We’ve seen the stories of successful bloggers and creators drawing audiences and paydays by the millions. Many of them appear to be “overnight successes.”
But is that really the case?
Often, we overlook the tortuous paths that led to their success. the center of attention. The years of hard work in the anonymous and content foundation that made your success possible in the first place.
So how long does it take to build a following and business online? And how can you know if you’re on the right track?
How long does it take to create a successful blog?
There is no guaranteed period of time, that if you commit to, we will promises success. However, there are patterns. As Jim Rohn says,
To help identify these patterns, we’ll look at some examples from YouTube bloggers and creators. Why these two categories? Because there’s a lot of overlap in the way they work:
- Both rely on search keywords for traffic.
- Both can build audiences: bloggers with email subscribers email and YouTubers with subscribers. (Email is much more effective though.)
- Both of you can monetize through ads, sponsorships, digital merchandise, and more.
Example #1: Pinch of Yum
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Lindsay and Bjork started a food blog in 2011 while they still had full-time jobs. They posted consistently, experimented with different types of content, and slowly started adding revenue streams like ads and products.
Three and a half years later, in the summer of 2014, they were able to quit their jobs and go all- in your blog. Today, her post now supports a team of eight.
Example #2: The Everywhereist
Geraldine started a travel blog as a way to share her experiences. publicly. For two years, the blog received almost zero traffic. But the author agreed to this because she enjoyed the process of creating content.
Then, during the third year, some articles went viral, which brought mountains of new visitors to her site. . And since Geraldine had been posting consistently for years, there was a lot of content to explore.
Here’s a snippet of what The Everywhereist’s traffic timeline looks like.
Example #3: Gillian Perkins
Youtuber Gillian Perkins began her journey with a focused channel in Music where they shared lessons, product reviews and tips for aspiring musicians. However, after three years of working on that project, Gillian was ready to invest in something new and apply all the growth tactics she learned along the way.
In just six months, her second channel, a business-focused, it eclipsed the first channel in terms of audience and revenue.
Example #4: Collection
Finally, a few years ago, blogger Suzi Whitford analyzed over 50 blogs to highlight any patterns found.
They found that it took the majority of blogs surveyed about four years to generate significant revenue, with the most successful ones having been posting for 6- 8 years.
Summary of blog time commitment
Around 2 years, you should have enough content and a large enough audience like to start experimenting with different monetization methods.
For those who want to become full-time content creators plan to post consistently for 3-4 years before they can comfortably transition.
These are patterns only, not guarantees. But they reveal what is possible. In the same time it takes to get a college degree or a job promotion, you could be building an online business on your own.
However, you need to make sure you’re using that time productively. .
How many posts do you need to publish?
Most bloggers and content creators follow a weekly cadence, which means they publish one new article or video per week.
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Some choose to post more often. This may be a strategy to accelerate growth, or it may be standard in your niche (such as creators who cover breaking news or go live and post daily).
For example, The Everywhereist reached 1,000 posts published after 4 and a half years (about two posts per week). YouTuber Lavendaire landed her first brand deal after 250 videos posted (about three videos a week).
For her first 100 articles, videos, or any other type of content she creates, focus on perfecting her job. Pay attention to what resonates with people. Develop related technical skills, such as customizing a website or editing videos. If you adopt this mindset, you will enjoy the process much more and the quality of your content will improve much faster.
Stack the odds in your favor
Growing a blog takes time, and only a small percentage of creators stay in the game long enough to win. That means if you’re willing to persist, your chances of a successful blog are very good.
There is an inevitable element of needing to show up constantly, over time. You can apply the same principle to almost any creative endeavor (art, music, photography), learning a new skill (like yoga or learning to code), or building a business.
A Few More Tips to Increase Your Odds They are:
- Don’t choose a niche too soon. Explore rather than exploit.
- Choose a topic and medium (articles, videos, etc.) that you enjoy because you will spend a lot of time on them.
- Focus on building an audience before worrying about how to monetize it.
- Make a schedule and stick to it. If there’s any secret to success, it’s constantly showing up.
- Embrace a growth mindset. Your content can and will improve over time.
A marathon vs. a garden
Many people use the analogy of a marathon when describing what it takes to create a creative . online business. Although useful, a vegetable garden is better.
Gardening requires not only time and patience, but also care and awareness. There are different seasons involved and a lot to learn. But over time, you’ll start to notice signs of life peeking through the earth. And eventually, the plants you’ve sustained will grow to produce things that sustain you.
Before long, people will look at what you’ve built and wonder how you achieved your “overnight success.”
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