Updated on July 9th, 2022
Blogging vs Vlogging – With the increased popularity of vlogging in recent years, one might ask if blogging is still as relevant today? .
Vlogging has obviously grown rapidly with the advent of Youtube. It’s created a whole new way to search for information and find entertainment. But will it take over from blogging or become an adjunct to it.
Well, in this article we’ll compare blogging vs vlogging and work out which is better sharing your ideas. I’ll also delve into the expected future of both mediums.
BLOGGING – Highly searchable & discoverable.
Blogging involves sharing your ideas or creative expressions through a written online journal called a Blog. This word “blog” is a term coined from the original word Weblog from around 1995.
Blogs also usually contain written text, pictures, videos and links to other websites. They are perfect for all types of tutorials, reviews, comparisons and any other useful information that you’d like to share.
While other methods such as social media have recently become popular, the primary method of discovering new blogs is still through Google and Bing. Accordingly, Google organic search is still your best friend for being discovered as the search traffic is free. To maximise this organic traffic, we recommend that you do everything you can to improve the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) of your website using a free tool such as Yoast.
As Google also owns Youtube, Google seems to prefer your site when you embed Youtube videos in your posts. It’s good for SEO as Google likes to see you using both platforms. Also, your blog pages will then become visible in Google video search.
Blogging vs Vlogging: Key Advantages of a Blog over a Vlog:
- No. 1 hands down reason is that blogging is better for SEO. The top blogs rank on page 1 of Google, which is still the largest search engine.
- You can easily include links in your blog. This might include affiliate links which can earn you money. While you can add affiliate links to a Youtube video, someone would need to go and click a link in the video description. As the video description is normally hidden by default, the link isn’t prominent.
- Detailed descriptions, lists and concepts may be easier to describe in written form.
- Some people are reluctant to appear on video so blogging might be a better option when comparing blogging vs vlogging.
Ways to Make Money with a Blog:
- Affiliate marketing by doing product reviews.
- Promote your own products if you have an ecommerce business.
VLOGGING – Showcase your Personality to Build Connection and Trust
Vlogging (or Video Logging) offer a more personal connection with your audience. Of the platforms used for vlogging, Youtube is easily the largest and most popular.
In terms of discoverability, Youtube is the world’s second biggest search engine. So if someone is searching for a tutorial, either Youtube or Google search are the two main options.
Some key advantages of a Vlog over a Blog
- Build connection & trust with your audience more easily.
- More relaxed as you don’t have to worry so much about grammar, punctuation and spelling. People tend to be more forgiving of bad grammar from vloggers as long as their message is genuine.
- Many people don’t want to appear on video, so you have some key advantages by doing something that many people won’t do.
- If you prefer speaking to writing, vlogging might be a better fit for you.
- Youtube vlogs appear in normal Google search results. They often secure the top spot for some types of videos. If you’re looking to reach the number one spot in Google search, make short how-to vlogs or tutorials for keywords that have low competition. They also appear in Google video search results. Here’s an example of the search for “how to sharpen a Stihl chainsaw’. The Youtube video has no. 1 position in Google rankings –>
Ways to Make Money with a Vlog:
- Once you’re Youtube channel reaches a prescribed threshold, hyou can apply for Google Adsense monetisation on your channel.
- Affiliate marketing by including affiliate links in your videos or video description. You can do this by signing up with products to be their affiliate. By doing this, you can promote their products in your videos and earn affiliate commissions for doing so.
- Sponsored posts. Once you’re getting volume on your channel, you can work with companies and be paid to promote their products as a type of influencer.
- Promote your other business interests either directly or indirectly. This is perfect if you’ve got your own software product or something similar which you can showcase in your videos.
- Promote any courses that you may have. Share as much as you can on your Youtube channel and regularly mention to your audience that you’ve got a course on the subject. By openly sharing everything, don’t think that you’re giving info away for free. Your audience is time poor and is looking for a course (your course!) that conveniently packages everthing together for them.
- Patreon crowdfunding. This is fairly new but is a great way to fund your site if you’ve got a loyal following. Your viewers can sign up a s a patreon supporter to your channel and make a small monthly donation. In return, you would normally give your “patreons” additional benefits which might come in many forms.
- TikTok can also be used to make money. If you live in an applicable country and you have the requisite number of views, you can sign up to the TikTok creator fund. Once you’ve grown your channel to a larger size, there is also scope to earn money through brand deals or by promoting your own products.
Comparison – Blogging vs Vlogging
In the Blogging vs Vlogging comparison, both methods have their advantages depending upon the purpose.
With Blogging, it’s easier to detail complex tutorials, provide screenshots and links to other relevant sites and resources. There’s more scope for providing detailed instructions and checklists.
With Vlogging, you can build a personal relationship with your audience. Your viewers will build trust in you. Trust is much more difficult to achieve with a blog.
Cathrin Manning delves into some more things to think about in this video:
Our Recommendation – Blogging vs Vlogging
If you can, do both and make them linked.
With your blog, include your Youtube videos in your posts to improve the SEO of your blog. Your Youtube channel will also then become visible to a new audience. Another way to build more traffic on your website is to get all your Youtube videos transcribed into text and make blog posts from each Youtube video.
If you’re interested, we have created a useful guide on how to start a blog at this link.
Furthermore, on your Youtube channel, you can mention your website and link it in your video descriptions. This can drive new traffic to your blog.
Frequently Asked Questions – blogging vs vlogging
How can I make money blogging?
PPC (Pay- per-click) advertising is the most popular way of monetising blogs.
The second most popular method is affiliate marketing. This is where you review or promote affiliate products. You then send traffic to that company to earn a commission by using an affiliate link.
You can also make money promoting your own products such as if you have an e-commerce store.
How can I make money on Youtube?
If your channel reaches 1,000 subscribers and you’ve had 4,000 valid watch hours, you can apply for monetisation through the Youtube Partner Program using Adsense.
A somewhat quicker way to start earning income is through sponsorships. You might have heard a YouTuber say “This video is sponsored by”. By using this method, the creator can earn affiliate income for each customer it refers to the sponsor.
Many YouTubers also now utilise Patreon to earn income from loyal fans. In return they often provide freebies only available to Patreon subscribers.
How can I make money on Instagram?
Influencer marketing is one of the primary ways to make money on Instagram. You can do this if you have a decent following in an appropriate niche.
As an influencer, you can approach companies either directly or indirectly to promote their businesses. Marketers are keenly aware of the rising power of instagram recommendations. This has occurred as the engagement of television advertising has gradually diminished.
How can I make money on Tiktok?
You will need to grow your channel to a required size, but there are opportunities to earn good income through the Tiktok creator fund and brand deals (where you promote other people’s products).
