1. Create Your Blog

affiliate marketingWhat is a blog anyway...?
It’s kind of hard to get started if you don’t know what a blog is… so, what is it?
A blog is like a personal online log, kind of like a website. It displays a series of text, images, and media in reverse chronicle order as they’re published.
A blog usually has one main focus – subject – with information given over a period of time in a series of posts – publications. They’re like websites made personal. You can post virtually anything like text, images, and media. Also, as it is more like a personal log, there are really no expectations to be held as you would usually expect from a basic website. It doesn’t need to look professional and you’re not expected to sound professional. Simple, right?




blog nicheChoosing your niche...
When you’re considering your blog niche – subject of blog – it needs to be something that suits you and can attract an audience. This can be determined by a little self-exploration and research.
Personally, when I am considering a new blog, I draw an idea map and label my interests, skills, and experiences that could benefit potential readers. Afterward, I choose a few ideas from my idea map that I prefer over the rest, and ask myself a few questions; is this subject popular? Is this subject sustainable? Is there too much to compete with? These questions help limit the possible topics until I'm down to the one that suits me best.
If you have a hobby you would enjoy learning more about and would considering writing about regularly, I definitely recommend using it as your niche; photography, meditating, yoga, web design, gaming, etc.




planningPlanning
Before you hit the keyboard, you should consider planning first. Again, personally I use an idea map to separate my niche into several different categories. This helps me to narrow down my search and helps me to focus on one key point instead of the WHOLE picture. In doing so, I am left with several other topics for later posts!
After choosing a specific topic, I can determine the content I need to provide by identifying a need, and creating a solution. Then comes the research… no matter how experienced I am on the topic, I want to be sure I have all the facts, so I study my competitors. I especially keep an eye out for what my competitors may have left out, ensuring that I include it in my post. At the same time, I’m observing how they approach their readers, as I want to approach my audience in a more favorable way.




writingWriting
If you’re about to write a post, this should mean you have gathered all the information you need. The technique I use is much like one you would use when writing an essay, only it is MUCH shorter. This ensures that my content is provided in a clear and direct manner.
Overall, my writing process involves labeling my main idea, and listing the main points I want to get across to the reader. Then, I list any details that support or further explain the main points and begin writing.
Once you have finished writing, I suggest saving it as a draft and re-reading it later that day before publishing. If you take a break before reading over your post, you may just see it at a different angle. If it bores you, you know you have some revising to do. Remember, you’re not writing for New York Times, you’re writing for people like yourself. So, if you’re not pleased, your readers won’t be either.




affiliate marketingPlatform
If you haven't registered to a blog platform yet - website with blogging software - here are a few popular choices:



Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Followers