There are many options available when it comes to making side income. My personal favorite, if you couldn’t tell by the title of this post, is blogging. Blogging for side income is something that a lot of people have thought about, but far fewer have actually pursued. When it comes to making money in addition to your full-time job you always have to deal with the fact that this will be something you do in your free time and you will always have your primary job/occupation/business as a first priority. This is one thing that has to be taken into consideration when pursuing a side hustle, and my goal is to convince you in this post that blogging is the ideal way to go if you are looking to increase your income outside of your 9-5.
1) It’s easy and inexpensive to start
Blogging is easy to start. For about $100 you can have a domain name and hosting for a year. Install WordPress for free and within minutes your website is live. It’s not difficult or expensive to start a website, and in a previous post I explained how to start a blog set up in 5 easy steps. The cost of starting a blog is probably comparable to a month or two of cable or satellite television.
I know many non-bloggers who claim that the low cost to get into blogging actually makes blogging unappealing as an income source. I disagree because usually quit blogging relatively quickly when they realize it’s actually a lot of work to run a blog and get it off the ground. There is much more I could say on this topic but I’ll leave it at that for now.
2) You can choose any niche/topic you want
One of my absolute favorite things about blogging is that you can write about something that is passionate to you. Like to craft? There’s thousands upon thousands roaming the internet right now looking for craft ideas and tips. Like to play poker? Again, thousands are looking for content right this second on poker strategy, news, and more. With blogging you can write about the things you are passionate about, no matter how obscure that passion may be. Heck, the more obscure the less competition you will have for readers and search engine traffic.
There is something to be said about picking a topic broad enough to allow you to have content on a number of different subjects, but at the same time the more focused your site is the more likely it is to succeed within that niche. Heck, there are entire blogs dedicated to cloth diapers. Again, there are entire blogs dedicated to cloth diapers. Pick your niche wisely but realize you can always start another site or change the focus of your blog later on (I started a number of them before I finally found success).
3) It’s easy to find others that are willing to help
Since starting Young Adult Money I have met countless individuals who are willing to visit my site on a daily basis, give me advice on how to be a better blogger, and link to my site. If you are willing to spend some time engaging with other bloggers you will always find people who are willing to help you with any questions you might have. They also are usually more than willing to collaborate on posts, blog series, and giveaways.
Besides the fact that the blogging community is awesome, there are countless resources and tools to help you succeed. If you simply google something like “How to blog better” you will end up with more content than you will know what to do with. If you are willing to put in the time and effort you can become well-versed in the ins and outs of blogging and your blog is likely going to be a success.
4) You can work on your own schedule
One of the biggest advantages of blogging as a “side” income source is that you can work on your own schedule. Many full-time jobs require work that is on a set schedule, whether it’s from 7 in the morning until 5 at night or 2 in the afternoon until 11 at night, there are set hours where you need to be available and focused on work. Because of this many people do not try to pursue additional income beyond their full-time job because they don’t want to be tied down to another set schedule.
Blogging offers a solution to this problem because you can write early in the morning, over your lunch break, and at night. Don’t be fooled – writing is only a small chunk of the work that actually has to be done to run a blog business. Commenting and interacting with others, working with advertisers, and improving your website can all be done on your own schedule, though, and there really is little that has to be done at a certain time of the day. Thank goodness for technology that allows you to schedule blog content and social media content! Almost all business with advertisers, virtual assistants, and writers can be done via email.
One final note on this: not all blogging can be done on your own schedule. If you are a sports blogger, you need to make sure you are posting during and/or after games. If you are a blog that covers events, you will obviously need to attend the events and/or get content up asap when the event is over. There are exceptions to the rule.
5) Blogging is location-independent work
Not only does blogging allow you to work on your own schedule, you can also do it from anywhere in the world. In a previous post, 3 Businesses you can run from anywhere in the World, I mentioned the founder of Treehugger.com (who eventually sold the site for $10M, I might add) who lived in various countries while managing his website. There really was no reason for him to be stuck in one location; his employees lived in various places and his website could be managed anywhere there is an internet connection. Even if you didn’t want to live all over the world, if blogging became a full-time income source for you down the road you’d have flexibility when it comes to travelling and where you live. I wrote in the past about 5 Tools to Help you Manage a Small Business from anywhere in the World, and this is just a tiny sample of the resources out there that make location-independent work possible.
One thing I love as a blog owner is that because it is location-independent work I can outsource to someone living anywhere in the world. My current staff writer, Cat, currently lives in Grenada (her husband is a med student there). She is moving to New York in just a few months and she’ll be able to do the exact same work for the site when she moves there. Besides the fact that where you live gives you a unique perspective that can help with content creation, where you live has little bearing on your ability to own or work for a blog. It’s the best of both worlds.
