My Journey On Becoming A Blogger
This topic has been highly requested for a while now and I finally have the time to sit down and spill the beans on all things relating to becoming a blogger, haha! I love having a place where boss babes can learn new things and implement them into their lifestyle. (If you are considering work from home opportunities and you can across blogging, I recommend also checking out my virtual assistant series!)
When I first got started as a blogger back in 2015, the two biggest reasons for my first blog failing were lack of commitment and information! I was a freshman in college and between work and classes, I had no time to commit to producing content. And at that time it felt more of a chore instead of a hobby. As for information goes, if you Google "how to start a blog" hundreds of articles will pop up but barely any details on the nitty-gritty. It was a learning curve for me and I was so overwhelmed that I literally stopped blogging. Once we moved to Colorado in 2019, I decided to try again.
Since then, I have learned so much that I want to share with anyone who wants to start a blog or already has one but not sure what to do next.
In this series, you will learn how to :
- Set up your blog & establish your niche
- Determine your aesthetic theme
- Make money & turn this into a full-time career
- Unlock free resources & so much more!!
Before we get started on the series, let's talk about some common questions I have gotten!
What blogger platform should I use? WordPress? Squarespace?
Initially, I started with a Squarespace platform. I loved how easy it was to get started. I was not overwhelmed by coding and plug-ins. But then, I learned about self-hosted platforms and why you should choose that route. Now, what the heck is self-hosted mean? A short and simple answer: this means that you own your website, and allows you unlimited capabilities as to what you want to do with it.
With Squarespace, you do not own your site which basically means that they can basically delete your site at any time. If you have Squarespace, don't freak out yet! This doesn't mean that they are going to delete your site without cause. If you share bad things, bad things will happen -- so I wouldn't worry too much about that. I still stick by Squarespace being the first choice for any bloggers starting out.
When you are ready to set up your game and dedicate hours on hours to your blog, that is when I recommend switching to WordPress with a self-host platform. With self-hosted, you can monetize your blog, customize your design layout, and so much more. I personally use Namecheap for my self-hosted platform. There are tons out there like GoDaddy, Bluehost, HostGator, and SiteGround. I have used GoDaddy and Bluehost before but I personally been liking Namecheap because it was so simple to set up and was extremely affordable. I will go into more detail later on this with how to set up your blog.
What makes me qualified to be a blogger?
Nothing! Anyone can become a blogger. You don't have to have a fancy set up or amazing lifestyle, you just need to be passionate about whatever you share.
Why should I start a blog if I want to be an Influencer on Instagram?
This goes hand in hand with what I mention about self-hosted. With Instagram, you can lose everything by a simple hack, deletion, etc. I personally got hacked once and luckily I got it back but I know others who have lost years and years worth of content. What then? Do you just start over from 0? How are you supposed to work with brands or reconnect with your audience? Your blog website is your roots before you branch off to other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, etc.
Think of it this way: what happens if Instagram got banned by the government (like they tried to do with TikTok)? At least with a blog website, you still have content and can share information. This is your own social media platform with no limitations!
What if I am bad at writing?
Girlfriend so am I! Sometimes my writing is as bad as a first-grader, haha! Having a blog website doesn't mean you have to write novels. You can literally share photos with one sentence if you want. Food bloggers share recipes, travel bloggers share guides and photos, fashion bloggers shares finds and sales. Being a blogger doesn't mean you are a writer. I am an average human sharing what I love with no background in journaling/writing.
I don't have a big following. What if no one read my blog?
You got to start somewhere! When you first created your Instagram account, you literally had 0 followers just like every single person did. You didn't get followers until you told people you have an Instagram. You don't get consumers until you tell people you have a business. We all started at 0 and that is okay!
I am not like so and so. I can't do this.
YOU ARE YOU. No one is you! That is your ticket in! Don't become a blogger to be like so and so. Become a blogger because of your passion and who you are! Trying not to be a cliché, but be unapologetically you!
There are so many other questions/comments that I will address through the series. But for now, rest assured that I will give you all the information you need to get started! Stay tuned for the first part of the series releasing next week!
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