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Tips for Starting and MonetizingÂ
Your Own Craft Blog
Thinking of starting up a craft blog? This post will get you going in the right direction!Â
Starting a blog sounds like a lot of fun, right? Right! It is! But it's also a lot of work, and requires time, patience and a ton a dedication. If you've been wanting to start your own blog, but not sure if you have what it takes, or don't know where to start, this page will give you some of the basics and point you in the direction of success!
If you've looked around my site at all, you've probably noticed that I don't blog about blogging. I blog about crafts. I started blogging about crafts a few years ago, shortly after I'd started up my custom scrapbook business. I enjoy making handmade gifts for family and friends and people would often ask me how I made things. I started blogging just for fun, sharing tutorials of some of the projects I'd made.Â
Over the years, my business has changed and evolved with my life, and I'm now a full-time blogger and graphic designer, creating digital downloads for scrapbooking and crafts and blogging about many of the craft projects I do -- no longer selling handmade books.
I made the decision to stop selling handmade products in early 2018. It just took up so much of my time, and I missed doing other crafts and working on my own scrapbooks. I also knew I wanted to do more traveling and didn't want my business to get in the way of that. My time and my family are so important to me; it was time to make the full leap into the digital world.Â
Running an online digital download business and running a blog has changed my life. It's really let me spend a lot more time with my family and gives me so much more flexibility in my schedule. I'm definitely not an "expert", but I wanted to share some of the things that I've learned, for any other crafters out there that have been wanting to start up a blog, but don't really know where to begin.Â
To start out, just START.  Start with an idea and let your thoughts flow! I recommend using a dot-grid journal to create your own planner/organizer. Something that you can design the layouts for, so you can completely customize your book. Use the journal to store your doodles, notes, marketing ideas, sales funnels...anything related to your business so all your ideas are together and organized. You can learn more about bullet journaling and get more ideas to help organize your game plan, here.Â
Depending on where you're located, and what you're planning to do with your blog, will likely need to apply for a business licence. Always check your local, state and federal regulations, and register with the proper offices / departments. This information isn't hard to gather, and you should be able to find it with a few simple web searches.Â
Next you'll need a way to organize, digitize and monetize your thoughts! For this, you're going to need a domain (your web address) and blog hosting platform (Wordpress, Blogger, etc.) I got my website through Homestead, and I really enjoy their Sitebuilder website editing software. I can do everything I need for my website all in one place, including host a blog. I love it and would definitely recommend them. I've had my website through them since 2010. Â
Pick a blogging platform that offers all the bells and whistles you want. Even if you don't plan to use them NOW. Make sure that the platform you choose is something you can grow and change with. All the options and features may seem overwhelming right now, but you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll pick up on things, and things that at one time seemed impossible will become second nature to you!
Once you're all set up with the proper licenses and a website, start working on your content. Like everyone will tell you -- CONTENT IS KEY! Don't throw something together and just post it online. Create quality content that your readers will enjoy. That's what will keep them coming back for more, and get them sharing your page with their friends. Â
Some people will tell you that you should have a certain amount of posts ready before you start sharing, but I just don't agree with that. Let people join you for the entire journey! You'll grow and change, and you'll probably look back on things you did and chuckle a little as your skills improve, but EMBRACE it. Embrace the journey, and your readers will too! When your first post is ready -- Share your first post!
Now, unfortunately you can't just create great content and assume your blog will take off. Take a little time to educate yourself about SEO (search engine optimization) early on. I recommend the SEO Fitness Workbook, 2018 Edition, by Jason McDonald PhD (although you may not need to read it if you take the online courses I suggested above!) ;) I've read several SEO books over the years, but this one is a great, up-to-date, helpful book that covers it all!  You can drive a lot of quality traffic using SEO tactics and if you use good SEO practices from the start, you'll generate traffic without having to "hustle" 24/7.Â
Pick a topic that you are passionate about. You are going to write your best stuff if your heart is completely into what you do! I recommend blogging about a specific niche, opposed to "a little of everything". Usually only a percentage of your followers are going to purchase any specific product, click on a specific affiliate link or read your latest post. If you blog about knitting, and you know that all your readers are knitters, you're probably going to have a higher percentage of them tune in and engage, than if you blog about all kinds of things and only a small fraction of your readers knit. You can make 6 figures with only 1,000 dedicated customers/readers a year that bring in $100 to your business, whether through digital sales, profitable links, etc. So don't feel like you need to appeal to as many readers as possible. Appeal to the "right" customers by just doing what you do best, and advertising it in a way that it reaches the right people!
