Let me begin by explaining that I never had any intentions of starting a professional blog. You see, back in 2016 when I wrote my very first post, I had no idea that my blog would make it this far. I didn’t choose to write for anyone but myself. In fact, I only saw it as a way to keep myself accountable and to share my own thoughts about my newly developed habits and lifestyle changes. I had no idea that in 2017 I’d be awarded The Health Blogger’s Community Best Fitness Blog Award. Just like I had no idea that in September 2017 I’d leave my full-time Graphic Design career to become a full-time blogger.
A few months after I created my blog it started to attract new followers and to my surprise, people started to show genuine interest in my journey. Soon enough, my hits were shooting through the roof and my Instagram followers were rising into the thousands. 5 thousand, 10 thousand, 15 thousand…
Roughly, after a year, I decided to start taking my blog a little bit more seriously and with that, the original ‘Hannah & Fit’ became ‘Hannah & Fitness’. The quality of my posts increased, my knowledge of SEO improved and my followers and readers continued to grow.
Over the past two years, not only have I been able to work with some pretty amazing brands, bloggers and people, but it also made me stumble across my biggest passion, CrossFit. To this day I feel extremely grateful that I get to call this lifestyle my job. If you were to ask me if I’d do it all over again then the answer would be yes. Yes, yes and yes. While I have my hazy days with blogging, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. I absolutely love what I do. I love writing, I love helping other people, I love educating others that fitness can be whatever you want it to be, I love sharing my journey and I love being involved in such an inspiring community.
With the blogging world drastically increasing I’m often asked how to start blogging, and whilst nothing thrills me more to see people wanting to blog about their passions and interests, I do often question whether they think it’s just a ‘bit of fun’. Yes, it’s fun. Really bloody fun in fact. But it is, however, far from easy. Sure, it’s easy to start a blog, but what a lot of people tend to forget is that a blog – a professional blog – holds a lot of responsibilities.
So, if you think that you’re ready to take this blogging malarkey seriously, here are 10 things to consider before starting your own blog…
Blogging isn’t easy
Before you get started, I’d suggest asking yourself why you want to start a blog. If the answer is money – and just money – then I’d say that you’re making the wrong mistake. Sure, you can make money from blogging, but it takes a lot of hard work, patience and requires the most important thing… consistency.
As I just said, the biggest stereotype about blogging is that it’s easy. Believe me, it’s really not. When taken seriously, blogging can take up most of your free time. When I first started my blog I was juggling it with my part-time job and university work. So you can bet ya’ bottom dollar that my social life fell behind big time. As for my weekends? Ha, they were pretty much non-existent. I won’t lie, it’s easy to become pretty isolated when you’re blogging.
Blogging can be pricey
SURPRISE. Blogging isn’t free. So far this year I’ve spent just under £200 to keep my blog running.
Last year, however, was a little pricier as I transferred my blog from the free Wordpress.com website to self-hosting. What did I spend my pennies on? Well, I had to pay out for basic web hosting (£87), purchase domain privacy protection (£10), purchase cloud performance hosting (£100) and pay for my website template (£80).
Don’t be fooled though, that’s just how much it costs to RUN your blog. You’ll also need to consider money for content, photography (if you’re serious about quality), expenses, props and images if you choose to use licensed one’s online.
All eyes on you
Believe it or not, I often forget that everything I write, say and do, can be seen by thousands of people. That’s your family, your friends, your enemies, your ex, your ex’s new partner… anyone. So if you’re a pretty private person, then this is definitely a point to consider. That, or just be pretty smart about what you post. Think before you do is what I say.
SEO education
Blogging stereotype number 2: Bloggers just write, post and write. Actually, it’s a little bit more than that.
Sure we write and we post, but what you don’t see behind the scenes are 9pm breakdowns over SEO, content scheduling, poor IG algorithm and trying to promote our posts to as many people as possible.
First things first though, learn basic search engine optimization (SEO). Not only is it a fundamental and effective way to drive traffic to your blog, but it’s the key to growth.
