Creatives need an outlet to express themselves, right? We, as creatives, have to use our voices to tell our story, help others + give back what has been given to us – it’s a never-ending cycle of help. There are popular outlets to help express our creativity such as websites, blogs, YouTube videos, Pinterest pins, newsletters, etc.
As a new blogger, the first weeks of creating my blog were trials + errors phases. Getting every detail + purpose in order, choosing a domain host, blog name, etc., were my biggest issues. While blogging is very rewarding, it is also time-consuming. This process takes time, patience + effort. The time put in is what you receive; the hard-working effort will lead to hard-work showing to incoming readers.
Top Challenges
With gaining more experience every day, I want to share my top three areas that were most challenging, but very important + foundations for creating a blog.
Refueling Motivation
Here is a valid question to ask while planning a blog: What are some of passions, beliefs, values that should be instilled into the blog? Write the answers in a safe place, like a notebook, a tablet or a Google Doc. These answers will decide the blog’s ultimate goals, mission + vision statements.
Also, the answers will identify the blog’s readers + demographic information (gender, age, likes, and location). Blogging requires great skill conveying a message to a target audience (your ideal readers). This exercise helps to discover the blog’s mission
For my blog, I want to inspire young women entering into college to pursue public relations while incorporating relevant topics of fashion, beauty, entertainment or current news in each post. This has become a passion since changing my major to public relations last summer.
Write what makes you, the blogger, happy while satisfying passions, values, and readers. The stated goals declare the blog’s mission statement and help in choosing topics and categories.
Standout Factor
Now that the goals and passion(s) are laid out, it’s time to figure out the branding aspect. It is imperative to establish a personal brand. Branding will set YOU, the blogger, apart + stand out from other bloggers. Therefore, the blog’s name should represent the blogger. Write down a list of hobbies, favorite things, and create names off that.
Research other blogs, not to imitate, but as inspiration for your blog and to spark creativity. When a name is chosen, play around with creating a tagline and a logo. Pick cohesive and consistent colors and fonts to go with the brand. Then make a style sheet to help keep the brand consistent.
Here is an example of The Moxie Playbook’s style sheet:
Host + Perfect Timing
After choosing the blog’s name, tagline, and logo, search for a hosting site that best fits the blog’s needs. WordPress, Weebly, Wix, Blogger, Squarespace, and Tumblr are some website that host blogs. Most are free. Others have a cost associated with them. Each blogger’s expectations are different; find what fits found expectations + goals stated in number one. I have a Weebly blog. The URL address ends in .weebly.com. I loved starting a blog, but was uncomfortable paying for it in its beginning stages. I will upgrade my account when the time is alright. The blogger has to become comfortable in blogging first before making the decision to upgrade.
Blogging requires patience + time. Many steps can go overlooked, so check, double-check, then check again. Make sure the blog has all of the required features before publishing. There is an overload of information about blogging. So go out and research other information on how to start a blog. ByRegina has been a HUGE resource for me while creating my blog. She covers the basis and then some. XOSarah is another great site, too.
What are some trial + errors that you, other bloggers, or blog readers have noticed? I would love to hear feedback, questions, or concerns you might have. I would be more than happy to be a resource for beginning bloggers. Tweet me with your answers, @JailynGlass.
xo,
Melanie says
Thank you so much for sharing. The struggle is real, lol. I just started my blog and my first post went live today. I love your tip on creating a style sheet. I will start working on that so that my brand can remain constant.
Regina says
Love these points. The “standout factor” is super important and can sometimes be hard to establish.
One major challenge for me was letting go of the way I thought I should sound and look and replacing it with how I actually sound and look.
Thank you so much for the sweet compliment to my blog and for including it in your post.
Alisha Nicole says
I LOVE all of these! My biggest issue when I first started my blog was definitely remembering why I started and remembering to only post about things that Im passionate about! Its so easy to look at bigger bloggers and want to post things similar to what they do. But I had to remember that what works for them may not work for me!
Jailyn Glass says
Thank you Alisha for the feedback. It can get very discouraging blogging when trying to imitate others because they have more experience. But it is all about the blogger’s experiences, motivations, and passions. Our truths are what matters to our blogs and ourselves. Truth + transparency are two important aspects (maybe that will be another post, lol).
Thank you again! I love your blog, too!
Olivia says
Thank you for sharing this post, Jailyn! I think you covered a lot of what happens when you start a blog or undergo a re-brand. I can definitely relate to everything you talked about here because starting a blog is definitely a lot of trial and error.
When I re-launched my blog a week ago, I definitely didn’t feel ready but I knew I had to launch anyways. I’m beginning to discover building a blog and strong personal brand is an on-going process filled with lots of trial and error, and that’s okay!
I definitely enjoyed readying this article — thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Jailyn Glass says
Thank you so much, Olivia, for the feedback. I was the same way about my launch. I didn’t think I was ready + so many negatives thoughts filled my head. The only person holding me back was me, and I’m glad I did. But as you said branding is an on-going process, so we got this! We have to take it one day at a time.
Thanks again so much for the feedback. Your blog is amazing, by the way!