The first step in blogging is to figure out what you are going to blog about. This is a topic that I have covered many times before on this very blog but today I am going to try and break it down into action steps that you can follow quickly and easily.
Why do you want to blog?
If you are hoping that you can start up a blog, put a few posts and just get rich then you are sorely mistaken. Blogging is hard and most people never make a single penny.But that doesn't mean that you won't. The secret to blogging is that there isn't one. However, there is one consistent factor amongst successful bloggers and that is they don't stop.
Are you prepared to keep blogging?
If you are prepared to keep blogging even when it feels like you are on island with no rescue boats in sight, then you are going to do great. Do you already know what you want to blog about?
It is not necessary that you know exactly what you are going to blog about but it sure helps. If you do not have a topic in mind, then you need to spend some time soul searching until you come up with one.Once you come up with your topic you need to have a few keywords about that topic.
At this point we will not deep dive into keyword research but it is important you understand it generally.
A keyword is the word or phrase that people search for in your niche.
For example, my topic is blogging but that is super general (a.k.a. Too broad.) So I have narrowed my topic to "How to start blogging." That is super specific and also allows a lot of room for growth.
So now you need to come up with a keyword or keyword phrase for your topic. In the future we will go into much more detail and spend more time on this but for now, this is your launching point.
Go ahead and write down your keyword now.
Does anyone care about this topic?
This is critical because if no one is searching for your blog post topic, then it is going to make blogging success virtually impossible. The non-scientific way to know if anyone cares about your topic is to Google it. If lots and lots of blog posts and blogs show up in the results, then the odds are decent.
Can you find 10 blogs that are covering the topic and have at 40 blog posts?
Do any of the blog posts have comments on them?
Are the bloggers on Social Media and are other people sharing the posts?
If you can find these 3 things then the odds are good that people care about the content.
Do you feel like you have enough to say about the topic?
Do you really have enough time to blog?
Again, do you really want to do this?
Blogging is extremely rewarding and it can be a lot of fun. It is also challenging and frustrating. Personally, I believe that everyone should do it. Will you?
Bio:
Renee is wild for WordPress and on fire to empower small business owners with the inspiration, tools and strategies for a healthy blog. SMU CAPE instructor, developer, podcaster. Follow @Iteachblogging on Twitter or Blog.