I won’t lie. SEO isn’t pretty and yes, it can be complicated, but knowing a few basic tips before you start blogging can really make a huge difference in the long run. I’d suggest this SEO post to get started with.
Don’t be a copycat
Sorry kid, but as much as you like that pretty picture on the web, you can’t just take it. Unfortunately, it’s way too easy to steal someone else’s picture online without realising so and yes, it really is illegal. While some photos may state that they’re ‘license free’, it’s important to ensure that they are indeed 100% free. The same also goes for text. Not only is it inappropriate to steal someone else’s content, but it’s also illegal too.
My advice? Take your own photographs. Not only will it make your content unique, but it’s also a great way to stand out amongst the crowd. Plus, who doesn’t love learning a new skill? As for your content, it’s totally ok to use other people’s work for inspiration but that’s it. Plan your post, divide it into sections and let your creative juices flow. Not someone else’s.
What’s your niche?
Blogging isn’t as easy as it was when I first started. Nowadays, if you really want to make it, you’ve got to be different. You’ve got to have your own niche, know what you want, show your readers that you have passion and that you’re not just another blogger following the crowd.
Once you’ve decided what your niche is, stick to it. Don’t overstretch yourself and don’t try to cover too many topics. Trust me, you’ll be much more successful at blogging, not to mention less stressed, if you choose a particular niche to blog in. Don’t overcomplicate things.
Ask yourself, what have you got to give? What can you provide your readers and followers with? What’s going to make them want to follow you?
Quality over quantity
We’ve all heard of the saying quality over quantity but in the blogging world, it really is the key to success. You can write as many posts as possible in a week, but the chances are, unless you’re a time wizard, they’re going to be pretty poor quality.
What I will say however is this: don’t think that a good quality post has to take up most of your work week. One of my most well-read posts, Dear Cardio, came from a late night brain party (you know the ones that happen just as you’re about to fall asleep) and by morning, it was posted.
My advice? Make sure that your posts are coming from the heart and you’re good to go. Once you start to focus on quality over quantity, it’ll set you apart from the billions of other bloggers and more importantly, draw more readers to your blog because they’ll feel ‘a part of your journey’.
Social media junkie
If you’re not hot on social media then you may need to consider your choices – whether you like it or not. If you’re serious about getting your posts seen then you’ll need to invest in a little (or a lot) social media time. That includes daily posting, promoting your posts, engagement and showing genuine interest in other blogger’s posts. We’re not called a blogging community for no reason.
On average I probably spend 3-4 hours a day on social media, at least. I then also make sure that I share the hell out of a blog post after it goes live. This goes to platforms such as Google, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Have a plan
If you want your blog to be successful then you need to treat it like a business (even if it is just your hobby). Whilst I’m no organised angel, I do like to have a plan. At the beginning of my blogging journey, I seriously invested myself in numbers, goals and what I wanted to achieve. Before I bagged Best Fitness Blog of the Year Award my plan was to produce 1 fitness post and 1 recipe post a week. Yes, it was a lot of work and yes, I juggled it with my full-time job. But, because I had a goal, I went after it.
When it comes to blogging, I honestly believe that without a plan, it’s easy to fall behind or lose motivation. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always have a plan, but when I do, things come together so much easier.
Patience is the key to success
Like I said earlier, if you’re only interested in blogging purely for money then you’re in for a shock. With most things, success takes time and blogging is certainly one of those things that will take time.
I think I was just shy of a year when I received my first payment made from my blog. Was it a lot? Heck no. You see, when companies are looking to work with bloggers they look for stats. They want to know how many hits your website gets, how many monthly views, how many posts you’ve previously created, how high your DA is, etc. And when your blog is only a few months old, you’re not going to be very high on those numbers. BUT, that’s not to say you won’t eventually get there. You just need patience. A whole lot of it too.
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1 comment
I agree blogging is not easy. You should have to focus on it if you want to achieve your goal.