Niche Guides / Professional

How To Start a Professional Blog and Catapult Your Career Online

By Andrew Fiebert Updated September 26, 2023

Are you passionate about your profession and want to turn it into a side income or even a full-time business? Starting a professional blog is the way to go!

Successful professional bloggers are earning tens of thousands of dollars each month by sharing their experiences. So, why not do the same?

In this post, I'll guide you on how to start a professional blog that connects with readers and generates revenue.

If you're ready to become a professional blogging authority, let's dive in!

Why You Can Trust Our Professional Blogging Guide

Lasso is installed on over 8,000 websites, including many professional blogs.

Our team has built multiple 7-figure blogs in a wide range of niches.

We have hands-on experience working with founders to grow and monetize their professional blogs.

Professional Blogging Basics

Starting a professional blog can be a really fun and rewarding experience, but it's important to know what you're getting into.

Here are a few basic things to keep in mind before diving in:

What Is a Professional Blog?

A professional blog is a blog that is written and maintained by someone with expertise in a specific field. It is typically used as a platform to share valuable insights, knowledge, and opinions with a targeted audience. Professional blogs are known for their high-quality content, engaging writing style, and authoritative voice.

These blogs often serve as a valuable resource for readers who are seeking reliable information and expert advice on a particular subject. They are frequently updated with new and relevant content to keep readers informed and engaged.

Professional bloggers are not only passionate about their chosen field but also committed to providing valuable and accurate information to their readers. They understand the importance of building trust and credibility with their audience, which is why they take the time to thoroughly research their topics and present information in a clear and concise manner.

In addition to written content, professional blogs may also include multimedia elements such as images, videos, and infographics to enhance the reader's experience and make complex topics more accessible.

Overall, a professional blog is a powerful tool for sharing expertise, establishing authority, and connecting with a targeted audience. It serves as a valuable resource for readers and a platform for the blogger to showcase their knowledge and skills.

How To Start a Professional Blog and Catapult Your Career Online homepage
Career Sherpa is a great example of a professional blog.

Why Should You Start a Professional Blog?

Starting a professional blog can be a great way to establish yourself as an authority in your industry and gain recognition for your expertise. Here are some reasons why you should consider starting a professional blog:

  • Build credibility: A professional blog allows you to showcase your knowledge and expertise, helping you establish credibility in your field.
  • Expand your network: Blogging can help you connect with like-minded professionals and industry influencers, expanding your network and opening doors to new opportunities.
  • Boost your career: Having a successful blog can enhance your professional reputation and make you stand out to potential employers or clients.
  • Share valuable insights: Through your blog, you can share valuable insights, tips, and advice with your audience, positioning yourself as a thought leader.
  • Increase website traffic: A well-maintained blog can attract more visitors to your website, increasing your online visibility and generating potential leads.
  • Improve communication skills: Regularly writing and interacting with your blog audience can help you improve your communication skills, both written and verbal.
  • Stay up-to-date: Blogging requires staying informed about the latest industry trends and news, helping you stay relevant and knowledgeable in your field.

Finding Your Professional Niche

You’re probably thinking, 'I already picked a niche! Professional' But for the purposes of blogging, that’s not nearly specific enough, at least in the beginning. If you want your blog to succeed, you need to niche down.

Why Choosing a Niche is Important

Choosing a professional niche is important for a number of reasons.

First, it makes it easier for readers to find your content and for search engines to rank it. If your blog is too broad, it will be hard to compete with other established professional bloggers and get organic traffic.

Second, having a specific niche will help you establish yourself as an expert in that area. Readers will come to trust your opinion and recommendations, and you'll be able to build a loyal following.

Finally, having a professional niche will also make it easier for you to come up with content ideas. Rather than trying to cover every aspect of professional, you can focus on the specific topics and recipes that your readers are most interested in.

