The decision to start blogging (for real) can be an exciting and scary time! When I first started blogging it was mainly just for me. I liked that I could share posts with family that I didn’t get to see very often. Once I realized how amazing and supportive the blogging community was – I quickly became inspired that something I loved doing, could be influential and helpful for other people AND become a full-time job for me. These are New Blogger Firsts!!
If you are just beginning and want to make the most out of your blogging experience, I came up with 8 key first steps for those of you who need a little push getting started and getting noticed.
- Have monthly, weekly, and daily checklists
- Who doesn’t love checklists! There are so many blogging checklists on Pinterest! If to-do lists are your thing, these will definitely remind you of the little things you need to do that might slip your mind when you’re focused on writing posts or connecting with sponsors.
- Plan Your Posts
- This is another great way to stay organized! You can also write a bunch of posts at once and then schedule them to go out at separate times. I will use colored sticky notes and lay out post ideas on my large calendar and separate them by the categories on my blog. This gives me a visual in order to see if I am posting too much of one category and not enough of others.
- Be Organized
- It is important, from the start, to be organized. Have a blogging binder or use a program like Evernote to keep all of your blogging tools and plans in the same space. I like to have a large desk calendar on my desk next to everything. Your binder can have your checklists, information for all of your advertisers, and all of your financial paperwork inside.
- Choose a platform that you think will work best for your future needs and goals.
- Are you going to be monetizing your blog? Will you be selling a service or product? Do you want something that is easily customizable? Ask yourself these questions and choose one that fits you and your goals.
- Join Blogging Communities
- Connect with others in your niche on social media. There are some amazing Facebook groups that you can request to be in. These are perfect for asking questions and finding people you can work together with to make your blogs shine!
- Pay for Design
- Go on Etsy or your blogging communities and find someone to design your site/brand. Have a brand vision and pay for someone to do it for you! Putting a little money in at the beginning will give you extra motivation to keep at it. Plus when your site looks beautiful you (+others) will love looking at it! And on top of that it will free up more of your time to do other things.
- Be Social
- Connect all of your social accounts and find and communicate with other bloggers. Be active with people in your niche and find the 1 or 2 social media outlets that work best for you. Focus on those the most but be sure to check into all of them. It is also important to make your social media accounts match your blog’s branding too!
- Be Genuine
- Remember to be yourself in all of your posts. You are what makes your brand and your blog stand out. Be original and write from the heart whenever any idea floats through your mind. Others will notice your originality and they will follow your journey because of it! Remember that if blogging is still intimidating, then fake it ’till you make it! Act like a professional and soon enough you will be on your way to becoming one!
You can also find this post here! Head on over to October June Blog to check it out!
