Dear Future Blogger,
I have been in your shoes, nearly two years ago I was contemplating all of things that there are to consider in starting a blog.
Like you, I had done my research before jumping into it. I had read about the benefits of blogging and what it takes to run a successful blog.
I was both excited and nervous: Did I have what it would take to create a successful blog? Would people really be interested in what I have to say? Did I have the time to put into a blog? Did I have the money?
Even though I had researched what it would take it still felt like a leap of faith because I had yet to take the actual action steps of starting my own blog.
There were many things to decide before even starting a blog.
Niche
What is the blog’s topic? Not much else could be decided until this was squared away. I wasn’t going to be able to come up with a catchy title to attract my target audience if I didn’t even know what I was going to write about.
Blog’s Name
Once I had decided on the topic of success through personal development I was able to name my blog Grow With Stacy. Though some people choose to simply name their blog after themselves I didn’t want to go that route.
Using my name would have been an easy way to have a blog name that could easily go with any niche should I change my mind later but I thought that the name that I chose was also easily adaptable if I wanted to change my niche later.
Domain and Hosting
Next I needed to make sure that Grow With Stacy was available as a .com before I could move forward and have my self-hosted blog. I knew that I could go with blogger and have a free blog but I wanted to make sure that *I* was the one who owned my content.
I had heard about blogger shutting down some marketers blogs without notice and they lost everything. I knew that I did not want to risk that and the low cost of running a blog was definitely worth that!
Design and Set Up
Once I had my domain name secured and hosted I was ready to set my blog up. It wasn’t a simple thing to do, I needed to decide on the look of my blog. People are very visual creatures and the look of a blog has the power to attract or repel first time visitors.
I wanted something that was attractive to others while at the same time reflecting my personality.
I decided to do everything myself to save money at the time though later I did hire someone to design my header and she did a great job! You can set up and design it all yourself or you can hire someone to do the work for you.
It really was very time consuming doing it all myself and if you can afford it I do recommend hiring someone! You can find people to do small jobs for you for $5 at fiverr.com.
Posting
Once my blog was set up I got to work getting my blog posts up. I knew that nobody was going to be interested in a blog that only had a post that said, “Hi, this is my blog! Come back to see more!” Later I learned that there was a way to make my blog unavailable until I was ready with several posts.
Since I have always been a writer I had plenty of writings that I had written (and owned all rights to) that I used in those very early days so that I could get content up as fast as possible. I knew that it was important to have a lot of posts on your blog before the search engines will give you any kind of authority.
Promotion
This was big and I knew that I was going to have to work hard on this because not one person knew me as a blogger. I had joined a blog syndication tribe before I had even started my blog so I was able to jump in and get my posts noticed and shared by others.
I was thrilled to see that my first real post received 14 tweets!
Since then I have been involved with various different types of tribes to share my content. The best kind of tribes that I have found are commenting tribes. Every tribe is different but you exchange comments for comments. These work so well because they are a great way of not only gaining exposure for my blog but I get to meet many other bloggers and be a part of a community.
Aside from joining tribes I have found other ways to promote my posts which have been very successful:
- Sharing the links on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc.
- Creating a Facebook page to interact with fans and share content.
- Leaving quality comments on other similar blogs.
- Joining blog challenges.
- Supporting “big” bloggers who are leaders in my niches.
- Creating an email list.
- Writing ebooks to both give away to my readers and to sell.
- PROVIDING QUALITY CONTENT for my readers and gaining their trust.
- BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS with my readers and fans.
Now that you know what I did to bring my blog to where it’s at I hope that you have the confidence to move forward from a blogging want-to-be to a full fledged actual blogger! You CAN do it!
If you would like to read more tips on blogging I invite you to check out my Blogging Tips for bloggers of all levels.
To Your Success,
Good information! Thanks for this.
Kathy
I’m glad you found it helpful, Kathy!
Stacy
It’s really like pretty much anything else. You need to learn the basic mechanics, then take it for a spin. The writing part is easy, because it’s just a matter of talking with your fingers.
