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What a whirlwind it has been since starting this blog!
A handful of redesign efforts, taking a step-by-step course, being slapped in the face by Pinterest, and spending a little too much money…
We have had a serious amount of reflection and learning, and we’re here to give you the blunt, honest truth of what it is like to be a blogger.
There are SO many bloggers who make it appear far easier than in reality. For someone who stays at home all day, that’s one thing. But it is common to see blogging as an option for an easy side hustle, as quick side income, or passive income.
You may just be one of those people who is interested in blogging for extra cash!
No matter your situation, this article will provide you insight regarding:
- Tips to be a better “newbie blogger”
- The 5 reasons why you may hate being a blogger!
- Why so many new bloggers drop out within the first 3 months
Tons of info jammed into one! Let’s get started!
Think you’re ready to start your blog? Head over to our step-by-step guide for beginners to discover how to start up your first blog! Yay!
5. Support
This is critical as a new blogger, but also really hard.
If you plan on blogging without anyone knowing, it won’t be easy to hide it for long. You’ll understand why as you read through the following bullet points.
If you’re married, your spouse will be suspicious over the (unexpected) large purchases. Your kids will wonder why you are tied to your computer and sounding like you’re typing a novel every evening. Your classmates may wonder why you always have a crazy number of tabs open on your laptop. Your friends could be confused why you decline to hang with them.
Get the idea?
But, hey, let’s say you want to start blogging and earning income as a surprise or to prove someone that you are capable of being a strong, independent woman. Or, of course, you want to avoid embarrassment for whatever reason.
Don’t let that discourage you too much. It can still work!
As a suggestion, start by finding support with like-minded people!
Some Additional avenues for support:
- The #DebtFreeCommunity on social media, especially Instagram, for finance bloggers
- YouTube
- Facebook groups, especially ones tied to courses
4. Motivation
This is a huge reason why we found blogging to be a difficult side hustle.
In the mere 3 months of the blog being live (as of this post being written), we have seen so many bloggers stop. Yikes!
Now, it may have been for any one of these 5 reasons, but this point is such a big factor for success.
Before taking a go at creating a blog, we learned that successful bloggers are the ones who survive the “3-month hump”.
The “3-month hump” is staying strong through the trial-and-error, failures, and lack of income throughout the first 3 months.
It is important to come into blogging with the right mindset. If your goal is make money, it is advised that you consider creating your blog as a passion, rather than to simply earn “x” amount of extra dollars a month.
One way to help you feel more comfortable about spending and earning for your blog, is to use our favorite (free!) money tracking service, Personal Capital! Learn more here!
Sure, all of the income report pins on Pinterest can be enticing! You’re not alone!
Your first month blogging will be a crazy one. In fact, the second month is a true experience as well!
You’ll learn an incredible amount of material, develop new skills, and challenge yourself. But, it is a great experience, nevertheless!
Regarding motivation, it is critical that you set realistic expectations and make long term goals.
The first month is exciting, but it is easy to get frustrated, seeing others’ success. Your blog may not look as pretty as theirs. You may not be purchasing expensive themes or plugins due to money constraints. You may be sidetracked by everyone else that you’ll lose sight of your own blog.
But, the worst of all: Never let yourself down for not making as much money as another blogger.
It’s so easy to compare yourself to another. We do this all the time, no matter the place or situation! As stated in our first income report, never compare your beginning to someone’s middle.
There will always be bloggers better than you. That’s just fact! Yet, there will always be bloggers on the other side of the stick as well. Keep your head up!
Learn to keep your motivation high during your first few months by:
- Setting many goals, from short-term to long-term. If you fail, figure out why and try something new.
- Stop procrastinating! If you have free time, create new graphics, explore many blogs, or make another article!
- Investing in a proven course that details exactly what you need to do, every step of the way!
- Be realistic with yourself regarding potential progress with your blog, and don’t compare yourself to others!
3. Skill
If there is one thing we’ve been slapped in the face with regarding blogging, it is having to learn SO many new skills.
As a new blogger, you’ll have to learn (and this is a short list and not all-inclusive): WordPress, hosting, SEO, Pinterest/Instagram/YouTube etc., graphic design, website design, CSS and HTML coding (even if just basic), email, proper writing and grammar for your audience, new platforms such as Sumo and email services, tons of new terminology, and more.
