A news blog allows you to keep users informed on the latest industry news while making money.
In this guide, you’ll master how to create a successful news blog and become a great resource to your audience.
1) Understand the News Niche
News is wide-ranging. There’s an opportunity to cover lucrative sections and earn a handsome check.
The revenue of the digital news platforms is expected to grow annually by 4% with a market volume of more than $40 billion.
With the penetration of gadgets, more people are relying on online platforms as opposed to traditional methods to receive news.
An advantage of the news blog is that you can get in anytime as they will always be current news to share.
As much as you’d want to cover a wide range of topics on your blog, it’s difficult to be successful this way.
Understand the news niche and choose a specialization to focus on.
Identify a niche and stick to it. Find an opportunity in an area you have an interest in and that you can keep track of.
Remember that for news to grab attention, it should be timely, have human interest, and make an impact.
Examples of sub-niches in the news niche you can handle include:
- Technology
- Fashion
- Marketing
- Cryptocurrency
- Banking
- Finance
- Politics
- Sports
- Technology
- Construction
- Food
2) Select a name for your news blog
Now it’s time to identify and register the name of the news blog. The domain will make or break your blog.
A news blog is different from a regular blog. You need to incorporate features that will capture the attention of people. The domain name is one of those features.
It should call out attention and demonstrate relevance in the specific news niche. Maintain a balance of being creative and professional.
Additional characteristics of your blog name include:
- Short and easy to remember
- Relevant to the niche
- Brandable
If you’re unsure about choosing a name, here’s a guide that helps you through this process.
Have two variations to choose from. Once you have these in mind, the next step is to register it. Several companies offer domain registration.
I’d recommend registering with Bluehost. It’s a service I have been using for years, they are reliable.
3) Get Hosting and Install WordPress
The next step is to buy hosting. A hosting service stores all your blog data and makes your news blog available on the internet.
Hosting is another critical aspect of your news blog. For users to easily identify with your blog, they need to quickly access the pages.
A fast and dependable hosting ensures this.
News blogs also tend to receive high volumes of traffic at a time, your hosting provider should accommodate all users without slowing down.
The service you choose will depend on the space you need, the number of sites to host, and your budget.
Here’s a checklist for the best hosting for a news blog:
- Have an uptime assurance of 99.9%
- Devoted to security
- Fast and reliable
- Exceptional customer service and support
- Offers site backup
- Affordable
There are two payment options with your hosting, paying monthly or yearly.
Providers I would recommend who offer monthly hosting are WPX or Kinsta. They have flexible hosting package options to suit different blogging needs.
If you’re looking to pay yearly, go for Bluehost. They have different packages and discounts. They are also great service providers for hosting your blog.
After selecting your hosting package, head over to the control panel and install WordPress. It helps in setting up the news blog without the need for technical know-how.
Read this guide on how to set up WordPress on your news blog.
4) Choose A Theme and Design the Blog
The next step is to work on the appearance of your news blog. You need to install a theme. The theme should adopt a news-style outlook.
A great theme for your news blog should be:
- Responsive
- SEO friendly
- Compatible with relevant plugins
- Have a simple news design
- Regularly updated
- Advanced to pass Core Web Vitals
Themes have free and paid alternatives. I would recommend using a premium theme for your news blog.
A premium theme will make it easier to design the blog and will elevate the overall look and make it professional.
The 3 options to look into are Thrive Themes, GeneratePress, and Theme Forest.
Thrive Themes: It is an advanced set of website tools that allow you to easily create a blog from scratch. You can utilize several features to create a stunning news blog.
GeneratePress: They feature prebuilt templates that you activate with a click. You’re able to combine the Gutenberg editor and GenerateBlocks to design and build.
Theme Forest: They offer hundreds of theme options at an affordable price. A great theme for your news blog from here is the Jannah theme. It’s a newspaper theme with several designs.
If you would rather skip the setting up and design of the blog, I can be of help. I offer WordPress Website Development Services.
You’ll obtain a stylish news blog to kickstart your online business.
5) Install Key Plugins
Plugins are software add-ons that allow you to extend the functionality of your WordPress blog. When you visit the plugins database, there are thousands available.
You need to identify and install only the essential plugins to avoid slowing down your site. The key plugins for your news blog are:
Akismet
This plugin protects your blog from spam by checking all the messages and comments. It then filters out any content that looks to be spammy.
Yoast SEO
It is an SEO plugin that helps you to optimize your blog content and rank on search engines.
UpdraftPlus
Updraftplus is an essential plugin that backs up all your content. You can access and restore themes, plugins, and uploads in case of loss.
WP Rocket
WP Rocket is a premium plugin that works to speed up your blog by caching. It is simple to set up only as it takes 3 minutes.
The plugin costs $49 per year. It is recognized as the most powerful caching tool that improves page loading time and speed score.
Imagify
This plugin compresses the size of the images you upload to make them lighter and improve the speed of your news blog.
Sassy Social Share
Your news blog will thrive when you make it easy to share your content.
This social share plugin allows blog visitors to share your articles on social platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
6) Write and Publish Content
The process of setting up and designing the blog is complete. Great job for getting this far.
You’re now ready to begin another process of creating content. Unlike setting up, writing content is continuous, especially for news blogs.
You need to write, publish and update your articles to keep readers hooked. Before you set out to write your first article, there are a few tasks to accomplish.
Research your Topics
Prior to writing, establish which articles you’ll write about. Use the available research tools to know what users in your given sub-niche are looking for.
Examples of tools you can use include Answer the public, Google Auto Suggest, Semrush, Ahrefs, and People Also Ask.
Apart from keyword tools, analyze your competition and find out which of their articles are performing well.
Learning what other people are doing will help you identify related topics to discuss. You can also find different angles and cover what is already available.
Create Clusters
Group related topics and set a publishing frequency. It may not be possible to have a fixed content plan when covering news.
You need to be ready to write content anytime there’s an event or news in the industry.
It’s safe to schedule a minimum number of articles to publish per week for periods when there’s not much happening.
Write Content
The news space can be quite competitive. It’s important to position yourself as an authority. Add your voice to the news articles so people can relate to you.
Ensure that your headings are captivating and informative. Use facts in your content as opposed to sharing unconfirmed claims for clicks.
Remember to use simple and clear language that all readers in your niche will be able to understand.
Finally, stay relevant by publishing content often. Always publish the latest news and events. This helps to make readers know you are reliable.
You can also vary the types of content you create and thus reach a wider audience. Types of content to create for your news site include:
- Stories & Facts
- Opinion Articles on events and news
- Analysis of Events
- Interviews
7) Optimize the News Blog for Search Engines
After creating content, you need to optimize it for the blog to grow.
Optimizing for SEO is the process of including the standard practices for your blog to appear on search engines.
A great help is the SEO plugin you installed when setting up the site. I recommend you follow this guide to implement SEO properly.
8) Promote, Market, and Grow your Blog
Aside from SEO, you need to employ other methods to grow your blog. You need to use as many avenues as possible to inform people that you exist.
It may take time to grow the news blog but consistent efforts to promote and market it pays off.
Read the guide to content marketing to identify the right way to grow. The quickest method to promote your site is by using:
- Social Media
- Forums
- YouTube
- Email Marketing
9) Make Money from the News Blog
You’ve worked hard to build a reputable news blog. Let’s dive into the most rewarding part of the whole process- making money.
I may not be able to state how much you’ll make from your news blog. Several factors come into play when earning from a blog.
The methods to make money may vary depending on the niche and preference. I will mention all the ways you can make money from the news blog.
It’s up to you to determine which one suits you. Just know that the money you can make is unlimited.
Advertising Networks
These are companies that connect advertisers to blog owners. They engage bloggers and display advertisements through banners, images, etc.
You are then paid depending on the number of visitors who view the adverts. Companies such as Mediavine, Ezoic, and Ad Thrive are great for making money.
Sponsored Posts
You can get paid by allowing other bloggers or companies to publish articles on your blog. The companies benefit by gaining access to your audience.
Ensure that the content published on your blog is relevant to your niche, this builds more credibility.
Affiliate Marketing
This involves advertising products and services for a commission. You can advertise products related to your niche by adding links or images of the product.
A great program to start earning affiliate commissions is the Amazon affiliate program. You can also search for companies in your industry and get deals to market their products.
Paid Subscription or Membership Site
You can create special features or content that users pay to access. It’s a great way to build a loyal following while making money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Starting a News Blog Worth It?
Starting a news blog in a specific industry is worth it. You will need to offer up-to-date and informative content to your readers to grow the blog.
What is the Purpose of a News Blog?
A news blog is a digital platform that shares information on current events, news, and releases in a specific industry.
How Do News Bloggers Get Paid?
The method of payment depends on the form of monetization. News bloggers can get paid through a check, direct deposit, or payment platforms such as PayPal.
Conclusion
A news blog can be a worthwhile online business when you follow the right strategy. I trust that this guide is helpful.
When working on the news blog, ensure that you offer value, be clear and consistent and you’ll see massive success.
In case of any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. I’m available to offer assistance.