Hi David,
That’s very true, and it’s a learning curve as with anything else. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. Yes, writing is definitely the easy part compared to everything else involved with blogging!
Stacy
One of the major mistake many newbie bloggers do is to select niches that are completely new to them. Often times such blogs fail quickly. Selecting a niche that is familiar to you is very important to be a successful blogger. Very well written. Thank you.
Hi Masood,
That is an excellent point! The niche should definitely be something that the blogger is interested in and has knowledge about.
Thanks!
Stacy
Totally agree Masood. When you choose a topic purely with the intention of making money it can be hard to stick with it. If you choose a topic that you are passionate about it will be easier to keep up with trends in that area and newsworthy items and as a result you will find that you never run out of things to blog about!
Hi Danielle,
I agree, we must choose something that we are passionate about or we will lose steam. Writing about something that we have no interest in (or very little interest) will take it’s toll on us and won’t bring the results that we desire.
Stacy
Most people start a blog not knowing what they’re going to write in it. If you have a niche, that’s fine, but you start wide and stick to a niche when you think you’ve found one in your articles. You’re practically probing with different articles, seeing which one sticks better. I’ve found this to be a fun way of finding a good niche.
Hi Stan,
I agree, that is a fun way way to find a niche! Sometimes what we think is going to be a big hit doesn’t turn out to be and something we were hesitant to publish goes viral!
Stacy
I had a similar experience to Stan’s. Posted a bunch of stuff, found out I ranked for some search terms, expanded my library of related articles. Still experimenting with topics and mixing it up while I learn.
Astro,
Experimenting is a great way to go. I’ve been surprised at some of my results when I try some new ideas to see what happens. Keep it up!
Stacy
Hi JANE,
Stacy is an incredible blogger. The post made me think of some of the most important things I learned as well about blog posting. One thing was headlines including most importantly your blog post title. A couple resources I use to think a post through is http://www.aminstitute.com/headline/ and http://thesaurus.com/
like Stacy said promoting is huge and doing it in the right way and in the right places like she listed crucial!
thanks for sharing.
Joe Young
Hi Joe,
Thank you very much for the compliments! Thank you also for sharing those sites! They look like good resources!
Stacy
Great job Stacy. I know that many people are interested in blogging but they have so many questions and I think you addressed many of them.
What would be your advice to those who want to make a living from blogging?
Thank you, Danielle!
What a loaded question!
First I would say to do some good research and then map out a detailed plan starting with the end goal and breaking it down into small easy to handle pieces. Nothing can be accomplished without a plan!
Stacy
I completely agree. I know when I started with blogging I had no idea what I was blogging for or who my audience was or anything like that. It took me quite awhile before I figured it out. Only then did I start to see some results!
I can relate to that, though I did know my niche I wasn’t sure how narrow I wanted to go and definitely had too wide of an audience in mind. Every so often I re-evaluate my niche and target audience. It’s definitely a work in progress!
Great post, Stacy! I looked back on my first couple of blog posts, and I was definitely surprised to realize that they got six Tweets each, especially considering that I hammered them both out within 24 hours of each other, and I was also unknown in the blogging world. I took a different approach with my niche, writing first and letting the niche appear as I wrote (settling on personal experiences and observations, which is a little bit more broad), but it has been a great road over this time.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for sharing your experiences! If you choose the right domain name that is certainly a great way to get started!
Thanks,
Stacy
Hello Stacy,
I enjoyed the read. If and when someone decides to start a serious blog and be committed to it, reading an blog post like this should help beginner not feel so alone and unsure. Nice work and best of luck in the contest.
Thank you very much, Michelle! Someone who is new to blogging can definitely feel alone and unsure!
Stacy
Wow, that is a step-by-step guide. Takes me back to what I was going through a year ago. It is nice to see it all in one post. Great job!
Thank you very much, Kristen! Did you use a similar guide or did you have to piece together all of that information yourself?
