Should you start a blog or a YouTube channel if you want to earn some income online—or grow your existing business? Enter today’s guide: Blog vs YouTube.
It’s not necessarily an easy question to answer. Both have different advantages—and different challenges.
YouTube channels and blogs are both fantastic forms of content marketing that can help you dramatically grow your online business. But some businesses (and some audiences) will be more suited to blogs vs YouTube – and vice versa.
You could sit on the fence and opt to start both a blog and a YouTube channel at the same time. But that arguably makes it twice as hard to gain any traction. Even if you want to eventually have a blog and YouTube channel, you really need to pick one of those to start off with.
So where should you begin? How can you figure out what’s going to work for you—so you don’t waste a lot of time or financial resources going down the wrong path?
Should You Start a Blog or a YouTube Channel? Quick Answer:
The best way to decide whether you should start a blog or a YouTube channel, is to ask yourself how you most enjoy creating content. If you love writing more than speaking into a camera, then blogging will be a better choice. On the other hand, if it feels easier (or more fun) to just turn on a camera and talk about the topics in your favorite niche, starting a YouTube channel may be your best move. With hundreds of millions of daily active users on both Google & YouTube, you’ll find your audience (and they’ll find you) whether you start a blog or a YouTube channel.
Now, let’s dive into our guide about choosing to start a blog vs start a YouTube channel (or, if you prefer, “blog vs vlog”) this year.
Blog vs YouTube: Should You Start a Blog or YouTube Channel in 2022?
- What’s the Difference Between a Blog and YouTube Channel?
- Six Great Reasons to Start a Blog vs YouTube Channel
- Six Equally Smart Reasons to Start a YouTube Channel vs Blog
- Blog vs YouTube Channel: Which is Better for Achieving Your Goals?
- Should You Start a Blog and a YouTube Channel at the Same Time?
Blog vs YouTube Channel: Should You Start a Blog or YouTube Channel in 2022?
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What’s the Difference Between a Blog and a YouTube Channel?
Before we dig into the benefits of both blogs and YouTube channels, let’s take a look at how (and why) they’re different.
The biggest difference between a blog and a YouTube channel, is that blogs are primarily written–though they may have videos embedded into them. YouTube videos are, obviously, videos, though you could potentially have a spoken soundtrack over a still image, though that is less engaging to YouTube viewers. Some businesses run both a blog and a YouTube channel.
A blog is a website that has regular new blog posts (written content). These will often be informational articles, but could also involve news stories, or even something more creative like flash fiction.
Many blogs are designed to support or grow a business, though some are more like personal diaries or journals that might make little or no money for their creators. To start a blog, you’ll need a domain nameand a web hosting account.
A YouTube channel (or vlog aka video blog) is like having your own on-demand TV show. You’re not streaming live like a regular TV channel: instead, you’re dropping new videos (or you could think of them as “episodes”) on a daily or weekly basis.
Some of your viewers might find one video, watch it, and get what they need. Others will subscribe to your channel, watching your videos as they come out. And some will come and binge on your backlist of videos.
Now, let’s take some more nuance to the question—should you start a blog or a YouTube channel? Which is going to serve you and your business best?
That’s what we’re going to take a look at now, highlighting the key reasons why you might go with each one when evaluating the question of blogging vs YouTube channels.
6 Great Reasons to Start a Blog vs YouTube Channel
Thinking of starting a blog vs vlog? Here are 6 great reasons why blogging might suit you (more than vlogging):
1. You Want to Look Professional On a Tight Budget
Setting up a good-looking blog doesn’t cost much: there are lots of great quality WordPress themesavailable that won’t set you back more than $100.
Once you’ve bought your WordPress theme, and maybe invested in a logo, you can keep writing posts with very few ongoing blog costs. They’ll still look just as great.
With a YouTube video channel, you’ll need to invest in quite a bit of equipment—a camera, mic, and potentially backdrop or even sets and props. It’s more expensive to start a YouTube channel of the same content quality level as you can achieve for far cheaper with a blog.
2. You Enjoy Writing
If you love writing, it makes a lot of sense to start a blog. You’ll hopefully find it easy (and fun) to create content there.
