Starting is the hardest part. Select a platform and publish your very first post even if it is not entirely perfect.  It's a great learning experience with endless research activities. Consistency will form a writer's voice and it will definitely draw in readers in the long run.

Yes, most bloggers have ads, affiliate programs, and sponsorships, but the best strategy is to diversify. For instance, use ads and then create digital products or an online course to build a more stable income source for yourself.

For starters, I would advise start doing something small and simple. No need to go all out on creating complex designs. Just write up articles that are useful to most readers. As you go on writing, learn by actually using SEO and analytics. The main point is to be consistent even if traffic is very low at the beginning.

The Medium Partner Program is clearly the main path, but I also think that consistency really matters. Most writers who habitually post, engage with their readers, and write about trending topics are usually better off. However, there is time factor involved too, meaning, it takes time to build a loyal audience and once you have it, the earnings become more stable.

The viewer's tolerance of bad audio might be next to nothing, so it's crucial to do much improvement at this point through fine-tuning before uploading. Headphones can be handy for doing this.

Quote from: Ade on Aug 27, 2025, 01:00 PMMost likely, shotgun mics would be the most common. Because of its suction functions, you can hear a lot better even for an outdoor shot. Though I see them using wind shields by with shotgun to remove unwanted noises. It  actually depends upon the environment where you are making the video.

A decent and affordable beginner's lavalier mic is really good enough and produces surprisingly decent results too.

Realism is another major contributor. Even with good equipment, if the voice sounds robotic, it won't connect with viewers. Adding natural pauses, a friendly tone, and some personality makes a voice-over much more effective.

Quote from: Ade on Aug 27, 2025, 12:57 PMYes, sometimes voice-over video performs better because it is more manageable. It usually has scenes without a random background noise.

That's true. In fact, sometimes content are more refined through voice-over, since it's easier to write a script and redo it until it looks very perfect. Usually, this method will have superior-quality content compared to taking it on camera. It's best for tutorial and educational contents.

My advice is to test the audio on the headphones before uploading it. What sounded quite okay at the speakers may not even be audible on headphones. Moreover, having a steady and balanced voice adds more professionalism and engagement to the video.

Using headphones  helps in monitoring the volume of speaker output during recording. This is neccesary because sometimes, you might think you are screaming, but in the recording, it might turn out soft.