New and existing bloggers can learn one lesson or the other from these 8 successful bloggers as they shared their money making tactics, how they grow their traffic, advice for the upcoming bloggers and much more. Our dear own Linda Ikeji and Ogboge were not available as at the time of this interview we gonna interview them when the time is right.

1. Lisa Sicard From Inspire to Thrive ($400/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

I’m Lisa Sicard, and I founded Inspire To Thrive.

For background, I started at a weekly newspaper as a teenager typing ads.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

I began in content marketing over 6 years ago after I had retail online store for medical scrubs. At that time I was also a digital sales rep for a daily newspaper.

Everything began to come together when I made my largest sales order via Twitter. I then began to take social media and blogging seriously. I then started to help others to do the same for their online businesses. I even gave Twitter lessons to the newsroom at the newspaper.

People would call me or email questions all the time so I figured I’d answer them all in blog posts. It saved me time back then and helped others learn from all of my own mistakes.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

I now make money via content marketing through several channels. I write posts for other websites and blogs. I do sponsored posts on my own blog. I do social share packages for others.

Making money via content marketing takes on many forms as another of mine is via my eBook. I also build social media sites, Facebook Pages and Twitter profiles for others too.

What are some strategies you have used to increase the blog’s traffic?

Building traffic takes time. People need to have patience for it too. You must know the basics of SEO before blogging. Get down the basics and then start promoting.

I didn’t realize and many others don’t know that you need to spend 80% of your time promoting and 20% of your time generating new content. Most bloggers start out doing the opposite.

I use social media, the big 3 – Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook along with a few other “Communities”.

How have you grown your email list?

This is one area I haven’t done as well as I would like. I had gained some traction with the Hello Bar for a while but it dwindled after time.

I’ve built my email list over the years by giving away a free eBook for several of them. I then started to send out an email weekly with updates on the industry and any new posts.

I try to also mention others in my emails and not keep it all about me or my blog.

How you write great content that performs well?

I do a lot of research. If someone questions something on a post I usually turn it into another post.

Find out what people need to learn about and do. Read their tweets, posts, etc.

Keep your posts simple and mix up your media. Use images, slideshares, video, quotes, etc to mix it up throughout your posts.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

Time is my biggest challenge as I work a 9-5 job too. I take advantage of early mornings or weekends. If I get time for lunch during the day I’ll break out my laptop and get a few things done. My mobile phone is invaluable.

If I could do it again – I would have written better content from the get-go. I was more concerned about more content not quality content. Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.

I also would not have accepted all paid sponsorship, I would have vetted a few more better than I did. It’s our name that is associated with them so we better believe in what we recommend.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Other bloggers. I’ve learned a lot from other bloggers and I recommend you find your mentors. I have several. Donna Merrill and Ryan Biddulph are two I’ve followed for years. I‘ve learned so much invaluable info from them. Take some courses too.

What’s your advice for bloggers who are just starting out?

I would recommend they start off with WordPress via a self hosted blog. Publish at least 5 posts before sending out links and such.

Do not add a lot of ads or things to sell in your sidebar, keep it clean and simple. Be active on social media and comment on other blogs in your niche. Try to be consistent through time.

I would recommend if they are starting out to follow a few mentors and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Read also: How To Bank $100 – $300 Per Day On Instagram (Sure way)

Read also: The secret of 10 successful bloggers part 2



2. Lidiya K. from Let’s Reach Success ($500/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

Hey there! I’m Lidiya, writer and lifestyle designer. I’m Bulgarian, turned my passion into my career, became location independent, moved to my favorite destination (Amsterdam, Netherlands), and am constantly trying to improve myself and make a statement with my words, actions and business.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

Back when I started the blog, I had no actual direction, but I knew it was worth it. Usually, it always is, it’s just that people give up early on before a site has the chance to grow. I came up with the idea after defining my passion (personal development) and combining it with my most favorite thing (writing). I knew I had to write about it and see where it takes me. It felt good from the first article I published, and to this day I enjoy creating content around that field and sharing it with the world.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

The revenue model for a site depends on the goals of the owner, the audience and what they like, and on many other factors. It’s worth exploring different monetization methods to see what works best for you. But the point is to always provide value to the reader. When you have a solid offer and it’s presented in the right way, they’ll gladly pay for it.

