Starting a blog these days is a lot like starting a new business, so you’ll need to ask and answer a lot of the same questions.
It will help give you focus and do some long-term planning for success.
Starting a Blog? Answer These 10 Questions First
- What do I have the knowledge and experience to write about?
- Who is my target audience?
- What should my blog’s graphic design look like? (It should appeal to your target audience and be able to encompass the topics you’ll be writing about.)
- Which bloggers have accomplished the goals I’m after? (Hint: follow them! ask them for advice!)
- Can I blog consistently at least a few times a week? Learn how to schedule publishing new posts or content (Commitment over the long term is very important for holding an audience and staying relevant.)
- Do I know how to find what’s trending? (i.e. which topics are important in your niche). Here are some great tips for discovering trends.
- What are my boundaries? (Save your sanity and reduce stress by setting time limits, price rates and determining the work you will and will not be open to doing.) Why a Blogger should Learn to Say No.
- What should I name my blog? (Don’t limit yourself because life – and your blog’s focus – can change rapidly – a title like Moonlight Mama is more flexible than Life with the Twins.)
- How much privacy do I want? (Some bloggers use a nickname for themselves and any family members mentioned and are careful never to show faces – you can be as public or as private as you wish.) Home Business: How to Protect Your Privacy.
- How will I protect my work? How to Protect Your Blog – Copyrights . Choose a good watermark for your images and make sure that anyone who wants to share your work gives due credit and a link back to your blog.
What questions did you have to ask yourself when starting and building your own blog?
What advice would you give to aspiring publishers?
