Start a Crochet Blog

Why Start a Crochet Blog?

The most effective method for earning a good income from your love of all things crochet is to start a crochet blog and set up various streams of revenue. All relating to crochet of course!

This is long but could very well change your life as it has mine and many others!

If you want to create a money making blog, but crochet is not your thing, you can absolutely use the same steps below for any other topic. As much fun as I have with my crochet blog, it does take some work. So it is best that you choose a topic you are passionate about. Determine what it is that you would love to write about; what you want to tell others about. You don’t need to be an expert. Just go for it!

Potential Full-Time Income!

There are many bloggers out there making tens of thousands of dollars (legit!) per month from this very same business model. Some are in finance, budgeting, organizing, lifestyle, decorating, furniture painting, crochet (yes!), and more. 

This “business model” is designed to bring in multiple streams of income from a blog. And if you want to take it all the way to maximum earnings, include a crochet YouTube channel. With CrazyCoolCrochet.com, I design, create, offer free crochet patterns and explain how to sell crochet items. This drives traffic from one target audience (crocheters who want to make money from their skill and hobby). I also sell patterns on Etsy. Another revenue source.

However, the big kahuna revenue comes from affiliate partnerships (very easy to implement) and sponsorships (sponsors seek you out!). The super successful bloggers take it all a step further and teach others how to create their own money generating blogs.

Blogger Superstars

I have been following one such blogger for years (Pat Flynn). The first time I saw this blogger’s income reports about 5 years ago, he claimed to be making $40,000 A MONTH! I said, ‘What a scammer! No way!”. But I dug deeper and realized he was totally legitimate. I followed his progress as he grew into THE industry leader.  (He now earns about $200,000 a month. And he’s no longer alone at the top of the blogsphere! )

Another blogger superstar I discovered after setting up my own crochet business, a fellow crafter, started just 3 years ago and her online craft blog now averages well over $100,000 A MONTH. These examples are on an OMG level, but just goes to show what is possible.

When I found that first super successful blogger I had my own blog teaching entrepreneurs how to write their own business plans (big snooze). Even though I could see how that uber-successful blogger was achieving so much success, I never followed his business model. I thought he was one in a million and there was no point even attempting what he was doing. My business plan blog never generated an income so I shut it down.

My Current Situation

Fast forward to 2019. (I’m being totally transparent here folks.) I’ve been unemployed for two and a half years and I’m entirely alone financially. I previously earned a decent income and lived well beneath my means. This has allowed me to ride out this dry spell. While surfing the web I began to see many, many bloggers following that business model that I had previously known about but ignored. 

They were putting out income reports showing that they were earning tens of thousands of dollars a month. They all showed screenshots of their reports and analytics. They ALL followed that totally doable business model. [When I say “business model”, I simply mean the methods used; ad revenue, affiliate income, etc.] Most had never had a blog previously and most started earning their first thousand dollars within the first few months. All had been able to quit their jobs within a year and were making more than they had been at their traditional jobs. That got my attention! Most also had spouses that were able to quit their jobs too.

My Early Success

I came to the realization that it was time to jump in and go for it!  Just six weeks after launching this crochet blog, CrazyCoolCrochet.com, I started making money and decided to go ahead and put out my first income report for month 2 so others can see that truly IS DOABLE.

I can say in all honesty that I am having the time of my life!  I absolutely love what I am doing and hope to make this my new profession.

Your Future Success

This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase.

So, back to the business model and YOU. As I was saying, the big kahuna money is with affiliates and sponsorships. You will see throughout this blog that I recommend specific blog hosting (Bluehost) and other blog-related affiliates. The commissions earned from those ‘partnerships’ are a major source of revenue.  Ads are another easy income source.

If blogging is something you’ve never done before, you can absolutely still set up your own blog (keep reading below!) and start earning revenue.

I LOVE designing and creating crochet items so that part of the business model still completely satisfies my creative/artistic side. And I love to write, so that part is totally satisfied. If you want to try taking it to the next level you can follow along with me and learn how to do that too. Or just enjoy the blogging and creating for now and then you’ll know if you want to take it further.

Not an Expert? No Problem!

Please understand that you don’t need to be an expert or master or have years of experience in your niche. Anyone willing to put in the work following these methods can achieve success.

Your Blog is your Mothership

The single most important thing you can do is to start that blog now! Your blog is your mothership from which your other income streams will launch.

It’s really pretty easy once you get the hang of it and if you use the right tools.

1.  Choose a Cool Name

It all starts with choosing a name (known as a domain name in the cyber world). If you’ve been kicking around a website name I would strongly, very strongly, suggest you do this now. Like today. Domain names get snatched up fast and you don’t want to miss out.

Even if you’re not ready to launch your blog just yet, you can still get that domain and hang on to it until you’re ready. The best place to get your domain name is a company called Bluehost. That’s who I use for this website.

