Is part-time blogging enough?
I recently had a blogging client ask me that during our first consultation.
It took me back for a moment because most of the people I network with consider blogging to be their full-time occupation.
But it made me wonder.
Do part-time bloggers really give enough time to their blogging business?
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So I answered the question with another question.
Is part-time blogging enough… for what?
I suppose I could ask this question of all bloggers.
Myself, my clients, peers and you, too.
What is it that you want to get from your blogging business?
And that leads to yet another question.
Are you getting the results you want, or that you expect to be getting?
All this, of course, must be considered before answering the question of whether or not part-time blogging is “enough.”
Blogging for income and profit
One of the big reasons for blogging is to earn some income, commissions and profit.
If you blog for profit, you might want to ask yourself this.
Are you earning enough?
Or at least, are you earning what you expected?
If not, you might want to put more time into doing some things that will help you get the profit you’re looking for.
Building a business or profession by blogging
You might not be actually selling or affiliating anything.
That doesn’t mean that your blog does not mean income or profit to you.
There are countless people with a business or profession who turn to blogging.
Not to make a direct profit by selling things on their websites.
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But by attracting clients and customers who like what they’re doing.
Those prospects will then become more engaged with you.
They may join your email list, or start looking for your videos or blog posts that help keep them informed about your topic.
Ultimately, these prospects may be converted into paying clients and customers, not just followers of your blog.
So, you can see, that’s a sure path to building profit, maybe not on your blog, but certainly through the contacts you make on it.
Traffic and rankings
Another result you may be looking for is to get traffic to your blog.
In that way, you will attract the prospects and followers you are targeting.
And if you have a business page or e-com store connected to your blog, it’s an important way to get more visibility for them, too.
You see, the amount of traffic you get will directly affect your search rankings.
So if you have a very popular or highly esteemed blog, your articles will probably outrank many of your competitors.
But if you’re not doing so well with these things, you might be wondering if you need to put more time into your blogging.
So the question again, is this… is part-time blogging enough?
Audience
Now, the same can be said about building an audience, or a following.
Can you do that without getting a lot of traffic to your blog?
Well, yes, if you do things the right way.
That means, if you are getting a lot of social media engagement.
Or, if you’re building a good email list with a good percentage of your subscribers actually opening your emails and clicking on your links.
In that case, you can build a nice business without getting tons of traffic and rankings.
But then you get to the issue of how much time you’re spending on your blog.
Are you blogging full-time or part-time?
You see, blogging is not just about publishing blog posts.
It’s also about growing an audience on social media and with your email marketing.
But, here’s the thing.
If the best way to do that is to talk about your blog posts.
So it goes full circle.
You need social media engagement to build an audience.
But the best way to get that engagement is with good, consistent blogging.
Recognition & authority
One of the best blogging results that will help you to build your business or profession through blogging is to establish yourself as an authority.
Each time you publish a blog post, you are reminding readers that you are an expert in your field.
And, you get a chance to show them exactly how you can help them solve their problems.
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If you have a furniture store, for instance, a blog article about sectional couches accomplishes two things.
You can tell people about the sectionals that you sell, and invite them to your store.
But even more importantly, you get to help them solve their decorating challenges by showing them how sectionals can redesign a living space.
When you do that, you are branding yourself as an authority, not just a store.
Should you be blogging
part-time or full-time?
All of the great purposes of a blog, and the benefits you stand to gain, can be achieved regardless of whether you are blogging part-time or full-time.
Many people think it’s nice to be able to put all your time into blogging.
But blogging is not always your entire purpose for being online.
As I’ve pointed out above, you may be trying to build some online income,
Or you might be trying to attract people to your dental practice or restaurant.
Blogging does not have to mean you are a full-time blogger, and nothing else.
Depending on just what sort of results you’re looking to achieve, part-time blogging can be just as fruitful.
I’ve seen many instances where part-time blogging is actually more challenging than if you did nothing else but blog.
That’s because if you’re blogging part-time, it usually means you’re doing a lot of other things in addition.
So even if you’re spending less time blogging, you’re probably spending a lot more time trying to build your business.
Is part-time blogging enough?
I think part-time blogging is certainly enough to achieve most goals you may have for your business.
But don’t get all caught up in the time trap.
Ryan Biddulph talks about how you spend your time on Blogging from Paradise.
You can consider yourself a full-time blogger and go about your day spending a lot more time than you should on relatively insignificant tasks.
For that reason, full-time blogging can actually be a way to avoid doing some other things that would help you a lot more.
Maybe creating videos, or marketing your blog more aggressively.
Don’t use the “I don’t have time” excuse to put off developing key parts of your business.
And that’s true regardless of how much time you actually put into blogging.