While writing blog posts will often include some graphic elements, like photos or illustrations, the bulk of your time is going to be spent working with words.
With YouTube videos, you might well write a script, but most of your video creation time will go on recording and editing.
3. You Feel Very Self-Conscious on Video
Even if your niche is one that suits video well, if you hate being recorded, you might want to stick with blogging instead–at least to start with.
Some people just don’t feel comfortable on video. And if that’s you, don’t force yourself to repeatedly do something you hate.
Instead, see if blogging feels like a more comfortable and natural fit for you.
4. You’re Aiming to Improve Your Website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
One great way to get more search engine traffic to your website is to create more blog content. The more blog posts you have, the more chances you have to rank on Google–and bring in new visitors.
While YouTube videos can (and often do) rank higher on Google—they won’t always benefit your website by doing so. They’ll only help YouTube’s SEO.
5. You Want to Fully Own Your Own Platform
When you create a YouTube channel, your audience is on YouTube – not on your own website. And if something about YouTube changes, you might find you lose a lot of your audience. In a worst-case scenario, YouTube might shut down your channel altogether.
With a blog, you own your website. It’s your platform – no one else’s. Unless you’re doing something illegal and your site gets shut down by your web host, you don’t have to worry about suddenly losing your audience.
6. You Prefer to Be Anonymous or Keep a Low Profile
It’s easier to be anonymous on a blog than on YouTube. Even if you don’t show your face in your YouTube videos, people will hear your voice.
Blogging vs YouTube gives you the opportunity to write under a pen name, without anyone knowing who you really are. Even if you do want to use your name, you might well prefer the focus to be on your content – not on you personally.
6 Equally Smart Reasons to Start a YouTube Channel vs Blog
Feel that a YouTube channel might be right for you? Perhaps some of these 6 reasons to start vlogging sound like they’re true to you:
1. You Want to Get Started Quickly
It only takes a few clicks to start a YouTube channel – especially if you already have a Google account. It’s a quick and easy process.
Compare that with starting a blog, where you need to choose a web host, come up with an available domain name, pick a theme you like, and more.
If you’re keen to get going right now, a YouTube channel is probably the best place to begin.
2. You Love Talking, Not Writing
Perhaps you could happily talk all day about your niche … but when it comes to putting fingers to keyboard, you struggle to come up with a coherent sentence.
If you find it easy and natural to talk to the camera, then YouTube is a perfect fit for you. Instead of scripting your videos, you’ll probably want to have a detailed outline that you can follow to hit all your main points – but with plenty of room for improvisation along the way.
3. You Enjoy Recording and Editing Videos
If you have a YouTube channel, you’re going to spend quite a bit of time recording – and probably even more time editing your videos.
Some people find this a tedious process: others really enjoy getting a video just right, and can happily spend hours perfecting it using your favorite editing software. If that’s you, then a YouTube channel is the ideal option for you.
4. Your Topic Suits Videos Well
Some niches are really well suited to video content. Anything with a practical, hands-on component is likely to go down well on YouTube channels.
That includes things like software tips, tricks, and troubleshooting, photography editing techniques, car maintenance, and pretty much anything you can showpeople.
If your topic is something where videos are quicker and easier to understand than written words, then you’ll want to be on YouTube.
5. Your Target Audience Wants Videos
What if your topic could be served equally well by videos or by written content – and you’re happy to create either?
Then it all comes down to your target audience. Which would suit them better? Some audiences would much rather read; others will always look for a video before trying to find a written guide.
In general, younger audiences will feel more comfortable with video than older audiences – but it’s important to know yourexact target audience and their preferences.
6. You Want to Build an Instant Connection
Blog posts can feel quite far removed from their author. Unless there’s a lot of personal content or a very strong authorial voice, all you have is words on a screen – and not a lot of personality.
With a video, you can see and hear the video’s creator. You’ll form an instant impression of them and, assuming your first impression is broadly positive, you’ll start to feel a connection with that person from the very first video you watch.
If your business suits strong connections well – perhaps you sell a one-to-one service like consulting, for instance – then YouTube could be a great place to be.
Blog vs YouTube Channel: Which is Better for Achieving Your Goals?