How to Choose a Professional Blog Niche

Choosing a professional blog niche can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, you can find the perfect niche that aligns with your expertise and interests. Here are some tips to help you choose a professional blog niche:

  • Identify your passions and expertise: Start by making a list of topics that you are knowledgeable and passionate about. This will ensure that you can provide valuable and engaging content to your readers.
  • Research market demand: Look for niches that have a high demand in the market. This can be done by conducting keyword research and analyzing the popularity of different topics.
  • Consider your target audience: Think about who your target audience is and what they are interested in. Choose a niche that caters to their needs and provides solutions to their problems.
  • Assess competition: Evaluate the level of competition in different niches. It is important to choose a niche that is not overly saturated to increase your chances of success.
  • Explore your unique angle: Find a unique angle or perspective within your chosen niche that sets you apart from other bloggers. This will help you establish yourself as an authority in the field.
  • Consider monetization opportunities: Research the potential monetization options within your chosen niche. Look for ways to generate income through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, or selling your own products or services.

We’ve written extensively about niche research for bloggers, but you should look for these qualities in your final choice:

  • A mix of big and small competitors. If the niche doesn’t have big sites, there isn’t much money to be made. If there aren’t small sites, you won’t be able to compete.
  • Income potential. A healthy mix of affiliate offers, display ads, and original products will allow you to diversify your income.
  • Keywords and link-building opportunities. You’ll do more extensive keyword research later, so right now you’re just looking for content gaps. Are there keywords you could realistically rank for and get traffic early?

Popular Professional Blog Niches

How To Start a Professional Blog and Catapult Your Career Online homepage
Great Place to Work has niched down by focusing on corporate culture content

When it comes to popular professional blog niches, there are several areas that tend to generate significant interest and engagement. These niches cater to individuals seeking career advice, industry insights, and professional development. Let's explore some of the most popular professional blog niches:

  • Career Development: This niche focuses on providing guidance and resources to help individuals excel in their careers. Topics may include resume writing, interview tips, networking strategies, and professional growth.
  • Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship blogs offer advice and inspiration for aspiring business owners. They cover topics such as startup strategies, funding options, marketing tactics, and success stories.
  • Finance and Investments: Blogs in this niche provide readers with valuable information on personal finance, budgeting, investing, and wealth management. They aim to educate individuals on making informed financial decisions.
  • Leadership and Management: Leadership and management blogs target professionals seeking guidance on leading teams, managing projects, and developing effective leadership skills. They offer practical tips, case studies, and leadership theories.
  • Technology and IT: This niche caters to individuals interested in the latest technological advancements, software development, cybersecurity, and IT industry trends. It provides insights into emerging technologies and their impact on various sectors.
  • Marketing and Branding: Blogs in this niche focus on digital marketing strategies, branding techniques, social media marketing, content creation, and customer engagement. They aim to help businesses and marketers enhance their online presence.

These are just a few of the popular professional blog niches that attract a wide audience. Each niche offers valuable information and guidance in its respective field. Whether you are seeking career advice, entrepreneurship tips, financial insights, leadership skills, technology updates, or marketing strategies, there is a professional blog niche that caters to your interests and goals.

Planning Out Your Professional Blog

So you've picked a niche for your blog, that's amazing! But don't forget,'failing to plan is planning to fail.'

Before you run off and start posting, let's take a moment to plan out your business strategy.

Set Your Blog Goals

Setting goals for your Professional blog is essential to its success. It gives you direction and helps you stay focused on what matters most.

When setting your goals, it's important to consider your audience, your niche, and what you realistically hope to achieve.

This can include things like increasing your readership, building your email list, or monetizing your blog.

By setting clear and achievable goals for your professional blog, you'll be able to create content that resonates with your audience, establish yourself as an authority in your niche, and achieve the success you're looking for.

Define Your Target Audience

When starting a professional blog, it's important to define your target audience. This will help you tailor your content and marketing strategies to reach the right people. Here are a few steps to help you define your target audience:

  • Research your niche: Understand the industry or topic you'll be blogging about. This will give you insights into the type of audience that would be interested in your content.
  • Identify demographics: Determine the age range, gender, location, and other relevant demographic factors of your target audience. This will help you create content that resonates with them.
  • Consider psychographics: Look beyond demographics and dig deeper into the interests, values, and behaviors of your target audience. This will allow you to connect with them on a more personal level.
  • Define their pain points: Understand the challenges and problems your target audience faces. This will help you create content that provides solutions and adds value to their lives.
  • Study your competition: Analyze other blogs or websites in your niche that cater to a similar target audience. This will give you ideas and insights on how to differentiate yourself and stand out.

