What I Wish I’d Known When I Started Blogging

There are lots of things you need to learn when you set up your own blog. I love blogging now, it’s part of my daily and weekly routine, however a year or so ago I found it exceptionally difficult and time-consuming. 

Most of the blogging world is pretty self-explanatory, however, there is a lot of time, effort and energy needed to be successful. 

Time and Research

My first bit of advice to new bloggers is to take your time, as success doesn’t happen overnight. It may also take a while to figure out your timescale and schedule for blog posts. I’d recommend doing some research into popular topics and put your own spin on them with your own experiences. Don’t be afraid to look to other bloggers for inspiration, there are some amazing bloggers out there who have blogged for years. Also try to make a plan for your blog, how often you want to post a blog etc. I’d recommend setting a schedule and creating your posts ahead of time, that way, you’re not overwhelmed.

Social Media

I wish I knew how friendly and supportive the blogging community was on Twitter. You can always count on the Twitter community to pick you up when you feel like you’re failing or to promote your work when no one’s reading it. It’s a brilliant place to market your blog on Twitter, plus I feel like it is the most active platform for bloggers. 

Seek Out Blogging Communities

There are so many niches and communities of bloggers, each with dozens of groups of supportive individuals who share ideas, do collaborations, and generally support each other. If you’re new to blogging, I’d recommend seeking out these groups and joining ones that match your niche, as these groups are very helpful when you are starting out. 

Audience

Keep an eye on your audience, because the truth is that people will read your blog because it touches them. Having your own experiences within the blog will help people to read further and engage more with you. That’s not to say you should constantly write about yourself in the first person, but portraying your experiences is a wonderful way to start your blog. 

Don’t Get Hung Up On Statistics

I’ve been blogging for roughly two years now! When I started blogging I realised after being on social media, that I was quite an opinionated person. I’ve now found that scheduling blog posts and tweets ahead of time are what works best for me and when I’ve got time to market my blogs I do so on Twitter. 

I would say my main advice to new bloggers would be to not expect your blog to grow overnight.

Eventually, you will get to where you want to be, but remember all the reasons you enjoy blogging.

I hope this puts new bloggers in a better place and bloggers who have been at it a while will agree with me. Please share anything about blogging that you’ve experienced in the comments below.