Should I Blog Or Vlog
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As there is a rapid rise in online video content, vlogging is also becoming a good option to generate income. But is it better than blogging? Let's learn in this detailed blogging vs vlogging comparison.
One of the hottest debates in the digital world is blogging vs vlogging.
Both blogging and vlogging can help businesses and individuals grow their brand and make money online. If you want to know which one is the best option for you, perhaps you should know the differences first.
The good thing about the digital space is that anyone can start blogging or vlogging. The startup costs, so to speak, are minimal.
However, you have to have a strategy in place to succeed, as there's tons of competition.
Before we get to the differences, let's talk about what each of them really is.
What is a Blog?
A blog is a website with a log written content. Blogs can be standalone websites or part of another website. People who write blogs are called bloggers.
Blogs were originally called weblogs and can feature other media, too, like pictures, videos, audio clips, in addition to text. Just how you read op-eds in the newspaper, blogs are spaces for people to express their opinion or share their knowledge.
Blogs also serve as a marketing tool as they contain links and play a big part in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). They can be targeted toward a specific market niche (beauty, electronics, travel, personal, etc.) or be more generalized.
These are the different types of blogs that make money.
What is a Vlog?
A vlog or video log is the video equivalent of a blog. Think of everything that's written in a blog presented in video format with vocals and visuals.
Interestingly, the term vlog came about the same time YouTube became popular, which is the early 2000s. It's not surprising as YouTube basically gave rise to vlogging. Just like blogs, vlogs can be related to a business or an individual.
As for the video content, it can be anything. From scientific data to personal stories to tutorials, vlog encompasses anything and everything you could think of finding on the internet.
Blogs vs Vlogs: Differences
On the surface, you may think there's not so much difference between a blog and a vlog. It may seem like it's just how the content is presented is what sets them apart. However, there are several key differences between these two content forms.
Understanding the difference is crucial for figuring out which format suits your needs, as well as goals. Depending on your niche or expertise, it could be that vlogging is better for you.
So here are the key differences between blogging and vlogging:
Hosting
A key difference between blogs and vlogs is where they are hosted. For blogs, you need a website or blogging platform to post all the articles you write. This means you'll have to buy a domain, build a website, and pay for hosting.
One of the best options to buy domain and hosting is Bluehost.
Bluehost Price: Only $2.95/month
On the other hand, vlogs don't necessarily need a private website, as you can post them on one of the many video platforms, most of which are free.
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Vimeo are all examples of video platforms where you can post your vlogs.
While you use these social media websites and video platforms, you have your own space on these. On YouTube, it's called a channel, so that's basically equivalent to a personal website for blogs. However, you don't have to pay anything for hosting the videos on the platform.
It's possible to post blogs on other websites that take guest posts, but for all intents and purposes, having a website is almost essential for a blog.
While you have to pay for hosting, that also means that you will have ALL the control for the site. By using someone else's site like YouTube or Vimeo, you never ever truly have 100% control.
You'll need to build an audience in either regard for success, I create a free course to help you build an audience to make money either way.
Content Creation
This is another big difference between a blog and a vlog. For a blog, you basically have to research and write the text. You may want to add images or videos (already posted) to enhance the content, but writing is basically the lion's share of the work.
Writing has its own challenges, but video making is far more laborious. Depending on the video content, you may have to shoot original clips.
Even if you're just making an infographic video, you have to get copyright-free images, as well as audio, which can be quite a hassle.
See Related: 10 Top Personal Development Blogs that Make Money
Editing
The editing process of a blog and vlog is poles apart.
While blogs require some editing and proofreading, editing videos is quite challenging. It can take a lot of time to edit a video, again, depending on the video content and your own level of editing expertise.
If you're a beginner, get ready to spend the whole day editing a video. In comparison, a blog post may be ready to publish in under an hour after editing and proofreading.
This is something you may want to take into account before getting into either of these formats.
See Related: 10 Best Blog Fonts for Readability
Equipment
While hosting blogs cost more than vlogs, when it comes to equipment, vlogs can be way more expensive. For blogging, you pretty much just need a computer and an internet connection.
However, for a vlog, you may also need a high-quality camera, lighting, microphone, and video editing software.
The shooting budget for a video varies by the video content, but the equipment cost is certainly higher than what you would need for a blog. Some vloggers even spend hundreds of dollars on props for their videos.
Other than equipment, you also need to factor in the people who work on the vlog. A blog can easily be written, edited, and posted by a single person. Vlog, on the other hand, may require several people to produce, shoot, and edit the video clips.
If you plan on making high-end videos for YouTube or Vimeo, prepare to spend thousands of dollars on the equipment and personnel needed to shoot those videos.
Check out these top laptops for blogging and blogging to ensure you create the best content possible.
