The 6 Game-Changing Lessons From My First 6 Months of Blogging That Will Speed Up Your Path to Success
On September 13th, I hit my first blogging milestone: surviving through the first 6 months! WHEH! There are many lessons I’ve learned along the journey, and I want to share them with you. Are you ready to dive in?
Well, hello beginner blogger!
You’re struggling – I know.
You feel lost, confused, and defeated while trying to pave your wave to running a successful blog.
But please stick with me, because I have something right for you…
In this article, I’m going to share the 6 biggest blogging lessons that I’ve learned as a beginner blogger (in just 6 months).
Why am I sharing it?
To give you the right blogging tips and guidance most bloggers don’t because:
βͺ A. They’re too shy to share the truth online
βͺ B. Are too far along the blogging journey and have already forgotten what being a beginner is really like
βͺ C. They don’t want you to know!
So, are ready to learn more about the DO’s and DON’Ts of blogging? Then, let’s get started!
1. YOU’LL RECONSIDER MANY THINGS
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my first 6 months of blogging is that: it’s okay to reconsider some things!
Blogging is a journey: there’s a learning curve, and you’ll get to celebrate some successes while also overcoming many setbacks.
In the learning process, you’re allowed to make mistakes.
I wish there could be a crystal ball telling you exactly what you should or shouldn’t do in your blogging journey – but there isn’t.
So, most likely you’re going to learn things with a trial-and-error process. That’s okay!
Take your time to experiment with things – whether that’s different WordPress themes or social media channels.
Don’t stress over fitting into the right niche from the beginning. (Remember: the niche should also fit you, not only the other way around!)
Most importantly, if you try something and then realize it’s not right – it’s okay to reconsider it and acknowledge that you’ve probably made a mistake.
Take me, for example: in “7 Blogging Mistakes You Must Not Make As A Beginner Blogger”, I recommended you apply for Google Ads ASAP.
While it might be good advice for some bloggers, it wasn’t right for me.
It didn’t fit my blog at that moment (and it didn’t make me a penny), so I re-evaluated it and decided it’s something I’ll use in the future, not now.
So yeah, the first key blogging takeaway is to experiment with things and don’t be afraid to reconsider them – blogging is a trial-and-error process after all!
2. FOCUS ON PEOPLE, NOT MONEY
Connected to my previous point, so far I’ve learned that… monetization is not everything!
It shouldn’t even be on your mind at this stage of your journey. It’s too early.
If people don’t know you and don’t trust you – how are you expecting them to buy something from you?
So yeah, one of the things you must know – as most bloggers fail to tell you – is to just focus on the people, not money.
Money will come if you’ve done a good job at establishing a true connection with your audience.
People first, then money. Not the other way around.
In the beginning, rather than spending lots of time figuring out your next monetization strategy, invest your time in getting to know your audience and (even more importantly) letting your audience know you!
This is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned just 6 months down this blogging journey – yet it’s something that I never see other bloggers emphasize!
Your audience is everything!
π SHORT ON TIME? PIN IT FOR LATER! π
3. CONSISTENCY IS KEY
You’ve heard this advice millions of times (maybe there’s a reason, don’t you think?): consistency is key!
Why consistency is key to building a successful blog?
Because it makes you reliable in your audience’s eyes.
If you say you’re going to publish a new post every Monday, then your audience is going to start expecting a new article to read on Monday mornings.
On the other hand, if you publish a new article on random days, then you will become too unpredictable for your readers, and – as we humans are creatures of habit – they won’t like that.
Of course, life can happen.
Last month, I missed posting a new article as well.
Did the world end? Of course not.
From time to time, it can happen to fall off track. That’s okay!
But always, always try to get back on track as soon as possible with your regular posting schedule.
If you want to grow your blog, it’s fundamental that you consistently show up for your readers.
4. SCREEN OUT WHO YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION FROM
One lesson you should learn before it’s too late is to ponder who you’re taking advice from.
It’s a rule of thumb that you can apply to any area of your life, including blogging.
In the blogging industry, many bloggers only talk the walk without actually walking the walk.
Therefore, you must screen out who you get your information from.
All those stories of overnight blogging success? More than half (if not all) of them are just a *bluff*.
If there’s one thing I learned in these 6 months of blogging is that: blogging is a marathon, not a sprint!
It requires effort, dedication, patience, and lots of time to see some results.
So you might want to stay away from all those coaches telling you about how they exploded their traffic overnight and how you can do it too if you purchase their courses.
My advice? Take all advice with a pinch of salt.
Learn from someone who has tangible, concrete results from his or her work.
One of the bloggers I trust the most and take advice from is Ryan Robyson. On his blog, he shares the best tips to grow your blog (for free!) – so you might want to check that out!
PS. If I might add, here’s my FREE gift for you! Are you an aspiring or a newbie blogger? Then you won’t want to miss out on my FREE Blogging Plan to help you get started with your blogging journey!
5. ALL BLOGGERS SEEK CONNECTION
Have you ever felt lonely on your blogging journey? (Yeah, me too)
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in these first 6 months of blogging is that (almost) every blogger – especially new ones – feels lonely from time to time.
