If you are looking to make an income from blogging professionally, you’re probably hoping to achieve the maximum amount of growth in the shortest time possible.
But blogging is hard work. You might not have the resources or time required to expand your blog in such a short time-frame. Maybe it’s a “day job” or family responsibilities, but whatever it is, you just aren’t able to work on your blog full-time.Even if you want to, you probably can’t take that giant leap of quitting your day job to pursue blogging full-time. Or you need to afford childcare so you can focus on your blog. Either way, I’m sure you’d like to prove you can make some income from this endeavor before you commit to these major decisions.
But I’m here to tell you that’s OK. It is possible to grow your blog on a part-time schedule
I’ve been blogging part-time for 4 months, and I’ve watched my page views and social media accounts increase month after month. I’m slowly but surely gaining a following. While I’m not to the “big time” yet, I am making progress!
So here are my top 7 Tips to Grow Your Blog on a Part-Time Schedule.
1) Limit Social Media – Focus on only 2 or 3 social media accounts to promote your blog, and only post during peak engagement times. I highly suggest Pinterest being one of these accounts, and to schedule your posts to save even more time.
2) Pinterest Group Boards – If you still have a small following on Pinterest, become a contributor to popular group/collaborative boards on Pinterest. Use pingroupie.com to find these boards and follow the instructions on how to get added. This is an effective way to get your content in front of a lot of people.
3) Track Ideas – Keep a small pad of paper with you at all times to write down blog ideas. If a topic pops into your head when you are doing something besides working on your blog, write it down before you forget! Then when you have some time to work on your blog, write up an outline or notes on where you want to take that idea. Keep several of these ideas in draft status and continue to work on them until one is ready to publish. That way, it keeps a good back-log of partially developed posts, in case you are short on time that day/week.
4) To-Do Lists – Also on that small pad of paper, keep a prioritized to-do list of improvements you want to make on your blog. Whether it’s the design, monetizing, or updating posts for SEO, you will have a list to work from so you don’t waste time deciding what to work on.
5) Utilize Each Minute – Take advantage of any and all short breaks you get. For example, lunch hour, kids’ nap time, or a commute on public transportation. Even if it’s only 10 minutes, you might be able to get some editing done on a photo, or type up an outline for a post. You will likely begin dedicating any free time you have to your blog. But if you are passionate about what you are blogging about, and really want to grow, that shouldn’t matter, right?
6) One Thing at a Time – Focus on one area of blogging during each blog session. For example, if you only work on your blog in the evenings, spend one night creating content. Spend the next night promoting. Work on blog improvements the following night. And then begin the cycle over. Whatever it may be, avoid bouncing around on your to-do list to allow you to be the most productive in a limited amount of time.
Of course, just like you, I want to keep up the momentum of this growth. What tips do you have to offer to grow your blog on a part-time schedule? I’d love to hear from you by email to MePlus3Today@gmail.com, or stop by and leave a comment on my blog, Me Plus 3… TODAY!