When people join the blogging world they feel overwhelmed. I know I did for sure. I wish I had a list at the time of a handful of items that were important in getting my blog started. I didn’t, but now thought it was time to use what I think is helpful and important when starting a blog.
1. Be realistic. There are tons out there who blog for a living. Their blogs are extremely professional looking and their content is stunning. Don’t be intimidated by them. Start blogging and get experience from your writing and getting the word out about your blog. Don’t go into blogging thinking you’re going to make millions. Not the case. Blog because you like to, not for the money.
2. Be cute. People love to look at a “cute” blog. Have your design be “you” or something that catches the eye. There are some great sites out there for blog design….here are a few of my favorites!
Some free design and templates sites for your blog:
~ iSmitten
Some affordable design and template sites for your blog:
~ iSmitten
3. Be knowledgeable. People love to read good content. Make sure your posts are interesting, exciting, or have great help in them. If you’re doing a tutorial, make it your own. If you’re writing about your family, make it exciting. Don’t write about what you had for lunch (unless youre posting the yummy recipe to share). Have good content…it will make them come back again to read.
4. Be focused. Have a niche. Blogs that have a niche do better than those that ramble on about randomness. So, find your element or your niche and settle in on that. Be creative and use it.
5. Be patient. Don’t get stressed or impatient if your “following” isn’t a huge hit right off. Keep the above points going and you’ll find your audience growing. Don’t expect to get 100 followers the first week or two of blogging. You can do it, just be patient.
6. Be social. There are many great social media tools out there to use to help others find your blog and become a follower. Some of my favorites are:
~ Twitter
~ Facebook
~ CafeMom
You’re set to start blogging! I’ll have another tutorial in a few weeks on how to continue growing your blog. Was this post helpful to you? Do you have a specific tutorial you’d like to see featured? Let me know!
These are some great tips! I'm relatively new to this blog-networking thing, and found this post to be very helpful…thanks for sharing, especially listing the design sites. I was wondering why everybody else's blogs were so "cute"! Thanks for stopping my my blog for iFellowship yesterday. Following you now.
Jennifer
http://www.thefarriswheel.blogspot.com
Great tips. I started my first blog almost two years ago and have just launched a second one (that you visited).
Thanks for stopping by to say hi over at All of It and Nothing at All!
Sarah
http://allofitandnothingatall.blogspot.com
Great tips! 😀