Last updated on August 1st, 2018 at 06:38 pm
Have you ever wondered what the pros and cons of blogging are? If so then you are in the right place. We’re going to take a look at what to expect as a blogger so you can see if it’s the right path for you.
I’m a blogger and started my blog in 2016. I’m not new to blogging, in fact, I’ve had several blogs in the past. The difference with this blog is that I actually enjoy the niche and enjoy the process of writing content for it.
Because I’ve had success and failures from past blogging experiences, I decided to share some pros and cons about blogging that you may not be aware of.
If you still haven’t started your blog, I’ve created a tutorial just for you. Let me hold your hand as you I walk you through the process of starting a blog so you can hopefully earn money online over time.
The cool thing is that you don’t need to have an extravagant blog launch checklist to start your blog. Yes, there are some things that you can do that will help you see faster success.
The truth is that your blog will grow as time goes on and you continue working on it.
Now let’s get into the meat of the article.
22 Pros and Cons of Blogging You Need to Consider
I’ve seen so many new bloggers start a blog with dollar signs in their minds. It seems that so many people think that they can start a blog today and make money by next month.
While I have to admit, I’ve seen some amazing stories in Facebook Groups how so and so managed to make money with their blog in the first month.
Unfortunately, that’s not the norm for most bloggers. In fact, many bloggers can go months or years without making any money from their blog.
So don’t believe all the income reports you read. Sometimes you just need to read deeper into that blogger’s story to see how long it actually took them to make money.
As with any type of content marketing tactic, there are always going to be pros and cons to it. Let’s dig into what you’ll face as a blogger.
11 Pros of Blogging
#1 Cheap and Easy to Start
It’s so cheap and easy to start a blog that it can be misleading. At the time of this article, there are millions of posts published in a day. It’s not hard to believe, after all, most bloggers start their blog because they want to earn money from it.
Plus, start a blog and turning it into a business is so much cheaper than buying a brick and mortar business.
#2 You Give Yourself A Voice
There’s nothing better than having a blog where you get to share your thoughts, opinions, and knowledge. After all, it’s your platform so you get to share what you want with your audience.
Eventually, as your blog continues to grow, your people will find you and will start to follow you.
#3 You Develop Creativity Skills
As a blogger, it takes creativity to do some of the tasks that you need to grow your blog. Even if you don’t think that you’re a very creative person right now.
Try blogging for a few months. Before you know it, your creative skills will improve and you’ll be doing things that you never thought you would be able to do.
#4 Improves Your Self Confidence
Most new bloggers are so scared to hit publish on their first blog post. They feel that they will be criticized by others and that they aren’t good enough to have a blog.
Yes, it’s scary to publish your first blog post. Before you know it, you’ll never be scared to hit publish again.
#5 Gain New Skills
Being a blogger means that we need to learn how to promote our blogs, write amazing content, how to use SEO, network with other bloggers, create our own products and so much more.
Most of us who start a blog have no clue how to do any of these things. (I know I didn’t when I started my first blog years ago)
Overtime and through online education, we eventually learn these new skills. If you are completely new then check out this free 12-day Blogging Bootcamp.
#6 Develop Strong Communication Skills
It’s okay if you don’t think that your communication skills are that good right now. Most of us who start a blog, don’t really know how to communicate or write amazing blog posts.
As you continue practicing and writing blog posts, your communication skills will improve. Don’t feel like you need to be amazing right out of the gate. You’ll get better as you grow as a blogger.
#7 You’re In Complete Control
It’s your blog, you get to call all the shots. There’s no one to tell you that you can or can’t do something with your blog. Well, that is if you started your blog on a self-hosted platform.
If you want to take time off from your blog during the day and go for a walk, you can do it. You don’t have to ask for permission to do something like you do at a job.
#8 Flexibility of Time Off
One of the reasons that I started a blog and am working hard to build a business is because of the flexibility of being able to take time off.
If you don’t feel like doing something for your blog then you can take some time off. Your blog won’t fall apart if you decide to take the weekend off.
#9 You Meet Other Entrepreneur Bloggers
I’ve met some amazing bloggers just because I’ve taken the time to reach out to them. I would’ve never met these people had it not been for this blog.
These online friendships have opened doors for opportunities that I never would’ve had without my blog. So be prepared to meet other amazing bloggers online.
#10 Limitless Income Potential
While the money isn’t going to come in right away. If you keep at it and don’t quit, you will be creating virtual real estate empire that has unlimited income potential.
Many bloggers have been able to create a successful blog that has allowed them to create the lifestyle they wanted. So whatever you do, don’t quit.
Here are 35 bloggers who have managed to earn money from their blogs. Maybe it’ll give you some inspiration to keep blogging.
#11 It Can Change Your Life
If you ask any successful blogger, the first thing they will tell you is that their blog changed their life. Your blog can help you get book deals, become a public speaker or open up other opportunities.
I know that it’s hard to believe that right now if you’ve just started. If you keep putting one foot in front of the other and your blog grows, you’ll find out what I mean and then be sure to come back and tell me how your blog changed your life.
11 Cons of Blogging
#1 Time Consuming
Just because it’s easy to set up a blog, doesn’t mean it’s easy to grow it. Once you start working on growing your blog, you’re going to realize how much work goes into it.
If you are building a blog for business purposes then you need to treat it like a business. This means that you’ll need to do something to help it grow on a daily basis.
#2 A Lot to Learn
As a blogger, there’s always something to learn. Things are always changing online and if you want to create a successful blog, you need to invest in blogging courses to help you stay on top of things.
