Turn your blog into a full-time business

Jessie started her solo female travel blog Jessie on a Journey in 2011. The blog offers an honest look into her adventures, advice, and detours. She originally monetized through affiliate marketing and sponsorships, but she eventually expanded into products as she learned more about what her audience wanted.
Her blogging courses and the Travel Blog Prosperity membership she created, led to the launch of her NYC photo tours. While she initially sold these through her blog, she eventually turned the tours into a separate entity, NYC Photo Journeys.
Jessie is also the host of The Profitable Travel Blogger Podcast – sharing strategies that can help you turn your blog into a full-time, location-independent business.

What made you want to become a business owner?

My journey to becoming a business owner stemmed more from a passion for travel and the ability to make my own schedule. As I searched for travel jobs, I stumbled on this thing called “blogging” that I wasn’t really familiar with – since blogging wasn’t as popular in 2011 as it is now.

“#First tip: If you’re serious about starting a blogging business, I suggest opting for a self-hosted WordPress site and investing in good hosting.”

Through my research, I saw normal non-celebrity people writing about their travels and earning an income from it. Immediately, I knew this was my calling and I pursued it aggressively. After a little over a year, I could quit my waitressing job and blog full-time.

How did you start your business?

The way I initially started in 2011, when blogging for business was relatively new, isn’t what I would recommend today. Back then, the landscape looked completely different. While it was easier to rank since there was less competition, there were also fewer opportunities since blogging wasn’t taken as seriously as it is today.

If you’re serious about starting a blogging business, I suggest opting for a self-hosted WordPress site and investing in good hosting, a fast theme with support, and a premium keyword research tool so you can properly optimize your blog posts for SEO. From there, choose your niche, create a mission statement so you know who you want to help and how, and create a content plan that fulfills this mission.

“#Second tip: I thought that the more I published, the faster the money would come; this isn’t how it works. Instead, you need a clear direction of how you’ll make your content – and blog as a whole – profitable.”

What do you wish you’d known before you started your business?

The biggest mistake I see bloggers make, and that I made too, was thinking that writing in itself would lead to income. I thought that the more I published, the faster the money would come; this isn’t how it works. Instead, you need a clear direction of how you’ll make your content – and blog as a whole – profitable. Typically, this is through avenues like affiliate marketing, working with brands, launching products, running ads, paid speaking, and creating content for brands and other publications. If I were starting over, I would have created a clear profit plan from the start.

“#Third tip: Instead of writing diary-style entries, aim to satisfy the intent of the search query; as in, what the searcher needs to know.”

Can you name two things or pieces of advice that helped you in the beginning?

The first thing is understanding the idea that while your blog is about you, it’s really about your audience. Instead of writing diary-style entries, aim to satisfy the intent of the search query; as in, what the searcher needs to know.

The other piece of advice that someone gave me that helped my growth was to focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – which refers to optimizing your website and content to rank in organic search results. No matter what type of business you’re running, I highly recommend spending time mastering SEO, as it can get more (free) eyes on your business.

What are the pros and cons of being a solopreneur?

The best part about being a solopreneur is getting to be your own boss while getting paid for your creativity. While you’ll have deadlines and tasks that you don’t love, you’ll also be able to create your own schedule and choose the projects that get you excited.

“#Fourth tip: Don’t wait to start an email list! I waited years to start one, and once I did I realized I’d been missing out on an incredibly powerful business asset.”

On the downside, you will need to be regimented to get things done and make sure you’re hitting your targets. When you don’t have someone telling you what to do and when, you need to be the one staying on top of yourself, which can be tricky for some people.

What advice would you give to your past self before opening your own business?

Don’t wait to start an email list! I waited years to start one, and once I did I realized I’d been missing out on an incredibly powerful business asset. My email list helps me grow my business in so many ways: traffic to new content, increased affiliate income and product sales, sponsorship income, and turning one-time readers into genuine community members. This latter point also means I learn the needs of my audience first-hand because they often respond to my emails with questions.

Jessie Festa is a travel blogger and the founder of NYC Photo Tour and Travel Blog Prosperity.