Starting a blog is an excellent way to be creative and share your passions with the world. Let’s face it, though, the execution of it all can be tough. There are several different hurdles you will need to get sorted out before your site pops and is ready for visitors, all of which can intimidate you enough not to get started. Take this blog, for instance! While this is a clean and polished work of art (I know, so humble), I would be lying if I said it was smooth sailing to get here. The truth is that everyone who starts a blog comes across a similar set of roadblocks that have to address before it feels like you have something worth committing to. To help you share your creativity with the world, I’ve put together a no-nonsense guide to getting started when it comes to blogging. Follow these simple tips, and you will have a platform to participate in one of the most satisfying (and potentially profitable) new ways to express yourself online.
Pick A Theme
The first step to starting a blog is to decide what you are going to talk about! This isn’t a hard and fast requirement, but, in general, it is a good idea if you’d like to build an audience that comes back regularly. Blogs that touch on specific topics, even if those are varied, will be more successful at building a loyal following. If you want to drive consistent traffic to your blog and share your ideas with the world, this is a critical step. Don’t get too caught up on defining what the topics are. Instead, have a sense of the direction you want your content to go and speak to the people who are likely to read it.
Build A Platform
The next step is to create a digital home for your content online. You could have an incredible library of beautifully written content, but if it’s not hosted somewhere, people can find it, then it serves little purpose. Especially when you are first starting, it’s important to keep things simple. By using a straightforward website builder like Wix or Squarespace, you keep the complicated coding out of it and will have a platform to speak from before you know it. The best news is it’s affordable, too!
Outline Your Post First
Writer’s block is something that everyone who blogs will deal with occasionally. Most commonly, this frustrating state of not knowing what to say comes from not having spent the time putting together your thoughts loosely, first. Write the outline for your first few articles without any concern for how it sounds. Right now, you are just getting the ideas on paper; turning it to written gold comes next.
Take A Crack At The Real Thing
Once your outlines are done, and you have a good idea of what you’d like to say, it’s time to put in the work to make the blog posts come alive. The beauty of a blog is that there are no hard and fast rules you must stick to. Write in a way that is engaging and easy to read, but most importantly, find your voice. Your audience will return again and again when they feel like they can connect with you through your writing. Just be yourself!
Seek Feedback
It can be frustrating to receive feedback on your writing, especially a blog that is meant to be your own but doing so will drastically improve your content. The simple fact is that you don’t know what you don’t know, and this is especially true with your writing. Another set of eyes will catch things you might miss and should have good feedback as to how you can deliver your message better. Don’t take it personally; it is all part of the process!
There you have it! Follow this process, and in no time at all, you can have a blog you are proud of. Like so many things in life, consistency is key, and with practice, you will continue to polish and get better. Stick with it, and don’t forget why you started; this is supposed to be fun! Best of luck and happy blogging, I hope to stumble across your site somewhere down the road!