What are some strategies you have used to increase the blog’s traffic?

SEO is a big factor. Eventually, I realized that even the best content can’t be found if it’s not optimized for search engines, so I understood how Google works and started playing by its rules. I never paid for ads, but I do trust long-form and naturally optimized content to perform well over time.

How have you grown your email list?

I offer a free newsletter and there are around 1000 subscribers on it. I don’t use pop-ups, but let users submit their email if they feel like.

How do you write great content that performs well?

I write about a new topic when I have enough to say about it. Sometimes, I do basic keyword research, grab a term, and create a detailed guide on it with a ton of practical stuff. That’s valuable and ranks well over time.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

My challenges in the beginning were the tech side of things, but there’s enough information out there and tutorials explaining anything necessary. Now I enjoy reading about advanced SEO tactics or joining a new platform where I can build a new audience and bring more attention to my site.

There’s nothing I’d do differently if I had to start over. It’s exactly how it was supposed to be.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Whatever your niche is, you need to be reading and consuming information all the time. There’s a ton of stuff, and they are all important. How you combine them, though, and how you use your own talents and skills, is crucial.

3. Justin Germino from DragonBlogger ($600/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

My name is Justin Germino, and I started my blogging journey in 2008 as a way of sharing my love for tech, gadgets, and games while supplementing my day job.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

Originally, I needed to bring in more income since I was working a full-time job, had two young kids, and I didn’t want to spend more time away from family than I had to; I wanted something that I could do from home.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

The primary revenue model is an Amazon affiliate, Google AdSense, along with a few other affiliate programs through ShareASale. I share personal opinions about different products, offer coupons and earn income through affiliate when somebody clicks and buys something.

What are some strategies you have used for building up the traffic?

First, I make sure to use keyword tools to target high-search traffic patterns. After publishing the post, I share it on social, as well as other industry forums. Since I work with many brands and I write about them, they’ll promote my content on their own which gives nice spikes of traffic.

How have you grown your email list?

Though my mailing list was slow to grow at first, I started partnering with bigger brands to do product giveaways, greatly expanding my mailing by over 10,000 emails in a year, currently standing at nearly 34,000 in my email list.

How you write great content that performs well?

In my field, writing how-to articles that solve problems or covering niche items that haven’t been released yet tend to drive the most traffic.

When writing about products/news/technology/video games, there will often be spikes when something is brand new, so making entertainment-related content that answers questions are critical because people may have questions about those things for years to come.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

Using the name “DragonBlogger” was a terrible idea in the long run. When I started, blogging was the cool thing to do, but today, the term “blogger” in the site’s title can hurt my professionalism with big brands who think the site’s name makes it sound unprofessional and unrelated to technology. If I could do it all again, I would have researched a better site name and profile to match the niche.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

As far as learning, look at how others in your niche are doing things and try to find your own voice— What makes you different,? Why should someone should visit your site, read your article, or get your recommendation over someone else doing the same thing? However, don’t see yourself as a competitor, rather an alternative point of view. I find it is best to partner where I can rather than see any other tech bloggers as competitors.

What’s your advice for bloggers who are just starting out?

Don’t use a free blogging platform; use a self-hosted site like WordPress to allow more flexibility in plugins and advertising. Brands wouldn’t work with my sites if they weren’t self-hosted through WordPress.

Read also: One Extraordinary Approach To Profit Online 2018



4. Flavia Andrews from Neat House. Sweet Home ($1,500/mo)

I started the business when online marketplaces were taking off, and I was able to use that as leverage to grow my business in less than 2 years. This led me to start my first blog in order to promote my products and interact with customers at a much personal level.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

The idea of writing Neat House. Sweet Home™ dawned on me when my son started to attend preschool. I realized that if I did not start an organization system for all those first drawings he proudly brought home, I was going to lose my mind watching them pile up quickly on my kitchen counter.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

I am currently earning money through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, ads, and direct sales of my products and services.

I started monetizing my blog since the very first day I published my first post. I had no experience in the area, but I knew of bloggers making money through Google AdSense and I jumped in and placed a few codes on my pages myself.

What are some strategies you have used for building up the traffic?

I received initial traffic by promoting a free printable resource. Once I saw how this was a great way to attract readers, I created several more printables designed along the same lines, that complemented each other.

How have you grown your email list?

