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Blogging vs. Vlogging: What’s the Difference?
Blogging vs. vlogging — what’s the difference? If you’re wondering about the differences between a blog and a vlog, then you are in the right place!
These are two different methods for creating content, growing an audience, and making money. But what exactly is the difference between the two?
And which should you choose to start for yourself?
That’s what this guide is going to address! Not only am I going to talk about the differences between blogging and vlogging, but I’m also going to share tips to help you decide which platform is the best one for you to start.
Blogging Her Way, as you might have guessed from the name, is a website all about blogging. However, I’m no stranger to other forms of content creation like vlogging. Both have their place in the online world, and both have pros and cons.
Ready to learn more? Let’s get into it!
Blog vs. Vlog: Key Definitions
So what exactly is the difference between a blog and a vlog?
Although the two words sound similar, there’s actually a major difference!
A blog is a website that focuses primarily on written content. It features articles (also known as blog posts) that are typically displayed chronologically. Blogging is the act of writing and publishing blog posts online.
The origin of the word “blog” dates back to 1994, and it’s actually a shortening of the term “weblog.” In the early days of the Internet, blogs were essentially personal diaries with frequent short updates (blog posts.)
You can read more about what a blog is here.
A vlog is a video, and more specifically, a type of narrative video filmed by an individual with a personal focus. The word is a mashup of “video blog” or “video log” and it originated in the early 2000s. Written blogs were already very popular, but video was still a newer medium on the Internet. Vlogging is the act of creating and publishing videos on a platform like YouTube.
A blogger is someone who runs a blog and writes and publishes blog posts, while a vlogger is someone who creates and shares vlogs online.
Differences Between Blogging and Vlogging
Obviously, the main difference between blogging and vlogging is the medium.
Blogs are written content, and vlogs are video content.
I’ve also noticed that “blog” has become more of a catch-all term referring to a variety of websites. Unlike the blogs of the early 2000s, which were essentially online diaries with lots of personal updates, blogs now can be more informative (like this one!) You don’t need to write about yourself to be considered a blogger.
You can have a blog about travel, marketing, baking, investing, you name it.
On the other hand, “vlog” still has more of a personal connotation to it.
If you make informative YouTube videos about historical facts or how-to videos about coding, that generally wouldn’t be considered “vlogging.”
Typically, vlogs are more personal and feature you on-camera for most of the video. You might be talking about your life, showcasing your travels, sharing what books you’re reading, answering questions from readers, or giving out advice.
Blogging vs. Vlogging Platforms
There are many different ways you can get started with blogging or vlogging.
For starting a blog, I highly recommend creating your own self-hosted website. This is actually really easy to do and costs less than $25.
There are free blogging platforms you can start with too (like WordPress.com or Medium), but these severely limit how you can make money.
Having your own website is the BEST way to do it if you want to make money blogging. You own your blog, and you’re completely in control.
For vlogging, the most common platform is YouTube. However, you can also start sharing short-form vlogs on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Why Start a Blog?
Why should you start a blog? I’ve actually written a whole article about the reasons you should start a blog, which I recommend reading first.
Blogging can be very profitable, and I’ve talked about the best ways to make money blogging here. It comes down to displaying ads on your blog, affiliate marketing, sponsored blog posts, selling digital products, and offering services.
One thing I like about blogging is the ability to update your content over time by editing blog posts you’ve published and making updates (which you can’t do with videos, because once they’re published, they can’t be changed.)
But blogging isn’t the right choice for everyone. For example, if you truly hate to write and it’s like pulling teeth for you, a blog probably isn’t a good idea.
For me personally, I express myself much better through writing, and it comes easily to me. I can crank out 1,000 words in half an hour if I want to.
I also appreciate that I can be more anonymous with blogging, instead of having to put myself out there and be on camera like vloggers do.
Why Start a Vlog?
If you enjoy being on camera and like the process of creating and editing videos, then vlogging might be a better choice for you instead of blogging.
Some people express themselves better through speaking rather than writing, and like being able to showcase their creative skills through videography.
Vlogs are also a good format for creating content in highly visual niches, like travel, beauty, fashion, food, lifestyle, fitness, and more.
If you want to start a vlog, you need to be comfortable as an on-camera personality. You should also be prepared for lots of behind-the-scenes editing.
However, video content is growing quickly, and there’s a lot of opportunity in this area. You can make money from your videos in many different ways, including ads (like Google AdSense on YouTube), sponsored videos (more lucrative than sponsored blog posts), affiliate marketing, and selling your own products.
Which Is Best? Blogging or Vlogging?
In my personal opinion, starting a blog has a lower barrier to entry than vlogging.
Although you can theoretically just film and edit videos on your phone, most professional video creators have invested in a nice camera for filming, as well as other equipment like microphones and lighting. And learning how to edit videos is a huge skill that is less intuitive than writing blog posts.
On the other hand, starting a blog is something you can do in an afternoon, and the only cost you have to pay when getting started is web hosting.
You can get this for less than $25 for the first year, and get a FREE .com domain name, when you sign up for web hosting with Bluehost.
There’s no one answer to whether blogging or vlogging is better, though.
Both have their pros and cons, and both can be great for growing an audience and making money online. It just depends on your own personality and skills.
Can You Do Both?
Yes, you can do both blogging and vlogging! If you can balance both platforms well, doing both can be a great way to grow and scale your online business.
Obviously, this will take a lot of work. I would definitely recommend focusing on one medium to start with (either blogging or vlogging) and then expanding to the other. Trying to do both from the start can be overwhelming.
But the good thing is that you can repurpose your content.
If you already have a blog with several years’ worth of blog posts on it, you can repurpose many of them into video ideas, or vice versa. You don’t have to do everything twice — repurposing is a way of working smarter, not harder!
Blogging vs. Vlogging: What’s the Difference?
This guide showed you the difference between blogs and vlogs.
What it comes down to is format. Blogging is a written medium, while vlogging is a video medium. Both can be very lucrative and help you grow an audience.
It comes down to how you feel most comfortable expressing yourself (writing vs. video) and where your skills are stronger to decide which one to start.
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