Are you passionate about writing? Maybe you have a subject you love researching and talking about that you feel you have enough content to put on a blog. Well, blogging is a good way to get your creative juices flowing. There are thousands of blogs all over the internet, so you need to have the right mindset and strategies if you want your blog to stand out. If you have been thinking of starting a writing blog, here is a step-by-step guide on how to go about it. However, we need to look into what a blog post means before we dive into the steps required to start a writing blog.
What is a Blog Post?
A blog post is a news piece, article, or guide published on a website. Typically, a blog post is educational, it covers a particular query or topic, ranges from 500 to 2,000+ words, and includes images, infographics, videos, & charts.
Blog posts enable you or your business to publicize thoughts, insights, and stories about any subject on your website. Moreover, they can help boost credibility, brand awareness, conversions, and earnings. Most significantly, blog posts can help attract traffic to your online platform.
You now know what a blog post is. It’s time to learn how to set up a writing blog.
Understand Your Target Audience
Before you start working on your blog about writing, you should first ask yourself who you are writing for. Who are you targeting, and why? Basically, know who will benefit the most from reading your content. For example, are you thinking of writing for well-established writers? Do you want to target students trying to figure out what writing is all about? Are you interested in connecting with writers globally, or do you want to narrow your focus to local writers in your region? When you have defined your target audience, it becomes easier to pinpoint the correct language to use on your blog. It also determines the blog design you will be using and the kind of engagements to expect.
Check out Your Competition
There is no better way to get inspiration than observing well-established competition. The strategy and execution methods adopted by famous and highly reviewed writing blogs are the reason they are successful. The aim of this observation isn’t to impersonate these details but to get a better understanding of what readers value in quality blogs.
There are numerous areas to look at when performing a competitive study:
- Visuals: Look at the blog’s theme, branding, and color palette.
- Copy: Study the writing style and tone of the competition to know what the audience reacts well to.
- Topics: Look into the topics that their readers are interested in.
Decide What Subjects You’ll Cover
Before you start writing at all, you need to pick a subject you’d love to write about. You can start with a pretty general topic as you discover your preferred blogging niche.
Some effective ways to pick topics include providing answers to questions like:
- How well do I know this subject?
- Who do I intend to write to?
- Is this subject applicable?
Determine Your Angle
What perspective can you introduce to help you stay unique? This gives a direction to your writing blog operations, and there are many ways to do this.
- Think of a unique experience that can present you as a trusted expert on a particular topic.
- What solution will you offer your readers?
- Are you planning to communicate your thoughts on trending debates?
- Do you wish to teach your readers how to accomplish something?
It is definitely up to you to choose the unique viewpoint you’ll take on subjects.
Create an Identity for Your Blog
The name that you choose for your blog has a lot of bearing on how successful your blog will be. A good blog name should be:
- Memorable
- Easy to pronounce and write
- Creative and witty
- Relevant
- Authentic.
The process of choosing your blog name can be overwhelming. That is why you should consider using our business name generator, which will provide you with a variety of options. When you are trying to come up with your blog name, you should write down as many ideas that come to mind without editing yourself. Walk with a notebook or use your phone’s notepad and recorder to note down any random thought that comes to you. Do not overthink it. With time, you will note the most endearing one.
Another thing other bloggers have said helped them when thinking of a brand name is brainstorming with other people. Use your friends and family as a sounding board for some of your ideas. However, their opinions may not be completely valid because they won’t like to discourage you.
Create Your Writing Blog Domain
A domain is a part of the web address terminologies used to find a website or an online page. You can choose the name or words between the two periods as long as the domain name is not registered. For example, the domain of your writing blog can be www.writingblog.com.
Do you wish to create a subdomain for your writing business? If you already have a publishing business at www.publishmenow.com, you may need to create a blog with the address blog.publishnow.com. This way, your blog’s subdomain will stay in its section of publishmenow.com.
Furthermore, several CMS platforms give subdomains for free, where your blog stays on the CMS instead of your business’s website. However, you need to register the subdomain with a website host before you can create a subdomain for your company’s website.
Several website hosting services demand small fees to host a real domain. Website costs can be as low as $3 monthly if you commit to a 36-month plan.
Customize Your Blog
After setting up your domain name, it will be best to customize your blog to show the theme of your brand and the content you intend to create. For instance, the green color can be relevant if you write about the environment and its sustainability.
If you are writing the first post for a website you’ve been previously managing, you need to ensure that the article aligns with the appearance and subject of your website. You can do this by creating the following:
- Logo: This will help your readers easily identify with your blog whenever they come across your logo.
- “About Us” Page: This section of your blog should be seen as a mission statement, which helps to support the goal of your company.
Organize Your Resources
Have a list of the resources you will need to get the blog up and running. For example, will you write the content yourself or hire other writers? How much money do you have to spend on web design and creation? You also need to know the apps and software you will need to keep the blog running. So get started with planning your resources. Ideally, by the time you are doing the web design, you should have some articles ready for when your blog goes live. It is even better to have a huge database of well-researched articles.
