Last Updated on March 18, 2023 by Best Vlogging Camera
Choosing between vlogging or blogging can be a hard decision. Because both have a great scope and are amazing platforms to keep people engaged. Apart from engaging your viewer, it is also a platform for promoting your brands or others or for showing your skills so that your viewer can learn about your talent and help you boost your confidence.
They both are such sites where you can pick a certain topic and discuss that. First, informatively and by sharing your opinion in between. Both have high earning potential, even so, there are a lot of things to consider before opting for one.
When you think of pursuing this as your career so there are a lot of things that must pop up in your mind which one is better? Which makes more money? How can one particularly decide which topic is best for a vlog or blog?
By the end of this article, you will have an open mind and will decide which platform would be a better fit for you.
Before we compare, let’s first talk about the basics that what is blogging and vlogging.
What is Blogging?
A blog is an informational website where articles are written on certain topics such as Fashion, women’s rights, and many more. The purpose of these articles is not only to engage people but also spread awareness about the issues that people are not aware of. Blogs also help in marketing strategies to promote any brand or service.
What is Vlogging?
A vlog is also a site just like blogging but instead of writing articles, it is all about creating n videos. Content can be about career guidance, traveling, and more. The root of vlogging started on YouTube but over time it has spread to other platforms like Facebook and Instagram. People use these platforms either to put an update about their content before uploading on YouTube or to make small IGTV videos.
Within time both sites have been updated and people are getting serious about pursuing this as a career which is huge progress because old generations make us believe professions like engineers or doctors would only make us successful. But thankfully people are getting over this mindset and opening their options with a belief that every profession is important and with arduous work and believe anyone can be successful.
Major Differences Between Vlogging and Blogging
Now getting enough information about Vlogging and Blogging let’s talk about some major differences between them.
1. Time Management
If you give a thought about this point, you will see a clear difference that vlogging consumes more time than blogging. As I mentioned earlier that blogging is all about drafting articles and adding a few photos of the related topic if necessary. But if we talk about vlogging it is not only about creating content, but you must consider other things which come in like a package deal that you have to take care of.
In vlogging, your job does not end with creating content. You also must deal with the editing of your video which is quite important. You must take all the responsibility to be a vlogger. Keep in mind that with making the video you must give time to your audience by engaging with them in comments or by going live.
Time-consuming is that factor that would be in both professions but if you dreamt of doing this, then this time will pass like nothing because you will be more concentrated on your challenging work than time.
2. Equipment, you need
All you need to start blogging as a beginner is a computer with a strong connection. In recent times, bloggers have also used other social media channels. Why? The majority of the younger generation is not interested in reading articles from websites; instead, they want to read about something fresh.
For this reason, bloggers utilize other platforms, including Instagram, where they can set up their accounts, add photographs, and publish engaging content. With the use of this technique, viewers’ interest in reading has increased.
A decent and inexpensive camera, an external microphone, and an editing program are a few of the pieces of equipment needed if we compare this to vlogging. It’s a common misconception among beginner vloggers that all of this equipment will be expensive.
While it’s true that many cameras are pricey, all you really need is one that produces good results. There are other options as well. Some vloggers choose to purchase secondhand cameras since they are more reasonable for them.
Others choose to use their cellphones, which is a wonderful alternative these days because most people use them because they have the same capabilities as a DSLR or other top camera. The microphone case is the same, but simply get the one that cancels all the disturbance, and other sounds from the background.
3. Content Publishing
Another thing to keep in mind is that after reading the information, releasing it is the next step. When blogging, you must post it to your own website or the website of the company you work for.
There are other blogging platforms like WordPress, which ranks #1 in Google searches. Hats are free, so there is no need to worry about paying a subscription fee. There are many platforms where you can display your work, which will help you advance to a higher level.
There are various platforms for vlogging besides YouTube, such as Instagram, which can be utilized in a variety of ways, one of which is to post updates regarding material before posting it to YouTube. By doing so, you will not only have the opportunity to expand your channel across several platforms but also be able to interact with a wider audience. It is a good indication of achievement.
Factors to Consider When Deciding Between Vlogging and Blogging
Whether you decide to vlogging or blogging, you must keep these factors in your mind which will help you throughout your learning process and with the help of this, you will see yourself in progress.
1. Topic
You need to understand which topic would be a better fit for a blog or vlog. The reason behind this whole theory is that whether a person is a blogger or vlogger, their main aim is conveying a clear message to viewers in such a way that they cannot contradict it.
In certain cases, blogs are a better medium for explaining certain subjects than movies. Similar to vlogging, if you believe some topics are hard to explain, stick to blogging instead.