By defining your target audience, you can create content that resonates with them, build a loyal following, and ultimately achieve your goals with your professional blog.

Do Your Keyword Research

Keyword research is an important aspect of creating content for your Food blog. It helps you understand the phrases and questions people use to search for information on the topic you're writing about. That way, you can use those phrases and questions to optimize your content for search engines.

Identify the keywords that are most relevant to your niche. These are your “seed keywords.”

Seed keywords are broad terms used to generate super-specific long-tail keywords.

  • Professional development
  • Career advancement
  • Job search
  • Workplace communication
  • Leadership skills
  • Time management
  • Networking
  • Personal branding
  • Work-life balance
  • Motivation and productivity

Take your seed keywords and feed them into your keyword tool of choice. I like using Ahrefs.

Ahrefs is the best keyword research tool for Professional bloggers

Add them to the report and hit search. Then, go to “Keyword Ideas” and click “Matching Terms.”

This list will contain thousands of possible terms for you to write about. I recommend targeting the lowest-volume keywords possible, no matter the traffic.

When you first start your professional blog, it’ll be hard to get traffic. But you can get it by targeting keywords that other site owners ignore.

TIP: When you first start your professional blog, focus on info content (question keywords). The content will be more helpful for your audience and less competitive since monetizing it is more challenging.

By doing your keyword research, you can improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages and attracting more traffic to your Food blog.

Start Your Professional Blog On the Right Foot

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How to Start a Professional Blog | Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you're done with the business plan, let's get to the fun part.

Here's how to start a Professional blog:

Step 1. Pick a Blogging Platform

Choosing the right blogging platform is crucial for the success of your Professional blog.

I strongly recommend building your blog with WordPress. It’s open-source, so your blog won't be dependent on a private company, and it’s fully customizable.

WordPress is the best platform for Professional bloggers

Some bloggers are intimidated by the number of features WordPress offers, but the best way to learn is just to jump in and start.

Here are some other options to consider:

  • Blogger: A free platform owned by Google. Offers simple templates and easy integration with Google AdSense for monetization.
  • Squarespace: A premium platform known for its design-centric approach. Offers visually appealing templates and in-depth customization options along with integrated eCommerce solutions for monetization.
  • Wix: A free platform with a drag-and-drop website builder and customizable templates. Offers e-commerce options for selling products.

Consider the features, ease of use, and cost when choosing a platform that fits your needs. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to do your research before making a decision.

Step 2. Register a Domain Name

Registering a domain name gives your blog a unique online identity. When choosing a domain name for your professional blog, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Make it easy to remember
  • Keep it short and sweet
  • Include your main keyword
  • Avoid using numbers and hyphens

Also, please don’t create an exact-match domain name, like One example of an exact match keyword domain name in the Professional blog niche could be "careeradvicetips.com"..

It’s limiting, has terrible branding potential, and just looks amateurish. You can do much better.

Instead, spend some time brainstorming professional blog names that have the following:

  1. A keyword related to your niche
  2. A feeling, emotion, or quality you want your website to communicate
  3. Three words or less

So, instead of the example used above, you could use one of these:

  • ExpertJoy.com
  • InspireInsight.com
  • InsightfulHacks.com
  • ThoughtfulMastery.com
  • WisdomWhisper.com

All of those are available at the time I’m writing this, and all would be easy to build a brand around (not to mention better for Search Engine Optimization or SEO).

You can also use a domain name generator tool for inspiration.

WP Engine is the best hosting provider for Professional bloggers
Domain Wheel allows you to search for available domain names by keyword.

Once you have a few ideas for a domain name, you can check if they are available using a domain registrar.

Many services can help you register a domain name, but I recommend getting one from your hosting provider. (They usually include a free domain name when you buy hosting.)

