The ongoing blog vs blog debate has split the internet today. Latest statistics say there are over 600 million blogs worldwide and approximately 409 million blog readers monthly. Although blogs have been around for three decades, vlogs are becoming a more recent and arguably more engaging rival. But which is better for your business? Let’s explore the differences between blogs and vlogs.

What is a Blog? 

Engadget is one of the top tech blogs founded by Peter Rojas in 2004

Blogs started in the early 1990s and gained popularity in the early 2000s. Blogging is creating articles, images, and other forms of content and publishing them on a website, often in an informal diary style. Lifehacks, tips, regular updates, and a high level of engagement with the readers characterize most blogs. Blogs are also used as a marketing and communication tool nowadays.

The common blogging platforms are WordPress, Blogger, Web.com, Wix, Weebly, and Hubspot. Meanwhile, the most common types of blogs are personal blogs, lifestyle blogs, corporate blogs, and collaborative blogs.  

Pros and Cons of Blogging

Pros:

  • Blogging is a simple income opportunity. With blogging, you are not reinventing a product or creating disruptive technology. However, you must realize that straightforward income comes with trust and an optimistic character. To earn money from blogging, you can begin creating content and gradually improve.
  • Low startup cost. There are no limits to starting a new blog. Anyone can start a blog depending on whatever idea they have in mind. You can make a blog for free via different platforms. But we suggest you go with the paid route. This will enable you to start a reputable brand image and trust right from the early blogging stage. Typically, the startup cost is as low as $4.00/month for hosting services.
  • Worldwide audience. Blogging has no borders. It’s a megaphone of your voice that brings you closer to people you’ve never met. As of 2021, 4.72 billion use online networks worldwide. In one way or another, these users use the internet to find answers to their questions, learn something, or read exciting stories during their free time. 
  • Stackable revenue potential. There are several ways to earn money online with blogging. You can grow your blog and earn money by creating a loyal readership and fanbase. Many veteran bloggers have continued to innovate and adapt to the ever-evolving technology. The seven common ways to make money with blogging are:
    • Display advertising
    • Email marketing
    • Affiliate marketing
    • Courses or digital products
    • eBooks
    • Advertorials
    • Sponsored posts
  • High Return on Investment (ROI). This is a bit of a catch on the low startup costs. If your startup cost is low, your returns can be astounding. Your return on investment is dependent on your revenue model. For instance, if you start blogging for a SaaS (software as a service) company with a lifetime value of $1,500, a single blog post could yield 100% returns. In contrast, if you blog in a niche with low affiliate monetization methods, you might stay dependent on display advertising reviews. The revenue model could yield lower returns. 

Cons:

  • Time-consuming. Whether you are doing it for an e-commerce store, a SaaS company, or even to make money online, blogging is time-consuming. To grow your blog readership, you need to put in extra significant effort. 
  • Requires a lot of patience. If you think blogging can make you rich overnight, you have the wrong mindset. To succeed, you must be patient to see your site’s traffic increase. The moment you get too excited and start over-sharing or spamming is the most that you might get penalized. Stay calm, but be fierce. Develop a strategy of repetition with each blog post. It would help you attain your blogging objectives and, of course, profits.
  • Requires significant persistence. It may sound similar to requiring a lot of patience, but with blogging, you’ll have to be persistent. It takes a crucial effort to connect with media outlets and other famous bloggers. This could not happen in a few months or even a year. But you can’t quit. You’ll need to continue to stay active no matter what challenges you encounter. 

What is a Vlog?

blog vs vlog differences
Fearless & Far, is a vlog by Mike Corey, a Canadian adventure travel Youtuber, Podcaster, and TV Host. 

Vlog is short for “video blog, ” a video diary or journal intending to release online content to build an audience. Like bloggers who write articles, vloggers shoot videos and publish them online for other people to view and learn from them. Vlogs may cover anything from travel guides to beauty tips to cooking techniques. Sometimes, vlogs feature someone’s daily life. 

Some of the best platforms for vlogging are YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Vimeo, and DailyMotion. 

Pros and Cons of Vlogging

Pros:

  • It’s more eye-catching. Vlogging allows you to connect directly with your viewers. More importantly, its visual form makes it more noticeable to your target audience. You can freely share the topic you want and its process and timing.
  • It is an excellent way to record life experiences. Vlogging is a great way to document life experiences for future generations. With more and more people using YouTube and other platforms, it is an excellent way to share your life with family, friends, followers, or fans. 
  • Suitable for promoting a new business. If you want to start a business, vlogging can provide a venue to showcase your products or services. Likewise, it gives your potential clients a clear idea about your business. 

Cons:

  • In vlogging, you are making a video diary. Because of this, you may feel uncomfortable sharing your life with a broad audience.
  • You’re potentially exposing yourself to bullying or harassment. Besides, there are a few other disadvantages of vlogging. For example, if you’re uncomfortable in front of a camera, you may want to reconsider.
  • Time-consuming. Vlogging requires a significant amount of time and energy to create quality content.
  • The startup cost is higher. It can be expensive because it requires high-quality equipment like a camera, microphone, etc. 

Blog vs Vlog: The 6 Major Differences

Are you wondering about the blog vs vlog differences? Let us talk about the major ones and how the two stack up. 

1. Purpose

Blogs are used to publish written content, including graphics such as pictures, gifs, etc. Vlogs are used mainly for publishing videos. Both blogs and vlogs serve as personal diaries to give readers or viewers ideas about the content creator’s life or experience. They also provide educational content on a particular topic. While vlogs are gaining popularity because they give greater insight in a dynamic format, the top blogs still win in engaging readers. 

2. Hosting 

Blogs are often hosted on websites such as WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, Joomla, Weebly, Wix. etc. Vlogs, on the other hand, are hosted on video platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and more. You can use free blogging sites and set up a YouTube account for free. However, it can be more time-consuming to run a YouTube channel than maintain a blog.

3. Maintenance Cost

Maintaining a blog is very cheap, especially using a free blogging platform. You only have to pay the fees for web hosting. Hosting a vlog can be cheap, but the investment cost for a good camera, tripod, microphone, and other equipment might be high. 

4. Streaming

You can easily stream an online event via vlog. It will help you gain popularity among the audience faster. But you can not do it through a blog. 

5. Content Creation

Content writing is necessary for coming up with a readable and engaging blog. Aside from this, the author must try inserting visually appealing images to make the reader stay and finish reading the blog. You can create a great vlog by using catchy phrases and interactive lines, choosing relevant images, using proper facial expressions, and modulating your voice accordingly. 

6. Monetization 

In comparing blog vs vlog, audience engagement is critical. The reader or the viewer is the main reason you will make money through advertising and sponsorship. You can start earning from a blog or vlog early on and optimize so your income increases as your online presence grows. 

Conclusion

After comparing blog vs vlog, you’ll need to consider these factors in choosing between creating a blog or filming a vlog. Or, in some instances, you’d like to do both.

If you have a limited budget, it might be better to start blogging since it typically costs less than creating vlogs. Note that filming and editing can cost money, especially if you hire a professional to do it on your behalf. Then, some people might prefer videos over articles or vice versa. With that said, it’s important to understand what your target market is expecting. Knowing what your customers want can help you decide whether to create a vlog or a blog for your content marketing. 

Your success will depend on your content strategy. Content can only increase a brand’s exposure if you know the best medium to connect you with the customers. That’s why you must do intensive research on your target market and develop a content strategy that meets your goals of raising brand awareness.