YouTubers rarely create videos that are challenging to understand because, in the first place, doing so would make the video boring and too long (according to a survey, most people prefer watching short videos).
Alternatively, if you anticipate that your video will be too long, you can break it up into smaller segments to keep viewers interested throughout.
2. Audience
The market or the audience you are targeting is One of the most essential parts of your decision-making process. We have this built-in presumption that the younger generation is into vlogs while the older generation is into blogs, that perception is true most times but it does not mean that it is also true in your case. Do not take decisions based on the likelihood of what your target audience looks like. Your livelihood and the survival of your vlog depend on it.
If you have made the best vlog possible but have started with an incorrect presumption about your audience, it will not matter at all. But let us say that you have built great content and have done complete research on what your viewer base looks like, an especially important feature of YouTube is the comment section where you can interact with all your views.
Both vlogs and blogs have that option which allows you to build a personal relationship with your audience. In both cases, interacting with your audience is essential and the key to keeping your subscribers and growing further.
3. Personal Qualities
You must have heard that famous internet quote, “Everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its life thinking it’s stupid.” This quote goes for vloggers and bloggers. Before you even start, you must do some self-analysis.
Trust us when we say that all the famous names in the industry have done that in time. Your entire character matters. If you are not a person who likes to go out much or who likes to face the camera regularly, choosing to vlog as your preferred medium of expression will only lead you to doom.
Similarly, if you dislike being secluded and just write your expressions or if you cannot express yourself in words clearly, think again before choosing to blog as your choice of self-expression.
Forget about the resources you have available or the opinions of the surrounding people on what you should you and ask yourself, what would you be more comfortable doing if you did that thing for hours on end in a day? The answer comes from the gut and your intuition already knows the choice between vlogging and blogging before you have even considered asking yourself that question.
4. Resources Available
Okay, so you have asked your gut and made your choice between the two titans of vlogging and blogging. You have also analyzed your target market and set your content accordingly to your audience. You are ready to interact with your viewers on the topic you have chosen.
The last step of the way is the resources you have around you. Here vlogging causes more restrictions than blogging. Even though you know the cliché that to create a vlog you just need your phone but video editing is also an essential part of the process.
You need to check whether your current PC can handle video editing, or whether your camera is good enough for the vlogs you want to make. If you do not have access to the resources, it does not mean that you should change your choice from one to the other, but you should focus on devising a plan that will give you access to such resources that will help you create the content in the choice you have made.
How much can you make Blogging vs Vlogging?
Both vlogging and blogging have enormous earning potential. The rumors are true, you might earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in both fields and no one choice is easier than the other one.
It takes time, challenging work, and dedication to make both a successful blog and a vlog. Let us have a look at the statistics. An average YouTuber can earn around 52,800 USD in a year.
For an average vlogger, this is a genuinely nice income bracket. Whereas on the other side of the spectrum an average blogger can earn around 38,400 USD in the same year. This is a lower average, but it does not mean that blogging has less earning potential.
But keep in mind that these blogs can be written for other companies or can be for self-websites. It all comes down to your monetization strategy, the more ads you run and the more commercials you make your blog or vlog, the more potential you must earn thousands.
Monetization strategies for both vlogs and blogs are different, but some things are the same for both. For example, merchandising, sponsorships, collaboration efforts with other creators, and general advertising.
Vlogging or Blogging: Which should you choose?
So now that we have cleared out all the differences between both the titans of vlogging and blogging, how do we choose which one is best for us?
It depends on a few sets of questions you must ask yourself depending on what your goals are, how you want to orient your channel or blog from a business perspective, what growth rate are you projecting, and what cost structure you can manage.
Here, you notice that vlogging is a fast-growing choice, which means if you start a vlogging channel, growing the channel will be much easier for you compared to blogging. But on the other side of the spectrum, if you decide to go with blogging, that is an investment in value increase. You are building a long-term asset.
Regarding the cost structure when you start a vlog you will have to purchase the equipment and software required to create vlogs whereas in blogging the only major expense structure involved is buying hosting and a domain name for your website.
To make it easier for you, we have shortlisted a list of questions you can ask yourself which will help you create the distinguishment in choice and help you better decide what you are better suited for
- Am I comfortable being in the spotlight in a video
- What is the period I will dedicate to my choice (blogging or vlogging)
- What does my gut say, which medium do my passions align more with
- According to a business perspective, where can I earn more money
- Am I planning to outsource the content I create
Conclusion
Hopefully, if you successfully and truthfully answer these questions, your choice between vlogging and blogging should be clear. This is because these questions encompass everything that is the foundational basis between the choice you must make from passion, resources, time, goals, business opportunities, and character alignment.
Try it out yourself, this is just the first step of a long journey ahead.