Have You Ever Thought About Becoming a Full-Time Blogger?
But maybe you just don’t know where to start? (This post is jam packed with new blogging ideas)
There are many people who have successfully transitioned into full-time bloggers, and it has dramatically improved their lives – both financially and personally. These individuals have turned their passion into a sustainable income, leaving behind the typical 9-5 job for a more flexible and fulfilling career.
Starting your own blog can open doors to countless opportunities, including potentially quitting your current job to blog full-time. The best part is, it’s entirely possible to make a living from a blog – you just need the right approach.
My Journey Into Blogging
A few years ago, I started a website for my kids’ party business. At the time, I had no idea this website would eventually generate its own income.
Like many new bloggers, I had no formal experience with blogging. I simply followed my instincts, started creating content, and found myself falling in love with the process. Fast forward to today, and blogging is all I want to do!
Blogging often starts slowly, but the key is choosing a topic you are passionate about so you remain engaged and excited, even during the early stages when growth can feel slow.
If you want to become a full-time blogger, you’re going to need a plan of action.
Create a Plan
Before jumping into blogging, take time to consider the following questions:
- Why do you want to start a blog?
- Are you unhappy with your current job and dream of being your own boss?
- Do you want to share knowledge about a passion or hobby you love?
- Are you a stay-at-home parent who wants to earn an income while still being there for your kids?
- Or perhaps you want to start a side hustle with the potential to grow into a full-time income.
- How will you make money blogging?
- This is crucial to long-term success. It’s not just about writing posts but finding ways to monetize effectively (which I will show you below).
- How will you grow your blog?
- Growth comes from having a strategy for generating traffic and attracting readers consistently.
As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Setting a plan helps you see the bigger picture, guiding your path toward becoming a successful full-time blogger.
What Will You Blog About?
Blogging should be fun and not feel like a chore, so pick a subject you’re passionate about or something you enjoy learning about.
When you’re excited about your content, that energy translates to your readers. Whether you’re starting a blog to share knowledge, document your personal journey, or create a side hustle, any topic can be successful and profitable as long as you’re committed to it.
Here are some popular blog categories to consider, along with some personal ideas I have for blogs I may start one day:
1. Fitness and Health
The fitness and health niche is booming as more people focus on their well-being.
You can share workout routines, healthy recipes, fitness challenges, or wellness tips. Whether you’re passionate about strength training, yoga, mental health, or nutrition, there are countless subtopics to explore. This category is highly competitive, so make sure you have an unique idea or sub-niche.
How to niche down further – here are some ideas:
- Fitness for busy moms: How to stay in shape with little time.
- Wellness and mindfulness: Meditation, self-care routines, and mental health advice.
- Diet-specific blogs: Keto, vegan, gluten-free, or intermittent fasting tips and recipes.
2. Lifestyle
Lifestyle blogs are highly versatile and personal, allowing you to share your everyday experiences, advice, and insights.
These blogs can cover everything from fashion and beauty to home décor, productivity, or even sustainable living. With a lifestyle blog, you’re not limited to one topic – you can touch on several aspects of your life:
- Minimalism: How to live with less and declutter your life.
- Work-life balance: Tips for managing a busy career and home life.
- Personal development: Share your journey toward self-improvement and growth.
3. Food and Recipes
If you love cooking, a food and recipe blog is a perfect fit.
You can share family recipes, unique meal plans, or even niche down into a specific cuisine or diet. Food blogs often perform well because everyone is always searching for meal inspiration. Some niches you can explore include:
- Quick and easy recipes for busy families.
- Budget-friendly meals: How to cook delicious food while saving money.
- Baking blogs: Desserts, breads, and pastries for the sweet tooth.
- Meal prepping: Sharing meal plans and tips for organizing weekly meals.
4. Finance and Saving Money
Money matters! Personal finance blogs are highly popular, especially when they focus on helping readers save money, pay off debt, or make better financial decisions.
You could share tips about budgeting, investing, or frugal living.
Some sub-niches include:
- Saving challenges: Ideas for people who want to save more effectively.
- Debt payoff strategies: Guides on how to become debt-free.
- Side hustles: Share your journey of trying out side gigs and how they perform.
5. DIY Projects
DIY (Do-It-Yourself) blogs are fantastic for anyone who loves creating things with their hands. From home decor projects to crafts and upcycling, a DIY blog can focus on creative ways to make things from scratch.
Popular DIY niches include:
- Home improvement: Step-by-step guides to tackling renovation or home décor projects.
