Blogging can be both fun and challenging. It requires passion and dedication especially if you’re a newbie. It also takes time and a lot of effort. Before starting a blog, you need to ask yourself the reason why you want to blog. As a blogger for over 9 years, one of the reasons why I blog was to share my travel adventures. It's my online journal. My mindset was to share happy travel stories and comprehensive travel guides for several destinations. I didn't know that I can make money from blogging. Yes, you read it right! There are many ways to make money from blogging. I'll talk about that later. Let me share my blogging journey as a travel blogger.
How I started my blog
Photography is my passion. I love capturing beautiful photos whenever, and wherever I go. I joined a group of young photographers who do street photography. One of the members approached me and introduced blogging. Honestly, I'm not familiar with blogging and I don't know how it works. He mentioned that I can share my travel photos through a blog. I immediately opened my laptop and searched online about how to start a blog. I also watched several YoutTube videos on how to create a website. From the domain name, and website design to social media accounts, I did it alone, without any help. Thanks to Google and YouTube for all the information.
The name of my first blog was Travel Tropa. It's a travel blog that features my personal adventures. From hiking, island hopping, and shopping to food tripping, I shared every detail through my blog. It became a platform to share tips and travel guides for several places especially budget-friendly destinations. Sadly, I forgot to renew the domain name and it expired. I'm forced to find a new domain name and I got the name, The Pinoy Traveler. Since then, everyone was calling me, The Pinoy Traveler.
Choose Quality over Quantity
When I started my travel blog, my goal was to become a travel advocate by sharing tips and travel guides and the benefits of traveling. One of the best things I learned from blogging was to choose quality over quantity. Rather than publishing 5 to 10 articles in a day, I highly suggest publishing just one high-quality article. Create an interesting and informative story that everyone can relate to. You can produce a quality one if the article you are writing is something that you loved most to do. If you have good stories, people will definitely read them and share them with others. People don't want to read complete and total garbage articles, right?
The Benefits of Blogging
Can you make money blogging? Absolutely yes. At first, I didn't know that I can earn from blogging. One time, I attended an event to cover the launching of a high-end restaurant. They gave me an amazing loot bag and cash. I didn't expect that I'll get cash. To be invited to an event was already a privilege. And to receive a loot bag and cash, that's really overwhelming. There are many ways to make money from blogging. You can make money through Google Adsense, Advertorial and Sponsored Content, Affiliate Programs, Social Media Posts and a lot more!
Blogging also offers a lot of opportunities. Aside from getting invitations to several events, I also got a lot of collaborations with hotels and resorts. With the help of my travel blog, I was able to travel to some of my favorite destinations at no cost. They gave me free flights, free accommodation, a free tour, and free food. Most of these trips were all-expenses-paid. This is one of the greatest perks of being a travel blogger, to travel for free.
Tips before you start a blog
Everyone can be a successful blogger. Why not? Find the right niche and be yourself. You don't have to copy famous influencers, bloggers or even celebrities. Create a blog with your own style. Be passionate and stay focused on what you are doing. If someone attacks your blog, keep going. Remember, no one is perfect and you can't please everyone. We don't want to tolerate bashing but we can use this as a tool to improve and become better. Another reminder, if your reason to start a blog is about making money quickly, you're in the wrong career. Create quality content before thinking of money out of it. But of course, it's always your choice no matter what reasons you might have. Just do the right thing and have fun.
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