Is it just me or does it feel like the blog world has exploded in recent years? I feel like I’m running into more and more bloggers these days, which honestly, is amazing. I’ve met and become friends with some incredible people because of blogging. And while it’s tempting for many to want to be apart of this inspiring online community, there are some very important questions to ask yourself before you make the decision to start your own blog.
Is there a topic you are passionate about?
Do you have something to say that you feel others can relate to? Maybe you love cooking and want to passionately share your meals with others. Maybe you love to travel and want to share all the things you’ve learned on your travels or the things you love or dislike about travelling, hotels, travelling solo, travelling with kids, etc. I could on and on about all the things you could blog about but if you’re thinking of starting a blog, start with the topic or topics you are passionate about. I’ll share an example with you, I love visiting Walt Disney World, it’s a passion of mine and when anyone in my life asks me a question about trips to Disney Parks, I can and have talked their ears off. One of the topics I blog about is Disney because it’s such a wonderful part of my life and something that doesn’t bore me. I’m passionate about it. It’s easier to write about something that doesn’t feel forced or doesn’t bore you because trust me if you’re bored while writing your posts, your followers will be bored reading it.
So here’s some homework for you.
Before you even think of signing up for a blog domain, start by writing down all the topics that you are passionate about. It can be as general or as specific as you want. Once you’re done your list, review it and find the topics that you wouldn’t mind writing about. Can some of these topics be grouped together into themes? Once you’re done you may find that you have a great starting point for your blog, should you decide to start one.
Remember your list is never complete, the topics you’re passionate about may change or evolve, so should your blog.
Do you enjoy writing and creating content?
This is kind of a big one. If you don’t enjoy writing maybe this isn’t the right route for you. Blogging is all about writing, and about content creation. As a blogger, I’m constantly writing, whether it’s blog posts, stories for my Instagram profile, jotting down ideas, headlines for posts in notebooks, it doesn’t matter. I’m always writing something and sometimes it gets published sometimes I’m just practicing my craft. Starting a blog means committing yourself to the craft of writing. Are you ready to improve your writing, do you even like writing, are you committed to discovering your writer’s voice?
You don’t have to be an award-winning author or even a very good writer to start a blog, you simply need to enjoy it even just a little bit. I’ll even share a not-so-big secret with you, I’m dyslexic. You would think that I would be the last person who would want to start a blog, but that’s not true at all. I enjoy blogging because I enjoy writing. Yes, it takes me longer than most people to write my content, and at times my grammar and spelling may be cringe-worthy, but I enjoy the challenge, and I enjoy improving my craft. I have purchased writing prompt books and I keep journals and notebooks where I just write whatever comes to my mind. It’s a passion and it makes blogging easier. Do seriously consider whether or not you can see yourself sitting down and writing content you love to share.
Are you able to commit yourself to a posting schedule?
Once you publish your posts, I’m assuming you want people to read your content. Readers love consistency. It doesn’t matter if you post 4 times a week or once a month, consistency is the key here. Are you able to commit yourself to some sort of consist schedule?
You have to keep yourself accountable. You can’t just publish a blog, walk away for a few months and publish again whenever, and expect that people will keep up with you, especially if you want to turn blogging into a full-time career. And yes it is possible to make a full-time income with your blog, there are plenty of bloggers out there who do just that. Which leads to the next question you need to ask yourself.
Do you want to be a hobby blogger or a professional blogger?
If you want to start a hobby blog, where you just write whenever, about whatever, and don’t care to monetize it or care about readership, forget the questions above and just start blogging. If you plan on starting a blog to eventually have it become a profitable and meaningful career, then listen up. Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme, it takes a lot of hard work. Whether it’s part-time or full-time, creating a profitable career from blogging is time-consuming and you have to treat it like a job and a business. Be serious about it, be committed, learn everything you can, challenge yourself, and practice your craft.
Over the last 10 years, I’ve started so many blogs, mostly as a hobby. I wanted to share information, share my life, my stories, I was essentially just finding my voice but I never really took it seriously. I would go months, sometimes years without posting until one day, I came across Michelle from Making Sense of Cents and could not believe that she was making thousands of dollars each month because of her blog. I was intrigued and excited when I found out that she offered a course that taught bloggers how to make money from affiliate links, which is how she makes a large chunk of her income. I felt so inspired and wanted to learn everything I could about how to turn my little spot on the internet into a money-making passion. So I purchased the course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and completed it in 2 days. If you are serious about turning your blog into a career, take her course. I took it in December 2017, implemented some of the things I learned and started earning some money in January 2018. So far, I’m nowhere near what Michelle earns, it’s pennies right now, but it’s more than I was making last year on my blog.
If you’re interested in taking her course, I would recommend that you purchase her course. It helped me take my blog from making nothing to earning enough to pay for my domain and hosting, which is more than I was making before on my blog.
AND if you’re serious about the course, use my coupon code MAY20PERFECTOFFCC and receive 20% off the one-time payment course price. It’s only valid until May 27th (11:59 p.m. PT).
So do you want to start a blog?
Blogging is such a great way to share your story, share your knowledge, and connect with other people, but it takes commitment and it takes planning to start a blog or it could start to feel overwhelming at times. Have some sort of a plan, whether it’s the topics you want to talk about, your posting schedule, whether you want to do it for fun or as a side hustle or full-time career, have a plan.
If after asking yourself these questions you decide that starting a blog is for you, come back and tell me about. I love meeting other bloggers and love reading other blogs. So will you be starting your own blog?
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