I’m a relatively new blogger, but I have some tips that I’d like to pass on to other absolute beginners, in the hope that they will help make your entry into the world of blogging a little easier.
These are not “official” tips and I don’t have any sort of “blogging qualifications”(!), but they’re things that have helped me start and maintain my blog so far, and just some things I have noticed about the world of blogging in general.
1. Don’t worry too much about sticking to your “niche”
Don’t avoid writing about something purely because it doesn’t fit your “niche”. If you write a travel blog but you want to write something about mental health or parenting or food (etc), do it. Your blog should reflect who you are, and if you have something to say about a subject that’s not in your niche, that’s absolutely fine – it makes you more real. Having a niche is absolutely fine, just don’t feel restricted by it.
2. Read other blogs and leave a comment
Reading other people’s blogs is useful because it gives you some idea what other people are doing, and can spark your own ideas. If you decide to leave a comment, make sure it’s meaningful and not just an advertisement for your own blog – it doesn’t work and honestly, it just makes you look bad. Give praise where praise is due, and tell the blogger what you liked about their post specifically. Engage in a real conversation. If the blogger left a “call to action” at the end of their post, talk about it. If you show yourself to be engaging authentically in the blogger community, the traffic will come back to you naturally – don’t force it.
3. Get active on social media
Promote your blog on social media. I’ve found Twitter and Pinterest to be the most effective, but it may be different if you have a specific niche, such as beauty blogging, where you may find Instagram brings you more traffic. Don’t just post your links though, make sure you’re engaging in real conversations as well. Chat with your followers, and show your appreciation for them supporting your blog – they’re taking time out of their day to read and comment on your stuff.
4. Write some blog posts in advance
I always have multiple posts written in advance and scheduled to post on certain days. This keeps the pressure off in terms of deadlines and my blog schedule. This is particularly important for me, as I have days where I’m unable to write due to mental health issues. If I was writing each blog post on the day I was supposed to post it, I would quickly find myself in a pickle, because if I’m having a particularly bad mental health day, I do not have the concentration or motivation to write, and I’d end up missing my day’s post. The blog post scheduling on WordPress is my best friend.
5. Don’t burn out
When you first start out, it’s tempting to write dozens of posts and post them all very quickly. Whilst I said in the previous point, it is good to bulk-write if you can, it’s important that you don’t burn out and give up. If you’ve suddenly put out 10 blog posts, but then burn out and don’t post again for a couple of weeks, your traffic isn’t going to be great.
I hope these tips are helpful for newbie bloggers. Remember, I’m still a relatively new blogger myself, but these are just some things that have occurred to me so far. I’m sure I’ll post some updated tips in the future, but for now, good luck with your new blog, and let me know how you get on!
Are you a newbie blogger? What obstacles have you faced and how did you overcome them? Maybe you have your own tips for new bloggers? Feel free to share them in the comments!
Scheduling posts in advance has been really helpful for me for the same reasons you mentioned.
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I love reading other people’s blogs (as you can see!). We are pretty new to blogging and I’ll admit we are guilty of the first point. There’s are a few off topic posts I’ve thought about writing and then said no to because it isn’t in our niche! But maybe now I’ll give them a go. Thanks for the inspiration!
Caitlin
Budget Breaks
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Some good tips, social media is a must. I don’t ever stick to a niche anymore!
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Thank you for the tips! I just started my blog in October and I definitely did a bunch of posting for a couple of weeks and then tapered off. This year I have already made a schedule for myself and seeing that as one of your tips helps me know I’m on the right track! Thank you!
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Thanks, Joanie! Good luck with your new schedule 🙂💜
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Thank you!
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Thanks for this! I just started my blog over a week ago so this is perfectly timed. Some of your tips are things I was already planning to do, but it was all really useful. 2 was especially enlightening. I hadn’t planned on it because my schedule doesn’t leave much spare time, but given what you said I’ll try my best.
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Thank you! Good luck with your new blog 🙂
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Couldn’t agree with these tips more, especially the first one on niche. This word was everywhere when I started, and I stressed so much about it, I almost didn’t start at all!
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Some of these tips hit real close to me because I keep trying to be “safe” and, like, want to put out content every day of the week. But, this goal led to me completely fizzling out. Plus, I agree with you on this: interacting with people is what this is all about. We help each other learn new ways to see things. My biggest difficulty is narrowing down my focus to a single niche (or a couple of them that are related). It’s definitely a learning curve. How much do I want to share? And, like, how much of what I write is actually useful and engaging? It’s kind of where I am at right now. PS: How do you go about writing posts and scheduling them? Like, do you post them on days when you’re tired or not feeling up to it? Plus, do you aim for a number of posts per week/month?
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Great question! On my good days, I will write as much as possible, and then schedule them to come out in the future. I post every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and so far I’ve managed to have enough posts written to keep up with that schedule, and account for the days when I’m not well enough to write.
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Thanks for sharing these tips, I honestly didn’t even consider writing ahead of time and scheduling my posts. Very helpful!
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Very helpful! And also you have a nice blog topic
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Great work
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This is wonderful advice, thank you for sharing!
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Great tips, thank you. I tried blogging a fee years ago and burned out quickly. I also have mental illness. Trying my hand at it again. Just started up tonight.
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This is a good and informative post. I am taking my first baby steps in blogging and such posts prove to be quite helpful
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Really helpful, thanks!
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You’re welcome 🙂
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Thanks for the info. I worried that I was all over the place with my niche, but I write whatever comes to me and that seems more real!
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Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you for taking the time to post this – I am so new – I have 1 post and my site is not even set up – just that is a project – but I will keep reading and learning – One day at a time!
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