We’re living through some pretty unprecedented times. 2020 hasn’t turned out the way any of us expected it to. We started the year with plans, holidays, gig and theater tickets, looking forward to releases of all sorts of scheduled films. We were probably used to a set routine - rising early, commuting to work, spending nine to five at said work, commuting home, then spending our evenings at the gym, cooking and generally preparing for the next day. We’d spend our weekends with our nearest and dearest, or kicking back and relaxing - perhaps with a spa day. But now, all of this has changed. Over the past couple of months, a deadly virus has taken hold of the world and has caused a global pandemic. Countries are minimizing border crossings. We’re being asked to stay at home if we’re not key workers. We can’t go out other than to collect necessities, such as food and medication. Life really has been turned on its head. But while there are so many negatives coming from this situation, it’s important that you turn your mind to some of the positives that could come from it too - keeping your chin up and looking forward to the future. Many of us are finding that we have time to actually think with all of this extra free time on our hands. Many of us are coming to the conclusion that the career paths we dedicate our whole working week - the majority of our waking hours - to isn’t actually something we’re all too interested in, or isn’t something that we genuinely enjoy. Many of us are deciding that when this all passes, we might like to try something new - something more fulfilling. If you fall into this boat and want to work on something you can develop a real passion for, why not consider blogging? Here’s a little more information on blogging as a career!
Can You Really Be a Professional Blogger?
When we think of blogging, we often think of a personal pursuit. So many people blog just for the fun of it. In fact, the majority of bloggers tend to blog for the fun of it. Chances are you’ve already had a blog of your own in the past at some point. It’s a spot where you can journal. Where you can vent about your opinions. Where you can talk about your interests to other like minded individuals. But blogging, over the past few years, has become a big money maker for many too. Some have made extremely lucrative careers by becoming well known and widely read online. This could be said to be due to the rise of the cult of personality. People are interested in other people and the people of particular interest are profiting off this, becoming influencers and accepting impressive payments from companies who want to benefit from the attention directed at them. So, it is possible to be a professional blogger!
How Do You Get Paid?
Where does the money you earn actually come from then? Well, if you get a lot of readers on your page, there’s a lot of attention on you. If a company is selling products to a target demographic that matches the people who read your blog, they’ll want to get their products placed on your blog so their target demographic sees it. They may want you to do a review or sponsored post promoting their product. They might want to place an ad somewhere on your page - perhaps a banner or side panel. You can choose your own pricing. Generally speaking, the more readers you have, the more you can charge!
Getting Started
If this sounds good, you may even want to get started on creating your blog while you have some time on your hands. Here are a few steps you will need to take to get started.
Register as Self Employed
If you’re planning on making an income from blogging, you need to register as self-employed. This will make sure that you can pay your tax return at the end of each tax year. If you fail to do this, you could be charged with tax evasion.
Create Your Blog
Now, you need to create an actual blog. There are so many platforms out there that will make this easy for you. To make a good start and make good decisions, read this article. As time goes on and you have more to invest in your venture, you can have a full website created by a web designer and a web developer.
Decide on an Area of Expertise
You’re registered as self-employed and your blog is up and running. Now, you need to decide what you actually want to write and post about. There are so many different areas you might want to focus on, but generally speaking, it’s best to stick to one type of topic. This will help you to build an audience. People tend to want to know what they’re visiting for when they visit a website. This could be makeup. It could be travel. It could be food. It could be fashion. It could be tech. It could be photography. Put simply, it can be absolutely anything that you’re interested in and have a lot to say about!
While you might not automatically associate blogging with a career, it is an option that’s out there. It’s also something you can dabble in from home without having to venture out, meaning you can start this venture now rather than later! So, try it out now. Even if it doesn’t pan out, it’s not an area you have to invest in financially, so there’s not much to lose! You might even simply enjoy it as a hobby and keep it up purely for the fun of it - any profit would simply be a bonus!
