Episode 21: Becoming a Full-Time Blogger; Starting and Monetizing a Blog

If you've ever thought about starting a blog, or have a blog but are stumped as to how to keep it growing…this episode is for you. This week we chat with Alex Cook, creator of the It's Not Complicated recipe blog. After leaving her career in in real estate and aviation, Alex started a blog combining her two passions - cooking and writing. She assumed it would be a hobby on the side, but within four months of starting her blog it was growing so quickly that it needed her full-time attention. Two years in, Alex continues to run her blog business full-time, having grown her page views beyond what is required to partner with an ad network. 

Cadence and Content

Avoiding the temptation to expand your nicheStuck with a cadence of 3 posts a week on set daysThe power of consistency and quality over quantityStart with what you can, improve over time

Monetizing a Blog

Leveraging viral postsHitting required page views to partner with ad networksStrategically planning content around prime keywordsMeasuring competitive rank of keywordsFocusing on what audience is searching for

Key Steps When Starting Out

Getting a good hostResearching the right website platformRecipe cards and other perks to rank in Google

Growing Your Audience

Grew her Facebook business page to over 26kEngage with fellow bloggersWays to build relationships with readersStrategies to inspire audience to shareTactics to grow organic traffic from Google

Moving Forward - Goals and Vision

About to hire a Social Media ManagerDouble blog page views by the end of 2020Diversify income streams including new e-book and product lineExpand to a commercial kitchen, increase video content

Muscle Creative Wrap-Up

If you could listen to only one music artist for the rest of your life who would it be? Queen

Where can people find you online?

WebsiteInstagramFacebook