This guest post is by Chris The Traffic Blogger.
We always hear stories about the people who eventually succeeded as bloggers … but what about the ones who didn’t?
What of those millions of people who heard that you could make money online, tried it, and eventually gave up? Why aren’t those stories shared and, more importantly, why don’t we discuss the reasons these people failed? Here is but one story in a sea of millions that can shine some light on the subject.
What does it mean to fail as a blogger?
For some, money is not everything in this life. They value relationships, connecting with others and sharing time together more than anything. This is exactly the mentality my mother had when she began her own blog. She wrote about life as a mother of five children, her incredible ability to cook great food with awesome wine pairings, and her love for her faith.
Her articles were well written and thought-provoking, funny sometimes, and even touching. Having read through her first few posts, I thought to myself, “Wow, my mom is really going to do this and be an awesome blogger.”
However, she failed.
Having seen myself making $10,000 a month with a video gaming blog, my mother thought that she could try her luck at it as well. After eight months and only $2.14 for her efforts, she simply gave up. To her, yes, blogging was fun, but it was too much like a job and she still had a little one to take care of at home. There just wasn’t enough free time for her to justify writing as a hobby with no income to show for it. Despite my best efforts to show her how to draw traffic to her site, she simply gave up due to the learning curve and time involved.
My mother didn’t fail because she couldn’t write, or because she didn’t have a revenue stream. She was an excellent writer and had AdSense/affiliate links on her site in good locations. She failed because she lacked connections and social interaction with her potential audience.
Where things went wrong
Here are how the conversations went with my mother, and here are the responses she had to them. If this sounds like you, stick around because I’m going to show you how to be successful with your blog traffic.
Me: You need to sell something.
Mom: But I have nothing to sell. I don’t own anything.
My mother thought that because she didn’t have a pre-written ebook that she couldn’t make money online.
First off, I didn’t have an ebook when I first started out. What I had was grit and determination to find my audience and market products to them. My mother lacked this, nor did she want to start to learn how to do it. Her fundamental argument is flawed, however, because she did have something to sell: her opinion. Mom had great ideas, great outlooks on life, she was entertaining, and often made people think with her posts. That’s what she could have sold.
Maybe that would have taken shape as an ebook on how to pair wine with food, or maybe it would be life lessons from a mother of five children. I don’t know, but she did have something only she could sell and I’m sad it never came to be.
Me: Mom, you need to read other blogs and forums, then post comments on them.
Mom: I don’t have the time and they don’t know me.
Despite my mom’s expertise in three separate niches, no one knew about it. All she needed to do was start visiting blogs and forums and comment on them, and she would have started developing a following rather quickly. She’s a smart, witty woman with a lot of talent, and it would have been obvious to everyone she interacted with that she knew her stuff.
Sadly, she equated leaving comments at these locations to knocking on doors like a salesman, or preaching in front of random people on the street corner. She didn’t see it as the networking opportunity it really was.
Me: Hey Mom, did you contact any bloggers this week?
Mom: Yes, but I haven’t checked my email in over a month.
When Mom was first starting out, she did make an effort to contact bloggers … well, at least the ones I found for her, and whose email addresses I sent to her. But she never followed up (one even wanted to do a guest post swap!).
Due to time constraints, my Mom never was able to do the essential tasks necessary to manage her PR efforts. Following up seems like a no-brainer, but when you don’t check your email more than once a month, it’s virtually impossible to have a conversation with anyone!
Mom can still succeed
This is it: the part where I show you how she (and you, if you sound like my Mom) can turn things around.
Let’s say my Mom can spend three hours per week blogging. Here’s how I would change her schedule from 100% writing to a different setup, and get her on the path towards blogging success.
1. Spend one hour emailing and responding to emails.
2. Spend one hour commenting on blogs and participating on forums.
3. Spend one hour writing posts.
Yes, she would write one-third of what she was creating before, but she would have a far greater number of interactions with people. Simply improving your own blog is not enough—you have to get out there and connect with your potential audience.
