Having a blog won’t make you a millionaire

This is a collaborative post

If you think after having your blog for a few weeks you should be earning money and companies should want to work with you. Then you need to think again. I’m in several Facebook groups and more often I’m seeing posts like

I’m new to the blogging world what’s the best way to monetise my blog

This is so infuriating. When I first started my blog I didn’t even know it was possible to make money from blogging. I didn’t start blogging to get products or to work with brands. I started blogging because I was lonely. After speaking to a friend who already had a blog I thought it would be something fun to do. At that time I had a newborn baby and was sitting at home alone a lot of the time. So I thought it might be something that would give me another purpose. So I didn’t sit and do anything.

Very quickly blogging became a type of therapy for me. If I was feeling a certain way or had experienced something. I would write it down and share it. Even if people didn’t read it. And let’s be honest No one read my blog in the early days. Even some days now I have very poor page views days. Which I’m fine with.

When you look at how many bloggers there are only a small percentage of them make a good amount of money. There are thousands who don’t even make a penny from blogging. For many reasons like they don’t want to. As they didn’t start blogging for that reason. Or because like me they are working hard to get their name known. This takes hard work and dedication. It’s not something that happens overnight. If I’m being honest it takes years and years of hard work.

I have been blogging now for 2.5 years and some months I make money yes but it’s not massive amounts but it helps towards buying things for the kids. Or paying for those unexpected bills like yesterday when I had a huge hole in my tyre.

I personally think if you start writing a blog for the money you won’t have the passion for it. You have to produce content people want to read not what will bring you the best income from affiliate networks. Because let’s face it if people don’t like what you write they won’t read it. Nor will they come back to read more.

Blogging isn’t an easy way out. It’s not an easy way to make money. It’s not a get-rich-quick thing. Running a blog is bloody hard work. if I was to calculate the amount of hours I do by the money I earn each month I would be well under the National minimum wage. I know of many bloggers that once they start making money they put back into their blog maybe a new design for a logo or even outsourcing the social media side of things. Super Star Designs is a company that can help with this. Not only do they do online graphic designs and social media management they also design business cards which come in handy. Especially when meeting brands at events like Blogon.

So when your scroll through Pinterest and you see a post that says how I made 50 thousand pounds last year from my blog. Don’t be naïve. I would be very surprised if they did. You also have to take into consideration how long they have been blogging and do they have their own brand that people know. A little blogger with not many followers won’t make that.

This may be a ramble of a post but it really does annoy me when people think having a blog is a get-rich-quick thing. It’s just not don’t be fooled.