So you want to start a blog? Or maybe you just started one. Great! Blogging is an awesome tool to connect your with your audience and get your voice heard. And while blogging takes many different forms, before starting a blog, there are some things you should think about. These are the things that will help set your blog up for success and ensure that you are on the right foot moving forward.
Let’s take a look at the 5 things you should consider before starting a blog.
How often will you post?
Posting regularly is important for building an audience. How often will you post? Once a week? Twice a week? Once a month?
Before you start your blog, think about how much time you can actually devote to publishing new posts. Keep in mind that creating quality content takes time, as does promoting it. If you’re unsure about how long blogging will take you, start slow and work your way up.
Once you figure out how often you’ll post, create an editorial calendar. Figure out what days you’ll be publishing new content and start brainstorming ideas. Trust me, you want to have this plan in place. If you’re like me and wait to the last minute, you won’t have anything to post and out goes any consistency you’re trying to build. Plan ahead and it’ll make things much easier!
What topics will you blog about?
So you have an idea for a blog, but do you know exactly what topics/categories you’ll cover? Again, planning is important, so think about what you’ll blog about. Choose 3-5 categories and write blog posts that fit within those categories. Sidenote: it also helps if those categories are somehow related!
Your blog categories will act as a sort of roadmap for the direction your blog will go in, so it’s definitely important to think them through. Of course, your categories may change over time, but having at least an idea when you begin will help you keep your blog posts on track.
What platform will you use?
The foundation of your blog is your blogging platform, so it’s important to give it some thought. Your first instinct might be to just go and sign up somewhere and get started, but if you’re planning on growing your blog in the future, you need to give it some thought. Sure, you can always switch platforms, but wouldn’t it just be easier to not have to?
Think about what features you want or need for your blog now as well as down the road. Keep in mind your tech-ability. How comfortable are you with customizing your blog or handing maintenance? Blogging is hard enough without having to deal with the actual running of the site, so choose wisely.
How will you brand your blog?
Your blog’s brand will play a major part in how it is perceived. Consider your blog’s audience. Who are they? What are their interests? Why are they reading your blog? Take note and choose your brand visuals accordingly.
Also think about how you want to convey what your brand is all about. Will your blog be cheerful? Or maybe high-end? Your visuals will play an important part in your blog’s first impression.
With your audience in mind, create a brand that will resonate with them. Your colors, fonts, and images will all play a role in this so think it through.
And because your brand isn’t just visuals, think about the tone you’ll use and your blog’s values. The key to a cohesive brand is consistency, so definitely give this some thought to ensure your message isn’t getting watered down.
What are your goals?
Before you start a blog, think about why you want to start one in the first place. What are you hoping to achieve? What do you want to get out of blogging? You didn’t just decide to create a blog for the heck of it. You had a reason.
Knowing what these goals are will help you stay on track to growing a blog that will actually meet these goals. Blogging without intention is not going to get you anywhere.
Once you’ve given these 5 things some thought, go ahead and start blogging! And remember to keep them in mind as you go. That way you’ll stay on the right track and not veer off course. But if you do happen to go off track, there’s always my Blog Audit Workbook, which can help you analyze your blog so you can move forward strategically.
Starting a blog? Here are 5 things you should consider.
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