6 REASONS TO START A BLOG

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In the previous post of this “How To Start A Blog” series, I shared with you why I started blogging. It was a way for me to stay connected with others, to share knowledge as well as my struggles, and to inquire advice from my new community.



Since 2012, my husband and I now run and manage 3 blogs, each uniquely different. We have also been asked several times about how to start up a blog. Henceforth, the reason behind this blog series.



But before we even delve into how to start a blog, I need to give you some advice: Why You Should Start A Blog! Below are some different reasons I think you should start blogging!




1. DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL?



Don’t worry about your blog being “unique,” because honestly, YOU are unique. You’re you. There is no other you on this planet. So, no one has you’re story to share. Only you do. But, even if what you have to say has already been said one million times, sometimes it just takes a new voice, or a new perspective to make it click for someone else. Maybe your story, or how you write, can touch someone who is going through a similar situation. Maybe your story will help connect with friends and family from far away. If you feel the need to share, then share away!




2. DO YOU HAVE SKILLS THAT YOU THINK OTHERS COULD BENEFIT FROM?



This kinda goes under the point from above. Do you have something that others are looking for? In other words – what is your value that you’re bringing to the reader? Why should somebody read your blog specifically? Do your friends often turn to you for advice on certain topics? Maybe you are the guru of your family when it comes to cooking, social media, cars, Star Wars, whatever — and there are other people out there in the world who are looking for advice on the topic which you know so much about. Share your passion, your knowledge, and find a community of like minded individuals. You will not regret it!




3. IS THERE A CHALLENGE THAT YOU’D LIKE TO DOCUMENT?


Some blogs are used to keep the writer on task, and held accountable. Maybe you want to write about your weight loss journey? Are you trying to be debt free within three years? Maybe you can share your process, your success, failures, tips, and financial progress with others. Or maybe you are training for an athletic event. By writing about your goals and accomplishments you are able to see a tangible medium of progress, and also possibly inspire others to create healthy goals for themselves. So if this keeps you accountable, it probably means you’ll will have a greater likelihood of achieving said goals. Why not share it with others 🙂 It helps them, and most especially, you.




4. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A COMMUNITY?



This one may not be a super popular reason to start a blog, but hear me out. 

If you have an interest – be it of personal nature, a hobby, etc, and you don’t know that many people who have the same interest — starting a blog will help you find those people. For example, I have a friend who’s daughter has Achondroplasia – the most common type of dwarfism. Here’s how she desribes her blog, AisforAdelaide.com :



“A is For Adelaide began as a blog for parents of children with special needs, specifically dwarfism, to come and learn- and has evolved into so much more. I’m is an advocate for dwarfism awareness, the disability community, women’s rights, race and gender equality, as well as birth education, pregnancy, breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering… and red wine! I run for charity, write for love, and strive to share information relatable to many people on all walks of life.
I finally feel I am just where I’m supposed to be- join me on my journey as I navigate the rest of the way!”
How awesome is that? She started it to become a community for parents of children with special needs, and now it’s grown into that and so much more. She found more members of her community, has shared her family’s journey, and is also documenting their goals. She’s a rockstar blogger – and a prime example of a community blogger.




5. WANT TO PRACTICE WRITING?  



Remember the days of old, AKA high school or college, when you had to write papers, short stories, essays, etc.? Maybe you enjoyed it, or maybe you were like me and you hated having to write all of the time for school. But do you like writing, for yourself? Do you enjoy having your fingers fly across the keyboard, sharing nouns, verbs, and delicious adjectives?  



Or maybe, you want to write towards a purpose — are you hoping to write an ebook one day? Contribute to a local paper, or even have posts on a super duper famous blog?



You can, and by writing regularly, you’ll get in some awesome practice.

Plus, your blog posts can sometimes be turned into an eBook, submitted to newspapers, magazines, editorials, or blogs. Sometimes your work, which you’ve already written, can be re purposed into many different forms like videos, podcasts, or whatever suits you best. But, first, and most importantly, you just need to start writing.



  • In the previous post, I said I started blogging in 2012. That was a lie. I actually started blogging in a personal journal online in 2002, and shared that journal with friends near and far. I was raw, with them, and myself. I wrote about college, boys, love, lust, and dealing with my parents divorce. It was small, allowed me to vent, and also share with the few who actually read it. It was theraputic, and I loved it. I still love it, and read it from time to time, enjoying it’s little secret world of the internet with my twenty something’s secrets and feelings.


6. WANT TO MAKE SOME MONEY?



First and foremost, blogging will, most likely,  not make you rich. You need to know this right off the bat. Yes, there are people who make TONS of money doing it, and, yes, most of those people will tell you that they can show you how to do it, “just like me!”  

No. They can’t. You can get a framework on how to do certain things from these great bloggers. But there are no, “get rich quick” methods in blogging. It takes time, effort, trust from your readers, and most of the time, luck.

But, if you already have a reason like one of the ones listed above, to blog, then you can possibly make a little extra money on the side. There are several ways to monetize, and I’ll get into that in a future post. But know this – it might be pennies, dollars, or maybe enough to buy you a dinner once a month. 

Maybe you’ll be lucky and make amazing amounts of money. 

Or it might be nothing at all. 

I suggest not going into blogging for this reason alone. It’s just kinda like an extra possible bonus to blogging.



So there you have it, in my opinion, some great reasons to start blogging. Head on over to the next post in this series to read Why You SHOULDN’T Start Blogging.

I’d love to know what your reason to start blogging is — can you leave it in the comments below?

Talk soon, friends!

Mary

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