[zanetti]

Hi there

I will be emigrating to another country early next year and am planning on starting my own blog, discussing cultural stuff, nightlife, food etc. Plan is to ultimately monetize it.

Does anyone have any good advice on how to do this, from setting it up, to building it out etc. Are there any good resources (books, websites) that explain how to do this step by step?

thanks!

[Avarence]

Make sure you can commit yourself to posting content every day.
And start advertising from day one.

[Vaun]

(06-04-2013 06:28 AM)IQVX Wrote:  

Make sure you can commit yourself to posting content every day.
And start advertising from day one.

word. also use wordpress.

[WestIndianArchie]

Do the research to see if there is a PAYING audience for what you want to deliver.

WIA

[ThailandRockstar]

(06-04-2013 06:11 AM)zanetti Wrote:  

Hi there

I will be emigrating to another country early next year and am planning on starting my own blog, discussing cultural stuff, nightlife, food etc. Plan is to ultimately monetize it.

Does anyone have any good advice on how to do this, from setting it up, to building it out etc. Are there any good resources (books, websites) that explain how to do this step by step?

thanks!

A blog discussing cultural stuff, nightlife, food and more sounds a bit all over the place. I'm not saying it can't work because there are blogs out there that similar and do work but it's usually better to niche down and focus on one aspect and cover it REALLY well rather than wishy washy all over the place content that tries to appeal to everyone but really ends up appealing to no one.

The more focused you are with ONE specific type of person in mind the more successful a blog will usually be. There are exceptions to the rule.

Get a self hosted Wordpress blog with your own hosting and domain. Don't go with free hosting. Buy a premium theme, I recommend Genesis Generate theme.

Some good sites to follow IMO are..

Social Triggers
Smart Passive Income
Viper Chill
Social Sprout
Copyblogger
KissMetrics Blog
Unbounce Blog
Shoemoney

None will tell you how to set up your blog or any of the basics but they are great examples of blogs that people love and make money.

Work out how you plan to monetize your blog BEFORE you set it up.

Figure out how you'll get traffic and where it will come from. The key is to work out who your target audience is (what they like, age, demographics etc) then figure out where they already hang out online.

Once you know that you go about getting your content (which should the best it can possibly be and different from everyone else no one wants generic nonsense) in front of your target audience.

It's easier to get your audience from somewhere they already are rather than build one from scratch.

You can get traffic from content marketing (article syndication & guest posting), blog commenting, forum posting, video marketing, banner ads, PPC on Google, Bing and Facebook, social media groups / pages.

Just find where they are and how you can get them to you.

(06-04-2013 06:28 AM)IQVX Wrote:  

Make sure you can commit yourself to posting content every day.
And start advertising from day one.

Posting every day is silly to begin with.

Why post content when no one is reading it?

A complete waste of time and energy plus no one can write epic content every single day so you end up with half asses and generic nonsense no one cares about.

Until you have traffic you don't want to blog any more than once a week.

Spend the rest of your time promoting your blog and content rather than writing new stuff that no one will read.

Make your posts count.

(06-04-2013 06:33 AM)puckman Wrote:  

word. also use wordpress.

Yes a SELF HOSTED Wordpress site though, that's the key.

(06-04-2013 07:27 AM)WestIndianArchie Wrote:  

Do the research to see if there is a PAYING audience for what you want to deliver.

WIA

Very important.

Also ask yourself....

Is there a demand for what you are offering?

Is it already covered elsewhere?

Are they doing a good job of it?

Can you do better?

What will be unique or different about your site that will make people follow you?

Is there a lot of competition? (This is a good sign as it's a healthy market)

Are there a lot of products available to sell to these visitors? (Check Amazon, Ebay, Clickbank etc)

Where will your traffic come from and how much will it cost to get them there?

Should get you thinking...

[zanetti]

Thanks for this guys, especially ThailandRockstar - awesome advice! much appreciated

[babelfish669]

#1 Network with other bloggers in the same market and related markets.

#2 Interview other bloggers and people with web traffic that will backlink to you.

#3 Wait to put ads on your site, unless your ok with getting backlinks and return readers very slowly.

Right now your only goal should be to get other bloggers to read your blog. Ignore the advertising & make money shit until later, because it will destroy your growth and your credibility.

