Why You Need a Blogging Coach and How to Find & Afford One

I’ve used coaches for many things in my life: exercise, prayer, business. Now that I am a blogger, I am using a blogging coach. Actually, I have several blogging coaches. Why is this even necessary and isn’t this expensive? If you are wondering if it’s really worth it to have a blog coach, here’s some food for thought.

Objective Perspective

For the same reasons that a gray-haired “seasoned” old chap is qualified to coach a bunch of strong, vigorous twenty somethings in a sport like basketball, a blog coach is not only needed but essential. A coach will have a different vantage point of your blog and help you think and see beyond your current situation. Sometimes you need to get out of your own head and let some one else in. This someone should be aware of your goals and help you get going in that direction. That’s the purpose of a blog coach.

Faster Results

Instead of  hitting your head against the wall, why not get trained by someone who already knows the ropes? A coach can’t weather every experience for you, but they can explain some of the pitfalls and common mistakes they’ve made and observed with other bloggers. Many times, a coach has a vast repository of knowledge and experience that can serve as a catalyst for better results.

Having a Team

You know the old adage, “Two heads are better than one.” While you might not be able to afford to hire a VA, graphic designer or publicist, you could get the most bang for your buck in a “coach.” This person adds to the executive level of your team (which is just you right now) and has the potential to help your blogging pursuits become more successful early on.  If you want to be more successful sooner than later, think seriously about the value of having a much more knowledgeable person than you on your team.

Making Money

When you started blogging, what did you expect? Did you think the money would come gushing in after you wrote a post about your day at the zoo with your kiddies? That might have worked a few years ago, but now there’s definite strategy to monetizing your blog content. You have to be intentional and you have to be strategic about monetization. You can have the best content and tons of page views. But if you don’t know how to extract the income from what you are providing , it’s an exercise in vanity (unless you have gobs of time to write and never make money!)

Running a Business

If your goal is to make money, then you want to run your blog like a business. I can’t stress this enough. If you are looking to start a hobby blog with no income aspiration, you can skip coaching. However, if your goal is to grow your blog to 2x or 3x your salary, then you will need some business savvy and  a coach.

Aren’t Coaches Expensive? How Can I Afford One?

Yep- to the tune of $150-$300 an hour or more. I have 6 blog coaches! So, I must be making six-figures on this blog, right? LOL…soon that will definitely be the case. I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret: eCourses. I have purchased a number of eCourses for topics that range from broad blogging subjects down to niches like FaceBook ads and Pinterest. If I hadn’t done this, I’d still be at 800 monthly page views and $2.77 in monthly revenues for my blog.

The key to being able to financing additional investment in your blog is to focus, early on, on money making activities like building your email list and driving traffic to your site. (Traffic converts to money when you places ads through networks like Google AdSense and Media.net.) I would also suggest that you make up your mind to reinvest any monies, up to a certain dollar amount, back into your blog. Rosemarie Groner of the BusyBudgter.com says she invested all her earning up to $1,000 per month back into her blog. (She’s now averaging $20k in income per month.) That’s where the money will come from to afford your blogging coaches and classes.

If you are strapped for time & money yet want to accelerate your blog growth here are the eCourses I’ve taken and recommend (in order):

• Start a Blog or Website QuickStart Tutorial (FREE)
• Elite Blogging Academy
• Efficient Blogging
• Escape Your Day Job- Fast Track to $500

Can’t Afford a Paid Coach or eCourse Yet? Check Out My Free eCourse on Starting a Blog Below!

Aja McClanahan

Aja “A.J.” McClanahan is a writer, speaker and entrepreneur.