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.
If you want to start a blog of your own, check out my free 6-part video tutorial series that walks you through:
I had a lot of fun creating the free “how to start a blog” course and hope you enjoy it too!
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:
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 conventional wisdom when starting a blog is to “get the word out” by guest posting on established higher traffic sites.
It makes sense, right? They’ve already got the readership and eyeballs you’re after, so why not go directly to the source and try and siphon off some of their audience to become your audience.
But there’s a problem: guest posting sucks.
Which is why I was nervous about publishing this post. Would my readers be confused or turned off by this sort of content?
To my surprise and delight, my first-ever income report was well received. Even readers who have zero interest in the business of blogging liked the post.
They enjoyed the opportunity to look “behind the curtain” and appreciated my transparency.
Everybody’s an expert in something, right?
Well this week’s guest, Matt Giovanisci, is an expert in pool care. He describes it as the most boring industry that serves such a fun product.
He’s taken an innovative approach to rank his site, SwimUniversity.com, in Google and monetize it with affiliate relationships and private advertising.
I feel like Matt’s process is proven and repeatable — but takes real work.
Since side hustlers are pressed for time, one of the smartest things you can do is make the most out of everything you create.
This post will walk through how ONE project fueled:
A bestselling book on Amazon.
4 guest blog posts.
3 podcast guest appearances.
1 podcast episode on The Side Hustle Show.
An infographic.
A “featured” SlideShare presentation.
And this post, if you want to get really meta.
Corrina Gordon-Barnes is a sought-after coach and mentor, and today she shares with Side Hustle Nation exactly how she built her business from the ground up.
There are some surprising turns and some eye-opening responses in this one, as I ask Corrina about how she prices her services, how she landed her first clients, how she’s scaling her business, and how she made blogging work as an effective marketing channel.
Through his best-selling books, Jon Acuff may be one of the most prominent advocates for the side hustle “brand” of entrepreneurship.
Jon’s a sought-after author, speaker, and consultant, with a share of side hustle stories to tell. While some flopped, one was almost an overnight success: his Stuff Christians Like blog. We talk about all that and more during our call.
Heyo! Side Hustle Nation is a year old, and you know what that means?
Time to share the results of my first “serious” attempt at building something more than just a personal blog.
And, for the sake of comparison, I’ll share the results alongside those of The Side Hustle Show podcast to see which has been the more effective way of reaching new people and spreading the side hustle goodness.
In episode 46 of The Side Hustle show, we get to hear the incredible story of Lindsay and Bjork Ostrom, who built PinchofYum.com up to a massive audience all while working a day job. In fact, they spent a full year volunteering in the Philippines but still managed to keep the site growing and thriving!
In January, the site generated more than a million pageviews and earned over $17,000! In this interview we dive into how they got started, how the readership grew, and how they monetize the site.
As bloggers and other online business owners, we focus a lot of attention on getting people to opt-in to our email lists. It’s a common theme you’ll hear repeated over and over again whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting out. The topic never gets old because the need never dies. We all want … Read more
Robert Farrington is more successful than 99% of all bloggers on the planet. He routinely earns between $3000 and $5000 a month from his blogs. And the kicker? Yeah, he still has a full-time job completely unrelated to this amazing side hustle! His sites: TheCollegeInvestor.com KidsAintCheap.com EntrepreneurshipLife.com MyMultipleIncomes.com (inactive) BeatThe9to5.com. He shares his tips for … Read more
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