It was certainly no cake walk to get here! There is a big difference between writing a blog "for fun" as a hobby and actually monetizing it so it can be sustainable and support itself, and maybe one day, your family. Because face it, no matter how much we'd love to just write and share fun content with our readers for free, we can't usually afford to Keep doing it, unless it turns some kind of profit. And I've found it can be hard to have the time and energy to run a blog while working a 40 hour a week job long term and caring for your family, so for it to be profitable is pretty important to it's long-term survival!Â
If you're not sure that you have what it takes, I highly recommend that you read The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod, and establish a morning routine that allows you to grow and develop as a person and entrepreneur. No one can tell you if you have what it takes to run a successful business better than YOU, and I think once you read this book and establish a routine that works for you, you'll feel a lot more confident in your abilities, and whether or not starting an online business is for you at this time. I didn't find this book until a few years into my journey, but it's still managed to change my life, and my business, and two years after finishing it, I still love getting up early (usually around 4 am!) and starting my day -- incorporating the lessons I learned in Hal's book! (It's THE #1 book I recommend to people, and have even bought several copies to share with people in my life! A MUST read!)
When it comes to driving traffic, social media is very important! Don't worry about mastering them all -- you'll just burn yourself out! Pick a couple (or few) that really work for you and your particular business. I use Pinterest to drive about 70% of my web traffic these days, so I am very partial to them. I've also really enjoyed being on Instagram and Facebook. I do have a Twitter page, but in all honesty, I don't really like "Tweeting" all day long, so my account goes relatively unused. It still drives traffic however! Even the occasional post, with an optimized profile, and actionable text can drive traffic to your site!
When you set up your social media pages, if you have a few select friends that you know would genuinley be interested in your page, definitely let them know! They may be some of your best cheerleaders, and help spread the word about your new blog! Don't however, rush out and share your new social media page with ALL your friends and contacts. Although many will mean well by clicking that "like" or "follow" button of support, if they aren't into what you do, they probably won't engage with your posts. And when people see, but don't engage with your posts, that can push your posts further down in newsfeeds. Just be patient, and let your following grow naturally, from your unique voice and amazing content! Again embrace the journey. If you only have 10 fans, THAT'S OKAY! Enjoy the intimacy of your small group -- it won't last. It's important to want to grow, but it's also important to be happy with, and enjoy, the things you Do currently have. <3Â
One of the ways that I've mentioned that helps me grow is by using Pinterest. Not only do I use it to drive traffic to my tutorial pages, but I also use it to help grow my email subscription list. Pinterest is a great way to find people with specific interests using beautiful imagery and helpful text containing key words. Employ your SEO tactics to your Pinterest profile name and description, pin images and text, and add a friendly, inviting profile picture. Don't look at your page as a place to organize just your own content. Share lots of relevant, great content as well. These couple of tips just scrape the surface of what Pinterest has to offer. (Expert blogger Eden Fried has some AMAZING Pinterest resources in her Bread and Butter Blogging program. From how to make quality pins, to how to utilize all that Pinterest has so offer!)
