Are you ready to break into blogging but don’t know here to start? Maybe you’ve had several false starts like me but want to keep going now. Or you’ve just taken a career break or are deep in a career like I was? Here are 5 quick tips to get the ball rolling.
Start writing and documenting
Just start. It sounds obvious, but often starting could be the most intimidating part. It doesn’t need to be perfect — even if you don’t upload, don’t publish, don’t post YET, do capture. I post content all the time that I took years ago and didn’t have the time/energy/confidence to post. And look at my blog right here and now – it is janky. I haven’t done a full marketing refinement in the perfect colours with the right logo and font. It is functional and yes, a bit embarrassing but shows my journey and gets results.
Contribute to larger platforms
You can offer to guest write on people’s blogs or Instagrams. This is a great stepping stone before starting your own blog. I guest wrote plenty and still do. Everyone is having content fatigue at the moment, so there’s a good chance you can get your writing or photos out there without having to worry about the heavy lifting of having your own site.
Diversify your content
While a niche can be important for a blog, having variety is important for published media. When travel dried up in March, I switched to parenting and personal finance writing.
Other travel writers I know focused on entertainment or food. On my Instagram I started posting more about body positivity and plus size fashion. All of these elements were already part of my life but I wove them further into my writing. You can’t be a one trick pony.
Learn about SEO
If you don’t have an audience, you need Google to give you one. And how you rank in Google is called Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO. There are lots of free materials on SEO but you can also use plug ins like Yoast. The top thing to consider is “what would someone type into Google to find my article”? That’s baseline SEO.
Provide value
Your writing should always entertain, educate or inspire. Have a purpose and don’t post just to post. We all do it a bit but try to do a mix of for you and for your audience. I found it actually takes the pressure off. I don’t wake up and think “what can I write about me today?” Instead I think “what could I teach someone today that they don’t have time to look up?”
As a travel writer, I know people may want to see a few inspiring photos but after a while, it becomes dull to just look at someone else’s holiday snaps. Same with fashion or food or any other topic. So what can people learn from you today?
Final Thoughts
Sometimes even I think it’s just too late to start a blog. I abandoned my blog that I started in 2008 years ago. In fact, so do most bloggers. Yet think about the last time you looked something up. Didn’t you just google for an article and read another person’s opinion on the subject? Who is to say that person shouldn’t be you? So, join my challenge where I’m posting 5x a week. Or pair it with something like posting after your favourite TV show. Just post. And send me your link!
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