Stacy
I pieced it together from various bloggers and sites. That is kind of the way that I plan and execute a project though. I try to get various opinions and ideas as I am forming a strategy. Of course, I still pick up various tips and tricks to refine my approach and content. I never stop learning! Your post is so clear and easy to follow. I am sure that many people could benefit from reading it.
Hi Kristen,
That is definitely key: never stop learning! There is always something new to learn in the world of blogging! Technology changes pretty quickly and there are always new tips and tricks to pick up!
Stacy
i liked the way you structured your article. doing this in a way that writing a letter was fantastic and made an interesting read
Hi Tushar,
Thank you! I was going for something unique and I’m glad that you found it interesting!
Stacy
madan says
Wow, that is a step-by-step criteria. Needs me again to what I was going through a period ago. It is amazing to see it all in one post. Fantastic job!
Thank you very much, Madan. Those are steps that we all must go through as new bloggers! But we don’t always have someone to explain it all to us.
Before starting a blog, it’s important to establish how often will the blogger write, just like it’s said in a different article on probloggingsuccess.com. Another important thing is to set up spam filters: WordPress has lots of plugins that help bloggers with these challenges.
Hi Stacy,
Those are also important things to consider. Once your blog is set up you want to set up the plugins that will help you and readers the most!
Stacy
Betty Patton says
Great Post, I enjoyed reading it, some good information there.
Thank you very much, Betty. I always aim to provide good information!
Stacy
Hey Stacy,
Blogging is tough work..huh?
I started off without knowing anything. I started off with a free blog and totally lost on the details of how and when and how frequent! With over a year into blogging now, I seem to have got to know my way around; but I still am lost so many times! Promotion is the toughest. Will a million other blogs in the sphere, it is hard making a name for yourself. And that requires a lot of effort!
Thanks for laying it all out
Hoping to visit your blog!
Hi Hajra,
Yes, it can be tough work - especially to become successful! Before I started my current blog I also had some free blogs and I was clueless. I thought if I wrote it people would just magically show up and read it!
Promotion definitely takes strategy, do you have a strategy in place?
Stacy
I’ll bet I have years on you guys! LOL - do you remember the days of diary-x.com??? That was back in 1999/2000! I had a blog there and quickly learned that if I wanted my blog to be read I needed to get out there and read other people’s blogs and comment on them.
Danielle,
You have me beat! The earliest blog that I have only goes back to 2005!
Stacy
My strategy… I blog hop as often as I can, I am a part of two blogging groups and we make it a point to be on each other’s blog at least once a week! Blog commenting is my strongest forte I guess. Also, I like doing guest posts but somehow haven’t done enough of it!
Hi Hajra,
Commenting is very effective! I have had a lot of success participating in blog commenting tribes for that very reason!
Stacy
Spot on Stacy. We have all been there and by doing what you suggest suddenly have blogs that are read and liked.
Hi Catarina,
Thank you very much. Yes, as long as we have good content then following these steps should bring about a well read and liked blog!
Stacy
Hey Stacy,
That’s boiling it down to it’s essence, I’d say. Of course the details in each category take some digging, but your post is certainly a great guide for a beginner. My blog is kind of unique, and as such, I seem to have a hard time identifying the niche it falls into. But, someday I’ll figure out where it is and be more able to take care of SEO issues.
Have a great day!
Lou
Hi Lou,
Very true, this is an overview and not a complete guide!
Finding a niche can be tricky and take some time! There’s no hard and fast rule that it has to fit neatly into one niche. Mine covers three and it’s been working well for me!
Stacy
Stacy,
Another helpful guide. It really is so tough knowing who you are going to be talking to and what you will be talking about. I think you really chose a great niche! And a great title for your blog! We are just flies on your wall of the personal development room that get to drink the honey you provide us- acquired through your experience:) Thank you for allowing us to come along.
~Becca
Hi Rebecca,
It is a difficult decision to choose a niche unless you already have a solid knowledge of what you want. I spent some time really reflecting on what I wanted to write, what my passions are, and so forth.
