Ep #001: The #1 Reason Why So Many Blogs Fail – The Blog For Profit Podcast
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Subscribe to the Blog For Profit Podcast on iTunes here!
Welcome to the very first episode of the Blog For Profit podcast! In today’s episode, I give you a quick introduction of who I am and what you can expect from this brand new podcast! Then we dive head first into the #1 reason why so many blogs fail (it’s not what you think!). Plus I’ll give you 3 killer action steps you can take to make sure your blog doesn’t fail.
Can’t listen right now? Scroll down to read the blog post instead!
Episode Freebie: 10-Page Printable Blog Planner
My completely revamped printable blog planner helps you plan, track, and organize all things for your blog so you can keep it running smoothly and growing! There are pages to help you brainstorm content, track income and expenses, keep a schedule, and more! Get the free planner by clicking here or on the image below!
Links Mentioned in Episode:
- Free 10-Page Printable Blog Planner
- Website growth in 2016 statistic source.
- 99% of blogs fail statistic source.
- Rosemarie Groner’s blog The Busy Budgeter.
- List of free blog trainings and courses.
- Our Facebook group – The Blog For Profit Blogging Insiders group. – Come join us!!
Episode Highlights:
- A little about me – 1:20
- What you can expect from the Blog For Profit podcast – 2:44
- The #1 reason why so many blogs fail – 5:48
- Action step #1 to make sure your blog doesn’t fail – 9:40
- Action step #2 – 11:44
- Action step #3 – 15:40
Let’s Connect!
Find me everywhere on social media under @CassScroggins! Come slide into my DM’s and say hi!
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The #1 Reason Why So Many Blogs Fail + 3 Things You Can Do To Make Sure Yours Doesn’t
Every year the total number of websites on the internet climbs up by millions and that growth has skyrocketed these past 2 years. In 2016 alone the number of total websites on the internet almost doubled from 900 million in January to 1.7 billion in December.
That’s a lot of new blogs.
But, almost every one of those new sites started in 2016, failed.
While the total number of sites increased, the number of active websites actually stayed the same at around 170 million active websites throughout the whole year. Meaning that almost all of the websites started in 2016 were gone, not active, by December that same year.
So here’s the truth, only 1% of blogs will make it past their first year. The rest will fail.
Now before you click away from this post totally discouraged, let me tell you the number one reason why so many blogs fail every year because it’s probably not what you’re thinking.
The number one reason why so many blogs fail is because people quit far too soon.
We live in a time where everyone knows people are making money blogging. It seems like every day someone else is making it big in the blogging world so there is this common misconception that blogging is a get rich quick scheme.
That once you launch your blog into the blogosphere the hoards will rush in and money will start to flow. So when someone finally DOES launch their blog and this doesn’t happen. They become way too frustrated, confused, and impatient so they quit before they even really get started.
A successful money making blog takes a lot of time and hard work! there are, of course, the few people who start a blog and seem to see success Immediately but they are the vast minority, the outlier, the .1 percent of the 1 percent that even make it past a year.
So, For most of us having a successful money making blog that rolls in thousands of dollars each month will take at least one to two years or even longer of hard work and dedication.
And let me tell you, I get it!
After reading success story after success story I was super bummed to not make any money my first few months blogging. and It can be so hard to stay motivated when you feel like you aren’t seeing the results that others are.
Not only can it be disheartening in the beginning but It can be so overwhelming doing trying to do ALL THE THINGS when it comes to blogging. The content creation, the promotion, the massive tech learning curve, can be enough for anyone to throw in the towel or simply push off blogging until one day it isn’t even a thing anymore.
That’s what happens to most of the millions of new blogs started every year. People give up, before they even really get started.
So what can you do to make sure you don’t make the same mistake?
1. Dedicate yourself to blogging for one full year.
Whether you’ve just started your blog, or have had a blog for a while but are just now ready to get serious, or have had a blog but feel like no matter what you do you just aren’t seeing results, promise yourself right now that you’ll keep going no matter what for one full year.
-Take out your calendar or put in a reminder on your phone for one year from today.
