How To Go From Blogger & Writer to Entrepreneur (And Be Great At It)
As Yoda once said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” The transition from writer to entrepreneur is not always straightforward and requires some homework. However, unlike Yoda, this article will not speak in riddles. Instead, it will set you on the right path to making a living in the lucrative world of online business by using your skillset personal brand, and existing blog to your advantage. Ready? Great, let’s make a start.
Making Money with Your Personality
If you haven’t heard of him already, Alfie Deyes is one of the UK’s biggest video blogging exports. Alfie started posting video blogs on his YouTube, Pointless Blog, many years ago when he was still in school.
Pointless Blog has now become so popular that, at the time of writing this article, his latest video had received 569,696 views in just one day. Alfie’s personal brand has developed a lot over the years. He can now be defined as an entrepreneur, and here’s how he cashes in (like some many others):
- Alfie receives an income from YouTube adverts. His blogs get so many views that he receives a share of the money YouTube generates from adverts placed in videos
- Alfie has diversified into different ways of engaging with his fans and making money. For example, he now releases books (albeit most likely ghost-written) such as ‘The Scrapbook Of My Life’ in 2016. Alfie also profits from touring the world doing book signings and meet-and-greet events to satisfy his teenage fans
- Deyes has admitted that he gets many freebies just from being famous. Companies wish to use Alfie’s following to gain exposure for their products or services. A recent example of this is when Direct Line insurance paid for an intensive course of driving lessons in exchange for the YouTube star generating content about driving safety to advertise their insurance products
Social media is big business these days, and video blogging is just one way to gain exposure and capitalize on your personal brand. But, we can’t all be like Alfie Deyes.
Other ideas of how you could switch from blogging to online business would be to offer your knowledge and expertise as a service à la Neil Patel who makes loads out of his expert-level consultancy service and affiliate marketing efforts. Neil started out sharing useful and easy-to-grasp online marketing content, and he’s now become a huge online figure thanks to his no-nonsense attitude and frequent blogs.
Pro tip: Premium content such as webinars, podcasts and newsletters are a sure-fire way to capitalize from your skills and engage with a wide audience. Could you be an influencer?
Jump On The Affiliate Bandwagon
As a writer, you already have great writing skills. Why not put these to the test and make money from affiliate blogging?
The concept of affiliate posts is simple: you create a post on your site which will review or promote a product, and you earn a percentage of the money made should the click-through link generate a sale.
You may have to tweak your writing style to persuade your readers to buy the products you link to. Then, you could join some affiliate marketing schemes such as Amazon Associates and set yourself up with some products to review and earn a percentage of each sale if your review is persuading enough. It would be best to review or advertise products which are relevant to your personal brand and would therefore be of interest to your readers.
Alternatively, you could create a purpose-built blog to upload your affiliate posts. Pick My Shaver is a great example of an blog specifically designed to offer reviews on electrical shaving products for men.
Do you want to try your luck at affiliate marketing? Here’s an in-depth guide on how to create your own affiliate blog.
Warning: The internet is saturated with affiliate blogs because, like you, lots of other people have realized that they can earn a living this way. If you want to make affiliate marketing work for you, then you need to fully commit to it and create a content schedule, keep searching for opportunities and ensure that you post regularly to maintain reader engagement.
Make a Mint With Product Niches
You don’t need to have a ground-breaking idea for a product or service to become an entrepreneur. Here are some ideas to get you started with ecommerce:
- Your blog may already lend itself to a particular industry or product type. For example, if you already blog about pets, then perhaps you could generate an income if you promote animal accessories or pet insurance in your posts?
- You could find a product niche in an industry completely different to your blog. Regularly scanning Amazon and eBay will most likely reveal gaps in the online shelves which you could fill with your product that will have almost guaranteed demand
- Developments in ecommerce have made it easier now than ever before to establish yourself with an online business and generate a considerable profit. Consider dropshipping to save yourself the hassle of inventory and capital, and get trading with minimal investment. Amazon Fulfillment is another great example of ways to get up and running quickly, without handling the often arduous fulfillment process yourself
- Once you’ve picked your product, you should then plan how you could sell it. For example, if you’re just starting out, then using an ecommerce platform is a good idea. Shopify is an example of an all-in online store creator, and is a popular choice with entrepreneurs. Investing in an open source platform is a great idea for those with a little more time and money on their hands as it grants you the flexibility to host the store wherever you like. Marketplaces such as Gumtree, eBay and Amazon are also ways to get up and running quickly
Takeaways
There was a lot to get your head around here. Here’s a breakdown of the general points in case you’re on your lunch break:
- You can use your personality and skillset to make money online. Consider using premium content such as webinars, podcasts and videos to earn money from sharing knowledge and becoming an influencer
- Your blogging does not have to take a backseat: you can become an affiliate blogger to continue doing what you love whilst earning money from sales
- Alternatively, you could set up an ecommerce store to fill a gap in the market with your product
Best of luck with your venture, whichever pathway you choose.
What have you learnt about ecommerce from this article? Let us know in the comments.