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Blogs and vlogs have been around for years. In 2017, they became more mainstream with the rise of social media popularity. Blogging is now a staple in many industries while vlogging has only grown as an art form elsewhere. What are the differences between these two types of content? Which one should you be creating?
Blogging and vlogging are both very popular methods of making money online. Which one is right for you is the actual question. If you’re debating whether to create a blog or a vlog, it’s important to grasp the fundamental distinctions between the two. You’ll also want to learn how today’s top bloggers and vloggers achieve remarkable success by following their best practices.
What Is a Blog?
A blog, sometimes known as a weblog, is a collection of information created and published online. Individuals often develop and administer blogs, but they are also popular on company websites. Bloggers are those who publish blog postings.
While broad interest blogs exist, the majority of blogs cater to a certain niche market or group of individuals that have similar interests, desires, or requirements. A blog is not a one-time document; rather, it is a continuous medium of communication that is updated with fresh, relevant material on a regular basis.
Blogs usually incorporate dynamic connections to other online material, as well as interactive or community involvement features like a comments area. Blogs began as simple text documents, but today’s advanced blogs often include dynamic images and videos.
Bloggers Esther and Jacob of LocalAdventurer.com earn over $20,000 a month from their site. (Photo courtesy of Localadventurer.com)
What Is a Vlog?
A video log, sometimes known as a vlog, is a video version of a blog. Most vlogs, like blogs, cater to a certain audience with similar interests and demands. While text or metadata may and should be used to assist vlogs, the star of the show is the person or individuals speaking on the video.
The growth of vlogging was spurred by two factors. The first was YouTube’s introduction in 2005, which remains the most popular platform for vloggers today. The second factor was the growing use of smartphones, especially as smartphone video capabilities improved to the point that nearly everyone can capture high-quality films from almost any place.
Ryan Kaji, the creator of the Ryan’s World YouTube channel, has made $26 million as a vlogger, making him the highest-paid vlogger ever. He began vlogging when he was three years old.
When Should You Blog vs. When Should You Vlog?
The degree to which the content producer employs video, as well as where the material is housed, are the main distinctions between blogging and vlogging. Vlogging may be the ideal option for you if you like chatting to people and are comfortable in front of the camera—but don’t necessarily want to develop a website. If you have a strong command of the written word and want to start your own website, blogging may be the way to go.
Many individuals are opting to blog and vlog because they believe that combining text and video material allows them to reach the largest potential audience.
Podcasts
If I told you that your content creation possibilities were restricted to vlogs and blogs, I’d be lying. Podcasting is another popular technique to create and engage with an audience. Podcasts are usually audio-only, but they may also be audio-plus-video. A podcast is a great method to reach out to those who want to listen to material while on the move.
What Is the Best Way to Begin Blogging?
There are a variety of methods to begin blogging. You may write on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, or LinkedIn, among other social media platforms. You may also use generic publishing services like Medium to create a blog.
I propose creating a self-hosted WordPress site if you want to generate money as a blogger. WordPress is the world’s most popular and adaptable blogging platform. Even better, you can start your WordPress blog for as little as $2.95 per month with Bluehost as your hosting provider.
Pick a Lucrative Blogging Niche
Although there are millions of blogging categories to pick from, some are more lucrative than others. To be a great blogger, you should choose a niche that matches your interests and abilities and provides you with the best chance of achieving your blogging objectives.
The 11 most popular blogging niches are as follows:
- Blogs about motherhood and parenting
- Blogs about food and cooking
- Blogs on living a healthy lifestyle
- Blogs for business
- Blogs about health and fitness
- Blogs about entertainment
- Blogs on personal finance
- Blogs about crafts, hobbies, and do-it-yourself
- Blogs about travel
- Blogs about product reviews
- Blogs about fashion and beauty
Cookie + Kate, for example, is a well-known culinary blog with a thriving YouTube channel. (Image courtesy of CookieandKate.com)
Create fantastic blog content
The entire content strategy of a blog will have a huge impact on how well it operates. The key to blogging success is to provide fantastic articles on themes that are popular. You may create a successful blog that endures the test of time if you constantly provide high-quality material.
The majority of your blog’s material may be text-based, which is rather usual. The greatest bloggers use interactive quizzes, videos, and high-impact visuals to vary how they offer material on their sites.
Repurposing your blog material is one approach to get the most out of your blogging content production efforts. You may, for example, turn your blog entries into scripts that you can record as videos for your vlog.
What Are the Different Ways Bloggers Make Money?
As a blogger, you may earn money in a variety of ways. The amount of money you earn from blogging is mostly determined by the sort of audience you cater to, the amount of traffic you attract to your site, and the monetization tactics you use.
The following are the most common methods for bloggers to earn money:
- Affiliate marketing
- Advertising
- Content that has been sponsored
- Create and market online courses.
- Write books and e-books and sell them.
- Offer professional or independent services for sale.
- Sell actual goods, either your own or those of others.
What Do Bloggers Get Paid?
Those that consider their blogs like a company and follow a solid blog business strategy earn far more money than those who regard it as a hobby. Some bloggers never earn a dollar, while others struggle to make more than $200 to $2,500 every month.
As a blogger, you may earn five figures or more every month. Many bloggers, in fact, have quit their 9-to-5 jobs to launch successful blog companies that enable them to work from anywhere. To be honest, you won’t become a millionaire overnight as a blogger. Building a lucrative blog requires a lot of effort, but it is surely doable.
