Anyone can start a blog that makes money. Seriously.

Some of you can even generate enough money from your blog to quit your job.

My blog gets over 2,436,100 visitors annually and generates more than one million dollars in revenue.

Above is an example of a 30-day earning period from a previous year. I earned over $381,000 in one month that year!

While you’re probably not going to reach that amount right now, I can teach you how to start a blog that makes over $3,000 per month.

I started from scratch just like you. But after more than a decade of trial and error, I’ve finally figured out the secret to running a successful blog that makes money.

You can avoid these mistakes and generate profits much quicker by following the blueprint outlined in this guide.

Looking for a barebones, quick start guide to get started as fast as possible? In this section, we won’t cover everything, only the essential steps. Everything is covered in way more detail later, so jump down if you hit a snag.

Before you begin, it’s important to understand the principles behind starting a blog.

• Pick a big enough niche. Make sure to pick a niche that is bigger than “vegan Caribbean recipes” but smaller than “nutrition.”
• Don’t stick with one platform. I know I’ve told you that you need to use WordPress as your blogging platform, but it shouldn’t stop there. Why not also use Medium, Tumblr, or even LinkedIn?
• Control your destiny. Post in multiple places and always link back to your site so you can better control traffic to your site.
• Blogging is both about “you” and “I.” People want to read stories. They want to be involved in a conversation, and the easiest way to do this is to use the words “you” and “I” within your blog posts.
• Always ask questions. At the end of every blog post, always ask a question. If you don’t ask a question, people won’t know what to do next.
• You have to stand out. You have to go above and beyond. Sadly, there is no single answer as every industry is different, but typically, infographics, visuals, and branching off from everyone else in your space will help you stand out.
• Your content needs to be portable and easy to digest. For example, creating video-based content or audio-based content (podcasts) are simple ways to make your content portable.
• Content isn’t king unless it’s good. Writing mediocre content isn’t good enough. It won’t do well, and you will just be wasting time. So, don’t write content unless it is really, really, really good.
• You have to produce quality and quantity. To increase your odds of success, you need to be willing to produce amazing content in quantity.
• Your blog isn’t always the best place to blog. From industry blogs to large sites like Entrepreneur and Business Insider, consider placing your best content on places with more visibility and higher domain authority, especially in the beginning.

Don’t believe me?