With the ever-changing landscape of online writing, you may be looking for a new place to write. Or you’re looking for another private client to add to your current portfolio. What about if you could start your own blog?
Before you sign up for another revenue share site, I really want you to consider starting your own blog. That’s not because I’ll make money from you doing it, but because I do think it’s time to do something for you.
I’ll admit that I held back starting my own blog. I didn’t know where to start and I felt like I couldn’t make money with my own blogs. That’s not the case. It is possible to make more blogging on your own site than you can make with revenue share sites. It takes time and effort to get there, but it is possible.
Don’t quit all paid-to-write sites
One thing I will say is that when you start your own blog, you don’t want to quit all other sources of income. I’m not telling you that revenue share sites or private clients aren’t good for your writing career. On the contrary, I think both can be excellent.
You want them to help fund your growing blog. After all, your blog isn’t going to make any money at first. It takes time to get it off the ground. Only when you have it making more money than the paid-to-write sites should you quit other sources of income. Even then, I still keep other sources of income for a variety of reasons.
But instead of adding another revenue share site to your collection, here’s why you should start your own blog. Here’s why.
More: How often should you write to make money online?
You have so much more control
There are certainly some benefits to paid-to-write sites. One of the biggest problems is that you have so little control.
Site owners change their expectations. They want more words for no extra pay. They’ll want special images or state tag rules and SEO rules that won’t necessarily work. While there are some sites always ahead of the game, others are changing the rules to try to cheat the game.
When you have your own blog you have complete control. You get to say which rules are in place. You can decide the advertising options you choose and get to make sure only the best content is up there—the paid to write sites can have unqualified writers!
With that control, you increase the chances of making money online. You also increase the authority your blog will gain.
And what about if the owners decide to shut the site down completely? What happens then? You’re left with no source of income and articles that need another home. I’ve had it happen so many times that now I make sure there’s always somewhere for those pieces to go.
The She Approach To Starting A Money-Making Blog: The Ultimate Guide To Starting A Profitable Blog
You can research and make changes
What worked last year won’t necessarily work by the end of this year. What worked 10 years ago definitely doesn’t work now when it comes to blogging and making money writing.
Online writing takes a lot of research. You’ll need to make regular changes on sites, whether it is to SEO rules, image use, or even the length of content you write. You get to do all that research and with your own blog, you can make the changes.
When you do paid-to-write sites, you’re stuck with the rules the owners put in place. They may not make the changes when they should, meaning that you lose out on potential income. With your own blog, you make the changes as soon as you know they’re necessary. There’s a better change of making money online.
It doesn’t matter how much research you’ve done in SEO. Even if you have the freedom to do it on your own posts, you can’t make everyone on the site follow your tips so the site as a whole can’t get a boost. That’s not the case with your own website.
You have a reputable portfolio
If you’re blogging, there are changes that you want to make money with your business venture. You don’t necessarily want to be a writer, but you want customers and clients.
Your blog is a great portfolio of your abilities and skills. The problem with paid-to-write sites is that you don’t look all that professional or reputable. Not always. There are other people there who don’t have the experience and may not even write that well. You may be embarrassed for potential clients to see the type of work you offer.
This links to that whole point about control. You know what’s on your blog and can make sure you have a professional and reputable portfolio at all times. Your best work is put forward to increase the chances of getting hired.
You’re proud of your achievements
There’s something about starting something yourself and seeing it grow. You’ll be proud of your achievements with your own blog, much more than with someone else’s blog. You know the effort you put in was worth it and you see it financially, audience-wise, and in many more ways.
Once you see it succeed, you’ll be able to repeat it with other sites. You’ll have a business that you once probably thought was never possible.
Don’t just scrap all paid-to-write sites just yet. Those revenue share sites can be great while you start your own blog and get it off the ground. However, before you think about adding another paid-to-write site to your portfolio, consider writing for yourself.
More: 5 essential tips to start your own freelance writing career
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