Vlogging vs Blogging, that is the question for creators in 2017. If you are thinking about putting your content or business online, you may be thinking what is the best platform for me? This can be a big turning point as this will be a major factor in getting views, exposure or even income from your content.
Blogging has been around since the early 2000’s and is most recognised if you were to bring it up in conversation. Compare that to Vlogging which is a relatively new concept that is starting to take on fast. Below we have included a graph which shows the search trends for both terms over the last 5 years. Red being Blogging vs Vlogging in blue.
Source: Google Trends
You can clearly see a shift happening from Blogging to Vlogging over this 5 year period. This is mainly due to the domination of YouTube and the ease of starting a Vlog. However both categories still have their place on the web. Lets deconstruct what both of these different categories are and what best suits your creative content and goals.
Positives Of Being a Blogger
In essence Blogging is having a website where you share your own posts or articles which could consist of opinions, reviews, photos, travels and so on. Being a Blogger is a great way to reach out to a audience where you can create an online community. Take this Blog for example, we cater to Vloggers and YouTubers. It is a targeted Blog for a targeted audience where we share information and articles.
Source: InetSolutions
When it comes to content creation for Bloggers, its relatively easy to upload a article or post to your site. This means you can post frequently, and generally all you need is a laptop or smartphone. As a Blogger you can easily monetise your content through various monetising strategies.
Blogging can be hugely rewarding as you are sharing your experience with other likeminded people who are also interested in the same topics. When it comes to Blogging the sky is the limit but there definitely are challenges you will face along the way.
Challenges Of Blogging
The whole website creation may be a deterrent for some but it really isn’t that bad to create a Blog in 2017. There are so many resources and tutorials that allow you to create a Blog in hours with no coding knowledge at all. Some major platforms are Blogger, WordPress and Tumbler to name just a few.
Source: ThemeFusion
Depending on your budget you can create a Blog for free or a decent Blog for $100. This will require some learning of how to setup a website, hosting, domain name etc. Here is a good guide on how to create a website with ease.
Another challenge Bloggers face is learning and keeping up to date with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) changes. Knowing and implementing good SEO can be the difference between a successful and a dud Blog. This could include anything from Keyword Research, Permalink’s, Tags, Meta Tagging, picking the right title and so on.
These are valuable skills to learn as a Blogger and if you get them right you may be able to earn a full time living from your Blog.
What Is a Vlogger And How Does It Work?
Source: BBC
In many ways Vlogging is similar to Blogging. The biggest difference between the 2 is that instead of writing content you are recording yourself/ experiences with a camera and uploading to YouTube. If you want to become a Vlogger, essentially all you need 3 things. A YouTube account, a camera and a laptop or computer to edit and upload your Vlogs to YouTube.
Content Creation
As a Vlogger your main focus is to record great content that people want to watch and share. If you look at Vloggers like RomanAtwood and Casey Neistat you can see they have mastered the art of Vlogging. This isn’t a easy thing to do and does take time to learn.
Picking A Camera
As a Vlogger you will need a good camera to record yourself with. You can read our guide on picking the best YouTube Vlogging camera to get started. If however a new camera is out of your budget you can easily use a smartphone which most of us have. Here is a complete rundown on why a smartphone can be a good Vlogging camera.
Upload Your Content
After you record your content you will then need to edit it into a watchable video that can be uploaded to YouTube. Depending on your Vlog style you may not need to edit at all. Some Vloggers just record themselves talking in one take and thats it. So it all depends on what type of content you want to create.
Cons Of Being A Vlogger
Source: Collective Edge
One of the biggest cons of being a Vlogger is being able to put your face in a video which has the potential of reaching millions. This can be a huge hurdle to overcome if you are not used to putting yourself out there. However this may be a positive for some if you are confident of putting yourself on screen.
Another disadvantage of Vlogging, depending on how you view the task is editing. Some Vloggers go to extremely high levels to provide a polished and crispy looking Vlog. This can be a daunting task as you may have to learn editing video, sound, music and so on. We have created this guide on the top 5 best editing softwares for YouTube Vloggers for new and advanced YouTubers.
Pros Of Being A Vlogger
Source: Major Oats
When it comes to the pros of becoming a Vlogger, they really are endless. One of the stand out pros is the ability to create something from scratch. This can be a hugely rewarding experience of creating something and sharing it with the world.
Similar to Blogging you can also reach a audience which will have similar interests. Even if they don’t, they will get a unique view into your world and passion. If you go on YouTube you will be able to find Vloggers creating video content from a endless list of categories.
Another alluring pro of becoming a Vlogger is the potential of YouTube famous. This is mainly due to the the share factor that videos have compared to Blog posts. YouTubers have become the new rockstars of the 21st century with huge followings that go into the high millions. By reaching these huge audiences you may be able to make a living from your content which can be quite liberating.
In conclusion both platforms provide great benefits and features for creating content and reaching new audiences. Vlogging is on the rise so this is a very good and stress free way to get started and spread your voice. However if putting your face on camera isn’t your thing then Blogging is a great alternative.
Peter Masters says
Hi, good article thanks.
I’ve been blogging on and off since 2010 and I really enjoy it. The positives for me are the ability to attract a good audience to my website and hopefully keep people coming back.
Vlogging is of course something I’ve tried and enjoyed but where’s the benefits as far as SEO is concerned.
I’ll be writing a blog post about Vlogging and Blogging later today, this has helped.
Thanks
Peter
Jayaraj Chanku says
Awesome post. Thanks for sharing.
I think vlogging with blogging will be incredible and will be more popular.
Alex Bulla says
Love your point of view. Seems like more and more peoples are intrested in vlogging rather than blogging.
I am writing an article myself (for my italian audience) about this topic. Thanks for the infos.