Exception: Similar to how some blogs do require you to work during a certain time frame, you will also have to live in certain places for certain blog niches. While it is possible to have an Australia travel blog without actually ever setting foot in Australia, it will be much easier to accumulate pictures and content if you actually live there. Similarly, if you ran a blog about Minneapolis restaurants you would want to actually live in Minneapolis (or travel there often) so that you can accumulate pictures and content for your site.
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If you are considering starting a side hustle to bring in side income, I strongly encourage you to consider blogging. Of course, there are many reasons people do not blog and it may not be for you, despite all the benefits. Nevertheless, if you do decide to start blogging I can tell you it will have its ups and downs, but overall it’s the best side income source that I can think of because of all the benefits I listed in this post.
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Those are some great reasons but I think too often people look only at this and think that its EASY. Sure you can put up a blog but getting it to the point where you have yours takes a lot of hard work, networking, help as well as helping others, and learning. Right now I do have a blog but I make more money from flipping sneakers and cars. I think they all are about the same. With sneakers and cars you can make money right away but its hard to flip a car in the US if you are traveling so blogging is more flexible.
YourDailyFinI certainly hope people don’t interpret this post as blogging being easy money! Seems like everyone commenting makes it sound like I left that fact off, but I think with ANYTHING you need to put in time and effort. Building a business from scratch is never easy.
I completely agree with you blogging is the ultimate side income! And, there are so many benefits to blogging outside of money. You learn, you make friends, and you make money. Perfect! For me blogging isn’t hard work because I love it. It’s more like an addiction!
SingleMomIncomeHaha you are right, it is pretty addicting! I think that’s why I love spending time working on my site and planning new sites.
Good post DC! I think if you’re willing to put in the time, it can be a great side hustle and you can’t beat being able to do it from anywhere either. That’s something we hopefully can take advantage of as the kids gets older. Like Thomas said, I think may fail when they think that it’s easy and give up when they see it’s not. I’d agree that it’s relatively easy to start up, but if you plan to grow it, then it does take time.
FrugalRulesGosh I really am starting to get worried as I read these comments. I hope I didn’t imply that it was easy money or that it didn’t take time to get the site off the ground. Inherent in “side hustle” I would hope is that you have time to build up the site in your spare time since it’s all “extra money.”
DC @ Young Adult Money FrugalRules Ha ha…not at all. I completely agree and think you’re spot on. Unfortunately not everyone is in touch with reality like most of us here and believe they can throw up a site and suddenly sleep on a bed made out of Benjamins. :)
FrugalRules Haha I agree, most underestimate it. I might be one of the few who do not think they underestimated the time commitment, but I saw firsthand how much work a blog was when I worked for DINKS Finance.
I agree here too, DC. For us, it’s allowed me to control my working hours and still be at home and homeschool the kids, all while doing something I love and earning money for our family. Win-win!
Laurie TheFrugalFarmerDefinitely sounds like it has been working out well for you! Success stories can be encouraging for people just starting out.
Great post! I totally agree.
What I think is awesome is that it’s so inexpensive to get started. As far as side businesses go, there aren’t a lot of things that you can start with as little as $20.
Holly at ClubThriftyI also like that it’s inexpensive financially to start. You can start it for cheap and just sink time into it. Worst case scenario your site is unsuccessful and you lose time and not money.
While I agree that blogging can be a good source of side income, I would remind many that this is not an easy road and many (ie. most) bloggers will never make any money blogging and probably will shut down their sites. This is the nature of the game.
DebtRoundUpI absolutely agree, Grayson, and that’s actually a GOOD thing in my opinion if you are looking for a side hustle. You want something that takes a lot of effort to get off the ground because it means other people will fall to the wayside and won’t stick with it long enough to compete with you.
DC @ Young Adult Money Great point DC. It does widdle down the competition.
DC @ Young Adult Money DebtRoundUp I can probably only remember a handful of sites that are still around today from when I launched my site 5 years ago.. Most have quit, sold their sites or just stopped blogging. The ones with staying power have done the best!
moneymatters DebtRoundUp I should say I’m not opposed to selling a site if the price is right, but I’m 99.9% sure I would start another site (or three) within a few months of selling it!
I love that it is location independent. Writing this from Paris as we speak. But Grayson’s right, it is hard and takes time, so definitely a good side hustle if you are successful but you can spend months without making a dime.
RFIndependenceI think that’s a positive, actually. It means many people won’t stick with it long enough to become your competition!
I definitely agree with this list! There are so many positives. You can write about whatever you want to, and it’s low cost to start – so you can determine whether or not it is a good fit for you very cheaply.
SenseofCents For sure, and as you know there are plenty of potential opportunities for making money that can come out of blogging. I’m glad I met you and appreciate all the partnering we’ve done on ad deals.
