7 Things You Should Know About Blogging (Before You Start Your Blog)
What are the things one must know about blogging?! Well, whether you’ve already launched your blog or are just getting your feet wet, you must have already realized one thing: blogging ain’t easy! Right?
To help you make your journey a little smoother, I want to provide you with a list of 7 things you should know about blogging!
Are you ready to know what mistakes you should avoid and what you should do – instead – to become a successful blogger? Then, let’s get started!
1. YOU MUST MAKE AN EFFORT TO CONNECT
Blogging can be a lonely ride.
Only if you let it be it.
While there are many benefits that come with working remotely – such as doing something you’re passionate about and being in charge of how you spend your time -, there are also some downsides.
One of the negative aspects you should know about blogging is that it will make you feel like you’re the only one going after that dream, that vision, that lifestyle.
If your circle doesn’t involve freelancers or bloggers, people who work a regular 9-5 might have difficulty understanding the ‘online culture’.
When you’re not forced to get out of the house for work, getting out of your pajamas might also become a difficult task!
How to avoid walking down the blogging lane alone?
Well, it’s totally up to you!
So, start reaching out to other bloggers!
You can reach out for collaborations, guest posts, to expand your network, etc. But you can also talk to bloggers about their own journey in order to share insights, tips, and advice!
Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your new online BFF!
📌 SHORT ON TIME? PIN IT FOR LATER! 📌
2. YOU WON’T ALWAYS FEEL MOTIVATED
How many times have you heard the phrase “If it’s your true passion, you won’t mind working on it – no matter how hard it gets”?
Well, while it is true that if you truly like something you will be more drawn to it, I also believe that there are some exceptions to this.
Maybe you had a rough day (or week) at work, and the last thing you want to be doing is spending more hours glued to a screen.
Or maybe you just had a fight with your partner, and can’t really stop thinking about it – even if you had planned to work on your blog the whole afternoon.
And yes, while it is true that you cannot escape from work with any of these “excuses”, it is also true that your side hustle shouldn’t become something you hate.
If you force yourself (every single time) to do that damn thing even if it is the last thing you want to be doing…sooner or later, you’ll hate your blog as much as your job.
The reason why you’re trying to become a successful blogger – hopefully – is to work on something you’re truly passionate about.
If that’s the case, trust me: in most cases, you will feel motivated!
When the opposite happens, just give yourself some grace. Let it be. Do something else. Give yourself what you need.
The motivation is still there. You might not see it yet, but it is still there.
3. YOU MUST HAVE A CLEAR VISION
Another thing you should know about blogging is that you must have a clear vision if you want to succeed at blogging.
There will be a lot of times in your blogging journey when you’ll question what’s the point of it all.
What’s the point of writing another blog post if your mom is the only one reading them?
Why should you post another Instagram reel if you only lose followers when you do so?
What’s the point of reaching out to other bloggers if you get no reply?
I hear you.
I can’t tell you why, I just know that you should keep going if blogging is something you’re really serious about.
The why – well -, that you have to search it for yourself.
What’s your blogging vision?
What results do you aspire to get from your blog in 1 year?
How do you want to be in 5 years?
Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?
Start answering some fundamental questions, develop a clear vision for your blog and future, and keep reminding yourself of your ‘why’ whenever you get discouraged.
RELATED: Want to get crystal clear about the future of your blog? Grab my FREE BLOGGING PLAN – that helped me launch this very blog you’re reading. (I’d say it works, don’t you think?) 😉
4. YOU NEED LOTS OF PATIENCE
Blogging – like many things in life – is not a sprint; it’s a marathon.
So, keeping that in mind about blogging, there’s one thing you should know beforehand and arm yourself with: lots of patience!
When you start out, you’ll immediately want to give it all up.
Learning about SEO, getting to understand what plugins to use or not use, and managing to stay on top of all different social media. WHEW – It’s a lot!
Add to that that you’ll barely see any engagement from (nonexistent) readers, and you’ll want to bang your head on the wall repeating “What the hell was I thinking of?!”.
I get your frustration.
Some days, I still ask myself the question above.
But there are also days in which I’m good at reminding myself that good things in life take time.
