Can Anyone Blog (Profitably)?

A lot of people wonder whether it is possible for anyone to earn money through blogging, or if those who do are a (comparably) small group of people who either possess certain skills (or physical attributes..) or have just got lucky. There isn't really a short answer to the question, but if you're really gagging for one the best I could do without sacrificing the validity of my statement would be "yes, but.." - and that's pretty much what it boils down to, yes but..

But.. not if you can't write in a way that is interesting, or at the very least possible, to read. If your writing is monotonous and repetitive people will soon be heading off.
But.. not if you can't think of something interesting to write about. It's not quite as easy as just setting up a blog, writing about your day or your interests and cashing in. You have to write about something that a lot of people, not just your friends and family, will want to read. (Entrepreneurialism, for example, wehey!)

But.. not if you aren't willing to learn. If you want to attract people, and subsequently to monetize your website and make an earning from them, you have to be willing to read and learn how to do it. There are lots of places where you can find great advice on how to get started, and hopefully this site will be one of them soon. Personally, I learned most of what I needed from the digitalpoints forums - I read threads about advertising, marketing, seo, design, content and I checked out the buy/sell section to see what people were selling, how much they got for it, and tried to figure out why.

But.. not if you're lazy. This goes for any entrepreneurial or business venture, mind, and not just for blogs or online money making. In fact, this may just be the single most important point I am going to make in this point, and probably overall on this site (and I will make it again, and again, and..) so do take not: if you can't see yourself investing all of your time, money, blood, sweat and tears into your venture - don't bother. Sound harsh? Well, perhaps, but the point is that if you start trailing off and getting bored once the going gets tough, then you will fail. Simple as that.

With that established, it is possible for anyone who doesn't fall into one, or several, of the above categories to make money through blogging. It may not be a vast amount, and it may not even be enough to pay for your broadband connection, but it's a start. So how do you go about it, and what should you think about? I've given this a wee bit of thought, and here are some general things to keep in mind when starting a blog:

• Take time when considering what to blog about. You have to find it interesting enough to research as needed, or know enough about it to be able to write hundreds of posts (over time). It also has to be of interest to others.
• Practice writing! If you haven't done a lot of writing in the past, read a book on creative writing and(/or at least) sit down and practice, practice, practice. Not just blog-style, but try your hand at a bit of creative writing (a short story, for example), factual writing, reviews - try your hand at all of it until you've developed a style of writing that conveys what you want to say succinctly, without sacrificing personality (which is key in standing out!)
• Think of a good domain name! Make sure it’s easy to remember, catchy and preferably related to what you're writing about. Don't be upset if you can't think of anything as good as EntrepreneuRealism, though, it takes time kiddo. ;)
• Device a business plan. Yep, I'm being serious! If you're planning to make money from it, think of it as a business! Do a SWOT analysis, analyse your competition, set up a budget, think of marketing strategies (how, where, cost), research your potential market. Future posts will include tips on how to do all this – writing it all in one would be a bit of a mouthful for both you and myself.
• Get your friends involved. Before you make your official launch and start marketing, building backlinks etc, have them look at the site and your first few posts and give you feedback. Once you've launched, make sure they spread your link to their social networks (facebook, twitter and what have you).
• Make sure your design isn't too generic, but don’t sacrifice functionality for quirk.

Those are just a few of the things you ought to think about before you get going, and once you're in the right mind-set you will think of further things that need to be done. One final word on the topic: don't expect to make money and get freebies straight away! It could take days but it could also take months - if you hit a year without any revenue, though, you may want to rethink your strategy..