Entertainment Blogging is something I do to make money writing. It’s my main source of income, and something I thoroughly enjoy doing.
A lot of people ask me how I got into Entertainment Blogging. What made me want to do it and how did I get into it are the two biggest questions I’m often asked.
I know a lot of people would love to do what I do. So, I’m sharing how I got into this type of blogging specifically. What made me transition into the world of entertainment and how do I make a living with it?
It all started by chance
The last thing you want to hear is that I didn’t plan for this, but the truth is I didn’t. I wrote about all sorts of topics, but something that I enjoyed was breaking down TV shows, speculating about events to come, and talking spoilers.
When I first started writing online, I wrote about history. That’s another passion. But I knew I didn’t just want to cover history. So, I looked at other topics that I enjoyed writing about. This was at the time Suite 101 was still running.
After that, I moved onto HubPages and Wizzley. The latter was where I started writing about entertainment topics even more. I also moved into news.
It was all a stepping stone until I found Guardian Liberty Voice. This is not a site I recommend to writers, but it did give me a chance to realize that I adore Entertainment Blogging. It was where I also met a few other writers who I’m still friends with today. The other writers is the best thing that came out of GLV.
Through these networks and the ones I created with other sites, I learned about Hidden Remote. That’s where I finally honed in on my niche. It was this site that gave me the chance to write about Entertainment and make a living.
Finding the area of Entertainment Blogging I prefer
Hidden Remote and Guardian Liberty Voice did help me hone my preferences when it came to Entertainment Blogging. My strength is in TV shows, and it’s most definitely in what are called “features.”
These can be spoiler posts, speculative posts, or even “Top 10” type posts. They offer me a chance to share opinion while also focusing on facts.
I can get creative with these types of content. They allow me to have fun, while also offering something valuable to readers. It’s the type of content I loved reading growing up, so it makes sense that it’s the type of content I want to write now.
I’ve also had a chance to find areas in Entertainment that I’m good at. There’s something about the “gossip” style articles that I find easy to write and fun at times. It does depend on the TV show I’m writing about.
At first, this type of writing pushed me out of my comfort zone. That’s a good thing. I believe being pushed helps make me a better writer overall.
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From writer to editing as an Entertainment Blogger
But how am I making a living with Entertainment Blogging? If you’re a writer at these revenue share sites, you’ll know that it’s not always easy to make this living.
For me, it was moving into editing. While I still write a lot, I also help other writers. This is something I enjoy doing. I like to help new writers hone their skills and build their living. Editing gives me a chance to do that.
Editing does pay better. There’s more work, so it has to pay better! But that is where I started making more money in Entertainment Blogging.
I also learned how to work smarter. I’ll happily test ideas out for a few weeks, but if they’re not working in terms of views, I’m not going to keep working on them. I’ll move onto something else to test. When I find something that’s working, I hone in on that. It’s also something I recommend other writers to do.
How can you get into Entertainment Blogging?
Now the question is how you can get to where I am. I don’t recommend taking all the steps that I did, which is why I’m breaking this down in the way I wish I did it.
Know what you want to write about: The first thing is to know what you want to write about within the Entertainment niche. Do you want to cover gossip? What about TV shows? Maybe you want to focus on the superhero genre.
Know this because it will affect where you’ll write. You want to find the sites that are going to offer a space for those particular pieces of content.
Search for Entertainment sites: There are a lot of big names within the world of Entertainment Blogging. You may want to get to Entertainment Weekly or TVLine. They aren’t quite geared for the type of blogging that I do.
The sites I’d recommend are the likes of Hidden Remote and other FanSided sites, ScreenRant, TV Shows Ace, and other similar sites like this. There are just so many of them out there.
Look out for sites that require samples and have an application process. Watch out for sites that require you to do hours or days of unpaid training. While at Hidden Remote we have a style guide, you learn while you have the chance of earning money.
Put your best foot forward: Always treat this like a job. Treat it like your work. Entertainment Blogging is not just a hobby that you get paid for. Remember that there’s a business paying you for your writing.
Your editors aren’t there just to do everything for you once you’ve written an article. They’ll fix the odd typo and help you with the formatting, but they’re not there to add lots of links, add the images, and find videos for you.
You never know when an opportunity is going to come up. By putting your best foot forward and proving you’re a team player, there’s a chance you’ll get someone recommending you for a position later.
Talk to other Entertainment Bloggers: We work in tight circles. You’ll find that many Entertainment Bloggers know each other from other sites. At least, that’s the experience I’ve had.
Networking is a powerful thing. This is how you’re going to find out about the various Entertainment sites looking to hire writers. This is where you’re going to get in on some sites because other writers can vouch for you.
It was networking that helped me find a number of writing websites. I’ve built up a career this way, and I do recommend you do the same.
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What type of writing would you love to do? Are you ready to break into Entertainment Blogging? Let me know in the comments below.
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