Guilford Connecticut USA
Every blogger wants to know one frequently asked blogging question.
How much work does it take to go pro?
I thirsted for this answer as a beginner.
Everyone wishes to know how much goes into becoming a full-time blogger, up front.
Makes sense, right?
Before investing you want to know:
- how much you need to invest
- the return
Peep the financial world.
Investors need to know how much to invest and when to expect a specific rate of return.
I hate to break it to you.
But you knew the rude awakening was on the way, didn’t you?
Technically speaking, no one knows how much work goes into becoming a pro.
One size does not fit all.
Some work longer than others to go pro.
Most bloggers never go full-time.
But to make Google (and inquiring minds) happy I want to share a few rough estimates.
Most bloggers create targeted content onsite and offsite for 1000’s of hours spanning years before going full-time.
Let the numbers sink in.
Dissolve delusion.
Let blogging reality smack you upside the head.
Most bloggers set impossibly short timelines. Some need money to pay bills but blogging gives a rat’s rectum less about your bills. Others crave something for nothing but blogging punishes the greedy, never sparing the rod.
How Did I Snare those Numbers?
I observed my blogging experience.
I paid close attention to experiences shared by fellow pro bloggers.
Every transparent pro pretty much bandies about the 1000’s of work-hours spanning years numbers.
Why?
Learning, practicing and mastering blogging takes a long stretch of time. Blogging has many moving parts. Humans have only 24 hours to work with daily. Most people sleep for 8 hours. Toss in family time, entertainment, exercise and perhaps a full-time job or student duties and bloggers typically have a few hours daily to work with.
This is why it takes years; investing thousands of hours consumes 3-5 years – or more – of your life.
But before we proceed you better answer two important questions.
Engaging in failing blogging strategies for 5 minutes or 5000 hours brings failure.
Straining, striving and coming from scarcity also brings failure.
First you need to follow successful blogging strategies.
What Type of Work?
Publish:
- long form blog posts spanning 1200 to 1500 words
- targeted content to solve the core problems suffered by your ideal reader
- consistently through thick and thin (weekly is a good idea to keep readers current)
to invest wisely.
Notice I did not mention:
- spamming pro bloggers your latest blog post
- spamming pro bloggers your services page
as wise investments.
Create value to become valuable.
Publish detailed content to drive organic traffic and blogging income.
Readers need to trust your content before buying your premium offerings and/or hiring you.
Post detailed, practical content to gain credibility.
Bloggers blog.
Publishing off-site content to social media bridges the gap between your blog and the outside world. Work offsite channels like:
- X
- Threads
- Blue Sky
consistently to funnel readers from each site to your blog.
Make your blog A1. You own it. Create predominantly on your cyber real estate until it morphs into a trusted industry resource. Feel free to work offsite a bit more consistently – and less onsite – after your blog seems to be in tip-top shape.
While you are working on these things for 1000’s of hours over the years…..how do you feel most of the time?
How Do You Feel While You Work?
Like it or not, how you feel determines success or failure as much as the work.
Working mindlessly brings failure because:
- mindlessness is fear
- fear brings struggles
- struggles bring failure
- failing bloggers never go pro
Blog mainly from an abundant feeling. Exude confidence. Relax. Take your time.
Sit with fears like:
- impatience
- greed
- frustration
- laziness
to observe, feel and look past each destructive emotion.
Proceed to blog from abundance.
I bet that your highest quality, most detailed, practical blog posts came from your calm, confident, relaxed mind because everyone does their best work – consistently – from peace.
Chaos is fear. Frenetic environments breed failure sooner than later.
Some claim to find inspiration in chaos but history proves all blow their wad far more quickly than the calm, confident successes of the world. Never mind how bad it feels to blog from a constant state of hurry, worry and crippling anxiety.
Practical Example
I set aside as much time as I needed to publish a detailed resource for this blog post.
Expanding my timelines always creates a quality experience for Blogging From Paradise readers and customers.
I list the necessary practical tips to deliver on the promise of the title above because my mind feels:
- calm
- relaxed
- confident
- abundant
- largely detached from specific outcomes related to traffic and income
Skilled individuals talk about getting lost in the process. Pay close attention to this talisman of wisdom; following this advice ensures that your blogging work leads you to a professional blogging career.
1000’s of Hours
Since 2008 I blogged for 1000’s of hours.
Fellow pros I have met since 2008 share a similar workload estimate.
When I was new to blogging it took me about 2-3 hours to:
- research
- write
- edit
- publish
- promote
a long form blog post.
Look closely at the 500 plus blog posts on Blogging From Paradise Dot Com. The time frame per post dropped over the years but I still spend at least 1-2 hours to get the job done.
Consider the thousands of hours I spent:
- guest blogging
- commenting genuinely on blogsÂ
- creating content for social media
This is what it takes to lay a strong foundation for a full-time blogging career.
I wear many blogging hats.
Yet even bloggers who outsource aggressively still need assistance from Father Time because no one has ever figured out how to take blogging shortcuts.
Smart, rich, powerful people own:
You cannot pull the wool over their eyes; you need to put in the time, share value through these networks and gradually experience organic blogging growth along these channels.
As for guest blogging, gaining guest post invites takes time because building relationships is a slow, steady process. Successful bloggers vet you before giving you the keys to their blog.
Now it is time for the ultimate reality check, folks.
Years of Your Life
I laughed heartily the moment I perused the AI summary for how long it takes a blogger to go pro.
AI low-balled it at 6 months to 2 years.
Bullshit! 🙂
Jokes aside, it is so unlikely to reach such a heady goal in 182 days. Consider the equivalent of claiming you can build a mansion in one month. Mansion owners and/or contractors would tell you to have your head examined because most such builds last anywhere from 12 months to 24 months.
Bloggers are:
- observers
- writers
- editors
- networkers
- entrepreneurs who learn the in’s and out’s of building an online business
How quickly can you learn, practice and master those 5 separate roles?
Do you understand why it takes 1000’s of hours spanning years before you go pro?
Imagine if you have 2 hours a day to blog. Reaching 1000 work-hours takes 500 days. But 1000 hours is still the work of a blogging baby.
As you reach 2K then 5K then more, you will invest years of your life to blogging.
Conclusion
I feel like reading this post may be a relief for most bloggers.
Versus deluding yourself, engaging in failing tactics and quitting, you can relax, kick back and peacefully enjoy the successful blogging journey.
Isn’t that the goal?