As well as thinking about what suits your topic and your audience, you’ll want to consider whether a blog or a YouTube channel (vlog) is likely a better fit for your actual goals.
When you’re thinking about whether or not to start a blog vs YouTube channel in order to achieve your goals, use this framework to evaluate:
1. Whether a Blog or YouTube Channel is Better for Your Brand
A strong, personality-based brand is likely to work really well for a YouTube channel. A calm, informative brand focused around a company rather than an individual could be best for a blog.
2. How Much Capital You Can Invest Up Front
As we mentioned earlier, it can cost quite a bit to get up and running on YouTube. While you could record all your videos on your phone and quickly be a YouTuber overnight, you’re likely to want a high-quality mic and camera for more professional-looking videos.
If you’re on a tight budget, you might want to get started with a blog while you save up to invest in the equipment you need for your YouTube videos.
3. How “Polished” Your Target Audience Expects (and Wants) You To Be
Of course, costs might not matter too much if your target audience wants raw, personal content: recording on your phone might be perfect for that.
On the flip side, if your audience expects a highly professional approach, then blogging can be a good way to come across in a polished fashion even on a very low budget.
4. Whether SEO is a Key Focus for Your Business
A blog will definitely boost your SEO more than a YouTube channel – so if your main business goal is to rank better on Google, then a blog’s going to help you get there faster.
Ultimately, your business could do just fine whichever option you go far. But by choosing the easier and better option for you, your audience, and your business, you’ll make much faster progress.
Should You Start a Blog and a YouTube Channel at the Same Time?
Plenty of businesses run a blog and a YouTube channel: SmartWP, my own side business with my friend Andy, is a good example, with our SmartWP contentand the SmartWP YouTube channel running alongside one another.
However, this isn’t a beginner-friendly approach. Instead of launching your blog and your YouTube channel simultaneously, launch one first, get into the habit of creating regular content, and build up an audience there.
Just establishing a blog orYouTube channel takes a lot of work. Make life easier for yourself by only tackling one of those, to begin with.
Ready to Experiment? Launch Your Blog or YouTube Channel Today
If you’ve been thinking about a blog and/or YouTube channel for a long time – it’s time to get started.
This week, I challenge you to begin the process of starting a blog or signing up for YouTube and creating your own channel.
Still not sure whether a YouTube channel or blog is right for you?
Spend a couple of weeks experimenting with both. Or leave me a comment here below and I’ll weigh in with my advice.
See what feels like a more natural fit between a blog or YouTube channel—then focus your time where you’re getting more views and interest. Put the other on hold for the time being, so you can commit to just one option over the next few weeks and months.
Ready to Start Your Blog?
Check out my ultimate guide: How to Start a Blog (on the Side) Today.
Read Now
FAQs
Is it still worth starting a blog in 2022? ›
So, are blogs still relevant in 2022? Based on our top five, the answer is a resounding yes. Blogs will continue to have a place for as long as they continue to evolve. Not every blog will be a huge success, but there are no guarantees of success in anything before you try.
What kind of blogs are popular in 2022? ›- Food blogs. Food blogs come in several flavors. ...
- Travel blogs. Before planning a trip, we tend to do a lot of research on both Google and social media. ...
- Health and fitness blogs. ...
- Lifestyle blogs. ...
- Fashion and beauty blogs. ...
- Photography blogs. ...
- Personal blogs. ...
- DIY craft blogs.
How Much Do Bloggers Make Per 1,000 Views? Monetizing a blog with Google AdSense or another advertising platform may provide earnings of about $2 to $5 per 1,000 page views. A blog that receives 10,000 views per day may generate about $20 to $50 in income.
What type of blogs make the most money? ›- Digital marketing.
- Blogging and making money online.
- Health and fitness.
- Personal finance and investing.
- Recipes and food.
- Personal development and self-care.
Before you monetize, it's important that you focus on growth until a) you have a big enough audience to realistically generate sales, and b) you've nurtured that audience to the point that they're willing to buy from you. There's no magic audience number where, once you cross the threshold, monetization makes sense.
