Blogging Start-Up Guide
I have been blogging since 2011.
Just typing that seems crazy to me.
It doesn’t feel like it has been that long already.
Over the years, I had made a lot of blogging mistakes, but it has been an amazing journey.
The number one question I get asked all.the.time is how to make money blogging.
It’s actually one of the reasons why I started this blog.
After successfully running a frugal blog (you can check out Frugal Fanatic here) and making money from it, I began getting a lot of questions from people asking about how I was able to grow an audience and make money online.
This is when I decided to start this site.
It became a place for me to teach other people all about how to run a profitable blog.
But… before you monetize your blog or start earning money you need to lay a foundation for success.
Today, I am sharing 10 steps to help you build a solid foundation for your blog so you can start earning money and making an impact.
Be sure to download my Blogging Start-Up Guide to walk you through these 10 steps so you can implement that on your blog.
Step One: Your Solution
To help you stand out, you need to identify the unique solution you provide to your audience.
Think about your knowledge, life experiences and passion to come up with your "IT" factor.
How are you different?
What sets you apart from everyone else?
How can you inspire others?
How can you help someone else?
No one else has your story.
You need to connect with your audience by providing a solution through your own story and experiences.
Click the image below to instantly download a copy of our Blogging Start-up guide.
Step Two: Who You Serve
You don't want to attract everyone to your blog.
Trust me, I made this mistake. I focused all of my time and energy driving a ton of traffic to my blog, but they weren’t the right audience for my content or offers.
So guess what happened? They didn’t stick around to read my content, they didn’t sign up for my email list and they didn’t purchase my products.
If you are trying to attract a very broad segment then it is time to narrow down who you serve.
Think about your audience's: interests, hobbies, dreams, pain points, values, beliefs. etc.
What problem are they currently experiencing and what result can you help them achieve?
I always like to find commonalities when I am narrowing down my target audience. Doing this will help you start to find the right people for your blog.
Step Three: Offer
What will you sell?
If you are creating your own product or service, think about HOW your unique solution will help your audience.
That will be your offer.
If you are just beginning, start small.
Since you already narrowed your audience you should know what they need help with.
What is your audience struggling with most right now?
What is your expertise and how do you help your audience?
What questions are you always answering for your audience?
What results have you helped your audience achieve?
Here are a couple of ideas to get you thinking:
Paid email course
Digital download or printable (planners, calendars, workbooks, etc.)
Paid workshops
Design-templates
Mini-courses
Trackers or Spreadsheets
If you are not interested in offering your own product or service, consider affiliate programs to monetize your blog.
But, only offer affiliate programs that you KNOW can help your audience.
Learn more about getting started with affiliate marketing here.
Whichever option you choose, start thinking about how you are going to make money so you can plan to hit your income goals.
Step Four: Content
Your content plays a huge role in building authority for your blog. You want to focus on quality over quantity.
I am always getting asked, “How many blog posts should I write each week?”
Honestly, there isn’t a set number. Think about the time you have to put towards content creation each week. You may be able to create one post per week or you may be able to do three.
But, your focus needs to be on creating valuable content. Don’t get caught up in posting a set number of blog posts per week if it causes you to skimp on the quality.
Each blog post should be actionable or include some kind of takeaway for your audience. Try to dive deep on the 'how' of each post.
Step Five: Email Opt-In
If you are just getting started with your blog you NEED to get your email list set up now.
I waited way too long and I wish I wouldn’t have. You can read more about that here.
I personally use Convertkit (affiliate link) and recommend them to everyone.
An email opt-in invites your blog visitors to sign up for your email list. The best part is, if they sign up for your email list it means they are interested in what you offer and want to hear more.
This means you want to make sure it is easy (and obvious) for your blog visitors to sign up for your email list.
To do this, you want to place your email opt-in box in several different places.
Here are a few examples:
Header
In blog posts
Pop-up
Sidebar
Navigation menu
Each of these 5 steps will help you to lay a successful blog foundation.
Instantly download my FREE Blogging Start-Up Guide to get access to all 10 steps along with how you can implement each one on your blog today.
Comment below and tell me if you are just getting started with your blog and if this Blogging Start-Up Guide was helpful.