I decided to make one of those printables a sign up incentive and, to this date, it’s my best performing lead magnet to capture email addresses. In order to do this, I moved my then small list to ConvertKit, a leading email marketing platform for bloggers.

How you write great content that performs well?

My best content comes from my daily grind. Since my main focus is homemaking and time management at home, I face all kind of challenging situations daily.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

If I could start over, I would dedicate all my time and focus all of my efforts in creating a good amount of content first. In my first year blogging, I was too hung up on the little details such as adding widgets to my sidebar, applying to affiliates programs, placing banners, and watching my social media numbers.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

The first book I read on blogging was How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul, by Ruth Soukup. It gave me the foundation to think of my blog as a business. I didn’t see the potential that was hiding beneath what I thought was just my humble opinion put into a blog post. This book opened my eyes, and showed me that behind every blog, there’s an entrepreneur.

What’s your advice for bloggers who are just starting out?

My advice to those who want to start a blog is simple: Start by creating great content, great content brings traffic, and traffic brings income. There’s no other way around it.



5. Julie X from Millennial Boss ($2,000/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

Hi! I’m J. Last year I paid off $89,000 of debt and started my journey to financial independence. I hope to retire in my early 30s and have already saved $200,000 towards my goal at 28 years old.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

This impetus for my current blog, Millennial Boss, was that I was a new manager in my twenties and wanted to share my challenges and lessons about managing a team. The blog has since evolved in that I journaled my student loan debt payoff, my travel hacking successes, and now my journey to financial independence.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

I make money in the following ways:

Display advertising through Mediavine
Affiliate marketing from various products I promote (products that are mostly free to readers)
Sponsored posts
Sponsored podcast ad spots
How have you grown your email list?

I have 1,200 readers and I didn’t send emails until recently. Many bloggers feel that email is a good way to drive affiliate sales, but I haven’t seen that yet. I mostly enjoy sending emails to my email list for Fire Drill podcast because the community feels more personal. I have 250 people on that list and get higher engagement than Millennial Boss.

How you write great content that performs well?

Solve a problem for a reader and go into painstaking detail and write a 2,000+ word post. Then, take the time to share the crap out of the article. Eventually, Google will pick it up and it will start bringing you organic traffic for years. Make sure that you break up the post into sections with h2 headers that are common queries people type into Google about that subject. Name images with the same queries.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

I would recommend bloggers with day jobs stay anonymous and not use pictures of themselves. I went viral on Reddit and had coworkers find out about my personal finance and career blog which you can imagine was no well-received, particularly since I talked about salary negotiation strategies, etc.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Spend your time doing mostly what you don’t want to do but know it will grow your blog and reward yourself with a little big of time doing what you like to do, but you know it won’t grow your blog as much.

What’s your advice for bloggers who are just starting out?

Don’t be too should-shy. You can tell when a new blogger is starting out because they have a lot of “you should” statements. Readers will follow your recommendation when you have credibility and you inspire them, not because you say they should do something.

Thank you very much for your time feel free to drop your comment in case any.

source: https://akeentech.com/2017/11/amazing-and-useful-secrets-from-10-successful-bloggers-for-free-part-1/

6. Niall Doherty from Disrupting the Rabblement ($3,500/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

I’m Niall Doherty, a 35-year-old, born-and-raised Irishman who hasn’t lived in Ireland for a decade. I quit my last “real job” seven years ago and have been working online, joining other bloggers and traveling the world ever since, including one 44-month circumnavigation of the globe without flying.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

I started the blog in 2009 as a hobby, while still working a 9-to-5 office job. It was a way to clarify and share my thoughts and experiments related to personal development.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

The blog was actually a great lead gen for my freelance web development business, even though I never really wrote anything related to that. But people would like an article I wrote about not watching the news, for example, then read on my about page that I was a freelance web developer and reach out to me if they needed help building a website.

What are some strategies you have used for building up the traffic?

My 44-month journey around the world without flying also helped keep readers engaged. They were curious to see if I would keep going and how I would get from A to B. If I had to point to one thing I wish I’d done earlier, it would be starting a mailing list. But overall, I’ve never been very intentional about building my traffic.

How have you grown your email list?

Probably the best thing I’ve done to grow my list is to offer access to my monthly finance reports to subscribers. It’s rare online that someone reports all their income and expenses, in fine detail, and I’ve been doing that for seven years now. That gets people curious and they often subscribe to my list just to get a peek at my numbers.

