Blogging myths you shouldn’t believe

Have you fallen for any of these blogging lies? When it comes to blogging, there’s a lot of advice out there, some great, but some of it is just flat out not true.

In this post, I’m gonna call out those lies and set the record straight, to save you time, discouragement, and to keep you from making some common mistakes.

Blogging Lie #1: It’s easy

Whoa! Who said this, and what planet did they fly in from?

It’s funny because a lot of non-bloggers think that blogging is just a hobby where you write about whatever you feel like.

Most people have no idea just how much work goes into blogging.

Bloggers wear many hats, most of which we didn’t have any prior knowledge about until we started blogging. On any given day, a blogger is a:

• Web Designer
• Graphic Designer
• Writer
• Editor/Proofreader
• Photographer
• Photo Editor
• SEO
• Social Media Manager
• Marketing/Advertising
• Email Analyst
• Teacher
• Project Manager
• ALL OF THE ABOVE

It’s actually crazy when you think about it, and it’s why so many bloggers give up. It really can be exhausting work at times.

But it doesn’t have to be. With the right tools, resources, and systems, you can actually run a successful blog in about 10 hours a week.

Blogging definitely isn’t for everyone, but the fact that it can be hard work shouldn’t hinder you from starting a blog if you want to.

Blogging Lie #2: If you build it, they will come

Yeah, not gonna happen.

This is not the Field of Dreams. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you’re too young to be here. KIDDING!)

To get people on your blog, it’s up to you to let them know you exist.

Luckily there are several ways you can let people know your blog is alive and kicking:

Social media

• Sharing on your own page
• Sharing on Facebook group pages
• Buying ads on social platforms
• Inviting your friends to your blog’s FB page

SEO

• Optimize your blog to be more SEO-friendly. This isn’t as difficult as the SEO pros might lead you to believe. Once you have the formula, you’ll be able to optimize your posts as you write them.
• Get “backlinks” from other reputable sites through guest posts and mentions.

Email marketing

• If you have an email list already… let them know about your new blog (if the audience is relevant).
• If you don’t have an email list, drop what you’re doing and start one now! Seriously.

Forums

• Find forums in similar niches and join the conversations. Don’t spam your blog link. Instead, put the link to your blog in your profile, and comment on threads where you can add massive insights or value. People will notice and check out your profile and voila! New potential follower.

Commenting on other blogs

• Same as above — find blogs in your niche and comment with really useful insights or knowledge. Be sure you’re putting your blog URL in the URL field when you comment. People will take notice and want to know more about you and your blog.

Link to your blog in your personal email signature

• So many people don’t do this, but think about how many emails some of us send a day. By having a non-intrusive link in our email signature, it’s like a nice, casual invitation.

Blogging Lie #3: There’s no point in starting a blog because there’s too much competition

Yes, there are more blogs out there than ever before, but that does not mean you shouldn’t start one, and the reason why might surprise you.

Competition is a GOOD thing.

Because if there’s a shit ton of competition out there, it means that there’s an audience for it. And no matter how many bloggers are already serving your audience, I guarantee you have something unique to offer.

Maybe you…

• have a counterintuitive insight on a topic
• have first-hand experience with something that no one else in your niche is talking about
• are really good at explaining how to do something

The thing is, you’re the only YOU, and there is an audience of people out there who will resonate best with the way YOU write. The things YOU write about. In other words, and I hate to use this word because it’s so over-used right now, your tribe is out there.

Not to mention, if someone is interested in a topic, chances are, they will devour any and all information they can find on it.

Blogging Lie #4: You have to write every day (and ain’t nobody got time for that)

I get it. You go to other blogs, and you see that they have a TON of content, so you think you need to step up your game and write every day (or every other day, or whatever unrealistic expectation you put on yourself).

Not true.

In fact, in most cases, if you’re writing every day, I’d say that’s probably not a good thing.

Why? Because if you’re writing every day for any length of time, chances are:

• Your writing isn’t as good as it could be.
• You’ll burn out.

