Employees are tired of being underpaid and are quitting in record numbers in 2024 as part of The Great Resignation and quiet quitting trend. As inflation and the cost of living rise with wages stay the same, we are getting squeezed out of the economy. We know our job is lousy. We know we work too much for too little. We answer emails and messages 7 days a week at all hours, or break our backs and are too sore to play on the weekends, if we even get weekends off. In the United States and some other countries, you are lucky if you get two weeks of vacation and you're usually scolded if you actually take them! There has to be a better way. Fortunately there is one option to be your own boss and make potentially unlimited income.
You can blog professionally from the comfort of your home or while traveling. It is a great work from home or digital nomad career option with a lot of profitable potential, especially in today's dangerous Coronavirus recession economy filled with inflation. The sky is the limit as a professional blogger, where you can go from small side hustle to 6 or 7 figures of income.
Here are 5 exact steps to leave your dead end job and start making blogging a lucrative full-time career that supports you in 2023 and 2024.
1. Build A Blog And Share Your Unique Insights
First you need to build a blog if you want to be a professional blogger. Luckily that costs nothing, or no more than $100 at least depending on how you do it. You can use WordPress.com, WordPress.org, Blogspot / Blogger to get started. Purchase a domain name on GoDaddy or dozens of other website registrars for $10-20 or less and purchase hosting if you need it for WordPress.org self hosting. Start reading and watching tutorials and playing around with creating a few pages and articles so you have a basic understanding of what you're working with. Google and YouTube are your friends when building a blog!
What Inspires You?
We know your job stinks, but what are your other interests, hobbies, passions? What did you dream about becoming when you grew up? Do you still have an ember glowing inside your heart for that dream still? Whatever you still want to do, there is a way to share that with the world without actually having to do it and that’s through blogging. Blogging is a platform that is all yours to write in or post videos on or whatever else you may like. It allows you to express what you are unable to express at a job because you are more motivated now to be productive.
Let’s say you still have a strong passion for theater. You can write about the fantasies of theater while at your crummy job. Make your story fun, sad or angry. It doesn’t matter. Blogging professionally allows you to share with the world your dreams. A job can’t take this away from you. Follow your passion!
2. Define Your Blogging Niche
A niche is your field of interest. It is what you want to focus on with your blog. The best way to find your niche is to match your strongest passion with something beneficial to others. Like with your Theater niche, you could talk about how to act while still working a job. You can help out other Theater majors find time to act while still holding a job. Or, you can simply talk about all your interests and provide solutions to others who are struggling. In addition, you could create monologues and just post them on your blog.
Whatever you want to do, make sure that it is either somewhat entertaining, useful, or provides answers to problems people are having. The best way to move your business blog in the right direction is to use Helpfull to test blog ideas and titles before publishing.
If you love music, write about how music makes you feel like you have escaped your job. Help others feel like they escaped their job through music. The point is to write about your passions and insecurities while helping others with the same problems. The more problems you help solve for people, the more they will want to come back and keep reading your blog.
3. Juggle Your Blog While Holding A Job, At Least In The Beginning
A blog takes time to grow. You will probably need to keep your job for a while longer as your blog gains an audience and gets enough traffic to monetize. Ideally it's good to keep your benefits and weekly paycheck while you work on your blogging side hustle.
I blogged every day before work. It got easier the more I did it. If you write content, make sure it’s original and at least 600 words per post, or a video / infographic and at least 300 words. Creating consistent content is the key.
The more consistent you are the more love you will get from the search engines like Google, who bring you organic traffic and the more your audience will grow. SEO takes time but it is a smart investment for bloggers.
4. Monetize Your Blog
Here’s the good part, and also the most essential if you want to become a professional blogger. Once your blog starts gaining momentum, you will have the opportunity to place income earning advertising or affiliate products on your site. Ideally, you want to advertise something that relates to your niche. Google’s Adsense is a good “Cost Per Click” advertising platform because it caters to the interest your readers already have. The ads change to fit the needs of a particular reader based on the content on your site and their search preferences. That personalization based on browsing history and cookies may be kind of scary, but it’s effective for consistently personalized ads. Google Adsense only really pays off when you get at least 1,000 visitors a day to your blog, so it's really just a starting point to monetizing your blog.
I would look for things that pay higher like affiliate marketing, sponsored content, premium ad networks, or network marketing. For example, I promote a network marketing product on this site and get 75% commissions and a Web Host Service that pays 50%. I also use Amazon Affiliates and premium ad networks for additional income opportunities with my blog. There are good deals out there and you can always change your revenue streams on your blog as you get more experienced and amass larger amounts of published content, including paid reviews and article writing income.
Another option to monetize your blog is to sell Ebooks or your own branded products. You can set up a free merchandise store on Spread Shirt, design your products, set your prices, and get commissions any time a purchase is made on your reputable blog. You don't even have to buy or stock any inventory! Some blog entrepreneurs also create courses or make their own unique products to sell on their sites. Other full-time bloggers offer consulting or coaching services to supplement their blog income. The possibilities are endless when it comes to expanding your blog income.
Here's where the pressure comes in though. If you can't monetize your blog to the right scale consistently month after month, you won't make it as a professional blogger. You must ensure you can make money consistently through multiple revenue streams in case one source of income on your blog slows or stops.
5. Finally Fire Your Boss And Build Your Blog
The best feeling in the world is when your blog starts paying you MORE than your job. At this time, you have the ecstatic right to turn in your two week notice. Or ghost them, or storm out triumphantly like in the movies "I Quit!" but we recommend not burning your bridges. You will feel free when you fire your boss, quit your job, and start making money full time with blogging. Just don't do it too soon, timing is everything as you make the transition to blogging professionally.
It is the period known as "The Great Regisnation" after all where underpaid and underappreciated workers are taking back their freedom, understanding their value, and enjoying a better work-life balance.
Blogging Is Not A Get Rich Scheme And Takes Time
Although top bloggers in the world (think Perez Hilton or Neil Patel as examples) make 6-7 figures annually, you need to manage your expectations... especially for the first year or two. Your initial blogging income for year one full-time might be closer to $30-40k. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme to get you out of your job, it’s a life transformation.
Blogging not only reveals your thoughts to the world, it develops you as an overall thinker and skilled writer. It takes a lot of content to grow your blog to job-replacing income, but it is a journey worth striving towards. Because really a low paying job will never help you get ahead financially in the long-term and it could cause you to miss your shot at fame and fortune.
We must change in order to get better things in life, and a blog is the surest vehicle I know of enabling you to quit your job and work for yourself full time. There is still hope to be your own boss as a professional content producer!
Shoot For The Moon, Even If You Miss, You Will Land Among The Stars
This quote by Norman Vincent Peale is very relevant for ambitious bloggers. You don't have to be the next Neil Patel or Perez Hilton making 7 figures of annual income to be successful. There is plenty of room at the top for bloggers to earn 5 or 6 figures annually, even if you aren't a household name or niche celebrity.
Blogging can be the golden ticket to being your own boss! Even in the age of ChatGPT, you can still be a profitable writer in 2023.
Even if your blog doesn't succeed or doesn't replace your full income, it could still open up major doors in your career. I know dozens of people that have done just that after a semi-successful or even failed blogging career. Your blog just taught you more about writing, content marketing, social media, email marketing, SEO, affiliate sales, PPC, and so much more! Those are all valuable skills for many employers that will make you much more marketable if you need to get another full time job. Consider it a blogger's Plan B in 2023 or to score more in 2024!