Blog and Instagram are not the same. 

Instagram might be more your cup of tea.

While others may prefer some blog soup.

I will tell you what I think and I will support my banter with real-life examples. 

Without further ado, Blog VS Instagram, DING DING!

What is a blog?

A blog is a website regularly updated by an individual or a group of people. 

Blogzn is a website that I and others regularly update. 

There are many ways you can start your blog. You can begin your blogging career without paying anything.

But, I don’t recommend you do that. If you want to turn this into a generating income and not just a hobby, you’ll need to treat it like a business. 

You’ll need to attract connections later on, and having a credible website is more appealing than one that has the following: www.yourdomain.wordpress.com. 

Compared to a domain name like the following: www.yourdomain.com.

In all honesty, if a business emails me about their www.website.wix.com, I start to think that they are not generating much income as they are using a free platform instead of having their own.

Of course, I could be wrong. For all I know, a free site could be making millions. I would still highly doubt it, though.

So, for comparison sake. When I say blog, I mean a blog you own. 

Start your own blog the right way with our free step-by-step guide.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a social media platform for anyone to use. 

There are millions of users, and it’s growing year by year.

If you’re creating content for Instagram and have followers, you’re considered an influencer. 

Some might even call you an Instagram blogger if you’re typing plenty of texts to accompany the selfies you take. 

Blog vs Instagram Round 1 – Cost

The cost of running a blog can deter someone from starting their blog. 

A domain can start from $9 annually, and hosting will set you back about the same price per month. 

However, to help you get started with your blog, Bluehost can get you a free domain if you choose them as your hosting. Click on the following to get the deal: FREE domain from Bluehost.[link to free domain bluehost}

On the other hand, Instagram doesn’t cost you anything. 

You can sign up on Instagram, put up a picture, and tell the world about the chicken adobo you had for dinner.

Round 1 goes to Instagram.

Round 2 – Ease of Use

The problem with starting your blog is that it could be too technical for some.

Technically, you don’t need to know anything about codes to start your blog. WordPress, Blogger, and Wix made sure that anyone can have their blog without coding ability. 

In saying that, there are still techy things that need doing if you run your website. 

You’ll have to monitor everything about the website, like its performance on search engines. You also have to keep track of its content campaigns, install necessary apps to improve or fix the website, and there may come a time when you need to learn a little bit of coding.

Meanwhile, the people behind Instagram do all the heavy lifting for you. All you do is create amazing content. 

Round 2 goes to Instagram.

Round 3 – Content Creation

Writing an article can take me 6 hours, some even longer. 

A lot of research goes into writing a blog and, of course, proofreading the draft.

Seriously, the hard part when it comes to writing is the research. Having an opinion and writing about it is easy. But an opinion is highly regarded when some form of data backs it. 

Being a blogger means you have to write for the reader and the search engine. 

The search engine needs to know what you’re writing about, so you may want to sprinkle those words in the article. 

The reader won’t care about the keyword, but how helpful and easy it is to read your article.

Nowadays, exact keywords are not necessary due to Google’s constantly evolving intelligent algorithm. But knowing the main keyword and keeping it in mind while writing is vital. 

The keyword for this article is “blog vs instagram.” Google can recognize what this article is about by scanning different synonyms of the words “blog,” “vs,” and “instagram.” For example, the word blog can mean website, vs can be versus, and Instagram is IG. 

As an SEO copywriter, slash blogger, those are just some of the things I have to think about while writing a piece.

While posting on Instagram may take you only 10 minutes. Take a photo, share on Instagram, write a brief description, and you’re done.

To my knowledge, Instagram’s algorithm goes by likes, comments, views, and reshares. 

Search engines also put those mentioned above into consideration plus 196 more, according to an article by Backlinko. 

But, Google constantly updates its algorithm so no one can “game” the system.

Therefore, it’s easier to get engagement with your content on Instagram with little effort.

Instagram takes round 3.

Round 4 – Making Money

You can make money with either platform. If you’re an IG influencer, you can make money making brand deals, sponsorships, and paid collaboration. 

You can also have affiliate links to a product that your audience can buy, and you take a commission. 

However, you can’t join ad networks such as Adsense, Mediavine, or Adthrive and plaster ads all over your bio or selfies. 

That is all.

A blog has many monetization options. The following are just some of the ways you can make money with a blog:

• Affiliate marketing
• Adnetworks
• Selling ads
• Sell products and services
• Create a business directory
• Membership site
• Write sponsored posts
• Host webinars
• Teach online course
• Have a job board

There must be more things you can do with a blog that I haven’t covered. Care to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below?

Round 4 goes to blog.

Round 5 – Ownership

The biggest pro of having a blog is that you own the platform. Unlike Facebook or Instagram that can censor, delete the things you say, videos you post, and images. 

Having your blog means you can do whatever the heck you want with it. You can talk about Super Mario, Aliens, or even the raunchy stuff like a pickled onion sandwich.

Sell shoes, sell eBooks, and even sell yourself. I mean, your services such as speaking gigs and other things you’re good at.

You can start an agency, a membership site, review products, and even a job board. 

Blogging on social media platforms has its merits. But, you’re limited.

Furthermore, have you heard of MySpace? Friendster? Nope? Well, they’ve vanished or overrun and struggling.

Friendster closed down due to lack of engagement and users in 2018.

[source: Friendster] 

While MySpace paved the way for social platforms. Facebook overran MySpace in May 2009.

Since then, MySpace never caught up, and its users declined to 7 million by 2019. It’s still around, though. Who knows what’s going to happen.

[source: MySpace]

If you were blogging and creating content for Friendster, your content went kaput too. While your contents’ future is in the hands of MySpace’s ability to keep and attract users. 

Blog wins this round.

Blog vs Instagram – Winner

You can make money doing either. 

You probably like being an influencer making Instagram a definite answer for you.

But, I’m not you. I’m not as good-looking or charismatic. So, I hide behind my blog.

My only suggestion is that why not have both? I mean, you can make money doing either. Why not make money doing both?

You can start with a blog and build your Instagram followers later.

Or vice versa, build a following on Instagram, then create your blog. 

Some things you might want to keep in mind when deciding:

• If you love the limelight and have no problems strutting your stuff for the whole world to see, and hate writing, then the gram is for you. 
• If you like to write, I think you should start your website. 

And, as you make money with your blog, hire a social media manager to take care of things at Insta or other social media platforms.

It’s the same advice if you prefer being an influencer. Once you have a stable income stream coming from Instagram, start building a website as soon as you can.

Either you want to be an influencer or a blogger who spends woeful hours writing, both can be a profitable venture.

Conclusion

Choosing between blogging or being an influencer is not about good or bad. 

Or which one makes more money. 

It’s about being self-aware of your strengths and weaknesses. 

Both options can make money online. The variable is you.