7 steps to $$ blogging

It’s a day all about moving you forward [The Writer’ s Life]( April 17, 2024 "Don't forget — no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell." – Charles de Lint Hi {NAME}, Let's talk about something all writers should be doing … Blogging. It gives you daily writing practice. It's the ultimate sample of your writing. You can use it to make money without clients. You can also make money writing for clients. Plus, a blog opens you up to so many other writing opportunities … You can get paid to optimize the content for the search engines … get paid to drive traffic to it from social media … spin it into newsletter content … spin it into video content … spin a collection of blogs into a training program … Bottom line: there's a lot of money to be made from learning this one skill. [>> More on the money aspect of blogging here.]( Today though, I thought we'd walk through the basics of how to start your own blog … So you can get started now, and set yourself up for big success this year! (For a heavy dose of inspiration, [check out the stories]( of 10 bloggers who make upwards of $10,000 a month from their own blogs … ) Let's dig in … Step 1: Come up with an idea What do you want to write about? I recommend you pick something you are genuinely interested in … Something you'd love to immerse yourself in learning, researching, and writing about every single day. Continuing to learn and share about something you're excited about is the best way to keep your blog going week after week. If you need an idea, [grab this report of 347 lucrative blogging ideas](. It will help you make a decision, so you can move forward to Step 2! (It's normally only available with our [blogging program](, but I've posted it at the link above for today, so you can have it either way.) Step 2: Choose a name You'll want a unique and interesting name, so it's memorable. But you might also want a name that helps people understand what the blog is about at first glance. Either way, don't overthink it … this is one of those steps that can stop you before you even get started. And you can always change it! Just make sure the ".com" is available, so you're not sending someone else your potential readers. Step 3: Choose a blogging platform There are lots of paid and free options available to new bloggers … And we cover the most popular, and how to navigate all the "techie stuff" about setting up a blog, in our [blogging program](. But for the sake of ease — especially if you don't consider yourself tech-savvy — WordPress is hard to beat. We use it in our [Build Your Freelance Website in Four Days]( series because it's very newbie-friendly. And the built-in tools ensure your blog is set up properly to be found by search engines. Step 4: Create an Editorial Calendar Taking the time to plan your first few weeks or months of content will set you up for success. You'll never be stuck thinking about what to write … when you should already be writing. Stuck for ideas? Go where your audience is … Read reviews on products they buy to see what problems they're having, participate in social media groups where they hang out to see what questions they're asking, and scope out other blogs in your niche to identify popular themes … It's okay to write about similar topics. What makes your blog unique is YOUR voice and perspective. Step 5: Start writing! There's no one-size-fits-all to blogging … but here are some tips that will get you going … - Start with an engaging headline for each post that grabs your readers' attention. The best blog post in the world won't do you any good if people ignore it. - Be relevant, useful, or entertaining to keep your readers engaged and give them a reason to keep reading. - Use proven formulas (sometimes). People love listicles, how-to's, reviews, and personal stories. So mix it up. And also be creative when it comes to your own ideas, formulas, and formats. Remember, this is YOUR blog. Have fun with it! Step 6: Build your audience "If you build it, they will come" might have worked in Field of Dreams … But when it comes to blogs, you need to help people find them. The first place is people using search engines like Google … Spend some time researching the keywords people use when searching for answers your blog provides. And then write posts inspired by these keywords, and integrate them into your post. Think about the intention of the searcher (what information they are hoping to find when they search for that keyword) and then write the highest quality piece of content you can on the topic. Tip: Longer posts tend to rank better on Google than shorter ones, so aim for 1,000 to 2,000 words. The second way to build your blog audience is through social media … You can experiment with different platforms to see what works best for you and which ones you enjoy using. But sharing your posts will get them in front of more eyeballs. Step 7: Create your monetization strategy Finally, as you start building your audience, it's time to monetize your blog (i.e., make money from it!). And there are all kinds of ways to do so (again, covered extensively in our [blogging program](). But here are a few to consider: - Ad networks - Sponsored content arrangements - Affiliate deals - Coaching or consulting services - Selling your own products Now, even if you don't try to monetize your blog immediately … I do still recommend you start building an email list right away. In the beginning, it can be as simple as emailing your subscribers notifications that you've posted something new. The important thing is that when you have an email list, you have permission to keep in contact with people who have shown interest in what you're writing about and have taken an action by subscribing. This will give you the opportunity in the future to form affiliate relationships with companies who have products you believe in … or create your own products that you can promote to your list. That's it — seven basic steps to your own blog! If you'd like help, or you'd like to also write blogs for clients, grab our [blogging program here](. It covers everything you need to know to start making money writing for blogs AND is on sale until midnight tonight with a CRAZY bonus you are not going to believe! To your success, Rebecca Matter President AWAI P.S. As I mentioned, you can also write blog posts for businesses and make a predictable monthly income. How much? These days a simple post under 1,000 words will earn you $250-$400 … and longer posts around 2,000 words can make you $800-$1,000+. That's per blog post! Set yourself up to earn consistent fees like that when you get started today with our [bestselling blog program](. Former Barista Making $9/hr Now Makes Six Figures Writing It's a true story … His "base" hourly rate is now north of $180 per hour. That's without any bosses breathing down his back … Without having to drive every morning to a job he doesn't like … And without having to ask permission for some time off. How did he go from making $9 an hour working at a coffee chain to making six figures with writing (even though English is his second language)? And more importantly, how can YOU follow in his footsteps? Click the button below to find out. [Find out here.]( Turn $1 Into $2,500 as a Writer Using This Blueprint This blueprint will show you how you can start making $2,500 per month as a writer — even if you're just starting out. And if you decide to give it a shot, you'll gain access to every resource you'll need to execute that blueprint for just a dollar. All the roadmaps … All the articles … All the how-to videos … All the training webinars … The member forum, the job board, the tutorials, the tools … PLUS, three more valuable resources … It's all there — everything you need to get started making money as a writer. [Check it out for yourself for free right now.]( What's Hot at AWAI … 👉 LAST DAY: [Grab our popular blogging program and save BIG!]( 💸 How do blogs make money? [Here's the breakdown.]( 🤩 [Event organizer trades cold winters and tiring commutes for life as a blog writer by the Caribbean Sea.]( Emails increasing revenue … [Post about client's revenue being up from the emails the writer wrote] Congrats EG! It's exciting to see how your work is really paying off for the company! Have your own story to share? Email us at mysuccess@awai.com, or [post it over in the Facebook group](, so we can celebrate your win too! Free Training: Thursday, April 18, at noon ET 👇 [Access Instructions Here]( Featured Jobs You can find these jobs and thousands more on [WritersWanted.com](: --------------------------------------------------------------- Senior Content Writer – Oasis Network Full-time, Remote In this role, you will produce and edit content for the Oasis Foundation. You'll be part of the Communications circle of the wider Marketing & Community team, and you will report to the Communications Lead. --------------------------------------------------------------- Content Writer & eNewsletter Coordinator – IDR, Inc. Full-time, Remote IDR is seeking a Content Writer & eNewsletter Coordinator for a 100% remote opportunity for one of our clients. Develop relationships with internal subject matter experts (SMEs) in order to gather content and updates for the monthly newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- Part-time Copywriter – Blazesoft Part-time, Remote (Canada) As a part-time copywriter, you will play a crucial role in delivering compelling content in various formats, such as blogs, on-page content, guest posts, and more. 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