Here’s a quick overview of what I’ve done to get that article ranked higher in Google:

I did some keyword research on ahrefs to see how many people were actually typing those keywords into Google each month, to make sure it was worth my while trying to rank higher.
I looked through dozens of other articles that rank for those keywords, making note of the most helpful advice.
Based on that research, I completely rewrote my article, turning it from a 500-word piece into a 9000-word behemoth and making it what I believe to be the absolute best article online for people who hate their jobs. I made sure to link to lots of other bloggers and resources in the article, and embed a bunch of related videos.
I then reached out to everyone I linked to in the article and asked if they could share it, if it was relevant and helpful to their audience.
I also reached out to a bunch of sites that linked to my competitors for those keywords and ask if they’d consider linking to my article as well.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

Starting over, I’d be much more intentional about my choice of content. I was blogging about whatever came to mind for years, and that was fine, but it didn’t help me build my audience or serve people as well as I could have.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Two habits have also helped me quite a bit.

One was publishing twice a week religiously for about three years when I started out. My content wasn’t all that great, but just forcing myself to push publish regularly and stick to a schedule was good training.

The second habit was recording and publishing a “talking-head” video to go along with each article I produced. That helped me develop a personal brand and many readers reported feeling like they knew me and could trust me on account of the videos.

What’s your advice for bloggers who are just starting out?

Don’t get into it just for the money, and be willing to put in at least six months of hard graft before you start seeing results.

Also, be intentional about your content. Do keyword research, find low-hanging fruit, and try hard to create the best content possible on whatever topic you decide to focus on.

Read also: One Extraordinary Approach To Profit Online 2018

source: https://akeentech.com/2017/11/revealed-amazing-and-useful-secrets-from-10-successful-bloggers-for-free-part-2/

7. Randa Derkson from The Bewitchin’ Kitchen ($3,500/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

Hi! I’m Randa Derkson, and I’m the woman behind the blog The Bewitchin’ Kitchen. My blog is about bringing people together, like you would at a kitchen table. Whether that’s discussing our newest travels, our health goals, or just to enjoy each others company over some delicious food. You’ll find a lot of recipes, but I also share health and fitness stories (and tips) plus travel advice.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

The Bewitchin’ Kitchen started in 2009 by me being bored. That’s simply it, I had no exciting epiphany or motivation, I just wanted to share recipes to my friends. I was home, pregnant, making no money and wanted some outside communication (I recently moved to a new town and was lonely). I had no idea that I could make a full time career by being a blogger.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

I make an income from ads, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, courses, and eBooks. It all started with small sponsored posts, and a small ad network. This year I decided to focus on affiliates and passive income. With the passive income in mind, my partner and I have launched Click Start Clubto help bloggers grow with their photography, videos, and to improve their blog as well.

What are some strategies you have used for building up the traffic?

I put most of my efforts into Pinterest, SEO, and building an email list. I don’t write too many email newsletters (yet) but that is something I plan on changing for 2018. I don’t do too many guest posts anymore, but I do welcome other bloggers to include my recipes in roundups for themselves and their clients, and that is a great way to get some link juice back to my site.

How have you grown your email list?

Right now my blog’s email list is close to 7000. I’ve been working on growing my list with freemium offers. I have a recipe binder and meal planner, meal plans, a travel checklist, free recipe book, and more. I try to have a free offer (opt in) for all my blog topics (recipes, health, travel) and have the readers segmented by using ConvertKit. I do have an RSS feed for those who want all my emails, but I’m working on cutting that off and writing more personal emails to everyone.

How you write great content that performs well?

Usually, I’m inspired in the most random places, so I always have my phone on me so I can jot down ideas on my Notes or Wunderlist app.

I then bullet point the post out in a draft and expand those bullet points into sentences. I don’t have much of a process, I just let it happen and what comes out, comes out.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

One of my mistakes was to think I had to be everywhere. I had to write EVERY kind of recipes, blog about parenting, blog about design. I was expanding myself so wide that I was exhausted. I experienced blogger burn out and I was confusing my readers. It wasn’t until recently that I have decided to focus on three topics (the three topics that I love): food, health, travel. It’s so freeing to say no to opportunities, and trust me it seems that the more I say no, the more opportunities that match what I stand for show up in my inbox.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Speaking with other bloggers on social media, email and utilizing Facebook groups is a great way to join together and brain storm ideas for improvements and education.

