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Creating a blog can be a daunting task. It’s hard enough coming up with the basic theme of the blog, let alone finding, writing and publishing enough content to keep it up and running. But, if you’re anything like me, then you’ve been intrigued about the possibilities blog writing can bring and just haven’t had the right opportunity or idea to get it off and running.
In my own quest to start a blog, I’ve stumbled upon some great tips and tricks to help you get started.
• Know what you’re talking about. Knowing the overall theme or topic of your blog is a must before starting. Although you may be tempted to just write what comes to mind, this isn’t always the best strategy to gain a following. Start with something you know, something you’re passionate about and something that makes your perspective unique. Combine these aspects to get your central theme. Studies show that this is the perfect formula for creating a successful blog.
• Know where to set it up. Once you have the theme of your blog, it’s time to set up your platform. It might be best to start with a free site like WordPress or Blogger and then move onto a custom site as your blog begins to grow.
• Create a catchy title. The title of your blog may be the most important part; it will allow people to find you and understand what your blog is about. Create a catchy title that is relevant to the topic of your blog with a unique twist. Once you settle on your title, register the domain so you will be easily searchable. ProformaBlog.com sounds way better than WordPress.com/ProformaBlog.
• Stick to a Schedule. In order to gain a reliable following, you need to be a reliable blogger. Creating a schedule and sticking to it well help your followers plan around your daily, weekly, or biweekly posts. Determine a schedule to follow ahead of time including specific posting dates and times and commit to it.
• Change it up. To keep your audience interested in your content, it’s important to keep some variety in your posting style. Post a review one day, a personal story the next and a photo series the third. For some inspiration, check out this slideshare to get an idea of the variety of blog types ranked by difficulty, effectiveness and maximum times to post an article of that type in a week.
• Stick with it. Blogging isn’t easy and there will more than likely be some days you don’t feel like writing this week’s post. Charge through the difficult days and stick with it all the way through.
The road to starting a blog isn’t always a glamorous one and you will more than likely hit some bumps along the way. Some posts will do great and others that may be quite awful but if you listen to your audience and pay attention to what does and doesn’t work you will be on your way to a successful blog.