When you find the perfect domain name, register it right away before someone else takes it.

Step 3. Secure Reliable Hosting

Once you’ve chosen a domain name, you have to purchase website hosting to make your professional blog accessible online. (As I mentioned earlier, you can usually purchase both simultaneously.)

Website hosting is a service that allows your website to be stored on a server and accessed by Internet users.

CAUTION: I recommend staying away from Godaddy. They have awful customer service and a history of alleged predatory behavior

WP Engine is the best hosting provider for Professional bloggers

Here are some popular website hosts for professional blogs:

  • WP Engine: I host all my sites with WP Engine. It's lightning quick and super easy to use. I've tried almost every shared hosting provider, and WP Engine is by far the best.
  • Kinsta: A premium hosting provider known for its high performance and managed WordPress hosting solutions.
  • Hostgator: A popular host that offers affordable pricing and easy WordPress integration.

After you’ve chosen and registered your domain (following the instructions from your hosting company), you’re ready to install WordPress and start building your site.

Step 4. Install WordPress

The first step to setting up your professional site is to install WordPress.

NOTE: WordPress is an open-source software found on WordPress.org. WordPress.com is a premium blogging platform, but you never need to pay to install WordPress on your website, even if it’s self-hosted.

Any legitimate host these days will offer automated WordPress installation with the click of a button. Follow their instructions, and reach out to their support if you get stuck.

Once you’ve installed WordPress, go to your WordPress Admin Dashboard and start customizing your site.

TIP: You can find your dashboard login page at yoursite.com/wp-admin

Step 5. Pick a Theme for Your Professional Blog

When choosing a theme for your website, it's essential to consider your niche and target audience. Your theme should reflect your content's style and tone while being visually appealing and easy to navigate.

Carbonate is a great starter theme for new Professional blogs

There are thousands of themes available to choose from, both free and paid. These are the free themes I recommend for new bloggers:

  • Carbonate - Carbonate is a simple WordPress theme designed for online businesses. It makes it easy to create a stunning niche website without all the fluff.
  • GeneratePress - GeneratePress is one of the most popular WordPress themes on the market. It's lean, fast, and easy to customize. There's free and paid versions available.
  • Kadence - Kadence is an extremely fast and lightweight theme, with a wide range of free customizations, although it does fall behind in updates from time to time.

You could also buy a premium theme, but free themes are fine in the beginning.

Step 6. Install Essential Plugins

A lot of people are afraid of plugins because they think more plugins will slow their site down.

However, any good plugin these days is built for speed, so you shouldn’t worry too much about it.

If you’re still worried about site speed, our Cloudflare review shows how to perfect it.

To install a new plugin, click on “Plugins” in your WordPress dashboard sidebar. Then, click on “Add New” and either upload a plugin ZIP file or search for free plugins in the WordPress Plugin Repository.

Here are a few plugins that I recommend for every new Professional blog:

  • Lasso Lite - The best way to insert product displays and affiliate links into your content is to use Lasso. Lasso Lite is the free version of Lasso and is great for new sites.
  • Cloudflare - I recommend the paid Cloudflare plan, but even the free CDN will do wonders for your site speed.
  • Imagify – Big images are the biggest thing that slows down websites, and an image optimization plugin like Imagify fixes them instantly.
  • RankMath – RankMath is my favorite SEO plugin, but you could also use Yoast SEO or All-In-One SEO. SEO plugins provide guidelines rather than done-for-you solutions.

Now that you’ve installed and set up WordPress and your plugins, it’s time for some branding.

Step 7. Design Your Site

I’m not a web designer, but here are a few guidelines for beginners to create a professional-looking site:

Use Coolors to quickly find a great color palette for your professional blog.
  • Use two colors: You only need two colors for your brand, a primary and an emphasis color. The emphasis color should contrast your primary color and only be used for CTA buttons. I use Coolors to quickly find a color palette that works for me.
  • Use one or two fonts: You don’t want to overwhelm your audience. A tried and true technique is to use one font for your headings and one for your body text. It also helps to have one serif font and one sans serif font, so they stand apart. Fontpair is a great tool for this.
  • Start with a text logo: Too many marketers get hung up on details like logos. You don’t even know what your site is going to be yet. Give your brand time to develop by starting with a simple text logo.
Use Fontpair to quickly find a pair of fonts for your professional blog.