What’s your advice for bloggers who are just starting out?

Start with SEO. Learn it, and start implementing right away. The earlier you start, the better your results will be down the road. Think of it as a snowball rolling down a hill, it starts small but it gained momentum and size as it carries on.

source: https://akeentech.com/2017/11/revealed-amazing-and-useful-secrets-from-10-successful-bloggers-for-free-part-2/

please do i av to learn coding b4 i start my blog

8. Ron Stefanski from OneHourProfessor ($8,000/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

My name is Ron Stefanski and I run the blog OneHourProfessor.com (OHP). I’ve been working at this online business thing for about two and a half years. I worked in Corporate America for 13 years prior to making the leap into online business.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

I came up with the idea for this blog because of my students at the colleges I teach at. Long story short, near the end of the course they would always ask where they could learn more and I’d point them to outside sources.
source: https://akeentech.com/2017/11/revealed-amazing-and-useful-secrets-from-10-successful-bloggers-for-free-part-2/

What is the revenue model for the blog?

Because I now own a portfolio of websites, my income comes from various sources. That said, the good thing is that 95% of them are considered passive income, so I’m able to take a day off whenever I’d like and not be impacted. My primary income comes from display ads (Google Adsense) and the secondary income I make comes from Affiliate marketing. I also have some consulting agreements from time to time and make money selling courses on Udemy and my website itself, but my primary goal is to make a bunch of websites that, in aggregate, make me over $10,000 in passive income monthly.

Walk us through some strategies you have used to build up the traffic?

In terms of getting that ever-elusive initial traffic, it’s all about creating QUALITY content and then getting backlinks. I know, it sounds cliché, but this has worked for me across my entire portfolio of websites and continues to work with each new website I launch.

How have you grown your email list?

If you’re looking to grow your email list, it’s a pretty simple problem to solve in my opinion. Create content – get traffic – have an opt in that’s interesting to them. The opt in “hook” doesn’t have to be a full course or an ebook, it can be as simple as a one-page document that helps them understand one specific topic. I actually advise that you make the opt in something quick and easy to digest that will deliver a lot of value. If you make it too much, people won’t read/review it and the value is lost.

How do you write great content that performs well?

Well, I typically don’t. Aside from the OHP website, I outsource all of my content to writers that I hire. I do this because it’s simply not feasible for me to write all of my own content and frankly, I wouldn’t want to.

That being said, I definitely have a very specific process I follow and make writers follow to accomplish these goals.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

I’d say that my single biggest problem in my website portfolio is trying to understand the best monetization strategy for each website. Getting traffic isn’t always that difficult for me, but monetizing the websites correctly is. Truth is, Google Adsense is usually one of the lowest forms of monetization out there, so there is a lot of room to grow. But growing to that next level and trying to find the right strategy is difficult.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

I’m not a big reader mainly because it takes a lot of time. That said, I am obsessive about listening to Podcasts and I usually do this on 2x speed. For me, podcasts have absolutely been my saving grace. I exercise 6 to 7 days a week and during these workouts, time is wasted. I do not like wasting time…..so I spend it listening to podcasts and exercising. Doing this allows me to exercise my body and mind at the same time, which I think is an amazing concept.

What’s your advice for bloggers who are just starting out?

I have two pieces of advice for those that are looking to start.

First, make sure that you understand this is not a short-term thing. It’s not uncommon to have to wait 6-12 months before you see ANY income come from a new website. Even then, the income you make at that time is likely to be very small. One of the things you absolutely must have when you start this journey is patience and consistency.

Second, share your content and get links! The thing that amazes me when it comes to bloggers is that they’re happy writing 2-4 hours to create an epic piece of content, but then they won’t spend more than 20 minutes sharing it. As I see it, one of the most important things you can do is share your content and get people to see it.

9. Suzi Scheler from Cruelty-Free Kitty ($16,000/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

Hi! My name is Suzi Scheler and I built an online business so I can have more freedom and be location-independent. My main blog right now is a beauty blog against animal testing. It’s different from most beauty blogs out there because I research the brands and only feature those that fit the cruelty-free criteria.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

Before I started this journey, I was a freelance translator. I loved being able to work from anywhere in the world, but I wasn’t doing something creative and challenging enough.

