Struggling to hit the Publish button? Check out my tips for starting your blog for free and posting content that stands out!
You know those times when you stop by someone's social media profile, check out all that follower-magnetism that they seem to have, and wonder when you're going to reach a similar level of popularity and sales?
Maybe that person has a beautiful blog and their Instagram feed is filled with posts that magically convert into engagement, fans, and cash.
So you end up asking yourself: how to start a blog and make money?
I know that feel. I have the same frustration at times — especially when I get the highest expectations with something that I do and find stunning… And at those moments I think, what do they have that I don’t?
Well, to be frank, that is not the question that we should be asking ourselves; I think the most appropriate question would be: what do I have that they don’t?
Yes, you've been asking yourself almost the right question, but with some inversions. You have all that infinity of things that are uniquely yours — "There's no one alive who is Youer than You," remember?
(I love Dr. Seuss's quotes, by the way, and I'm going to carry them in my heart for life). ❤️
So just take a step back and think: what are you waiting for to show what you've got and they definitely don't?
Now that we've adjusted this thought to the right order, we can start off with some fresh ideas.
Moving back to the blog talk: if you've ever wondered how to start a successful blog with zero budget, no influencers' network, no celebrity agents, or no cheerful support from your friends, you're in the right place. That's exactly what I want to talk about in this chat!
So, let's pretend we're having a pre-quarantine-style in-person meeting. Maybe you're holding a cup of tea or coffee, and you're just thinking out loud to me: "How can I start a blog? Like, for free? And be successful in this business?"
Then I say: "I know you need some encouragement to go ahead and start this thing that you've been putting off for a while. Just know that I'm here to give you that hyper level of encouragement. You totally can, and you know that. So do I." *Hugs* :')
But wait, it doesn't end up here: in this post, we're going to evolve this conversation, so you'll get a clearer view of which steps to take for starting your blog!
Take another sip of your (maybe imaginary) coffee/tea and let's keep chatting!
What you're going to find in this post:
1. Finding the right platform
Sticking to the promise of this post, but also trying to keep it short, I'm going to drop three of the most popular platforms that you can choose from for starting your blog for free:
WordPress
Undeniably one of the most used site and blog builders in the world. According to the company itself, more than 409 million people read WordPress pages every month.
The variety of templates and its easy-to-use editor are some of its key features that might fit well your blog goals.
Blogger
Google's platform is also a good try if you're starting to pave your way into the blogosphere. It's one of the easiest websites for building a blog for free.
Blogger is also known for its easy integration with other Google accounts as well as AdSense (which offers bloggers the possibility of monetization by allowing the platform to show ads on your blog page).
Wix
I've used Wix for four years now, for different purposes, and I can personally say it has never disappointed me in terms of website and blog building.
I love the many templates that are available for all plans, and I particularly like that the website pages are very customizable.
It might not be so interesting if you're still not confident enough to make a significant amount of customization on your own. It's possible to hire a website-building professional through the platform, though.
Remember: these are only three of the many blogging platforms out there. I chose to enlist these specifically because they're the ones I've already used, so I can talk about them from my personal experience, as well.
If you've tried other platforms that you think are awesome and deserve to get a spot on this list, feel free to tell me! ;)
2. Planning your content
As preached by productivity gurus: let’s break the big tasks into tiny little pieces! I bet you've heard that, like, ten dozens of times.
They're right, after all! No progress is made if no baby turtle step is taken. ;)
Here are my suggested steps for you to plan, structure, and start a successful blog:
The raw brainstorming process
Brainstorm ideas of subjects and topics you’d like to write about;
Narrow down the list until you find a specific subject for your blog;
Define your persona (in other words, your target audience). Who are you writing to? What else does this person want to read, learn, and do?
Set up the periodicity of your blog content, based on your routine and possibilities of adjusting your schedule to your plans;
Also, consider which social media channels fit best your blogging goals. I’d suggest you read articles like this one by Sked Social to help you decide which social media platforms to use for promoting your blog;
Think about possible names for your blog that can represent your content purpose.
The (still raw) story process
Write down blog post ideas — don’t be so critical at this moment! You’re going to pick up the most appropriate ones afterward. Just go ahead and take free notes!
Here are a couple of suggestions to help you come up with content ideas:
What are your main passions?
What kind of lessons have you recently learned in your personal or professional life?
