Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

It’s crazy really.

I am thrilled to be featured in the new issue of Where Women Create Work. But it’s crazy. I never would have dreamed I’d seriously be in a magazine, not alone the author of the article… and my brand the topic of the article!

How this crazy ride started

And this whole crazy “ride” from zero audience (seriously, not even my mom read my blog back then) to published author… this whole crazy ride all started with little ole me just doing a few things I wound up failing at pretty often but loving nonetheless. When I decided to write about what I was learning–be it homesteading endeavors, making maple syrup, making kombucha, or other similar topics–I wound up encouraging others who were also somewhere on this journey towards a slightly simpler life. And those “others” started to grow in numbers.

Next thing I knew, I had written a book. (aff link) It’s part how-to, part memoir, and a whole lot of delicious (aka a maple syrup cookbook), and a legit publisher wanted to publish it.

But it all started with a simple blog, that I started and maintained myself, with no coding knowledge whatsoever. Since none of the above would have happened without it, and since book publishers today usually won’t spend time on new authors unless they have a devoted tribe of readers, well this blog is super special to me and I’d love to help you have something similar.

You should come up with a plan

I didn’t have things all planned out.

Just a few years ago I had zero idea how I’d ever make money by writing. Heck, I remember wondering how I’d ever earn enough money to cover the cost of my web hosting. If you’re there, trust me, I get it. And everything I recommend in this post comes from that place–the place of a very poor writer. I would never recommend things that aren’t worth the money or the time, because I remember all too well not feeling like I had either.

The biggest mistake I made when I was starting out

I wish I had realized, years ago, that a few upfront investments would have saved me so much time and money. The two things I would definitely do differently?

• I should have started off with professional hosting. Instead I went with a free hosting, which was riddled with headaches when It was time to upgrade to a paid hosting program.
• I should have invested in professional training, right out of the box, which would have saved me years of flying by the seat of my pants and making zero money.

If you’ve ever wondered if you could make money blogging, I’m here to encourage you. And I’d love to help you come up with a plan (instead of winging it like I did for many years).

So today I’m gonna do something really weird. Today I’m not writing about homesteading, gardening, fermenting, or making and baking with maple syrup.

I know. It feels funky. But don’t worry, I’ll be back to those other topics next week.

Can you make money blogging?

Yes, I do make money blogging. Not a fortune. It’s just one stream of income for me (and even within that stream, there are many streams), but yes, I make money blogging. I wrote a while back about 12 Ways Homesteaders Make Money, as well as 3 Lessons I’ve Learned recently about the whole process.

Then last summer I was named a Side Hustle Star by Hostgator. Apparently, they liked my story & I ranked “high for site navigation, design, and web standards like SSL certificates and mobile responsiveness.” Ummmm, no one tell them I have been doing it all on my own, on a wing & a prayer, okay? They may want my cool swag back that they sent me. 😉

But seriously, I think it’s time… because many of you have asked… I’m going to break down how to set up a blog, with the goal that–eventually–you can start making some money by blogging.

Here’s where I interject that it’s hard work, y’all. Even if you purchase all the right tools and do everything the right way (aka, not the way Michelle did things), you need to build up quality content and a devoted email list. So if you’re not sure that blogging is for you, it’s probably not.

But if you know you want to do this and do it well, stick with me–through this incredibly long post, chocked full of all my thoughts for you to help you get off on the right foot.

I’m going to pull back the curtain a little on my SoulyRested brand. Take you behind the scenes on the nitty gritty details you’ll want to think about if you hope to carve out a brand of your own and start making money by blogging.

The Things I Wish I Knew When I Started a Blog

The biggest challenge I faced with my blog could have been avoided right up front. Yes, it would have cost me a little money, but it would have saved me so much time.

But back then, I figured I may never make a penny with my blog. So I couldn’t bear the thought of investing money into it if I’d never get anything out. My thought process was that I would keep all my blogging costs as low as possible until I started monetizing and then, and only then, would I allow myself to “splurge” on some blog “luxuries.”

But here’s the thing. I should have never seen hosting as a luxury. Because you can’t make any money with a blog–not a penny–until it is self-hosted. So that’s where I’ll start my list…

Set up Hosting

First I want to explain, you can set up a free wordpress blog for now (it will have (dot)wordpress at the end of your domain name). You can convert it over later, once you’ve built up some quality useful content and are ready to start monetizing it a little.

