I did a webinar for eHow Money last week. It was a great opportunity to share my story about how I became a financial writer. I never really thought about it before but it was somewhat of a transition. My entire work history is in corporate finance and now I spend quite a bit of my time writing on personal finance.
So, today I figured that I would take sometime to go through my journey and retrace my steps of growing my blog from virtually no readers (except my family!) to a solid readership size.
I had a solid background in finance considering that my undergraduate degree was in Finance. My first step was to start my blog, Buy Like Buffett. I started Buy Like Buffett in November of 2008. I created the site as a way to share my thoughts on personal finance and to answer any questions that people may have had. I never really saw blogging as a big money maker. I knew nothing of Google Page Rank, Alexa ranking, Search Engine Optimization, or any other rating services. I just thought of blogging as a way to express my thoughts on any finance related topic.
Contacted Sites About Guest Posting
I contacted a few sites about writing a guest post for their site and often never heard back. It is difficult to get guest posting opportunities when you do not have any content out there. It’s like applying for a job fresh out of college. Companies would always say you don’t have any experience and I would always wonder how am I supposed to get experience if no one will hire me? Getting a guest posting job on a respected site is not easy. The blog owner has to trust you and believe that your content is something that will benefit their readers. I did not have much online content when I started blogging so that was quite difficult.
My Blogging Career Is Over?
I started off writing consistently day after day and figured that my readership would grow rather quickly. Well after blogging for a few months in anonymity, I grew tired of waiting and slacked off. I would write a post once a week and then once every two weeks. I even had one month where I only wrote one post. These were not long posts either!
Lots of bloggers burn out after a few months because they get discouraged. You feel like you are writing content that no one will ever read. You start to feel like you are wasting time and that your site will never be recognized by mainstream publications.
This was the point where I almost gave up but fortunately I did not.
Blogging Take 2!
I recommitted myself to blogging and determined to stick with it for the long haul. I started writing 3 to 4 posts every week regardless of how I felt. I wrote content consistently despite my low readership. I knew that eventually more people would read my blog so I stuck with it.
Finding My Voice
One of the toughest things about writing starting off for me was finding my voice. I didn’t want to duplicate the writing style of other bloggers. That’s copycatting and I am sure they would not have appreciated that. I didn’t want to steal other people’s ideas. I wanted to have my own unique take and write about whatever I was thinking about that week. Scary, huh? No need to worry. I do keep the topics to only finance. Sometimes I will throw in the occasional sports reference.
Applied For Freelance Writing Jobs
After I had one year’s worth of content on my site, I started looking for financial writing jobs. I visited a bunch of different job boards looking for writing jobs. I was willing to take any financial writing job as long as it increased my exposure. Some of the jobs were very low paying but I saw it as an investment in building my name and the Buy Like Buffett brand.
Sold My First Ad
You read that correctly. I made my first ever ad sale. A site contacted me about buying an ad for $10/month. I was so excited that I leaped at the offer. It was the first ad that I had ever sold. I realize now that I sold myself way too short but I was happy for any income. When you aren’t making any income blogging, you appreciate every dollar.
Networked With Other Bloggers
I started visiting other financial sites. I must have visited thousands and thousands of financial websites from the very good to the not so good. I almost always learned something from visiting a site. I begin to email bloggers whose sites that I enjoyed reading. I didn’t ask them to link to my site or promote my site. I just wanted to let them know that I enjoyed reading their sites and out of this I built some pretty solid blogging friendships.
I Got Hired!
I ended up getting hired by a couple of financial sites and started building my portfolio as a financial writer. Over the next 10 months, I wrote hundreds of articles for different financial sites. I wrote articles on everything from investing to shopping to taxes. If it was in the financial arena, I wrote it. At its peak, I was writing 20 articles every week.
More Exposure For Buy Like Buffett
My rate of pay for articles increased and a few of my articles were picked up by national publications and I was on my way to becoming a professional writer. I had a few articles that were run by Forbes, New York Times, and a couple of other large sites.
Emails, Emails, Emails
I am not sure what changed but after about 18 months of blogging I started to get bombarded with offers. I started getting a bunch of advertisers contacting me about buying ad space. I have gotten ad requests for electronic cigarettes, tennis shoes, pornography. I get about 25 book review offers a week, tons of article submissions, guest post requests, and speaking opportunities.
Networking Part II
I stumbled across the Yakezie Network in June of 2010. I met a ton of great financial bloggers and found some new blogs that I never knew about. That network taught me a lot about Alexa Ranking and Page Rank. I had no clue what those things were until the past 6 months.
The Present
Since then I have written a book, an e-book, and I am working on a second one. I have cut down on the number of sites that I write for because it just became too time consuming. I spend more time now writing articles for Buy Like Buffett now. I still write for a few sites because I enjoy it.
The Future?
I plan on writing for Buy Like Buffett for a long time. I may add a writer next year to bring additional expertise to the site. I plan on spending more time developing the BLB Forum. Hopefully, the site will continue to grow and I will look to cover more of the financial stratosphere in the future.
Final Thoughts
The fascinating part to me is that the same people who are reading this post now would have never seen these if I had written the same thing just 2 years ago. It’s proof that persistence does pay off!
Photo by: cambodia4kidsorg
Congrats! I too know that frustrating of thinking that your work is just going into the ether, but those very lonely few first months will be a great archive of stories and topics for you.
Thanks Sandy! Yes, it did. I didn’t think about it at the time. I was solely focused on growth.
This is a fantastic story. I really do enjoy reading your site. It inspired me to place a challenge to others on Yakezie (http://yakezie.com/forums/bloggers-lair/new-to-blogging-i-accept-guest-posts-a-challenge-to-other-members).
Keep up the great work – I hope that someone I can get to where you are today.