In fact, that’s all you need to do: go out there and find your audience. It seems simple, but to many it feels like added work because they spend all their time writing. Freeing up time solves half of this issue. The other half is getting over the fear of sounding like a salesman. Entering into a conversation and leaving your intelligent opinion on the matter is all you really need to do to avoid sounding like a salesman.
If you need help finding your audience, try searching Google for “[your niche] + forum” or “[your niche] + blog.” Then, after you find a few sites, try looking through their links and blog rolls for additional sites to check out. Get involved, build relationships, and most importantly, have fun! That’s what it’s all about!
Chris is a self proclaimed expert at showing bloggers how they can get traffic, build communities, make money online and be successful. You can find out more at The Traffic Blogger.
Chris, I think you’re touching on the subect of marketing relationships here. I’ve said for so long now that blogging is all about relationships. If you’ve been online for years and built a natural ability to connect with, engage with people and build those relationships online, you’re already half way to being a successful blogger.
I’d go as far as to say your ability to build relationships online and network effectively is more important than your writing ability.
An interesting, almost ‘Devil’s Advocate’ look on blogging. Thanks Chris!
Jamie
Good advice! I like the one hour email, comments and blogging. Going to incorporate that in my schedule.
Building a great blog without promoting it and developing relationships is like building an ark on ground. And we all know the flood is not coming again.
Hey Chris,
Wonderful post. You have clearly laid out what causes most mom bloggers to fail. First of all, moms have a lot to deal with at home. While the 9-5s have job only from 9 to 5; but moms are on duty round the clock. We expect moms to be at service always.
And even more sadly moms cannot leave their house abandoned and check their emails. When they see a couple of shoes being not in place, they’d prefer to keep them in place rather than typing that blog post.
But there is one catch that will make things work. After all we see that there are so many mommy bloggers doing great on the blogosphere (myself included). There should be a strong reason for them to earn money, the passion and support from family with household work. I have #2 and #3 perfect. My #1 is I have a deadline to go full time earning and abandon my day job (hope my boss is not reading this!).
I want to be a cool earner, flexible, help people, work at my will and earn enough money to keep my family comfortable and rich.
Cheers,
Jane.
I’m a grandmother (which means I was a mom LOL). I’ve been blogging for a year. Still haven’t figured out the Ads one can post to earn income, but I do have a book to be released this month so I have a product. I’ve got most of the above down, but need to get into forums/groups, and do more emails. Thanks for the great checklist!!
I’m commenting, aren’t I? I am new to blogging, and my new venture is born out of my want to write for an audience > 1 or 2, not so much about “How can I make a living with this” (though that wouldn’t be so awful, would it?). Thank you for posting information that helps others in your “community”.
Funny but effective post. I must say, if you don’t push yourself to people, people will never count you for anything….
Thanks
Chris,
Thank you. I love this post. Couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I was just thinking, how do I drive more traffic without having a product to sell. This certainly gives me more to think about and a few more bricks as I lay my yellow brick road.
Sarah
Really important advice! I was on the road most of February, and while I responded to e-mails and had posts set to go live on my normal schedule, I didn’t get to forums anywhere near as much as usual. And my traffic showed it!
Then in March, with the same number of new posts but more action on forums, FB, responding to requests for info, etc., traffic rose almost 50%. And, for the first time, I’ve had a couple of other people posts links to my posts on forums (unsolicited) as being a good source of info.
I make a point of NOT just commenting on things that directly link to my blog, but also on related topics. Yes, sometimes I leave a link to an article, but not always — I work hard not to look like I’m just trolling for traffic, but that I’m offering help.
Thanks for reiterating the need to take care of things besides just writing — it can be hard, particularly for us “older bloggers”!