— Save yourself some heartache

BUT, If you want to save yourself a good bit of heartache and you have the funds to invest a few hundred to set it up correctly from the get go, I highly recommend that. The switch over to self-hosting was a pretty complicated process for me, I’m not gonna lie. In fact, it was the most difficult thing I’ve done as a blogger the past 5 years.

— I can’t recommend these guys enough

When I was ready to start blogging “for real,” I spent a good while researching many hosting providers. I came down to two, and I don’t think you can go wrong with either. I say this with great confidence because I’ve been using HostGator for 4 years, and have never been anything less than pleased with them. Then my amazing tech friend, Dave, who I talked to about this topic, agreed that they’re awesome.

When Dave was helping me with a little tech issue (cause all tech issues are huge to me–the non-tech-y person that I am) he pointed out some amazing things about my hosting service, with HostGator, that I didn’t even know (well, #4 and #5 I already knew, first-hand):

• Why I Love HostGator

1. HostGator does daily backups as a standard service offering. What!? I still continue to do my weekly automatic backups on my own, but I was super impressed that daily backups are part of my hosting subscription. At zero effort or charge to me!
2. HostGator offers https service (encryption of your site–to make it secure for your customers) for free!
3. HostGator can help you purchase your domain name too.
4. They have a super easy-to-use dashboard, which is super important for us non-tech-y folks.
5. They have amazing customer service. The first time I had to call them I was prepared for battle. Prepared to hold for 1/2 an hour and reach a customer service representative who barely spoke English and who didn’t care about my problem or offer a solution. Boy WAS I WRONG! The service is fast, super helpful, and totally in English. And I’ve called them many times over the years, with always the same great results.

— But apparently these guys are amazing too

But I went on to ask Dave what hosting service he personally uses, he explained that he started out with DreamHost many moons ago, before HostGator was as awesome as they are today, and he has stuck with them because DreamHost is a dream as well.

• Why Dave Likes DreamHost

1. DreamHost provides free web hosting for 501c3 charitable groups… and I love this too.
2. Dave likes DreamHost’s dashboard better than HostGator’s. I haven’t see DreamHosts, so I can’t compare.
3. DreamHost, like HostGator, offers https service for free.

But when I told Dave I was working on writing this article for y’all I asked him which he would recommend, and he said he couldn’t pick.So you have to pick for yourself.They’re equally awesome. So there ya go… apparently you can’t go wrong with HostGator or DreamHost. Since I thrive on choices and researching things to find what’s best for me, I figured I’d let you hash it out between these two great hosting companies to see which one is best for you.

You’re welcome.

An effective social media presence keeps your audience connected with you, and they’ll always be excited about your next new thing.

 

Choose a Theme

I should explain that wordpress blogs have many free themes to choose from. But since more than 1/3 of all websites are wordpress sites, well free themes are pretty common. If you don’t want your blog to look like everybody else’s you may want to go shopping for a website theme. This is the skeleton, or framework, of your site that everything else will be based off of.

You can absolutely start with a free theme and upgrade later, whenever you’re ready, but I’ve talked to bloggers who have invested year’s of effort into building content that then went missing or misdirected or just plain looked awful when they switched their site’s theme.

You can also do what I’ve done if you have a little knowledge of wordpress and desktop design and customize a free theme so your site looks like no one else’s. I have zero coding abilities, but wordpress doesn’t require any if you do have desktop design experience and know how to google things when you get stuck.

On the other hand, if you’d rather not take years to get your site looking the way you want it (aka Michelle’s way) and you’d rather pay a small one-time fee to have a gorgeous site that meets all your needs, I highly recommend you check out these guys and the awesome sites they create.

Learn about SEO

Once you have a site up and have created some great content, it’s time to make sure folks find what you’ve created.

— What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization is a roadmap that points folks to your work. I learned everything I know from my friend Kelly, with her amazing, self-paced Sticky Blogging class. She does a fantastic job explaining all the ins and outs of this super important factor of your blog. The fact is, you can create the most amazing content, housed on the most alluring site anyone’s ever stumbled upon, but without SEO running smoothly, you’ll be a writer without an audience.

