How to Become a Full Time Blogger (and get paid!)

Last Updated on 27th March 2025 by Charlotte Nadeau

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Have you ever dreamed of making money from your passion? Do you want to share your interests, hobbies, and perspectives with the rest of the world? Well, it’s now 2025, and thanks to the internet, you can make a full-time living from blogging! Here’s how to become a full time blogger (and get paid) by someone who has been full-time blogging for over ten years.

Blogging as a business is still something of a mystery to most if people’s reactions to ‘I’m a full-time blogger’ are anything to go by.

From the confused looks to the asking ‘if I’m searching for a real job’ to the downright incredulous, many people still hold the misconception that blogging isn’t something you can make money from. In the beginning, I also had no idea what it would be like turning your blog into a business, or even how to do it!

I still remember the first time I hit the ‘publish’ button on my first blog post. I was so scared. I was so nervous. I was so worried about what people would think.

This was close to eight years ago, and now this little corner of the internet is my full-time job and sees hundreds of thousands of visitors a month (and reaches millions more on social media). Here’s what I now know…

Since I first started this blog several years ago, the blogging landscape has changed dramatically. Blogs have come and gone, new blogs have appeared, and yet some advice remains golden to this day. So, if I could go back to 2015 and tell myself what I know now, it would be this.

Should you start a blog?

Before diving deeper into this post about becoming a full-time blogger, i.e. making blogging your full-time job, an incredibly important question to ask yourself is: should you start a blog? Here are some reasons to start your own website…

You meet new people

Through my photograph sharing on Instagram to blogger meetup groups I’ve found on Facebook, I’ve met loads and loads of new people. To be honest, one of my favourite parts of having a blog is all the doorways it opens for meeting new people! Some of these new people I’ve met through my blog have become some of my closest friends.

You have an online portfolio of your work

Whether you want to pick up some freelance writing or just showcase examples of your photography to potential clients, there’s a multitude of things you can publish on your blog. Whenever anyone asks for examples of your work, it’s really easy to say: “Sure! I have a website. Just type in “solosophie.com’”

It’s fun! (And you learn a lot doing it!)

Newsflash: You don’t run a blog because you’re hoping to get rich fast! You do it because you’re passionate about… something, (re:anything)! All that matters is that you’re passionate! You can quite literally write about whatever you fancy; from fossils of the Devonian era to natural facemasks, the world really is your oyster!

How do you make a successful blog?

I’d like to preface this post by answering the question: how do you make a successful blog? Well, firstly the definition of success means completely different things to different people.

While for some, it does indeed mean becoming a professional blogger, meaning you make a full-time living from blogging. For others, ‘a successful blog’ means having a fulfilling hobby. Both are perfectly fine!

Again, other people define a successful blog as resonating with/ helping an audience/ readership out, and for most people, having a ‘successful blog’ can mean a mix of all of the above! For example, if someone had told me just a few years ago that I’d be starting 2025 as my own boss and blogging for a living, I would never have believed them!

However, I’ve now been blogging full-time for well over ten years and couldn’t be enjoying it more (or feel luckier) in my chosen career path. After all, it’s allowed me to be my own boss, choose my own hours, and travel plenty more than I could ever have hoped to imagine.

Whenever I tell someone that blogging is my full-time job, I often receive several different responses. While some people ask me straight away how much money I make, others ask me when I’ll find ‘a real job’. Well, thanks to the internet, it’s perfectly possible to make blogging your full-time job, not to mention that blogging is now a viable career path.

How do I start a career in blogging?

First things first: getting started. I’d say that one of the hardest things when it comes to starting your own blog is putting yourself out there. Not everyone is going to like your blog, nor is everyone going to agree with what you say. Make peace with the fact and create a plan for starting your blogging career.

When starting out, you’ll need to consider aspects such as: how much money do you need to make before you can quit your current job? What are your goals for creating a blogging business (making money/ sharing your passions/ teaching people/ all of the above)?

Choose your niche/ topic that you write about and start your blog. Although many people would recommend that you choose something that makes money, you’ll need an interest in the subject in order to continue writing when no one is reading your blog. Blog topics can be quite literally anything; fashion, home, books, travel, culture, finance- literally anything!

If you want to turn blogging into your full-time job, you’ll also need to bear in mind that patience is key and your blog won’t make money overnight. As a result, it’s important to keep on striving forwards, set achievable goals, and celebrate the small wins because blogging full-time isn’t an overnight career!

