Is blogging for everyone? Can anyone be a blogger? My answer to these questions is YES. Yes anyone can set up a free Blogger or WordPress blog and start blogging. All you need is internet access really and you are good to go. The real question is be can anyone succeed as a full-time/professional Blogger? My answer to that is NO.
In real life, I have had a couple of people tell me they are thinking of starting a blog or wondering how to take their blog to the next level. That is what led to this post you are reading today. Personally, I believe full time Blogging is not meant for everyone. If you want to make any sort of income from your blog, then you have to be ready to put in the right amount of work, and it is HARD WORK. You cannot expect to receive a full-time income and work part-time hours. It won’t work.
Since many people are thinking of starting a blog or looking at making some sort of income out of their blogs, I thought I should mention some personality traits you should have and some facts you should be aware of before bursting a move.
Here are some six personality traits you will need to have to succeed as a full-time professional blogger:
Passion
You have to have a burning passion for your blog and your blog niche. You have to love what you do. That will keep the dream alive and keep you going. I see Fashion and Style Police as a baby I have nurtured from the cradle and now I am beginning to see the results. My baby is becoming a toddler and it didn’t happen overnight. Just like real babies do not becomes toddlers overnight. My passion kept me going and it is still keeping me going. Do you have that passion?
Self Motivated
You must be able to motivate yourself during the early stages when you have no one reading your blog except your mum. You must be able to keeping updating your blog with engaging content when you have few followers and no comments or likes. You must be ready to see your monthly statement from your Google Adsence or WordAds to discover you only received $2 that month. You will need to be able to shake all these issues off and keep going. Are you self motivated?
Thick Skin
You have to be ready for everyone to have an opinion. You will receive hateful comments from trolls and not everyone will like you (doesn’t matter if they never met you). You will need a thick skin to ignore the trolls and focus on building your blog and your brand. You will also need thick skin when brands and PRs refuse to work with you, or never respond to your emails. You must learn to not take it personal. Do you have a thick skin?
Happy Working Alone
I thrive when I work alone. Office environment is not meant for me. I can’t concentrate with all the chit-chat and banter going on. I like some peace and quiet when I write and I thrive in isolation. Crazy right? Yes I am weird like that but you have to be happy working alone if you want to go into full-time blogging. It is an isolating job. You will be working alone pretty much, except you have babies like I do, but I write when they are asleep and even if they are awake, I can’t ask them what they think about a new blog series or draft. I am pretty much on my own as far as this blog is considered and I love that. Are you happy working alone?
Hard Work
Blogging is hard work, don’t let all the events, freebies, or the glitz and glamour fool you. You have to be able to get people to read your blog, comment and subscribe to succeed as a pro blogger and that is not easy. You have to think outside the box and go outside your comfort zone to keep your blog interesting and engaging. A Pro Blogger brings something new to the table or she brings the same thing in a very different way.
You also have to know how to sell your blog. Social media should be your best friend, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, you have to be creatively active on all these channels to get your blog noticed. Can you put in the hard work?
Writing/Styling
To be a successful blogger, you must have a flair for writing or styling if you are a Fashion Blogger. I know some very successful fashion bloggers that don’t write, just give credit to the brands they are wearing. Bloggers like Blair from Atlantic Pacific just shows off her outfits and she has a massive loyal following.
Some other bloggers do more of writing than showing off their personal style and many do a mixture of both like I do. You have to decide on where your strengths lie and focus more on that. Can you write/style?
For gossip bloggers, this writing/styling trait does not really apply. They just have to be able to publish the juiciest gossip ASAP and promote their blog like crazy.
**This post is for bloggers thinking of making some form of income from their blog, not for hobby bloggers. If you are thinking of making money from your blog and you have all or most of this traits then start treating your blog as a business and you will see the results.
Are you a pro blogger or are you thinking of being one? What do you think of these traits? Sound off in the comment section pls. Thanks for reading.
Amazing read ,quick and to the point.
Love the bit about your mum being the only person to read your post. Lol ditto
Outfittingu.com/blog
My mum reads all my posts and she was the only one reading for awhile. Funny but true. Lol.
ive always wondered whether I should take the plunge and start blogging full time, this post has made me rekindle that idea…
I am glad it rekindled that idea. Thanks for stopping by.
I totally agree with all the points you have mentioned! I have been blogging already for about 1,5 year and can definitely say it is a HARD work! You need to be passionate about the topic and keep going even if only your mum is reading your blog in the beginning 🙂
Yea true that. Thanks for stopping by.
Good points. Promoting my blog is what I find the most time consuming. My blog has been up for over 3 months and I’m still struggling to get traffic to it. But I know that passion, time and learnings will get me there. Thanks for sharing 😉
I find promoting harder than creating the content as well. It gets easier.
This was so helpful!!!! Thank you so much. Im gonna have to read this on repeat
Glad you found it useful. Thanks for reading.
Very helpful and informative, I’m a new blogger so i always enjoy posts like this …thank you.
You are welcome. Glad you liked it.
Very informative post hon! And I love the way you call your blog your ‘baby’, I do that too with my work, so i have lots of babies now, hmmm, maybe now some full blown kids! You raised very good points about blogging to make beginners really look into themselves, their strengths etc and decide whether to take the plunge in a veeeery saturated market! Have a good Sunday!
Glad you enjoyed it. Have a fab Sunday.
Hey there,
Loved this post.
You followed me on my previous blog https://myfashionpoetry.wordpress.com/ but I have a new site now, this one https://fashionpoetrybyval.wordpress.com/ . Please follow there. see you there, Thanks xx
This is very helpful… Val ( https://fashionpoetrybyval.wordpress.com/ . )
Glad you found it useful. Thanks for reading.
This is very informative. I really love it. Thanks girl.
You are welcome Osime.
I’d count myself lucky if I was able to blog part time, let alone full time. Although I’m happy writing as things are now 🙂 x
http://www.sheintheknow.co.uk
As long as you are happy blogging the way you are that is all that matters. Thanks for stopping by.
Has anyone tried MyBlogU? It’s Ann Smarty’s site that lets you ask a few questions and then lots of people answer. Those answers become an article you own. It’s a way to speed up blogging and promotion, which both sometimes seem to eat up too many hours
Sometimes my motivation disappears and it can be very disheartening! xx
Love Vicki | victoriajanex.co.uk
I know. It is quite difficult to keep the dream alive but self motivation is needed to succeed because the rough to pro blogging is so rough.
Wow, you are so right! I started blogging as a hobby last year and really enjoyed it, so became self-hosted and thought the money would mean that I could give up my day job.
I was so wrong! I haven’t earned a penny. I work full time, I’m a single mum, and I love writing, but I have now realised just how much dedication is needed. But, I an determined:)
It is hard work and most newbie bloggers do not understand how HARD it is to go pro.
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I have so much respect for “pro” bloggers as I blog as more of a hobby and its so time consuming so I can only imagine the time it takes for those who are making money etc from their blog! x
Yea I can only imagine the amount of work the mega big bloggers put in. Hard work.
Some great in here. I agree that everyone can be a blogger, provided that you have the passion and patience to do it! Blogging gives you skills too that can cross over into so many different career paths, so whether you’re a mum taking a career break, or a teenager yet to set out on a career, having your own blog can set you up in so many ways for the future. Tx
Yea Tracey. Thanks for stopping by.
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Good post! Totally agree, so many people think you just need to write a few post and brands will run after you to hand money out. Doesn’t work like that, you’re right it really does take hard work, and if you don’t enjoy it there’s just no way it can work 🙂
Yea exactly. Thanks for reading Valentin.