Starting a blog the proper way may not be for the faint-hearted but it doesn’t have to be difficult.
Not only is starting a blog that’s going to impact people and turn you into an influence in a field, possible; it can also be enjoyable and worthwhile.
But only if you know what you’re doing and you’re intentional about it.
Maybe you’ve heard otherwise and the thought of starting a blog, scares you.
Or you don’t think it’s such a big deal and you can do anything you like and as long as it’s published online, you can call it a blog.
And that’s entirely possible but that’s how you end up starting a blog that disappears on the internet because nobody reads it.
We want to prevent that from happening.
Which is why I’ve written this post. By the time you get to the end of this page, you’ll see the seven things you need to do when starting a blog that will impact people and turn you into an influence in a specific field.
1) Decide on your blogging idea
Starting a blog without having any idea what you’re going to be blogging about is like attempting to get on a plane with no destination in mind.
And while some people might have the adventure of a lifetime and figure it out as they go along, you’re very likely to get into avoidable, nightmarish situations.
So, what’s your blog about?
Every impactful blog has a general idea. And this is what you should bear in mind when starting a blog.
You might say you want your blog to be a mishmash of ideas and that’s your shout but if you found a tumour, needed a hairdresser for Afro hair, or wanted to get information of a Montessori School – would you be OK with a general practitioner, or go to a specialist?
There you go!
So what’s the general idea for starting a blog? Is it health, skincare, beauty, lifestyle, food, career, books, African hair, faith?
You can narrow down your idea later but you need to have something to start with.
And picking your general idea doesn’t have to be complicated, so if you’re confused or having trouble doing so, click here to order our free list of Blogging Ideas
2) Research the blogging idea and audience
When you’ve got your general idea for starting a blog, the next thing you need to do is research.
This means figuring out who you’re talking to with the narrowed down version of your general idea.
This is really important because unless you’re starting a blog for the heck of it, you don’t want to end up with a blog whose idea nobody can identify with.
Or that nobody will read because you don’t know who the audience is.
So if for instance, you’re starting a blog with parenting as your general idea, you might want to focus on parenting toddlers – and your audience would be parents of toddlers.
Because parenting a newborn isn’t the same as parenting a toddler or teenager. So, it’s very unlikely that parents of newborns or of teenagers will read your blog, no matter how well-written your posts are.
If you’re starting a blog and food is your general idea, you might want to focus on making Chinese stirfries for beginners. Or nutritious, delicious Nigerian meals for uni students on a budget.
Say the general idea you’re starting a blog with, is money, who are you talking to and what are you trying to share with them?
3) Decide on how you’re going to communicate
Before starting a blog, you need to figure out how you’re going to do your blogging as it helps you narrow down the blogging sites that would be appropriate for you to use.
Will your blog posts be long? Will there be pictures? Or videos as well?
What style will you use on your blog – conversational, everyday language or more formal?
If you’re starting a blog and you intend to put out long form content, blogging sites (such as WordPress) would be appropriate.
But if it’s short form content, you’re probably best off going with a microblogging site.
If you’re unsure how to decide, complete the form below before moving on to #4.
4) Create content
If you’re serious about starting a blog, you do need to create the content your audience is going to consume.
If you’re microblogging, you’ll need to be on top of things and put out content, multiple times a day, in real times.
If you’re microblogging news, you’ll have to do so as events are happening – else your audience is going to go elsewhere.
If you’re blogging long form content, you can create content in batches and schedule your posts to go out at future dates, if blogging regularly in real time is too much pressure.
While the point of starting a blog is putting out a message that resonates with others, you want to do that consistently but not push yourself to burnout.
5) Market your blog
When starting a blog, you need to think of how you’re going to get people to your blog.
Publishing a post doesn’t mean that people who need the information, will find your blog.
Creating something that people need doesn’t mean they’ll know it exists. Or that they’ll want to read it.
So, you need to find a way to
- let your audience know your blog exists, and
- give them a reason to visit your blog
There are many ways to market your blog from SEO to social media and you can find out more about it.
6) Make money blogging
Let’s be honest; one of the reasons many people think of starting a blog is that they want to make money blogging.
There’s nothing wrong with that and there’s no need to feel ashamed of admitting that.
Before starting a blog, you may have heard of Google AdSense as a way that bloggers make money.
But for one reason or another, it might not be for you.
That doesn’t mean all hope is lost as there are many ways that you can make money from your blog that have nothing to do with Google AdSense.
From taking endorsements, advertisements and sponsorships on your blog, to building a brand from your blog and selling your own products, there are many ways you could make money blogging.
Whatever you choose, do bear in mind that it needs to be useful to your audience or you run the risk of turning them off.
So, unless you’ve specifically decided not to make money from your blog, you do need to consider how your blog can earn you money while remaining consistent with your values – before starting a blog.
7) Learn more about it
When starting a blog, it’s easy to get overwhelmed thinking about all you need to do to be sure you get it right.
No doubt, you will make some mistakes. But some errors can actually be avoided and are unnecessary.
So, pop your details in below (if you haven’t already) to register on a free training where you’ll learn things that’ll empower you to start blogging the easy way, without delay.
Now that you’ve come to the end of the post, did we deliver what we promised? Did you find out anything new or surprising about what you should do when starting a blog? Let us know in the comments section below.