How to start your blog

If you’re just starting out, then the first decision you’ll have to make will be how to ‘host’ your blog on the internet. What this means is that there will need to be a location (URL) from where your site can be accessed and indexed on the web. From the get-go, I’d go with a paid domain as this means that you’ll own all of the content, as opposed to a free platform that could be shut down at any moment!

You’ll need to choose a domain name (here’s how to pick a good blog name) and register the available social media handles (I recommend starting with Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook). I personally recommend starting out on a self-hosted site with Siteground.

Furthermore, be sure to go with  WordPress Installation. After all, there’s a reason that the WordPress platform is one of the most popular website builders on the internet!

How do I make my blog a full-time job?

So now that you’ve created your blog, you likely want to advance to the next step. Well, although many people would like to start making money straight away, the truth of the matter is that, for the most part, you should be focusing on other things before you start making any money!

For example, you should consider your audience first, and the money second! With this being said, even when you start earning money, it’s important to remember that without your audience, you wouldn’t have a business at all.

And that brings me onto my second point: treat your blog like a business! Of course, it’s fine if you want your blog to bring in a part-time income, or you simply want to blog as a hobby. However, if you truly want to make your blog your full-time job, you need to focus on several different aspects.

You’ll need to produce high-quality content on a consistent basis. You’ll also need to write, write, and write some more. (Check out my post on how to improve your writing, as told by a travel writer).

In order to do this, I highly recommend making yourself a proper content calendar and scheduling your time so that you can craft new posts, update old ones, and create sustainable goals.

Build your blog to a point where it earns a full-time income

If you truly want to live off of your blog, then you’ll need to build this to a point where it consistently brings you money. Whether this is in terms of traffic (page views), regular clients, or customers who are going to buy your products is entirely up to you.

The point is, most full-time bloggers have multiple income streams, meaning that if one month one of them fails, there are still back-up income streams!

For me personally, building my blog has by and large been all about networking (for many opportunities you’ll often be recommended by other bloggers) and growing my audience base to hundreds of thousands of page views a month. I’d say that the hardest part is reaching those first thousand monthly readers.

Although the sheer volume of information on how to build your audience and increase your page views could easily be its own blog post (check out my guide on how to increase your blog traffic exponentially here), there are several important steps and platforms you need to keep in mind.

Firstly, SEO is your friend. When starting out, many bloggers (myself included) shy away from Search Engine Optimization, believing it to be too difficult. However, this would be your first mistake!

Instead, invest in tools to do keyword research and focus on creating quality content that resonates with your ideal audience on an ongoing basis. I now offer SEO blog audits (contact me sophie@solosophie.com for more info!)

I also recommend putting a lot of effort into Pinterest. Create pins for every post, optimise your ALT image tags in a user-friendly way, and focus on pinning on a regular basis. Pinterest is one of my top traffic referrers and it’s important to bear in mind that, much like SEO, Pinterest traffic can take months to build up.

How much does a full time blogger make?

Finally, the question you’ve probably been waiting for: how much money does a full time blogger make? Well, this is a hard question to answer because everyone makes money in such different ways! I’ve written a whole post here about how to make money travel blogging, but if you don’t have time to read the whole thing, I’ll give a little overview.

Although everyone chooses to make money in different ways, I personally prefer making money via passive income. What this means is that when you set things up the first time around, they continue making money for months or years to come. For example, with banner ads (I personally use Mediavine), I’ll make a little bit of money per every visitor that comes on the site.

When it comes to affiliate income, you add your own personalised link to your website when you recommend a product and then get a small commission each time someone clicks on or buys something through your link. For affiliate marketing, you’ll want to use platforms like Booking.com, Amazon, ShareASale and GetYourGuide.

Other ways to make money include sponsored posts (though I recommend never ever selling a do-follow link as this goes against Google guidelines and can lead to your site being de-indexed!), sponsored travel (i.e. you get paid to create deliverables during a press trip), and selling products/ licensing photos.

When it comes to how much money a full-time blogger makes, this can vary wildly from person to person, and even then, from month to month. Several bloggers I know of have created income reports and can make anything from $1000 a month to $100,000! So, as you can see, there really is no minimum or maximum!

Tips for becoming a full-time blogger

In order to grow your blog, build your audience, and create multiple income streams, the biggest factor is time and patience. Success doesn’t come overnight (otherwise you’d see many more full-time bloggers!). Don’t EVER give up and keep working at it. Try different tactics and experiment with your content and social media channels.

As time goes by, you’ll gain plenty of blogging skills, that are transferrable into other careers. For example, I often license my photos now and occasionally create freelance writing pieces for other people. The biggest mistake new bloggers make is that they give up too quickly.