- Crafts for kids: Ideas to keep children busy with creative, fun projects.
- Furniture flipping: How to take old or second-hand furniture and give it new life.
6. Business and Entrepreneurship
If you have a business mindset, sharing tips and insights into entrepreneurship can be incredibly valuable.
This could be a space where you share your experiences in starting and running a business, offer tips on growing a small business, or document your personal entrepreneurial journey.
Sub-niches include:
- Online business: How to start and grow an online store, blog, or service-based business.
- Freelancing: Tips for making a living as a freelancer or consultant.
- Marketing and branding: Teach small businesses how to create a strong brand and market themselves effectively.
7. Travel
If you love traveling or have experience with local or international travel, a travel blog can be a great way to share your adventures.
Travel blogs often perform well because people love reading about new places, itineraries, and tips for making trips more affordable or unique.
Here are some niche ideas:
- Budget travel: How to travel the world on a shoestring budget.
- Family travel: Tips and guides for traveling with kids.
- Adventure travel: Documenting adrenaline-filled adventures like hiking, diving, and more.
8. Family and Parenting
Family and parenting blogs have a built-in audience of parents who are always looking for advice and resources.
Whether you’re a new parent sharing your journey or have years of experience to pass on, this niche allows you to connect with readers who value family life.
Some angles could include:
- Parenting tips: How to navigate various stages of a child’s development.
- Kids’ activities: Fun and educational projects for children.
- Work-from-home parents: Sharing tips on balancing a home-based business with raising children.
9. Inspiration and Motivation
If you enjoy encouraging others, an inspiration and motivation blog might be a great fit.
These blogs offer personal stories, success tips, and advice on overcoming challenges, making them appealing to people looking for guidance in their lives.
Here are some ways to niche down:
- Christian inspiration: Faith-based motivation and encouragement.
- Personal growth and mindset: Helping people build better habits, stay motivated, and pursue their goals.
- Overcoming obstacles: Sharing stories of resilience and perseverance.
My Own personal Blog Ideas (Maybe One Day!)
Like many bloggers, I always have ideas brewing for future blogs that I might want to start when the time is right. Yes, I am giving you my best ideas. Here are some topics I’m excited about, which you are welcome to use by the way:
1. Kids Pretend Play Printables
I’ve always loved creating printables, and one idea I’m passionate about is a blog that offers kids pretend play printables.
These would be themed around activities like doctor’s office printables, coffee shop playsets, or grocery store role-play kits.
Parents and teachers are always looking for ways to entertain kids while fostering creativity and imagination.
A blog like this could offer:
- Free and paid pretend play sets for kids.
- Guides for creating engaging role-play activities.
- Tips for parents to encourage imaginative play at home.
2. Recipes for Pets (Dog, bird or cat Treats and Food)
Another fun idea I’ve been toying with is creating a blog focused on recipes for pets.
Pet owners are constantly on the lookout for healthier or homemade alternatives to store-bought treats and food. A blog like this could offer:
- Homemade dog treat recipes.
- Nutritional advice for pet owners.
- DIY pet food ideas that are easy to make and budget-friendly.
3. Rank and Rent Sites
This is a more business-focused idea, where I would build a local service website (e.g., for plumbers, landscapers, or paving companies) and rank it in search engines.
Once it ranks well and gets traffic, I would rent out the website to local service providers for a fee. This “rank and rent” model is a great way to generate passive income, and a blog documenting this process could help others do the same.
The blog could cover topics like:
- How to build and rank local service websites.
- Strategies for finding clients to rent your site to.
- SEO tips for local businesses.
4. Party Printables
I already have a kids’ party blog, but I’ve often thought about expanding into a blog entirely dedicated to party printables.
This would be a space where I create and share invitations, party decorations, and games that parents can download and use for their events.
Some ideas include:
- Free party printables for different themes (pirate parties, princess parties, etc.).
- Customizable invitations and banners.
- DIY party decor ideas to make celebrations special and affordable.
Just a little thought I’m entertaining: In the future, I’d love to start a blog for each of my two kids, to maybe pass on to them when they’re older, if they wanted it of course. The future is so uncertain and I would love to create an income stream for them to fall back on if they wanted it.
As you can see, there are endless possibilities when it comes to choosing a blog topic. The key is to pick something you’re passionate about, stay consistent, and create value for your readers.
If any of these ideas resonate with you or if you’re thinking of starting your own blog, don’t wait – take that first step today.
