When you are starting a new blog, there are several things that you need to plan from the outset. What will your blog be called? What kinds of topics will it cover? How often do you intend to post? What will your writing style be? The rest of this article will look at those aspects in more detail.
Picking a Name For Your Blog
Unless you have already started your blog, one of the first decisions you need to make is what you are going to call it. There are usually two broad choices to start with - whether you will brand the blog after your own name or pick something that is more related to the topic.
If you will be using your blog to promote your own personal services or products then it can be be a good idea to name your blog after yourself as your blog name will always be relevant no matter how your work changes over time. However if you're blogging about a specific topic, and especially if you run several blogs on different topics it may be better to use a niche-related name and domain.
What Topics Will You Blog About?
Many new bloggers start their first blog by just blogging about anything that comes into their head and end up with a broad range of largely unrelated topics. This is not all that efficient as many readers simply don't have time to wade through posts they are not interested in and it makes it more difficult to target monetization efforts.
It is much better to spend some time outlining a small group of related topics to cover. You can then categorise your posts which makes it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for.
Deciding on a Posting Schedule
A common trend amongst new bloggers is to start out bursting with enthusiasm. Indeed, much of the advice around tells you to blog as much as you can - at least every day if possible. Whilst more posts do in theory give you more chances to be found in the search engines, there are many readers who suffer from information overload and simply cannot keep up with busy blogs which leaves many of your posts unread.
To be honest it doesn't matter so much what your posting frequency or schedule is, as long as it is consistent. There are some blogs that post only once a week and do very well as they readers look forward to that weekly post and others that find that they do best when publishing multiple short posts every day. Every blog is different.
A common trend amongst new bloggers is for them to start out full of enthusiasm and throw themselves into and crank out tons of posts in a short space of time. However over time the blogger finds this enthusiasm waning or perhaps he simply runs out of material to post. The end result is that the blog looks like its dying and readers move elsewhere!
It is much better to start out with a much gentler blog schedule and see how it goes for a few months rather than over-commit yourself at the beginning and then burn out a few months down the line. My recommendation would be to start conservatively and then increase it gradually if you feel the need - not the other way around!
Do You Have a Particular Writing Style?
Your writing style is a slightly tricky area. Your writing is a reflection of who you are, what your opinions are, your values and passions etc. A blog is all about the writing and in my experience when bloggers do best when they write freely from the heart in their own unique style.
I would recommend that you simply write in whatever way suits you. Everybody is different. Some people are conservative in their writing, others like to use language as a shock factor, some like controversy, others prefer a dry factual style. None of these are right or wrong - simply be who you are.
Similarly, I see people asking questions such as, how long should my posts be? This again is down to personal style though it is perhaps influenced by your posting frequency. Short, snappy posts may be best if you post very often but if you only post once per week you'll probably want to publish something with a bit more substance!
It really doesn't matter what your style is because the readers who like your style will stick around and subscribe and the ones who don't, wont! Simple as that really! There is no way that any single style is going to appeal to everybody so don't try! No matter what your posting style is, there will be people who like it and some who don't, but it never pays to try and be something that you are not.
Picking a Name For Your Blog
Unless you have already started your blog, one of the first decisions you need to make is what you are going to call it. There are usually two broad choices to start with - whether you will brand the blog after your own name or pick something that is more related to the topic.
If you will be using your blog to promote your own personal services or products then it can be be a good idea to name your blog after yourself as your blog name will always be relevant no matter how your work changes over time. However if you're blogging about a specific topic, and especially if you run several blogs on different topics it may be better to use a niche-related name and domain.
What Topics Will You Blog About?
Many new bloggers start their first blog by just blogging about anything that comes into their head and end up with a broad range of largely unrelated topics. This is not all that efficient as many readers simply don't have time to wade through posts they are not interested in and it makes it more difficult to target monetization efforts.
It is much better to spend some time outlining a small group of related topics to cover. You can then categorise your posts which makes it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for.
Deciding on a Posting Schedule
A common trend amongst new bloggers is to start out bursting with enthusiasm. Indeed, much of the advice around tells you to blog as much as you can - at least every day if possible. Whilst more posts do in theory give you more chances to be found in the search engines, there are many readers who suffer from information overload and simply cannot keep up with busy blogs which leaves many of your posts unread.
To be honest it doesn't matter so much what your posting frequency or schedule is, as long as it is consistent. There are some blogs that post only once a week and do very well as they readers look forward to that weekly post and others that find that they do best when publishing multiple short posts every day. Every blog is different.
A common trend amongst new bloggers is for them to start out full of enthusiasm and throw themselves into and crank out tons of posts in a short space of time. However over time the blogger finds this enthusiasm waning or perhaps he simply runs out of material to post. The end result is that the blog looks like its dying and readers move elsewhere!
It is much better to start out with a much gentler blog schedule and see how it goes for a few months rather than over-commit yourself at the beginning and then burn out a few months down the line. My recommendation would be to start conservatively and then increase it gradually if you feel the need - not the other way around!
Do You Have a Particular Writing Style?
Your writing style is a slightly tricky area. Your writing is a reflection of who you are, what your opinions are, your values and passions etc. A blog is all about the writing and in my experience when bloggers do best when they write freely from the heart in their own unique style.
I would recommend that you simply write in whatever way suits you. Everybody is different. Some people are conservative in their writing, others like to use language as a shock factor, some like controversy, others prefer a dry factual style. None of these are right or wrong - simply be who you are.
Similarly, I see people asking questions such as, how long should my posts be? This again is down to personal style though it is perhaps influenced by your posting frequency. Short, snappy posts may be best if you post very often but if you only post once per week you'll probably want to publish something with a bit more substance!
It really doesn't matter what your style is because the readers who like your style will stick around and subscribe and the ones who don't, wont! Simple as that really! There is no way that any single style is going to appeal to everybody so don't try! No matter what your posting style is, there will be people who like it and some who don't, but it never pays to try and be something that you are not.
About the Author:
Caroline Middlebrook has been blogging about Internet marketing since 2007 and her popular blog earns a 4-figure income each month. She teaches you how blogs make money and offers downloads of her free ebooks, guides & courses on her blog.
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