The key to doing both – writing and promoting my blogs – is in recognizing that they are two very different tasks. I need quiet, uninterrupted time to write, so I do that early in the morning before the chaos of the day begins. I can read/reply to emails, read and post on blogs, and generally hang out in bits and pieces throughout the day. So I really only spend about 1/2 an hour a day “working” on my blogs. The rest happens during those 5 minute breaks that happen now and then throughout the day.
In 2010, I started a blog. It was a personal blog, but I wrote over 200 posts. Even though no one really read it (there was few, not much), I did not consider it a fail. In fact, I considered it a smashing success in every way besides readership.
I eventually moved on to a blog with a little more of a niche, but I will always remember that blog as the one that really got me going.
So many people give up I think because they don’t have a vision of the impact they can make. I created a blog manifesto to remind me what I stood for and what difference I could make. It’s pretty simple:
To help my readers design business thrive.
Simple. Clear. No hype.
Yes I post on other peoples blogs to raise profile, but only when I can add value. Thats the name of the game otherwise we should all just walk away.
Great post. This reminds me that people need to have a passion. This in turn will give them the inner feeling to do whatever they want to do.
Very graphic post, Chris. It is a great way to give advice to all the beginners struggling to get an audience and to show how important it is to persevere.
Thanks
I have been doing a lot of this lately. When I spend the time commenting on other blogs and forums i get a serious traffic spike. The next question for me is how do you get people to consistently comment on your blog?
Glad you focused on reaching out to other bloggers with this. To often the focus is just on publish, but in the end that is the easy part. Good blogging reaches out and doesn’t just publish.
Awesome Post Chris, Real Motivating & Reminder to all of us that, though we are dealing in a virtual world, but our real audiences are from REAL World…;)
It’s all about relationships. You nailed it. The community I’ve discovered since I started my blog has been life changing. When you realize your stories may help someone else it is the best feeling in the world and gives you the motivation to continue. Great post!
Thanks!
I’m just starting to blog last month. I’ve spent most of my free time on my blog, and I’m worried that I won’t earn a cent. I’m glad I’ve read this. Thank you, Chris, for this article.
This is a super post by darren once more…alright!
Interesting post. A lot of people don’t realize that running a blog is a lot like running a business. Imagine creating a physical product that people can use to improve an aspect of their lives. No matter how much value it may bring to a consumer, it will be worthless if nobody knows about it.
Blogging is more than just writing good content. You can write the most value-driven content but if nobody knows about it, then it’s unfortunately worthless.
I like the 3hr schedule you outlined (although I don’t think you’ll need to spend an hour replying to emails at the beginning stages).
I hope your mom gives it a second chance!
I am always surprised when I follow a brand new blogger and comment on their blog and I don’t hear back from them at all. No email reply, no reciprocal visit back, nothing. I usually comment a second time on one of their posts and then if there is no activity I don’t go back.
Not that they owe me anything but I like to make a connection when blogging. It is a two way street.
This is an excellent post, really well written, I love the message you’re trying to get across. Too many articles talk about what you should do and what you have to do, with bloggers only writing about how much they made/make. But by showing people common mistakes and advising on what not to do it’ll give new bloggers constructive advice and give them a chance not to make common errors.
Cheers
Simple and true — good shit
I don’t mean to be rude but the truth is I hit the back button within about 1 second of being greeted by a block of text.
Interesting. What would you rather see upon arriving?
Hey Chris,
Great article and a great way to look at blogging and the problems a lot of bloggers might be facing. I’d like to know, I think this was not answered in the post, how much traffic your mom got after the month of constant blogging. I was wondering if the problem was to get traffic to her site or if it actually didn’t work to connect to the people visiting to the site?
Thanks for sharing,
Philipp
I do all those things. I comment on lots of blogs, and always reply to the comments left on mine. And I am always looking for more blogs that interest me. I may not post as frequently as others do, but I find that the longer I leave a post up before posting another, the more comments I get per post…..most likely because people tend to only read your most recent post.
Despite doing all of these things, my traffic and following is slow.
