Do You Have What It Takes to Make Money as a Blogger?

Does “blogging” sound a little too high-tech for your taste? Don’t worry. You don’t need to be a computer genius to blog. You just need a love for storytelling, some creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit.

Take this quiz to see if you have what it takes to make money as a blogger.

1. Do you enjoy telling stories?

Blogging is nothing more than storytelling performed online. If you’re willing to share your thoughts, ideas, and tales with the world, you can write a blog.

2. Are you good at generating story ideas?

Many bloggers who aren’t experienced writers say that the toughest part of their day is thinking of topics to write about. If you’re bursting with more ideas than you know what to do with, you’re already ahead of the curve.

If you’re not, here are a few tips that can help the creative juices flow:

• Read other travel blogs, as well as books and magazines. The more you read, the more story ideas you’ll develop.
• Jot down notes everywhere you go. Carry a small notebook around with you at all times. Ideas strike at the most unusual moments, so be prepared to write them down.
• Blog about the intersection of traveling and another topic, like staying in shape while you travel, or maintaining a budget while you travel. This helps you draw on topic ideas from two fields.

3. Are you comfortable with the idea of promoting yourself?

The biggest difference between blogging and writing for a traditional print newspaper or magazine is that when you blog, you’re responsible for promoting your content.

A newspaper or magazine has already developed its brand name and its audience. Your only job is to write the story, not to promote the publication.

As a blogger, however, it’s up to you to find your audience and bring people to your website. The more enthusiastic you feel about promoting your blog, the more success you’ll experience as a blogger.

4. Do you like interacting with people?

Successful bloggers interact with their audience online. They reply to reader comments and emails. They participate in conversations on social media platforms like Twitter. They share stories and photos on Facebook.

If you enjoy interacting with people online, you’ll be poised for incredible blogging success.

Now, take a moment to notice some qualities that aren’t on that list. Did I mention needing to know how to program or design a website? Nope.

Did I mention needing to know how to be a search-engine-optimization expert? Nope.

Neither of those qualities is necessary to earn thousands of dollars every month as a blogger.

Blog success is 30 percent creating awesome content: telling funny stories, sharing interesting photos.

The rest is promoting your blog by writing guest posts for other blogs, being active on Facebook, and leaving comments on relevant blogs and forums.

If you can learn to do these things, you have what it takes to be a successful blogger. It’s fun. It’s simple. And it’s lucrative.

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]