10 things to do when all your blogging income has suddenly dried up…

Oh these are strange, strange times, aren’t they? I haven’t blogged over here on ages-not since my guide to saving money on maternity leave. But don’t take offence-I haven’t blogged much on my main blog –A Balanced Belly- either.

Disclaimer: This post occasionally mentions affiliate links and my products. In the interest of slight overkill, these have been individually labelled and it’s a right bloody faff.

I have completely lost my blogging mojo and in honesty, I have no blog work lined up at all. My inbox is quiet, my traffic is down and my Mediavine ad revenue is so low I don’t like to check each day any more.

I’ve been working so hard on my blogs the last few months. Both in terms in their design and the content I’ve put out there. But I decided a month ago to take a break.

Not just because blogging is my job which is no longer something I’m really earning from but because mainly I had no idea what to write.

A lot of people say you should only blog for you, but I’ve never subscribed to that. I don’t obsess over traffic but I like to know the content I put out there is being read and helping others.

The ideas I’ve had for posts have seemed trivial and I felt as if I couldn’t offer something of value. I’ve been focusing my efforts on working on my freelance journalism and thankfully have landed some great commissions. But over the weekend, I’ve felt ready to start blogging again.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to pretend it’s a great time to be self-employed or work as a blogger. But I thought I’d share my top tips for what to do if, like me, your blog income has just dried up overnight.

I hope these tips are really useful-do let me know how this pandemic is impacted you and your blog, and if there’s anything I can help with do just ask! If you’re looking for general motivation tips then I recommend this post by the Owlet on how to stay motivated!

1. Email your old contacts

A lot of brands are pausing their blog/influencer marketing so chances are, emailing your old contacts is probably not going to get you any immediate work.

But it is a new financial year and things are quiet, so a quick email seeing how they are if there are any new launches planned, anything you can help with, along with an updated media kit for them to keep on file when things get busier couldn’t hurt. Just get the tone right. See below.

2. Get creative in how you work with brands

If you want to keep putting content out there, perhaps have a think about how you could work with brands if you still want to. Most of us have got more time on our hands so if a brand gets in touch with no budget, could it be worth teaming up on something like a giveaway or review?

I’m not one to necessarily advocate working for free usually but things like giveaways can be a good way to grow traffic/following whilst it then puts you in a stronger position to potentially pitch brands for paid work down the line. Or perhaps negotiate a bigger discount code for your readers which could lead to affiliate income (more on that in a mo)

It’s also worth considering using your platform to just support small businesses because you can. I’m not suggesting doing lots of work for free but, for example, some ad networks and bloggers are offering small businesses, charities and non-profits free advertising during this time.

Whatever you decide, use this time to find contacts and connections. For example, use Response Source to put out requests.

3. Create a low-cost or pay-what-you-like product

I’m all about different income streams but I’m not sure this is the right time to launch a course that costs hundreds of pounds (I may just be oversensitive as I feel like I have money issues-a whole other post!). I am seeing bloggers launch these products and that’s fine but why not start small and use this time to create a simple product-that you could charge a few pounds for or even ‘pay what you like’.

I have blogged in detail about how to create a paid-for download but it can be as simple as using Canva to turn your top blog posts into a simple ebook and then use a system like Payhip to sell your product. As you know, I have two ebooks (ad-own product mention): one for growing your blog and another for pitching to brands. I made the later free for a few weeks to help others but I’ve turned this off now as a little bit of passive income from these books really helps at the moment.

You don’t need to launch your ebook now. Make it and just sit on it if you like. Because soon, hopefully very soon, life will slowly get back to normal and you’ll never find the time. If you have time, do it now! And if further down the line you don’t want to sell it, turn it into a great freebie to grow your email list.

If you want to offer a free course and are good with video, I’ve heard good things about becoming a (ad-affiliate link) Skillshare teacher. I was emailed asking if I wanted to create a class but I don’t think my video skills are good enough. But how it works is you earn an amount for each time your video is watched.

4. Rethink your affiliate strategy

Is now the time to be posting constant affiliate links to ASOS and co? No. I don’t think so. But as I blogged about in my why I’m not using many affiliate links post think about things that are useful to people, things they need and are looking for.