[ThailandRockstar]

Networking is key.

So many people do not get that at all and think they have to ignore everyone else in the niche.

Not at all.

Get yourself on the map with other influential bloggers.

Do joint ventures with other up and coming blogs.

Write content for them.

Do 'ego-bait' posts where you bang on about how amazing all the other blog / bloggers in your niche are and butter them up. Be creative and make them want to link to you.

Sell their products so they want to help you out in return.

[presidentcarter]

I'm moving abroad in a few months also and have been playing with the idea of blogging. Some good points and advice brought up so far. Some things I am wondering about are:

Who to share the blog with? Should I create an identity and share G-rated content with everyone (including friends and family) or do it anonymously so it's an anything goes format.

What to focus on? As mentioned, it's probably better to focus on a niche rather than a general "travel/live abroad" blog. Those are everywhere and a bit boring.

Despite the above, I think if you incorporated many different aspects of your move abroad and assuming it was to a less frequented or known locale, it could be valuable.

Overall, it's just hard to think of any "product" I could produce that would bring visitors and have a lot of value. I do think it should probably be less about data-sheet type blogging and more entertainment driven. People don't really need a new resource on the how-to's for getting a visa, accommodation, or logistics and bar/club reviews.

[Captain Ahab]

Glad someone popped the question since I was looking for advice for my blog. Keep the info coming boys. I am taking notes.

[ThailandRockstar]

Quote:

Who to share the blog with? Should I create an identity and share G-rated content with everyone (including friends and family) or do it anonymously so it's an anything goes format.

Up to you, do you want your friends and family (and the rest of the world) knowing what you are up to...particularly if it's x-rated? I certainly wouldn't.

Many people blog behind an alias.

Quote:

What to focus on? As mentioned, it's probably better to focus on a niche rather than a general "travel/live abroad" blog. Those are everywhere and a bit boring.

No one else can tell you what to focus on, you'll need to decide where your interests lie and if you're looking to monetize it on how you'll do that.

Quote:

Overall, it's just hard to think of any "product" I could produce that would bring visitors and have a lot of value.

Creating a product by it's self wouldn't bring visitors. You'd need to get that product in front of your target audience and spread the word.

Creating a product isn't difficult. It's as easy as opening Word and typing. You now have an info product / ebook...you just need to have something to write about.

You don't necessarily need a product of your own, you can find some quality affiliate products and promote them.

[anamericaninbangkok]

Be prepared to put the time in to build up a following and to begin seeing returns. Also, as TRS said, you do not need to post every single day. It's good to have content but quality over quantity. Ask yourself what are you providing of value to people that makes them want to come back. Sometimes it's not that you're providing how-to info on visas, it's the total package. It gives people a reason to look around.

[ThailandRockstar]

Yeah blogging is usually a long and slow journey. Anyone thinking they'll have a huge following and cashing cheques in a month or two should just forget it.

AmericaninBKK are you only monetizing your blog through the banner ads on your site or via affiliate marketing to your list (or something else) as well?

[anamericaninbangkok]

Banner ads, a little affiliate marketing, and YouTube. My site doesn't make much but the numbers are rising steadily and I have other income streams that cover my nut. So whatever I make from the site is gravy.

BTW - thanks for adding my site to your links section. I'll do the same for you later today.

[pegador]

I used to have a blog a few years ago but was so busy at the time that I couldn't keep up posting on it. I'd say go for it, just don't rely on it for your income, else you'll be very disappointed. The two sites below were helpful for me and can give you a lot of ideas, not just about blogging but also with other ways to make money online.

http://www.retireat21.com/start-blogging

http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/

Just be into what you're writing about. If it's not something that really gets you off, you're going to struggle putting content on it that people actually want to read. Good luck!

[ThailandRockstar]

Quote:

Just be into what you're writing about. If it's not something that really gets you off, you're going to struggle putting content on it that people actually want to read. Good luck!

Very true. Some people chase money and start sites on topics they know nothing about or don't care for and within 1 month when they realise the traffic isn't following and the money isn't coming in they get bored and give up.