Why do many bloggers fail? ›One of the main reasons why blogs fail is a lack of purposeful, engaging content. In fact, "original written content" is the most important type for 58% of marketers.
Do most bloggers fail? ›Notwithstanding, blogging is like any small business, and the failure rate is believed to be just as high. If we are to go by Bloomberg statistics where small business success is concerned, 80% of new blogs are likely to fail within 18 months of launch.
What percentage of blogs succeed? ›What percentage of blogs are successful? According to a study by Orbit Media, around 75% of bloggers feel that their blogs are successful. By this, they mean that their blog delivered some results or strong marketing results which could include monetary gain or other marketing goals.
Is there a downside to blogging? ›You cannot write what you want
Unfortunately, this is a huge downside of Blogging, the one that I learned the hard way. I started to rank on google when I stopped writing what I wanted to and started writing what people want to read, according to Google. That's a fact. It may be annoying but you will learn.
Blogging Isn't Dead — It's Just Getting Started
Starting a blog in today's world means you're creating content while also building a business presence online. Not only is helping people by sharing your knowledge rewarding, but content marketing is also an incredibly lucrative field with lots of room for growth.
Do beginner bloggers make money? ›
A beginner blogger earns around $300-$400 a month. However, more experienced bloggers can earn up to $3000+ as well. Here are few ways to How much does a beginner blogger earn in India: Create a course in Udemy.
How do 2022 bloggers make money for beginners? ›- Choose a profitable niche. A niche is a specific topic within a broad topic, such as vegan recipes. ...
- Build an email list. ...
- Write sponsored product reviews. ...
- Sell advertising placements. ...
- Join an affiliate marketing program. ...
- Offer services. ...
- Sell digital products. ...
- Sell physical products.
- Tackle the SEO first. ...
- Maximize content exposure on social media. ...
- Share your blog content on social-bookmarking sites. ...
- Promote your blog with email marketing. ...
- Seek out guest-posting opportunities.
Any blog idea can be popular with the right audience, but lifestyle, health and development, travel, and self-care blogs are the most popular niches in 2022.
How much do you earn first year blogging? ›If you're blogging in a popular and profitable niche, you could be looking at: $30,000 – $50,000 in your first year of blogging. That's around the average income in the USA.
What is a realistic blogging income? ›Glassdoor reports that the average blogger's salary is over $50,000 per year, based on several anonymously submitted salaries. Many of the successful full-time bloggers that I know are able to make over $200,000 per year and work about 10-30 hours per week.
Who pays for bloggers? ›Who pays the blogger? In most cases, the ad network a blogger is associated with pays the blogger a monthly income. Occasionally, brands will reach out directly to a blogger to place an ad on the blog. In that case, the brand would negotiate a rate and pay the blogger directly.
Can you make 10k a month blogging? ›Do you need millions of visitors to your blog every month? You can make a great full-time income with just a few thousand blog visitors per month. My wife and I make between $10,000 and $15,000 from our blog every month and we only have about 9,000 monthly visitors to our main site.
How many views do you need to monetize a blog? ›Make sure you have five, ten thousand plus visitors a month before you worry about monetizing through AdSense or affiliate marketing. The more you blend the affiliate link in, the more natural it seems, the better off you're gonna do. But of course, if it's affiliate-related, you need the disclaimers as well.
What is the 80/20 rule in blogging? ›The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 Rule, states that 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts and activities. When applying this to your blog, you may notice that approximately: 80% of your blog traffic comes from 20% of your posts. 80% of your income comes from the top 20% of your posts.
How long before blog gets traffic? ›
How long before a blog gets traffic? Many bloggers find that it takes three to six months before they start seeing significant traffic on their blog. Producing quality content and posting more articles can minimize this waiting time: The more posts you publish, the more topics you cover.
How many days a week should you blog? ›While some swear by posting daily, there's actually a confirmed sweet spot when it comes to posting frequency. Most experts agree that blogging two to four times per week is the best way to see increased traction from your content.
Is blogging still effective in 2022? ›So, are blogs still relevant in 2022? Based on our top five, the answer is a resounding yes. Blogs will continue to have a place for as long as they continue to evolve. Not every blog will be a huge success, but there are no guarantees of success in anything before you try.
