How to Start a Blog

The #1 question I’ve been asked this month: “How do I start a blog?” So here we are, blogging about blogging: I’m here for this.

I started my first blog back in 2014 when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. Mainly, I just used it as a place to share what I was doing with my friends and family. Although, slowly but surely, it became one of my favorite past times. I grew addicted to the process of documentation. I loved collecting my experiences and turning them into stories for other people to learn from and grow be empowered by.

Some people believe the falsification that blogging is dead. To say blogging is dead is to say that writing is dead. And rest assured, writing will never die. I often tell my students and clients that the written word is the foundation for which your personal brand rests firmly upon. Everything you do for your brand requires writing. Whether it be the copy for your personal website, your latest Instagram caption, or an email subject line; the degree to which you perfect your writing will be the degree to which you succeed at capturing your audience’s attention. It all starts with the written word.

To start a blog is to say, “I have something worth sharing.”

The real question becomes: Do you believe that you have something worth sharing? Do you believe that others want to read what you have to say?

The answer to these questions reveals whether you are ready to begin this process. If you’ve answered no to the above questions, ask yourself why. Why shouldn’t others benefit from reading your work? Is your work not worthy to be read? I can tell you that it is; but you have to believe that is in order for this to work. No one likes an empty, forgotten blog collecting cobwebs in the dust.

If you’ve answered yes, good. You’re already halfway over the hurdle of starting. Stick with this belief even when it feels like no one is listening; when it feels as though you are writing to a sea of nothingness. Believe me, you aren’t. Your blog posts hold their weight in gold; they have lifetime value and will continue giving long after you’ve written them.

The last question to ask yourself is “Why?” Why do you want to start writing for the intent of sharing your work with others? If you can define a clear purpose for starting, you have succeeded in accomplishing the hardest part of writing. Keep this purpose in mind as you begin this process.

Choose your platform, I recommend Squarespace.

Next, choose the platform you’d like to host your blog on. I recommend using Squarespace because it’s user friendly and design forward (this is where I host mine). With their built-in Blog Page, you can create blog posts and excerpts, tag and categorize posts, enable comments, push your posts to social media, and more. Squarespcae also allows you to publish to, sync with, and import from Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo and more. Keep in mind this post won’t dive into the technicalities of setting up a blog, so if you’d like to learn more about specifics, I recommend starting here and here.

Selected 3-4 areas of focus.

Select 3-4 topics you want to write about. Don’t overthink it too much. What are things you find yourself talking about in organic conversations with friends and family? Where do you find your mind wandering to? It can be anything, there are no rules.

For example, I write about personal branding, social media, entrepreneurship, and my personal life. I do my best to write content that fits neatly into those buckets, knowing there will be overlap, and that it’s okay.

No matter the purpose of your blog, try to account for both the personal and professional aspects of who you are. For instance, I blog about the topics I teach in my courses and with my 1:1 clients, this shows people I am credible and knowledgeable in my field. However, I also weave in personal stories and anecdotes that paint a bigger picture of who I am. I enjoy writing about my personal life, just as much as I enjoy writing about topics that educate and inspire people on to build their personal brand. As a writer, it’s good to challenge yourself in the areas you feel weaker in. If you are someone who is good at technical writing, try to write more creatively on other topics. Vice versa, if you are a creative writer, try to write more technical pieces that are informative and educational. Diversity in blogging makes you a better writer.

Consistency is the name of the game.

When you are first getting started, don’t worry about semantics. You could read 1,001 articles on the internet telling you how to write blog posts a certain length, optimize your posts for search engines, etc.. These posts aren’t wrong per say, they’re just not relevant to you right now.

What’s relevant to you right now? Sticking with what you started.

I don’t care if you write a blog post that is one paragraph long… commit to it. Commit to a daily writing practice (just like yoga and meditation: start with 20 minutes per day) and aim to publish one blog post per week. Share your blog posts with your family and friends. Ask them to read your work and give you constructive feedback. The more people who read your posts, the better your posts will be.

Play the long game.

Go into blogging with little attachment to outcome; do it because you want to develop your skills as a writer and share your thoughts with others. If you are committed and ready to play the long game, you can’t lose.