In the beginning I had absolutely no idea of the value of an email list! I had some sign up links around my site, but it wasn't really something I spent much time on and was contented with a handful of new sign ups each month. It was only after I signed up for Eden Fried's email subscription challenge that I even understood all I could do, and how much I could benefit my customers, as well as grow my business with a simple email list. My email list is now a stable cornerstone of my website, bringing in over 100 new subscribers a month! It drives steady traffic to targeted pages on my website, and helps readers find the articles that they'll enjoy the most around my site. Make sure you sign up for Eden's free webinar I mentioned above, you won't regret it (plus, it's free, so what have you got to lose???). If you sign up for her Bread and Butter Blogging, you'll get access to all of her latest email marketing strategies and tips. I'm not kidding, my income literally quadrupled in the first month after I participated in her email challenge. It's well worth the investment! Instead of a large upfront cost like many pro bloggers offer, Eden's Bread and Butter Blogging is an affordable monthly membership site, and you can quit whenever you like.Â
Start building your email subscription list -- even if you're brand new and don't yet understand it's value. There are some free email subscription services out there, but I have never used them, so I'll let someone else recommend them to you. :) I use, and absolutely LOVE ConvertKit. I would recommend them all. day. long. They are amazing (click here and sign up for their free trial)! Their platform easy to use, and has great automated functions that are simple to set up. The customer service is awesome and every time I've had questions they've gone above and beyond to help me, and are always full of great advice! ConvertKit has DEFINITELY been a game-changer for my business!Â
Don't be afraid to invest in yourself. You will need the right tools if you want to succeed. You don't need a doctorate to become a blogger, but Blogging isn't as simple as just writing a new post, and raking in the dough. There's definitely many other pieces to the puzzle. The more efficient you become, the more productive you'll become, and more importantly, the less time your business will require from you to make a good income. A little knowledge, from someone who's already walked where you're headed, will take you a looooong way! (And save you YEARS of trial-and-error!) I hate to break it to you, but I'm not going to be able to be that person for you. Like I said before, I blog about Crafting, and am certainly no expert about "blogging". But I Can point you in the direction of the people who really helped me develop My business. I think they are Much more experienced and can take you way farther than I can! ;)Â
I've been blogging for a few years now, but was struggling to actually make a profit from sharing my craft projects until I met Eden Fried from Bread and Butter Blogging. Her online courses really filled in the missing pieces for me and is THE number one thing that I recommend if you're thinking about starting (or trying to grow) a blog. There's a lot of info out there on the internet about how to start and grow a blog, but Eden's advice worked best for me! Sign up for one of her free webinars and just see what I'm talking about! It won't cost you anything but a little time, and you'll be so glad you did!
There are SO many different ways that you can monetize your craft blog. You can make money from ads, affiliate sales, sponsored posts, selling digital content, hosting helpful webinars, and probably many, many more ways!
For me, the #1 way that I bring in money is from my own digital sales. I started creating graphics for my own personal use a while back and in recent years have started selling some of my designs for profit. I also have a couple of E-books that I've put together that are filled with some of my most popular tutorials (as well as some tutorials that I've never shared online!) I sell digital downloads for scrapbooking and crafting in my own online shop and also have a shop on Etsy.com.
Another one of my main sources of blog income is from Affiliate sales. Since I love to craft, I enjoy sharing tutorials for some of the projects that I do on my site. I signed up with ShareaASale.com a while back and they've been absolutely amazing! It's completely free to sign up as an affiliate, and they have a huge database of merchants that you can browse through and apply to be an affiliate for. YOU get to pick out the companies that you want to work with, and submit an application right through ShareaSale. You can easily keep track of, organize, and get creatives, for all of the merchants you are an affiliate for, right through your ShareASale account. It's super easy and I really recommend you check them out! No matter what your blog is about, they'll have merchants that are in your niche!
Like affiliate marketing, if you're looking for sponsorship, definitely start out with a network that can help you make connections. I use and recommend Linqia. Set up your (free) account, link your social media pages and you should start hearing from companies looking for people just like you! Their bio section really lets you get specific so the right companies can find you, and they track your growing influence to help you get even more sponsors. Click here to learn more and sign up with Linqia! You can also naturally attract sponsors just by being YOU and being active on social media. (I've had the best success with Instagram so far.) Use strategic hashtags and keywords -- try to think like your reader -- what would you type into that search bar? Use those words in your posts!
If you're interested in selling some of your space for ads, check out Adsense by Google. I've heard good and bad things about Adsense over the years, but my personal experience has only been good, so I'd definitely recommend them. You'll need some serious web traffic if you're going to make money from Ads though. And read their rules carefully so you don't get kicked out of their program.Â
Well, that's it! Like I said, I don't blog about blogging, I blog about crafts. So I'll get back to crafting now. :)Â But I just wanted to put this post together to share what I've learned with my blog, in the hopes that it will help other artists and crafters who have been wanting to know ..."Can I make money blogging???"
YES. You CAN make money blogging. It just takes some time and hard work, but doing what you love for a living?
Priceless!
