Attention: This post includes affiliate links. I will earn a small commission if you decide to buy the service over one of these links.
The first half of 2020 is already over, can you believe it? It feels like time is flying by faster each year. So, if your goal is to finally grow your blog into a profitable business in 2020, the best time is to START NOW.
But… aren’t blogs dead already? Isn’t it too late to start now? I can literally hear your thoughts: With all the successful blogs out there, who is gonna read my posts anyway?
The good news is: Blogging is still one of the most popular ways of starting an online business and earning money online. If you have something to say that people want to read about AND have the right strategy in place (which I’m teaching you in this post), you can absolutely build a profitable blog in 2020.
Heads up! If you haven’t started a blog and need a quick and simple guide how to technically accomplish building a profitable blog: Read this blog post about how to start a WordPress blog in 20 minutes
Are your ready? Then let’s dive right in the five steps necessary to make your successful blog happen:
Step 1: Define your Niche
There are readers out there for any kind of blog you want to write. However, in order to be successful with your blog, you need to sit down and identify what your specific niche is going to be. By doing this, you can identify your ideal reader – what is their age, background, what are their interests, etc.? What makes them tick? Once you know this, you can create content that you know is going to resonate with them.
If you are writing a lifestyle blog about traveling, fashion, healthy recipes AND interior design, it may be time for you to niche down. It doesn’t mean you can’t combine different topics in one blog – if there is a (not too broad) niche who likes to read about both things.
Let me give you a quick example:
Niche: Moms who want to cultivate a more sustainable lifestyle
Topics to blog about: Going Zero Waste with your family, Fair and organic kids clothing, Sustainable holiday destinations for families with toddlers
An even smaller niche would be to only blog about sustainable fashion for women with kids. Get the example? But in general both approaches to define a niche are valid – you have to decide for yourself if you’d like to read about a broader range of topics.
Step 2: Build an Email List
The next step is already quite far-sighted. Once you have decided on a niche and mapped out topics for your blog posts, it’s time to think about how you will target your audience. In the end, you will want to sell a (digital) product or service or use affiliate marketing and/or sponsored posts to earn money with your blog. For all of these it’s a smart move to start building a community from the very beginning.
You can maintain a community on social media, e.g. on Instagram or Facebook. But your ultimate goal should be to build an email list. Email remains one of the most effective ways to get into contact with your readers. Plus, you won’t be as affected if Instagram decides to change their algorithm (ugh…) once again. You can always email your list to share blog updates, new products or other news.
To start an email list, you only need a free account at a service like Mailchimp or Mailerlite. I personally have switched to Mailerlite for all of my websites lately because it’s more user-friendly than Mailchimp and offers a lot more features in their free plan.
Step 3: Create a Lead Magnet
If you have signed up for Mailerlite or a similar service, you can start collecting the email addresses of your readers with opt-in forms. Most email marketing providers offer quick and easy ways to connect these forms to your blog.
In order to get your visitors on your email list, you need to offer people something in return. This is called a lead magnet and can be anything from a free guide, an e-book, a worksheet or even an email course. In order for the person to get the freebie, they need to type in their email address and suscribe to your list. You will have to setup an automated response email that sends them the freebie once subscribed. And that’s it!
I have set up multiple email opt-ins with lead magnets throughout this blog. Here is an example with the Profitable Blog Workbook. It’s the workbook that teaches in detail the strategy I show you in this post.
If you are curious how my automation email for this freebie looks like, sign up below and get my lead magnet for this post automatically delivered into your inbox:
The Profitable Blog Strategy from this post in the neat workbook:
Are you ready to learn all about email lists, lead magnets and how to earn an affiliate income with your blog?
Sign up here and get the workbook directly into your inbox:
We will only use your data to send out the launch checklist email and further, monthly news mails. Read more in our privacy policy.
Step 4: Promote your Blog and gain Traffic
With the first three steps you have your framework set up to create a profitable blog. The only thing that’s missing are excited readers who enjoy your content.
Easier said than done, right? I’m not gonna lie, getting traffic from your ideal audience is not the easiest part and it is definitely not gonna happen overnight.
Here are the three things you will need to gain stable traffic and build a community:
- Consistency: It won’t help to publish a blog post here and there. If you are serious about growing your blog, you have to post consistently. I have a content plan setup and schedule a new post once a week.
- Pinterest or Google: Make sure your content is optimised for SEO and can be found in search engines like Pinterest or Google. Pinterest is easier to accomplish for newbies, so make sure you look into it!
- Social Media: If you already have a following on Instagram, Facebook or another social media platform, start promoting your content there. I always try to repurpose my content as much as possible – e.g. take the introduction of a post and use it as an Instagram caption.
If you audience has changed and you aren’t getting enough traffic from the right people, it might be time for a rebranding: Read this post to find out if you need a new blog design and how to accomplish it.
Step 5: Develop a Monetization Strategy
While you are waiting for you new readers (and hopefully fans!) to come in, you can look further into monetizing your new blog.
Here is the hard truth: The best community and the most excited readers won’t help you at all if you don’t have a plan how to actually earn money.
In the Profitable Blog Workbook there is a whole section about how to brainstorm what to sell to your readers and come up with monetization ideas. It also talks about affiliate income which can be an amazingly easy way to earn money with your blog.
Download the workbook by signing up below and get the 5 steps strategy and my Blog Succcess Planner for 2020 into your inbox:
The Profitable Blog Strategy from this post in the neat workbook:
Are you ready to learn all about email lists, lead magnets and how to earn an affiliate income with your blog?
Sign up here and get the workbook directly into your inbox:
We will only use your data to send out the launch checklist email and further, monthly news mails. Read more in our privacy policy.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s only February and if you start TODAY this could be the year where your blog finally gets profitable!