Thank you very much for the compliments!
Stacy
Blogging is like a lot of other things in life: when you look at it in its entirety, it is very overwhelming. This overwhelm can derail even the most enthusiastic new bloggers from even getting started.
What I like to tell my clients who are contemplating staring a blog is this: you learned to run by first learning to walk, and learning to walk didn’t happen overnight. You fell down a lot. Skinned your knees. But you kept at it by focusing only on the one task that you needed to do right now. Apply this to blogging, and you’ll be a recognized blogger in your niche in no time.
Great article. Hope you do well in the competition.
Hi Lesa,
I love that analogy! It’s the perfect comparison to blogging! We definitely have to take it step by step and it’s a learning process. It certainly won’t happen overnight but it will happen if done right!
Stacy
Stacy,
I love how you started your post like a letter. These are great tips for any future blogger to follow. If they follow everything you have stated here, they will be able to build a successful blog.
Hi Tisha,
Thank you very much! I was going for something that would be different than the average post!
Stacy
Great post Stacy:) We all have to start from the beginning and it’s worth remembering that every blogger did and does.
Really useful tips that will help all newbiews:)
Hi Lilach,
Thank you very much! Yes, we all started there!
Stacy
Great story Stacy, it just shows how easy it is to become a blogger. This step by step guide will certainly be valuable for anyone who wants to start a blog and don’t know how to begin. A new blogger just needs enough motivation, determination and some for the first steps…
Hi Kostas,
Thank you! Yes, motivation and determination are very important!
Stacy
I definitely agree on the picking the right niche, Stacy, as I see many bloggers fail at that.
They choose to “follow their heart” and talk about what THEY are interested in and not solving any problems for their readers.
All the best!
Hi Ana,
Thank you! I agree that as bloggers we need to find out what our readers are interested in and what their problems are. Without finding out those answers we won’t have a profitable blog.
Thank you!
Stacy
Your success is very inspiring, Stacy. As an author new to blogging, I’m currently going through all the challenges you’ve already been through. So your journey has many lessons for us newbies. The decisions one faces are numerous and daunting, but they must be made.
I believe it’s better to jump in even if you don’t know all the answers. I also believe it’s better to start small and let things evolve over time. That way it’s easier to make changes.
I admire you for your guts and for your dedicated pursuit of successful blogging. All the best to you!
Hi Srinivas,
Thank you very much! You’re right it is better to get started even if you don’t know all the answers. Some answers don’t come until you get going and try some things out!
Good luck to you!
Stacy
This should be able to help a lot of new potential bloggers.
Thank you very much, Ricardus!
Stacy
Hi Stacy,
Great tips on promoting a blog. I would also like to add ‘Guest Posting’ as a great way to promote a blog which is exactly what you’re doing
Thanks for the cool tips Stacy!
Hi Alan,
That’s a great tip for blog promotion, thank you for sharing!
Stacy
Hi Stacy,
Thanks for sharing an nice post,as i found some beautiful points here like commenting on others blog which will help to earn some clicks and also providing an valuable content which help to have the regular readers
Hi Mohideen,
Thank you very much! Yes, blog commenting is extremely valuable and it’s also a great way to meet other wonderful bloggers!
Stacy
Hi Stacy! This is a great post! There is a lot to consider in starting a blog, and I appreciate your story. I jumped in with both feet, after refusing to blog for years.
And, I admit to being a bit of a rebel when it comes to blog niche — while I blog about the writing craft more than anything, I also throw in book reviews and thoughts on Scripture too. Yeah, it’s probably a blog no-no, and I should have other blogs for these things, but…lol. When I pick up a publisher who wants me to have a blog theme, I suppose I’ll cave then.
Hi Gwendolyn,
Thank you very much! It’s your blog so you can do what you want! Your niche can be as wide or narrow as you want it. See what works for you, some people have greater success with one over another!
Stacy
Nice work, Stacy! People who are thinking about starting a blog will definitely be able to relate to this article.
