Blogging isn’t for everyone.
That’s one hell of a harsh truth. I know.
You might have stumbled upon testimonies — real and fake — that made you think everyone can succeed at blogging. But the truth is that blogging is just not for everyone.
It’s better for you to understand this reality as early as possible, so you don’t waste your time on a venture you’ll never succeed at.
This truth is what most Linda Ikeji wannabes don’t realize. And that’s why they keep chasing shadows for years.
How can you tell if blogging is NOT for you? Here are 11 signs to watch out for.
1. You’re after quick returns
Blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. Linda Ikeji blogged for four good years before she started earning some income from her blog. And it took me close to two years to start earning decent income from this blog. So, don’t expect quick returns from blogging.
If you think blogging is as simple as setting up a free Blogger blog, publishing some posts stolen from other blogs, slapping up some Adsense ads, and sitting back to watch your bank account fill up, then you’re a dreamer!
2. You’re not creative
There’s more to blogging than choosing a niche, setting up a blog, and publishing posts. You need to be creative, so your blog can really stand out from others in the same niche.
If there’s nothing unique about your blog, then people will have no strong reason to visit it regularly. Or do you expect people to visit your entertainment blog (for example) to read the same old stuff they’ve read on Linda Ikeji’s blog? No, they won’t waste their time.
So, if you lack the creativity required to create a unique blog, I’d advise you to stay away from blogging.
3. You’re not a good writer
You need solid writing skills to succeed as a blogger. While your writing doesn’t have to be as impeccable as that of an English language professor, it must be good enough to creatively pass your message across to the reader in a simple and clear manner.
Remember, to build a successful blog, you’ll need to write a lot because you have to publish new posts consistently. If you’re unable to do that, then you can’t make headway with your blog. And no, not even copy-and-paste will help you.
4. You’re not ready to spend a kobo
Start a blog that really makes a difference requires parting with some cash. To have a visually appealing blog, you need to use the WordPress platform — which isn’t free. To brand your blog, you’ll need to pay a good designer to create a great logo for you. And to make your visitors check back regularly, you’ll need to set up a mailing list — which usually attracts a monthly fee, too.
So, if you’re of the never-spend-a-dime-until-you-see-profits mindset, chances are you won’t succeed as a blogger.
5. You’re too lazy to implement blog promotion strategies
Truth is, visitors won’t automatically rush down to your blog after you publish each new post. In fact, if you do nothing after hitting the publish button, nothing will happen.
To really attract traffic to your blog posts, you need to learn and adopt strategies like SEO (search engine optimization) and promotion on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.). You also need to set up and grow a mailing list as well as network with other successful bloggers in your niche.
All these powerful strategies are commonly recommended, but only few Nigerian bloggers implement them.
6. You’re just clueless about the whole blogging thing
While you don’t need to be a tech guru to start your own blog, you need to be smart. Take your time to learn how blogging works before getting started. If the whole thing seems confusing to you even after trying hard to understand it, then that could be enough proof that blogging isn’t for someone like you.
If you claim to have started a blog and are still asking silly questions like “How will a blog fetch me money?”, then you’re just clueless about the blogging thing. Smart up or quit!
7. You’re a slow/poor learner
The blogosphere changes like quicksand. New strategies for blog promotion and growth surface very often, just as old strategies lose their effectiveness pretty quickly. So, you need to keep abreast of trends in the world of blogging, and be ready to implement new working strategies.
If you’re a slow or poor learner, you’ll be left behind by smarter bloggers. And you’ll have no other option but to quit somewhere along the line.
8. You’re taking it as a hobby (when you shouldn’t)
Blogging for profits is totally different from blogging just for the fun of it. If your aim is to make money from your blog, then you need to treat it like a real business by devoting a fraction of your day to it.
When Linda Ikeji first started out, she saw blogging as a hobby and did it for fun. But when it dawned on her that blogging could be very lucrative, she quickly switched to “business mode” by publishing several posts a day. And the result? Her blog fetches her millions of Naira every month.
9. You’re too busy
If you only want to blog for the fun of it, then you can publish a new post on weekend or when else you’re less busy. But if you want to really make money from blogging, that won’t work, as you need to publish something new at least three times a week.
Publishing frequently every week can be very difficult if you have a day job. But there are no shortcuts; it’s either you create some time for your blog or forget about blogging. You can’t build a profitable blog by publishing new posts at long and random intervals.
Oh, there’s actually a shortcut: hire a freelance writer like me to craft quality posts for your blog.
10. You’re inconsistent
Consistency is another hallmark of successful bloggers. It’s better to consistently publish three posts a week than to publish five posts every two or three weekends.
So, one of the keys to building a successful blog is to create a plan based on your personal schedule — and stick with it. If you’re having problems with consistency, you’ll hardly make a kobo from your blog.
11. You’re not focused
Shortly after starting a new blog, many new bloggers feel tempted to abandon it — because it’s not yielding results as expected — and start something new. If you give in to such temptation, you won’t be able to stay focused, and you won’t succeed as a blogger.
Growing a blog to the point of success requires a lot of determination and focus. If you lack those, then blogging isn’t for someone like you.
Conclusion
Whether you’ve already started blogging or you’re planning to start soon, these 11 signs are good indications for what you should expect.
Are you guilty of any of them? Then try to make amends if you’re still bent on building a successful blog. But if you think you can’t really change anything, ditch the idea of blogging right now.
Your turn
Do you think there are other signs I missed? Or do you have any objections or contributions? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. And don’t forget to share the post on your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media profiles.
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