Circle that date and commit to blogging for a full year. Because blogging, like one of my favorite bloggers put it, is like losing 50 lbs. It’s not something you can power through in a weekend. It takes lots of time, hard work, and dedication to be successful.
So committing to blogging for a full year gives you that time to see some success.
-Make your blog a priority and commit to a schedule.
Now, The worst thing you can do is to say you’ll commit to blogging for a year but then not actually making your blog a priority.
If you give yourself a year to lose 50 lbs but don’t consistently exercise and eat right, a year later, those 50 lbs will still be there.
So when committing to blogging for a full year you actually need to commit to dedicating at least 10 hours each week to your blog.
Make yourself a schedule and stick to it. Work for an hour and a half each day before bed, or during your kid’s nap time, or wake up an extra hour and a half early, or bust out two 5 hour blocks on Saturday and Sunday.
That’s the perk of blogging is you get to be your own boss and create your own schedule so do what works for you and stick to it!
2. Learn, learn, learn.
Don’t dedicate yourself to a full year of just pushing out a new blog post each week. But dedicate yourself to learning and implementing strategies of successful blogging.
-Get blog training, free or paid.
You can find great tips and strategies on Pinterest and Google. There are tons of blog posts, free trainings, ebooks, and courses you can find on blogging.
But honestly my best advice to getting to most out of your time, and the fastest way to see success would be to invest in some blog training. Investing in myself is something I wish I had done sooner.
While there are some really good free training out there, It’s never quite as good as the stuff you pay for. And honestly good blog training can be the difference between seeing success this year, or next year.
So if you can, I highly suggest putting some money towards blog training. I know it can be hard to put money towards your blog especially when your blog isn’t actually making money right now but If it helped you see that first paycheck sooner wouldn’t it be worth it?
Now I’m not trying to pressure you into going out and buying a thousand dollar course. no!
But I would have you consider maybe a 50 or 100 dollar course, or at least a $7 ebook. Do you own research and do what is best for you but in the end don’t be afraid to invest in yourself.
There is after all, no other business that I know of that you can start for such a small investment as it takes to start a blog. All you need is about 80 bucks to purchase your domain and hosting and you’re off to the races. So why not put a few extra dollars towards making your blogging goals a reality when you only have so much to loose.
Regardless of whether or not you invest in some training, just make sure you are getting some form of blog training free or paid and spend your time really learning everything you can about blogging.
-Join a blog community on Facebook (Blogging Facebook groups)
You can also Join blogging groups on facebook where you can ask questions and learn from other bloggers. Join mine! – Our Facebook group – The Blog For Profit Blogging Insiders group.
3. Put your blinders on.
There is a lot of noise in the blogging world. Making it is so easy to become distracted and panicked by what others are doing around you. You can get swallowed up in the comparison game of…
Am I too late?
Am I doing the wrong things?
Should I be focused on that too?
Why is she seeing success when I’m not?
It’s all a big motivation and progress killer. Which is why the best thing you can do to make sure your blog doesn’t fail is to put on your blinders and focus only on you and what you’re doing.
When you put your blogging blinders on, you force yourself to continue forward without looking around at what everyone else is doing. Truly allowing you to actually progress instead of bouncing around from here to there or giving up.
Focusing solely on yourself actually allows you stand out in the blogging world. Because you truly develop your own unique blogging style, voice, and branding because you aren’t trying to do what everyone else is already doing.
You’re focused on you.
So Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by all the noise because guess what? there will always be someone ahead of you in their journey. And you’ll only ever feel disappointed if you constantly compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.
Conclusion:
So once you find that free or paid blog training of a course, or ebook, or whatever, put your blinders on, put your head down and get to work for a year.
Remember we all started somewhere. We all had ugly websites, and awful graphics and inconsistent branding. But we learned, we pushed through, and we didn’t give up.
So dedicate yourself to one year. One year of hard work, learning and implementing as much as you can without getting distracted by everyone else around you.
And if you can make it past that one year mark, then you’ve already made it further than 99% of new bloggers who will give up long before the first year.
Keep pushing and keep hustling my friends as you continue on your journey to Blog For Profit.
The Comments
Rachel Ekman
I’m already learning SOOO much from your planner and e-book! Thank you for the great resources!