Don’t worry too much about your site’s design in the early stages. You can change all this stuff later when sales start coming in.

Step 8. Set Up Your Basic Blog Pages

You'll need to create a few key pages before you can start publishing awesome Professional content.

The first page is your homepage, which should introduce your blog and give readers an idea of what they can expect to find on your site.

You should also create an "About" page, which provides more information about you and your blog. This is a great place to share your story and give readers a sense of your personality.

Another important page is the "Contact" page, which makes it easy for readers to get in touch with you. You can include a simple contact form or provide your email address and social media links.

You can create these pages by using your blogging platform's built-in categories or by creating custom pages that link to your posts.

By providing readers with clear navigation and easy access to your content, you'll be on your way to building a loyal following.

Step 9. Write Your First Blog Posts

Once you've set up your blog and have a clear idea of what you want to write about, it's time to start publishing your first blog posts.

Here are some tips to get you started:

  1. Choose a topic you're passionate about and that your audience will find interesting. Research what's already out there and offer a fresh perspective or unique insights.
  2. Plan out your post by creating an outline or mind map. This will help you stay focused and ensure that your post flows logically.
  3. Write your post in a conversational tone and avoid using jargon or overly technical language. Use short paragraphs and sentences to make your post easy to read and scan.
  4. Include images or other media to break up the text and make your post more visually appealing.
  5. Use subheadings and bullet points to organize your content and make it easier to read.
  6. Edit your post carefully for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Read it aloud to ensure it sounds natural and flows well.
  7. Once you're happy with your post, hit the publish button! Share it on social media and other channels to get it to as many people as possible.

How to Write Great Professional Blog Posts

Now that you officially have a site, it’s time to fill it with top-notch content.

You won’t get really good at it until you’ve done it for a while, so it’s best to write as much as possible in the early days

Here’s how to publish better professional articles from day one.

Brainstorm Ideas

Coming up with great blog post ideas based on your niche and your audience's needs can be very tough.

What I like to do is start by writing word clouds with pen and paper. It helps me quickly move from one topic to the next without thinking about it.

Once I have a good list of topics, I organize the keywords and put them into Ahrefs. Then I prioritize my content production based on what I think I have the best chance of ranking for (and what sounds like the most fun to write about).

Build a Solid Framework

Before I ever write a blog post, I build an outline using Dynalist.

I look at what competitors have published for my keyword, write down my version of the headings, and move the structure around until the flow makes sense.

Not only does this give me a solid foundation to build my article upon, but it helps me pace my article. If I’ve written 300 words under an H3 heading, I need to wrap it up and move on to the next point.

If you establish solid guidelines, your posts will practically write themselves.

Write Without Stopping

Once you have an outline of where you want your article to go, it’s time to just sit down and write.

I like to shut out any distractions and write in silence, or put on very quiet music. It’s insane how quickly you can write when you don’t have anything else to think about.

You shouldn’t even care about quality when writing your first draft. Just get your words down on paper.

Once you’re finished, step away for a bit, then come back and start editing. Correct any grammar mistakes and make sure your ideas make sense (it helps to read the content out loud).

TIP: I use Grammarly Pro to speed up the editing process for all my content. It’s probably the most valuable tool I use (aside from Lasso, of course 😉).

Optimize Your Content for On-Page SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your content to rank higher in search engine results.

