In the world of social media everywhere, all.the.time it’s easy to wonder: why start a blog? Why not just do everything on social media?
Share to the masses, do the lives, take selfies?
My friends and family will all see them, right?
But — have you ever stopped to think what you could be doing with your business if you had just one more vehicle?
One more little thing that could take your business to the next level?
Take that passion of yours and scale it.
We all have that “thing” we love. Mine is food. I love food, I think that when the belly is full the heart is full.
One of my favorite things to bless a new mom with, sick family members or a struggling friend is a hearty meal.
And, I know for a fact that food isn’t everyone’s way to someones heart.
There are people that make blankets, sell jewelry, offer makeup services, give massages, take pictures of families and the list goes on.
And all of these things are great and can fill the cup, too.
Here’s the deal:
You can start a full online business doing any of these things and easily triple your revenue.
TRIPLE your revenue. Yes, I’m that bold.
In this article I’m sharing why I decided to start a recipe blog but while I’m telling my story I want you to be thinking about your passion. If its recipes, well, then, this will be a little easier for you.
But, if it’s selling Pampered Chef, or your photography classes, or chiropractic services it will also resonate with you.
Why I started a recipe blog:
In the 8 years I’ve been blogging, the majority of the blogging was deals, deals, deals. I was cranking out anywhere from 15-20 deal posts per day.
Then, I realized that although people loved the deal content, they also really liked the recipes that I was posting. They’re easy recipes and a few Keto recipes here and there.
In the blogging world, it’s best if you can have a main theme on your blog (insert your passion here)
In enters the idea to start a recipe blog. I knew that people loved my recipes, and my neighbors always said I was a great cook, so why not start a website specifically focusing on just recipes that I can share with the world.
Does this sound like you?
See How to Start a Food Blog
So, I took the plunge. On top of the already full time job of running and owning CouponCravings.com, I now took on the same position with MomsCravings.
It was an easy segway for me and cooking (and eating!) are hobbies of mine. So, naturally, this was the topic that fit best for me to continue doing.
It still allowed me to stay home with our kids in the summer and work from home while they were in school.
And, since I know blogging inside and out, it was a natural fit.
And so began MomsCravings.com.
But what about you?
Why should I start a blog? I Have These Eleven Reasons:
Wondering why should I start blogging? You should start a blog because it is the best way to do these ELEVEN things:
- Show Up in Search Engines (Google Loves Blogs)
- Attract the Clientele that you Want (and That Wants You!)
- Sell Over and Over Again to People that Already Know, Like and Trust You
- Capture Email Addresses
- Make Ad Revenue
- You Can Make Money with Blogging Atleast Three Different Ways
- When You Blog About Your Passion, Blogging is Easy
- Blogging Gives You Authority on Your Subject
- Blogging Helps Other People
- Self-promotion and New Opportunities That Live on Forever on the Internet
- In the Eyes of Your Customers, You Become a Legit Business and Expert When You Have a Blog
If you’re not doing all of these eleven things, you should be and this is why you should start a blog.
But Kate, I’m on social media – they see me there!
Yes, yes they do. But what if you had a way that not only the people that see you on your Facebook lives could see you, but also your email list of 100, 200, 1,000??
Think of it this way: every time a new product rolls out, you’re in their inbox.
Every time a promotion is rolled out, you’re in their inbox.
Every time you get a new product is released, you’re in their inbox telling them everything there is to know about how great the newest product is and why you love it.
When you know how to harness the power of a blog, you will love the results.
How to start a blog and make money:
Read the eight steps to starting a blog here more in depth, but the basics are, get your land (hosting), build your house (blog) and decorate your house (plugins).
Then, get started writing – that’s where you’ll begin to make the money.
As a blogger you make money in three ways:
- Affiliate income
- Ad revenue
- Sponsored posts
Affiliate income: You get paid commission on anything that is bought through your link.
Common affiliate programs to sign up for are:
Ad revenue: You get paid on the amount of traffic that your blog brings in. Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is this: Every 1,000 pageviews equals about $10-$20 depending on your niche and several other factors like time on your blog, how many pages were viewed while they were on your blog and more.