Creating the Content
The content you put on your blog will determine whether people will continue engaging with you. Therefore, everything you put on the website should be well thought out. Do not post things just for the sake of it. Instead, always ask yourself: “Why does this matter to the people that I am writing for?” It is only when you are able to answer that question that you should start churning content. Nonetheless, below are the tried and tested tips for writing a successful blog:
Consistency is key
The trick for content creation in the digital space is to be consistent. People want to find new information anytime they visit your blog. It is even better if you have a specific scheduled time or day when you deliver new content. This helps build loyal visitors who will always be looking forward to reading your blogs.
When someone comes to your blog and finds that you have not updated content for a while, you can be sure that their chances of coming back are limited.
Keep it Simple
When you are setting up a blog about writing, you should keep everything simple for the sake of your audience. This applies to both the language you are using to communicate and the subject you are addressing. Think of the target audience and whether they will be able to understand what you are trying to say.
Do your research on best writing practices and pick up what you think will work best for you. One important thing to always keep in mind is to endeavor to communicate effectively.
Get Creative and Be Unique
Resist the temptation of trying to sound like another blog or blogger. Be your own voice. As long as you are authentic and consistent, it will not be long before you create your own following that resonates with your kind of writing. Of course, this does not mean that you should not read and research from other content creators. It simply means that you should build your own voice and trust it. Moreover, plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.
Never lift items from another blog, no matter how fascinating you think the article is. If you find yourself drawn to a particular blogger, you can always ask them to do guest writing for your site or link and credit them as the source.
Quality over Quantity
One of the biggest mistakes made by people who are getting started in setting up a writing blog is focusing on the number of posts. While consistency is key, what blog visitors are looking for is value. Grammatical mistakes and awkward sentence construction will repel people. Be sure that you are fluent in the language you want to write on. If not, you should consider outsourcing and hiring writers. You can also use some of the apps that check for plagiarism and grammar to ensure you are producing quality content.
Growing Traffic
Do not assume that people will start streaming into your site in large numbers simply because you have good content. You have to be deliberate in driving traffic to your blog. Start with learning the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how you can place keywords on your blog. This allows your page to be placed favorably on the first pages of a web search.
When you are blogging, you should never ignore the power of social media in establishing your brand. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn can be a good space to amplify your work. However, remember that you need to be professional even when using social media. Be consistent with your posts, interact with those who reach out on social media, and provide feedback as soon as possible. Additionally, you should consider being a guest blogger for different websites and link your blog to those sites. It is even better when you do this on sites with a large following.
During the early stages of setting up your blog, it is also a good idea to use word of mouth to tell people about the subjects of your blogs. Share with them your domain name. That is why you should focus on choosing an easy domain name that people will remember.
You can also pay influencers to talk about your blog. The strategy is to use an influencer whose work can represent your blog nicely. Then, keep writing, keep sharing, and keep learning from others. Your blog will be a huge success in no time, but this only happens if you put in the work.
Top #3 Writing Bloggers
The Write Practice focuses predominantly on the provision of professional tips for writers.
The blog was started in 2011 with the aim of sharing ideas and writing tips with writers. Ever since, the blog has grown significantly. It features numerous articles that highlight aspects of being a professional writer like self-publishing, creating a sustainable professional routine, finding inspiration, dealing with clients and meeting deadlines.
There are additional interesting sections on the site like programs, contests and books. The Write Practice has its own community forum where writers exchange ideas and share their professional frustrations.
On top of all that, The Write Practice features tutorials and job postings/offers. In a sense, it has turned into a one-stop-shop for professional writers who have no idea how or where to get started.
Previously called Grammar Girl, this is a niche writing blog about grammar, punctuation and the challenging language rules so many of us are unfamiliar with.
The blog was started by Mignon Fogarty. She’s recognised for her contribution to the writing world and her blog has received recognition from Writer’s Digest. Recently, Fogarty was also induced to the Podcasting Hall of Fame.
Her content explains challenging concepts in a simple way. The articles are often accompanied by audio recordings that provide examples and shed more light on specific grammar principles.
The Grammar Girl has a well-established social media following that delivers sustainable website traffic. She has over 678,000 followers on Facebook and over 278K followers on Twitter.
#3 Kristen Lamb’s Blog
Kristen Lamb is a published author and her book We Are Not Alone – The Writer’s Guide to Social Media quickly became a best-seller. Her other quite popular title is Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer. Lamb also publishes fiction with The Devil’s Dance being her most prominent work.
Kristen is known for her humorous, approachable writing style. Apart from starting her own blog, she’s the founder of WANA International – a company dedicated to providing continuous education for writers in a digital age.
The blog features numerous interesting tips and articles writers can rely on to build a steady career. There are also books, videos and classes/tutorials for writers that help Kristen monetise her online presence.
Kristen Lamb also offers professional consultation sessions, which are available through her blog. Over time, she has established a personal brand that’s quite popular on social media. She has over 15K Twitter followers and a YouTube channel dedicated to writing.
Get Started Today
If you have been considering starting a blog, you should definitely start today. The sooner you get started, the better you will be in the near future. Do not get put down by the imposter syndrome. Explore the content on our page to learn how to choose the right brand name, get noticed on the web, and maintain an active web presence. Use the contact form to reach out to us with any questions or comments that you may have about using the name generator. Our team is open to talking with you about how to successfully turn your business dreams into reality, with the possibility of making money out of your passion. We wish you good luck in your new business journey!
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Jake Pool
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