Ditto on all those points. And special emphasis on working within your own schedule. This past year I’ve been blogging during the day. As I start to prepare for my return to traditional employment, I can move the time I spend on my blog to nights and weekends. I don’t have to quit because it’s flexible.
I would caution anyone starting a blog not to underestimate the time blogging will command. However, it’s all within your control. Set your boundaries, start small (i.e. don’t commit to blogging every single day) and build in what your schedule allows. Eventually you’ll find a sweet spot.
Taynia I definitely agree that there should be some hesitation about the work load, but if you truly want to build a side income that is flexible I’d say blogging is the way to go. The benefits do not come without a cost – you have to be willing to grind at the beginning with no pay. It’s no different than any other small biz.
For me blogging is the ideal side hustle as well. It allows me to make money engaging in something I enjoy doing, writing. The hours are flexible (even if they can be pretty long and hard at times), I can do it from anywhere, and it gives our family a sense of financial freedom from the second income that it provides.
The only point I’ll put an asterisk on above for me is the choosing a niche point. Yes, you can choose any niche that you want, but some niches by their nature are going to offer more opportunities for making money than others. Writing about your love of Nutella? You may have limited sources of revenue. Personal finance sites, on the other hand, have quite a wide array of possible income sources. If you’re truly looking at blogging as a source of reliable income, make sure to choose your niche wisely.
moneymatters Great words, Peter! I think of you as kind of a blogging “guru” as you have come to successfully create a second full-time income, which is my ultimate goal.
I like the Nutella example. I think sometimes a focus can be too narrow and have an impact on monetization options.
I think it’s a cool side hustle because anyone who can write coherently and is willing to put in work for months can succeed. I’m not paying my mortgage with blog income, but I would say that I am certainly still on the low end of the learning curve, and have been pleased with the results so far. It becomes another family member almost. I am very excited to get away sometimes, but am usually happy to get back to it after.
Eyesonthedollar I love that analogy! “It becomes another family member.” Yes! Yes, it does.
Taynia Eyesonthedollar Haha I have to say that right now my blog is definitely “my baby”
Nice article DC. I haven’t been able to turn my blog into a “side hustle” yet, as I have made very little money from it so far. Mostly it falls into the hobby category at the moment. I guess I just need better monetization strategies!
ayoungpro I definitely could see you start making some money on it in the near future. The first seven months of Y.A.M. I didn’t make a dime – probably lost money because I purchased a backup plugin and Thesis theme (which I never got around to using!).
I have been so tempted to start a blog for several months now DC and all of your posts (plus everyone else’s posts that you link to…) about side hustle make it that much more tempting! However, I know how much time and effort need to go into a blog and I need to make sure that I’m ready to take that on. For now, I’ll just continue to jot down ideas for posts and perhaps make my own blog a reality in the future!
SallyJaneB Hi Sally! First thanks so much for always liking the posts on Facebook. You have no idea how much it helps as far as getting it in people’s newsfeeds. Second, it took me over a year to finally start Young Adult Money. I was seriously considering a couple of other niches but choose personal finance because it was broad enough that I would have plenty of options for what to write about. I am currently considering two different travel sites as my next blog, so I’m just writing down ideas and plans for now because I know I have a lot to do with Y.A.M. before I could have two sites going at once.
Thanks so much for the comment!
DC @ Young Adult Money I read this right after I liked your post about this on Facebook, too funny! Thanks for the insight and good luck with your next blog adventure!
I love the idea of finding other people with similar interests and/or struggle. Nothing like finding a person who’s in the same sinking ship that you’re in. Misery loves company… But in that “shared sinking ship” (like with debt) a person can learn great tips or skills to try to improve their situation that they may have never learned if they just asked their local friend. It’s through that shared struggle that we can improve ourselves even more! The internet is amazing for this reason, I tell ya!
Tara Zee I definitely agree with you on this. I’ve found so many ways to save money (or save money better) on the internet as well as ways to increase income. It really helps with the whole debt paydown thing ;)
I think it would be great if blogging becomes a side hustle…I’d be happy if it paid for hosting, etc. I haven’t earned a dime, but I think I still have a lot of work to do and much more to learn. I was reading a post of The Financial Blogger where he says that it is much harder to make money nowadays blogger compared to 2006. I’m still kicking myself for not working harder back then…especially when I had much more time.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Hmm definitely an interesting view about making money now vs. 2006. Probably less competition for keywords, but I also think it’s doable (at least I started to bring in some money each month after the initial 7 months of nothing).
