First Time Writing a Blog
You got up one day, decided to publish some good articles. So you type your topic idea into Google, and to your surprise, someone has already written about it. That is when the pain comes, that is when, if you are not careful, the fear of starting in the first place makes you give up.
The questions that pop up in your head
- How do I write what people will love?
- What will be the value of what I am putting outside there?
- How do I write what is different but important to the people who will visit my blogs?
It is all a hard decision, because I have been experiencing this as a blogger myself.
The honest truth
Starting a blog can feel like stepping into an open sea. It is full of excitement, but also uncertainty. I remember the first time I hit the "Publish" button on my own blog years ago. I must have refreshed the page like twenty times. All I wanted to see was if anyone at all had read it. The questions that kept ringing in my head.
- Would people care about my content?
- Was I wasting time?
I have been blogging and writing articles for the past four years, and if you ever felt hesitant, I have to. Not once, not twice. Every blogger worries about traffic and their writing skills. What if I fail? A question I always ask myself.
The Top Fears Every New Blogger Faces.
1. What If No One Reads My Blog
As a publisher, having published so many articles on my Medium Profile, my greatest worry after publishing is if anyone will find my post interesting. For me, this is the most common fear that bloggers face.
Why it happens
HubSpot's Content Marketing Report clearly states that it takes roughly three to six months for a blog to build consistent traffic through SEO and regular publishing. This is also confirmed by Zorgle. And as I have abandoned many of my sites before, so do many beginners give up before that point when their sites can get the audience.
2. The Feeling That One Is Not a Good Writer
When I published my first post on this platform, it initially felt so unimpressive when I compared it to someone else's post. I felt my writing wasn't good enough, but that is not always the case. Here is what truly happens:
- I wrote the blog myself, and had read through each word and sentence while typing.
- As I sit after writing to read through again, it does not seem interesting much anymore.
Let a friend read through the same post, and you will be impressed with their response.
The fact? You do not need to be a novelist to become a successful blogger. I had zero experience myself when I started out. My initial posts on some other sites I abandoned were a bit awkward. Grammarly helped me fix those grammatical errors I usually make. One thing I have learnt personally from blogging is letting your audience feel connected to you and offering them value.
3. What If I Run Out of Ideas?
For this, it is not something one can easily overcome. Because to date, there are still articles I have left in my draft. Why? The answer is simple.
I ran out of ideas while writing those blog posts. I got stuck in the middle of nowhere and have run out of words. Even the next structure of my sentence has become difficult. Bloggers both old and new face this. Have any doubts? I am a blogger myself and have experienced this on several occasions.
What to do? Here is what I do.
- I stop for a while and go out for a walk, maybe ideas will fall in later.
- I stop writing for that day, maybe I need rest to be able to continue.
- I think of other things I can write and complete without getting stuck.
- I don't want to have plagiarized content on my site, so I won't bother to look at someone's post to finish mine.
To become a good content or blog post writer, learn more to improve your own writing skills.
4. Fear Of Not Making Any Money.
Blogging itself involves time and energy, and money. Why so? I usually buy internet bundles at exorbitant prices to be able to type, research, and make my blog posts one of the best. There are times my wrist and fingertips hurt from the excessive typing and eye strain due to the long and continuous look at the screen.
Every Blogger's Dream?
Every blogger's dream is to have their sites fetch them some extra income to foot those bills. The reality, Google AdSense and affiliate marketing both take time.
So, a blogger struggles to put out articles, not generic but thought of and well written, but still gets bounced for AdSense approval, and he or she gets discouraged. The fear that they will not make any money from it makes them stop, but the truth, it all takes time, and you need to be patient, work hard to finally be successful.
My Expert Insights
There is no benefit in giving up. Quitting within the first six months shouldn't even be part of your plan. One thing I have learned to do is to remain consistent, persistent, practice, learn, fail, and try again, and do my best to improve.
For the fear, it is real, but so must be the hard work. Do not stop along the way because of the obstacles. You have to endure the storm till you become perfect.
Confidence Building Tip: As a New Blogger
Do not start a blog without a target for yourself. And do not think of 20 to 30 articles to be the breakthrough; it could take more than that. You want to win? Then:
- Have expectations for yourself. Do not think of ranking on Google overnight; treat your blog like a project you will do for the long term, and not just creating content.
- Stay consistent, publish consistently. Even one or two posts per week is enough to stay consistent.
- Your readers are your backbone; engage with them and reply to the comments, not forgetting to ask for feedback.
- There is no harm in learning. Keep learning to become the good, better, best.
Take one step after another and do not allow fear to destroy your blogging career. Giving up might be a decision you will regret one day.
