So many people want to start a blog! It’s completely understandable, of course. Having a good blog under your belt can be extremely rewarding. If you’re interested in this pursuit, here are a few tips we hope will get you on your way.
Research the best bloggers out there
The eBizMBA Guide provides a useful list of the most popular blogs, updated monthly. The first thing you’ll notice about this list is that it’s full of really big names. You may even have not considered them “blogs” until now. Lifehacker? The Huffington Post? Business Insider? Mashable? People forget that these aren’t just “businesses” or “popular websites”. They’re blogs, and they were started in much the same way as you’re about to start yours.
By researching the history of these blogs as well as their early and current content, you can get an idea about their narrative. And that narrative is what is going to help you narrow down what it is you want to do with your blog. You’ll find many similarities in these blogs. They provided strong, valuable content on a frequent basis from the get go. They entered business partnerships with advertisers to ensure financial stability. They’re full of character and have taken on a life as a brand in 2016.
Don’t be afraid to outsource or get software assistance
The best bloggers have always been prolific writers. If you want your blog to go places, you need to have strong content and a lot of it. These days, the most popular blogs have not just one daily update, but several. This generally means having more than one writer.
If the focal point of your blog is you, then this can get a little tricky. If people are coming for your writing, then you’ll want to provide your own writing. But if the focal point is a particular subject or niche, then consider getting some help with content creation. You can consider outsourcing several aspects of your blog. The post writing can be performed by freelance writers. You can install software that will help you ease the process of multi-user post submitting. The software section of Tradebit might have what you’re looking for.
Another important thing to remember is to ensure FCC compliance with any advertising you do on your blog. Sound legal advice can be invaluable and a good resource can be found with Masterson Law.
Have fun!
Unless you actively desire your blog to become a business that will support you full-time, this is the most important thing. It’s a cliché, I know. But if you don’t enjoy it, then you’re going to hate the job just as much as you hate any other job. You should be having fun doing this. When we first decided to setup a mommy blog, it was simply based on a passion for sharing information and a love of what we do. You should be passionate about what you’re writing. It should be a thrill for you to finish a post and hit “submit” to share it to the world.
Of course, there are stories of people out there whose passion for their blog waned, so they sold it. But to get their blog in a strong selling position, the quality had to be there in the first place. If you want to make a quality blog, you have to have the right drive for it. And if you’re unhappy with the blog, then you’re not going to get the right quality from yourself. But remember that loads of successful bloggers created several blogs in their early days. Don’t be afraid to just start a new one!