Consider creating a content calendar where you map out what content you’ll post and set achievable goals, being sure to celebrate them when you hit even the smallest milestone. It’s often said that comparison is the thief of joy and so be sure not to compare your day 1 with another person’s day 1000.

And so, if I were to give just one tip on how to become a full time blogger, it would be this: be patient. These things take time. And most importantly of all: never give up!

Things to know before turning your blog into a business

Stop social media stalking

It’s not helpful. It’s not productive. Seriously.  Imagine all the things you could be doing in those 10 minutes you looked at your blogging competitors and ended up feeling bad about yourself and your work. This is just not productive at all!

Focus on your passion(s)

If I were to only give you one blogging tip, it would be to focus on what you’re actually passionate about. While, of course, if your goal is to eventually monetise your blog then you’ll need to pick something that has a large enough audience to create enough of an income.

This means, if you were to write about plants, write about succulents, as opposed to just one type of succulent!, if you don’t have passion then you’re likely going to lose the motivation to go the distance.

As humans, it’s only natural that we’re curious about multiple things! I’ve written before about how I’m not sure you need one specifically focused blog niche. After all, if you’re interested in history and travel, then you’re likely also going to be interested in reading and learning!

Write about what you’re passionate about and you’re likely to find your own mini-niche that’s a combination of everything you love.

Have a consistent posting schedule

And leading on from writing about what you’re passionate about, having a consistent posting schedule is certainly key to retaining an engaged audience and growing your traffic.

While I’m sure you could grow a blog by writing about topics that you’re not interested in, it’s certainly easier to create articles about what you love and likely know more about!

Know when to take a break

With technology today, we’re constantly switched on. It’s unhealthy. I recently took my first break from social media in 6 months. I had posted at least once a day on Instagram during that entire period. I’m not sure it was pointless but at the same time it wasn’t completely healthy. I didn’t switch off my phone for an entire six month period.

Last summer, I worked in Algonquin Provincial Park. I didn’t have access to the internet for the best part of three months. Newsflash, it didn’t break me. Instead, I spent my days focusing on work and outdoors activities including kayaking and hiking. It was the best summer of my life.

So, switch off your phone for 24 hours, go on a short walk in your lunch break, spend a half hour an hour cooking and actually following a recipe, pick up your favourite book. It’s important to take time for yourself. We let technology rule our lives and that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Monetisation can take more forms than you might expect

Of course, if you’re going to go full-time on your blog, then you’re going to (probably) need an income that’s a full-time salary. Before turning my blog into a business, I didn’t really realise how many potential revenue streams there really are.

And when blogging becomes your income, you’ll soon learn that diversification is key. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket and you might even consider creating multiple websites.

From affiliate links to adverts, you can also do consulting work, produce your own products (between Lightroom presets to eBooks, the sky- or, your imagination, is really the limit!), there’s really no shortage of ways you can monetise your website and associated social media channels.

Be yourself when you blog

While it’s only normal that we occasionally dream of what it might be like to be someone else, you are you and no one can change that, or indeed be you. In a crowded world and marketplace where everyone seems to be vying for attention in an economy that values attention above all else (this Mark Manson article on the ‘attention economy’ is wonderful!), your POD (point of difference) is simply being you.

Focus on your strengths and go from there. Once you’ve begun turning your blog into a business, you’ll soon realise that you can delegate out what you’re not as great at.

Truth be told, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in creating my own business is that you’re definitely not great at everything! Instead, play to your strengths. I’m personally terrible at things like timekeeping, accounting, finishing drafts, staying on track, and the list goes on…

Be honest

When you start to blog in a more professional manner, you might find yourself working on projects with brands and being invited to events. One of the hardest things in this aspect can be being honest with your clients/ partners and with yourself.

If you didn’t enjoy a meal/ hotel/ experience, then it’s important to still be honest and say that it wasn’t your best experience. This can be hard to do but maintaining the trust of your audience is the lifeblood of your website and you should never take it for granted.

Being self-employed is the best feeling in the world (if it’s for you)

While being self-employed is not for everyone (it’s definitely a pretty personal choice that depends on your own circumstances), having the freedom to decide your schedule and focus on your passions is honestly one of the best feelings in the world.

I personally love waking up and making a conscious choice as to what I’ll be working on for the day, not to mention not having to deal with a boss (I’ve always been terrible at following directions and instruction), and having the freedom to say ‘no’ to projects I’m not passionate about.