Thank you very much, Daniel! It is my hope that this post will help give confidence to people who want to start blogging!
Every new blogger needs to read a post like that. I felt you were speaking to me because I can remember going through all of that. Talk about how clueless we are starting out, but the excitement and willingness to learn something new is always fun. You provided a great outline of what any blogger will go through when they start out and how to grow their blog. Great post Stacy!
Hi Sonia,
Thank you very much! I agree with the clueless feelings when starting out!
What do you think was the most challenging part of starting a new blog?
Stacy
Picking your niche and deciding what the best format was to build it with. I loved WordPress from the moment I saw how clean and organized it was, but deciding on the theme was another story. What niche to pick was even harder. I am passionate about so many things, but it didn’t mean I wanted to write about it each and every day.
Hi Sonia,
I know what you mean about deciding on a theme! The one that I am using now and have been for almost a year is my third or fourth one! It was hard to find one that was “me” and I was glad to find a highly customizable one!
Stacy
Wow, this is such a creative content style, I love the dear future blogger introduction, makes me feel special, really touchy
I feel that I have so much in common with you when you mentioned all those things you experienced like what kind of niche to pick, the blog’s name (that was a pain to me since so many were taken).
Well, I suppose good things always follow bad things, so I am guessing you are on the climax point of your blogging career at this point, right? Great letter by the way
Hi Harrison,
Thank you very much!
It seems that many bloggers go through the same stages and struggles. I was reading about that over at firepole marketing this week and now I have a plan in place to move to the next level/stage!
Stacy
Hi Stacy.
The post had a great flow to it. You showed the beginning steps of how to get up and running in a very smooth manner. No wonder you named your blog “grow with Stacy!” My blog is poised to do the same within its own niche, help people grow.
Great share and one any newbie should read!
Best,
Joe
Hi Joseph,
Thank you very much, I appreciate it! I can’t wait to see where you take your blog! Which step have you found to be the most effective in building your blog?
Stacy
Hi Stacy,
The step I found most helpful was niche. Determining your niche, as you know, is something to discover in the planning stage of the blog. I redid my blog few months back as I wanted it to be in line with my true passion so it took me back to planning and back to the niche which determined my site structure - blog posts, static pages, and things to give away and sell.
Best,
Joe
Hi Joe,
You’ve done a great job, I love the new direction that you are taking!
Thanks for stopping by again!
Stacy
KitchenAid Mixer says
Agree with you, but I think the hardest part is when the selection of a niche, it’s really difficult, and determining the really significant stuff for the future.
I agree that it can be difficult to determine the right niche. It is an important decision, though thankfully it is also something that can be changed or altered if we need to. That’s why I think it’s so important to choose a name that is flexible!
Great post, developing a consistent voice that is niched can take discipline. Easy to be sidetracked by all the things we want to write about, much harder to drill down and keep focused. Loving the journey.
Hi Jennifer,
That’s great that you are enjoying the journey! That’s important because without the joy of the process it’s easy to get discouraged. Keep it up!
Stacy
Great post. I wish I had had this when I first started!
I have sent it on to some blogging newbies:)
Happy Wednesday,
Pam
Thank you very much, Pam! Much appreciated!
Stacy
Very essential post for newbie bloggers but unfortunately now i have learn all these methods so may be i will forward it to my cousin.
Great job Stacy. I know that many people are interested in blogging but they have so many questions and I think you addressed many of them.
Hoodia says
Hi Stacy,You did a really good job. Moreover you compiled everything to be ended up in just two lines explaining the whole concept of blogging.
Very good article, Stacy. I seriously enjoy your posts also I like your writing style. Thanks.
Thank you Stacy for stealing all of my ideas for an article..lol Great stuff, I love to hear how people get there start. Nothing inspires me more than to hear this type of info! I do think some people forget their humble beginnings, not you. Yes I have read a couple of your articles on your site and they say everything about you.
Clearly you have a strong passion for blogging, keep u p the great work! !