3 secrets for the new blogger
An open letter to my new blogger friend, here 3 secrets blog writers never tell you about.
Dear new blogger,
You must be so excited about starting your new blog. I am so pumped for you, but I also want to be very realistic about the blogging industry. Yes, you can make loads of money blogging. Yes, your blog can be a super fun creative outlet. Yes, your blog can be a place to build a community. But just like with any new endeavor, it comes with a few challenges. So today, I want to share three secrets that bloggers don’t tell you about when you first start blogging.
& Nope, we’re not talking about your niche, what publisher to use, or what your blog should be about. in this blog, I’m sharing the challenges I’ve faced in my first year of blogging & how I overcame them so they can help you!
01. Writer’s block can be real.
Oh boy can it be. I think when I first started my blog, I had 12 blogs posts ready to go when I launched my website, then I didn’t post a single blog in like 2 months & became very inconsistent because I didn’t know what I wanted to say on my blog! One thing I did to overcome writer’s block was to create a blogging schedule & plan my topics in advance. Then I would drink some coffee, turn on some of my favorite tunes (shout out to the Lumineers for being my go-to work tunes), & get into an environment that allowed me to focus and write - not from my couch, while comfy it’s not the most productive place for me to work, shocker right?! Anyways, then I would pick the topic I was most excited about and start there. I would just write - no editing & no judgement (save that ish for later) - I just focused on getting my thoughts out of my head. When I did this, I would get in a groove & the writer’s block disappears for me. find a system & routine that works best for you & follow it.
02. Its not a simple click & the readers come.
I think I undervalued the amount of time, work, & effort that bloggers put into make a career in the blogging industry. My lack of research & ignorance thought you just had to type your post, make some edits, find a cute picture to go with it, click publish, & the readers come raining down from the sky. Yeah, that’s not the case. The reality is that you have to consistently promote your blog posts on multiple social media platforms to drive traffic to your blog. Pinterest is your friend here, ladies! Take the time to understand & learn which social media platforms your target market is on & creatively promote your blogs posts there! It’s so worth it & increases your website traffic.
03. Maintaining a blog is full time job.
One of the hardest things about blogging is maintaining it - yikes! You can’t just post once a month & be good to go. Spoiler: that’s a waste of your time! You’ve got to find a way to be consistent, share valuable content that is going to interest your readers, and then get your message out there so your readers find you. For me, batch writing, editing, & scheduling my blogs has been where I’ve seen the most success. I encourage you to create a batching system that is going to work for you and go from there. the batching system that is working for me right now is planning out all my topics for 2-3 months at a time, writing the posts, put them in my website format, create graphics, add pictures, edit, and schedule the posts. the week the blog is posted is when I promote it through a variety of social media platforms.
So new blogger friend, you’ve got this! Now you know about the things bloggers never share about. It can be one of the most fun creative outlets. Enjoy it, make it you, and find the readers that connect with your vibe - that’s where you’ll see the most success.
link your new blog in the comments what your blog is so I can follow along!
Xo,
Al
