Course Review: Perfecting Blogging Course from By Sophia Lee | Best Blogging Course for Making Money
Hello there! If you’ve landed on this blog post, then it likely means that you’re considering taking “Perfecting Blogging” from By Sophia Lee.
Cost of Course: $220 ish (I bought this course and the Pinterest course)
Time to Complete: 2 Weeks
I’ve just finished the course, so today I’m sharing a review + my thoughts on whether the course will be a fit for you! I am an affiliate for this course, which has incentivized me to write a review — and I’m gonna be SUPER honest about whether or not I think it’s worth the money.
Where We’re Going
Below, I’ve shared an outline for this review of Perfecting Blogging, noting different sections you should absolutely read this review in full before purchasing!
- Who am I? || I share my background so you know where I’m at in my blogging efforts!
- REVIEW || What Do I HONESTLY think of the course?
- Should you take the course? || Who should (and shouldn’t) take the “Perfecting Blogging” course?
- Extra Feedback|| What I wish Sophia Lee had included
- Bonus || My Favorite Blogging Resources
Who am I & Why I love online courses:
Hi, my name is Brianne (she/her), and I’m a blogger over at The Huntswoman! I cover plus size fashion, career building, personal finance and LGBT Living. I’ve been blogging since 2016, and I got serious with my actual blog in late 2018//early 2019. (I started on Instagram, then added a blog!)
I decided to take this course because Sophia Lee has shared income reports, as well as lots of tips and tutorials. I found Sophia Lee through her youtube channel, where’s posted videos about her blogging income and paying off student loans. I want my blog to bring in five figures a month, and I really want to get on Mediavine in 2021.
FUN FACT ABOUT ME: I LOVE ONLINE COURSES!
Seriously. Every year, I spend thousands of dollars on 1:1 coaching, personal development and online courses. I’ve learned that the BEST way to make big moves and progress is by HIRING someone who has done what you want to do.
Buuut, I don’t review *every* online course. I learn from almost every course I take, but some just aren’t worth the money/time to get to those golden nuggets of information. Course creators often create content that is broad, and because it isn’t SPECIFIC — it’s not super useful.
But you know who has a SUPER SPECIFIC course? Sophia Lee. 👀
Why Do I Blog? — Make $$$ While Sleeping
I’ve done a lot of financial self-education (something else that Sophia Lee talks about that I love), and I think about this quote from ultra-successful investor, Warren Buffet all of the dang time:
“If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” — Warren Buffet
Here, Warren is talking about investing – but we can also apply this to blogging. Blogging enables me to make money while I sleep. I warn money from sharing my real tips and recs, from affiliate partnerships and ads!
I’ve been able to make $$$ from my blog while doing other stuff. I’ve been paying bills for years using posts that I originally wrote 2–3 years ago!
Blogging ROCKS!
Extra Info About Me: I Consult on Influencer Marketing & Blogging
Along with being a blogger (woohoo!), I am also self-employed. I teach classes on how to get to 10,000 followers on Instagram, how to negotiate influencer deals, etc. (My consulting website is HERE.)
I teach influencers/bloggers how to pitch and negotiate deals, and I also represent brands who partner with influencers. Plus, I negotiate my own deals.
I understand how folks could think it’s weird that I’m reviewing this course, but here’s the thing! A rising tide lifts all boats!
When it comes to making money, my motto is: “I don’t want to be alone on the yacht!” I want other folks (you!!) to be there, too.
I really appreciate how honest Sophia Lee has been about her journey, so I’m showing up with an HONEST review about her course.
Plus, this course is only ~ $250!! Most online courses are wayyyy more than that. I am honestly shocked she’s only charging this much.
My HONEST Thoughts About The Perfecting Blogging Course
This course took me about 2 weeks to finish. I was able to listen to a lot of it while doing other stuff (like cleaning). Some sections I needed to sit down and watch, and I’ll definitely be rewatching the course in the future.
Within the first ~10 minutes of the course, the course had paid for itself.
WHAT!? Why?
Because Sophia Lee shares the name of her host! So many bloggers are tightlipped about this, and she shares the NAME of her current host — for her blog that gets 200,000++ sessions a month. This is HUGE. I would’ve paid $250 for a consult call with Sophia Lee for this information. BOOM.
Real Talk: Okay, so I’ve been writing blog posts for clients for ~10 years. I deeply understand SEO, online marketing, and I’ve helped clients who are on Mediavine. My issue is that I haven’t done the work myself for my own dang self!! I’ve been doing it for other people for years!! Smh!!!!
So, while I knew a lot of what Sophia shared — I was really impressed by how she broke things down and showed her students *exactly* what she does. It’s straight forward, and she doesn’t gloss over things. She shows you exactly how she researches and writes blog posts!
Sophia Lee’s course is straight forward, and offers a fast track to blogging.
So, overall:
What The Course Covers
- Choosing a Blog Niche
- Finding blog post ideas & Deciding what to write
- How to WRITE a blog post that gets clicks (this is super key!! She literally goes through her posts. I loved this!!)
- Creating a content calendar
- How to format for SEO
- Tools she uses to place ads, make graphics, etc
- Making money from ads & affiliates
- Image licensing
- Helpful checklists for each blog post
What The Course DOESN’T Cover
- Email Marketing (literally almost no mention of this)
- Sponsor or Brand Deals
- Growing income through products
Who Should Take The “Perfecting Blogging” Course?
I think that this course is a great introductory course for folks who are pretty sure they know what they want to blog about, but are SO confused on where to start. She really walks you through the process, and I wish I had taken this course when I started.
This is the course to take if you want to get started NOW, and you want to avoid making stupid mistakes.
I can see the following people taking this course:
- Instagram influencers who want to start a blog that makes $$$
- Aspiring bloggers who don’t know where to start — but know they are SERIOUS and want to make an income from their blog
- Longtime bloggers who have NOT hit 50,000 sessions on their blog (ie bloggers still on Google AdSense who want to be on Mediavine)
This course was designed for new bloggers, but older bloggers can definitely learn from it!!
Who Shouldn’t Take The Sophia Lee Blogging Course, “Perfecting Blogging”?
I don’t know that there’s necessarily folks who SHOULDN’T take this course, but here’s a few things to note:
- Get Rich Quick Schemers: If you think blogging is easy and want to get rich quick, this isn’t the course for you. Also, real talk, blogging isn’t for you!
- People Who Love Excuses: If you invest in this course, you should have at LEAST 5 hours a week to dedicate to writing blog posts. You have to do the work.
- Perfectionists: Listen, I get being a perfectionist. Truly, I do. But the thing with blogging is that you can’t be too precious about what you’re doing. Yes, you want do your best. But there will always be little issues and hiccups that pop up. Waiting to publish posts until literally everything is perfect means that you’ll NEVER publish a blog post!
<< Want to get all signed up? Click HERE to access the course. >>
My Big Breakthrough
I knew when I took the course that I’d be tempted to be all, “UGH! I already know this!”
But the thing is, just because I know it — doesn’t mean I’’m DOING IT.
Womp.
I had a big breakthrough watching the course, when I went to do the research Sophia assigned. I realized I had done a lot of work with writing a certain kind of $$$$ post — that I haven’t! This course helped me take a step back and be like, “Oh…. SHIT.”
I coach bloggers, and I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m not perfect! This aha moment was huge for me and my blogging income.
What’s Missing? (What I Wish Sophia Lee Had Included)
So, I’m obvi a fan of the course. Here’s what I think Sophia Lee should add:
- Privacy Policy Page Module: Every blog needs a privacy policy page, and most beginner bloggers don’t know about this. She should include a discussion around this ++ a legal disclaimer. Google AdSense requires a privacy policy page, and not having one can get you in hot water!
- Affiliate Disclaimer Page & Affiliate Widget Module/Video: I think Sophia Lee should have at least mentioned the need for an affiliate disclaimer page and a widget that puts the disclaimer on each page. I use a widget for my affiliate disclaimer, and Amazon Affiliates (actually, all affiliate platforms) requires this disclaimer on every post that uses affiliate links! If you’re using affiliate links, you have to have a legal disclaimer sharing that you may make $$$ from your links.
- Email Marketing Module: I know that email marketing is key to growing blog traffic. I’d like to see 3–4 videos on how to add email to your blog // how Sophia Lee used email to get on Mediavine. I realize email marketing could be a WHOLE course, but let’s get 15-20 minutes of video on this.
Besides that, I’d love to see an additional and separate course from Sophia Lee on selling printables and products.
<< Want to get all signed up? Click HERE to access the course. >>
Extra Info: Getting a WordPress Blog Set Up
Getting a self-hosted WordPress blog setup can be a ton of work, and this is where a lot of bloggers get frustrated and quit – before they start.
I would recommend paying someone $100 — $300 to set up your WordPress blog on BlueHost. It’s much easier than trying to diy. If you try to do it yourself, you’re looking at probably 10 hours minimum of research + videos. I think Sophia Lee has a rec for who to hire (the company who did her first blog).
Have More Questions?
Okay, so there’s the review! If you decide to get this course based on my review, please use my affiliate link, HERE! If you have questions about the course and want to chat, feel free to DM me on Instagram or Twitter! I’m totally down to discuss my recommendation more, and I can share other courses that may be a better fit.
Extra Blogging Resources
Below, I’ve shared some of my fave (FREE) blogging resources. I’m constantly learning, and you should spend ~30 minutes a day on personal development//learning!! The internet is always changing.
- Simple Pin Podcast (HERE)
- My Medium for Posts on Brand Partnerships & Sponsors (HERE)
- Brandon Gailley’s study on how bloggers make money (HERE)
I’m also available for coaching and consulting if you need help getting your new business off of the ground. (My consulting website is HERE.)
There’s The Review!
If this review made you decide to invest, then please use my link to purchase! Also, I’m 100% serious about answering DMs and questions about the course. I’m not salesy, and I’ll be real if I think it’s worth it for you!
<< Want to get all signed up? Click HERE to access the course. >>