It’s a lot of work. A lot of mental energy. And little to no social interaction.
When you’re a beginner blogger, you probably don’t have a big audience to interact with.
I mean, blogging itself doesn’t allow much community building – right?
To build a community you would have to focus on growing your social media of choice (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or TikTok)…but that’s also difficult and time-consuming.
You’re a new blogger, after all! You already have so many things on your plate, so how are you supposed to be present on all these social media channels?
Thankfully, you don’t have to do it all at once.
You can indeed seek connection from your audience, but why also not lean toward your fellow bloggers?
After all, you’re in the same boat.
You’re going through the same struggles and facing the same uncertainty.
If you feel lonely as a new blogger, chances are other bloggers feel the same!
Reach out and connect with bloggers in your same niche – who knows? It could be the start of an amazing friendship!
6. PUBLISHED IS BETTER THAN PERFECT
Your writing style will change over time.
The layout of your articles will change too.
Perhaps, even the focus of your blog posts will be different one year from now.
That’s part of the blogging journey.
One of the things that hold back new bloggers the most from starting is that they don’t believe they have the right knowledge or competence to be writing about something.
Well, guess what?!
The best way of learning is by doing!
To add on that, one of the worst things you could do is not sharing your knowledge with the world!
No matter how inexpert you think you are, there are people out there who know far less than you do (and would benefit from what you have to say!).
Being both a perfectionist and suffering from a mild imposter syndrome, one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned in the past 6 months of blogging is that: published beats perfect every single time!
Even if you don’t feel 100% satisfied with what you’ve written, or don’t think you have the right authority on the topic, trust me: just hit ‘Publish’!
You can always go back and add new information as you increase your knowledge, but you have to first start somewhere.
Start publishing average content rather than not publishing any at all.
There’s no progress if you never start.
I hope you found these 6 blogging lessons I’ve learned in my first 6 months as a blogger helpful – so that they can guide you in your journey as well!
Q: “What stage of the blogging process are you at? What did you learn so far, and what have you been struggling with the most?” – I’d love to hear your thoughts – so please, feel free to leave a comment! π
Until next time,
This was very inspiring, as Iβm still new on my blogging journey. Thanks for sharing these great strategies!
I’m sure you’ll have an amazing blogging journey π
Published is better than perfect – such a true statement. That’s something that I struggle with is wanting to tweak or keep working on something. Great advice!
I get it – I’m such a perfectionist too! “Published is better than perfect” should be our new mantra π
Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it!
Lots of helpful nuggets here. Pinned to review in more depth later! π
I’m glad you found it helpful π
These are great tips. Consistency, yes! Quality, unique, well-researched, surveyed content! Custom images, videos, graphics, infographics…
Yes, it’s all about the value you can provide to your audience π
As a blogger barely into my second year. I find this to be true. I make sure to go back and update posts regularly because thereβs always room for improvement and new knowledge.
Keep going – you’re doing amazing! π
I agree with you. Published beats perfect every single time! This is a fact. Your blog and sometimes your niche will change but you will never know and learn if you don’t take a consistent step forward.
Exactly! That’s what I am doing with my blog as well π
A much needed post! Thanks for sharing your tips
Glad you found it helpful!
Great share as a blogger for over 20 year I agree with a lot of what you have said, every bloggers audience is unique, how they will monetise their b%log will be different, Google ads is definitely not a right fit for every blog especially in the early stages. Blogging is a long-term organic strategy as you say not a sprint
Wow – how wonderful you’ve been on your blogging journey for over 20 years! Congrats! π
These are some seriously valuable tips for beginner bloggers. I completely agree that focusing on people and seeking connection are the best things a beginner blogger can do especially in their initial days. Even though this is the third year of my blogging journey, I feel lonely sometimes and having a community that you can talk to is precious.
Keep up with the good work, and congrats on being in your third year! π
This was a great read. I am very new into my blogging journey and these were all very helpful points. I set myself a publishing schedule so I would have some accountability to stay consistent. I love the point that published is better than perfect.
Keep up with the good work! π
Great advice. Especially ‘People first, then money. Not the other way around.’ I am seeing so many blogs focus on the money, and while that is ok and that is their journey, it is not mine at the moment. Great post.
Take your time, focus on your people. The rest will come π
Awesome tips!
I do believe that all bloggers should stick to them!
Thank you π
This was very helpful!
I’m glad it was!
Great tips! These are all true! One of my struggles is the solitary aspect of blogging as I used to work in a team environment.
I feel you so much!
Thank you this is really useful. I agree most people especially those just starting out who focus on getting something published rather than perfect!
Thank you π
These are some great tips and can really help you go a long way with your blogging journey. Many people think it’s an easy road but it’s not, it takes time and dedication.
Yes, it’s definitely a long journey but 100% worth it π
Thanks for sharing, this was an inspirational read.
Happy to hear that!
Lovely share, it`s difficult to find people telling you how to blog properly and the few who do are always trying to sell you something or the other to help in your blog journey, only after buying the product you find it to be quite useless.
Couldn’t agree more.