I’m so happy that you are looking into starting a blog! It’s rewarding to be able to help people everyday and to continually be challenged. No two days look the same around here.
But, are you really ready to start a blog?
So many people enter the blogging world with the wrong understanding of what blogging is. Or that it will be easy work and you’ll see success right away.
And it ends up leading to a lot of frustration, resentment and ultimate failure of the blog.
So, before you start a blog, I want you to ask yourself if you are truly ready? I’ve compiled a list of 5 simple things for you to consider before you make a single purchase.
1.Blogging is Not a Fast Game
If you are looking for a get rich quick scheme, blogging is not it. Sure, you’ll see people that boast about making 6 figures a year in their first year of blogging.
But, when you dig deeper, you find that they are either A.) an exception to the rule, meaning this rarely happens. Or B.) they experienced failed blogs prior to finding their success.
The latter is super important to understand. It means that they had already been exposed to the many pieces of software and systems it takes to run a blog. These bloggers have a general grasp of what blogging is. They’re not really starting from ground 0, like everyone else.
With that said, there are shortcuts you can take. When I built my first three blogs, I was adamant about not buying a course. I said “I can figure this out on my own”. And I did …
But, it also took me 3 years to fully understand the blogging game. I can’t help but wonder how much further ahead I’d been if I just invested in a course.
Courses are a great way to take advantage of shortcuts, but even then blogging can still be a very long game. Which brings me to my next point.
2. Blogging is just like Owning a Business
In many ways, blogging is just like owning your very own business. As a matter of fact, if you want to make money with your blog, you will need to treat it as such.
Think about what it takes to start a business. Countless hours, sweat equity and no guarantee that your business is going to be a success.
Starting a blog is much of the same. It will feel like you are pouring hours and hours into your blog. Only to see very little for your return.
This can go on for months.
It can feel soul-crushing to keep releasing content, only to hear crickets. And this contributes to why so many blogs fail.
People get tired of spending hours (and money) on their blog and seeing no return.
And then on the flip side, there are people that enter this space and think they can just put 10 hours into their blog. And that they will begin seeing that same 6-figure success they read about.
No, no, no, my friend. That’s not how it works.
Those 6 and 7-figure bloggers have put hundreds and thousands of hours into their blog. It is only after a blog is well-established, that they can scale back on their hours, hire help and really begin to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
But, in the beginning you’ve got to put in the work. Treat it like a business and it may become your business. Treat it like a hobby and it’ll stay that way.
3. Blogging is Not About You
Raise your hand if you thought blogging was what people did to write about their daily life? A type of journal, if you say? ?♀️
Sure, it can be. If you want to create a blog to share what’s going on with your life with family and friends. Then, by all means, go for it!
But, if you want to get to a point where you can monetize your blog, your blog has to be about your readers. Nobody cares about us, as bloggers. They want to know how we can help solve a problem they are facing.
For example, money and finance bloggers share how to save money, make more money, how to manage money, etc. These are topics that people are actively seeking out.
Maybe they struggle with money management. Or they want to understand how to invest in the stock market. Or they simply are looking for advice on how to best prepare for retirement.
As a blogger, you work hard to provide accurate and up to date information surrounding your topic. Sure, yes, you will share tid-bits of information about yourself here and there.
But, the main focus should always be your readers and how you can help them.
4. You May Never Make a Dime with Your Blog
The hard truth is that there is never a guarantee that a blog is going to make you any money at all. Many people enter into blogging, see how hard it is and then quickly exit.
Others pour hours upon hours and dollars upon dollars into their blog, but they just never quite get there. Maybe they are in the wrong niche. Or maybe they are not able to make that connection and trust factor with their audience.
Whatever it is, it keeps them from actually seeing their blog through to success.
When you get into blogging, monetization comes second. How you can help your audience comes first. Keep that in mind and you may find yourself running a successful blog.
5. You Have to Put Yourself Out There
When I say put yourself out there, I don’t mean that you have to blast pictures of yourself everyday, all day. But rather, you need to be able to market your blog.
Let’s go back to treating our blog like a business.
When somebody is opening up a new shop in your town, do they stay silent about it? Or do they shout it from the rooftops?
Usually, they’re shouting, right? Because they want people to know about their business, to come and visit and to experience what they have to offer.
The same holds true with a blog. When you blog, you have to market it. The traffic to your website isn’t just going to magically appear. You have to put it out there.
Now, I want to also take us back to point #3 (blogging is not about you).
It is true that your blog is NOT about you. But rather how you can help your readers. This, however, does not mean that you should never share information about yourself.
Because here is the thing. People connect with people. They connect with the stories and life experiences you have been through. Whatever you feel comfortable sharing with your readers, go for it.
Let’s think about that finance blogger, for a second. Some money bloggers got into that position because they overcame major debt. So, they decided to create a blog to help others achieve that same success.
For those people, it is completely acceptable to share their debt to debt-free journey. As this is saying to their audience, “hey, I’ve been where you are now and these are the steps I took to get where I am today”.
By sharing their story, it creates a relatability with them and adds a trust factor.
So, don’t be afraid to get vulnerable with your audience, if it fits with your niche or topic!
These are the five things I want you to consider before you start a blog. Blogging takes a lot of patience, dedication, consistency and hard work.
But, in that same breath …
Blogging is wonderful and opens up a whole new world of possibilities. It tests your strength, expands your knowledge, connects you with like-minded people and exposes you to so much technologically.
If you’ve made it this far and feel like you are ready to start your blog, head on over here. This is where I talk about what you’ll need and cost breakdowns to get started.
Recent Comments