Blogging as a Side Hustle: Why Blogging Is the Best Way to Make Money Online (2024)

So you have been putting off starting a blog, and you have a hundred reasons for it. You don’t have time, you don’t think it would be sustainable, you think it’s not worth the effort, etc.

But there is a desire in you to start something where you write about what you love, express yourself, and you also want to earn money from your blog.

I passed through the same phase before I jumped into blogging.

I almost got tempted to start a blog a few years ago, but I did not. I finally could not resist it, and I have begun my blogging journey, which I enjoy immensely despite my fears.

Blogging is something that gives me an outlet to express myself while working full-time at my remote job. Talking about something I like and trying to help others is very satisfying.

Throughout the journey, I have realized that it is incredibly rewarding as well. I worked hard to juggle my job and write posts at night, but it was all worth it when I started to see that my hard work was paying off.

Blogging as a side hustle has been a superb way of making money on the side for me, and it can work out for you too.

Let’s take my blogging journey as a case study. Though it has only been for a short period so far, I am able to make a good income from it.

I started my blog in July 2016, and now I am in my 6th month of blogging. So far, I have reached some big milestones (tiny for many but huge for me): I have already overtaken my last month’s traffic, I am looking at a bigger income this month, and my social media reach is growing slowly.

How did I achieve this?

It is because of all the amazing resources and tools, as well as all the support from other bloggers and, of course, my readers. I could not have seen such big growth if I did not have so many helpful tools at my disposal.

I do not say it’s easy to earn money from your blog, but it’s not impossible.

I could have been at a different place now if I had started my blogging journey a few years ago, but I feel starting a bit late was for the best.

The blogosphere has evolved a lot now, and the opportunities that you see now are infinite. There are lots of things that go in new bloggers’ favor now.

Below are some things that would be advantageous to newbies starting out now.

Influencers

You always look up to the top bloggers or the influencers in the blogging world. They are the people who inspire you. Most of them started small and had the same or harder struggles to get to this stage. A few years ago, the digital world was not so evolved, and the opportunities to earn a living from a blog were fewer.

But now, you have all the examples laid out for you to read about and learn from, so you can test what works and what does not. Influencers in your niche can teach you a lot, and makes it easier for you to start your blogging journey.

I follow Brittany, Lena and Michelle’s strategies, and they all have a wealth of information and have majorly influenced my blog growth.

Social Media

When Darren Rowse of ProBlogger started back in 2003, the social media revolution had not yet started. Can you imagine if you did not have Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook? How would you promote?? That’s the power of social media which, luckily for you, is here to help.

With the help of different social media channels, getting the word out about your blog or your niche has become easier than ever before, and with new platforms like Periscope, Snapchat, etc., it could be very easy to make your blog reach your target audience.

This, in turn, bumps up your chances of making more money from your blog.

Related:

How I Made $2,347.17 in 4th Month of Blogging
How I Made $3,226.89 in 5th Month of Blogging

Earning Potential

Now comes the interesting and most debatable part. The sky’s the limit for your earning potential if you put in hard work and use the right strategies for your blog.

The biggest reason most of us fail to start a blog is because of the belief that you cannot make money with blogging.

Well, that’s not true, at least now. I started with $310 in my third month, and now I am looking at a much bigger income next month. There are so many ways you can earn with blogging like through advertising, affiliate revenue, sponsorships, adsense, products, courses, etc. You just have to figure out which one works for you.

Diversity

Did you know that there are blogs about Lego, fitness, gaming characters, Garfield, yoga, horror movies, etc.? You name it, and there is a blog in that niche.

And all of these blogs earn money.

What is the biggest reason that these blogs are running and making money?

They have an audience in their niche. It is possible to make money in almost any niche; you just have to find your audience and provide meaningful content.

So go ahead, brainstorm all your ideas and start writing.

Tools

You might be overwhelmed by the tools out there to help you in your blogging journey. Right from starting a blog to reaching out to your target audience, you have all the things that make it easier for you to make every process automated and organized.

Things like hosting, themes, productivity tools, social media management tools, plugins, etc. There are so many that now you can choose the ones that suit you.

The best part is none of them cost you a fortune, so even if you are starting out on a small budget, you can afford them.

Fellow Newbies

It is always so inspiring to see someone new achieve something. It makes you do things that you always thought you couldn’t. Right??

You have many bloggers starting every day and making it happen such as McKinzie of MomsMakeCents (2016), Aliyyah of Rich and Happy Blog (2016), Mommy on Purpose (2016), and more. All of them started out either talking about their hobbies, their interests, or to help others.

They draw inspiration from one another and create great content to help others in the blogging world. For example, Carly’s Pinteresting Strategies is what made my Pinterest traffic explode.

Now is the best time to start. Just gather your ideas and start off. All the help and inspiration you need is out there.

I hope my blogging journey helps you in some way to get started. 🙂

How did your blogging journey start? Please share in the comments.