Audience
The audience for both pretty much depends on the niche you're pursuing. However, some demographics might be more inclined toward reading. Similarly, some people respond to visual data better.
For instance, if your audience is young, perhaps people under 20, vlogging may be a much more viable solution than blogging. Younger demographics usually prefer watching videos over reading articles.
Similarly, you may also want to focus on what device your audience uses more. According to eMarketer, 75% of videos are watched on mobile.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is way easier for blogs than it is for vlogs. With blogs, you can employ a host of SEO techniques that help optimize your content and get your posts on top of the search engine result pages.
That can be harder to achieve with a video, as there isn't so much text.
In the context of businesses, a blog may be more effective for driving traffic to your website than a vlog. While you can definitely put links in videos through cards, viewers often don't click on those, especially if they take them away from the platform.
Blogs, on the other hand, are way more effective, and users may readily click on links/call-to-action to go to your website.
You can optimize your vlogs using similar techniques to a blog. But for that, you'll have to write a summary or transcript of the video.
That way, Google can index the video page and show it in result pages.
See how I achieved over 100,000 monthly pageviews in less than 6 months with blogging.
See Related: How to Blog Anonymously and Make Money
Monetization
Monetization isn't that different for a blog or a vlog, but the level of monetization may vary. Most blogs and vlogs make money through advertisements.
However, vlogs rely more on advertisements than blogs and perhaps make good money from it.
You can also make money blogging by using affiliate links.
You work with affiliate marketing programs, such as Amazon Associates Program, and earn commission every time someone purchases something with your affiliate link.
Vlogs can also employ affiliate links in their text descriptions, but it remains more popular for blogs.
Another method of monetization is sponsorship, which is more common for vlogs. You basically get a sponsor who pays you to mention their brand or product in the video to promote it.
A lot of vloggers make money through sponsorships, but that doesn't kick in until you have a lot of subscribers or followers.
Selling merchandise is another way both bloggers and vloggers can monetize their content. However, you'd see vloggers do that more than bloggers. There are plenty of people making real money blogging, here's a great guide on how to make a living from blogging.
See Related: Can You Make Quick Money with a Blog?
Popularity
The most important thing in blogging vs vlogging comparison is which niche is more popular? Where is the traffic?
Video content is now certainly more popular than textual format. Video is slated to comprise a whopping 82% of the entire internet traffic, according to a Cisco report.
This is why video has become an extremely important marketing medium for all digital platforms.
In terms of popularity, vlogs may have a bigger potential audience just because of the nature of the media. For instance, YouTube has two billion users who watch one billion hours of videos every day.
With all those stats, video content has more outreach than a blog. That said, in certain scenarios, a blog may perform better than a vlog. Again, it depends on the niche and the audience as to what media they prefer.
Also, blogs now also feature videos regularly for this very reason. The richer the media, the more audience you can cater to.
Many bloggers also make vlogs and use them in their blog posts. Others use videos from other creators to optimize their blogs and give it a visual feel.
See Related: How to Start a Niche Blog and Make Money
Blogging vs Vlogging: Which One Should You Choose?
What is better, a blog or a vlog? It depends entirely on you and your business model. If you're a business, creating a blog may be a better option to drive traffic or increase engagement.
For individuals, both options are viable.
If you think writing is your strong suit, go for blogging.
Similarly, if you think you have what it takes to make video content and perhaps you're not shy in front of a camera, you can make a vlog. Even if you're not a Marlon Brando in front of the camera, you can create vlogs that utilize only your vocals.
A lot of people create a hybrid of the two, which obviously can be very exhausting. But if you have the time and energy to do it, then why not?
The best way to decide is to focus on your personal strengths in terms of content creation and focusing on the niche you're targeting.
Do your homework before deciding on the medium and see what other creators are using in that particular market.
For instance, if you're a comedian or funny in general, making vlogs may be much better than a blog post. You can certainly write a joke, but some jokes are all about the visuals.
See Related: How to Make Money with WordPress in 48 Hours
Conclusion
At the end of ou blogging vs vlogging comparison, the earning can be as high as six figures with both blogging and vlogging. It's just about finding what you're truly passionate about and what is practical in your instance.
There are pros and cons to both as we've covered in the differences.
If there's one thing that's common for both blogs and vlogs is that both require a lot of hard work and give you some tough competition.
However, you can easily stand out with original content that gives people what they are looking for.
Related Resources
- 8 Important Pros and Cons of Blogging
- Best Blogging Tools to Boost Your Income
- 13 Examples of Lifestyles Blogs
- How to Create a Blog for Free [And Make Money from It]
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Should I Blog Or Vlog
Source: https://financialwolves.com/blogging-vs-vlogging/
Posted by: pollardwhictibed.blogspot.com
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