Today we have an interview with Rahul Kuntala from LearnBlogTips.com. In addition to writing for BloggingTips.com, Rahul has also just passed the one year anniversary mark for running his own blog at LBT.
Rahul covers everything from blogging tips to content writing and much more on the blog. Be sure to read through the interview below to see how Rahul is monetizing and growing his blog to new levels each and every month.
1.) Please tell us about yourself and how you got into blogging?
My name is Rahul Kuntala and the author of Learn Blog Tips, I started LBT on January, 2012. When I started it, I didn’t know where I was going, I used to focus only on increasing the blog comments and I almost had ZERO online reputation (just like any other!).
2.) What is the focus of your blog and why did you choose that niche?
I know blogging niche is one of the most crowded niches out there! You simply can’t survive if focus on every single topic that others write. You need to be distinguish yourself from others by nichifying your market. The more focused you’re, the more better it is for your business. LBT’s main focus is on;
- blogging productivity (which I think every blogger should learn to succeed) and
- content marketing
I simply fed up of writing/reading “5 tips to get more blog traffic”, “How to get back your banned adsense account” etc. I’m now writing only after implementing by myself, now I can see more user engagement, social shares, links and comments on my blog posts. This is what I always wanted! When you write blog posts, create videos or do podcasts from the experience, you’ll get true response.
3.) How are you currently monetizing your blog traffic?
I think the old monetization methods like AdSense, paid ads don’t work anymore unless you’ve a well-built website. My major income resources are from my writing services, premium blogging programs (I got huge response when I launched LBT’s 3 months program) and I flip few sites every now and then to earn more income from my online businesses. My suggestion to new bloggers when monetizing their sites is this: try to focus on building a loyal community around your blogs. Inject trust and credibility by offering unique content, engage with other bloggers using social media sites, and harness the power of guest blogging. Earning money online isn’t a rocket science, you’ll get plenty of thoughts and ideas when you consider blogging as a business (it’s more fun btw!)
4.) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started blogging?
- Guest blogging (this is by far the proven method to build a better blog)
- Using social media sites to connect with the A-list and B-list bloggers
- Writing detailed posts (between 1000 to 2000+ words), short posts just don’t work in specific niches!
I didn’t know their importance when I first started blogging.
5.) What are three blogs that you visit almost daily?
My all time favorite blogs are (without any order)
- Daily blog tips (What I like more about Daniel is, he always writes for the beginners, he simplifies everything for them)
- Kissmetrics blog
- Copyblogger and
- Of course ZacJohnson 🙂
6.) Can you give us three recommended tools/services that you use with your blogging?
- AWeber (consider this only if you’re serious about building a great email list)
- Thesis and
- CommentLuv
7.) What advice would you have for someone who is just starting with their first blog?
- Focus on single topic (it’s the only way to stand out from the crowd)
- Don’t write what others are writing, find a specific problem, solve it on your blog
- Invest money on blog design, use WordPress, and create a tagline for your blog
- Monetize your services from the beginning itself (always write for your customers!)
- Build reputation on one single traffic source at a time (don’t focus on SEO if you’re engaging with others on social media sites & vice versa)
8.) What’s the best advice or tip you’ve discovered about blogging since getting started?
Turn off your monitor while writing
9.) If you only had $100 to start a new blog, how would you use it?
Easy! I’d spend$39 on blog design (elegant themes)$10 domain purchasing$10 web hosting/month (undoubtedly HostGator)$5 on logo design from fiverr (btw I’vent used their service yet!)$1 AWeber (first month)remaining money ($35) on marketing my new blog on social media sites and other networks. I considered a total newbie while answering the above.
If I personally have only $100 to start a new blog, I’d buy Market Samurai
10.) How can readers of the blog get in touch with you? (social/blog urls)
Thanks again Rahul for taking the time to share your advice and story with the Blogging Tips community. If you would like to learn about other bloggers and how they are finding success online, be sure to read through our blogger interview series.
