In our second #AGMarketingChats session, our guest Ryan Biddulph, Founder of Blogging From Paradise, drops some wisdom to inspire and help aspiring bloggers grow.
There are a lot of blogging “get rich quick” schemes out there, but the truth is, blogging success takes hard work, dedication, and a long-term focus. If you aren’t prepared with the right tools and the proper direction, you’ll end up wasting a lot of blogging time but seeing very few real results.
Ryan has built a blogging empire with Blogging From Paradise, and you can find his advice on blogs and websites all across the Internet. Let’s jump into question #1 and start getting serious about blogging!
Q1: There are a lot of “get rich quick” articles about blogging out there. Can you dispel the “get rich quick” blogging myth and tell aspiring bloggers the truth?
Blogging is more like a marathon than a sprint. There are ways to boost your stats quickly, but to truly create a successful, sustainable blog, you need to have a focus further down the road and be in it for the long haul.
Back in the day (the “good ol’ days” for some), Google was far less sophisticated. You could get your website ranked by applying a few shady black hat tactics – like keyword stuffing, for example. Today, to be successful as a blogger, you really need to have a strong SEO strategy, focus on producing top notch content that actually helps your readers and solves their problems, and you need to build real relationships with other bloggers and with your readers.
Q2: What are the most frequent challenges you see bloggers face when launching and trying to grow a blog?
I think you get the point by now that blogging isn’t easy. Blogging success requires a serious time investment, and many bloggers give up when they run up against any real challenges. Successful bloggers understand they will 100% face challenges, but they also get that there are lots of solutions available to navigate those challenges and move forward.
Q3: What is the most important thing to consider when selecting the niche for your blog?
There are so many different blogging niches available. Travel, marketing, business, food, history, art, and of course, blogging itself is a niche. That’s just to name a handful. So, how do you select the niche that’s right for you? It’s not an easy decision.
To choose the right niche, focus on something you really know, understand, and enjoy. If you don’t know your topic, your readers will call you out quickly. Your blog won’t stand a chance. On the other hand, if you are truly knowledgable about your subject, you’ll be able to craft content more quickly, understand the needs of your audience, and reach success, while staying motivated during the challenging times.
Q4: You’ve cleverly blended travel blogging with blogging advice to tell a powerful story. How important is storytelling in blogging success, and how can a new blogger do it right?
The best bloggers know how to weave an engaging tale. Storytelling is a skill that all bloggers should develop. Learn how to weave a narrative into each piece to engage the reader as you also help them and offer valuable advice.
Think about your audience. Learn as much as you can about them. What inspires them? What challenges them? What do they love and what do they hate? Craft your story around your own personal brand, but be sure to take into account all that makes your audience members who they are so your story connects.
Q5: How does your digital nomad lifestyle inspire the content you produce, and what can it teach others looking to live the same lifestyle as a globetrotting blogger?
If you’re looking to live the digital nomad lifestyle, look no further than Ryan and his Blogging From Paradise blog. You can learn a ton from the real-life experience he brings to each carefully crafted piece of content published on his blog.
Living the digital nomad lifestyle is becoming more and more popular. Some countries are even paying for digital nomads to come work in their country for a specified period of time. But with all the fun and exploration that comes with this lifestyle, there are also plenty of challenges. I recommend following along with the story at Blogging From Paradise to learn about the ups and downs (and enjoy some blogging tips and really awesome tales) of being a digital nomad.
Q6: Building relationships with other bloggers is a powerful way to grow your blog. What tips do you have for other bloggers to build relationships to help their blog grow?
If you really want to succeed at blogging, going it alone isn’t an option. Focus instead of building relationships with powerful, experienced bloggers as well as up-and-coming and aspiring bloggers. Add value to those relationships and give without asking for anything in return. The reward you gain will be 10x what you give, as long as you’re genuine and you create real relationships.
Make sure that the relationships you build are mutually beneficial and with others in your niche or with some level of connection where you can actually help one another. Help each other by sharing social media content, exchanging guests posts, helping with link building…there are so many ways you can help each other grow.
Q7: How do you stay focused on creating amazing content when there are so many distractions around you as you travel to all these exotic places?
Content idea generation is one of the biggest issues plaguing bloggers. It’s an ongoing challenge trying to come up with the next big idea and continue to generate new pieces of content for your blog. Having written and published thousands and thousands of blog posts across the Internet, Ryan has advice to this extent.
Q8: Money isn’t everything, but many bloggers look to monetize their blogs. What’s your best advice for making that happen?
It’s a bloggers dream to find ways to monetize your blog and turn your blog into a business. While that’s 100% possible, if you really want to make it happen, you may not want to put 100% of your focus into the monetization part. There’s a lot more that goes into blogging before you can really go full-time and make a living from your efforts.
Give freely as a blogger. Focus first on adding value. Build relationships with your audience. Solve problems. Do all these things and give without expecting so much in return. This is how you build a loyal following, and ultimately, this is what leads to being able to really monetize your blog and go full-time.
Of course, you can create lead magnets like eBooks and white papers and ask for your site visitors’ contact info in exchange for the free download. And of course you can sell digital products and physical products as well. But, if you become too promotional and fail to truly care first about helping your audience, you’ll end up severely limiting your potential.
Q9: What final piece of advice would you offer aspiring bloggers to help them launch, grow, and even monetize their blogs?
We host a new #AGMarketingChats session each Thursday. You can check out the full schedule for the remainder of 2021 by clicking this link. —>>> #AGMarketingChats Twitter Chats Calendar
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I had a blast during this chat. Thanks so much Anthony!
Ryan
Thanks again, Ryan! Excellent insights as always. We’ll have to do it again some time!