How to Make a Living as a Professional Blogger (3 Routes)

Blogging can be a very fulfilling profession regardless of your niche. Still, figuring out how to get started as a professional blogger can be difficult, especially since there are so many different ways to take the plunge.

However, if you break it down, there are three main paths to becoming a professional blogger. Weighing the pros and cons of each method can help you decide which one is best for your situation and overall goals.

What it means to be a professional blogger

Bloggers can be roughly divided into two categories: hobbyists and professionals. However, the line between them can be a bit blurred, as there are hobbyists managing huge, high-traffic websites and professionals working on smaller publications.

So what makes a blogger a pro is not the size or even the quality of their website. Rather, professional bloggers create written online content as their primary paid occupation, rather than blogging as a pastime.

This definition excludes those who blog for free and those who blog for a small income to supplement their main income, regardless of the size or quality of their blogs. It also doesn’t specify that you have to have your own blog.

The precise distinction between professional bloggers and amateur bloggers offers important insights into the industry. Breaking down the definition of a professional blogger opens up many opportunities to make a living from writing online content.

How to Make a Living as a Professional Blogger (3 Possible Ways)

If you plan on writing full-time, it’s important to know what your options are. There are three ways you can become a professional blogger and earn enough income to make a living. We’ve explored them in depth below, so let’s take a look!

1. Start your own blog and monetize it

One possible way to become a professional blogger is to start and monetize your own website. This is the path most people think of when they want to start a blogging career.

This method has many advantages. First and foremost, it gives you complete control over your content, income, and work schedule. Being your own boss can feel quite liberating and gives you the freedom to pursue other interests.

This flexibility can be particularly appealing to those who want to travel more, do not work well with a traditional work structure and schedule, or have caring responsibilities. It can also be very fulfilling as you can focus solely on topics that interest you:

Also, getting started is pretty easy. Starting a blog with a platform like WordPress is fast and accessible from a budgetary perspective. Monetizing with ads, affiliate links, and sponsored posts can take a bit more work, but it’s also pretty easy.

In a previous article, we introduced Blogger vs WordPress and explained how the two platforms work so you can make the best choice for your needs.

The main disadvantage of starting and monetizing your own blog is that it takes time. Most blogs take months or even years to make a significant amount of money, and that’s the case if you’re able to pull out all the stops when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), web design, and other management elements.

When you are just starting out, running your own blog requires a lot of time and energy for very little profit. If you don’t think you can stick it out, this trail may not be for you. Luckily, there are other ways to make a living as a professional blogger.

2. Get hired by a company to write for a business blog

Believe it or not, there are people who hire you to write their blog for them. Financially speaking, this can be the most lucrative avenue for professional bloggers (unless you make it big with your own blog, which is pretty rare).

When you are hired by a company to write a business blog, your main benefit is a guaranteed income. You don’t have to worry as much about traffic and click-through rates (CTRs) since you’ll be paid a regular paycheck (although they are nor indicators of your performance as an employee).

Depending on the company you work for, you may also be entitled to benefits such as health care, vacation days and a pension. These features can give you peace of mind that you may not have for yourself.

For some, the downside of blogging for a business is the lack of control over the content you create. You’ll likely spend a lot more time writing this way marketing-oriented posts than you might like:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, competition for these positions can be quite fierce. Review job posting pages such as As a matter of fact can help you keep up to date with new job openings.

If you wish to apply, make sure you do so a portfolio of writing samples ready to go. While any piece that demonstrates your writing skills is useful, it’s also important to demonstrate your knowledge of SEO and other aspects of digital publishing.

3. Work as a freelance blogger

Freelance blogging can be a nice middle ground option for many. These types of professional bloggers have more control over their posts as they can choose the projects they work on. You’ll also have the flexibility that comes with being self-employed while still maintaining a slightly more predictable income.

However, as a freelancer, you have to find your own clients. This is often the hardest part of becoming a professional blogger. Your income depends entirely on your ability to find and keep a fairly large volume of high-quality clients, and it could eat up your already valuable writing time.

Again, having a portfolio will be extremely beneficial to you. You have to work on that too Your self-expression skills and start networking with other freelancers and professionals in your niche. Create a profile LinkedIn can be helpful.

You can also join freelance job boards such as processing:

Businesses and individuals visit these websites to find freelancers to hire. Unfortunately, most freelance job boards take a portion of your earnings as compensation for promotion, so keep that in mind when setting your rates.

Become a professional blogger today

Becoming a professional blogger can be a fulfilling way of making a living. However, if you don’t have the time or resources to start your own blog, a career as an online content creator can feel out of reach. On the contrary, it is absolutely doable with the right mindset and approach.

In this post, we’ve looked at several ways to make a living as a professional blogger – three to be precise. Let’s summarize them briefly: