Hi, hi, hello!

My name is Angela and I’m an Illustrator/Blogger who’s been making a full-time income via my Online Business for the last 10 years.

I got a fancy email the other day telling me that one of the main reasons I’m successful is because I’ve been in this field for a LONG time and because I already have an established business, I can make sales every day.

The email burned me a bit, because it felt like it came from Satan.

Mondays can be hell. So, I would suggest that you start with light work so that you aren't bogged down with blogging work. This will set the mood and you can slowly move on to heavier tasks.

But she wasn’t wrong.

This gave me a brilliant new topic idea.

If I Were to Build an Audience from Scratch – How would I do it?

Okay.

So let’s say I lost everything.

  • No audience.
  • No email list.
  • No blog.

Just me… and maybe a half-dead laptop because I always forget to charge it.

What would I do?

Would I cry?

Yeah, maybe. For like a whole week.

Then I’d get up, make some chai (duh), and start building again.

Let’s go step-by-step.

I promise this is gonna be fun.

But before that really quick…

This post includes affiliate links to products I truly (from the bottom of my heart) recommend, meaning at no extra cost to you, I may earn a small percentage, which I will use to feed my sweet, adorable pooches.

Stray Curls Angela has two adorable labrador girls.

1. Pick a Topic That Doesn’t Make Me Want to Stab My Eyes Out

Yep.

Not even kidding.

You can’t build an audience around something you hate.

If you do that, you’ll eventually get bored and give up blogging.

Do some research, pick a topic that has a BIG audience. And if it’s close to something you love – that’s a bonus!

I’d pick a topic I could talk about forever even if no one paid me.

For me? Drawing, Writing, Kawaii, Blogging, Email lists, Pinterest… stuff like that.

(Also, maybe books and cozy ramen recipes but that’s another story.)

The point is—pick your jam.

Take some time with this.

2. Start a Free Email List on Day One (Yes, Before I Even Have a Blog)

I’d set up a free email list using something like ConvertKit or Beehiiv or Flodesk.

Doesn’t matter.

I’d create a super simple landing page if I were posting on Medium/Linked-In. Like, ugly-simple.

Or create an opt-in form and put it on all your blog posts if I were creating a blog.

I teach you how to do that here. 

Just “Hey, I’m starting this thing. Wanna come along for the ride?”

Because this is the truth: I don’t need a full-blown website to start building connections.

I just need one person to say “Okay, this looks kinda cool.”

Don’t overthink it.

In this post, I talk about how to start an email list for free. 

Start with this.

Next…

3. Give People a Reason to Subscribe (No One Signs Up Just to Be Nice Anymore)

Once you’ve had time to get your website ready and things are looking up, focus on giving away something valuable.

I’d create a freebie.

Don’t have a boring opt-in like “Join my newsletter.”

Ugh.

No one wants that. No one.

I’m sorry to burst your bubble.

I'm sorry to burst your bubble.

Since I am in the blogging niche, I’d create a freebie like:

  • “7 Blog Post Ideas That Go Viral Every Time”

  • “Swipe My Exact Welcome Email (That Gets 67% Opens)”

  • “Pinterest Cheat Sheet: How I Got 12K Monthly Views with Just 5 Pins”

Something spicy.

Something that makes people go, “Wait… I want this. Right now.”

4. Post Content Somewhere People Actually Scroll

Listen, I love blogging.

But I’m not gonna wait 8 months for Google to notice me, okay?

I did it till 2024.

After which, that search engine changed its algorithms and no longer works for bloggers. I talk about that here. 

SEO is dead right now and social media is taking off.

So I’d pick one platform:

  • Pinterest (if it’s visual + evergreen)

  • Instagram/Youtube (if I like being on camera)

  • LinkedIn (if I’m targeting people who drink overpriced coffee and write thought posts)

  • Medium (if I like writing everyday articles)

I’d show up there daily.

Not perfect, just consistent.

Please remember to ditch perfectionism and focus on output.

Short posts.

Real talk.

No AI jargon soup because it sounds very robotic and bleh.

5. Send Emails Even if Only 3 People Are on My List (Hi Dad)

I’m serious.

This is the number one reason I get people to keep coming back.

I’d write to my tiny list like I’m talking to my best friend.

I actually talk while I write my newsletters – this makes it more conversational and easy-to-read.

I’d say things like, “I didn’t really want to talk about this, but here we are…”

People don’t want newsletters.

  • They want a connection.
  • They want behind-the-scenes messiness.
  • They want you.

Be kind to fellow artists and you will automatically grow as an artist.

For my relationship blog, I sometimes write very vulnerable newsletters – they’re the ones that talk about my breakups or losing my parent to cancer. And they’re also the ones that get the most opens.

Link to 3-5 blog posts in every email you write – this little traffic adds up and contributes to your ad income.

6. Make a Lowkey Offer So I Can Make a Little Moolah

I couldn’t wait to be an “expert” to make an offer.

I’d maybe sell:

  • A $9 digital planner for bloggers

  • A swipe file of my email templates

  • A 30-minute “Pick My Brain” call

It doesn’t have to be fancy.

It just needs to solve one tiny problem for one tiny group of people.

That’s it.

7. Repeat Until Something Starts to Work

In the beginning, you kinda have to throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

It’s normal.

A lot of people lose hope here because they’re not growing exponentially.

The key is to be consistent.

I’m not gonna lie, some stuff will flop.

  • I’ll post a reel that gets 3 views.
  • I’ll create a freebie that no one downloads.
  • I’ll send an email and get unsubscribes from people I swear didn’t even sign up (??)

But that’s part of it.

Nobody talks about these things because it’s slightly embarrassing.

But every time something doesn’t work, you’ve learned something new.

I’d take notes. I’d tweak it.

I’d keep going.

Because the only way to build an audience is to show up before anyone claps.

I’ve mentioned the power of consistency in my a lot of my blog posts, including this one. 

Final Thoughts (a.k.a the pep talk you didn’t ask for but kinda needed)

If you’re starting from scratch, good.

A lot of people said that blogging no longer works in 2010.

They repeated the same news in 2020.

And now again in 2025.

But I’m here to tell you that online creators are still thriving.

Yes, the method of blogging changes, but true bloggers know how to adapt.

They also know that this field has a lot of ups and downs.

Don’t let go of your dreams.

You get to build this your way.

Fun. Chill.

Zero pressure.

Start small. Start messy.

And when in doubt? Just write the email.

That’s where the real magic begins.

Here are a few more posts you may enjoy: