Being a copywriter is not just about typing on a keyboard.
Copywriting today is a full-time job, and if you start running a blog, you have to face extra challenges.
Clients, extraordinary content, high quality, hate, competition, taxes.
After all, blogging is literally a business. No wonder it’s not easy.
Nonetheless, I’ve created a list of 10 necessary questions for bloggers to bring you profit, development, and satisfaction of your work.
1/ Who’s Your Target Audience?
Every blogger who takes their work seriously asks themselves this question.
Don’t let me do it otherwise—who is your ideal reader?
Depending on whether you create less or more specific content, you must create it for a selected target group.
Certainly, if you’re reading this post, you have experience with copywriting.
Hence, I assume you know what blogs about marketing, running, and cooking look like.
Exactly, it doesn’t make sense.
Specifying exactly who I’m writing for definitely makes the whole job easier.
It makes writing easier, cuts off unnecessary topics, and leaves only those that will really be read.
Focus on building your persona, and creating content will no longer be so difficult.
2/ What Differentiates You from Everyone Else?
In other words, what is your unique selling point (USP)?
Your style, topics, diversity, or perhaps different forms of content?
Let’s face it, when it comes to running a blog, it’s barely possible to be innovative.
Our work boils down to creating our own ideas, conducting research, and transforming those into our thought process.
Sounds trivial? Far from it.
In the case of a blog, it is YOU who literally can (or not) convince your audience.
Your style matters immensely.
Don’t ruin it by using ChatGPT.
Be unique. Don’t copy. Strive for innovation with your second-to-none style.
Looks like an easy-going message, but in fact—it’s not. I know what you feel.
Stand out with your uniqueness against the competition, and your audience will love you.
3/ How is Your Content Different?
Exactly. So, what do you want to write about that isn’t already out there?
Alright, I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite, since I write about what already exists.
However, different content doesn’t mean content that doesn’t exist at all.
Your content can be different through:
>> The diversity of topics.
>> The topics you address.
>> Controversy (people love it!).
>> Your way of communicating.
>>The bond you create with your reader.
The last part is super interesting.
The way you write reflects your personality.
What you write about shows your interests and strengths.
And the tone in which you write fully shows who you are.
Let yourself borrow the ideas from others, but always strive for an individual style.
4/ Why is Your Content Better Than Others?
Assume that your reader has in front of him two almost identical posts on the same topic—why should yours be better?
Sure, you might say, “I run a blog for fun, I don’t need to be better than anyone else.”
In that case, you’ll drop your blog as quickly as you started it. Believe me.
Competitiveness is intrinsic to our genes.
And competitiveness comes from competence.
If you are competent enough, you feel that you can be (and are) suitably competitive.
Back to the main point—why is your content better than others?
Again, it comes down to style, topics, a sense of rhythm, and uniqueness.
Surely, you’ve come across a post which, after reading, you thought: Wow, this is it! This post really got to me!
That’s exactly what your work should aim for.
In our field, it’s hard to compete with each other because there is no measure that unequivocally assesses who is actually better and why.
Nonetheless, endeavor for originality and your own style.
That is the only way to raise your competence above your competition.
5/ What Can Your Audience Learn from Your Content?
What will your reader learn more about after reading your post?
What advice will they find?
What in your text will make them think?
How can your post change their worldview or their approach to a given topic?
This is something that good bloggers and journalists fight for—around the world.
Even if you write in a very saturated niche (and believe me, digital marketing is one), you can still surprise your reader.
For example, I tried to make this post just like that.
Searching for similar topics, I found something resembling a copywriter’s decalogue. But let’s be honest—such a topic is tired and sounds ChatGPT-like.
I’d definitely have a very low CTR.
So I decided to write something different.
Shorter, but more meaningful.
In this post, you’ll find 8 solid questions. If I insisted, I could find 100 questions in this area. But that wasn’t the idea.
Simply, but straight to the point, and based on my experience. Plus storytelling.
These two elements: experience and storytelling, will make your reader irresistible to learning what you’ve written.
6/ How Do You Want to Convert Your Blog into a Business?
A profitable blog is a business. So, what’s your plan for turning your blog into a business?
Once you’ve built a sufficiently large reader base, you’ll be able to take the next step and earn money from your blog.
There are certainly several business models:
- Guest posting
- Ads on your blog
- Affiliate marketing
- Online consultations
- Selling digital products
- Offering your services (content, SEO, etc.)
By entering the realm of business, you’re raising the bar. Then, your words represent you; entirely.
Therefore, the equation is simple: your business = you.
So, what’s your vision for this?
7/ What Are Your Key Traffic Sources, and Why?
The choice of traffic source depends on a couple of elements.
Each of them is different, just like the audience for those traffic sources.
Certainly, using Facebook (Meta), Twitter (X), Pinterest, or LinkedIn isn’t unfamiliar to you.
My suggestion:
> B2B audience: LinkedIn
> Short & daily format: X (ex-Twitter)
> Asking questions & providing answers: Quora.com
> Content with colorful graphics & infographics: Pinterest
> B2C audience, especially from Europe, Asia & the USA: Facebook
The right traffic source is your audience.
Choosing it is crucial so that you don’t waste time on an audience that won’t engage with your content.
So, what’s your key traffic source(s)?
8/ How Do You Plan to Convert Readers into Customers?
Probably the most difficult question and challenge.
Turning a reader into a customer is a significant leap.
Especially if you started your blog with just content. You hadn’t yet earned money from a digital product and hadn’t created “smoking tests” to verify its demand.
This question gives the most food for thought, but the strategy towards it must be thoughtfully planned from the top.
Although, you don’t always need to have a solid blueprint.
I assume that you can find many pro bloggers online who started with just their “daily vlogs” and are now millionaires. I couldn’t agree more.
However, it took them a lot of time. And I guess their adventure also began at a time when blogs were just starting out.
Preparing a top-down strategy will help you monetize your passion quicker and move forward with your plan.
>> You might prepare a blog about digital marketing to gather an audience, build expertise, and open a digital agency (digital blog → digital agency).
That makes perfect sense.
>> You could start a culinary blog and then open your own restaurant.
>> You might also write a blog about wines & degustation, then create your own winery and e-commerce wine business.
Great idea!
As you see, there are many solutions.
Nevertheless, preparing a vision that helps you with this will save you many years of work.
9/ How Will You Maintain Engagement with Your Audience?
Merely creating content is not enough.
At a certain stage of recognition and built-up traffic, the problem boils down to communication.
Most bloggers don’t interact with their readers at all.
They don’t respond to their comments on the blog or on social media. They don’t ask them for suggestions. Or they don’t use CTAs, which won’t generate any forward action.
Don’t go in that direction.
Set yourself time frames during the week when you only respond to your audience.
Your readers, feeling that you’re building a relationship with them, will sense your authenticity and commitment.
They’ll be more inclined to read your blog, book a consultation with you, or buy your digital product.
Interaction always wins over passivity.
10/ How Will You Measure the Success of Your Blog?
Measuring the success of your blog is not just about numbers.
Track your readers’ growth and interactions.
How often do they occur, and in what time intervals? What does your audience pay attention to, and what do they dislike?
Note the comments, shares, and likes.
Are they increasing over time? That’s a good sign.
If you’re running an email list—monitor the growth of sign-ups, too.
See how often posts are shared. That’s the another metric.
And if you already have a product—check how often the traffic converts to sales.
Takeaways
Starting a blog is a great adventure. It’ll be even better when you manage to monetize it properly.
Thoroughly discussing the above questions will definitely show you the path that will bring you closer to making your blog lucrative.
A good blog is good business, and it has its own rules.
Good content means more visitors.
And more visitors mean more money.
Good luck!
If you liked my post—leave a comment below.
And share it with your network to help others learn.
Thank you for contributing!
Simon
Author Profile
- Simon Gorlak is a Digital Marketing Expert with over 8 years of experience. He specializes in 3 areas: SEO, Copywriting, and Email Marketing. Simon's blog gathers knowledge that helps Marketers & C-level to increase profits from their online businesses. Also, his content helps to reach the most difficult customers, make others' content to be read & purchased. Besides digital marketing, Simon speaks 4 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish & works as a Head of Business at an Indian Start-up.
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