Side note: don’t ever fall into the trap into thinking that your readers aren’t your most valuable asset, because, in reality, they’re the lifeblood of your site!

It’s never too crowded for you to start your own blog

Back when I started my blog in 2015, I believed that it would be too late to start a travel and culture blog. I read plenty of posts declaring that ‘blogging is dead’ and yet years later blogs are more widely read than ever before.

It’s not too late to start your own blog, and I would argue that turning your blog into a business is actually easier than ever before.

After all, the tools are all available, ad networks are fully established (I personally use and love Mediavine!) Other considerations when starting your own blog include a good host; I personally recommend starting out on a self-hosted site with Siteground.

Having a team/ support network is essential

And I don’t mean a team in the way that you’re probably thinking. While it would be great to have multiple people working on your blog as you’re turning it into a business, this is often simply not realistic. Instead, what I mean is that for me personally, it’s been essential to have a support network of friends/ family who you can speak to and chat with.

They keep you grounded and are a great source of inspiration to bounce ideas off when you need another perspective. Other bloggers are also a great support network, and I’m personally part of plenty of supportive Facebook groups.

I even started my own group for fellow female bloggers. Once you start making money from your blog, my number one tip would be to get an accountant- you’ll thank me later!

Not everyone is going to be supportive

While I remember purchasing my domain and hitting ‘publish’ on that very first post, I also still remember the first ‘hate’ comment I received. I hate to be negative in such a positive post (this is the best job in the world if it’s for you!), but I remember seeing comments by an ex and his friends making fun of me on a local uni news website.

I also remember another ex-boyfriend telling me that ‘no one can make money blogging’. Of course, there’s a reason (or rather, several) that I’m no longer dating any of them. There are also the people who will continuously ask you ‘when you’ll get a real job’ or ‘how much money you make.’ If you’re interested, here’s how I make money blogging.

Obviously, the joy of being self-employed largely negates the negatives, but it can also be quite draining after a while to constantly have to explain yourself.

And, let’s not get started on the creepy comments and downright harassment that you end up receiving on a daily basis (here’s an article where Kristin of Be My Travel Muse discusses her terrible experience of harassment). 

But because I don’t want to end a post about the joy of turning your blog into a business on a negative note, if you’re thinking about starting your own website based around your passions then go for it! For more information, tips, tricks, and practical advice regarding business and blogging check out my blogging tips archives!

Invest in the tools of the trade

If there’s one thing I should never have scrimped on when it came to building my blog into a business, it would be to invest in tools of the trade. Having reliable hosting from the beginning is an absolute must (more on this later).

I would also invest in building your email list as this will comprise of people who genuinely want to hear from you! I personally recommend using Flodesk as the interface is easy to use and the email templates are particularly beautiful. Sign up using my link or the code ‘SOPHIE’ to get 50 percent off your subscription. 

You are your own unique brand! Be you

I’ve said this before and I’m sure I’ll say it again. You are your own unique brand and as a creator, that’s what makes you special. It also means that you shouldn’t feel like you have to pigeonhole yourself into a niche just because you’ve read you should. (Although if a ‘niche’ works for you, then this is obviously fine too).

When you create content, you’re not solving a simple maths equation, or reciting a Latin grammar table. When you create content, you’re making stuff that’s unique and only you and your experiences can come up with that kind of stuff.

Now, I know that there will be people out there who say “But when you post ‘niche’ content (stuff that’s always similar to each other), it’s the quickest way to grow your brand”.

However, if I’m honest, I’m not sure that’s even true! Look at your favourite writers, bloggers, music producers, and photographers. Are they always producing the same content?

Because I’m pretty sure that they’re probably always showcasing new stuff and changing things up a bit. Like, life would be kind of boring if we always did (and all produced) the same thing. No?

Remember to have fun!

First and foremost, when you first start your blog, it’s not about making money or creating something worthy of a best-selling author. Instead, when you start your blog for the first time, it’s all about having fun. After all, if you started a blog to make plenty of money then surprise: you’ve come into the wrong career.

Have a self-hosted WordPress account from the start

I actually had two blogs before I started solosophie. However, both lasted less than a week and I think it’s because I wasn’t really invested in them from the start. I mean, literally, I hadn’t invested anything. 

I started my blogs on .com vs on .org. If you’re not sure of the difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.com. the .org version is where you need to pay a monthly hosting fee but you own everything on the site.

If you think that blogging might be for you, then it’s worth a small initial outlay so that you are a little invested in your new project! Now, I use Lyrical Host.

