Do you love reading about other people’s lives?
Do you spend hours browsing lifestyle blogs and websites, wishing that your life was as exciting as theirs?
And, then you say to yourself, “How to start a lifestyle blog and make money?”
If so, then maybe it’s time to start a lifestyle blog of your own.
This post will walk you through the steps necessary for starting a successful lifestyle blog!
What you need to know before starting a lifestyle blog
You don’t need a lot of technical knowledge to launch your lifestyle blog.
Your initial investment will be minimal, and you can learn the skills as you go with beginner tutorials online!
It doesn’t matter what kind of content your website features. Creativity is key in this business. But it does help if you have a niche in mind.
Do you want to blog about fashion? Traveling the world? Reviews of books or movies? You decide!
But, it may take a long time for you to make money. And, blogging day in day out can take its toll.
Most bloggers quit because it takes a long time before they see the fruits of their labor.
And, even if they do start to make money, it’s a minuscule amount.
I can’t guarantee that you’ll make thousands a month. But, I can guarantee that you will make money if you have the patience and work hard.
How to start a lifestyle blog
Starting a lifestyle blog is easy. The best part is that you can do it on your own time and at any geographical location. All the tools are available online to get started.
How to start a lifestyle blog, step by step:
First of all, find a domain name (you might want one with your name in it). Then create an account with WordPress or Blogger.
Then you’ll need to choose a theme for your website. There are many free and paid themes out there that look great, but it’s up to you which one is best suited for your blog.
The next step would be choosing the right plugins (elements like contact forms or Twitter integration), then installing these elements on your website via the WordPress dashboard.
That was a brief guide but I don’t want to waste your time. However, for more detailed information, and when you’re ready, read our free, simple but ultimateĀ guide to starting a blog.
How to use your lifestyle blog to make money
The next step would be monetizing your blog with ads (you can choose from ad networks like Google Adsense or Mediavine) or affiliate links to make money from people clicking on your links and making a purchase.
Finally, once you’ve built up an audience of readers who love the content you produce on your lifestyle blog (and may even come to trust it), you can start charging for certain premium features like VIP access or early-access previews of upcoming articles.
Today, a popular tactic is creating exclusive bundles or subscriptions that will only be available to members of your blog’s VIP community.
For someone to become a member, they have to pay an annual or monthly fee which gives them access to exclusive content not visible on the public-facing side of your site.
The final step is creating and maintaining influential relationships with brands to get free products for your blog.
This can be done by reaching out to companies or brands whose products you’re interested in and offering them a deal: “We’ll do product reviews for you, like this one _______ with our audience of ________ people.”
When they see the size of your readership (and the traffic it brings their company), they’ll be more than happy to send you a free product.
You can also get sponsorships from companies willing to trade your site for advertising space, which brings in residual income every month.
How to brand your lifestyle blog
Branding is the biggest step in the process of getting your blog off the ground. It’s what sets you apart from other blogs, and it helps potential readers decide if a particular blogger is for them or not.
Finding a niche topic that has been largely unexplored by other bloggers can make all the difference when establishing yourself as an authority on that subject matter.
Step One: Decide on a name for your blog
It’s best to have the same domain as your blog, but if you don’t want it to be evident that this is the case, make sure there are no spaces or other characters in between words.
If you have trouble coming up with a name, much as I do, all of the time. I recommend using a service like Namemesh or Domain Name Soup.
Step Two: Create an About Page
The about page should include a brief description of who you are and what your blog will be about. This will also give readers a sense of trust in the blogger as they know more information before reading posts on that person’s blog.
It’s best not to confuse the reader with too much content, but it’s important to provide them with enough information, so they know who you are and what your blog is about.
The best way to do this without blogging too much or giving away too many trade secrets is to keep the profile short and sweet.
Step Three: Create Your Content
The first thing to do is determine what your topic of choice will be. This can either be something you are passionate about or a subject that interests lots of people and can make blog posts easily readable for readers who are interested in this niche area.
Once you’ve determined the general theme of your blog, you need to think about what type of content you want – do you want to post weekly, monthly, or quarterly?
Whatever your preference is, they must get shared once the blog posts are published. The best way to share them is by creating a “share” button on your site so readers can easily click and tweet your posts.
A great way to share your blog post content is by utilizing social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. These are all free tools that you can use today to increase the popularity of your site.
Step Four: Share your content
When you’re starting out, your site won’t show in the search engines, like Google and Bing.