So, when you’re new at blogging, you will most likely search Pinterest for advice. You’ll find plenty of articles that give you advice stating: “x easy steps to make money blogging!”, or something of the similar.
HOWEVER, there is an incredible amount of time you’ll need to dedicate to learning new skills in order to be successful. This is rarely talked about.
One of the biggest skills mentioned above is graphic design!
If you’ve read any articles that seek to help new bloggers, you may have found that Pinterest is the holy grail for bringing in new readers.
Did you find this article through Pinterest? Case in point!
However, with that comes the need to learn how to create graphics that not only are graphically enticing, but will result in clicks.
It is harder than it looks!
Plus, to make quality graphics, you’ll have to pay for a good platform. Those usually run around $100/year!
Those “make easy money today by blogging!” articles didn’t tell you that, did they?
However, we’ve had much relief after getting Tailwind. We are able to figure out what other bloggers within our niche are doing, and ask for advice regarding our own designs. Plus, it’s a huge time saver!
For someone who has no design experience or no app/platform to make pins on, this could be a significant hurdle to have to cross.
Some advice:
- Make a private board on your Pinterest profile to compile successful pins. Try to use design ideas from these pins for your own. Experiment and never stop trying!
- Create a “look” for your blog. Once you find a few Pinterest templates that drive more people to your blog, keep to a set theme or incorporate certain colors into each pin. You want people to start recognizing your brand.
- Interested in a FREE 100 posts through Tailwind? Of course you are! Click here to take advantage of this special offer!
2. Money
If you want your blog to be a passive-income machine, you MUST realize the money it takes to create a successful blog.
For many, this is a stopping point. As you create your blog and grow, you’ll only have to spend more and more. There will be unexpected expenses, and large purchases. It is pretty ridiculous for so many people to advertise blogging as an inexpensive way to earn extra income, due to the amount of money that has to be put into it!
However, that money can be quickly paid off once you start earning! It is just important to know how much initial investment it will take for the blog to get moving.
So far, in the first few months of blogging (as of the date this was written), we have spent:
- $200 for 3 years of website hosting
- $90 for a year of Divi, a popular blogging theme
- $80 for a year of a P.O. Box (required for sending emails)
**This is an example of an expense that is rarely told to new bloggers - $100 for a blogging course like this one by Create and Go (it seems like a lot of money, but you’ll save yourself incredible amounts of time)
- $100 for a year of graphic design (I use PicMonkey and the Over app)
- $100 for a year of Tailwind
You read that right. Almost $700 in two months.
It is necessary to note that we purposefully have not paid for certain services yet, to save money. There are even more expenses that would make the blog even better.
Also, not to mention the insane amount of time that has been spent on the blog that could have been put toward other jobs! Yikes!
Overall, it is absolutely necessary to understand how much money it will take ahead of time, before you get too excited about blogging!
On top of that, it is important to understand your financial situation overall, by listening to podcasts or reading a book such as Total Money Makeover.
It can be a rewarding path for side income, but it can be disheartening when you don’t earn money during the first few months, yet have spent HUNDREDS with hope for success!
Therefore, that’ll lead us into the biggest reason why so many people won’t be cut out for blogging…
1. Time
If you’ve read through all of the previous bullet points and have said, “Yeah, I can do this!”, then be sure to pay extra attention to this one!
Just like the topic of money, you must understand the time component regarding blogging!
You probably are wanting to earn income from your new blog, right? Let’s consider why you must have realistic time expectations before getting started!
For ONE blog post, you could expect…
- Each blog post may take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours to write, edit, and publish.
- Graphic design may take 15-30 minutes per graphic, and additional time to upload, put on Pinterest, add to Tailwind, etc. Many suggest around 5 pins per post.
- SEO optimization could take around 10 minutes.
- It is also appropriate to assume an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour per post for adding affiliate linking, linking to other articles, fixing formatting, etc.
Now, we have seen and read plenty of advice articles for new bloggers. One of the craziest (and potentially most successful) methods is to write 150 articles in a 3-month time period, then to work on monetizing afterward.
We’ll let you do the math there!
Now, can you imagine being a mom who is trying to create a blog in her down time after work and after attending to her kids? She may get one article out a week, after going through the large learning curve for all of the platforms, services, and new skills.
