Being a student blogger can be the most stressful thing in the world. Between balancing school work, your social life, and on top of that writing a new post almost bi-weekly, life can get pretty hectic. If you’re a good at time management, then starting a blog will be great for you and can be an essential aspect to include on a resume or to voice your opinion on certain topics. If you want to kick start your expertise in blogging, here are 9 essential tips for starting your own blog!
Pick a platform
There are countless websites on the internet that allow you to design your own blog with ease. The two platforms that rule the blogging universe currently are WordPress and Weebly. After personally using both, I prefer the simplicity and design choices that Weebly offers over WordPress. It is important to pick a website that offers the functions you’ll be using on your blog and allows you to see the statistics of various aspects of it. The widget functionality of Weebly displays various apps, such as Instagram, that you can connect to your blog for sharing posts or inserting media.
Choose a main topic
Every good blogger specializes in a subject area. There is an array of topics to choose from (travel, food, lifestyle, fashion, school, interior design, etc) and if you have a passion, write to your heart’s content. But if you’re unsure of the road you should take when blogging, start out by experimenting with different post topics and analyzing which ones get the most feedback and hits.
Pick a theme
Blogs are meant to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye based on the topic you’re covering and your unique personality. If you want to create a lifestyle blog based on your lavish life full of travel, you would want to choose a theme that incorporates a wanderlust sense to readers. The saying “never judge a book by its cover” does not apply to blogs because people are more attracted to blogs that are consistent with backgrounds, fonts and color because this leads the reader to believe that you essentially know your stuff.
Include an “About Me” section
If 10 or 10,000 people are viewing your blog, you always want the readers to know who is behind the masterpiece and get a glimpse into your life. The “About Me” section doesn’t have to be too long, but enough to cover the basics; schooling, location, major, hobbies and a little snippet about your story. As always, insert a picture next to your bio that shows your beautiful, smiling face!
Be consistent
Consistency is key in blogging and is the single most important aspect to running a successful page. Readers (and even employers) want to see that you update your blog regularly with enticing pieces because it shows you are dedicated to your writing. Posting on a timely basis can also gain viewers and get your work noticed across the world. With that being said, set specific days of the week to post on your blog and stick to them so readers know when to expect new content.
Step out of your comfort zone
It’s okay to talk about topics that you normally wouldn’t in front of people. This is YOUR blog and only you can create content, so pick topics that are meaningful to you because it will show in your writing and make blogging more interesting.
Proofread, proofread, proofread
Before you even think about hitting that “publish” button, make sure you triple check your post for any grammar or writing errors. Read it aloud to a friend or roommate and then go through and fix the mistakes. If you still want to be extra sure, have a professor or parent read it thoroughly and run it through an online grammar checker such as Grammarly. Being extra cautious with your writing is okay because you wouldn’t want to post a blog that is messy and incoherent.
Share your blog
Once you have finished putting your blood, sweat and tears into your blog post, share it with everyone you know! Make a post on Facebook, post it to your Instagram story, tweet about it, even text your friends and tell them to take a look. The more viewers you receive, the more opportunities you’ll get to advance your writing because you never know who just might read it.
Be confident in your work
This tip can go for any style of writing you do. Writing is a craft and talent that many people long for. It is important to never doubt your skills because that leads to poor writing and eventually an unproductive blog. Take pride in the fact that your mind has the ability to bind words together to tell craft fascinating stories. If you lack a little bit of confidence, don’t quit! If people are consistently reading your content, you must be an amazing writer.
Blogging does take some serious commitment, but it can be the most rewarding and refreshing experiences of your writing career. Nothing matches that sense of satisfaction and pride when you look back at your posts and see how far you’ve come and, with these tips, you can go ahead and get started on your own blogging journey right now!