Thanks Jim! You have a good blog. I am sure it will be a huge hit!
Hi, hi! … Hopefully we can be good friends! … I visit the blog, please …
I am a beginner blogger. I hope you can give tips on how to be a good blogger.
Nice to meet you …
Hi Crazy Owl,, I am currently working on an e-book with a step by step approach to growing your blog.
Mark,
Thanks for your insight. It was actually through the Yakezie network that I stumbled across here. I guess that I’m in my sixth month of blogging and I find it both challenging and fun. I have also completed a first draft to a book, so I guess I can say I am where you were a couple of years ago. I’m going to get where I want, but in the meantime I’ll just live vicariously through bloggers who are already where I want to be.
You’re welcome! Your Kindle giveaway seems to have been a big success.
That’s great! Your story motivates beginner bloggers like me because there were a few occasions where I just simply wanted to quit. Your story proves that patience and persistence really do pay off!
Very true Charles!
This is very inspiring. I plan to write my first e-book in 2011 so I might pick your brain!
Thanks Kay! I would be glad to help in any way that I can.
Just like the stock market, a blog’s rise is not necessarily in a straight line. Over the long run though, it does appear that persistence and dedication pay off. Thanks for sharing your story!
Very true. You’re welcome Kevin!
Great post. I recently started a site and I’m at about the 3 month mark. I am definitely feeling burned out, but after your story, I realize that I have to keep writing.
I want to make a profit with my site, and while I’ve had a few frustrations, I believe that I can do it.
Thanks again.
Yes, you can. Just stick to it! You’re welcome.
Great post, I am where you were two years ago. I am just starting my blog: moneywisdoms.com
Thanks for the inspiration!
You’re welcome! Good luck with the new blog!
This is a great post! It is interesting to hear about the potential that exists with blogging. For many, it is a creative outlet; and similar to your case, it is interesting to see how this can lead to other opportunities. Congratulations and keep up the good work!
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your story. It’s always interesting to hear the path of successful bloggers! I have a full time job with kids and I find it hard to keep up with articles on a Monday – Thursday cadence. I have to write many on the weekend for the week.
That’s a smart strategy because it ensures that you will have content for the whole week.
Great post Mark. Thank you for sharing your experiences with blogging. I think you are very right that bloggers can get burn out easily and at some point, most would have quit or slowed down. I think you have also pointed out that persistence is one of the key in becoming a success in this venture.
Thanks Ken! Your Alexa ranking has increased dramatically.
Awesome Mark! Persistence pays off and I am glad you stuck it out.
Thanks! Me too.
Thanks for sharing this. It’s very informative and also outlines the challenge of building a blog & growing it into something more.
Kind Regards,
Shawn
You’re welcome Shawn.
Blogging is interesting because it can be so fun that you spend a ton of time doing it, and the next thing you know, you are burned out!
My blog is 8 months old, and I remember how excited I was on days that I had 20 visits! I still don’t have a ton of visitors by any mean, but I am seeing steady growth, which keeps me going.
I have never done a ‘job’ I enjoyed more actually.
Great post.
That is so true!
Thanks for a great article. The lesson is here is that persistence pays off sooner or later. Just pour your heart in it and be yourself when you write.
Very true Mich.
Thanks for your story. I love the way you write. Just like yourself, I have a solid background in finance and accounting (B.Commerce & B. Applied Finance) and studied my CPA. I blog too although I have no idea what people are truly after so I write about things that are of interest to me when I read other blogs. Who knows if things will take off one day in the future. We’ll never know until that future arrives. Oddly enough, I have noticed that the more I post, the more visits and page views there are.
Everytime I see Warren Buffet’s name mentioned, it brings back memories of my friends and I, sitting in a finance tutorial and the uni tutor says, “Hands up if you’ve heard of Warren Buffet.” No-one puts their hands up haha…. So the tutor is aghast and almost faints when he says, “NONE of you have heard of Warrent Buffet?!! The investing genius?!!” We’ve come a very long way since then!
Thanks Smart Money! Great story. Today everyone knows his name!
Mark! Very encouraging post! Its true that persistence pays off! I think all bloggers go through the valley ‘of nothing’ and give up too soon. It’s hard to keep writing when you feel no one is reading or watching, but after a few months people start to come. I feel ever so encourage by your post and have loved reading your site so far!
Thanks Ben!
Great story.
It is important to find out why a blog was successful.
I am going to keep trying.
Thanks!
Thanks. Good luck Steve!
Hey Mark
I came across your site from today’s post at Smart Passive Income. I am in the process of building a blog chronicling my experiences building niche websites, and it is frustrating because for now, I am writing for an audience of one. Thanks for this rundown, it shows that persistence and building relationships are the keys to success. I look forward to your e-book on building a blog.
All the best
Lonnie
You’re welcome Lonnie. Good luck with the new blog!
Nice work Mark,m congratulations on creating a writing career for yourself
I wanted to chime in about the 18 month mark. You mentioned not knowing what it was about that particular time.
Blog growth is exponential, and that means that after a long slog of almost no readers there will be a sudden and dramatic upswing for a talented blogger. It’s called the “elbow,” but I guess you know that from your finance background. We’re basically talking about compound interest accruing, except instead of dollars it’s eyeballs!
The key thing there to be to convert those eyeballs back into dollars!
Thanks Pete. Very true. It takes time to turn a blog into a moneymaker.
Hi Mark,
Well done for sticking at it. Like a lot of commentators here, I’m in my first year of blogging and can totally relate to the feelings of uncertainty.
I love that you’ve ended up being a financial writer – I still don’t see myself as being a writer even though I feel like I’m “always” writing!
Thanks. You never know! I didn’t see myself as a writer either and that’s exactly what I ended up doing.