To get your blog posts shared, you need people reading them and commenting on them – both are essential for increasing your site’s popularity.
You can do this by finding other bloggers in a similar niche as yours and getting their feedback about your post, encouraging more sharing (and comments).
Another way is to advertise at various blogging sites such as through ads on Google Adsense or Shareasale that target lifestyle topics like fashion, foodie blogs, design journals, etc.
Of course, these advertisers must have something relevant to offer each blogger so they don’t feel spammed with irrelevant offers.
Still another option is to partner with a company that offers products or services in the lifestyle space and allow them to provide discounts on their site through your blog’s RSS feed.
You can also join Facebook groups related to lifestyle. Share your content, if allowed, but don’t spam.
Step Five: Create shareable content
Lastly, create content for Facebook and Instagram that is valuable.
How do you know if a content is share worthy? Well, you don’t. The best way to go about it is to ask yourself, “Is this going to help the readers or me?” If you said the latter, then you’re doing it all wrong.
Creating content and also managing social media is tricky. I know!
This is when social media schedulers are outstanding such as Tailwind. However, if you’re focusing on Instagram or Facebook, the Facebook Content Creator Studio is free to use. It allows you to schedule a year’s worth of posts.
Branding is the hardest and the longest game. You need talent, patience, and persistence to get it going.
Lifestyle Blog Niches
Here are just a few examples of lifestyle blog niches to give you some ideas:
- Personal Care
- Parenting and Family Lifestyle
- Fashion
- Interior Design
If you can’t find anything on the list that interests you, create your blog niche! You might find that you’re passionate about something that nobody else is talking about.
Also, you have to know your choice of niche. That way, you’ll always have a fresh topic to write about.
Lifestyle Blog Examples
If you’re confused or need some inspiration to get you going, here are five lifestyle blog examples that you can emulate or get inspiration from:
- Camille Styles – Camille’s goal is to “inspire the pursuit of your passions,” and now she has a team of creative folks that help her achieve this mission. Hers, in many ways, was one perfect example of how an online lifestyle blog can grow into something more with just enough encouragement from its creator.
- Better Living – Better Living is a magazine-style blog that covers all types of content within their niches, but readers know to expect the best from them because they get over one million page views per month.
- A Beautiful Mess – Elsie and Emma’s blog is about staying home, not going anywhere. They discuss various topics but remain true to their motto “stay home” by not talking much about travel or other things you might find on blogs like this one.
- Rachel Parcell – Rachel Parcell is one of the most recognizable bloggers in my social media circles. She started her blog with some fashion and wedding content, but it took off after being featured in a magazine. Her site’s undergone a few changes over the years – from features on style to short-form writing about everything under the sun (with occasional recipes!). Rachel’s posts stay consistent with their steady theme and aesthetic thanks to photography, fonts, colors, and that sweet ellipsis at the end of nearly every title!
- Coconuts and Kettlebells – Noelle is a lifestyle blogger who covers food and fitness topics. She also has a category for skincare, mindset, and motherhood. Her top posts are related to skincare as well – it seems like she loves the spa treatment! Noelle believes that nutrition should be flexible with your life rather than restrictive because of her passion for healthy living. It’s not just about health but finding balance in all aspects of our lives which includes going out drinking or eating unhealthy foods sometimes when necessary to keep things interesting without causing any harm.”
There you have it! Those are just some of the best lifestyle blogs on the internet. So take a look, browse their site. Get inspired. And start your lifestyle blog today and start generating some money.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to start a lifestyle blog, we have some excellent information for you.
You need to know what your niche will be and how to create content that people want to read.
We recommend using the following resources if you’re thinking about starting a lifestyle blog of your own:
- Blogging Basics Guide by WordPress.com
- How To Start A Lifestyle Website From Scratch on Creative Market Blogs (free download)
- 10 Ways Your Lifestyle Site Can Make Money Online via Forbes.com (free download)
And one more thing.
Here’s a simple but proven guide to starting a blog from scratch and make money.
You’ll learn everything about how to create your lifestyle blog from scratch – without any tech know-how necessary.
You’ll walk away with all the tools needed to get started so that you can hit the ground running and make money as soon as possible.
As a dedicated SEO professional, I help businesses improve their online visibility and attract more customers through search engine optimization. Whether you’re a small local business or a large corporation, I can help improve your search rankings, drive more traffic to your website, and ultimately grow your business.
Christian Tanobey