I started a blog years and years ago but it was less writing and more sharing. I guess that’s what twitter is for now. Before I decided to try blogging again, I did some research. I decided on my niche (god, I hate that word) and set out a promise with myself that I would post weekly. Unfortunately, there’s some advice out there that stick with you and others that will actually work against you. Here are some lessons that I have learnt:
1. Influence
It’s hard not to be influenced by all the advice. Stick to a regular posting schedule. Find your niche. Make 10 pinterest pins a day. Work on SEO. Schedule tweets for the whole week. Keep updating your older posts. The list goes on. It’s overwhelming. I started out with a niche in mind but realised quickly that that wouldn’t actually work in real life. I tried to make a heap of pins but the time it takes vs the actual reward wasn’t very good. I read into SEO articles to write about what will rank. That also didn’t sit well with me. It’s much easier to start and write posts that you’re actually interested in writing and it’s much easier to keep blogging if you don’t feel like it is all such a hassle.
Take away: Write what you want to write about and it’s ok to create your own rules
2. Follow bloggers
When I started following other bloggers, I sort of just stuck to the travel niche. But seeing what other people were writing about only made me think that I also had to write in a certain way. Cafe guides and day itineraries and I started looking back through my pictures to see if I could put together one of these. I had planned to write one but found it really hard to even narrow down what should be in a day itinerary when I seldom travel with a strict one.
I then started following other bloggers who write about a wide range of topics that also included travel. I found this much better for the types of information I wanted to consume and also to broaden my idea of what a “blog” was.
Take away: Don’t feel confined to create certain types of posts
3. Time
It is way more time consuming than I thought. I thought that I’d be able to just type my thoughts and then click publish. No. Posts sit in draft for weeks and sometimes months until it’s ready to be seen by the outside world. I sometimes need to reconsolidate with my travel journals to remember back and also do some fact checking. It takes time to link other social media together and not to mention to actually be active on those social media platforms as well as writing. It takes time to link previous blog posts which is apparently good for SEO. Sometimes I’m just waiting for that strike of inspiration on what I want to write about next and other times the words just don’t come out of my head.
Take away: It’ll be more time consuming than you think but this is all part of the process and fun
4. Intimidation
I don’t know if it’s imposter syndrome but there is always the fear at the back of my mind that I’m just another person writing into the void, why would anyone read what I write? I go through waves of this and every single time, I need to snap out it. It’s more about the commitment to produce. If you’re reading someone else’s blog there is bound to me someone else who will find your words interesting too.
Take away: Keep going
5. Take breaks
I would say that I was pretty consistent in the first year with posting a blog about once a week which is what I had initially planned to do. Recently, I’ve been feeling very uninspired by pretty much everything. I pulled back on the amount of time I was spending on social media which has been nice and made me feel less…..chaotic. I didn’t write any posts for some weeks. But here I am, finishing this blog post after initially drafting it at the beginning of March. Your blog will still be there when you get back.
Take away: It’s ok to take breaks to recharge
Do you resonate with any of the above points? What’s the biggest blogging lesson you’ve learnt?
Interested in starting a blog? To start with wordpress, click on this link to start and we both earn free credit.
Leave a comment