Why do bloggers quit? ›Too many bloggers quit because they're not yet seeing the progress they want. But every successful blogger will also tell you that it took time to get readers and to make a steady income (myself included). Take a look at your blog's key metrics today—compared with six months ago, or a year ago.
What kind of blogs are most popular? ›- Food blogs. Food is one of the most popular blog categories. ...
- Travel blogs. Traveling is popular with most demographics, especially retired people. ...
- Health and fitness blogs. ...
- Lifestyle blogs. ...
- Fashion and beauty blogs. ...
- DIY craft blogs. ...
- Parenting blogs. ...
- Business blogs.
Designing the Content.
Content designing is the most challenging thing in blogging. Unless you design a good content, nobody knows you, and nobody cares for you.
- Your details could be discovered even if you blog under an assumed name, or anonymously. ...
- You might regret later, something that you blog about. ...
- Blogs are subject to libel law. ...
- Remember – what you post online stays online …
- Not Defining Your Target Audience. ...
- Blogging Inconsistently. ...
- Focusing Too Much on SEO. ...
- Deviating From the Target Niche. ...
- Publishing Short Content Frequently. ...
- Not Implementing Persuasive Content Writing Techniques. ...
- Not Promoting Blog Content. ...
- Not Having a Newsletter Subscription.
Lack of discipline is another reason why you will never make money blogging. Most bloggers take the pain to set goals, write plans, and establish priorities but they fail to succeed because they lack the discipline to either execute their plan or stay focused on their plan.
What blogs get the most traffic? ›Political blogs have perhaps the most passionate audience of all. They cover news on politics, analysis of political news, and can quickly build a very large engaging audience. It has become common for the big political affiliates to hire their own blogging team.
How much do 2022 bloggers make? ›
On average, bloggers make around $45,000—with most bloggers earning somewhere between $38,440 to $51,906. However, there are a lot of variables that'll influence how much money you make blogging, so keep reading and I'll explain how to set the right expectations for your blog income.
Is blogging still relevant in 2023? ›However, if you know what's working, starting a blog is still a totally viable strategy in 2023 and beyond. And in today's post, I'm going to share 5 things you can do to ensure your blog will grow, stay relevant, and be worth all the time and effort it takes to create great content.
Is blogging worth it in 2023? ›Blogging will always be worth it especially if you find a niche you are passionate about. Whether it be for a brand, business, or for personal reasons, blogging will always give you results.
How long should blog posts be in 2022? ›After in-depth industry research and analyzing our very own results from the Wix Blog, we've found that the ideal blog post length is between 1,500 - 2,500 words, with a sweet spot right at 2,450.
What kind of blogs make the most money? ›- Digital marketing.
- Blogging and making money online.
- Health and fitness.
- Personal finance and investing.
- Recipes and food.
- Personal development and self-care.
Blogging isn't dead — it has simply evolved into something bigger than itself. It's part of a larger picture, one called content marketing. (This is what has replaced the “blogging” of yesteryear.)
Why do most bloggers fail? ›One of the main reasons why blogs fail is a lack of purposeful, engaging content. In fact, "original written content" is the most important type for 58% of marketers.
What percentage of blogs fail? ›If we are to go by Bloomberg statistics where small business success is concerned, 80% of new blogs are likely to fail within 18 months of launch.
Does anyone blog anymore? ›Do people still read blogs? The answer is an overwhelming yes. If you make sure to craft a headline that appeals to the audience you'd like to reach with your blog, then the hardest part is already done! Check out my free blog title generator tool and get tons of blog headline ideas today.
How do I start a successful 2022 blog? ›- Choose a blogging platform. Use a platform that offers customizable templates.
- Pick a hosting platform. ...
- Find the right niche. ...
- Select a blog name and domain. ...
- Set up and design your blog. ...
- Brainstorm blog topics. ...
- Write your first blog post. ...
- Create an editorial calendar.
Is a 500 word blog post enough? ›
At the very least, if you're going to write short blogs, try to hit at least the 300-word mark. A post between 400-600 words is widely considered the “standard” length, and it's a good middle ground if you're looking to get more social shares and comments.