Getting traffic’s hard enough without taking on extra work
Blogging is not a quick win. You’re highly unlikely to be making good money in less than a year, so it’s best to assume it’ll take a year (and that’s just to get the traffic, not the actual cash in the bank).
And if you’re an overnight success, that’s just the icing on the cake.
Despite knowing it’ll take a while, human nature dictates that we must try to hack our way to success, using social media, Pinterest, schedulers, lead magnets, yada yada yada.
1. Tags
I’m picked a bit of a bizarre one to start with but for good reason —…
Before you scream ‘BUT I HAVEN’T GOT TIME’ at me, yeah, I know. Starting a niche website can be a massive, stressful undertaking if you’re new to it.
All that keyword research, niche research and actually writing the articles is hardly a stroll in the park.
But PLEASE hear me out.
I don’t even want to convince you that you need to start another niche site, I just need you to know that it’s an option.
There is no law out there dictating thou shalt only have one active domain at a time.
At least, I don’t think there is.
…
Perhaps I should have checked before I became one…
It wasn’t like I was expecting to be lounging on a chaise longue whilst dictating my latest bodice ripper to an assistant wearing a Chanel twinset and glasses on a chain (#goals though).
To be honest I hadn’t really put much thought into what my life would look like. As a devout member of the Church of Don’t Jinx It, I never allowed myself to think about it too much.
Don’t stop to think about the future. Just write your blog content and repeat, er, forever.
Yet here I am, sitting at my desk, being A Writer. Weirdly, I don’t…
And actually start creating content
I have to admit, I’ve never really struggled with analysis paralysis.
(For those of you that don’t know, AP is when you spend so long thinking about what you’re going to write about that you never actually start)
Ideas for websites just occur to me, and I start them.
A few years back I’d get bored and give up six months later, delete all the content and start again. Nowadays, I just buy another domain name and start another website.
The current count is four, but I have a few ideas.
So though I don’t suffer from the ol’ analysis…
In fact, it’s a recipe for burnout
Everyone wants a side hustle nowadays. Ever read Refinery29’s money diaries? They all have side hustles — even those on massive salaries.
I always dreamed I could write for a living, but it isn’t something I thought was actually possible. *Luckily* I graduated in a recession, so the crappy job I had pushed me to pursue my writing.
When I started, I was pretty broke, so I spent a lot of time on personal finance and side hustle websites.
These websites make for grim reading for people like me that like to make time to sleep, eat, and do jigsaw…
One thing I’ve discovered about increasing one’s productivity is that it can’t exist in a vaccuum. There’s no point planning to write 10 hours a day when you only have two free.
Instead, you to ensure you can squeeze as much into those 2 hours as you can, and try to arrange it so that during your work time, you don’t need to worry about anything else.
Obviously, worrisome things crop up, but the mundane, everyday things like what you’re going to have for dinner don’t get a look in during Work Time.
I am NOT a naturally organised person…
Without having to get up at 5 am
Let me start by saying I hate productivity porn, nearly as much as I hate ‘useful’ tips such as ‘make sure you have your own office space’.
Even worse than those who can seemingly enlarge their house on a whim (and simultaneously free it of toddlers, pets, and obligations) are those that insist our lives will be changed if we rise at 5 am.
5 am is, and always will be, part of the nighttime. The daytime starts at 6 am, and that’s only for birds and dog walkers.
My aim in life is to be free to do what…
But writing what you want to know can be better
Writing advice is great.
I mean, without researching how to write, how else would I procrastinate for hours a day?
And as it goes, you could do worse than ‘write what you know’.
Makes sense, no?
How would one write what one didn’t know?
If you’re looking to make a passive income-generating (eventually) website, picking a niche can be an early roadblock.
It’s all very well and good picking a topic you know a lot about, but what if it’s something you don’t care about?
Especially if that topic is linked to your day job.
If you’ve just spent 8…
And actually have that money in your bank account
I begin with a whole spiel about my hopes and dreams, but stick around — there’s a pretty sexy table I made in Canva coming up.
I’ve wanted to be a full-time writer my whole life.
Apart from a brief interest in being a vet/lawyer/florist when I was eight, it’s always been my dream.
(Not just the writing, but the whole lifestyle — staying at home, making my own schedule, and being able to write plants off as expenses)
So I did what everyone told me to:
- I drafted a novel
- I started multiple blogs
- I started several ebooks
- I applied for jobs on freelance writing boards
- I bought Tailwind…
Money is the great motivator
Don’t start a blog if you’re only in it for the money.
I guess this is good advice.
It takes a lot of time and dedication to make money writing on the internet. It’s not for the faint-hearted.
But if you want to be a professional writer, having your own website is a great way to generate passive income.
Making a living is important.
We all like having a roof over our heads and a belly full of food.
And while a lot of people are happy to get a job in an office, or a cafe or an oil rig, some of us would…
Caroline Cocker
Writer, blogger. Rabbit parent to one. Plant parent to many. Occasional runner, jigsaw puzzle enthusiast.
