So you want to become a blogging superstar huh? Earn the passive income online, do what you love, inspire people and work only a few hours a day? I know how that feels. The temptation is certainly there, to create a successful blog and live the life you always wanted. The main problem that prevents most bloggers from creating a successful business online is the very draw of success in the first place.

Some bloggers think it’s gonna be easy, that you will have to simply just apply some tactics and automate everything.. Then the money will start rolling in.

It isn’t like that. I’ve been at this game for over a year now. I’ve tried so many different things out there and failed a ton of times along the way.

Here are 9 realistic points of advice that can help you gain blogging success

1 – Be good at one thing

In the world of blogging there are so many different aspects to it all.

You can write, do videos, podcasts, webinars or just scout for something cool online to share with others.

It’s tempting to think that you need to do all of them for online success, but that’s not true.

Align yourself with your passion and what you’re good at. Then stick to that ONLY. Keep at it and soon you’ll be known as a professional of that subject in your field. This is how you have real focus online and eliminate distractions. Besides, you don’t want to be the jack-of-all-trades and end up becoming a watered down version of other bloggers.

Stick to one thing only and keep honing that craft. Personally, I only write. I don’t do video or podcasts. I’ve tried them before and not only did I not feel good about it, the content came out mediocre and ultimately useless.

2 – Then grow later

Many bloggers have this mixed up. It’s kind of understandable as all the talk of having massive amount of traffic, eyeballs and subscribers can easily get to you.

Yes, gaining exposure is important, but it’s useless to attract people to your blog filled with mediocre content. You’ve  got to attract them, but then also make sure they STAY, and you do that only by being good at something and being recognized for it.

3 – Stop it with the tricks, tactics, hacks and whatever.

“Top 10 Twitter TRICKS…”

“This traffic LOOP-HOLE….”

“AUTOMATE your blog today…”

The list goes on.

Remember this now and forever: These are just tactics. They’re just the icing on the cake.

You need a strong foundation consisting of good content and then you need to create a strategy for yourself. This is why the tired, but true line, “Content is king” is still around. It matters the most. Be good at one thing and then you can grow with all these tactics, otherwise, it’s all going to crumble down as you don’t have a strong foundation with quality content.

4 – If it’s too good to be true, then it’s definitely not true

“Top 10 Twitter TACTICS to gain a million followers overnight”

“This traffic LOOP-HOLE accidentally made me $9,424!”

“AUTOMATE your blog today and earn $(insert another very specific number) while you sleep”

If it sounds too easy, it’s most likely not true at all.

Consider the fact that people, or the “gurus” who are trying to sell you on these ideas are complete scammers and liars.

Don’t fall for them.

Blogging is a business after all. It’s not going to be easy. If it’s as easy as simply buying some cheap “guru” product, then everybody would quit their job and start making tons of cash online today.

5 – It’s okay to spend money before you start making money online

When I started out blogging, like most others,  it was my way out of the corporate 9 to 5. I thought it was going to be easy and hence, I didn’t need help at all. I ended up learning everything the hard way on my own. You can do that of course, but why not give yourself a little boost? Put in the money to start investing in a good training programme or even a mentor. These will help you learn things the right way and definitely speed things up.

You don’t want to start out feeling lost and lonely. Or worse, learn all the wrong things that will only slow you down or steer you in the wrong direction.

6 – That being said, you don’t have to do everything on your own

You aren’t the heroic solo-preneur who absolutely has to overcome everything on your own.

Again, it’s tempting to think that way since the internet is supposed to make everything “easy”.

Nope. You’re bound to run into some challenges and discover things you aren’t very good at.

Outsource the things you aren’t passionate about.

Like for me, I write all my content, but I outsource my design and programming, I merely give the directions from there.

It’s also okay to seek help. Put in the effort to ask questions and email other bloggers if they want to work together.

No business is truly a one man-show. Everybody needs help and people work together for success.

7 – Don’t quit your job just yet

How often have you heard of the successful guy who left everything behind to pursue his dream?

Or, they’ve even been fired from work and then they later call it, “The best thing that happened” in their life.

Those are certainly very inspiring stories, but that doesn’t mean you need to follow suit just like that.

This is life. We need to be real. We may have our dreams, but we also have responsibilities in life.

I left my job to do this myself. I paid for it later on when my savings depleted (thanks to a lot of partying).

There’s really nothing wrong with holding on to a job while working on your dream at the side.

If you want to quit your job. Then do it when it’s realistic. Make sure you’ve a substantial amount of savings left aside and also a clear direction and purpose on what to do next.

8 – Ignore everyone and don’t underestimate yourself

Maybe this point is a bit contradictory to seeking help online, but hear me out.

In business, you definitely need to learn all the concepts, theories and also get some help from others.

But you will eventually hit a point where you need to call the shots on your own. This means believing in yourself and doing what you think is right.

And trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

I used to lack a lot of confidence in myself, so much so that I had to get an “Okay” from some other blogger or get the virtual green light by reading up a lot about something online.

I ended up not taking action at all. I also got very confused as everybody else seems to swear by their methods and kept telling me what to do. (This will happen A LOT).

When I finally decided that I would do things my way, real, tangible results came. Don’t ever underestimate yourself. Ignore what others say especially when deep down, it doesn’t feel right to you.

Once you’ve studied and learnt enough, just take action.  You’d want to create a business you can truly call your own anyway.

9 – It gets easier

And finally, yes, it gets easier.

It’s going to be tough at first, but it gets easier.

So work hard, believe in yourself and keep pushing.

Online success will come and your dreams will come true.