Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest have taken the spotlight away from blogging. But there are still plenty of good reasons for starting a blog.
And despite many prognostications that blogging is dead or dying, it remains a vital part of online culture. In fact, I’d argue that blogging is as important as ever.
There are all kinds of reasons for blogging: to build your brand as a freelance writer or entrepreneur, practice different types of writing, promote a book, put your resume and clips online, or just get stuff out there that you couldn’t or wouldn’t put in a paid assignment.
The reasons may be different, the mechanics of starting a blog don’t vary that much.
Steps to Starting a Blog
Here are six simple steps to starting your freelance writing blog:
1. Pick a niche you’re in love with.
If you’re committed to blogging for the long term, pick a subject that moves you. If you don’t, your enthusiasm for writing about it will fade.
Some examples: Entertainment writer Jane Boursaw blogs about movies at Reel Life with Jane. American expat/writer/organic gardener Joan Lambert Bailey blogs about Japan’s urban farm scene on Japan Farmers Market. My former OC Register colleague Janine Robinson blogs about gardening in southern California on her blog, Laguna Dirt (worth a visit for the photography alone). I blog here about the changing freelance writing business, a topic that combines my experience as a freelancer with my interest in keeping tabs on how the media industry is changing.
2. Address the mechanics.
Once you’ve got an idea, you need to give it a home. You can set up a blog on any number of free blog sites including WordPress, Blogger or TypePad. A newer option is Tumblr.
Or you can download free software from Moveable Type or WordPress.org and pay a service like BlueHost or GoDaddy to host your blog. Most hosting services have extensive FAQ sections and user forums where you can get answers to your blog building questions.
Another option is hiring someone to do the work for you. When I switched from a free WordPress blog to a self-hosted blog, I used Denver-based Waterday Media to do the work, including creating the blog’s design and user interface. I used Waterday, run by freelance writer and web developer Ron Doyle, again in late 2012 for a minor design refresh.
Hiring someone else to create or update a blog can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on how simple or complex a site you’re building. On top of design fees, don’t forget to figure costs for domain names and web hosting into your budget.
3. Present interesting, timely, well-written material.
There’s no right way to write blog posts. But there are some good rules of thumb:
- Short is good.
- Write like you’re talking to a friend.
- Vary post formats between news, opinions, lists, Q&As, polls, videos, podcasts, photos, recipes, best ofs, and more.
- Anything with bullet points is a good bet to be popular with readers.
- Blog posts that spell out your reaction to new events practically write themselves. Others that offer your original reporting or commentary take more time and effort.
- I included a bunch of other ideas in this post on writing great freelance blog posts and in this one on whether to plot out posts ahead of time or write on the fly.
4. Commit to posting regularly.
How often you post is up to you. Posting consistently is a sure way to increase traffic. That’s one of the main lessons I learned from running the WordCount blogathon, where hundreds of bloggers commit to posting every day for a month.
Other times of the year, I blog Monday through Friday. Joan Lambert Bailey posts two or three times a week. Other bloggers post a couple days a week, once a week or even once a month. At Reel Life with Jane, Boursaw and her contributors write multiple posts a day. Maybe it’s why traffic to her blog is through the roof.
Use an editorial calendar to plan posts. I started using the WordPress editorial calendar plug in a while back, and it completely changed how I blog — that’s the calendar’s dashboard above. I use it to plan posts weeks — sometimes months — in advance. Using an editorial calendar helped me see that I was running certain types of posts fairly often
5. Build traffic.
There are all types of tips and tricks to get people to find out about your blog. One of the best is using search engine optimization or SEO to tag your blog posts so Google, Bing and other search engines will pick them up. These days, you can add SEO plugins to your blog dashboard that suggest the keywords to include in your post so it ends up high in search results for that subject.
Other ways to help readers find your blog:
- Put links in your posts.
- Add social share buttons to your site and each post.
- Find other people who blog about the same subject and leave comments on their blogs, or offer to swap guest posts.
- Join blog networks. I joined BlogHer, the women’s blog network in 2009.
- Here’s a list of other tips for improving traffic to your freelance blog.
- You can find more information on these and other techniques on sites such as Copyblogger and ProBlogger and Blogging Basics 101.