After learning about the possibilities of blogging and making a living online, I quickly got the idea of starting a cruelty-free beauty blog. I already had some knowledge on the topic, and at that time, it was just starting to become more popular. That’s what told me to go for it.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

My favourite way to monetize is through affiliate links. This is because these links can be included organically (unlike ads) and I can choose who and what to link to. In the very beginning, I added affiliate links throughout my blog using Amazon Associates, Linkshare, and ShareASale. I still use these networks today and a decent portion of my income comes from Amazon, but I also moved to Reward Style.

Walk us through some strategies you have used to build up the traffic?

In the beginning, I did a lot of small things that added up. I contributed to discussions on forums, answered people’s questions anywhere I could, promoted my site, and participated in Twitter chats. This helped spread the word about my blog, which is necessary if you’re not getting any initial traffic.

How have you grown your email list?

The placement of my opt-in forms also had a big impact on my opt-in rate. For example, very few people use the opt-in form in my sidebar. I place my opt-ins at the end of every post right before the comment section. These forms not only stand out more, but they also target visitors who are already interested in my content since they’ve reached the end of the post.

How do you write great content?

Writing doesn’t come easy to me and I feel as though I still haven’t found my “voice” after 3 years of blogging. Nevertheless, I write from the heart and speak my mind on my blog, which I’ve gotten positive feedback for. I also keep the style simple, casual, and friendly. I want my articles to be easy to read and accessible to everyone.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

My biggest challenge to overcome is very personal, and it’s the fear of putting myself out there. When I first started my blog, I treated it like a magazine. I was behind the scenes.

Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

I was very inspired by Pat Flynn. Shortly after I started blogging, I listened to his Ask Pat podcast, which is a daily podcast about having an online business. He answers questions from his listeners and touches on topics ranging from marketing to SEO, and this is a podcast I recommend to all beginners because of how accessible it is.

What’s your advice for bloggers who are just starting out?

I see a lot of new bloggers trying to emulate successful bloggers and their blogs. While you can learn a lot from successful bloggers, I don’t think this approach works. The key is to differentiate yourself and do something new, exciting, and original. That’s what those successful bloggers did, and it worked for them at that point in time. Since they’ve already done it, it’s no longer new and original and it no longer works as well as it did for them years ago.

Read also: 6 Ways To Make Your Content Shareable
source: https://akeentech.com/2017/11/revealed-amazing-and-useful-secrets-from-10-successful-bloggers-for-free-part-2/

10. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner from Making Sense of Cents ($100,000/mo)

Hello! What’s your background, and what is your blog about?

Hello! My name is Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I run the personal finance blog Making Sense of Cents. I have three finance-related college degrees and I used to be a financial analyst before I left that to become a full-time blogger.

What motivated you to get started with the blog?

Around August of 2011, I started Making Sense of Cents with the hope of helping people learn how to save money as well as openly talking about my personal finance journey after reading a magazine that featured a personal finance website in one of their articles. I became extremely interested in that website and my interest in blogging just grew from there. This is interesting and hilarious because before that same summer, I had no idea about what blogs were, that they could even make money, or anything along those lines.

What is the revenue model for the blog?

I earn an income through my blogging business in many different ways, as you can see in my business income reports. The various income areas include affiliate marketing (discussed more below), course sales of Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, sponsored partnerships, and display advertising.

Walk us through some strategies you have used to build up the traffic?

I really don’t spend that much time on promotion, even though I know that I should. There are some things that I do though that include:

