I Am a Blogger. This is My Job.

Here lately, I have had a TON of emails and questions concerning blogging.

People wanna know how to get started, how to become successful, how to make money, how to do product reviews, or how to get noticed. It seems as if everyone is popping up with a blog of their own these days. But what most people do not understand is that blogging is a full time job and it is not as easy as it looks.

When people ask what I do these days, I tell them "I am a blogger." I am also an LPN (licensed practical nurse), stay at home wife/mom, fitness enthusiast, "personal trainer", "nutritionist", and yada-yada-yada.

But right now, I would mainly classify myself as a blogger. 

When I tell people this, I get mixed reactions. Some get excited and want to know more. Some are very intrigued. Some look at me confused. I get it. Since when did blogging become a job, right?

Let me break it down for you.

Each month, at the moment, I am bringing in around $1,500-$2,500 on average from my blog alone.

$1,000 from ads & affiliate marketing. I like to call this my "sleeper money" because I dont have to do anything to make this money. It varies day by day, depending on my traffic.

Around $500 comes from my eBook sales (yes, I write eBooks too) and my Sponsor ads (I sell ad spots on my blogs to other bloggers or businesses who want to get their site noticed).

The rest is not money, but products that I gain from companies for product reviews. Since November, when I started doing product reviews, my husband and I have calculated that we have probably received around $6,000 or more in products. Companies will not send you free products unless you have lots of traffic. They want at least 5,000-10,000 unique (new) visitors monthly before they will even consider you and they almost always require a screenshot of your analytics. I used to approach companies but now they come to me. I LOVE doing reviews! However, reviewing products for a company IS A JOB. You don't just get free product. You must EARN it by working for the company and advertising for them. Meaning, you must do a great job at representing them and the product you are reviewing.

THIS DID NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

Please please please know this. You have to work for it. I run not one, but FOUR blogs to bring in this kinda cash. This is what a lot of people do not realize. You must build your fan base to increase your traffic. Because of my traffic, I now write for companies and it has opened sooo many doors and new possibilities for me. Its truly a blessing. But it took me a year to get to where I am now.

Be creative. Don't copy. I have seen a few others, those whom I personally know, copying and walking in my shadows. This won't guarantee you success! You must be your OWN person. 

So, how do you get started? I wrote a blog post a couple months ago on this and you can view it here:

http://fitmommydiaries.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-to-start-blogging-in-6-easy-steps.html

Hope this helps!!

Good luck :)