I‘ve been blogging now for 7 years, and in that time I’ve watched tens if not hundreds of new blogs spring up from out of the bloggy ether. New sites launch bursting with enthusiasm and dollar signs in their eyes, and most hope to make their blog into a nice fat second income.
They blog for a few months, and try to monetize their sites with a few Adsense and text link ads. But after 4 or 5 months and minimal return for their efforts they quickly flame out and disappear into the ether from whence they came.
So what happened, and why aren’t most successful? Much of the time, they just weren’t patient enough!
Key For A Blogger: Have Patience
I’ve found that one of the key attributes for many successful bloggers that I’ve met is patience. They stuck with their blogs even when they weren’t making a ton of money at the start. They created a nice looking site and published high quality content several days a week on a regular basis – week in and week out. They stuck with it through the thin early months, and even when they weren’t making even minimum wage for their time spent at the start – they stuck with it. They had patience and dedication to create a go-to resource that would help others.
When talking to a lot of my blogging colleagues it seems that there is a very real 6 month flame out period that a lot of newer bloggers encounter. They stick with it up until that point but then just get sick of it, or don’t feel like they’re making progress, so they quit. If they had just stuck with it a bit longer, however, many could have turned their blogs into a real asset!
Many successful bloggers, myself included, didn’t start making any real money until somewhere in the range of 6 months to a year – sometimes longer. I remember talking to another blogger when I first started out, and he told me how he had made $1600 the previous month from his blog. I couldn’t believe it, I could make my mortgage payment with extra money like that!
While I wasn’t making money like that at the time, I stuck with it for 6 months, then 12, and now 4.5 years. Most months I’m now making 3-4 times the number I was in awe of back then. Why? Because I stuck with it, had patience and did my best to educate myself on how to make money online.
How To Avoid Flaming Out When Your Patience Is Thin
So what are some things you can do to avoid flaming out before your site starts to gain traction? Here are some ideas for things that worked for me.
- Treat your blog like a business, not a hobby: I’m convinced that one reason I’ve done well with my site is that I’ve treated it like a money making venture from the start. I posted on my site 4-5 days/week every week. I treated it like a second job, and wrote even when I didn’t want to. I tracked my expenses and income and was motivated when after a few months the income started to creep up.
- Keep things fresh: Brainstorm ideas to write about, keep a notebook handy and jot down ideas as they come. Be creative and come up with blog series around a certain topic. Use an editorial calendar to schedule post ideas.
- Write in spurts: I will sometimes set aside time on a Saturday or some other night when I’m free and just write several posts all at once for the coming week. That way I’m not as burned out by constantly writing every day.
- Accept guest posts or hire freelance writers: If you are burned out on writing consider accepting guest posts from other bloggers, or hiring a freelance writer to write for your site.
- If you need to, take a break: If you are really getting burned out, don’t be afraid to stop posting for a day or two, or even a week. Get refreshed and start up again when you’re ready!
- Don’t give up!: Even if you feel like giving in, don’t do it. Stick with it, be patient!
Slow And Steady Wins The Race
While it would be nice for everyone to be able to start a blog and right away make thousands of dollars a month, the reality is that it usually isn’t that easy. I can take months or years of hard work before it begins to pay off. Just stick with it when the going gets tough, and a few months or a year down the line you’ll be glad you did!
Brad Shiflett says
Nice post. I know that feeling of burn out, I tried to launch my blog a couple of different times. Not really sure on what I wanted to do. Now I am focused on creating content, blog what I am passionate about and what I am an expert in.
I am hoping to stick with it this time, feel like I have the real passion now, unlike in the past.