Accepting all interviews. If someone wants to interview me, I use it as practice to get outside of my “box,” to reach a new audience, and more. I accept all interviews (like this one!), podcasts, webinars, roundups, and more. There have only been a handful of interviews that I have turned down in the past 6+ years of blogging, and that has almost always been due to me not being an expert in whatever the person wants to interview me on, so instead of wasting anyone’s time by trying to pretend I am something that I am not, I just turn them down. For example, I recently turned down an interview that was full of tax questions, and that’s because I’m not a tax expert so I am not sure why someone would want to interview me on that subject, haha!
Creating social media graphics for every piece of content on Making Sense of Cents. I always make sure to include a Facebook-friendly image and a Pinterest-friendly image within each article. Pinterest is very important when it comes to social media, and is applicable for almost every single blog niche out there, whether you are male or female. Many people like to disregard Pinterest because they are male or they don’t think their niche is a good fit – I am primarily a finance blogger and I used to always hear that finance topics would not do well on Pinterest. That is completely incorrect and Pinterest has regularly been a top referral for a few years now for Making Sense of Cents.
Creating high-quality content. Content is king! I always make sure my content is personable, includes actionable tips, is interesting, and more. The content on Making Sense of Cents is always at least 1,000 words, and usually anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 words.
Engaging with readers on all social media accounts, such as replying to comments on Facebook, replying to comments on blog posts, and more. Engaging with your readers is very important, yet so many people skip this step and that is a huge mistake. Your readers want to hear from YOU!
Emailing my newsletter subscribers whenever a new article is live on Making Sense of Cents.
How have you grown your email list?

I didn’t start focusing on my email list until around the spring of 2016, and that was a huge mistake of mine. When I was getting ready to launch Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, I decided to start focusing on growing my email list, creating sequences, regularly emailing my readers, and more.

My very top tip for anyone who has a platform, website, etc, is to start your email list immediately.

How do you write great content that performs well?

I work on content usually about 1-3 months ahead of time. I always like to be ahead in content so that I don’t have to rush to complete an article. This way, everything is always top quality.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and obstacles you’ve overcome with your blog? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

I’ve made tons of blogging mistakes! These mistakes include:

Managing a bad work-life balance. If I had to start over, I would outsource as much as I can, instead of trying to do everything myself. I wasted a lot of time doing this because I spent time that I should have left to the experts (such as when dealing with tech problems on my blog).
Spending too much time creating content instead of promoting it. As I discussed above, I need to spend more time promoting my content instead of spending an almost equal amount of time creating it.
Not starting an email list. This was discussed above. I wish I would have started my email list right from the very beginning.
Starting my blog on Blogger. Sadly, I started my blog on Blogger and this led to Google deleting my blog for absolutely no reason (I eventually got it back after a lot of begging), lack of control, it not being professional, and more. I should have started on WordPress right from the very beginning.
Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

My best piece of advice that I’d give a new blogger is that I recommend networking as much as you can. One big blogging mistake that I’ve noticed many other bloggers make is not making the effort to network. Networking is so important as a blogger. You should see others in the blogging world as your colleagues and friends, not your enemies or competition.

Thank you very much for your time feel free to drop your comment in case any.


source: https://akeentech.com/2017/11/revealed-amazing-and-useful-secrets-from-10-successful-bloggers-for-free-part-2/

Starkid3010:
please do i av to learn coding
b4 i start my blog

Not at all

akeentech:
Not at all

Bro Please How Much Will It Costs Me To Start A Blog

Nice motivation and info...Nice one op..

Starkid3010:
Bro Please How Much Will It Costs Me To Start A Blog

It depends, u can start with ur system and internet access

akeentech:
It depends, u can start with ur system and internet access

Yea But i mean to buy d domain name and others how much will it costs me bro i believed u are an experienced blogger datz y am askin u

Starkid3010:

Yea But i mean to buy d domain name and others
how much will it costs me bro
i believed u are an experienced blogger datz y am askin u

If u want to use . or .WordPress u don't need domain but if u want to buy domain and hosting it may cost you 10 to 15k

akeentech:

If u want to use . or .WordPress u don't need domain but if u want to buy domain and hosting it may cost you 10 to 15k

Tanx Bro but i know much abt wordpress
does it mean .wordpress is free
and i can start my affiliate blog for free??
pls enlighten

Starkid3010:
Tanx Bro but i know much abt wordpress does it mean .wordpress is free and i can start my affiliate blog for free?? pls enlighten

Can you please drop your whatsapp number or contact info@akeentech.com

akeentech:

Can you please drop your whatsapp number or contact info@akeentech.com

07066572839 thanks bro

Starkid3010:
07066572839 thanks bro

uwc

Starkid3010:
07066572839 thanks bro

A newbie like me lol

akeentech:
A newbie like me lol

kindly add me please. cant wait to learn

Starkid3010:
07066572839 thanks bro

I can't find u on whatsapp

akeentech:
I can't find u on whatsapp

bro pls research again

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