What type of advice would you give someone (or your younger/older self)?
Have you seen a movie, concert, series, or TV show that you found awesome? Tell us more about it!
Have you read a book, a blog, or a magazine that you loved? Tell us why we should read it too!
Do you know how to do something quite easily? Is it possible to make a step-by-step guide?
How do you organize your daily routine? Any personal tips?
How do you organize your workspace? If it’s your home office, I think we’d love it even more!
What techniques, tools, or resources do you use at work?
Have you recently tried anything new for your work? How was the experience?
What advice would you give your career fellows?
There’s an infinity of things you can write about! And maybe it’s something so original that I couldn’t even imagine!
The secret is making it an enjoyable experience for you; ideas will naturally start to pop up!
3. Planning your blog aesthetic
Don't get me wrong: there's no professional or expert talk intended here! Your blog aesthetic just needs to be a visual composition that matches you and your writing goals.
To make it simple, consider doing this:
Find a blog theme that speaks like you: blogging platforms have usually have theme colors and designs already set up so you don't have to worry about additional adjustments. Just choose a combination that complements your content and matches the tone of your blog.
Create a logo: blogging platforms usually have that tool already. You can also use free apps like Canva for building a logo with your own name or brand/business name.
Logos give an extra charm to your blog. But, if you'd rather use a sentence as your blog name, for example, you can simply type it on your blog's header with no additional graphics.
Think about the page structure: which sections do you feel are the most important for your blog?
The most common is the "Contact", the "About Me", and the "Blog Posts" section itself (which could be categorized by topics, if you'd like to explore a varied set of subjects).
I’d recommend starting simple and building upon that as you grow your content and familiarize yourself with your public.
Draft the blog's main sections: continuing the structure thing, take your time to think about how you’d like people to see your blog as. What is the predominant tone? What special thing your readers should pay attention to?
By the way, don’t underestimate the "About Me" page — it’s your business card! Well, maybe it doesn’t need to be formal at all (take a look at my own About Me section and you’ll get it), or maybe it should if your field is more into that classic, casual vibe.
Anyway, just try to be authentic and put on your unique features on your bio and professional description. Don’t fake it!
4. Creating your content calendar
Here we go to one of the funniest parts! Planning your content schedule puts you giant-feet closer to the blog you’d dreamt about.
Using the periodicity you’ve previously considered, start writing down the post frequency in more detail.
That means you should also consider, aside from scheduling posts on the blog itself, the best days and times to post on your social media profiles.
If you’re starting your social channels from zero, it might take a while until you have a more precise look into the best days and times to post on each platform.
Instagram, for example, gives personalized insights on your account once it hits 100 followers.
Don’t worry, though: what’s most important now is getting started!
And you can also take a look at some articles around the web that have curated the best time to post on social media — this one on the Later blog is a good example.
Which platform is best for creating a content calendar?
There’s no "the best" option, I would say, but you can try some of them and stick with that which works best for you.
I use Google Sheets for planning my content on social media, usually a few weeks or a month ahead, and Trello for organizing my blog editorial calendar — I use this template and I love it!
And, of course, you can use a paper calendar and sticky notes, as well! I love this option too, especially when I’m still brainstorming content ideas and figuring out how to best organize them into my schedule.
I could totally spend a good amount of time here telling you all the tips for keeping a nice and organized content calendar, but I think it’s going to work out better in an upcoming post — stay tuned!
Before jumping to the next and final step of this guide, here’s a piece of important advice: schedule your content — especially your social media posts — ahead of time whenever you can.
There are scheduling tools available for free that can do good work for you, such as Hootsuite, Later, and Planoly.
You upload the image you’d like to post on social media, draft the caption, choose a day and time you want it to be published, and hit the schedule button. It will be posted automatically. Great invention, isn’t it?
5. Hit publish — and get promotional!
And now we’ve finally moved to the last and funniest part! Your post is going out and your content is ready to stand out!
Share your blog post with the world by sending the link to your peers through social media, WhatsApp, email, letter — why not? — and so on.
And remember: this is your first post; it doesn’t need to be perfect at all! Just write it, post it, share it, and go to the second post. And repeat.
Consistency is one of the golden rules of good digital content. Set a periodicity that works best for your routine, warm up your creativity, and let words roll out!
If you’ve enjoyed this post, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Love,
Ana Clara.
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