Vlogging vs blogging? Which is best? With both blogging and video blogging (v’logging) there’s a huge potential for generating an income from the internet. But before you can make money from a blog or vblog, you’ll need to generate traffic. This means creating content and a lot of it. Both v’logging and blogging are cheap ways to generate traffic which can be monetised through advertising or using affiliate products.
But there’s a lot of other bloggers and v’loggers out there which means you’ll be creating content for several months before you see any major benefits. Are you prepared to do this and how would you prefer to do it?
As a video blogger you’ll be the face of your content. If you’re more into creating video than writing content, video blogging might be the way to go. If you’re more of a blogger, consider taking this route instead. Of course you can do both and a little of each can work wonders for traffic generation.
Video blogging can take the form of presenting and explaining and also teaching and instructing. Some video bloggers create DIY or “how to” video blogs explaining something to their audience. Before deciding on an approach, it’s worth considering ideas for your content and how you prefer to create content.
V’logging VS Blogging – Cost
One of the major benefits of v’logging over blogging is that you can use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to showcase your videos absolutely free. Of course there are free blogging platforms too, such as Hubpages.com, Blogger.com and WordPress.com but it’s worth getting your own domain name and hosting if you’re serious about making an income from blogging. With the free platforms, it can be more difficult attracting the attention of the search engines and getting free traffic.
You can purchase a domain name for less than $10 a year and hosting can be purchased for less than $10 a month. It’s well worth making the effort of doing this with a blog. You’ll be taken more seriously with your own hosting and your own domain name gives you more authority. Free blog platforms aren’t seen in the same way both by visitors and the organic search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo etc).
Some video bloggers invest in microphone, lighting and background imagery. But you can easily get started with video blogging with only a laptop and internet connection. All you really then need is a smart phone to record from. Lighting and a good quality microphone are the essentials and most people already have a mobile phone they can record with.
Vlogging VS Blogging – Time Commitment
Since you are the face of your video blog, it can be more difficult to outsource your video content. But with a blog, you can outsource written articles more easily to other freelancers. This can free up your time for other activities. Both blogging and v’logging are time consuming and you’ll need a lot of content in order to generate a good income from either. Editing is another consideration with video blogging and this can be a time consuming factor, depending on the kind of videos you’re creating.
Initially both strategies can be tough because you won’t have a lot of content at the start. As your content grows you should see your income grow too, if you have done a good job of it! However, as with any online venture nothing is guaranteed. If you monetise with advertising, using Google Adsense, for example, you’ll need a huge amount of traffic to make it pay.
So it’s worth using affiliate products as well or instead of ads. Affiliates use their online presence to promote affiliate products and make commissions based on the sales. So with a blog or video channel, you’ll need to carefully choose affiliate products which align with the subject area you are covering in your content. See how to know your target market.
Competition & User Experience
There’s a lot more written content on Google, than video content on YouTube, which can make it more difficult to get traction as a blogger. Plus you can access other video platforms if you decide to go the v’logging route (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook etc.). So some might suggest that video content is less competitive than written.
Video content too is preferable to many, who use YouTube as a research tool rather than Google. With a piece of video content you can build more trust more quickly than with written content, which is why some marketers favour video over blogging. In a short 5 minute video you can explain a lot. Whereas in a piece of written content it can be more difficult to convey certain ideas.
So ultimately which is better? Vlogging vs blogging?
Both blogging and vlogging are cheap methods of building an online presence which can be monetised. But there’s huge competition in both and building a sustainable income from your efforts will likely take some time and dedication. With this in mind, it’s worth choosing a strategy which suits your personality. If you are happier on video, then that’s a good fit. Equally, if you’re uncomfortable on video, or prefer writing, this might be a better choice.