If You Want to Start a Blog

I started my blog in the fall of 2011, during my sophomore year of college. It’s experienced many evolutions since then, but it’s never faltered and it’s always been there for me. I could go on and on, but there’s one thing I know for sure. My decision to start a blog was one of the best decisions I ever made.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “should I start a blog?” then I always believe the answer is, “yes.”

A few months ago, a friend came to me and asked if she should start a blog. She’d read that writing and blogging was a good way to deal with restlessness, and it sounded like a good idea to her. I of course was not going to discourage any sort of blogging. And so she decided she would start a blog.

Blogging is a lot of work (if you really invest in it). Sometimes I think non-bloggers underestimate how much work it takes to start and maintain a blog; they don’t always see everything that goes on behind the scenes. But despite all of the work and headaches, blogging is one of the best things you can do for yourself, for whatever reason you choose to start.

I will never tell anyone they shouldn’t start a blog (unless something really sends up a red flag, but I can’t imagine any situation when that would be a problem). In fact, it makes me indescribably happy when a friend tells me he or she is considering starting a blog. I get all giddy like a little girl who just got a pony.

If you want to start a blog…

Then I have some words of wisdom to share before you get on your way.

It’s okay to be overwhelmed at first. It takes a lot of time and energy to start a blog and get it up and running. You have to pick a platform, a name, a design, a niche or focus and seemingly a hundred other things. Take a breath and take your time. It’s okay.

Also, it’s okay to not have a niche. One of my blogging role models Helene In Between wrote an awesome post about not being a niche blogger. And I love her for it.

Words of wisdom for new #bloggers Click To Tweet

It’s okay for your blog to change over time. Mine changed a lot. It’s the natural progression.

You don’t have to jump in head first right away. Test the waters to see if blogging is something you really want to do and invest in… then invest in it. You don’t have to spend you entire paycheck on making your blog amazing, but some things are definitely worth dropping a few dollars (a domain and framework/theme are two prime examples).

Find your favorite and best blogging tools – the ones that will help you stay organized and on top of everything so you don’t fall behind. I’ve got a separate journal just for my blog, and I bought an agenda this year that I swear I’m going to use more often.

Social media is your friend. Your best friend. If you want you blog to grow and your posts to get shared, you have to be social on social media. Find which platforms work best for you and your goals and learn how to best utilize them to make your goals happen. You don’t have to be on every platform! Twitter happens to be my bread and butter, but I also love Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Remember that there are tools to make managing social media easier. I happen to use (and love) Buffer, but Hootsuite is another great option. WordPress also has some plugins available for automating social media posts.

If you want to start a blog, here's some advice for you Click To Tweet

You will experience some blog-related anxiety: Will anyone ever read this? Is my design good enough? Is my blog making a difference? The answer to all of those is YES. You know how they say, “build it and they will come”? That applies to blogging, too.

Writer’s block is a thing and you will experience it multiple times in your blogging career. It’s okay. There are ways to conquer writer’s block and get your creative juices flowing again!

Make friends with other bloggers (and support them!). There’s so much you can learn from blog friends and blogging role models, whether you’re in the same niche or category or not. I find a lot of inspiration from following other bloggers: in the way I run my blog, what I write about, how I manage my social media and beyond.

Blogger burnout is also a thing and you will probably experience it to a degree. Do not try to push your way through it, or else you may end up hating your blog. Don’t let yourself hate your blog. It’s perfectly okay to take a blogging break if you need to reset and recharge. You’ll come back much stronger in the end!

Want to start a #blog? Here's some #tips to help get you started! Click To Tweet

And lastly…

If you want to start a blog, then be ready for one of the best decisions you’ll ever make, to fall completely in love with the blogging community, to gain a world of experience and create an outlet that you can make into whatever you want it to be. Not much beats the freedom to be a blogger.

What advice and wisdom do you have for anyone looking to start a blog?