I see so many bloggers who come out of the gate full of energy, knowledge, and dozens of awesome topic ideas. Fueled on ambition, excitement, and loads of caffeine (or wine… whatever works), they crank out post after post, publishing them immediately after writing. Promoting on social media… writing more… promoting more…

And after several months, they crash, because — well — blogging isn’t easy (refer back to Lie #1).

I know that feeling of being so excited and full of information that you want to share with the masses. It’s an awesome feeling. And you know what? You should totally ride that adrenaline wave and crank out some killer content when you have that momentum.

But rather than publish it as soon as it’s finished, here’s what you do instead:

1. Determine a realistic and consistent publishing schedule (once or twice a week is usually good)
2. Create an editorial calendar and schedule your posts per the publishing schedule you came up with

If you do this, you’ll be ahead of most other bloggers out there. Let’s you crank out 10 posts in your initial blog-writing frenzy. You decide to pre-schedule them to post every Tuesday and Friday. Meanwhile, you maintain a pace of 2 posts per week after this initial 10.

Here’s what that scenario would look like:

If you do it this way, instead of publishing those first 10 posts right away, you space them out. You then write new posts at a rate of 2 per week (avoiding burnout), which puts you 5 weeks ahead in your content schedule.

And if for some reason, something comes up and you’re not able to write one week, it’s ok, because you’re still way ahead of schedule on your writing calendar.

That’s the beauty of setting up a blogging system. It takes some work up front, but also takes a lot of pressure off the back-end. This gives you some breathing room to write quality content at a more comfortable pace, while still serving your readers on a consistent basis.

Blogging Lie #5: You can make tons of money through blogging

Ok, Mama Melody is gonna give you a dose of honesty here.

At some point, most (if not all) of us have been swayed by the whole “you can start a blog and make tons of passive income” lie.

You get lured in by everyone’s blogging income reports that make it look like they’re just raking in the passive income dough. So you create a blog, throw up some Google ads, and rub your hands together, waiting for the riches to start flying in.

Not gonna happen.

First, unless you have a lot of traffic, you’re not going to make any money with Google Adsense. More realistically, you’ll make pennies per day with ads when you’re starting out. Plus, they don’t pay you until you’ve hit $100 in revenue, so how does a check once or twice a year sound?

Which leads me to the next lie…

Blogging Lie #6: You can’t make any money blogging

Wait, what?

I know I just said not to believe everyone who says you can make a ton of money blogging, and now I’m telling you not to believe the people who say you can’t make any money blogging.

Here’s the thing — you can absolutely make money blogging, but not the ways most new bloggers assume you can, by littering their blog with ads and some Amazon affiliate links.

There are some seriously legitimate ways you can make money blogging. Each of these can potentially earn you a decent amount of income, but it’s not just easy, automatic money, and there are pros and cons to each.

Affiliate Income

This is where you promote products on your blog, using an affiliate link that’s unique to you, and if someone purchases a product through your link, you essentially get a “commission” from the sale — sometimes up to 40% or more of the product price.

PROS: You can offer value to your readers by promoting really good products that you use and believe in, while getting paid to do so. When done the right way, you’ll build trust with your readers, and they’ll thank you for the recommendation. Depending on the affiliate, and how well you’re able to promote their product(s), there is potential to make a LOT of money in this space.
CONS: When you promote other people’s products, you’re sending your readers away from your page.

Hosting Ads Directly

This is where brands that pay you directly to host an ad on your site — usually a set fee per month.

PROS: You get to choose the companies you work with, unlike Adsense, where you have no say in the specific ads being shown on your blog. This allows you to align with brands that you love and believe in.
CONS: When you promote other people’s products, you’re sending your readers away from your page. You also have to keep track of the ads, billing, analytics for the ad, etc.

Paid Posts

This is where a company (typically a SEO company) pays you to let them write a post for your site. These companies require that you allow them to put a couple of links in the post, which lead to a few of their clients’ sites. Some of these pay pretty well, depending on your blog’s popularity, traffic, etc.

PROS: You can make a decent amount off a single post that you don’t even have to write.
CONS: Sometimes these posts don’t exactly align with your brand, and they end up feeling kind of sleazy. I’ve done a couple of these on other blogs I’ve had, and while the money wasn’t bad, I just felt kind of dirty about the whole thing. Like I was doing a disservice to my audience because literally there was nothing in it for them. These posts make me feel like I’ve jumped the shark.

