Essential Skills You Need as a Full-Time Blogger
There are no endless hours of study, no subservience to a boss, no corporate etiquette to follow… One can easily see why blogging is an alluring prospect. It’s a domain where you are the lone ruler ~ an idea that is well-liked. But realistically speaking, being a blogger of influence is not for the faint of heart.
I have been a full-time blogger for over 5 years, and have come to realise that the effort and energy we put into our work, is often played down. I have had people tell me, “Blogging? Well, anyone can do that. All you need is a laptop and some basic content making skills.” Yet these very same people enter the words “How to Become a Professional Blogger” into their search bar, hoping to get a bite of that elusive cherry. If it were easy, everyone would be making fortunes from blogging, right?
In my experience, blogging is a field driven by passion, skill, and intelligence. It takes nerves of steel to willingly quit the safety net of a traditional job and take on so many different responsibilities; i.e. idea-building, financial management, delegation, and many others that allow the business to become viable. Since many of you have been asking, today I wanted to give you a few lessons on how to become a professional blogger.
Generate Unique Ideas
Many prospective bloggers tap into advice from the Internet on the subjects they should blog about. Youtubers and Instagrammers shower them with ideas, micro-niche topics, keywords with low competition, and what not! While there is nothing wrong with emulating these plans, the fact remains that all those who watch them are getting the same ideas. This is why your creativity is of paramount importance. You cannot let another’s brain dictate your work.
Let loose your imagination; use your knowledge and skill to come up with unique ideas. Be it about writing blog posts, shooting photos, or creating incredible videos; you have to make an effort to get ahead of your peers. Expressing your individuality combined with being your genuine self, is a formula I can’t teach enough!
Key Takeaway: With millions of pages and videos being added to the repository of the Internet each day, it’s tough to think outside the box. But it’s not beyond anybody either; the sky is the limit for your creativity.
Teach Yourself Some Discipline
I cannot overstate the importance of self-discipline in blogging. Professional Blogging is a territory where you are not under the watchful eyes of anybody. No team leader to micromanage you and no boss to check your progress. So if you are unable to self-monitor, you are bound to lose your way.
I learned this lesson early on in my career, and I continue to set tough goals for myself. To date ~ I maintain a precise to-do list, I always push myself to go that extra mile, and am not easy on myself when I miss my daily goals. I also schedule my work hours and often go beyond them to meet my deadlines.
Key Takeaway: A traditional work hierarchy with managers above you will always have you finishing your tasks, even if you don’t consider yourself the most disciplined person. Blogging doesn’t give you that luxury. Consider self-discipline a quality you need to start building on now if you want to make it at a professional level.
Nobody Hands You Anything, Find Your Options
For a blogger, nothing arrives on a silver platter ready to be consumed. You will have to strive for every opportunity. You will have to knock on many doors, and you have to sense opportunities and grab them. If you are serious about growing your online presence and establishing yourself as a brand, you will have to stay ahead of the game.
Key Takeaway: A blogger is an independent player. How resourceful you are, will determine how easily you can tread new paths. Where others see an impediment, you have to sense an opportunity. In essence, you have to be able to adapt and turn a situation to your advantage.
You Fall 100 Times; You Get up 101 Times
Blogging demands enormous willpower and determination. There will be days where you will long to curl up inside your blanket, and moments where you will feel your dreams come crashing down. But the grit to break those shackles and bounce back from setbacks is what will set you apart from the rest. It is what defines a champion.
In my early days of blogging, I came to realise that I had to get used to bad days and still not lose sight of my goals. I would write my long term goals on a sticky note and paste them where I could see them while working. Every time I felt like quitting, it helped me remember why I started in the first place. If you want to learn how to become a professional blogger, I highly suggest writing your goals down and keeping them within reach.
Key Takeaway: Ask any successful blogger, and they will tell you how tightly they held on to their goals. In a world with so many established bloggers, it can feel as if you are falling behind. But the secret to survival clearly isn’t to give in.
Learn to Build Your Brand
At the beginning of your blogging career, curating content will consume all your time and attention, and rightly so. However, once you start making a name for yourself, you will realise the need to develop an entirely new set of skills to help your business thrive. Skills to manage your money, to carefully spend the money earned from blogging to expand your business, to manage people you have hired, and so on.
Key Takeaway: Being a blogger is a juggling act of balancing different responsibilities all at once. There will be times when you will miss the routine and convenience {in comparison} of a 9-5 job. But you will need to forge ahead and resist that temptation. Because graduating to entrepreneur mode is the most important ingredient to success in this industry.
To conclude: If you are already confident, a good starting point is to then follow my tips on how to become a professional blogger to give yourself the best chance for success. Because self-discipline, resilience, and determination combined with your unique ideas will bring you great success in whatever you pursue!
If you are focused on growing yourself and your business, the rest will follow. Let me know if there are other blogging topics you want me to cover.