Hey Matty,
I’ve just had a look at your blog. There is one thing that I noticed almost instantly and I believe others will have the same experience. While your blog looks nice and you have been working including some good features you are not clear on your subject. Your name as a title is fine but perhaps you want to try to change the tagline to something that instantly gives your visitors a clue on what you are writing about – what kind of value, content, wisdom etc. they can get from reading your articles.
I like your tagline for it is fun but it lead me to one question: Matty’s opinion on WHAT? What subject. You might find it easier to narrow your topics down to one niche and target that audience then trying to please everyone.
Perhaps this idea helps. Let me know what you think and what you try.
Philipp
What a coincidence! My Mom and I we’re talking about blogging hours ago and told her that its not all about writing. I should suggest this page to her. :D
Perhaps people such as your Mom need to work as part of a team, to compliment her own skills and knowledge?
Here’s an irony for you: I discovered your blog while looking for blogs to reply on, to try and bring traffic to my own. (Am I the first one to shamelessly admit that out loud???)
I too struggle with it because I hate to “impose” on people by posting on their blogs – same reason, they don’t know me. And I couldn’t bring myself to post nonsense because then it’s just spam. But… I’ll try to make a more concerted effort now. Thanks for writing this. I think I’m your mom in a way… sometimes what I have to say is worthwhile, but almost nobody reads it except my personal friends.
Some very good hints for building traffic and revenue. One thing you did forget though: Don’t ever give up. Eight months is not a long time to build a decent following…
This is a very informative post. Honestly many people know just what to say and the average seo enthusiast can write the exact same review, however I always say that the proof is in the pudding. what made me read this post and comment was that I felt more confident after viewing this site’s rankings. Very well done! You defintely know what you are doing as you have proven it already and I look forward to future post after I have bookmarked!
Jaun Wright
Unless you write about something a lot of people are actually searching for, you will never get traffic. And if you’re selling something, it has to be something people want to buy. There’s just too many blogs out there now to expect a lot of traffic, unless you’re somebody famous like Charlie Sheen. My blog is about my life, and that’s just not important to people on the net, who search for something like sports scores and celebrities. Politics is a big cult topic. Tell your Mom to write about politics and sell a book of her political theories. She’ll get lots of visitors and make some cash.
Yes, you are right. Merely righting great articles can not help. It will be like living on a remote island and hoping for some one to visit your home which you have decorated so nicely.
Internet is about sharing and collaborating. We should establish relationship with other bloggers. We should comment and participate in discussion. This will help us make new friends. If our comments will be good, new visitors will come to our blog .
But we should not spam.
thanks for such a nice information. What i think is one should have to think at time to time to make improvement in their blogs and generate more traffic on the blogs.
Thanks once again such a nice post.
Hi Chris,
I think that it’s a real shame didn’t follow through on the advice that you gave her. She sounds like a better blog writer than me, but she just didn’t seem willing to take your advice.
When I first started my blog over two years ago, I thought that all I would need to do is write and publish. How wrong I was. Blogging is pretty much like doing business in the real world, you have to network, promote, sell, etc.
I hope your mum gets her second wind and tries again. Perhaps you could encourage her to write an ebook first. If she even gets a few sales early on, it may encourage her to carry on.
Good luck to you and your Mum.
Inspiring post. I admit, I am sometimes guilty of believing that I do not have enough time to network with other bloggers. It’s simply not true. It doesn’t take long to shoot a fellow blogger a tweet or quick email, asking them to read a post that they may have inspired or may be interested in.
It’s so true, my own biggest flaw is not having time to interact with other bloggers and even non-bloggers. But if you want to get big in blogging, you have to first and foremost LOVE to write, and get out there and talk, engage, meet, and interact with others!
OK! I read your post…so now I’m commenting…as you said…that is one of the things needed to succeed, right?!
Just kidding, Chris! Totally agree with you!
I really like the topic.
