For many college students, any opportunity to make some extra money is great. When you’re living on a part-time wage, trying to budget with financial aid, or feeling tired of having to ask your parents for money, a flexible option for earning a better income while continuing with your education is always a great idea. So, it’s no surprise that more and more students—especially those embarking on a writing or communications major—are turning to blogging as a method of boosting their income and bringing in some extra dollars to spend.
But, can you really be successful as a student blogger? Here are some top tips to help you get started:
Choose a topic you love
Many students who decide to blog for a living make the mistake of thinking that they have to pick a certain subject or topic in order to be successful. For example, if you’re currently studying for your online MCM degree from the University of Southern California, you might think that you’ll need to blog about being an online student, university life, your choice of degree program, or even for students in your area. However, unless you’re really passionate about any of these, there’s no need to stick to them—pick a topic that you know you’ll never get tired of writing or making videos about, regardless of whether it relates to your student status.
Invest in a good blogging platform
When it comes to starting your career as a student blogger, you might be tempted to use one of the many free blogging platforms that are available. However, while these can be great for starting off with and finding your feet, it’s important to keep in mind that if you want your blog to grow in popularity and start bringing in an income, you’ll need to invest in a premium blogging platform, such as WordPress Premium, which includes a number of features that will help you get your blog to the top.
Engage with your readers
If you’re studying for a communication management degree, then you’ll already know just how important communication is when it comes to marketing a brand. And, it’s just the same for your blog—if you fail to communicate and engage with your readers, then they are going to lose interest very quickly. Take the time to build up relationships with your readers using channels such as social media and simply by replying to any comments that are left on your blog posts. Try to make your blog as interactive as possible, by asking readers what they’d like to see next—and then delivering it.
Create a schedule
Any successful blogger will tell you that sticking to a schedule is key; this gets your readers into a routine until eventually, they begin to expect regular posts, resulting in more traffic for your blog. When you’re studying for a degree, it can be difficult to find the time to blog, so having a schedule that works around college will help you to keep on top of your blogging and achieve your goals.
Did these tips help? We’d love to hear all about your student blog ideas in the comments.
