I was drafting a post about my blogging journey and realized that I have never written a post about why people blog.
When asked, many people usually think the obvious thing:
- Money.
But that’s not always true.
People blog for many reasons.
Here are some of the most common reasons I can think of…
1. Hobby/Interest in Writing
This is the most common reason people start blogging.
Many people like to write and they like to write for themselves. Basically, this is what blogging is all about. It’s why blogging started, and it’s why blogging exists. Most people just want to keep an online space for writing.
These people don’t care about the best blogging platforms, how to get more traffic, and how to increase the number of comments. They just love to write, and if someone happens to comment, then hey, that’s good too.
That said, blogging out of passion should be every blogger’s biggest reason for blogging.
2. Fame/Popularity
When people see any successful person, they try to follow that path.
When I was a kid, I used to see Sachin Tendulkar (famous cricketer) and I wanted to become a cricketer. When I used to see movie actors on posters and newspapers and TVs, I wanted to become a film star.
- This is not just me, this is human tendency.
This is also true for the blogging industry. When people see successful bloggers like Darren Rowse, Amit Agarwal, John Chow, Tim Ferriss, or other bloggers who have money and fame, they try to be like them.
This is not a bad approach, but what they’re forgetting is that all of these famous and successful bloggers are blogging because it’s their passion.
Again, passion is the foundation of blogging.
Not only is quick fame and fortune a misguided reason for starting a blog, it’s not possible. I’m sorry…
Every success is preceded by a lot of hurdles, and if you want to become a famous blogger, know that it’s going to take you a while to get there.
You need to crawl; it’s impossible to jump.
3. Money
Most people look at professional bloggers (like me) and think, “Oh, all I have to do is write a few things, click a few buttons, and I can make a lot of money!” But this is very, very, very untrue.
A lot of people start blogging for money. And while you can make money blogging, I need to say it again:
- If there’s no passion, you’ll find making money very hard.
Blogging can be a gold mine for people who want to tap into the rich field of online marketing, but if you just want to make money, you’ll make more money at a “traditional” job.
If you do want to make money blogging, you should have a well-planned road map for your blog, and be able to target a profitable niche.
AdSense and affiliate marketing are the two best ways of making money.
4. Sharing and Learning
People like to share their knowledge with the world, and their blog becomes a place for people to share that knowledge.
This is how many blogs end up taking on multiple topics, which if you’re trying to make money, is not the best idea.
During the initial days of blogging, few people know that they can actually make money blogging. I was one of those people who thought things like “making money online” were all scams and rip-offs.
5. Online Portfolio
This is one of the newer reasons why people create a blog.
Let’s say you’re a programmer who is skilled in creating websites, you could create a blog and start posting about programming-related topics. This will help drive potential future employers to your site who might want to hire you for a project.
Or maybe you’re a photographer. You can start a blog on your website with all of your pictures to try and draw in people from search engines.
This is actually a very effective way of finding jobs.
Common Reasons Why People Blog
These are 5 of the most common reasons people start blogging. But they’re not the only reasons.
Let me know what your reasons are for blogging. What inspired you to create a blog? What inspires you to keep blogging? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!
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Hi Harsh,
Your writings have an excellent readability. I just enjoy reading all of your articles.
And thanks for this great post.
I blog because I love it. That’s how it started out. And I was so happy to connect to so many people across the globe with similar interests. I just love meeting good people and this blogging has helped me with.
I started blogging because of my interest and passion. Every time I faced problems, I get a helpful hands by you and other friends. Money is the secondary reason because I was earning money from my job too.
am a very passionate blogger and sits around five hours of genuine articles writing and posts them on my blog,…i have read posts on this site which came very useful for my hobby
I started blogging because I love to share great ideas, tips and resources. When I find something that works I love to share it with my friends and associates.
Kathy Clark
I started blogging just share latest news updates with everyone around me, slowly it became bigger and bigger where i can’t stop myself from blogging. Now i m completely addicted to all my blogs.
I blog to find my daughter I have never seen
When I blog, it’s like creating my web face. Also, I blog for the knowledge and learn new things.
I started blogging just to share some apps and games for symbian mobiles, but now some money has also involved in blogging.
Nice points. One reason my blog exists is to connect to my audience for a larger goal of creating awareness about our website.
I started blogging to make money, but as I have progressed, I feel the real reason I am doing it is to build relationships and get to know more people from different parts of the world.
I blog as t allows me to put down my thoughts into words and get feedback from some really smart people. Also blogging has helped me to get to know some really cool persons including you. 🙂
Nice post idea.
Back to the basic reasons for blogging becoming such a huge phenomenon.
I love to write and it was not blogging related. Even though I am blogging as a job, I took it up mainly because I felt it would be awesome to be paid to write.
I think writing is the main passion, the rush that comes when someone likes and say they found your post informative or thank you for a tip that you share. I think if you are not writing for that rush you should not try blogging, atleast as a career.
Correct .
I blog maily out of interest and passion in spreading the knowledge . Money is a by product . People who mainly start blogging for money only and have no passion cant succeed.
Manish
i started my blog with just one thought in my mind that i would become the only person is my class having his own .com domain
Great list. I think many bloggers have $ in their eyes when they start.
I also want to add one more comment reason why blogs exist. Many are used to promote products, services, or branding and not necessarily to earn income directly. The purpose rather is to indirectly provide a benefit to the corporation or entity.
Earlier i used to blog for money but now i blog for my blogging experiences!!
Initially i started blogging to get fame and later i dont know how but can say onething I am addicted and blogging is my only passion these days,, 🙂
I started blogging because of my interest and passion. Every time I faced problems, I get a helpful hands by you and other friends. Money is the secondary reason because I was earning money from my job too.
I started blogging because i love to write and now its my profession and the way of my living 🙂
I blog because it makes me feel content, the feeling of sharing with fellow bloggers who understand and appreciate you passion is inspiring. It gives me a voice on the internet, my own little area where I can do things my way.