Sometimes you need that one friend to tell you the stone cold truth. Let me be that friend for you today. I made this list for beginning bloggers of things I wished someone had told me when I just started out. Ready? Buckle up!
It takes time
And when I say time, I mean 2 to 3 years. Bloggers that reach their dream goals 6 months in are either A. extremely fortunated people in life B. professionals with previous experience in blogging or C. people that invested a bucketload of money in web design/hosting/professional advice/etc.
Chances are you started with a free template on your wordpress.com website, like me.
Personally I like that it takes time. I needed a few months (years) to find my voice, get better at photography and just generally grow as a person. And all this time my readers have grown with me.
Stats aren’t everything
I had read this advice countless times before and every time I snorted. I was once obsessed with stats. You could even say I was addicted. At one point I spend more time checking and analyzing my stats than actually working on my blog. Then I hit my breaking point. My mood swung along with the views. If I saw a spike I was over the moon. If they dropped even a little I was depressed.
Until I realized I was the only one who cared. Stats are not an indication of a good blog. A good blog is one with amazing content. If your content is just as good as that of topbloggers out there, the rest will follow.
Blogging can be stressful
Most of us juggle work or school with a blog. Some superbloggers even have kids running around. There’s more to blogging than writing a post and pressing ‘publish’. You have to take pictures in good day light, edit them, try out DIYs/recipes/outfits/makeup looks and start over when it fails. And then there’s the sharing on social media and other websites, answering emails, monitoring comments. There’s a reason why the happy few do this as a full time job. To survive planning will have to become your second nature.
It will cost you
Having a blog is not as ‘free’ as some might think. Since I started I broke 2 camera lenses and had several heart attacks every time I dropped my camera once more on the floor. So far I’ve invested in a tripod, external hard drive, hosting, domain name and a blog template. And I’ve bought a better laptop. Still on my wish list: indoor lighting and more lenses. In a store I can’t help but think “would this look good in pictures?” Because you can never have too many props.
Blogging not only consumes time. It also consumes money. You won’t need millions or even thousands. But keep in mind that at some point you’re going to want to buy a better camera or follow a blogging course.
I look at blogging as a hobby. You pay for membership and equipment but I don’t mind as long as I’m enjoying it. Spread out your purchases and make sure to keep your wish list ready when the Holidays arrive.