Learn about SEO from the get-go

For the first 18 months of my blog (so pretty much more than half of the time I’ve owned and run this website!), I didn’t do nearly as much about SEO as I should have done.

I’m ashamed to say that it just seemed too hard for someone who comes from a background of studying dead languages (lol). But of all the things I wish I’d known before starting my blog, having a good SEO strategy and foundation should have been near the top of the list, if not at the top.

SEO (search engine optimisation) is one of the main things you should be focusing on from the get-go. If you haven’t done, downloading the plugin ‘Yoast’ is a good start to making sure that you’re optimising each article clearly.

Alt text on your images, a URL containing your keyword and placing your keywords throughout the post are all great starting point and Yoast will remind you to do this.

And while, it can take a while to gain traffic and build traction but in terms of gaining blog traffic, it’s an incredibly important piece of the blogging pie. Today, I use Keysearch to look up keywords before I even create an article. (affiliate link- 20% discount code KSDISC)

Put time and effort into Pinterest from day one

For me, like many other bloggers, Pinterest is one of (shameless plug: check out my account @solosophieblog) my largest sources of traffic. However, this hasn’t always been the case. After all, one of the biggest things I wish I’d known before starting my blog is that Pinterest is more of a search engine than a social media site.

What I mean by this is that you have to create eye-catching graphics and then optimise them by creating keywords, pinning other people’s content and making things that are genuinely useful. It’s simply not enough to do one or the other! Just like with many other aspects of blogging, content is king.

Purchase a premium theme

Just like I had done by starting out on wordpress.com, I didn’t invest in a premium theme from the beginnings of having my own website. However, if you want your blog to run smoothly and appear professional from the get-go, then you simply must purchase a theme. Etsy and themeforest are full of great themes.

There are quite literally millions of blogging themes available and most are priced between $30-$50. If you like the look of a theme someone is using on their WordPress site, then you can check what theme they’re using on whatwpthemeisthat.com.

Write, write, and write some more! 

If I look back at my earliest posts today, it’s obvious how bad my writing once was. Or should that be, how much worse my writing was then than it is now? And while my writing will never be incredible, or even perhaps good, it’s definitely better than it was when I first started my site over two years ago.

The power of daily practice is one of the strongest ways to improve your writing skills. Need more tips? How are six ways to dramatically improve your writing!

It takes patience (in many senses of the word)

If you really want to blog, then know that it’s more of a marathon rather than a sprint. It takes time, effort and a lot of research behind the scenes to even make it to 10 visitors a day!

If you want to carry on blogging for a long time, then refer back to point #2 and be passionate about what you’re blogging about, (and always write from the heart, of course!)

Today, blogging is my full-time job. However, it wasn’t always that way and I still find myself feeling nervous when people ask me what I do for a living.

However, I always try and be patient when explaining what I do because, like, if I hadn’t been using the internet all my life I’d be curious too. Understand that not everyone is going to ‘get’ it and many people will still ask you ‘when you’re going to get a real job‘.

Learn video

While writing articles is always a great article (as long as they’re valuable and SEO optimised), now that it’s 2023 video is ever important and so you’ll need to learn the basics of video to post reels/ TikToks/ YouTube videos.

There are a few basics that you can learn when creating video content to help you create the best possible content that you can. Make sure that every shot has to have movement (this can either be filming something in motion, such as flowers blowing int he wind) or manually moving the camera yourself.

You should also be considering which angle you should be using and how it will help tell the story (remember that every video should tell a story, even if it’s just to recount what you had for lunch!)

Don’t give up!

If there is one thing I’d advise anyone who’s considering starting a blog it’s this: don’t give up. Ever, ever, ever! As they often say “if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try, try again”. It’s cliché but it’s also true…

Blogging resources

Hosting: For my blog’s hosting needs, I use Lyrical Host. I find their customer support and help to be some of the best I’ve ever had during my time blogging and couldn’t recommend them more! If you use my affiliate code ‘solosophie’ then you’ll get 10% off your first hosting plan payment. See more details here.

Email: One of the best ways to capture your return subscribers is by building an email list. I personally love Flodesk. Sign up using my link or the code ‘SOPHIE’ to get 50% off your subscription. See more details here.

Affiliate programmes: As well as display advertising, one of the best ways for bloggers to make money is by using affiliate programmes. In order to refer tours on this website, I use numerous providers. This includes Get Your Guide and Share a Sale.

Grammarly is a good tool to check through your work for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and bad phrasing. Find out more about Grammarly here.

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