The two main ad revenue companies are:
Sponsored posts:
Most sponsored posts come through companies that manage the campaigns. You apply for the campaign and you receive the campaign. Once you receive the campaign you do exactly what was asked of you.
This might mean that you write a post reviewing the product or in some cases go out to buy the product and review your experience, or in other cases you might even make a recipe using the product.
The main sponsored post companies are:
Influence Central
Izea (fka Tapfluence)
Reasons not to blog:
Because I get asked this question frequently, it’s only fair that I include it in my post about why starting a blog is a good idea, right?
What kind of blog should I start?
If you have a passion, start a blog telling everything you know about your passion, that makes the most sense to me. When you have a passion about something, it really stands out, right?? Yes!
Or, you could take another approach: say you love Legos, or chicken, or making blankets, or crocheting. Whatever it is, I can 100% guarantee that there are other people that want to know more about that topic.
And when you write and write, you’ll soon become an authority on the topic.
You’ll gain followers, and readers who love you and they won’t be able to get enough of what you have to say.
Especially if you write it the right way!
Whatever you do, just do it!
Back to the basics of food blogging (but as with all of the topics on this subject, this applies to anything you blog about)
What tools do I use most on my recipe blog?
My camera:
I have this Canon camera and I love it. I had a version lower, but a few years ago I found this one on Craigslist at a great price and it takes video on top of taking high definition photos.
When you have a food blog, being able to take pictures is pretty important. And, being able to have an eye for food and food styling is also pretty important. That comes with practice though.
If you look at my most popular recipes, all of them have fantastic pictures and the pins on Pinterest do as well.
Pinterest:
Speaking of Pinterest, my food blog would not be what it is without the help of Pinterest. Pinterest used to be a collection of things people liked and to bloggers, it’s become a rival to Google.
Now, for hives for example, I would never go to Pinterest for a self-diagnosis, but for a casserole, appetizer, Keto bread, home decorating, nail designs, hairstyles, etc., etc. I do go to Pinterest.
But, once you learn how to really work Pinterest as a blogger you begin to harness the potential that it has to really catapult your recipes and posts.
You’ll want to sign up for a Pinterest Business account here.
My computer:
I have a lightweight MacBook Air that I work on 90% of the time. It’s perfect for what we do. Just like finding the right blog host LINK though, once you start getting some traffic and making some money, you’re going to want to upgrade to something with plenty of memory and capacity for the tasks you’ll be giving it.
Facebook:
While I don’t believe that Facebook alone is enough to build a sustainable business, it’s a great vehicle to get your content noticed. You see the viral videos on Facebook all the time.
Do you wonder how they got there? 95% of the time they’re started by a blogger who knows the recipe to get a post to go viral.
You can see several of my viral videos here, here and here.
Keyword research tool:
I use Keysearch and I love it.
I’ve found it to be a fraction of the price of other tools, and although not *quite* as fancy from the get-go, it gives all of the same information, and at times even more than the the tools that cost $100 or more per month.
You can see keysearch here.
Will I need all of these tools to blog??
To be honest I sometimes even use my phone to take pictures and you can too!
You will need a computer, but nothing fancy to get started. The nice thing about blogging is that once you get your site set up, there’s little else to do than write and promote.
I cannot WAIT for you to get started.
Do me a favor: Email me once you think of your idea – My email is [email protected]. Remember, niche down, ok?
Ready to start YOUR money-making recipe blog? Join my free mini-course, How to Start a Blog in Under an Hour!
In this free course, I will walk you through the 2 crucial phases of setting up your own blog:
- Decide exactly what you should blog about – Find a topic you’re passionate about and create your table of contents to jumpstart your writing process!
- Go through the process of getting your domain, hosting your website, and setting up your WordPress account – I’ve included detailed tutorials and step-by-step walkthroughs (with screenshots) of EXACTLY how to set up your blog, from start to finish! Including getting a theme that makes your new blog beautiful and user-friendly!
I would’ve paid ten times over for just this info right here when I was starting MomsCravings.com.
Get access to the free course right here: