What You need to Know About Starting a Blog: When You Have a Chronic Illness

starting a blog in 2022 when you have a chronic illness
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Last Updated on September 10, 2023 by melissanreynolds

Starting a blog with a chronic illness is not small feat.

There are a lot of “How to start a blog” posts but many don’t convey the realities of starting a blog (and then making money from it), make it look like you will make six figures, and none talk about it from the angle of a person with a chronic illness.

three things you need to know before starting a blog with chronic illness

There are a few things you need to hear right now

  1. Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme, or even a get rich slow scheme.
  2. Most blogs are abandoned in the first year
  3. It takes a lot of work and a long time to see traction
  4. It is worthwhile if you choose a niche that you are passionate about, you end up helping people and any income is the cherry on the top.

I’m not saying that income isn’t important here. After eight years of a lot of work, this blog and its offshoots need to make me a part-time income or I cannot sustain it all. A mama with four small children and a chronic illness cannot have two jobs as well.

So this post contains some of my learning for you.

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1. Blogging is not a get rich quick (or slow) scheme

Fact most bloggers either make very little or nothing.

Many bloggers will just give up. This author guestimates, “Over 80% of blogs will fail in the next 18 months. That’s over 50 million blogs.”

I have been running this blog for eight years. It didn’t start with any framework, system or thought but sharing my journey. This has made it harder for me to tidy it up. But I have stuck with it and therefore have over 200 posts and people who read and like my work. There is something to be said for commitment.

Let’s talk about the money: “Reports show that about 33% of bloggers don’t earn any money at all. 10% of earners take home more than $10,000 per annum, while the top 0.6% of bloggers rake in over $1 million annually.” But income highly depends on the niche (subject area). For example personal finance is a niche that is much more likely to make an income.

If you start a blog that genuinely helps people with good information, I do believe you can (eventually) make an income. My blog relies on tiny affiliate commissions, low cost products and courses and donations right now. It is nearly enough to give up my part-time job and rescue a whole lotta spoons (which will be reinvested into this blog).

starting blogging 2022 with chronic illness

2. It takes a lot of work to start (and maintain) a blog

It takes over four hours to write one blog post and bloggers who publish more frequently get better results. According to this survey.

Let’s break that down, if it takes four hours (minimum) to write a post (without factoring in graphic creation, publishing, time spent on social media, extra support etc.) then that is over 800 hours to get 200 blog posts.

Video and audio are now huge drivers of traffic. So, we write the blog post (four hours) and then we have to create video and audio. Whether we jump on camera, record and edit videos for each platform we are on. Or we use Canva and create short videos using their awesome features. It still takes time.

More about earning an income with chronic illness:
19 Ways to Make Working with Chronic Pain and Fatigue Easier
How to Make an Income Online with Chronic Illness
Becoming a Fibromyalgia Blogger
Making Money with a Chronic Illness

3. It is worthwhile if you choose a niche that you are passionate about, you end up helping people and any income is the cherry on the top.

As I said above, I do believe you can eventually make some income, even if you choose a niche that isn’t rich with disposable income. But you can gain so much more from blogging than income.

You can really make a difference in someone’s life. Connection with your people, the ones who stick around, is so valuable. Some of my best spoonie friends were made because they were readers who reached out to me. I have also gained some fantastic skills – all useful for my working life.

Here’s just a few skills I have gathered while blogging with chronic illness

  • Graphic design for content marketing using Canva
  • Social media best practice
  • Content marketing
  • Blog management
  • Community management
  • Filming and editing video

Do you still want to start a blog with a chronic illness?

Starting a Blog When You Have a Chronic Illness Video

Your Blog with a Chronic Illness Business Plan

Choose one niche, one platform, one lead magnet and one way to generate income as your starting business plan.

My Best Tip for Starting a Blog with Chronic Illness

Plan well and break everything down into micro tasks. Micro tasking is king – think of it like pacing for the productivity world.

I have created a workbook to help you through the process in an energy-friendly way called The Paced Guide to Starting a Blog.

There’s a lot more I could share with you but this post is rather long and your to do list is about a year long.

If you still want to start a blog with a chronic illness here’s my parting advice for you

  1. Take it slow – like one thing at a time
  2. If you are serious then you want to master each step and you don’t want to burn out.

Tell us: Do you have a blog? Do you want to start a blog?

things you need to know about starting a blog with chronic illness
what you need to know about starting a blog with chronic illness

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