— Check out this super content for FREE

But another thing I love about what Kelly has created in this fantastic course on SEO is that she gives you super content–for FREE–right up front, in her 5-day eCourse to give you a taste for SEO to see if you’d like to dive into her more in-depth class that will have your blog popping up on the perfect phrases in google searches in no time.

But don’t take my word for it, take Kelly up on it. Try this FREE 5-lesson SEO eCourse and see what you think. Everything Kelly does, from the generous free class to her in-depth full course on SEO, is self-paced, so sign up right away and finish it immediately or take your time working through it. It’s up to you. But read all the way to the end, about another SEO option, before buying this one, so you know all the options I love and you can choose what works best for you.

 

Choose an email provider and start building your email list right away!

Build an email list

I use Mailchimp, because it was free when I signed up. And it will be free for you too, if you’re just starting out and don’t have a large number of subscribers.

But I grew faster than I was expecting, and what started out as a free mail provider–Powered by Mailchimp–now requires a small monthly payment. Even so, I’m pleased with their service and their options, so they’re a good choice for me.

UPDATE: I just made a big switch over to Flodesk for my email service and I’m loving their easy-to-use, very professional looking templates. As I had grown to over 3,000 subscribers in my email list, MailChimp costs had risen to over $60/month.

Flodesk has one base cost, no matter how much I grow! I can have 30,000, 3,000 or 300 subscribers and pay the same price. Sweet, right?

Even better, they’re offering this great deal that if you use this link you will get 50% off that price. For life. Now that’s a deal I can get behind.

Then there’s an ultra powerful option–ConvertKit, which gives you a nice little starting package and then grows with you, beautifully and professionally.

I’d recommend comparing all the options and seeing what feels best for you. But whatever you do, choose an email provider and start building your email list right away! How to do exactly this–build a list quickly and effectively, using enticing promotions that my friend Lisa will teach you to create–is one of many topics that Lisa Bass covers in great depth in this professional, detailed course for bloggers that is worth every penny, and a whole lot more. But more on that in a minute.

Set up social media accounts 

I remember when I opened each of my social media accounts I debated what to call them. Honestly, if I could do it all again I would have no lag time and no debate.

— Don’t waste any time doing this

As soon as you buy a domain name, you should be setting up social media accounts as well–in the same name–so folks can quickly find you wherever they like to hang out. As soon as you have some good content, your social media platforms will be where you share it with your readers. That’s what social media is for… kinda a megaphone for your content. Although that megaphone falls on deaf ears if, first and foremost, you haven’t built a relationship with your tribe. Social media is where folks really get to know you. Then, once they feel they’ve built a friendship with you, they are eager to know what you’re up to over on your blog.

Over time, you’ll find they also love meeting your old content, which you can repurpose again and again. And they’re often in love with any new product you launch.

— Connect with your audience 

Kelly’s SEO class will have strangers finding you, via Google searches, and your social media presence will keep your audience connected to you on a daily basis. So on Facebook and my YouTube channel you’ll find me as SoulyRested. Sadly I was a little delayed  in setting up an instagram account. I spent more time with my small tribe on facebook than anywhere else, and didn’t want to spread myself too thin.

It turns out I love instagram too (here’s where to find me on instagram); I love how all 3 platforms are so different and I tend to share very differently in each little corner, which means my audience isn’t bored with overlap but many follow me on every platform.

So when I did finally go to set up an instagram account, there was already someone with the name “SoulyRested,” and even though they hadn’t done a thing with their account in years I couldn’t use the name. So my instagram account is Souly.Rested. I hate it that that account is different (see that little period?), so try to keep them all the same if you’re able.

When I discovered Lisa’s course, right in the midst of writing this article, it was like the heavens opened and the angel choir was singing.

Set up & run your blog like a professional brand

I recently befriended Lisa Bass and discovered her brand–Farmhouse On Boone–when my publisher mailed her a copy of my book, Sweet Maple. (aff link) Afterall, all authors love to stay up on what fellow authors are creating, but especially when we’re with the same publisher. Lisa fell in love with Sweet Maple, and I fell in love with all things Farmhouse on Boone.

