Here it is!
Our first blog post.
So why is all this hype about blogging? As you have seen, with the rise of social media and influencer culture, almost everyone has a blog now in some form or another.
For those of you who haven’t jumped on this hype train yet, but have thought about it, we decided to bring some arguments, both pros and cons, so you can decide for yourself if blogging can be a fit for you as well.
Benefits of Blogging
Based on our and others' experiences, blogging has the potential to open many doors. Besides that, a blog might help you:
1. Confront Your Fears
First of all, a blog can be an effective way to break out of your own shell, overcome the impostor syndrome and the fear of not being good enough.
All of us, introverts or extroverts, have found it sometimes (or all of the time) difficult to put ourselves out there and allow our ideas to be heard. By confronting this fear of being noticed, you will soon realize that there are people out there just like you, who feel the same way and who will be inspired by your story.
Writing about a topic you’re fearful of can help you work through these emotions. In fact, many people use blogging as a way to aid in their struggles with mental health. This shows that a blog doesn’t always have to be a meticulously planned venture. Sometimes, it can just be a place to collect your thoughts.
2. Document Your Life
Let’s go back to the early days of blogging. A blog was where you would write about the happenings of your everyday life. But just because it has become unfashionable in recent years, doesn’t mean you can’t start a blog for that reason.
Blogging to document your life is a wonderful way to reflect. Past joys and past mistakes, can all be learned from to some extent. So having somewhere to store those memories, can help you see how far you’ve come and how much you’ve learned.
3. Improve Your Writing Skills
One thing that’s self-explanatory is that starting a blog has a huge impact on your ability to write.
Starting out might feel awkward and even slightly alien. But as you get into the swing of writing, you’ll notice it will get easier. The words will flow with greater efficiency and you’ll develop a style that’s uniquely you.
Through writing often, you’ll also get a good idea of what people respond to. This stretches your creativity, helping you write more about what people love to read. And in turn, that translates into a larger audience.
4. Meet New People
One thing that can’t be denied, is that starting a blog exposes you to a huge community of new people. For each blogging niche, there is a lively community to go with it.
What’s wonderful about this is it provides a great way for you to meet new, like minded people. It will be easier to make friends since you share common interests. And, you’ll find blogging communities are not only welcoming but helpful to new bloggers too.
Whatever your niche, we can guarantee there’ll be a vibrant community waiting to embrace you.
5. Build an Online Brand
Along with learning new skills, the more you write about a subject, the more of an authority you become about it. Becoming an authority in your niche helps build your online brand.
By providing value to readers, you’ll soon become recognizable in the community. You’ll be that blogger everyone goes to. They’ll know your knowledge and advice is worth the effort of seeking out.
And building your brand is a springboard for transforming your blog into something more.
6. Generate an Income
Yes, it is perfectly possible to earn a living through your blog. But while it’s possible, it’s not easy.
Those people you see making a success and a living as bloggers have been honing their craft for years. Through that time they’ve been experimenting and testing things to see what works. And those years of hustle, go hand-in-hand with long hours of work.
Choosing a profitable niche for your blog is a good place to start. Some are easier to earn money from than others. But, selling your services via your blog requires you to build an audience targeting the people most likely to hire you.
Whichever route you go down, be prepared to work long and hard for it.
7. Inspire Others
Lastly and most importantly, being able to inspire an audience through writing will be one of the most satisfying feelings. When people respond to you in positive ways, it inspires you to keep going and helps you understand that your voice and your contribution matter and have the power to impact someone’s life for the better.
Each of us has a powerful and distinct voice that at least one person is waiting for. It would be a shame to keep it only for yourself when you can create something beautiful and help other people.
Of course, as Spiderman has taught us, with great power, comes great responsibility. So we have to use it wisely.
Challenges of Blogging
As we mentioned earlier, starting and maintaining a blog is not easy and definitely not an instant road to success. So these are some things that you should be aware of:
1. It’s Hard And Consistent Work
Running a blog isn’t a piece of cake. Successful bloggers may make it look easy, but we rarely see what’s going on behind the scenes.
For a blog to thrive, expect yourself to be working more hours than a standard day job. And those hours often extend into the evenings and weekends when you’d normally be relaxing.
Staying on the ball in blogging takes dedication, patience and commitment. It’s only through that, you can reap the rewards.
2. Won’t Get You a Fast And Fixed Income
Blogging is not a route to making quick cash. As we already said, it takes time, planning and hard work to even begin to consider making a living from your blog.
And when you manage to make a living from your blog, things still can be a little hard, since your blog’s income will fluctuate wildly. Some months you might do well, while others you’ll be lucky to earn a small percentage.
It’s tough and it’s part of the blogging life, if you decide to do it full-time. On the other side, if you’re not prepared for these fluctuations, it’s probably best to keep blogging as a side hustle.
3. It’s Sometimes a Lonely Pursuit
If you get into blogging as a way to enter the work-from-home marketplace, prepare yourself for a lonely ride. Unless you rent a co-working space or spend your days in a coffee shop, working from home as a blogger can be pretty lonely.
And those long hours in the early days can also eat into the time you’d normally spend resting or with your family. So be prepared to take your work on vacation with you, until you’ll develop systems later on to manage your workflow.
Conclusion
As you can see, starting a blog has its rewards and difficulties, and no single size fits all.
If you’re thinking whether to start a blog or not, consider both sides of the story and weigh them against your own personality, lifestyle, and ambitions. See what fits you and be honest about what you really want out of the experience.
After all, you’ll be the one doing the work and, on the flip side, you’ll be the one reaping the rewards in the end.
Remember: Blogging is a marathon. Not a sprint.
Helpful Resources
BOOKS
- Everybody Writes - Ann Handly
- Atomic Habits - James Clear
- Company of One - Paul Jarvis
- Bird by Bird - Anna Lamott
- The One Hour Content Plan - Meera Kothand
VIDEOS
