When I first started looking into making money online, blogging wasn’t even part of the plan.
Like everyone else, I started where it seemed easiest—TikTok. I’d seen faceless content go viral, I’d watched people turn their accounts into income streams, and I thought, “If they can do it, surely I can too?”
But it didn’t go like that. At all.
When Social Media Didn’t Work For Me
I poured my time into my first TikTok channel—this was before I even knew anything about digital marketing. I was just figuring it out as I went.
I saw people with similar content getting thousands of views while I was stuck in 200-view jail for weeks.
I told myself, “Just keep going, consistency is key.” But the pressure to post four videos a day, every day quickly led to burnout.
❌ Videos were supposed to take 10–15 minutes to create—but I was spending HOURS on them.
❌ I was drained, exhausted, and frustrated.
❌ I didn’t understand the algorithm and ended up tanking my own account before it even had a chance.
It felt like another failure. Like I’d wasted time, effort, and energy on something that wasn’t going anywhere.
I didn’t want to quit, but I knew something had to change.
How Blogging Happened Naturally
I didn’t set out to become a blogger. It just… happened.
After watching countless videos, going through course modules, and seeing how people were actually making sustainable online income, I started to realise something:
📌 Social media is unpredictable. If TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook shut down tomorrow, people relying on them for money would lose everything.
📌 Blogs are different. They don’t disappear overnight. They’re stable. If you own a blog, you own your platform.
📌 A blog gives you control. No algorithm changes, no worrying about engagement, no battling with trends just to stay relevant.
It started to make sense. Blogging wasn’t just an income strategy—it was a foundation.
Is it the right path for me? I don’t know. Only time will tell. But here I am, sitting at my PC, giving it a go.
I Haven’t Given Up On Social Media—But I Had to Prioritise
I want to be clear—I haven’t completely given up on using social media to build my online business. I still see the value in TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms.
But I’ve learned something important:
💡 When you’re starting out, pick ONE platform and focus on it for at least 30-60 days.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a blog, TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube—you need time to learn, test, and improve before you jump to something else.
One of the biggest mistakes I made was trying to do everything at once—making TikToks, setting up a blog, learning digital marketing—and it completely overwhelmed me.
Now, I’ve made a decision:
📌 I’m focusing on my blog first because it’s where I have the most control.
📌 Once my blog is established, I’ll add in social media strategically.
📌 I don’t have to do everything at once, and neither do you.
Learning Takes Time—And That’s Okay
When you see people online saying, “This only takes 10 minutes!”—they’re not telling you the full story.
Yes, maybe a seasoned content creator can edit a video in 10 minutes.
Yes, maybe an experienced blogger can write a post in 30 minutes.
But when you’re just starting out, things take longer:
⏳ You have to learn how to edit videos before you can do it quickly.
⏳ You have to figure out how to write, format, and optimise a blog post before it becomes second nature.
⏳ You have to get comfortable with the process before it feels effortless.
And that’s okay. The important thing is that you start.
I’m Not an Author—And That’s Okay (How I Use AI to Help Me Blog)
One of the biggest things that holds people back from blogging is thinking, “But I’m not a writer.”
And I get it—I thought the same thing. But here’s the truth:
👉 You don’t have to be an author to start a blog.
👉 You don’t have to be a “perfect” writer.
👉 You just need to know how to share your thoughts in a way people relate to.
And this is where AI helps me.
💡 I use tools like ChatGPT and Deepseek to help structure my blog posts, fix grammar, and make my writing flow better.
💡 AI doesn’t replace my voice—it just helps me put my thoughts into a clear format.
💡 I tell AI the topic I want to blog about, and it helps organise my ideas in a way that’s readable and (hopefully) engaging.
Everything you’re reading here? These are my thoughts. AI just helps me shape them.
So if you’re thinking, “I’d love to start a blog, but I’m not a good writer,” let me tell you this—you don’t need to be. The most important thing is getting started.
What Hosting Platform Did I Choose?
💻 I went with Hostinger after looking at different hosting providers because they had a special deal that included a free domain name.
💰 My initial startup cost was under £50, and I only signed up for one year because:
🔹 I don’t know what’s going to happen.
🔹 I wanted to test blogging without spending too much upfront.
🔹 If I decide this isn’t for me, I won’t have lost a huge amount of money.
Hostinger is beginner-friendly, and they provide video tutorials to help with setup, which made it a lot easier for me to get started.
One Lesson I Learned About SEO
When I first heard about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), I thought it was just about stuffing keywords into blog posts. But I quickly realised:
❌ SEO isn’t just about keywords.
✅ It’s about making your content easy for real people to read.
I was so focused on “writing for Google” that I forgot Google ranks content that actually helps people.
So now, I focus on:
📌 Writing in a way that’s natural and useful.
📌 Using headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs so my posts are easy to skim.
📌 Making sure my posts answer the questions people are actually searching for.
Final Thoughts—You Don’t Have to Get It Right, Just Get Started
If you’re like me—frustrated with social media, struggling to make online income work, tired of chasing trends—then maybe blogging is something worth considering.
Because at the end of the day, a blog doesn’t rely on luck or algorithms. It relies on you.
And right now? That’s exactly what I need.
Thinking of Starting Your Own Blog?
If blogging feels like the right move, I recommend starting with a course that helps you build your confidence, brand, and content strategy:
🔹 UCB – The Ultimate Branding Course that gave me clarity when I had none.
(It’s beginner-friendly, and you don’t need to show your face.)