Make sure you do these things when writing your professional blog posts:

  • Properly structure your headings. Headings are like a map that search engines like Google use to decipher what your content is about. Make sure your headings make sense (nest smaller ideas under larger ideas), and that you’ve included keywords.
  • Use your target keyword naturally and often. It’s common knowledge that keyword stuffing doesn’t work anymore, but it’s still important to use your target keyword often. It will help your readers stay on track and help search engines better understand what you’re talking about.
  • Add Photos and Videos. Images and videos increase the time readers spend on your page. That signals to Google that your article fits what readers are looking for. They also break up a post and allow your readers to breathe before reading the rest of the article.
  • Promote the post immediately after publishing. There’s some disagreement about whether traffic is a ranking factor, but I’ve definitely had faster rankings when I got early traffic to my blog posts. And, if you have a mailing list, your subscribers want to know about your content anyway!

Use AI to Speed Things Up

At the time I'm writing this, AI still isn't able to replace a skilled, knowledgable writer.

But it's getting really close.

As AI tools continue to improve, you're going to find more and more content online that's produced without a human writer. And that content will rank in Google. There's no consolation prize for human-written content.

For the time being, here's my advice; use AI to write the first draft of your content. Then edit it thoroughly before publishing.

Copy.ai offers the best ai written content for professional bloggers.

To get the best AI content out of the gate, I recommend Copy.AI.

Out of all the AI writing tools I've tested (which is a lot), Copy.AI produces the best, most natural content, and also has the most reasonable pricing.

Promoting Your Professional Blog

Once you publish a blog post, you need to promote it.

Seriously, most professional bloggers post and pray. If you use even one of these promotional methods, you’re doing more than 99% of the competition.

Make the Most of Social Media

Social media and blogging go hand-in-hand. Social media can be a game changer, especially in the professional niche, where readers care about the person behind the blog.

I don’t recommend spending all day on Twitter, but comment on popular threads, respond to outreach and share helpful things.

Also, shout out when you have a new blog post! Your followers want to know when you put out new content.

Build an Email List for Professional Enthusiasts

There’s a reason why email marketing is the only form of online marketing that’s barely changed in the past 15 years. It works.

It’s also challenging. Most professional blogs ask readers to join their mailing lists, so give them a special reason to sign up for yours.

It could be a workout plan, equipment guide, or anything else that sets you apart from other professional bloggers.

Why go through all this headache? Because anyone who signs up for your mailing list is devoted to what you have to say. These people are your congregation.

If you recommend a product to your mailing list, they’ll likely purchase it. At a bare minimum, send your new blog posts to your mailing list to pump up early traffic numbers.

Be ethical, but find things your mailing list will appreciate and sell, sell, sell!

TIP: You can find a bunch of premium sales email templates on Canva. Work smarter, not harder!

Collaborate with Other Professional Bloggers

As website owners, we tend to think of our competitors as enemies, which is a bit silly. When you think about it, they’re just like us, trying their best to hustle and make things work.

Instead of worrying about how other professional bloggers will outrank you, reach out and see if you can work together.

If you build a network of small professional bloggers who all promote each other’s content, you’ll stand a much better chance of competing with established professional authorities.

Engaging in Professional Communities

Join online communities related to your niche and engage with other members. This will help you establish yourself as an expert and build relationships with potential readers.

Monetizing Your Professional Blog

Food blogs can earn thousands of dollars per month. Screenshot from Lasso Performance

Ok, so your blog is up and running, and you're gaining a following. How do you monetize a professional blog?

Here are the best ways to earn a real income from your new professional blog.

Affiliate Marketing

I recommend professional bloggers start with affiliate marketing before any other monetization method.

I love affiliate marketing because it’s a low-effort way to monetize your website without ruining your reader’s experience.

To monetize your professional blog with affiliate marketing, first, you have to identify products your audience will find helpful. Then, find the affiliate program for those products, and write thourough product reviews.

For beginners, I recommend focusing on the Amazon Associates affiliate program. The conversion rate is incredible, and you can diversify when your site is more successful.

For products that aren’t available on Amazon, just do a Google search for “[Product] affiliate program,” and you’ll find their program’s signup page.

Another way to find affiliate programs is by checking Lasso's database.

To save you some time, here are a few of the best affiliate networks for professional bloggers:

  1. Udemy

    Udemy

    Commission Rate: 8% Per Sale

    Cookie Duration: 7 Days

    Udemy is the biggest hub of paid and free online courses on the web. With so many coureses, it has training and content in every niche possible.