A six-figure-earning blog is the Show Me the Yummy Food website. (Image courtesy of ShowmeTheyYummy.com)
What Is the Best Way to Begin Vlogging?
It’s as easy as holding your smartphone in front of you, pressing the record video button, and then upload your new video to YouTube or another popular vlogging site to get started as a vlogger. In reality, great vloggers devote a significant amount of time and attention to developing their entire vlogging tactics as well as making outstanding shareable videos.
Choose from a variety of vlogging platforms.
The most popular bloggers usually create their own websites for their blogs. The most popular vloggers, unlike bloggers, vlog on sites that host their videos for them.
Because of its large active user base, YouTube is by far the most popular medium for vloggers. YouTube has about 30 million channels, with 15 million producers producing 80 million videos each month. About 16,000 YouTube channels have over a million followers, indicating that many vloggers are becoming famous.
Michelle’ Phan, a beauty blogger, has approximately 9 million YouTube followers. (Image courtesy of Youtube.com)
While YouTube is the most popular platform for vlogging, it is not the only one. IGTV, which stands for Instagram TV, allows you to vlog on Instagram. You may also vlog on Facebook using the social media platform’s live video feature, or use Facebook Watch to host videos.
TikTok, a video-sharing social networking application, is perhaps the most fascinating and exploding trend in vlogging. Individual videos on TikTok are restricted to 15 seconds, but you may combine four 15-second films for a total viewing length of up to 60 seconds. TikTok’s most popular vlogs are lighthearted and enjoyable.
Ryan O’connell’s roller-skating vlogs have received millions of likes on TikTok. (Image courtesy of Tiktok.com)
Select a Lucrative Vlogging Niche
While there is a lot of overlap between vloggers and bloggers in terms of genres, there are also some variances. Both blogs and vlogs are popular in the fields of beauty, fashion, fitness, lifestyle, money, and travel. Gaming, humor, and entertainment are some of the other genres that vloggers excel in.
The Markiplier YouTube channel, which focuses on gaming and entertainment videos, has over 26 million followers. (Image courtesy of Youtube.com)
Is your target market under 30 years old?
The age of the audience is one factor that distinguishes vlogging from blogging. Video material is generally preferred by millennials over text-based information. If your target audience is under 30, vlogging should be a big element of your content strategy.
Sixty percent of millennials binge-watch YouTube videos (Source: Mediakix.com)
Create fantastic vlog content
Quality material is essential for bloggers and vloggers alike. However, the method through which you create that material is significantly different.
Invest in the Right Vlogging Equipment
Vloggers who are just getting started frequently misunderstand how much work goes into making a viral video. It’s not always simple to create the high-quality videos that today’s consumers want. However, a video that provides significant value to viewers does not need to be as polished as a high-end Hollywood production.
The following is a list of common vlogging equipment:
- A smartphone or camera that can record video
- A microphone that can pick up your voice without taking up any surrounding noise.
- A tripod or other sturdy support for your camera is recommended.
- Teleprompter software
- Backdrops for professionals
- Video editing software
Show off your charisma in front of the camera.
You’ll need to improve your video delivery abilities in addition to employing the correct equipment to make your vlogs. In reality, only a few individuals are born with the ability to be captivating on camera. It may take some time to develop the art of speaking with delicacy and flair on video. However, like with any ability, the more experience you have, the more engaging you will seem as a vlogger.
Create a Vlog Script to Save Time & Create Content
When it comes to speaking on camera, some vloggers “fly it,” but many more are just as excellent at making it appear like they’re winging it when they’re really reading from a script. Scripts help you to cut down on the amount of time you spend recording and editing your vlog. Using a script also allows you to keep focused on the topics you want to include in your vlog, allowing you to better serve your audience.
A video shoot for a vlogger is one example (Source: Spectrum-Brand.com)
How Do They Make Money?
Vloggers earn money mostly via the same methods that bloggers do, including advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and selling a variety of items and services.
For material submitted on YouTube, vloggers may earn advertising revenue via Google AdSense. To join the AdSense program on YouTube, you’ll need at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public view hours in the previous 12 months.
Estimated Google AdSense profits for a YouTube vlogger that receives 50,000 daily ad views. (Image courtesy of Influence Marketing Hub)
What Do Vloggers Get Paid?
Because so few vloggers make their earnings public, it’s impossible to report what the typical vlogger makes. Vlogger earnings, like those of bloggers, range from nothing to millions of dollars.
On YouTube, vlogger advertising payments range from $10 to $33 per thousand ad views. The most successful vloggers diversify their revenue sources, with sponsored videos and product sales accounting for the majority of their earnings.
Vloggers make anywhere from $100 to $1,000 in sponsorship payments for videos with 10,000 monthly views, according to a recent YouTuber poll. For a single vlog post, vloggers with millions of monthly views may earn five- and even six-figure sponsorship payments.
Alpha M., a men’s lifestyle YouTuber with 6 million followers, makes money via product partnerships. (Image courtesy of Youtube.com)
Conclusion
The decision between blogging and vlogging boils down to your particular preferences for content creation. Some individuals are born writers, while others have dispositions that are well-suited to video. You can earn a good life as a vlogger or a blogger, but in today’s environment, where audiences for practically every specialty prefer to consume material in many ways, you may want to blog and vlog as well.
Blogs and vlogs are similar in many ways, but there are some differences between the two. The most notable difference is that vlogs typically have a narrator who speaks to the camera while blogging uses text as the main content. Blogging can also be interactive with comments, while vlogging is more of a one-way conversation.