Steps to become a full time blogger
Step 1: Start a Blog
The first step to becoming a full-time blogger is actually starting a blog.
It’s easier and more affordable than you might think – you don’t need coding skills or advanced technical knowledge. Platforms like WordPress make it incredibly simple to get started.
All you need is a domain name and hosting. From there, you can either design the blog yourself using WordPress themes or hire a web designer to set up a basic framework, which you can build on over time.
Once that’s in place, you can focus on creating content.
Step 2: Focus on High-Quality Content
Content is the foundation of your blog’s success.
If you want to attract readers and keep them coming back, your content must be informative, entertaining, or both.
Here are some tips:
- Do your research. Read widely – other blogs, articles, books, and even statistics.
- Write in your own voice. Readers connect with authenticity. Develop a personal style, and make sure to proofread before hitting publish.
- Edit thoroughly. Publishing well-polished articles increases credibility and helps build trust with your audience.
Step 3: Network with Other Bloggers
Blogging isn’t a solo journey. Networking with fellow bloggers can help you grow faster, whether through guest posts, content sharing, or exchanging blogging tips. Collaboration opens doors to new readers and enhances your blogging experience.
Step 4: Find Ways to Monetize Your Blog
Once your blog is up and running, the next step is to start making money.
There are many ways to monetize a blog, and you can choose the ones that fit your style and niche. Here are some proven methods:
- Affiliate Marketing
- This involves promoting someone else’s product or service and earning a commission for every sale made through your affiliate link. You can integrate affiliate links in your blog posts, reviews, or even tutorials.
- The 1st and easiest affiliate program to join is probably Amazon Associates. You place a link to some of their products that fit into what you’re blogging about and when someone clicks on your link and purchases something, you will earn a small commission.
- Blog Sponsorships
- As your blog grows, companies may approach you (or you can reach out to them) to sponsor content. Sponsored blog posts, product reviews, and sidebar ads are common forms of sponsorship.
- Display Advertising
- Display ads allow you to earn money through platforms like Google AdSense, Ezoic or Mediavine. The entry level ad network is probably Google AdSense which allows smaller blogs to start making money. This is the one I started with, and believe me I was so excited seeing those first cents. It was just a validation that earning something is possible.
- I then moved on to Ezoic where I started to earn a little more money.
- I currently use Journey by Mediavine, which is a more premium ad management service and offers better earnings potential once you meet their traffic thresholds (10 000 sessions for Journey by Mediavine or 50 000 sessions for Mediavine). They focus on maximizing ad revenue while keeping user experience in mind.
- Create Your Own Digital Products
- This could be anything from e-books to online courses or printables. For example, on my one blog, I sell printables for teachers to use in the classroom, like alphabet posters and calendars. Creating your own products can be highly profitable, as you control the pricing and profits.
- Email Marketing
- Growing an email list is a powerful way to market directly to your readers. You can share exclusive content, offers, and affiliate links with your subscribers, creating a steady income stream. I encourage every blogger to set up an email capture form early and send regular newsletters.
Step 5: Grow Your Blog’s Traffic
More traffic equals more income, so you’ll need a strategy to grow your blog. Here are some tips for increasing page views:
- Social Media Marketing
- Platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram are great sources of traffic. For example, Pinterest is particularly effective for bloggers, as it acts like a visual search engine. Make sure to create eye-catching images and use engaging titles to drive clicks.
- I also use TikTok to create short videos on how to use my savings challenges.
- YouTube is also a great source for sending traffic to your blog. You can make a video about something interesting and tell people to go get the list or printable on your blog.
- Consistency is Key
- Posting regularly (at least once or more a week) is important to keep your audience engaged and encourage search engines like Google to rank your site higher.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Use keywords in your blog posts that people are searching for. This will help your posts get found in search results. Learning SEO techniques can dramatically increase your blog’s traffic over time.
- Guest Posting
- Writing guest posts for other blogs or accepting guest posts on your blog can introduce you to new audiences and help build backlinks, which are valuable for SEO.
Blogging can be an incredibly rewarding career, both personally and financially. It’s all I want to do.
It gives you the freedom to work from anywhere, explore topics you’re passionate about, and help others.
To succeed, focus on helping your readers solve problems, stay consistent, and don’t be afraid to monetize your blog as soon as possible.
If you keep creating valuable content and growing your traffic, you can absolutely become a full-time blogger. It’s up to you how much work you’re willing to put it.
Take that first step – start your blog today!