That’s where the necessity for support and motivation come in!
This is by no means to scare anyone off, but blunt honesty regarding a path of passive income that many play off to be easier than it is!
With that said, blogging is an amazing way to get away from your normal job and earn some passive income. It can be very rewarding!
Let’s Summarize!
- It takes a lot of time, money, and drive to be a successful blogger! Use the advice in this article to set realistic goals for your personal blog.
- Start tracking your blog’s financial growth with a FREE account with Personal Capital!
- It is important to know ahead of time what to expect when starting off as a blogger. Make both short-term and long-term goals!
- Shave countless hours off your learning by investing in at least one course. It will be exciting when you start earning sooner!
- Build a support group, whether it is your spouse, friends, or through an online community. There are plenty of others who are going down the same path as you are!
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to check out our other articles to get advice to save up money for your blog, and to properly invest for financial success!
All advice and opinions provided in this post are reflections on experience and are honest to help readers make appropriate decisions on their path to saving and investing. Affiliates were used in this article. Please see our disclaimer page for more details.
This was a great article! I currently have an ecommerce store where I sell handcrafted jewelry and embroidery, but have been considering branching into blogging. I did the math for 150 posts in a 3 month time span (using the average of the stats that had a variable time amount) and that’s expecting approximately 11 hours and 19 minutes a day on blog posts. Absolutely crazy and eye opening! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this detailed and informed post 🙂
Nice write up. I wanted to know what I was doing wrong as regards my blog. Definitely worth reading to the end. 👍🏾
I appreciate the honesty in this post. So many people make it out to be an easy way to make money, but it really does require a lot of time, skill, and money before you get anywhere(and I have yet to get anywhere!) I’m still excited about seeing where this takes me, as I am enjoying creating blogs, learning about how to do so professionally, and making graphics.
Thanks for the post!
Absolutely! Setting goals and staying motivated will be key to get you through the next few months. Keep it up!!
Thanks for this post, Scarlett. The barriers to entry for blogging is not typically discussed in all of those “Make easy money blogging” courses. Developing a plan for the year really helps, my expectation is to not plan on making any money until 6-9 months since that’s when Google starts ranking your domain/posts higher up, which is what can really drive a lot of traffic. I’m about a month and a half in, so my 3 month hump is coming up, I’m ready for it!
Great content thanks!!
This is so relatable. I am close to month 3 and I am still learning. Thanks for the encouragement.
I love how you lay all the facts out bluntly. I don’t know why so many people promote blogging as a way to earn an actual livable income. I’ve begun to suspect the only ones making money are the ones selling crap to other bloggers. Kind of like a blogging pyramid scheme.
You are absolutely correct, Sheryl! Don’t ever think that your blog isn’t good enough because you aren’t earning right now! It takes time but it’ll be worth it in the end!
Love this it’s so true, blogging is hard work and very time-consuming! I’ve been blogging for about 3 months now and am no where near making any money so this is very encouraging. I’m glad to know the real side to blogging because some posts I see make me feel like I must be doing something wrong. But either way I actually really enjoy blogging! Thank you!
Thanks for reading, Lezlie! Yes! That is definitely a surprise to many! Glad to hear you’re doing a lot of research ahead of time. Best of luck!!
Thank you for this honest article. I’ve been tossing around the idea and reading everything I can. I think my biggest take away from this article is the cost involved. Wow!!!
I appreciate your honesty! I have seen both. Those who make it seem easy and those who are honest about the effort that goes into it. I am currently in my 3rd month and nowhere near making any income. Ha! No plans to stop though. Thank you for the encouragement!
Welcome, Beatrice! You are absolutely correct. Nothing worthwhile is easy. It takes time, but if you believe in your ability to make it through a few months of learning to effectively write posts, you will have amazing potential!
Thank you. I’m not sure what else to say. I’m just considering blogging and trying to learn all I can prior to making to the jump. I assumed that it wouldn’t be easy. Nothing worth doing ever is. I appreicate the honesty. The technical side is the easy part for me. It’s the writing that I’m struggling with. Getting thoughts in black and white can be a struggle.