Whether you are blogging part-time or full-time, you will know whether or not you’re putting enough time into it by the results you’re getting.
If you’re not reaching your goals, then put more time into your business.
But don’t just spin your wheels doing a lot of busy work.
Use your time strategically and efficiently.
Do things every single day that bring you just a little closer to achieving your goals.
So, what are your thoughts?
Leave me a comment below to let me know.
Do you consider yourself a full-time or part-time blogger?
And if you’re not putting every dying minute of your day into it, think a moment… is part-time blogging enough?
-Donna
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Initially, for quite some time, blogging does not give you enough money to sustain your living. During this period, I would suggest that you keep a regular day job and slowly develop your blog by giving it only 2-3 hours every day.
agreed, full-time blogging make you fatigued and thus create problems for your next blog, part-time blogging also suitable for a side business and the best if you want to do blogging for the long term,
thanks for clearing the mind of a lot of bloggers including me 🙂
Twitter: Lisapats
February 19, 2022 at 2:42 pm #
Hi Donna,
I blogged part-time for many years before going full-time. However, I spent almost as much time blogging 8 hours and then working another 8 hours at a job. I was extremely ambitious and loved it. (Of course, too, I was younger!) So I think you can do it part-time but if you want to crank it up a few notches going full-time is almost a must. I know a few bloggers who still hold full-time jobs. They just don’t need a lot of sleep!.
Now, as Ryan mentions in his comment, it depends on what you do as well. You can be busy but not really productive. I had a few years of that too along the way! You have to work smarter to make it more successful and to make an income.
Lisa Sicard recently posted.. How to Improve a Website and Generate Sales With Easy Tips
Twitter: SMatyjanka
February 17, 2022 at 9:39 pm #
Hi Donna,
I woke up yesterday morning and was instantly grumpy because I had to go to work but really wanted to stay how and work on my blog!
I agree it isn’t about the amount of time you are spending blogging but rather what you are doing during that time. A person who is focused, disciplined, and knows exactly what tasks need to be accomplished to reach their goals can get more done in 1-2 hours than someone who is easily distracted with no focus or clear path will get done in a day.
Also, Ryan has made some excellent points in his comment.
SharlaAnn
SharlaAnn Matyjanka recently posted.. 4 Key Areas of Focus For Blogging Success
Twitter: brpraveen
February 14, 2022 at 9:10 pm #
Hey Donna,
I think we have to answer the question “What is enough” first. It all depends on priorities and if blogging is your number one priority and you want to make a living out of it, then part-time wont cut it. There is enough for a blogger to do over 8 hrs a day, just to research and write an article.
But then again, if one is just doing this on the side, for a hustle, then part-time blogging will maybe suffice the need.
Hi Donna,
It was a very helpful article! I think many people have this question. I have several bloggers on my list who are only working part-time. They are always asking me if they should switch to full-time blogging, and I always recommend that they should. I think this article will definitely help all of these people. I really appreciate you sharing all of these insights, it was very helpful for me, and will definitely help a lot of people as well.
Twitter: AmandeepWiki
February 12, 2022 at 11:41 pm #
Hi Donna,
Blogging part-time is just the beginning. It is essential to understand what you want to achieve and which path you are following. Part-time blogging will help us find the right niche and whether blogging is good for us.
Not every person can be a blogger as we all have different types of work passion.
Thanks for the tips!
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Twitter: ryanbiddulph
February 9, 2022 at 3:48 pm #
Hi Donna,
Thanks so much for the shout!
Each day, especially over the past 5-7 days, I am learning more than ever that doing the right things with the right energy in the right spots makes THE difference. Blogging intelligently, generously and with a laser-focused intent can make part time blogging more than enough to experience some blogging success.
Most bloggers – including me for quite a while – simply spend their blogging work day wasting time on activities that do not share value, build strong friendships, increase traffic and boost profits. I wasted so much time on social media over the years not because of social media itself, but because of how I used the platform. I did not use social with an intent to influence readers to leave Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to visit Blogging From Paradise. However, I am unfriending and unfollowing all – and have been doing so for a week – to network with a select few bloggers on Twitter and Facebook for a few moments daily.
Other than that, it is 100% about blogging, guest blogging and blog commenting, all far and away my best quality traffic and income builders. Sometimes we need to go through cycles until we wake up in our minds, see clearly and return 100% to what worked in the past, what works now and what works best as bloggers. I definitely went through this experience over the past 1-2 weeks, clearing fears in my mind, to almost completely let go social media to focus on blogging, guest blogging and genuine blog commenting. I suggest all part time bloggers to use social somewhat but to keep blogging, blog commenting and to build that email list.
Excellent post here.
Ryan
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