If you’re thinking about whether or not you should launch your blog, keep reading. Because this is your cup of motivation derived from my story – it’s why you should start blogging today.
I started blogging in September of this year. I remember (very vividly) everything I felt, everything I thought, everything I did before and after the launch of Lime & Shine (I mean, it’s just been two months.. so of course I remember).
I remember stalling for the long time. I remember getting stuck on what I should name my blog and what hosting site I should use. But most of all, for the LONGEST time, I remember just evaluating all the reasons I shouldn’t start a blog. I kept coming up with reasons it won’t work. And you might be doing this too.
If you’re thinking
- people won’t read your blog
- you don’t have the time to maintain a blog
- you will run out of topics
- you don’t want to/can’t invest any money
- your blog won’t make any money
keep reading. Why?
Because I thought of the same things but I got myself to start anyway. And now that I did, I couldn’t be happier because I’m so, so proud of myself for all the work I’ve put into Lime & Shine and so, so excited for its future.
“People won’t read my blog”
Of course I thought of this. Everyone does. If someone’s making YouTube videos, they think people won’t watch them. If someone’s painting, they worry people won’t appreciate/buy them. Similarly, if you’re blogging, it’s normal to think people won’t read them. It’s normal, it’s not true. It’s just important to remember that when you’re creating content, you have to write about things people WANT to read.
Most of the things you write about have to be solving a certain problem people have – that’s what’ll drive them to your website and your blogs. If you’re a person with no interest in economics and I handed you a few pages of the Game Theory, are you going to want to read it? No. Similarly, if you’re going to give the people what they don’t want to know about, they’re not going to read it.
This issue is mostly solved once you define your target audience. Everything you write, you’ll have to write keeping a specific audience & their interests in mind. If you’re a fitness blogger, your audience is fitness enthusiasts & everything you write about fitness must cater to any questions/needs/problems they have.
“Blogging is too time consuming”
Okay I’m not going to lie, it’s very time consuming. There are a lot of things you have to plan for before you start blogging. Wondering what you should know before you begin? HERE’S your guide! There’s a lot of work, especially when you’re starting out. Email lists, social media marketing, Pinterest strategies, Facebook groups, blog post planning, promotions… there’s a lot to do.
So how do you know whether or not it’s time to start blogging? You ask yourself one question. You ask yourself how long you’ve been thinking of starting a blog. If your answer to this is that of a decent amount of time, ask yourself another question. Ask yourself if you’re willing to give it time. It doesn’t have to be hours. I myself am a student and that makes blogging a side hustle and not my main work. And that’s okay. I manage to churn out 1-2 posts a week. Sometimes, there’s 1 in two weeks and that’s okay. When I get time (probably during my vacation), i’ll try for 3 posts a week. It’s no competition. It’s about posting quality content, even if it’s once a month. Quality > quantity.
“What if I run out of topics?”
You honestly might. I do.
But then what do I do to write more? I look at other bloggers’ feeds for inspiration (especially posts like these), I scroll through Pinterest, I think of things I look for on google. But this doesn’t mean I stop blogging. I may take a break (because like I said, quality > quantity) but then I get back to it. But trust me, there are enough topics. Every 8-12 months you can also refresh your content – add something new and something more to your old content. Revamp it for a new year! So tweak it up and that’s it – there you have another post.
“Blogging will be another financial burden”
See, when you’re starting out, you will have so many questions about where to spend your money. You’ll wonder how on earth you can afford to pay for Tailwind, email marketing & your hosting site, let alone a plethora of $300 courses that are like a blogger’s dream on a platter. It’s okay. Everyone has these questions.
Why? Because if you’re just starting out, you don’t know if and how long you’re going to continue. There are a few things we start because we’re excited about them at that very moment, but what if these things don’t happen to work out for you over time? Blogging might be like this for some people. And we all know that somewhere at the back of our mind. I wonder too – what if I don’t want to write anymore one day? And because of this, we wonder whether it’s worth it to splurge on blogging materials.
What’s the answer to this? Wait a while. Look, there are quite a lot of ‘free trials’ and ‘free courses’ and they’re pretty dang good. As of now the only payment I’ve made is for to WordPress. I’ve got my way around using free stuff. And how helpful is this?
I got
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around 80k monthly Pinterest viewers
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50+ Pinterest followers
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Became a part of 4 Tailwind tribes and 4-5 Pinterest group boards that help me share my content
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50+ Facebook followers
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30+ Twitter followers
within my first 1-2 months, using nothing PAID.
I know they’re all small numbers (some of which have fallen now due to inactivity because of college work), but hey, we celebrate every tiny victory here! So, to me, as a new blogger, I’m crazy proud of myself for being able to hit those numbers.
Right now, I’m on a little holiday for a family wedding and haven’t been able to work on the blog too much but I can’t wait to get home and pick up the hustle and grow more!
“My blog won’t make me any money”
The minute you think people won’t read your blog, that thought is accompanied by ‘my blog won’t grow’ and ‘my blog won’t make me any money’. But no, your blog can make money. And it can even if you’re just starting out. There are affiliate programs you can apply for and if you get accepted, you can be on your way to a (BIG FAT) small check.
I made my first earning already – they’re $25 waiting to be cashed out. And this is only from one company. I’ve planned it out already – once I get back and to work, there’s one more program I want to apply for. Just in case you want to know, this is the post that got me my first income!
As my blog grows, i’ll diversify my income to various streams – even my own $300 course maybe? 😛
Share this post if you’ve had these thoughts before! Drop a like & comment on how you tackled these disrupting thoughts so we can all help each other and grow together! 2019 New Bloggers for the win!!
Until next time!
Love,
I always believe leaving stuff for another day is not an option. Starting today is my motto as today is our present, the only day we have control on.
Preach, Marjie! 💞
This post is great for anyone wanting to start a blog. I’ll be honest, I’m a freelance writer and even I feel like running my own blog is a chore. I only recently started investing more time into growing my blog (literally since last week) and since then I’ve been publishing content almost every day, either on my own blog, my Medium account or on other sites as guest posts. It’s hard work growing an audience and it’s important that everyone knows that going in. At the same time, it’s fun and almost addictive. Blogging isn’t for everyone, that’s for sure, but if someone feels like starting a blog, they should definitely test the waters to see if it’s something they’d enjoy.
There’s no need to spend money on a blog before you’re sure if you’re committed to it, and people should just know this,
Thanks, Rozanne, for taking time out to read my post. I’m so glad you liked it! Couldn’t agree more with your views on this topic! ☺️
You are so rigt! there are all this problems that we think about them and we need to remember that if we want to start a blog, we need to start it! this is a very important post for everyone who thinking about starting.
So glad you liked it!
Absolutely love this!!! The most important step is to just BEGIN. Sometimes those thoughts still creep into my head but I absolutely love blogging and don’t regret it for a second!
Same, Morgan!! ☺️ Glad you enjoyed the read!
I love this post, especially about making time for it! Blogging is the perfect way to be creative and I don’t know what I’d do in my free time if I didn’t have it.
– Charlotte / charlottesspaceonline.com
So true, Charlotte! Glad you liked the post!!
I remember feeling the same way before I started my blog. I agree, just start it!
Yess, Clarissa! 💓