Blogging is great fun and we will always be the first to say it; however it can be tough to pursue at times, and it’s important to understand the negatives as well as the positives. From the outside blogging can seem like an easy and carefree pass time for some, and a wonderfully beneficial career for others but there are some unavoidable difficulties that each and every blogger will no doubt face. Here are 5 truths about blogging that many of you will no doubt come across:
It is Incredibly Hard to Consistently Make Money from Blogging
I often get emails from new bloggers enthusiastically telling me they’d like to start making a living from their blogs as soon as possible; unfortunately as we all learn after a few months it is nowhere near that simple! Making money from your blog takes a lot of hard work, and most importantly time. It can be easy to look at the biggest bloggers out there and aspire to what they have, but it’s important to remember most of them started blogging at least5-6 years ago when the landscape of blogging was entirely different.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still opportunities for new bloggers to make it big but it will take a long time; and I’m not talking months, I’m talking years! If you put the effort in month after month, and constantly look into ways of improving your blog, then over time you should start to see interest from brands. However the fact is the blogging market is so crowded now there simply isn’t space for everyone to make money, so you need to aim to be one of the best in your niche to make it!
It’s Unlikely You Will Ever Have the Time to be Doing Everything You Should be to Maintain Your Blog
I think this is part of why bloggers old and new can get disheartened VERY quickly; there is simply too much to do so you never really feel like you’re on top of everything! Ideally we’d all love to update at least 4 days out of each week, whilst doing some PR for our blogs AND running 6-7 social media profiles; the reality is that most bloggers are part time and also have families/jobs/degrees to hold down!
The trick is to sit down and really work out what you think will benefit you most; narrow down your goals and focus on fewer things. Overstretching yourself is never going to bring you satisfaction; plus it’s just impractical!
Blog Jealously is Definitely a Thing
It’s very very hard not to be jealous of other bloggers, but it’s really not something to be ashamed of! Blogging is such a personal thing you’d have to be a robot not to get a tiny bit jealous if a fellow blogger starts getting more traction than you. The important thing is that you don’t let this cloud your judgement, or become resentful towards other bloggers. Try to turn this jealousy into admiration; blogging is a community and half the fun is being part of it!
There Will Almost Defiantly Be a Time During Your Blogging Career Where You Want to Give it Up
If there comes a time where you feel like you’re done and you want to stop blogging, then don’t panic; that’s pretty normal!
Blogging should be fun, you should never have to force yourself to do it. If you feel like you need to take a breather then take one; you’re the boss, remember!
It’s OK Not to Enjoy Every Single Aspect of Blogging
Of course you should enjoy it overall, there isn’t much point otherwise. But the fact is there is lots to be done when you’re running a blog, and it can be hard to relish ever single activity that blogging entails!
For example, I hate scheduling things. Whenever I go away, I put off scheduling posts and tweets etc till the very last minute because I just find it so boring!
If there’s something you don’t enjoy, don’t worry about it! We can’t all love networking, editing photos, proof-reading, tweeting, checking emails and everything that comes with the title ‘blogger’.
The main thing is that you enjoy blogging as a whole, and that those little chores you might not enjoy so much are only a small part of what you do.
Have you found anything particularly difficult since you’ve started blogging? Was there something you wish you knew before you started? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Well done Rebecca! This is a great article and well written indeed. Thank you for writing this!
This is just the way blogging is: it is fun but it is hard work indeed…years of work and sometimes boredom too if you are thinking of making money out of it;
That’s why you must do it for passion not for money and ultimately passion will drive you to reach your goals. But that’s true for most aspects of life!
Hi,
Thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed the post.
Exactly- there’s very little you can get away with achieving without a little hard work!
I agree with everything you said, I’m a new blogger (my blog has about three months old) and i already pass through that especialle the part about not loving everything, I’m very shy to make relationships onlineand now this is a thing I have to do everyday!!! Well i’m starting to get used to it..
x,Abril
The Color Palette
I’m a Indian Blogger and I started blogging for my passion & to provide best information about my niche to the people over web. But earning is quite difficult and I may earn tons of money after some years as I also know people started getting good earnings after a period of time.
Thanks, and visit my Blog.
Totally the truth, already had to find out some of these the hard way! Blogging isnt as easy as it appears to be but I couldnt live without it ♥