Several times a year I am asked… What does it takes to blog? .
There are a large number of articles on the advantages of blogging and even a larger number written on glamorizing the amount of money that can be made from blogging.
These articles bring people to me to get the 411 on blogging.
Why me? Well I guess it is because I have been blogging for over 15 years and I’m known for shooting it straight.
Shooting it straight is what I am going to do here. So, if you are wanting to know what you are getting into before you start blogging, here are….
5 Things to Know Before You Start Blogging
Let’s got straight to the fist thing you need to know about blogging.
1. Hard Work
First of all…Blogging is very hard work. I’ll discuss later some of the reasons why blogging is hard, but just realize this, once you start blogging you need to stay with it if you plan on getting anything out of it.
If you are not clear on what you want to get out of it..well..maybe you need to read the rest of this blog before you start.
2. Difficulty of Attracting an Audience
One of the hardest things you will have to do when blogging is to be patient with attracting your audience. I suggest you not go into blogging without knowing who specifically you are addressing your blog.
I still get wound around the axel from time to time when I write a blog asking myself who exactly am addressing.
I have deleted more 1500 word blogs than I have posted just because after writing them I found either I was not addressing the point of my blog to anyone, or it was pointed to an audience I had no interest in being part of.
It would be easier if you know who exactly it is your blogs are going to benefit and then go for that in each blog. Don’t just go into blogging thinking..I’m just going to write what I feel and don’t care who reads it. If you do, you will find after a few months you are wasting your time because nobody is interested in what it is you blogging about.
Also remember, there are millions of blogs sites on the internet on millions of subjects…with millions on the same subject targeting the same audience. Before you start blogging Google Search the topic you are going to write on and see who is also blogging on that subject. That will give you and idea who you are up against.
Know This: If you truly are an authority on the subject you are blogging about then knowing there are thousands of others blogging on that subject should not be a deterrent. Offer what you know on the subject and people will come to see what you have to say. It could take up to a year before you see any significant results in your blogging, so hang in there.
3. Learning Curve
There is much more to blogging than constructing complete sentences and thoughts.
You have to be keen on catchy titles.
You have to know the mechanics of blogging which is far different than other forms of writing.
If you are using WordPres.org then you have to know the fine art of WordPress. If not, then you probably have someone take care of that for you.
Learning to blog is not instantaneous. There are far more things you have to learn to be comfortable blogging.
On average it could take several months to get into the swing of knowing how to blog. So don’t think you will be an instant blogger.
4. Monetization Expectations
Making money blogging is what drives 99% of people to want to blog. That is probably why you are here.
I can tell you, making money does not come overnight and making the money that makes it worth going through all of the processes I have laid out here will not come for quiet a while yet.
The reason it is so hard to make money blogging today is due to there being so many people, places and things blogging. There are a lot of games the ‘places and things’ play that make it even harder for ‘People’ like us to make money blogging.
A few forms of monitizing your blog are:
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ads like Google AdSense or AdWorks
- Affiliate Sales which is more or less PPC with a commission sales plan
- Sponsored Content or Post which are the most popular form of monetization for People
None of these forms of monetization are viable until you have posted a few hundred blogs and have established a ranking on Google…all part of that learning curve.
5. Time Consuming
There are a few things you have to do before starting to blog that take up a lot of time.
- Creating a blog site could take up to four weeks if you do it yourself or from two weeks to never if you hire someone to construct the site.
- Composing an archive of blogs to post at launch of the site will take a few days at least.
- Setting up your Google+ profile and business page is very important, as well as setting up your existence on other less Google Search friendly social network. These give you places to post your blog so people, places and things can find it.
Once you get all this done expect to spend at least two hours per 500 word blog. The longer the blog the more time it takes.
If you type fast you may shave this down to an hour, but creating unique images to place in the blog and finding relevant links will eat up a lot of time. For example..to this point of this blog I have put in over two hours and I am not through.
The reason it is taking me longer to write this blog is due to me doing research as I write. You may do your research before you write. I usually do pre-blog research and then research just before I post the blog to see if there are any new relevant posts I can link to….see..more learning curve.
6. Must Be Dedicated
If you have gotten this far into this blog you must be part of that 8% who see blogging is the best way to get your messaged delivered to your market or you are one of the millions of bloggers like me who ask themselves every few minutes..why am I blogging?..and are searching for an answer.
Dedication is what is needed to blog. If you are not dedicated to blogging I would suggest you end you agony now and pack it in.
BOTTOMLINE:
Overall, blogging can be a great release of pinned up thoughts or things you know how to do better than others. Blogging can become a great career after you finish your main career. Having a blog can open doors to other opportunities and adventures.
However, the reality of blogging is you have to know how to blog and be dedicated to blogging frequently in order to experience any of the pleasure and satisfactions that come from blogging.
If you got what it takes, get after it. And…
Let me know how I can help.
