Freelancing or blogging? What’s better for making money and long-term happiness?
I’m here to change your life forever. I want you to make money and be happy. This is why I’m going to give you a cold reality check right about now.
Blogging is not worth it. Freelancing is the way to go if you want to be happy and make real money.
You probably don’t believe me just yet. I’m going against the holy grail of “expert” advice online. Typical advice on making money online goes something along these lines:
- Start a blog.
- Get on Twitter.
- Brag about how many emails you get.
- Tell others to start a blog and go on Twitter.
- Wait for something magical to happen.
This formula is extremely flawed. It just doesn’t work. While waiting for something magical to happen through being on Twitter and having a blog setup, you’ll end up losing many years and many sleepless nights. Don’t make this mistake. Stop wasting your time on blogging and Twitter, thinking that something will happen. It won’t!
I’m here to prove to you that freelancing trumps blogging BY FAR. Let’s go!
Why does blogging for money absolutely suck?
Blogging sucks as a main source of income. There are also reasons that aren’t related to money that make blogging suck. Hmm so what are the non-financial reasons that blogging sucks? I narrowed it down to a few.
- It requires luck. I know that you have to be damn good to be lucky. However, many bloggers have hit it big due to luck. Being at the right place at the right time, being the first to enter a field, or just getting picked up by the right blog. Without luck you just won’t make it.
- It takes a long time to see any results. Nevermind the money. It’s going to take many months before you even receive a comment, reader comment, or any real traction. I heard the stat that most bloggers quit within 6 months. That’s being generous. Most quit after a few weeks.
- There’s no guarantee that your effort will equal success. You can write pillar content, leave comments, hustle for 16 hours a day, and there’s still no guarantee that your effort will lead to any success at all. How about that for a reality check?
Could you deal with all of those issues? I doubt it. Why put yourself through this stress?
The numbers that show why blogging sucks.
For those of you that like facts, I did some research on how much money bloggers make. I checked out ProBlogger and read the results from the survey on what bloggers make.
Darren Rowse asked his readers how much money they make from blogging. The results were astounding
- 37% of people originally surveyed said that they did NOT make any money from blogging.
- 1162 people said that they make under $10 a month.
- 95 made $5,000 – $9,999 (2%). I personally only know of a handle full of folks that make this kind of money.
There are so many “follow-your-passions” zealots out there hustling away 12 hours a day making little to no money. There seems to be this survivorship bias where we all look up to the few full-time bloggers out there.
Think about this for a second. 1162 people that read a blog on “how-to blog” confessed to making less than $10 per month. These are individuals that study the art of blogging and are so ingrained into the underground blogging society that they know who the top bloggers are and where to best place their adsense codes.
If you’re a beginner or looking to get into blogging, what makes you think that you’re so special? What separates you from every other blogger that has failed at making money?
Oh let me guess, your friends and family like your blog idea.
Why does freelancing trumps blogging?
You do the work and you get paid. What else is there to it? Even if you write one article a freaking month at $25 a piece, you’re already ahead of the game.
When you write an article on your blog, there’s no guarantee that anything at all will happen. It might rank alright in Google. It might get some comments. Being on the second page of Google is worthless. Comments don’t pay any money either. Writing a freelance article pays pretty well.
You can focus on your work as a freelancer. When you blog you have to think about everything.
Your typical blogger (in any field) has to worry about the following:
- Google analytics.
- Keyword research.
- Responding to comments.
- Reader emails.
- Dealing with advertisers.
- Chasing advertisers for money.
- Updating Twitter.
- Mailing list.
- Back-end coding.
- Theme design.
- Article topics.
- And so much more.
When you write your freelance article or perform your freelance service (could be anything), you do your work and get paid. No additional work or stress required.
No stress + pay = good times!
Why do I bother with blogging?
The obvious question now remains: why do I still bother with blogging?
I’ve been at it since late-2008. I was around before there were like 67 million blogs with random themes and different folks trying to retire at different ages.
My blog also has some money coming in. It didn’t come easily and it definitely didn’t happen overnight. It’s enough money to keep on going.
I also had the advantage of starting in college. I was able to update my blog before and after drinking sessions. I wanted extra money for myself. I didn’t need the money to pay the bills or put a roof over my head. I was lucky.
How can you start freelancing?
Freelance work is fairly vague. For the sake of this article, I’m going to refer to freelancing as anything that you do in exchange for money. This could be blog design, article writing, marketing, or editing comments. There’s also freelancing in the real world. This could range from personal training to guitar lessons.
Since you’re likely into blogging, let’s keep this article related to blogging. The easiest way to make money through freelancing is to write articles or perform any service that bloggers require.
If you’re ready to step up to the freelancing plate and start making real money, you have to trust me with your
Grab a copy of my premium guide right now. Act quick and you can grab it for only $17 (price going up soon).
If you’re low on cash you can surf around this site or check out my detailed post on how you can start freelancing.
Are you reading to start freelancing? or will you continue blogging?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Blogging is still a good way to build a platform. It’s more of a stepping stone to something bigger and better.
Good point Latisha. Blogging is definitely a great way to get your name out there and spread the word about what you have to offer. What do you plan on using your blog for?
Why not do both? I have my freelance writing business, run multiple blogs, and am in the process of launching a product. They don’t have to be mutually-exclusive. And like LaTisha said, you can use your blog to build a platform, which is exactly how I fell into freelancing to start with.
Good points. You can do both, assuming that you have the time and energy.
Btw, I really enjoyed your post about quitting work last week. I’m excited to see what this product is that you’re launching. Any spoilers?
No spoilers yet…but soon!
I agree–it seems like the bloggers who have been able to quit and work on blogging full-time also have a freelance side gig (and a good handle on their own finances).
Solid points! If your main goal is income, blogging definitely isn’t the way to go. If you’re building something for the long haul and you are passionate about your topic and writing, now we’re talking. Never thought of freelancing as a consistent money maker, guess it’s how much you put into it. Good luck with the book!
Thanks for visiting Buck. That’s a great point. Blogging is definitely right for the long-term and if you want to build something memorable.
Blogging is absolutely worth it.
* An outlet for ideas
* A way to connect with other like-minded people
* A platform to practice your writing and communications skills
* A platform to build your brand to get a job, sell your product etc
* A great way to have fun
* A good way to keep yourself accountable
* An excellent way to learn from others
* A good way to keep in touch with friends and family
* And of course a possible way to make some income on the side, or full-time income
If we can speak naturally, hopefully we can write naturally given we’re not writing essays with stringent guidelines.
I’d rather earn money blogging than freelancing. The potential is unlimited and I can write what I want, when I want. Freelance and consulting income is good and often times very rewarding to help others. However, we only have so much time in the day.
I agree with every single point you made about blogging Sam. They all make sense and are why I love to blog.
The only problem is that I wrote this article from the angle of making money. You’ve been able to build a huge audience and make money.
The reality is that many bloggers would be better off freelance writing so that they have an income coming in. Even if one were to blog three times per week on their own blog and then perform some freelance work (writing, teaching a skill, or anything else) on the side, they could save more money and come closer to quitting their jobs.