Create and Sell Your Own Digital Products

This is by far my favorite way to make money with my blog. This can include:

• Online courses
• eBooks (sold through Amazon or directly through your site)
• Workbooks or Templates (I’ve paid money online from bloggers just to get a spreadsheet or template of something that will make my life easier)
• Video tutorials
• etc.

PROS: This can be a game-changer. Because you’re creating your own digital product, you can make it once, then sell it an unlimited number of times, generating a truly passive income stream. Sales can come in while you sleep!
CONS: There can be a lot of up front work and research involved. You also have to market your online product, which can involve sales funnels, email automation, etc.

Of course, there are other ways you can make money blogging, but these are the main ones. There’s still work involved, and it’s not just some easy peasy way to make a bunch of money, but the potential is there.

Blogging Lie #7: You need to be an extrovert to put yourself out there

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Take it from an introvert (yep!).

In fact, your introverted tendencies may even give you an advantage. By nature, many of us introverts tend to express ourselves better through writing, when the pain of meaningless small-talk is stripped away and we’re left with the opportunity to reflect and gather our thoughts before putting them out there.

And contrary to popular belief, introverts aren’t necessarily shy, although many are. We simply crave more meaningful connections that go beyond small talk and acquaintances.

Blogging can provide that connection because even though it’s virtual, there’s value there, on both sides. You’re providing value to your readers by teaching or entertaining them, and you draw energy from the gratitude, and sometimes even the comments or conversations that come up as a result of something you wrote.

It’s a very interesting thing to me, because I’ve made some connections with other bloggers or readers that I cherish more than some people I’ve known non-virtually, because we have the same core values and interests.

The point is, extrovert or not, you can still offer something to the world, so find the method of delivery that’s comfortable for you, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

Blogging Lie #8: You should jump on every opportunity that comes your way

No, no, no.

I explained in Lie #6 about how I felt icky after letting a company pay to post their content on my site.

Just because the money may seem good at the time, when you accept opportunities that don’t align with your brand, you’re doing your audience a disservice.

In fact, when you take any opportunity that comes your way, it devalues and dilutes your blog. It becomes obvious that you’re doing it more for the money, and less to actually be helpful. Your readers will sense this and eventually move on.

So be discriminating. Only accept opportunities that you and your readers can both benefit from.

Blogging Lie #9: You need a huge audience to be a successful blogger

This is one of the more common blogging lies I’ve heard.

The truth is, you don’t need a huge audience. You need the right audience.

I’ve known bloggers with a small following of fiercely loyal readers.

To me, a loyal audience — one that opens every email you send, reads every post, shares it with their friends, or even comments regularly — is gold to a blogger. A evout audience will buy whatever you sell. They’ll click on affiliate links, they’ll buy your eBooks and online courses. You’ll get way more mileage out of them than someone with a huge audience of ho-hum readers.

Give me the small, devout audience any day.

Blogging Lie #10: It has to be perfect

Get this thinking out of your head right now.

There is no such thing as perfect, and if you wait to publish that post, or release that course until everything is perfect — if you’re waiting until it’s “juuuuuuuuuust right” — you’ll never get it done. I call it the Goldilocks Syndrome.

It’s always a good idea to keep your end goal in mind, which should be to provide resources, inspiration, knowledge, or entertainment to your readers. And if you’re holding out because it’s not absolutely perfect, then everybody loses.

Done is better than perfect. Hit the freakin’ publish button.

What blogging lies have you believed?

We’ve all fallen for at least one of these blogging lies. I’ve been guilty of believing every single one of them at some point in my blogging experience. Even today, I struggle with #10 at times.

Yes, it’s going to be work, but it doesn’t need to be perfect. Yes, you can make money, but understand it’s not as simple as putting up some shitty looking ads and waiting for traffic.

Blogging can be extremely rewarding to those who get started, and more importantly, those who stick with it. It may be frustrating at times, you may feel like throwing in the towel, but it can be incredibly rewarding.