2.  Choose the Best Host

For an incredibly low $2.95 (!!) per month, you get your domain name AND web hosting. Web hosting means it’s where your blog ‘lives’ in cyberspace. You will need to pay for several months up front. In my case, within the first 6 weeks, I earned enough in affiliate commissions, ads and Etsy sales to cover my start up expenses: hosting for 36 months, the theme (discussed below) and a couple of ad-ons (email campaign, Picmonkey for Pinterest pins). IN THE FIRST 6 WKS! That was possible because I followed the business model I discuss throughout this blog (the main component is starting your own blog).

Bluehost is a highly respected hosting company used by many (most?) of the most popular websites/blogs.

(I should mention that I get a commission for referrals. It’s one of the income streams I talk about.)

Go ahead and check them out, then come on back and see the step-by-step instructions below.

This is where you enter your cool domain name.

Choose your plan here. You get quite a lot for $2.95 a month! I would recommend the Choice Plus plan because it comes with Privacy Protection and Site Backup. Those are important so for an extra $2 a month I would suggest that.

Set up your account next.

From there you’ll be taken to the payment page.

Then you’ll create a password for your account.

You’ll probably need to log in using your new account username and password so you can get started.

3.  Choose a WordPress Theme

The next thing you need to do is choose your “theme”. That’s the whole look and feel of your website.

I use a theme called Magnolia. I fell in love with the look before I even knew what the name was. When I saw it was called Magnolia…well, let’s just say I knew it was meant to be. (If you’re a Chip and Joanna Gaines fan from Fixer Upper) you’ll understand.

Magnolia has it going on. A very clean, crisp look (like the whole farmhouse style that has taken off). Perfect for today’s crocheters!

If you want a similar look you’re welcome to use the same theme. You can get it here: CreativeMarket.com

***I may decide to change the theme for CrazyCoolCrochet.com in the future. After a few years with the same theme, it will need a little refresh. It will still be a gorgeous clean look and I still recommend the Magnolia theme!

More costs? Remember, you’re setting up your business, so there will be some costs involved (see #2 above). I see it as a small price to pay to be able to earn a living from home while indulging my passion. Crazy cool eh?

**When your theme is installed it might not look like the preview or example. Don’t freak out. With Magnolia you have the option to use the exact design as the example. Normally, once you get a theme you get a ‘blank’ or clean version with the options available to design it any way you choose (under the limitations of the available options with that theme). And, if you don’t like it you can always change the theme. 

The next step (after you’ve obtained the WordPress theme) is to install the theme on your blog. It’s really easy, but if you prefer, you can just call Bluehost and they will gladly walk you through it.

4.  Create Content

That’s it! Now you can start to make it your own with photos and content and start your income streams.

Some quick tips to get started:

In WordPress, the various sections you will be using on the Admin page are on the left side.

To write a post go to Posts (see how easy it is), choose Add New and start writing. You can add photos by clicking the Image button within the posting area or top of screen. You can choose Upload to grab a photo you have on your desktop. Those photos will then be saved in the Media section on the left side in the Library. 

You will be able to choose the font size and other basic writing tools. You can make a photo or text link to another page of your blog or anywhere else. You’ll learn as you go. I promise.

With the Magnolia theme you will see at the top of the Admin page in WordPress (where we have been working from) the word Customize (you can also find Customize in the Appearance section at the left). This is super handy for customizing the theme. It allows you to see the changes as you make them and will only take effect after you hit Publish at the top. If you don’t like the changes you can just back out of that section. 

Also in the Appearance section (or Customize section) you have the option to use Widgets (you will love widgets once you learn how to use them). You can add items to the sidebar (for example Recent Posts which will list as many recent posts as you choose). You can also use widgets to include ads (more on that in another post), sign up forms, and so much more.

And you can use Plugins. Plugins will become your best tools. Plugins allow you to customize your blog in more ways than I can even think of. In the Plugins area you can go to Add New and there will be a search bar. For example, if you want to remove dates from your posts (my preference) you would type ‘remove dates’ in the search bar and a bunch of plugin options will appear. I usually pick the ones with 5-star ratings and lots of reviews. Plugins do all the work of making changes to your blog so you don’t need to mess with any of the HTML techy stuff.

5.  Start your Email List

Set up your email list now. Don’t make the mistake everybody else makes and save this task for later. An email list can be the be-all-and-end-all for the success of your blog. Head over to Why an Email List is a Must. 

All the why and how detail is on that page. You are leaving money on the table if you don’t do this from the start. 

6.  Have Fun!

Ok, that’s enough for now. It seems overwhelming at first, but honestly, once you get the hang of things it can be so much fun. You can start little by little and build your money making blog as slowly or quickly as you like. I truly can say I’ve never had so much fun ‘working’. 

But, first things first. Sign up with Bluehost by clicking on the graphic below. The sooner you start, the sooner you begin earning an income from your work at home business!

More info to help you start a blog:

How to Gain Traffic

Why an Email List is a Must

The Business Side of Blogging

Crochet Blog Income Report

How to Monetize with Pinterest

Equipment, Tools, Resources