Blog vs YouTube vs Instagram. Which one do you choose? Should you do all three or none of them? Are bloggers and content creators’ influencers? Blogs, YouTube channels, Instagram pages… Is it online real estate or what?
So many questions that I will try to answer. But here are some forms below to make up your mind. Forms that I’ve “borrowed” from other websites mentioned in the sources.
| BLOGGING | YOUTUBE | |
| Comfort on camera | You don’t have to be on camera. | You have to get comfortable being on camera. |
| Skills required |  Basic photography skills Basic graphic design skills SEO knowledge Writing skills Video recording skills Video editing skills |
Basic photography skills Basic graphic design skills SEO knowledge Writing skills Video recording skills Video editing skills |
| Equipment required | Laptop with internet connection Good camera (optional, depending on niche) Microphone Video editing software |
Laptop with internet connection Good camera Microphone (optional) Video editing software |
| Expenses | Platform cost: inexpensive hosting and domain package (around $3.95/month) Good camera Microphone |
Platform cost (free to join) Good camera (or at least good smartphone) Microphone |
| Where audience is | For most niches, your target audience will be on both platforms. | For most niches, your target audience will be on both platforms. |
| Niche competition | Research competition for your niche on blogs. | Research competition for your niche on YouTube. |
| Keyword research & SEO | Yes, you need basic SEO knowledge for a blog. |
Yes, you need basic SEO knowledge for a YouTube channel. |
| Platform you own | Yes, you own your blog. |
No, you do not own your YouTube channel. |
| Way of monetising | Display ads: – Google Adsense– Mediavine– Ezoic– AdThrive etc. Affiliate marketing Sponsored posts Selling physical or digital products Offering services |
Display ads: – Google Adsense– Mediavine– Ezoic– AdThrive etc. Affiliate marketing Sponsored posts Selling physical or digital products Offering services |
| Income levels | Highly profitable display ads/monthly views Highly profitable through the other strategies (affiliate, sponsors, products and services). |
Less profitable display ads/monthly views Highly profitable through the other strategies (affiliate, sponsors, products and services). |
| Trust factor | Harder for people to connect and trust you. |
Easier for people to connect and trust you. |
| Time to invest | Quicker to create one blog post. |
Takes longer to create one YouTube video. |
| Updating old content | Can easily update old posts to keep relevant. |
Cannot really update old videos. |
Form from (no pun intended): https://cappuccinoandfashion.com/blogging-vs-youtube/
As long as they have an audience, bloggers and content creators are influencers. Just like celebrities are influencers.
I guess you know my favorite one?!
Blogging.
My first reason I prefer to invest myself in blogging instead of any other type of media and social media wasn’t mentioned in any of the forms above. My reason and priority is CONTROL.
When you are on YouTube on Instagram you own nothing. You are just one in a billion of content creators creating content on THEIR platform, not yours.
- Legally, Instagram and YouTube can censor, delete and shadowban your account. They can and will do whatever they please since it is their platform, not yours.
- TikTok could take over. Instagram could go out of business just like MySpace did years ago. Instagram could slowly fade away in obscurity just like its older bro Facebook. Nonetheless, it’s doubtful that YouTube will ever go out of business.
- Technically, you can’t sell a “your” YouTube channel or Instagram account since you don’t own them. You’re just a guest on their platform.
- Promoting your stuff on social media platforms is tricky. Since these platforms don’t want their users to quit their platform by clicking on your affiliate links.
- Scaling. Technically, you can’t scale a YouTube channel and you certainly can’t scale an Instagram page. Both can be great starting point to a lucrative content creator / influencer career. However, you can scale a blog to the infinite. Case in point: BuzzFeed, HuffingtonPost, Hypebeast…
CONTROL. That’s one of the main reason why blogging is my platform of choice. Apart from YouTube, which isn’t really a social media platform by definition, I don’t really care about social media. A self-hosted wordpress blog is my only solution to create content. Then, I can do whatever the fuck I want!
Your website(s) / blog(s) and your email list(s).
The only two things that you own online. The rest is fluff.
My mistake, too often I’m spreading myself all over the place. Look at the number of blogs I have! And for the most part, I was doing stock market, forex, and Print-On-Demand at the same time! Plus 43 FaceBook pages, at least two FB accounts, three Instagram pages, two or three Twitter account, one Tumblr, one or two Pinterest, MySpace when it was cool and fun… I must admit that I had and still have substantial traffic coming from those platforms. Using social media to send traffic to MY legitimate online real estate.
As I’m writing this post, my attention is on 3 things (I love the number 3).
- This blog: PYGOD.COM, Inc. to build my personal brand while creating useful content to provide value to my readers, subscribers and followers. I love writing and blogging!
- Building the next Amazon, eBay and Wal-Mart building my way up with PYGear.com. I know, I’m a megalomaniac. But you got to start somewhere! This one should take most if not all of my time.
- And what I love to call the PYGOD Bank! It’s about being your own bank (not the life insurance scam). This one doesn’t take much time but it’s always on my mind. It’s the end goal! A post on this in the future…
I’m extremely stimulated by these three life missions. I’m sure many people reading this right now have identical preoccupation as the three above. If it’s the case, I encourage you to subscribe.
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Sources and interesting links:
https://cappuccinoandfashion.com/blogging-vs-youtube/
https://thisonlineworld.com/blogging-vs-youtube/
https://medium.com/@KeywordsHeaven/blogging-vs-youtube-72803bb3dacf
https://satansschlongs.com/blog-vs-instagram-the-dilemma/
https://candaceabroad.com/difference-between-a-blogger-and-an-influencer/
https://www.theunconventionalroute.com/influencer-marketing-blogs-vs-instagram/
https://dailytravelpill.com/blogging-vs-instagram-what-to-choose/
https://doitwriters.com/should-i-start-a-blog-or-instagram/
https://scaleblogging.com/blogging-vs-podcast-vs-youtube/
https://www.charellegriffith.com/blog-vs-podcast-vs-youtube/
https://shanebarker.com/blog/instagram-vs-youtube-influencer-marketing-campaign/
https://blog.ainfluencer.com/blogger-vs-vlogger-vs-influencer/
https://myfoodstory.sg/bloggers-influencers/
