This blog post has been authored by Stand Out Online Member Jessie Festa, Jessie on a Journey
Why did you get into blogging?
Be honest.
Maybe it was to travel more or to spend more time with loved ones. Possibly you liked the idea of being your own boss and getting paid to be creative. Or maybe it was a passion for writing.
What I’m guessing was *not* a motivator = spending endless hours hunched over your laptop, though I realize this is what ultimately happens to so many bloggers.
To help combat this problem, I’m sharing some of my favorite tips for spending *less* time on your laptop — while still growing your blogging business. <– Because let’s be real, even if you’re sitting by a hotel pool it’s still better to be swimming in the water than staring at a screen. 😉
By the way, I also offer a free resource library for bloggers (https://jessieonajourney.com/blogging-freebies/) that can help you grow a profitable blogging business faster and easier.
It even includes a done-for-you Content Creation & Promotion Trello Board that can save you a ton of time when it comes to publishing your posts and getting them seen.
Once you’ve grabbed access to the resource library, let’s dive into the tips.
Tip #1: Deeply understand your blog brand.
If you don’t know who you help, how you help them, and why you want to help them, that should really be your first step.
The reason this saves time is it allows you to know exactly what to say. No more wondering what to post to see engagement.
Additionally, understanding your brand allows you to focus on how you can truly make a positive impact with your content.
If this tip leaves you feeling confused, start by asking yourself why you started your blog in the first place.
Moreover, think back to yourself before you started your blog. How have you grown? Could you be working to help an earlier version of yourself?
Tip #2: Pinpoint your goal and work backward.
Whether your goal is to reach 50,000 sessions per month and get approved by Mediavine, earn $1k per month in affiliate income, or to sell out your first retreat through your blog, it’s helpful to be able to visualize what it is.
Once you know exactly what you want to achieve through your blog, you can work backward to pinpoint the milestones that create the path to you reaching your goal.
A quick tip with this one:
Picture your blog as the place where you do business vs the business itself. This helps open up limitless possibilities.
Tip #3: Focus on profits.
I know the topic of money can be uncomfortable, especially when it involves asking others to pay you.
But there are two major things you should realize here:
The more money you earn the more people you can help
A business isn’t sustainable without earning an income
Remember that as long as you’re delivering value — whether it’s through products, brand collaboration deliverables, affiliate promotions, or something else — you’re not *asking* for money. You’re asking to be paid for delivering a benefit.
Tip #4: Map out your systems & make time for review.
Planning out your monthly projects and daily tasks in advance can be an enormous timesaver.
In fact, I recommend that each night before going to bed you plan out the next day’s schedule — including exactly what you’ll be working on and when.
Moreover, having a content calendar for your blog and social media can seriously simplify the creation process.
One major part of this is also mapping out time to review growth and loss in your blogging business. This will allow you to focus on what is truly working and nix or tweak what isn’t.
Tip #5: Don’t do everything (just what works).
If you feel like you’re spread too thin, realize that it’s much more effective to focus on a handful of strategies that actually work than to try to be everywhere.
Think back to those goals mentioned above, and what strategies can help you meet those.
Then, choose one strategy at a time to master, only adding another once you have a repeatable workflow.
I hope you found these tips helpful. For more strategies on earning a sustainable income through blogging, I recommend subscribing to the Profitable Travel Blogger Podcast on iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-profitable-travel-blogger-podcast/id1473833554) and/or my Make Money Travel Blogging YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChZCFed7WHl_7yEZYo_uyLA/videos).
Additionally, you can snag FREE access to my Travel Blogger Resource Library (https://jessieonajourney.com/blogging-freebies/), which includes 35+ printables, workshops, and tutorials aimed at helping you grow your traffic, community, and income.
Happy blogging!
Jessie Festa is the conscious/solo travel blogger behind Jessie on a Journey, sharing real-talk and resources for exploring the world — and experiencing life — #BeyondTheGuidebook. Jessie is also the founder of Travel Blog Prosperity, a membership community for bloggers who dream of turning travel into a profitable lifestyle, and she is the Editor-in-Chief of the online sustainable travel magazine, Epicure & Culture. When she’s not planning new adventures for herself and her community, Jessie is probably leading photo tours in NYC, in Tree Pose somewhere on a mountain peak, or on the beach reading a true crime story.