Blogging

As someone who’s been blogging since 2009, I can say it’s one of my favorite side hustles, and I’ve certainly learned a lot about it during that time.

For one, I’ve found the writing to be a great creative outlet and a powerful medium to reach a wide audience. (Although the podcast has grown much faster.)

But it was a loooooong time before my blog made any real money, and one of the mistakes I made was not having a focus. I would write about whatever came into my head; current events, our travels, our dog, and occasionally I might throw in something about business or marketing.

There was no coherent theme or really any reason for someone to stick around unless they were interested in me personally. In 2013, I narrowed the focus of my writing to be about side businesses, and that’s when the site traffic started to grow.

How to Start a Blog

If you want to start a blog of your own, check out my free 6-part video tutorial series that walks you through:

4 reasons to consider blogging as a side hustle.
Why a “blog” is probably a bad name.
8 ways blogs and websites make money.
How to pick a topic for your blog.
How to choose a domain name and get your site online.
How to install WordPress and begin creating.

I had a lot of fun creating the free “how to start a blog” course and hope you enjoy it too!

Greatest Hits

Whether you already have a blog or are looking to start one, here are some of the best blogging-related articles and podcast episodes from the archives:

The Best Blogging Podcast

I compiled a binge-worthy selection of blogging podcast episodes from The Side Hustle Show into this playlist. I think you’ll like it!

Enjoy!

The $8k a Month Curly Hair Blog

September 30, 2021

Ever thought about turning your expertise in an everyday subject or topic into an online business?

For Delilah Orpi, her expertise was on taking care of her curly hair — and starting as a side hustle, she turned that into an online business earning around $8k a month at HolisticEnchilada.com.

Delilah has some interesting strategies she used to grow her audience, build her email list, diversify her multiple income streams — all of which can be applied to a topic of your choosing.

Easy Website Wins: Marketing and Monetization Lessons From 175 Website Flips

September 28, 2021July 22, 2021

Today we’re diving into the easy wins — the quick updates you can make to your websites to drive more traffic and sales.

To help me out on that topic is Mushfiq, a side hustler who has been building, buying, growing, and selling websites since 2008, all on the side from his full-time career.

During that time he’s done over 175 transactions and has a wealth of knowledge on what it takes to make money and build equity online.

12 Expert SEO Tips for 2021: How to Drive More Free Traffic

July 27, 2021July 15, 2021

Want to drive more organic traffic to your website?

I’m sure you do.

At the heart of organic traffic is SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

The better optimized your site is for search engines, the higher you’ll rank for your target keywords – and long-tail keywords – and the more visitors you’ll get.

Blogging vs. YouTube: Which Platform is Best to Grow an Online Business?

July 8, 2021

If you’re starting an online business and creating content, you’re almost certainly going to create either written or video content – or both.

The problem is that it can be hard to know which type of content is going to work best for your business, and getting off on the right foot is going to save you a lot of time.

So, to help you figure out which type of content is best for you, I’ve bought back, by popular demand, the Side Hustle Showdown series.

$10k a Month Blogging: How to Grow from Here? [Side Hustle Coaching]

May 13, 2021

Side Hustle Show listener Raffaele Di Lallo has built a successful house plant website, earning $10k a month — on the side from his day job.

Still, he explained that 90% of that income was from advertising, and he wanted to diversify his revenue sources and earn more from affiliate marketing.

To help me talk through Raffaele’s business is a long-time friend and online business mentor of mine, Matt Giovanisci.

Pinterest Marketing in 2021: What’s Working NOW?

November 5, 2021April 8, 2021

With over 500 million users and growing all the time, your target customers are probably on Pinterest.

To help catch us up on all the latest strategies and best practices for getting more traffic, more sales, more leads from Pinterest is our resident Pinterest marketing expert, Kate Ahl from SimplePinMedia.com.

How a New Blogger Went From Zero to $20k in 12 Months

October 19, 2021February 18, 2021

From burned out freelance writer – to making $200+ per day in affiliate sales in less than a year.

That’s Tami Smith’s story.

Tami was writing affiliate content for clients when she had a “why don’t I try that?” moment. With that, FitHealthyMomma.com was born.

My $550k Side Hustle: An Online Business from Idea to Exit

March 25, 2021January 7, 2021

In October, I sold a website.

It wasn’t a 7-figure, never-work-again type of exit, but when the funds were deposited, it was the largest single amount ever to hit one of my accounts.

$6k a Month Blogging About Gray Hair

January 26, 2021December 3, 2020

I love stories like Katie’s! In just two years Katie Emery has grown her blog to an average of $6,000 a month in revenue.

The niche? Helping women transition to natural gray hair.

After dying her hair for 25 years, Katie decided to go gray without regret. Still, she had questions about the transition, but couldn’t find the answers she wanted online.

381: How to Grow a Blog to 6 Figures a Month with Jennifer Maker

October 20, 2021April 2, 2020

Are you struggling to get traction with your blog?

Are you concerned your niche is too competitive or you’re starting too late?

If so, you’re going to come away from this episode with loads of actionable tips to put those questions to the side.

Usually Hustling, Occasionally Social