I quickly realized that Lisa was a pro at developing an amazing brand, creating professional high-demand content, and monetizing it all. Seriously. Lisa is a rockstar blogger & youtuber combined.

So when I heard that Lisa has created a blogging course that packs all of her professional knowledge–and all of her best been-there, done-that tips–into ONE place, I knew I had to know more. Because I had just started piecing this article together for y’all, and I was at a loss of what resources to recommend to you for training purposes.

All the things I’ve piecemealed together and tried to teach myself over the past few years I couldn’t find in one resource, or even 3 or 4, and the professional resources I did find that offered great content were over $500, to start, more if you wanted any one-on-one coaching or entrance into a VIP support group.

When I discovered Lisa’s course, right in the midst of writing this article, it was like the heavens opened and the angel choir was singing. I was that excited. If you’re serious about making money blogging (and writing and youtubing) I can’t recommend Create Your Blog Dream and Video for Bloggers enough. Lisa means business about putting YOU in business.

— This one investment will save you money

I spent way too long building my brand, growing my audience, and creating my content over the past 5 years. (Yes, 5 years.)

If I had only had Lisa’s courses 5 years ago, I truly believe I would have been where I am today 4 years ago. That means I could have been making decent money on my blog 3 years sooner than I started to. Lisa’s course would have definitely paid for itself in a few month’s time. And I would have been earning an income in all the subsequent years, when instead I was just sitting over here googling things, one by one, year after year, and struggling through each action item that Lisa nails down and itemizes in her courses.

— Others “nickel-and-dimed” me

I’m gonna come clean here and tell you that I wound up wasting money by trying to save money. I spent $8 here and $29 there on small courses that I thought would help me learn the ropes for setting up a new blog, establishing a brand, learning how to do Pinterest and Tailwind effectively, and developing an effective social media following. Then for most of the “small” purchases I made, the creator of that product tried to “nickel & dime me,” as my daddy would say, asking me to upgrade and spend lots more to get their meaty content.

— “Free” was never free.

Seriously, I opted into so many “free” webinars that wasted an hour of my time with soft-sales pitches every time, for just a small nugget of information. And I often bought small courses (because, I reasoned, I couldn’t afford a big one). But those “free” and cheap options wasted my time. And held me back from making money off of my blog, because they weren’t teaching me everything I needed to know. But Lisa teaches the BIG picture, itemizing every detail with you along the way.

Needless you say, you won’t find me recommending any of those “free” options that wound up costing me plenty.

I know now that one up-front (and, yes, sizable) investment into Lisa’s professional, detailed, meaty courses would have been the best investment I could have made in my blog, right off the bat.

And all that time I had wasted trying to save money? Well I could have used that precious time to effectively monetize my blog much sooner.

— These topics took me years to learn; you can learn them in days

There are so many modules in Lisa’s two courses that would have made me an expert in certain topics in ONE DAY that took me a year to figure out by google, and trial and error, and the nickel & dime folks. Topics like:

• how to create an appealing brand
• how to set up a marketing opt-in funnel
• how to create an amazing free ebook
• how to entice hundreds of folks to sign up for your mailing list
• how to create useful, meaty content
• how to grow all social media platforms
• how to take professional photos
• how to use pinterest to market your blog
• how to use tailwinds to double your traffic
• how to create emails that your readers will act on

And my little list doesn’t even scratch the surface of the meaty modules in Create Your Blog Dream, then Video for Bloggers has more great content. Because as much as I love writing, I’m well aware that blogs see greater success if they have a video component that a YouTube channel provides. If you can learn to be successful at both, you’re golden in today’s world of social media influencers. And you will see much greater success if you grow them simultaneously, instead of individually.

For instance, I like to plop this little video from my youtube channel in many of my posts so my new readers can get to know me in just a 1-minute little video. Lisa will have you creating a video like this one in no time flat.

 

Other courses were always just a bunch of “fluff” for a small nugget of information.

 

As for Lisa? She’s not one of those nickel-and-dime-you kind of people. Lisa is right up front about the cost and the value that she’s giving you. And she gives it to you concisely, in wonderfully actionable chunks. Go here to meet Lisa and find out more about her courses.