That “overnight” success, most likely didn’t occur overnight.
The world got used to wanting it all and wanting it now.
Most things, though, don’t work that way.
Blogging is just one of them.
So, if you’re close to giving your blogging dream up only because you haven’t seen any results so far…well, just give it one more day (and tell it to yourself every day). 😉
5. YOU NEED A SYSTEM AND SCHEDULE
One of my all-time favorite quotes is:
“Failing to plan is planning to fail”
– Benjamin Franklin
One of the things you should know and do before blogging is to create a great system and schedule to help you stay consistent.
If you don’t do so, you’ll feel like you’re not going anywhere with your blog.
And most likely, you aren’t.
So, what are you waiting for? Get out that cute little notebook of yours and a pen, and just start writing.
Start jotting down your action plan.
Put it all out on paper.
What do you need to do daily, weekly, and monthly not only to maintain your blog – but also to grow it?
Once you’ve built a system, it will be much easier to stick to a schedule and be a consistent blogger.
RELATED: Grab my FREE Weekly Planner to stay on top of everything you need to do (as a blogger, student, worker, mom, …or simple human being with thousands of things to do!)
6. YOU SHOULD WRITE AS YOU’D TALK TO YOUR FRIEND
Drop the vocabulary because you don’t need fancy words to keep your readers engaged!
Unless you’re writing a specific niched-down blog, you shouldn’t be using any technical, formal, or too complex language.
Just write as you speak.
How would you tell a story to your best friend?
That’s the same way you should talk to your readers!
Even if sometimes you might forget about it, on the other side of your laptop there are REAL people!
Yes, human beings that crave interaction and connection! People who want to get inspired, entertained, or educated – but in a human way style!
Do you want to know that ChatGPT and AI won’t ever replace writers?
I could smell 10 miles away when an article was written by a machine. Do you want to know why?
Well, there’s no emotion, no passion, no humanity!
Those words are just…words.
Your readers want to get some emotions out of your writing!
So keep this in mind: write with passion, transmitting some emotions, to touch your reader’s heart and soul.
And who’s your ideal reader? Well, just an extension of your real-life friend 🙂
7. TIME IS MONEY
Last but not least, another important thing you should know about blogging is that: time is money.
So, if you wouldn’t waste your money on something – why waste your time?
From the beginning, you should figure out what the highest ROI (Return on investment) tasks are.
High ROI tasks are things that will generate the biggest results, moving you far down the road to running a successful blog!
To give you some context, some of the highest-ROI tasks could comprehend:
- Designing a new freebie to generate thousands of leads
- Creating a paid product for your potential customers
- Writing new blog posts weekly (cause what else would your readers read?)
- Promoting your content on social platforms (cause what’s the point of having amazing content if there’s no one out there to read it in the first place?)
Certainly, every blogger is on a different stage of the blogging journey, with different goals and priorities, but you get the point.
Figure out where you should invest your time in order to grow your blog.
You’re your own boss here! There’s no one to tell you what you need to be doing so…it’s better if you figure it out soon!
If you’ve just started – or are a long way down – your blogging journey, my question for you is: “What are the things you wish you knew before starting your blog?”.
And, if you’re thinking of becoming a blogger: “What’s the thing that scares you the most about this journey?”
Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment below! I’d love to chat 🙂
Until next time,
Such good advice!! I think the connection with other bloggers has saved my sanity. Other bloggers just get it.
YES! It can get so lonely otherwise…
Such great tips! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your comment!
This was such a great post, it really captures how hard it can be to start a blog!
Thank you!
This is so helpful for me having just started a blog! Thanks for being a great resource!
Glad you found it helpful! 🙂
I could not agree more. All super relevant points. Patience is key!!!
Going slow but steady in this blogging marathon 🙂
I struggle with number 4 – patience! It certainly is a hard slog.
Yes, same here…I wish we could see results sooner. But, as long as we hold tight to our ‘why’, we’re gonna eventually get there 🙂
I ask myself, “What the hell was I thinking of?” often! ….but I keep plugging away.
Keep going – you’re doing great! 🙂
Highly relatable my friend. I agree with all your points.
Thanks!