Unfortunately, that’s the blogging life. Nothing ever stays the same and you need to stay on top of it.
#3 You Open Yourself Up to Criticism
Unfortunately, there are always going to be people who try to take you down. It happens, you just need to stay tough and ignore it.
There will be people who leave negative comments on your blog or social media accounts. The cool thing about WordPress is you can set up your blog configurations to block these types of comments.
#4 There’s a Lot of Competition
Most of the popular niches are going to have a ton of competition. While this isn’t always a bad thing, it does make it harder to grow your blog or get first page rankings on Google.
As long as you remember that blogging is a long-term strategy and you continue your blogging education, you’ll be fine. I truly believe that there’s enough room for all of us to succeed online.
#5 It’s Hard
The life of a blogger is not extremely glamorous, especially, before you make any money. Many bloggers within six months because it’s not as easy as they thought it would be.
If you’re trying to build a business, remember it takes time. We all start from zero so keep your head up and just keep blogging.
#6 You Can’t Control Everything
We all love being in control. Yes, you can control which theme to use for your blog or which plugins to install. But things are continually changing in blogging.
You may have heard about the GDRP regulations that went into effect on May 25. This had several bloggers feeling overwhelmed.
If you want to blog for a living then you need to just roll with the changes. Don’t let it stress you out, it’s just not worth it.
#7 No One Cares About You
Yes, it’s your blog and you’re paying for all the costs of running your blog. But when it comes down to it, your blog is meant to help your readers solve their problems.
If you are not helping people, then no one is going to care what you have to say. You can’t use your blog like a personal blog if you are trying to build a business.
#8 It’s Lonely
Blogging life can get lonely, after all, you’re working from home all by yourself. This is one of the reasons that so many people join Facebook Groups or chat rooms to meet other bloggers.
Another great thing to beat the loneliness is to grab your laptop and head on over to your local coffee shop.
#9 It’s Completely Up to You
While this can be a great thing, it can also be a negative thing. If you come from an employee background then you’re used to people telling you that you need to do this or that.
As a blogger, you need to figure out what the next best step is for your blog. No one is going to give you a step-by-step plan for your blog. Just because something worked for someone else, doesn’t mean that it will work for you.
#10 It Takes Time to Earn Money
If you started your blog with the sole purpose of making money. Well, you need to realize that it’s not going to happen overnight.
Unfortunately, it takes time to earn money with a blog. Some bloggers have said that they were able to make money in 6 months. Then others have said that it took them 2 years to make money.
Every blog is different and there’s no way of knowing how long it will take you to make money.
#11 People Steal Your Shit
No one cares about you when you get started. But once your blog starts to gain traction and starts gaining popularity that’s when people start paying attention.
There are going to be people who want to take the easy road to success. So they steal your pins, content, and anything else they can.
Yes, you can file a DMCA Notice and request that they take it down. Unfortunately, this is just a part of blogging and all you can keep doing is just keep blogging.
The best thing you can do is inject a little bit of your personal story into your blog posts. Maybe this will prevent people from stealing your content?
That’s actually one of the reasons that you always hear me talking about freelancing gig. Because it helps you know a little about me and helps you understand why I started this blog.
What Does All This Mean
Now that you know the pros and cons of blogging, what does all of this mean? Well absolutely nothing, I just wanted you to see what I’ve seen from my personal experience of blogging.
I just wanted to share some of the pros and cons with you. A lot of bloggers share their income reports online with their readers.
These income reports can be misleading. They make it seem like it’s so quick and easy to make money.
Yes, you can make money with a blog. Many people have been able to do it and this blog that you’re reading right now is making some money. It’s still not making six-figures, but then at the time of this writing, it is only a year and a half old.
Final Take Away
If you really want to start a blog because you want to make money, go for it. It’s definitely possible and if others can do it, so can you. Now you just need to decide what type of blog to start.
Just remember that the money isn’t going to come overnight. If you treat blogging like a long-term strategy and give it a good 3-5 years, I have no doubt that you’ll create an amazing blogging business that supports you and your family.
No, it probably won’t take you that long to start earning from it. But if you look at it from that standpoint, you won’t be disappointed when you’re still not earning in six months.
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Did I miss something from the list? If so then feel free to share some pros and cons that you have experienced in the comments below.
Hi Susan, nice to meet you and I am looking forward to reading more of your blog. I had stopped by the Ultimate Blog Challenge and saw your link to this post about the Pros and Cons of blogging. Absolute perfect timing as I have just recently started a new blog and I am really hoping to make it work this time. ๐ Totally psyched to check out your other content and will keep an eye out for you on the UBC.
Hi Jen,
Glad you found my blog and it has helped you out.
Yup, growing a blog is not as easy as everyone says it is. It takes time and a lot of work to grow it.
Good luck with your new blog.
Have a great day ๐
Susan
Hi, Susan!
I agree with all these points! #6 from “Cons of Blogging” especially was something hard for me to accept, especially since I’m such a big planner. When things don’t go according to plan, I have to learn to readjust.
Thankfully, “readjusting” and going back to the drawing board is becoming a more graceful process every time, ha.
Thanks for writing this post — sometimes I think people don’t consider the “cons” before they get into blogging, leading them to feel blogging is a huge letdown (when really, they just had unrealistic expectations going into it).
-Alex
Hi Alex,
I think that we all have unrealistic expectations when we start a blog. Most of us have no clue what it really takes to grow one.
It’s definitely a learning curve and there’s a lot of work involved.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.
Have a great day ๐
Susan