I can’t imagine how anyone who works their way through these courses (at their own pace, btw) could be anything shy of ultra successful.

btw, just food for thought… Lisa offers a module on SEO. It’s nowhere near the depth that Kelly goes into in Sticky Blogging, but it’s enough that, combined with Kelly’s free course, it may give you enough confidence with SEO that you may be able to dive into good SEO practices for now & plan on investing into Kelly’s full course in the near future, if and when you feel you need more SEO training.

Just be sure to pin this article for later so you can find the link for more SEO work.

And trust me, there is a reason I am only recommending Lisa’s and Kelly’s courses for professional blogging courses that you can invest in. There are thousands out there, but these two are the best, in my opinion, from all the ones I’ve researched, talked to other bloggers about, or taken myself. And they’re all-inclusive of everything you need to know. Plus, both ladies have VIP groups for follow-up help and brainstorming, so they’re there to help you as you grow. And they’re just awesome ladies, all the way around.

Start today, commit to being the best you possibly can be, then seek tools and mentors to help you get there.

Some advice from the pros, who make money blogging

So I’ve gone on long enough filling your ears with my tips on how to make money blogging; I asked some friends to chime in with their two cents as well. Afterall, we can all stand to learn more from each other, yes? 

“Invest in the tools you’ll need to grow your website earlier rather than later. The ability to rank in the great world of Google requires you to know what items will help get you there.” 

–Ann Accetta-Scott is A Farm Girl in the Making and author of The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest. (aff link)

 

“Have a product to sell BEFORE you create a blog. The product will make it easier to make an income separate from ad revenue and guide your article creation. If you can, have two or three products that would appeal to different demographics – a tangible like a print book, an e-course, designs/patterns, whatever. Your people will find you quicker if you’re creating content they need and you will be able to sustain the blog and grow it if you can charge a reasonable amount for products your people need.”

–Tessa Zundel is the author of The Do It Yourself Homestead (aff link) and owner of HomesteadLady.com, where she writes extensively about the self-sufficient lifestyle, with great content such as this article about Once-A-Month meal planning.

 

“Blogging is a longevity game. That’s the piece of advice that stuck with me most when I was first starting out. Now that I’ve been in this business for almost 4 years I can say that it’s so true! You can quickly reach $1,000-4,000 a month, and the sky’s the limit! Don’t let setbacks or fear take you out of the game. The longer you play, the more fun it is and the more money you make! Start today, commit to being the best you possibly can be, then seek tools and mentors to help you get there.”

–Victoria Pruett, owner of A Modern Homestead, where she writes about all things back-to-basics, including this fantastic Beginners Guide to Back-to-Eden Gardening.

 

“Treat it like a business to begin with, have a clear path on how you will make revenue and make sure you have multiple streams of income, but never forget, from social media to your articles, it’s not about you, it’s about what you can deliver to your ideal reader to help make their life better or solve a problem of theirs. ALWAYS center your content on serving them.”

–Melissa K Norris, owner of the Pioneering Today Online Academy, and author of Handmade, The Made From Scratch Life, and her brand-new Family Garden Plan (aff links) writes about being self-sufficient and debt-free with great content like these 5 Tips on Cutting Debt. 

 

“Niche down. Choose something that you will love to write about for a long time. Got a hobby? You could probably turn that into an income! I did.”

–Sharon Peterson, owner of Simply Canning, shares amazing tutorials like this one about her hobby of canning.

 

The Nitty Gritty

If you’re like me, you will read through this all then pin it right here so you can think on it and come back to it. Then, when you revisit it, you want all the details listed out, nice and concise, in a bullet list.

1. For a hosting company, consider HostGator or DreamHost.
2. Customize a free WordPress theme or look into these Pretty Darn Cute Designs.
3. Look into Search Engine Optimization with StickyBlogging.
4. Set up an email service, with MailChimp , ConvertKit, or Flodesk.
5. Start social media accounts, creating all the accounts in the same name as your blog’s name.
6. Consider learning from a true pro, with Lisa’s classes Create Your Blog Dream and Video for Bloggers. (Or sign up for both.)

In fact, if you start with step #6, all the rest will be a piece of cake.

 

More Info You Would Like

How to Encourage a Child to be an Entrepreneur

How Homesteaders Make Money (including a description of my 3 jobs)

Go Behind the Scenes with Online Content Creators

 

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I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

 

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