blogging careers

I can't pin point the exact moment I started reading blogs avidly, it was a slow descent into addiction which kicked off around 2011 and now I can't go a day without reading a beauty product review or DIY tutorial on how to make your very own plant pot holder.
The majority of blogs that I follow are run 'professionally' - meaning the writers class their careers as full time blogger. The thought of venturing into the professional blog world has crossed my mind but could it really be a career? Don't fret, along with plant pot tutorials the internet is rife with how-to-start-a-blog-and-make-it-your-career tutorials so I've done my fair share of research. 

Apparently the key to success is finding your niche and living it - literally eat, sleep and breathe your subject. The beauty and fashion area of blogging is overflowing with talent so you need to find something that will make you stand out. You want to post good content regularly to keep readers interested. When you have established your subject you can scope out similar blogs and begin to network with their authors and build a community. I follow a lot of bloggers on twitter and you wouldn't believe how many times I've found a new blog I love just because a blogger has retweeted or mentioned them. Once you've gained a readership you can begin to market yourself and advertise. Apparently some popular bloggers can be paid up to £4,000 for just mentioning a product in a post or video. There, now the world is your oyster.

Yeah, right. On paper it sounds so simple but the reality is a lot of hard work. A lot of start up bloggers have full time jobs as well so after a day of working 9 - 5 they come home only to sit in front of their computers to slog away, yet again. It takes a lot of dedication and passion for your subject to sustain a blog. I think so many people have such high hopes about blogging when they begin because they have seen the success that bloggers like Zoella and Tanya Burr who have made their names through the blogging medium. Sadly for many this isn't the case, at the end of 2011 there were 181 million bloggers and just a handful of 'famous' bloggers. 

I think, personally, I enjoy dabbling in my blog but long term I can't see it being my full time career. I enjoy posting sporadically but for now I'll continue my job search. You never know, I might be eating my words by summer (if I can muster up the motivation to post regularly whilst at university full time)!