10 Intangible Qualities That Make Super Successful Bloggers
What qualities set apart successful bloggers from the not-so? What does it take to become a 6 figure blogger?
I was able to make 6 figures in my second year blogging but I know that isn’t the norm.
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Even though I’m convinced anyone can become a successful blogger, it’s not as easy as it may seem.
I have worked with thousands of bloggers, as a blog mentor and teacher at the HerPaperRoute Blog School for many years.
And from this experience, I have noticed a few intangible qualities that help make some successful bloggers ‘make it’ for the long haul, over others. Can you guess what they are?
10 Intangible Qualities That Make Super Successful Bloggers
Blogging is a great way to make extra money or even a full-time income. I love the freedom it gives me to work on my own schedule and to travel anywhere I want while being financially free.
But as much as I love my blogging business, it needs to be made clear that a blog is that, a business.
Blogger life may look like pretty photography and brand sponsored product placements on Instagram, but behind the ‘gram, it’s really not very glamorous!
Honestly, 90% of blogger life is mostly staring at a computer, writing content, analyzing analytics, and obsessing over sales and traffic.
Truly, blogging takes hard work and long hours, and like any business, you get out what you put in.
There is also a fairly wide learning curve to becoming a blogger.
Starting A Successful Blog Is A Journey
When you start a blog, you will learn many, many new amazing skills. And you will continue to learn and surprise yourself with your continuously growing skillset for years to come.
You for sure won’t know everything in a day! But it will be so worth it in the long run.
To get started, download your free copy of my Blogging StartUp Kit below. This blogging toolkit gives you a clear roadmap on creating a profitable blog.
Tangible Skills That Help Make Successful Bloggers
A blogger’s first priority is creating quality, unique content. But creating amazing content alone does not guarantee that you will be successful.
Producing good content is a prerequisite to successful blogging, not the golden ticket.
Some of the best writers on the internet lack the knowledge to optimize and monetize their content, so they usually end up freelancing for bloggers who do know how.
Besides the ability to create unique content, new bloggers must learn as much as they can about Internet marketing and blogging in order to design a winning blog strategy.
Vital areas to gain knowledge in include:
- Social media strategies
- Keyword use and SEO techniques
- Content marketing
- Various money-making vehicles, especially affiliate marketing
- Email marketing
- …and even branding and web design!
I teach a blogging course that covers all of this and more, called Be Your Own Blog Boss.
So, beyond those tangible technical skills and knowledge that will help you make money blogging, what else makes 6 figure successful bloggers?
Turning a blog into your full-time income requires intangible qualities that all entrepreneurs need to be successful.
Yes, successful bloggers are all entrepreneurs because they must treat their blog like a business
As such, many of the same characteristics found in entrepreneurs will be found in successful bloggers.
Let’s take a look at some of these intangibles and how they relate to blogging.
10 Intangible Qualities Of Successful Bloggers
Passion
I’d say 90% of a blog’s success is due to the writer’s passion for the subject matter.
If you’re blogging about topics that you love, then making money is just a bonus.
If you wake up everyday beaming with enthusiasm for your blog, it will shine through in your content even if you’re not the best writer in your niche.
And all the other necessary tasks won’t ever feel quite like “work” if you’re passionate about your blog.
Thirst for Knowledge
Curiosity naturally follows passion. As a blogger, you must possess a strong thirst for knowledge about your niche in order to deliver interesting content to your readers.
This thirst for knowledge must also extend to learning about the blogging profession for you to constantly be improving your business.
Professionalism
Again, if you expect your blog to be a financial success, you must treat it like a business.
Be professional in every aspect of your blog from writing content, answering email or responding to comments, to dealing with advertisers, etc.
Always be respectful when faced with criticisms and reader concerns.
Diligence
There is no getting rich quickly with blogging.
It takes time to build up your readership and gain search engine recognition. And, unfortunately, most bloggers give up before they make any money because they lack the diligence to keep at it.
Consider every single task you do for your blog to be planting, fertilizing and watering seeds that will eventually blossom into abundant organic traffic, and money.
Disciplined
It’s great to be your own boss, but all entrepreneurs and bloggers need to be disciplined enough to get their work done without being told what to do.
And a full-time income from blogging usually requires a full-time effort. Therefore, you must have the discipline to set goals and a blogging routine, and stay focused on your completing your tasks every day. Not just when you feel like it.
Personal
Not all blogs need to be overly personal. In fact, your articles should use the word “you” much more so than “I”.
However, the primary difference between dry informative content from news agencies and blogs is that readers get a chance to know bloggers.
Additionally, sharing your own struggles and experiences is a powerful method to get loyal readers to bookmark or follow you because they can relate to you.
Thick Skinned
If you’re opinionated and sharing personal stories, you better have thick skin in order to keep your composure in the face of criticism.
You don’t want to react emotionally to a harsh comment on your blog. Again, it helps to be as respectful as possible in responding to personal attacks or any negative comments.
Optimistic
There will be times, maybe months or even years when it will feel like you are working away on your blog, for very little payoff.
Because it takes time for your blog to grow and become a steady profitable source of income, you will need to have a sense of optimism, and patience.
You’ve probably reflected on your past mistakes or on a situation that seemed catastrophic when it happened and found a positive reason why they occurred precisely when they did.
Thinking of a silver lining in a bad experience from your past that led to something wonderful you would have never experienced without it, is a great ability to possess.
That sort of optimism helps make successful bloggers. Because it will get hard sometimes.
As an entrepreneur growing a business there will be setbacks, and you will need to remind yourself of your goals.
Time and time again this has occurred in my life to reinforce my resolve that every challenge serves a purpose.
So the next time you’re faced with a setback, remember that everything happens for a reason.
Know that if you keep moving forward in the direction that your intuition tells you, something great will be waiting for you just beyond the roadblock.
Social
Most entrepreneurs are very social and possess good salesmanship qualities.
But in the virtual world of blogging you can be a total introvert and still build a massive social following.
You simply must be active in your primary social media accounts and engage as much as possible with your subscribers and other bloggers in your niche.
Tenacity
You must be tenacious, especially in regards to marketing your blog.
Nobody else is going to do it for you, so you must become a self-promoter. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be humble while doing it, but you must use every opportunity to promote your blog.
For example, you should:
- Promote your blog in all of your email signatures
- Strategically link to older articles within your new ones (Also very important for SEO)
- Pin, tweet and post on your social accounts many times per day. You can use SmarterQueue to automate this for you
- Share your articles relentlessly to relevant sites
- Send personal emails to subscribers
- Write guest posts
- Ask gurus in your niche to Tweet your articles, or offer link placement exchanges with other bloggers
- And so on!
What Makes Successful Bloggers – Conclusion
Do you possess some or all of these qualities? If so, you’re well on your way to becoming a successful blogger.
And if you’re weak in some of these areas, the first step is admitting it, and then taking the steps to improve.
Anyone can master the technical aspects of blogging or polish their writing skills, but improving in these intangible areas will ensure that your blog business becomes a success.
Keep Reading
- SEO Basics – Free SEO Cheat Sheet For Bloggers
- How Much Do Bloggers Make?
- 21 Blogging Tips For New Bloggers, From 21 Pro Bloggers
- 6 Productivity Hacks For Bloggers
For more blog tips, follow me on Twitter @HerPaperRoute, Pinterest @herpaperroute and join our Facebook group for bloggers.
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