  2. Audible Affiliates

    Audible Affiliates

    Commission Rate: $5 Per Trial

    Cookie Duration: 24 Hours

    Audible is Amazon’s audiobook platform and is currently the biggest player in that market. How much you get paid as an affiliate varies.

  3. Coursera

    Coursera

    Commission Rate: Up to 45% Per Sale

    Cookie Duration: 30 Days

    Coursera offers over 1,000 courses and specializations. Each course consists of pre-recorded videos, puzzles, and assignments.

TIP: We maintain a database of the best affiliate programs. Click here to see the best personal development affiliate programs.

Once approved for your chosen affiliate program, add your affiliate link to products and images, and you’re good to go. You’ll earn a commission if a reader clicks on your link and makes a purchase.

If you're still wondering how to earn money with affiliate marketing, check out these affiliate marketing website examples for inspiration.

Earn More Affiliate Income With Lasso

If you want to take your affiliate marketing strategy to the next level, I recommend you sign up for Lasso.

Lasso is a WordPress plugin that helps affiliate marketers manage links and create product displays that convert.

All you need to do is paste the affiliate link in your Lasso dashboard, add some interesting sales copy, and you’re ready to insert that Display into your blog posts.

Your product displays could look like this one:

Best Plugin for Affiliate Marketers
Lasso
$39/mo

Lasso is the best WordPress plugin for affiliate marketing. If you want to earn more affiliate income and grow your niche site, you need Lasso!

Create Displays Like This Learn More

Great Displays Increase Conversions!

If you ever need to change the link, you can change it once in your Lasso dashboard, which will update the link across your entire website.

Lasso will also handle your link cloaking and attributes, so your site will always be optimized and compliant.

That’s not even mentioning things like Tables, Grids, Lists, Link Alerts, and more.

Our Pick
 
Budget Pick
Starting at $30 a month
Starting at $30 a month
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Our Pick
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Budget Pick
Starting at $2.75 a month

If you want to monetize your professional blog the easy way, sign up for Lasso today.

Display Ads

Another great way to monetize your professional blog is with display ads. Display ads use cookies to advertise products your readers will love, so it’s a very individualized experience.

Display ads are also the most passive way to monetize a professional blog. You turn them on, configure the settings, and wait for the money to roll in.

The drawback to display ads is that nobody likes them. It’s why so many people install ad blockers in their browsers (which stop you from making money, by the way).

TIP: If you use display ads on your professional blog, configure the settings to prioritize user experience. By being selective with your ad placements, you’ll make more money in the long run.

Here are the best ad networks to join based on your site’s page views:

  • 50,000+ Visitors per month - Mediavine
  • 10,000-50,000 Visitors per month - Ezoic
  • <10,000 Visitors per month - Google Adsense / waiting to grow

NOTE: With the low rates ad networks pay, it won’t be worth running display ads if you have less than 10,000 monthly visitors. You’re better off focusing on affiliate offers and creating more content to grow your following.

Digital Products

Selling digital products is the easiest way to transition from advertising other people’s products to selling your own.

That’s a great step to take because it means instead of earning 3-8% of the profit, you’re taking 100% of the profit.

The drawback to selling anything is that you’re responsible for the bulk of the work. You need to provide customer service, handle returns, and find a way to process payments and distribute products.

High-potential digital products in the professional blog niche:

  • Online courses: Create and sell courses on topics related to professional blogging, such as content creation, SEO, and monetization strategies.
  • E-books: Write and sell e-books that provide valuable insights and guidance for aspiring or experienced professional bloggers.
  • Templates and themes: Design and offer customizable website templates and themes specifically tailored for professional bloggers.
  • Membership sites: Build a membership platform where professional bloggers can access exclusive content, resources, and networking opportunities.
  • Coaching and consulting services: Offer personalized coaching or consulting services to help individuals improve their professional blogging skills and achieve their goals.

Once you’ve created a digital product, connect a payment processor like Paypal or Stripe to your site with a plugin like Woocommerce.