You always hear the stories about the successful bloggers, like they have won the “internet lottery”, like they have become millionaires by night. I guess these kind of stories give the impression that blogging is fast & easy money.
Very practical approach of explaining the issue with the example of your mothers blog. I find it very refreshing.
Also very helpful for me as a rookie blogger, I can learn the solid ground points to take my steady steps of success!
Thanks, Chris!
Hmmm…I find I post a lot of comments, on sites I actually check out, and so few hits come from those posts. Maybe 1 or two per post per day per site. But random searches brings in a whole lot more. I am interested in knowing more about personally contacting other bloggers. For exchange posts etc. This is actually the first time I had heard about that. And I thought I was reading a lot on how to promote. Why would a much more successful blogger than myself want to trade? Especially as most the ones I follow trade for promotional giveaways etc.
Just curious, thanks for the advice, I am trying to do my best!
:)
jen
I’ll admit I don’t network nearly enough. Never did in real life either, so I suppose I’m consistent. I’m working on it, however, so maybe it will get better soon.
great post Chris
101% agreed with you mate, interacting with other bloggers through comments etc is another factor in making your blog successful and eventually earning more ;)
My website has only been up about 3 weeks. At first I thought that quality, original content was enough to build traffic. I’ve read so many articles that highlight content as being key, but starting out (and unless you do something to change it) you’re practically invisible on the internet. Chris’ mom is a great example of that.
Even better than commenting on other blogs is guest blogging like Chris has done here. The traffic blogger just got a huge boost in traffic by guest posting here. This is my primary traffic-building plan. I want people to know my content, not just my website name.
Chris, I could really relate to your post and your mom … I am a grandmother who no longer has anyone to take care of and I’ve been blogging since 2006 … without making any money to speak of! I’m on my way though, finally!
A good way to write a book is to post to a blog regularly whatever that means for the author and after 50 or so post put a book together … pdf, cover, launch the whole bit … you could help your mom with that after she peacefully at her own pace writes the posts — if she starts in that frame of mind I think she might start enjoying it.
Fran :)
As I new blogger, I love reading posts like this, along with the great comments. I’ve reached the point where I know what I need to do if I want to be successful, now I just need to execute. I guess I need to first decide if I want to become a “real blogger” someday…
Great article – made me think about a lot of things. Glad you mentioned schedule – I think to have a plan and working schedule is very important, keeps you concentrated on what you want to achieve and what you need to do every day to achieve it.
These rules totally apples on me. I have too busy life but I also like to be blogger. So Thanks for showing 3 hours management strategy, Chris.
I have lots of people who ask me how much money I make on my blog or why I do it….I have not really hit any income from it yet but I have received free items to review plus now obtaining press passes to get into events. I think it depends on what you are looking for and right now I am content with what I am receiving. I would like to do something like an e-book but not sure how it could relate to the blog. I am still working on that one. I do agree blogging isn’t easy nor quick and if you want to do it the right way, you do spend hours working on posts, commenting and networking. My blog is just over a year old and getting into events in NYC to me is a pretty big deal so I think I am headed in the right direction. Great post!!
Really informative post. I like the three-hour rule. It certainly shows how blogging can be manageable. Thank you for the information. It’s encouraging.
Thanks for this! Funnily enough I’ve been reworking my schedule and had just shifted some of my ‘writing hours’ to ‘marketing and connecting’ hours. I realised I’d been worrying a lot about how often to post and how much but not really pushing to reach out to others. I’m lucky that my readership is gradually growing curtesy of Facebook but there’s so much more I can do on both my blogs. There’s nothing more soul destroying that spending hours on a terrific post then watching it disappear in the giant ocean of the web. It is about getting out there and connecting. I always reply to comments and emails. Afterall, if someone said hello to me in the street, I wouldn’t just ignore them. Why do that on the internet?
I really hope your Mum gives it another go. She sounds like a lady with a great deal of wisdom to offer.