For example, I have a blog about gluten-free recipe boxes which I’ll share when they’re taking new customers again as I’ve got some great affiliate codes (and that’s just reminded me to email one of the boxes to see if I can get a better one). So make a list a potential list of affiliates and email them (this is a useful post) or use AWIN to join new programs.

I’m planning a blog post on here about freelance insurance so I’ve just joined Dinghy’s referral program (note: I’ll talk more about them in a separate post but it’s insurance for freelancers which I’ve had for a year or so now. You can turn it on and off for when you’re not earning and (ad-refer a friend link) there’s an offer where you get a 15 pounds amazon voucher for signing up and so do I.

5. Spend time learning

Use this time to learn something new. You don’t need to spend for this! I blogged about this on my other blog but I’ve joined Skillshare and some other great free e-course providers and I’m learning lots! You can read my post about my favorite sites for free learning here. Alternatively, why not ask fellow bloggers to skill swap? They teach you something new and you teach them something in return.

If you’re in the market for a new host, (ad-affiliate link) Lyrical Host has a whole area of resources and workbooks for their customers so I am working my way through those. I have a 10% off AFFILIATE code BLOGLANCER.

6. Start another blog?

So I’ve decided to start another blog in this pandemic. Why? Well, why not! I think there’s two schools of though about blogging in business: one is to throw all your efforts into one site and another is to spread yourself across blogs. I just love making blogs but I actually bought an ecourse about ‘flipping’ blogs, where you start a new blog from scratch and grown it, then sell it. I’m intrigued.

I’m not sure if I’ll actually do the selling part but I thought it would be fun to share on The Bloglancer how I get a blog up and running and hopefully turn it into another business.

7.Write for others

It’s tough in the journalism world too. Lots of places aren’t taking comissions but some still are. I’d definitely recommend signing up for the following newsletters :Sian Mede’s @SianySianySiany on twitter, Anna Codrea-Rado’s The Professional Freelance and Journo Resource to find potential jobs. All the above list pitching opportunities. You can read this post on growing your writing portfolio.

8.Should bloggers get income insurance?

A lot of freelancers are wondering if they should have got income insurance before this to protect their income. I have looked into this but I am yet to find a policy that seems to work for us self-employed folk (it’s not as simple it seems to just tell them I’m earning x a month) and the quotes I got were really high.

I felt I’d be better off putting that money into a savings account which I could access when I needed it rather than have to go through insurance. However, that’s because my outgoings are relatively low so I know I have a bit of a buffer if things get tough.

As mentioned, the only insurance I honestly use is (Ad-refer-a friend link) Get Dinghy. and although doesn’t protect your income, it does offer tax advice and will chase invoices over £200 on your behalf.

I also use Penfold freelance pension as mentioned in my ad with them at the start of the year (you can get 25 pounds in your pot if you haven’t already). and am very much loving the fact I can reduce my contributions at the mo!

9. Revamp old content.

I’m redoing some old content by taking new photos and working on SEO. I only do this with posts I think can do well on Pinterest or Google. I’ve written a guide to doing this here.

10.Useful grants/help for creatives.

Some places are offering grants for creatives, such as…

-The GUAP fund (£100) . You need to apply and it’s only for people under 30 because they’re young and hip and all that.

–Contently Freelancer Relief Fund (up to $1000). Annoyingly this has just closed but it says it will be open again so keep your eyes peeled.

-Underpinned have a free COVID-19 resource for freelancers and have made their virtual office software (Which I usually pay for) free until September too.

-Ruth Makes Money has made her writing course for free.

Please let me know if there’s any more and I’ll add.

I used to think blogging was foolproof because when I was ill or when I became a mom, I could still do my job. People will always read blogs I thought. And I still believe that is true but it’s hard to not worry that what I and many bloggers have worked for has gone down the drain. But we are certainly not alone in this fear and unlike most, a return to work can be as simple as opening up our laptop eventually. Our blogs will still be here. Some people’s businesses won’t.

It is worth taking a moment to support fellow bloggers if you can. Read their stuff. Share it. Ask your favourite blogger for an affiliate code. And hopefully we can all get through this difficult time.