[Aliblahba]

Emech and I have discussed starting a blog on another topic. I planned on collecting data and writing 3 months in advance before starting. That way if we get busy, there will be something to throw out and not have long spaces between posts.

Good info on this thread.

[Architekt]

(06-07-2013 07:38 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Emech and I have discussed starting a blog on another topic. I planned on collecting data and writing 3 months in advance before starting. That way if we get busy, there will be something to throw out and not have long spaces between posts.

Good info on this thread.

For the new blog I've started, I've been preparing 3 or 4 posts at a time, and having them set on a scheduled release. If there's anything I want to put out immediately, I just have an extra post or 2 on that day

[ThailandRockstar]

(06-09-2013 01:14 AM)Architekt Wrote:  

For the new blog I've started, I've been preparing 3 or 4 posts at a time, and having them set on a scheduled release. If there's anything I want to put out immediately, I just have an extra post or 2 on that day

Is it the blog in your signature?

Can I give you some advice on it?

When I land on it I have no idea what your site is about. The second I hit the page I should instantly know what type of blog it is but I don't. Many people will not hang around to find out and just hit 'back'.

Your content seems to be a mish mash of stuff, better to focus on one area and do it really well and get indepth than cover a wide variety of topics.

Secondly self host your blog and get your own domain. A Wordpress blog is no good. You're so limited in what you can do, someone else has control over your blog so if you write about something they don't like they can remove it plus you can't monetize it as WP won't allow it.

Get a self hosted wordpress blog and a domain. Hosting with Hostgator or Bluehost and domain with Namecheap.

Hope my advice is useful.

[Architekt]

Yes, and yes.

I suppose it isn't really all that obvious on the page - I'll think of something and get around to that now. On the content, however, it is literally just an outlet of expression for me, so it was always going to have a very chaotic and random feel, 'cause that's just the kind of person I am. I don't know exactly what I'm searching for in my writing yet, so I figured I'd just write about what I know - me.

I'll have some money to spare in a month or so, hopefully, so at that point I'm going to just export it and move it to another host somewhere. For now, this broke ass bitch gotta work with what he's got and make the most of it.

[ThailandRockstar]

Hosting and a domain costs less than $20. If just blogging for fun and don't ever plan to monetize it doesn't matter much but if this is something you want to turn into a money maker / business than you need your own hosting and domain. Gotta spend money to make money and all that.

[Architekt]

I have no money, that's the thing...

[pegador]

(06-10-2013 06:15 AM)Architekt Wrote:  

I have no money, that's the thing...

Dude, I'm sure you can write interesting stuff to get people to read your blog, but honestly, if you don't have your own domain name, no one is going to trust you on as an expert or even competent regarding anything you have to say. Why would someone read a blog about partying, style, lifestyle, etc. from someone who can't even afford the basic cost for a decent site? How can you afford that type of lifestyle if you can't afford a domain name? When you have one of those generic .wordpress or .blogspot blogs, no one is going to take you seriously.

My suggestion would be skip a few meals and take the money and put up a decent site so that people will take you seriously. Just my advice...good luck.

[Architekt]

(06-14-2013 07:01 PM)pegador Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:15 AM)Architekt Wrote:  

I have no money, that's the thing...

Dude, I'm sure you can write interesting stuff to get people to read your blog, but honestly, if you don't have your own domain name, no one is going to trust you on as an expert or even competent regarding anything you have to say. Why would someone read a blog about partying, style, lifestyle, etc. from someone who can't even afford the basic cost for a decent site? How can you afford that type of lifestyle if you can't afford a domain name? When you have one of those generic .wordpress or .blogspot blogs, no one is going to take you seriously.

My suggestion would be skip a few meals and take the money and put up a decent site so that people will take you seriously. Just my advice...good luck.

I don't know how to put this any other way - I don't have any money.

Just because I don't have money, doesn't mean I don't know how to live. If anything, I'm probably more adept than most, as I need far less to be happy and "live well." Speaking of, I need to get a few posts up.

[Virtus]

I have a list of 75k prior customers in a niche from a website that folded -- self improvement / health improvement. what would you do? clickbank does not allow specifically to do email blasts I think, but my thinking would be to create a review site / blog / success story blog and then funnel to the site as a new offer to previous customers.. any ideas? best way to execute? thanks