6. Have fun!
Don’t freak out if your blog’s not popular right out of the gate. Unless you’re lucky or are using a blog to promote a book that’s already bestseller, it could take time for people to find you. Meanwhile, enjoy this opportunity to be your own boss.
If you’re still not comfortable getting started, you can always take a class online or sign up for a new media seminar.
Got your own suggestions for how to start a writing blog?
I agree with the have fun step. There are far too many bloggers who forget that entirely in their quest to have the Biggest Blog Ever that everyone subscribes to. People will either read it or they won’t. If it wasn’t fun, what was really the point?
Your tips are really on target, Michelle. The only point I’d add is that photos can increase interest. This works really well with food, gardening and anything visual. That said, if you’re writing on a non-visual topic, they may not be worth the time hunting down.
By the way, the May Blogathon was a blast. I’ve only missed two days since it ended. Thanks for starting it.
Charmian
Great tips.. I’m going to forward this to some people that have been asking me for tips. Honestly, the best thing I did was the may blogathon.. it really increased traffic. Since May ended I’ve fallen off the wagon. Or, am I on the wagon? I really never remember the right way to say that. 😉
Claudine
Thanks for the feedback. I agree that the May blogathon was a success, and I’m thinking of a reprise in the fall, possibly November.
Michelle Rafter
Right on, Michelle. You’ve listed some great ideas for beginning bloggers.
My blog was a baby when the May blogathon started so I didn’t participate. But, here’s what I’ve learned after six weeks of blogging:
Blogging is fun. I love the immediacy of it.
Blogging makes me write – often to keep the readers coming back.
Blogging makes me write concisely. I don’t have time for long posts that don’t pay anything.
Blogging makes me consider the reader. What am I offering that will keep them coming back?
Blogging allows me to try different styles. One day I’m humorous, the next all information.
Blogging is an article idea generator. Writing one snippet generates a story idea for a “real” article.
Blogging connects me with readers. Lots of suggestions and story ideas have been coming my way via the reader.
Blogging makes me be social. In order to increase blog traffic, I’ve had to overcome my shyness and introduce myself on the various writing forums where I’m registered.
Blogging makes me plan. I have so many posts in mind that I’ve planned them out in a blog
editorial calendar
Blogging makes me focus. To keep posts relevant, I have to keep the purpose of the blog in mind using ideas that match my theme.
Blogging is a community maker. I’m meeting other bloggers and networking.
Blogging is addictive. I love checking the stats to see the increase in traffic. Who knew I was a bean counter?
Blogging can be a time waster. So, I use it as a reward for when I’ve finished some other writing related task – like an article.
Blogging is invigorating. It is energizing my writing.
Donna, what a great summary. You’re a quick study if you’ve figured out all of that in six short weeks. Congrats!
Michelle R.
another thought: the audience for your blog is — or may become — international. there are months when I have many more international readers than I do from the US, where I’m based. your international audience may expand your ideas for what to post about and places you wish to investigate for networking your blog, to menton just two possibilities. awards, too : a post of mine was shortlisted (top ten) for the best post of the year in the Irish Blog awards for 2007, and that notice continues to bring in readers from Ireland and elsewhere.
Kerry: Interesting point. I guess it would depend on the subject matter of the blog and whether or not it lends itself to international coverage. Congrats on your success, pretty cool!
Michelle R.
Great article! I have a question though. What if your blog has nothing to do with the type of stories you write?
I’m looking into starting a part-time freelance career and I was considering starting a second blog specifically for this purpose. Would it be better to use the original blog instead?
That does help, thanks!
Thanks for the great tips. I especially like the link to extra ideas for blog post ideas.
Also, I know it’s easy to put off posting. When I first started my blog, it was for a college assignment/long-term project. I will be rolling out my own editorial calendar shortly.
Sarah
I’ve just come back to blogging after having to focus more on ‘the day job’ and found myself at a real cross-roads of whether to pick up with my old blog or whether to start over. Your great article made me realise that I’ve already gone through the teething troubles when setting up my blog previously and can now concentrate on that very important step 6 ~ thanks so much for the inspiration and the confidence you have given me to pick up where I left off and have fun along the way!
Thank you so much, I’m so happy that it helped.
Michelle