Warning, tough love ahead!!
Since starting DDGDaily.com back in 2007, and even more so since I started Secret Bloggers’ Business earlier this year, I have been lucky enough to come into contact with hundreds of bloggers. Some have gone on to do some amazing things (like seriously, dream-life kind of stuff), others have sadly just disappeared from the blogosphere completely.
And I have started to notice a pattern in those who do “go pro” with their blogs, and those who just don’t quite make it. And it has absolutely nothing to do with their skills, their experience, their wardrobes or their connections (although those things don’t hurt.).
Nope, some people sadly just don’t have what it takes (on the inside!) to be successful bloggers. I know it’s harsh, but it’s true.
And if you are worried that this might be you then read on!
The top 4 signs you shouldn’t be a blogger
1 – If you only started your blog for the fame/money/free stuff
Seems pretty obvious right? But so many people do just get all swept up in the “glamour” of being a blogger, and the fact is that the blogging market is getting more and more saturated every day, and while yes, a free lippy here and an event invitation there is kinda fun. The really good perks, the ones you are probably day dreaming about, they are only given to a very select group of bloggers. And it usually takes a few years of hard work and determination to get to that top 1%. Also readers and brands can smell a cash-grabber from a mile away, so if your main motivator for starting your blog was any of the above reasons, then let me save you a lot of time and heart ache. There are much, much easier ways to make money, and to get free stuff. And if you want to get famous, it’s probably quicker to just go on Big Brother, or release a sex tape (hey, it worked for Kim K!).
2 – If you’re not a problem solver
One of the women I admire most online, Marie Forleo, has an amazing saying; “Everything is figureoutable”. More than a saying actually, it’s a lifestyle. And you have to fully live and breathe it if you want to be successful at any solo pursuit. Because there is no one standing next to you to tell you what you need to do, and when.
There is no HR department for a blog.
And there are 1,001 things you won’t know how to do along the way, or that you will stuff up completely, or that will just seem too hard.
But you have to know that no matter what it is, you can figure it out. And you have to then go and figure out how to figure it out.
If instead of hitting up Google, or your favourite blogging Facebook Group whenever you hit a hurdle, you go and eat a tub of icecream or throw your computer out a window (I mean you can do these things too, but do the Googling first!). Then chances are you are not living by the “everything is figuroutable” mantra. And that is not a positive sign!
3 – You’re not prepared to invest in it
Ever heard the saying about the chicken and the egg? Which one did come first (don’t think about it too hard, it can explode your brain!)?
Well it is exactly the same for how much you invest in both yourself and your blog, and when you do it. And that counts for both time and money.
You see I know a lot of bloggers that say things like “Well, once my blog starts earning money I can…”, or “Once I start blogging full time I’ll have time to…”
But the problem with both those statements is, that if you are not prepared to suck it up and invest right now, then you strongly hamper your chances of getting to the “if whens”.
So if you are not prepared to cough up a bit of extra cash for a nice theme, or better hosting, or to do that course, or to buy that plugin you want (and lets be honest, most of these things are not hugely expensive), and you just can’t find the time to blog regularly, or to use social media. Then sadly the “if whens” probably won’t happen, or at least not as soon as they could have.
Think about it.
4 – If you are not good at sharing
Now unless you have a team of 20 and some big financial backing to promote your blog to death, it’s probably likely that the best way to make your blog successful is slowly and surely build a tribe of regular and engaged readers.
And you know how you do that?
Well you have to put on your big girl pants, and you have to start putting more of you into your posts. Yep, that’s right. You have to start to share more of the good stuff. The personal and private stuff. The stuff that makes you unique and special and not at all perfect.
You can still be anonymous if you need to (I know there are some bloggers who prefer that for various reasons), but even anonymous bloggers need to share and have a personality.
And if you are not OK with doing that, then perhaps blogging just aint for you?
And now, the 1 sign that you’re a natural born blogger!
OK, if you haven’t given me the finger and stormed off yet, then I have an inkling that you probably can just ignore all of the above because you fall into the category below. And if that’s the case then cheers to you, because it looks like you just might make it after all!
1 – If you absolutely, freaking, love to blog!
Yep, it’s as simple as that.
Bloggers who blog because they love to do it, and can’t imagine not doing it, they are the ones who keep going no matter what. Who wake up in the middle of the night with new blog ideas. And who are happy to even do the boring-but-necessary stuff. In a nutshell, they are the ones that have exactly what it takes to be a really successful blogger. And the rest just doesn’t matter.
If you live and breathe blogging, but need a bit of help to ramp up your traffic, and to start making some real money from your blog, then you should come and join us for the Secret Bloggers Business eCourse (which has been described as “life-changing” by many of the bloggers who have completed it… it really is that good!). Check it out here now!
