Blogging

5 Things You Should Know Before Starting A Blog

October 1, 2015

starting-a-blog So you wanna start a blog? (Or already have one and like reading these “things you should know before starting a blog” posts anyway?) Awesome-sauce! A new month means a new blogging-tips post! When I started my first blog (#tbt to Dipped In Gold), I had no idea how much I would come to value and love blogging. Ever since starting G&J, I really consider blogging a hobby of mine now and am excited to see what it could grow into. The blogging community is amazing because everyone is so driven, creative, inspired and inspirational. People want to help each other up, not compete, which I think is super cool. You’ve probably read 5 million lists like this one…. and at least 4.3 million of them say something or another about setting up hosting or about finding your voice. I’m going try to make this list different. Here are five things you should know before starting a blog, based off my very own experience. long prom dress 1. A blog takes time. Like a lot of time. Between setting everything up, which you can get help with from blog design services, post writing, picture taking, photo editing, social media-ing, and url spreading, blogging takes a lot of time. But if you love it, you’ll quickly find it’s well worth the time investment. It can be tempting to jump on the first services you come across to grow your following, but take the time to read a Social captain review or whichever service you’re looking to use before committing.2. A little money goes a long way. Tons of bloggers swear by never paying a dime for anything but their url. I’m going to slightly disagree with this philosophy. While you don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars for fancy hosting, investing even just $30 in a blog theme at the start can have big pay-offs. There is hosting with free ssl that you can also consider that’ll help your blog to launch and hardly ever go down. I’ve also recently discovered the magic of paying for Facebook Ads (even just $1 a day makes a difference!). It all depends on what you want though, if you really like the idea of having your own domain name then you should get it, why not check out something like Domain names – free UK transfers to help get you started on that. Even though it’s not something I would do, I know a lot of people really like doing it that way. 3. Choose a topic and choose that topic wisely. My first blog fell flat because it was too all over the place. Even the most eclectic “lifestyle” bloggers have some theme uniting their content. Choose something you’re really passionate about; this’ll guarantee that you’ll never run out of fun and new post ideas. 4. Do not be in it to win it. Honesty hour: you really should not start a blog if all you want is free stuff or impressive GoogleAnalytics. While those things are indeed fun, they’ll come in time if you put in the work and truly care about what you’re saying to your readers. 5. All those things about organisation are true. While you don’t actually have to have an official blogging schedule and full blog queue, having a neat notebook for on-the-fly post ideas can be a lifesaver. And there it is! 5 things you should know before starting a blog. What’s your #1 blogging tip? Related: Bloggin’ Tips: What Makes An Awesome Blog and How To Advertise Your Blog (and not be super annoying)

You Might Also Like

  • missgetaway October 1, 2015 at 13:50

    Love these tipps! Blogging really does take a lot of time – I literally never thought I’d ever spend that many hours in front of my macbook 😀 However, it’s also one of the most rewarding and pleasurable things I’ve ever started – I feel like I grew so much within the past few months, just by blogging on missgetaway 🙂

    Love, Kerstin
    http://www.missgetaway.com

  • Dani | Awesome in Manila October 1, 2015 at 14:09

    Agree with everything!

    My #1 tip would be: Put in the work! I personally know of people who are thinking about setting up their own blogs and are a bit obsessed with getting free stuff. I tell them, it may or may not come but either way, if you want to put up a blog, work for it! 🙂 #2 would be: Make friends and be sincere about it. 🙂

    • Pia S October 8, 2015 at 09:41

      Totally agree with you about the free stuff. It’s cool but not what blogging is about. Thank you so much for reading Dani!

  • Romantiquely October 1, 2015 at 14:44

    Your advice rings so true! Fantastic post and tips dear! xxxxx

    http://www.romantiquely.com

  • Ela BellaWorld October 1, 2015 at 21:15

    Thanks for the tips! I never thought blogging would be that time consuming however now I do. It is not easy and it requires commitment 🙂 I’d say choosing a decent hosting is so important. I got mine thinking it is cheap(godaddy) and now I am having so many problem :*( xx

    http://www.elabellaworld.com

    • Pia S October 8, 2015 at 09:41

      Agreed! I’d say it’s well worth the work though. Thanks for reading so loyally Ela <3

  • Courtney October 2, 2015 at 03:11

    I love this advice!!

    http://thecourtneydiaries.com

  • Bash Harry October 3, 2015 at 14:17

    Awww, this is such beautiful advice! Blogging is hard and easy, it eats you up and all your time and all your energy. It’s fun, it’s exciting but it can be tiring. I wish I knew that when I started blogging, and started working hard on the blog. This is such a great post, I’ll be sure to link it to my friends <3

    xx Bash | Hey Bash | bloglovin’

    • Pia S October 8, 2015 at 09:40

      Aw, I’m blushing! Thanks Bash.
      PS. I adore your blog too.

  • Passport Couture October 4, 2015 at 18:42

    Great to read a blog post that tells you the focus to have when you start a blog. It’s important to know what hosting to use, but what is even more effective is knowing the focus of your blog and where you want to go with it. I wish I had considered a few of things when I started, but I am happy with my blog’s content and focus now! Thanks for encouraging and inspiring new bloggers out there!

    http://passportcouture.com

    • Pia S October 8, 2015 at 09:40

      You’re so welcome! I think even the most experienced bloggers can always learn something new. Thanks for reading!!

  • Torie October 7, 2015 at 19:25

    Hey girl hey! Looks like you’ve been doing some cool stuff around here 🙂 I love this post, but my favorite point you made is Don’t be in it to win it.

    That is SO HARD for me to remember sometime, because I do have the goal of monetizing my blog someday, but I have to remember the SOMEDAY part and not be so anxious that I forget about authenticity and genuine interactions. Obsessing over Google Analytics does no one any good, I agree 🙂 Hope things are going well for you love. xx

    http://www.callitadventureblog.com

    • Pia S October 8, 2015 at 09:39

      Thanks Torie! I completely agree.
      PS. I always get tons of inspiration from reading your kick-ass blog posts <3

  • Quinn October 8, 2015 at 12:01

    Love these tips! It is difficult to create + maintain a successful blog. I think you’re doing a wonderful job! It’s amazing how quickly blogging can go from just a ‘cool idea’ to basically your favorite hobby 🙂

    xx http://www.qustomquinns.com/blog

  • Krista October 9, 2015 at 01:58

    Ohhh thank you for this! I am curious what you experience with Facebook advertising has been? Do you like? I advertise via facebook for another company I work with and it does definitely get views, but I don’t know how obvious it is or if it’s successful. Would love to hear your thoughts! 🙂 Hope all is well girl!
    xx
    Krista
    http://www.hundredblog.com

  • Currentlylovingsimplicity October 13, 2015 at 12:26

    Very helpful tips, thank you! The thing about time is so true… I just started my blog and am very much noticing that.
    http://currentlylovingsimplicity.wordpress.com/

  • Champagnegirlsabouttown.co.uk October 13, 2015 at 20:38

    Agree- all that work on the blog it became a second job 🙂 But I love it 🙂
    Ana
    http://www.champagnegirlsabouttown.co.uk

  • Rainbow-Rose Blossom October 14, 2015 at 06:49

    That intro had me in giggles! All very valid points and tips! It takes time is such a big one after all Rome wasn’t built in a day! 😉

    http://rainbow-roseblossom.blogspot.co.nz/

  • Emma Spencer - The Emasphere October 23, 2015 at 17:15

    Fabulous tips lovely and they are so true! It’s super time consuming, but so rewarding! Xx

    http://www.theemasphere.com