Thursday, April 24, 2014

Want to Start a Blog?

Have you been toying with the idea of starting your own blog?
First off let me say DO IT. 
It may be scary to think about putting yourself out there, and you may feel like you have nothing interesting to say, both of which are totally fine and normal. I felt the same way. 
Then again I ALWAYS have something to say so I'm good. 
It is scary sometimes to put yourself out there, but honestly the community I have found within blogging is amazing. I have met so many amazing people that I wouldn't change any of it. 

So where should you start?
Here are my five tips to get starting in this crazy blogging world. 
Keep in mind I consider myself a new and small blogger so these tips are my own personal opinions. 
Warning none of the GIFS make sense in this post at all.. I just like them.

1. Come up with a catchy title. 
Think of all the different aspects of your life. Honestly I believe that even if you want your blog to be geared toward fitness it's okay if your blog name isn't Getting into Fitness. I'm more likely to read a blog because of it's name than it's overall. I just helped a family member name her blog Kassiology because she majored in Biology in college. Is her blog going to be all about the human body or plant life.... no. But it sure is catchy! 



2. Read blogs and comment! 
I read a ton of blogs before I actually started writing my own. I took mental notes of the types of posts I liked and the posts that I only skimmed. Once I started writing I made sure to comment on any posts I read and I also love doing linkups. It helps with writers block and gets new readers. Alicia from Brew Mama and I met through our blogs because we responded to each others comments. It's important. Even if you get behind... we all do...just do your best. 



3. Write like you talk
Aubrey over at ALG agrees with me on this one. This isn't a research paper, or a newspaper article. If you want to call everyone your homegirls then you are fully allowed to. Every time I write a post I try to write it as if I was writing an email to a friend and not my boss. For example if I wanted to tell you all about my upcoming run tomorrow I would say 

Tomorrow is a 10 miler... WTF was I thinking when I signed up for this half. 

If I was writing that to my boss I would say, 

Tomorrow morning I will embark on my 10 mile run around the town in which I live. I am not sure what thoughts were careening through my head at the very moment I agreed to start this journey but I will meet all of the obstacles head on. Now please give me a raise. 

Get my drift... homegirls. 



4. Switch up your content. 
If all I wrote about was how much I cry during my hills or every time I wipe my sons bum I probably wouldn't have a lot of readers...(can I even say I have a lot of readers??). While you may be documenting your fitness journey it's totally okay to write a post about how hot your mailman is. It keeps people (like me) coming back. Val from Fab Chick Gets Fit is a perfect example of this. Her journey is amazing and always inspires me but it's her posts about random shit in her life that make me laugh the hardest. 


5. Invest in your blog. 
I don't shy away from reading blog without a professional blog design but I have to say. It looks nice. I am forever in debt to Hubby Jack for my amazing blog design. I will probably never change it. It makes me proud to blog and to show it off. There are a million tutorials out there to help you, but if you are anything like me, you ain't got time for dat. I also shyed away from sponsering other blogs at first, but I have been sponsering my blogcrush Holly for some time now and it's worth it. Sign yourself up for one month, tell her I sent you. Do it. 


Ready to start your own blog now?? Well I have some good news for you. My new friend Erin from Homemade Happenings is celebrating her brand new blog outline by hosting a giveaway for your VERY OWN BLOG DESIGN. 

Go enter here, and in the mean time... tell me one thing you love about my blog and one thing you would change. Don't worry I won't hate you! I'm always looking to improve!!



10 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this post!!! I am trying to start my own blog ... I did start and was posting weekly about family happenings, but I definitely need more!! I have changed the name like 4 times and I'm struggling big time with it!! I love your blog ... being a new england country girl myself camo is seen all over our house, haha!!

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  2. I just started my own blog and it is so daunting to write in my own voice! I can be crass and crude and I find it hard to balance between sounding like me and offending the general population! You do a great job! Love your blog!

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  3. I think writing in your own voice is so important! My boo thang told me that my blog is the illiterate voice in my head. And I took that as a compliment, because that means I was most def writing like me!

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  4. Great post! I've actually been active in the blogging world for 11 years but my online presence has mainly been about my needlework I've tried my hand at weight loss/health/fitness blog a few times now over the last few years and I keep coming and going and not sticking to it. I'm trying again. I am able to "put myself out there" in so many ways but when it comes to my weight its not so easy.

    I'm too new of a reader to really give you feedback at this point, but this post is excellent.

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  5. Hey lady! Found this post through Erin!
    I love your blog layout, I just hate that I didn't get to do it!! :)
    But all hail HJ and Holly! Those two are a great team!!

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  6. I love this. I try to keep up on my reading of blogs & it's very rare that I don't comment. I get excited when I see that someone has commented on my posting & I just assume that everyone else gets just as excited.

    I also try to change mine up so people that do stop by to read don't get bored. Plus, pictures help! I LOVE PICTURES! Ha! :)

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  7. I started my own blog recently and I am enjoying the therapy of writing more than anything. It is also exciting to know that I will forever have a log of my experiences as I saw them at that moment. I may be obsessed with myself a bit also. I do not have a professional blog as yet but maybe in a few months if someone other than my BFF is reading it. :)

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  8. These are all great tips! I agree w/ them all! And I love the 'now give me a raise' part, ha ha!!! :)

    Thanks so much for the shout out!!!!

    What I love: how you 'talk' on here. Reading it is like talking to a friend, for sure (so you nailed that part!). What I would change?? That damn code thing to leave a comment!!!! Hate those!!! I've seriously stopped commenting on blogs before b/c of that thing. So just remove the 'anonymous comments allowed' thing and you'll be fine to remove it, promise! :)

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  9. Great Post!! its not technical it's fun!! If I didn't already have a blog I would start one!!
    your GIF's are to die for!!! LOL!!
    adifferentd.blogspot.com

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  10. Good post. I took a year off from blogging and so much has changed. I feel like a lost puppy and Im considering starting a whole new blog fresh start but Id hate to just trash the previous 682 posts Ive done ya know?!

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