So you want to be a blogger? It’s not as easy as you may think…actually, it’s not easy at all.
When I started my blog in 2015, I had NO idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted to share my Teen Mom Story with my community. I had no intention of making money nor did I know that I could make money from sharing my story with the world. I had no one helping me figure this thing out. In fact, everything I know has been learned by trial and error.
Fast forward 20 months later (I’ll be celebrating two years soon !!) and I still don’t feel that I have it “figured” out, I don’t think I ever will. The blogging realm is constantly changing and you have to make sure you can keep up.
Since starting my blog, raisingjayandabel.com, the most popular question I’ve been asked is “How do you start a blog” and to be honest, there is no one right way. There are a lot of factors to consider. First, what will your blog be about ? Do you have a story you want to be heard? What is your purpose? Do you have a target audience ? Are you willing to invest in your brand? All these questions should be considered prior to starting, but if you’re anything like me, you will just figure it out ;).
If you get into blogging thinking “I want to get free stuff” sorry then this is not for you. Receiving items/gifts that you may or may have not bought with your own money is one of the perks, but it should not be the ONLY reason you start a blog.
After thinking long and hard about this, I decided to lay out 6 blogging truths for anyone thinking about starting a blog:
Its Hard Work
Like many things you want to succeed in, putting your time and effort into your blog is a must if you want it to be successful. How you measure success may be different from how another blogger measures success. So remember never compare yourself.
You will get turned down
I don’t think I’ve ever met a blogger who’s never been told “no”. Of course, it stings and your ego takes a hit, but remember, when one person says no another person is ready to tell you yes.
Save the drama for your mama
Really, please save it for her, because once you get too caught up in the blogging cliques (and yes they do exist) you start to forget the purpose and reason why you started your blog. As much as you try to stay away from it, it will catch up to you eventually. Learn how to keep your self-worth on top of the priority list and you will be ok.
Stay Authentic
I wrote about being authentic in the beginning over here. Being authentic and staying authentic are two completely different things. Think of being authentic as falling in love and staying authentic as staying in love. Yes, you cannot have one without the other, but remember, both are important in life and in blogging. Staying true to who you are can easily be lost when you start to compare, don’t ever compare.
You’ll want to quit
Honestly, I’ve considered quitting blogging a handful of times. When I feel down, I start to think “is it really worth it?!”, “is anyone even reading?!”, “why is this so hard?!”. I think about how easy it would be for me to click delete page and *poof* everything would disappear. After I gather myself and talk to my close friends, I remember why I started in the first place and how much I’ve grown not only as a women but also as a mother. Never give up !
BONUS TIP
There WILL be success
For some it comes quickly, for others it takes time, whatever you consider success to be, just remember it will come. After almost two years of blogging, I don’t consider myself successful. I am a true believer of constant growth and being humble and I know have a long road ahead of me.
20 Comments
love this perspective!
Heck yes to the save the drama… I find the blogging world to be full of high school drama that is not needed. You are not the first blogger in the world you wont be the last. You aren’t the first mom to share about baby wearing you wont be the last. The list goes on and on. We need to be supportive of each other and not try to destroy each other.
PREACH !! yes girl, 100 % agree with you.
I love this girl!
Thanks Sav !! Appreciate it <3
love this perspective!
Thanks ! Me too 😉
Love this!! Yes on so many stuff!!
hehe I bet you were just nodding along the whole time 😉
I started blogging JUST to blog, so this is kind of foreign to me as a “new blogger”. (PS it was TEN YEARS ago!). But this is a great list!
Thanks Rachel ! woah 10 years, do share your tips 🙂
Loved this!! Such great tips!! It can be hard but always keep it fun and blog for yourself first and you won’t feel so bad when told “no”. At least that’s what I told myself haha
haha ! Yup, I think people get too caught up in comparing so the “no” can sting even more. I know I’m guilty of this. But I’m trying to steer away from the negative thoughts and just focus on what I want to do.
I started writing online 15 years ago… it was never blogging, just writing publicly for my little blogspot page. Now, it’s a profession or part-time job for some, so cool! BUT i personally hate when all of a sudden people are all, I want to start blogging tel me everything you do and how to do it, as though it magically happens overnight. It took me a full year to set up my current blog before going live, lol. I’m not sure everyone understands how much time, money, and effort goes into blogging!!
I agree ! We all blog for different reasons so to tell someone HOW to start a blog or HOW to be successful seems one sided.
Yes to all of the above. I just bought my domain last October and it’s hard work and i still have so many things to figure out.
We all have to start somewhere ! First big decision was buying your domain. 🙂
I have to agree maintaining a blog is hard. There were moments I wanted to quit because I feel like I didn’t have enough target audience and not many people were commenting on my site. I felt so discourage but I realized that I blog for myself and to keep some memories I can reread again in the long run. Additionally it’s hard in blogging because it’s hard to find the time taking care of my kids and errands. Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips!
Hi Cynthia,
thanks for your comment (as you said) I too have trouble getting them. But yes, you are correct, once you start blogging for you, all those other things will come. Remember why you started in the first place and you will be ok.
P.S. totally understand about the kid thing 😉 I can go weeks without blogging but I do brainstorm and think about future posts in the meantime !
So much props to bloggers! Always want to start one.. probably never will