
Bloggers earn money by:
- publishing detailed content that solves reader problems
- engaging in genuine blogger outreach
- opening multiple income channels
- practicing their writing daily in a Word document
Skills pay bills. Developing skills requires years of blogging practice spanning 1000’s of hours.
Receiving money is easy because anyone can open a bank account or Paypal. Earning money seems uncomfortable because generously, patiently and persistently creating and connecting for a long time triggers deep fears.
Receiving money is easy because anyone can open a bank account or Paypal. Earning money seems uncomfortable because generously, patiently and persistently creating and connecting for a long time triggers deep fears.Click To Tweet
Developing the skill of being patient positions you to get paid after you calmly create and connect for a long time.
How Does Blogging Actually Work?
The blogging process is simple.
Choose a blogging niche based on your passion.
Tie the passion to a pressing problem.
Buy your domain and hosting.
Write and publish your first post.
Conclusion
Blogging is not a quick and easy way to make money.
If you put in the time and work intelligently you can enjoy the comfort of working from home as a professional blogger.
