I know there are loads of you teetering on the edge of “should I start a blog or not?” Maybe you’re hesitant because the competition is so fierce, what with hundreds of blogs being set up every day, and you’re afraid you won’t be good enough.
But what is ‘good enough’? Every single blog is a reflection of its writer, and since we’re all unique, your blog will be just as unique.
I’ve always loved writing, but I needed a bit more than just a diary. The answer: to start a blog! At my teen years internet wasn’t quite at the stage to start a blog, though. But by the time I entered high school and then Uni, blogs had exploded into existence.
When I move abroad, blogs were the perfect solution for me to report my life in London and Slovakia to my friends and family. But I never thought of it as a way to earn an income. How could something that I enjoyed so much doing, also bring me money? I always thought that work cannot be fun.
Turns out, yes it can!
7 Reasons Why You Should Start A Blog
Blogging is an incredible creative outlet I never had
… but always needed! For me it wasn’t just writing I was obsessed with, I also loooved photography. We would organize photo dates with my best friend where we’d empty one of our closets, put on different outfits and take photos of each other on the yard.
What could be a better way to find your creative voice than try out different styles and ways of doing things on an online platform where creating options are limitless? No matter where your interests lie.
If you’re hesitant to start a blog, start by having a hidden blog. Only you can see what goes on there. And then, when you’re happy with the content you’re creating, you can publish the blog so that everyone can see what you can do.
Just remember one thing; don’t compare your blog to others’ blogs! We’re all unique, and your way of creating is no worse than somebody else’s.
You learn so many essential skills
When I went to school they didn’t teach us how to put up a website, how to code, or how to promote your social media channels. Heck, social media didn’t exist when I went to school!
But all those skills are in one way or another essential these days. I work as social media coordinator, so for me knowing how to create a website, promote a social media channel, or do SEO is what gets me paid.
And since school couldn’t provide me with all that information, I learned it all through blogging. That’s a great thing about blogging: you don’t even notice learning new things all the time because you do that while enjoying creating something.
For example, coding. It’s not exactly media sexy or intriguing a subject, is it? But when you have to tweak something on your website you learn a bit of standard CSS coding to do it.
Same goes for photography. Because you love it, you want to be better and better at it. So, you learn to take photos on a manual mode instead of auto.
The feeling of achievement when you learn to master another aspect of blogging is something I’ve never experienced in any day job. It’s the most wonderful feeling. And a huge reason why I recommend you to start a blog!
Additionally, with advancements in technology, marketing and content tools like AI design platforms have made it easier for bloggers and content creators to create visually appealing graphics and designs without extensive design knowledge, further enhancing the blogging experience.
Blogging community is something everybody needs in their life
I don’t have any friends who blog and I live in a country where the blogging industry isn’t exactly thriving. So, to find a blogging community that can provide me with advice, support, feedback and the opportunity to discuss blogging, with people who understand what I’m talking about, has been a lifeline.
For me that community turned out to be Grow & Glow.
It’s a community of bloggers where you can throw around ideas, ask for feedback and share your wins whenever you feel like it. The community is like an online family; someone will always be able to help you out if you need assistance. People will always be cheering for you, and you can relate to them on so many levels.
If that wasn’t enough, you also get monthly ‘bundles’, which are designed to help you get the biggest potential out of your online platforms;
- growing your audience,
- improving your content’s quality,
- clarifying your branding and
- helping you to secure brand collaborations.
I would definitely not be at the stage I am with my blog right now if it wasn’t for this amazing group of bloggers supporting me. If you have any questions about Grow & Glow, do not hesitate to contact me, I’ll be happy to elaborate more!
You’ll find a purpose for your passion
I studied Business Management at University and the whole point of the degree was to encourage and prepare us to become entrepreneurs.
I never thought I was passionate enough for any specific subject to be able to turn it into an income source. I’m a bit of a lazy sod, as well, so the talk of entrepreneur’s life being 24/7 about their business didn’t appeal to me at all.
But it turns out I am passionate enough to work 24/7 on my blog. I am passionate enough to showcase the content I can create to as wide an audience as I can reach. And I am passionate enough to try and make this a business that I could one day rely on.
If you need a channel for your passion, blogging can take you there. No matter if that passion is knitting, horror films, or cooking. By blogging about it you can find an audience and a community, which gives a whole new purpose for it all.
And suddenly you don’t find the idea of “going solo” outlandish at all. You’re driven, you have goals and you want to develop until you’re on the top of the game. And even further.
For this I, again, have to thank the Grow & Glow community, which provided me with the encouragement, support and the information I needed to make things fly.
Blogging brings you unexpected adventures
When I was blogging for the sake of keeping family and friends back at home on track of all my adventures, my blog was all about the travel niche.
Traveling has been an important part of my life, and it has shaped me into the person that I am today. So, in my case the adventures were literally that; unexpected and spectacular adventures.
But ‘adventure’ doesn’t mean just a submarine ride in Hawaii. Instead, life itself is sometimes an adventure, and when you’re blogging, you’ll find yourself in unexpected places and situations.
In a positive sense! I, for example, found myself unexpectedly returning to my former home city, London. I attended Vix Meldrew’s first blogging event there, and came out of it with my head full of amazing ideas, so much inspiration and a bunch of new, amazing connections. Which brings me to:
You will find new, amazing friends
I blog in a country where blogging isn’t considered a worthwhile industry. Also, I blog in a foreign language, so my opportunities to network and get collaborations here are futile.
This also makes blogging quite a lonely business for me. Once again, the help came from the Grow & Glow community, and the networking events they organize.
I’ve traveled to London and Edinburgh and met absolutely stunning people who understand what I talk about when I lament my traffic being down due to Summer vacations. I can’t open up about my blogging struggles to my friends or family because they have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about.
Even if you can’t afford to travel all over the place to attend blogging events, fret not! Blogging is an online industry, so you can just as well form amazing friendships online. This industry is the most supportive on the planet, so you will always have someone to cheer you on, no matter what.
Blogging teaches you business mindset
As I talked above, blogging made me see having my own business as a possibility rather than something that “other people” did.
But seeing it as a possibility isn’t quite enough. You also need to set up a clear plan, goals and most importantly, start working towards those goals.
Through the Grow & Glow tasks you’ll be able to formulate an idea of what you want to communicate with your blog, how you can do it and where it should take you.
I sat down one Saturday and crafted an entire business plan for my blog, with competitor analysis and everything. After that I purchased a planner, so that I can have clear weekly goals and tasks in regards to promoting my blog. Because promoting is everything!
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Blogging brings me so much joy, inspiration and unexpected surprises every day, and that’s why I love it so much. There are opportunities involved in blogging that you can’t even dream of. So, you have to get into the game to see where it will take you.
Are you still unsure about starting a blog? Want to know more about Grow & Glow? Please contact me via e-mail, or DM me on Instagram or Twitter and I would love to help you to get started! ♥