Currently blogging between auditions at a Starbucks in midtown manhattan. Couldn’t do it any other way. My other favorite thing about blogging is that I’m CONSTANTLY learning. Reading other blogs make me feel like I’m constantly growing and becoming a better person- as cheesy as it sounds :)
brokeandbeau I agree about the learning aspect of it. There is always something more you can learn or do to improve your site and be a better blogger!
The sense of community is indeed a pretty cool. When I started blogging back in 2007 I knew nothing but I quickly met a group of bloggers that were willing to bend over backwards to help me succeed. Now I am trying to pay it forward and help others. I don’t make much money from it but it complements my main business nicely and serves as a great creative outlet for me.
KyleJames1 You definitely have done a lot to help me and many other pf bloggers out there, and I appreciate it! Love the community aspect of blogging for sure.
The blogging community is fantastic and I am often humbled by their generosity. I agree one of the best things about blogging is that it can be done anywhere. It gives you such much flexibility. I think the biggest misperception is that it’s easy and the money just rolls in. It is easy to start a blog but the money does not start rolling in – at least it hasn’t for me! :) It takes a lot of work but it’s fun and satisfying work that can become profitable over time. I think it’s one of the ultimate side hustles too, DC!
Great stuff here DC! One of the things I was most worried about when starting my blog was how I would be received by the blogging community. I was fearful of backlash and negativity. Much to my surprise the exact opposite has been true. The blogging community is very supportive and has helped me learn more in such a short amount of time than I could have imagined. Whether or not it becomes a side hustle for me is yet to be seen. Haven’t put that much effort into that part of it yet. I’m just having fun writing and interacting at the moment.
I love that I can blog any time and basically from any place (with internet-which is basically everywhere these days). I’ve “met” a lot of great people through blogging and learned a lot about blogging (and so many other things completely unrelated to blogs, computers and personal finance). The community is so supportive and I really appreciate the input and support.
Hopefully I can get some side-income from my blog in the near future. Yea, it’s hard work, but it’s also a lot of fun!
I think the main benefit of my blog has been how many different sources of information it has opened up. I love being able to read and learn about the different viewpoints and thoughts on a subject. If I ever get to the point where I can generate some side income with my blog, that will be a bonus.
I have to agree that one of the best things is being able to be location independent. I think this is one of the greatest appeals about blogging. I also agree that the community is great and I’ve always been able to find someone willing to help. I think there are a lot of other side hustles that can be great. I like coaching, but the one snag there is not being location independent, although I guess I’d just have to live in a beach town. The point is everyone should pursue some kind of side hustle as a backup plan.
Beachbudget Agree 100% with you. I think side hustles that require you to physically be in a location are “less ideal” but you have far less competition. This actually just gave me an idea for a blog post lol. Thanks!
I agree that it’s a great side-hustle but I have been SHOCKED by the amount of work it takes. I’m still very far from making this even a remotely successful side hustle and it’s taken a lot of time and effort to get this far. It’s also a lot of fun, but there’s so much to learn. Definitely not an easy path, though the low barrier to starting up makes it incredibly appealing.
Matt @ Mom and Dad Money Like I said in another reply, I think I’m one of the few bloggers that actually did NOT underestimate the time it takes to run a blog. I waited over a year before finally starting Y.A.M. primarily because I knew how much time it took.
Since starting blogging a few months ago, the part I’ve enjoyed the most is the community. Also, in reading all the other blogs in the area in which you blog, you are constantly learning more about the topic you are blogging on (which is – if you are a sensible blogger – the area of life you enjoy the most anyway).
moneystepper The blogging community can’t be beat. I think the pf community is even more intense because there are so many making money and improving their lives through participating in the community.
Great post DC.
My blog is still in the infancy stage. But the rewards (flexibility or hours and location) make it worth the effort.
On the surface, blogging has very low barriers to entry. But once you appreciate the amount of time and effort it takes to build a successful blog readership, the barrier to success is much much higher.
Few people have sufficient staying power to stay with their blog until it develops.
I agree that blogging is a great side hustle, but it is a ton of work. But that first time you get paid for something it feels great because of all of the work you put into it.
I found blogging to be a great way to pave a path to learning about developing incoming streams and self employed future potential.
I started a blog to help me become accountable for my finances. What I didn’t realise was how much I would enjoy doing it! I actually look forward to blogging and networking in the evenings when my day job is done and dusted. I just wish I could make it a full time job. Maybe one day!
Another great result of blogging is that it forces you to write (and think) in a really clear, focused manner. I find that to ensure that readers really take something away from a post I end up editing more than any other communication channel. For someone who can be a bit verbose ;) reducing the content in my posts has been a welcomed challenge that has helped me progress as a writer.
janescudder I have trouble keeping my posts short and to the point because I feel like the longer posts provide more value for the reader. After all, Google does seem to favor posts that are 1,000+ words.