Hey Rachel! You are absolutely correct-the learning curve is far more than what anyone expects. During our early research, we found that many of those bloggers that claim having made good money fast are not on their first blog. They already have the knowledge, background, and resources to quickly start up another blog. Others just have more disposable income, or simply have significantly more available time. The best advice we have come across is to trust the process. Too many bloggers stop after a few months. We’ve encountered many saying to blog for 1 year before giving up. Seems like a long time, but by then most are making money and have reached their goals!
Thanks, Kassi! Glad you stopped by!
I love blogging and have no intention of quitting. I want this to be my income. Discouragement for me though, comes from hearing about so many people making money in the first 3 months. I am on month 3 and no where close to making a dime. The learning curve is crazy and takes so much time. I’m an excellent writer so I have that going for me, but everything else is brand new. I have close to no page views, followers, or email subscribers. What the heck am I doing wrong? I have purchased as $400 course and am still working through it but it is crazy overwhelming on top of everything else entailed. I think it just gets tough to hear so many success stories about making something a months in with nothing to show on my end. I just keep spending. Uuggh!!! The upside is that I thoroughly enjoy the work and learning…..i just need to make something to offset all this spending. And I purchased a course that had I done better research, I wouldn’t have purchased. I found one I would love to take but it’s just as pricey and I cannot justify almost $1,000 on 2 courses right now. I need encouragement!! Lol
Way to be honest! Love it! 🙂
So glad you found it to be both relatable and helpful! Yes, take those nuggets and help your blog thrive! Thanks for reading!!
Wow thank you for this post! Finally someone that shows the truth about Blogging. Yes, as you mentioned, many blogs out there make it look as easy and cheap but it isn’t really.
I found some nuggets of wisdom here too so I’m taking those new tips and applying them on mine 😀
So thank you again for sharing your experience and tips, people need to read this before attempting to Blog so they can avoid disappointment and wasting time.
Glad you could relate, Jessica! Be sure to find your motivation and keep reminding yourself of it during your first few months! Blogging has limitless potential. You got this!
Thanks for stopping by, Gabs! You’re right, there is a ton of trial and error! Everyone’s experience with blogging is completely different. Everyone learns from different sources and it takes time to learn and monetize!
I have just started blogging and I feel all of this deep in my soul!
It is such a good article! Thanks 🙂
It honestly doesn’t take that much. Just figure it out on your own. Time us a given as well as effort to start making money, but it’s trial and error. Figure out what works best for you. It’s all good.
Hey Josh!
Glad you found it helpful! It takes a lot of time and effort, but it is totally possible! Keep writing, keep learning, and stay positive!
This is a great post. I’ve been looking for any article like this to better sway my decision. I started a blog anyway and we will see if I can manage it. Your def right though, nothing goes as planned and I find myself trying to make it look better but no idea how to do it.
So awesome to hear this, Crystal! Glad you chose to pick back up and try again! It’s also great to hear that you made your goals more specific to your passion rather than something superficial. There is endless possibility for your blog, and you just need to keep focus and never get bogged down if you occasionally fail! Stay positive!
I love this! I just published my blog last week, however it wasn’t my first attempt. Over the last three years I have started and stopped about 5 blogs.I was always finding a reason why it wouldn’t work and making excuses about how hard everything was. I actually sat down and wrote a list kind of like this blog post and listed all of my fears. Then I went through and wrote out the reasons WHY this time around it would work. The first being that I am infinitely passionate about my current topic. Before with my other topics it was so hard to keep motivated, which I think is a good thing for the blogging world. Only those passionate enough to keep going and push through all the doubt will make it. This is what creates such amazing and informative content (like this post) on the web.
Glad you enjoyed the read, Allyn! It is always surprising to see others advertise blogging as “easy”, without adding all the factors that make it less of an attractive option. You’ve probably experienced much of what was listed in this article. Great to hear you’ve made it to 6 months! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for reading, Dee! Also, we really appreciate the heads up! We hope you can thrive as a blogger now that you have more of an understanding regarding what you’re getting into!
I love this blog post. As a fairly new blogger (about 6 months) it’s nice to see someone really espousing the truth of what it takes to really make it. Thanks for the honesty and the good info!
I found this article useful and realistic compared to many other ‘how to make money blogging’ articles. Lots of good sound advice for newbies like me 😊 PS you have a few typos in your article but still a big thumbs up from me.