This post was written by Deb
How to Tell if a Blogging Gig is Right for You
As people who blog for a living, many of us have a hard to saying no to gigs, whether we’re right for them or not. We’ve discussed this before, but if you’re going to be talking about a particular subject day in and day out, you better be right for the topic. Accepting a gig that isn’t right for you only means both you and your readers won’t enjoy what you do.
So how do you know if a blogging gig is right for you?
1. You know and love your topic - When we talk about bloggers having passion, it’s because you have to absolutely love what you write about to talk about it several times a day. You have to know almost everything there is about your niche, the pros and cons, the other blogs on that topic, and you have to be willing to continue learning and talking about said topic in the years to come. And that’s really what it’s all about…knowing you can talk about your niche for years.
2. You can meet all expectations - Networks and clients all have different expectations. Some expect a post a day for a few days a week, and some require two to three posts a day for every business day. Before saying yes to a gig, ask yourself, "can I realistically write 30 blog posts a week about this topic?" Keep in mind that most bloggers aren’t only expected to write blog posts, they’re also expected to help bring in traffic. Do you have the time and wherewithal to pimp your blog on a regular basis?
3. You don’t hesitate before applying: You know how you just look at a job and say "that’s perfect!" without hesitation? The more time you spend hemming and hawing over whether or not you can handle a particular gig, the less likely it is to be something you can do day in and day out.
When we discuss finding the perfect writing gig at my blog Freelance Writing Jobs, many writers tell me they don’t have the luxury of finding only gigs that feature their areas of expertise and have to pay the bills. I can understand this, but I also believe with blogging it’s different. You really have to love what you do to do it every day. Otherwise, why leave your boring day job?
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2 Responses to “How to Tell if a Blogging Gig is Right for You”
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Well you and I both know this from personal experience and I have to say it is so true. The same holds for general writing also…an editor for a well-known site once asked me to write about something odd - can’t remember but I think it was watches. Watches? I cannot sound enthusiastic day in and day out writing 25 articles a week about watches. What’s sad is because I said no, the editor refused to hire me on for any other work that did interest me.
We’re told to follow our dreams and do what we love, but then people look down on us when we do…suddenly we’re picky. Ah well. Love the post, Deb!
I can’t even imagine blogging every single day about something I don’t love. That sounds like torture. I once wrote 50 articles on LCD/Plasma TVs. The pay was decent, but I was so incredibly burned out by article #20.
I often see jobs I know I could do, but for blogging gigs, you’re right, it has to be something that jumps out at me.