Then you can use a tool like ConvertKit to automatically email the lead magnet to customers after they’ve finished checking out.

It’s a lot of work, but the extra profit is well worth it.

Consulting

Consulting services in the professional niche are in high demand. When you immerse yourself in the professional world, you gain valuable knowledge that can be sold to your readers.

The best part is that your audience will tell you exactly what they need help with. As your audience grows, you'll receive requests for guidance and tutorials.

So why not offer them an hour of your time for $100? The worst they can do is say no, right?

If you find you’re selling a lot of consulting services, you can even create a section of your site dedicated to your services.

TIP: You can use Lasso to increase your consulting sales. Set the destination link to your contact page, and you’re all set!

FAQs on Starting a Professional Blog

How Much Money Do Professional Bloggers Make?

The income range for professional bloggers is enormous. Many bloggers make no revenue, while some professional blogs make over six figures per month. It all depends on traffic and how well you present your offers.

How Can I Monetize a Professional Blog?

The best way to monetize a professional blog is with affiliate marketing, but you can also use display ads, sell digital downloads, or even sell coaching services.

How Do Professional Bloggers Get Paid?

Most professional bloggers make money through affiliate commissions and advertising fees. Both of these monetization methods pay out one or two months after the fees have been generated.

Some professional bloggers also sell sponsored posts, consulting services, or their own products. In these cases, a payment processor like PayPal or Stripe is necessary.

Is Professional Blogging Easy?

Nothing worth doing is truly easy, but that doesn’t mean professional blogging isn’t fun.

As a professional blogger, you’ll get to go places, try new things, and meet new people. And it will be part of your business! What could be cooler than that?

Is It Worth Starting A Professional Blog?

It’s absolutely worth it to start a professional blog. Not only can you make a living from it, but you can also build a community and control the conversation.

Once you’re an established authority, people in professional-related industries will take you seriously.

Final Thoughts on Starting a Professional Blog

So, that's all I've got for you if you're wondering how to start a professional blog.

Let me tell you, this industry can be tough. It takes months, even years, for some bloggers to make their first sale. And yeah, you might even lose money in the first year. But trust me, it's totally worth it.

If you really want to be a successful professional blogger, just follow the tips in this guide, be persistent, and publish content that you'd love to read. I won't lie, it's hard work, but you've got what it takes.

Just remember to stick with it, engage with your readers, and most importantly, have fun along the way!

Why You Should Trust Our Professional Blogging Content

You may be thinking, "that's all great, but what does Lasso know about professional blogging?"

Quite a lot, actually.

Here's why you can trust our process for building a successful professional blog:

We've Built Wildly Successful Blogs

Lasso is built for affiliate marketers, by affiliate marketers. We're not gurus; we've walked the walk.

Our team members have built multiple blogs from the ground up, some of them earning over seven figures in revenue.

We put that experience into every guide we write, so you can trust we're giving you a process that works.

We Talk To Professional Bloggers Every Day

Lasso's WordPress plugin is installed on over 8,000 websites, including a lot of professional blogs.

Our team supports those bloggers every day as they create awesome content and earn lots of money.

These communications give us a bird's-eye view of what's new in the professional industry. We take that information and use it to keep these guides as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

We're Super Nerds

We've put a lot of company focus into learning everything we can about blogging, affiliate marketing, SEO, and anything to do with online entrpreneurship.

We attend conferences, collect high-level contacts, read tons of books, and distill all of that information into our content. We pass information onto you that was previously only available to industry insiders.

Earn More from Your Professional Blog

Why Lasso Is The Best Affiliate Marketing Plugin For WordPress

Tired of using 3-4 plugins to manage your affiliate links? Lasso is THE all-in-one WordPress plugin made for affiliate marketers.

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
A Simple Product Review Template That You Should Steal

We created a practical, step-by-step approach to creating effective product reviews so you can generate more affiliate income.

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Using a Secondary CTA Button to Improve Your Conversion Rate

Just putting a CTA button on your site is not enough. You need to optimize for all types of visitors and not everyone is ready to buy today.

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
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