PURPOSE, CONTENT AND CONSISTENCY – 3 TIPS FOR NEW BLOGGERS

Purpose

Why do you want to start a blog? Is it to share your views on the world, your thoughts on politics, or the ins and outs of your life? Or is it to make money? Since I believe in being honest, I think that there is a large majority of people who hope to make money from blogging but have no idea how to do it.  Guess what? Neither do I.  I write for the pure love of writing. If by chance someone wishes to pay me for it, then that is a bonus.  When I first started BreakFree, I had no idea what I was doing.  Actually I still don’t know what I am doing. But that is where you will be different. You will have a clear idea of why you wish to become a blogger.  If you can sort out the type of material you wish to share with your audience, then choosing a platform to convey your message will be a bit easier.  In the end, you may opt to have more than one website. One site geared to your personal thoughts on everything and anything, and a second site, which may be your money generator. (But not in a fraudulent, illegal sort of way)

Content

If you are looking to start the engine on the money generating website, and you have no idea what to write or where to begin, then logon to Twitter. Post a tweet that you aspire to make money while blogging and boy oh boy, you will have host of @replies. The gurus, junkies, experts, and all round extraordinary folks in the blog to make money industry will pounce on your tweet. Some of them will have great ideas, others, well, not so much. Check out their sites, read their content and then decide if their process is one you wish to follow.

Your subject matter should be clear, concise and relevant to you.  You thought I would say your audience didn’t you? Really, if you are not creating your website for the sole purpose of securing a sale, then what you write needs to come from your heart. If you are writing from the heart, then your content is undoubtedly relevant to you.  The one thing I know for sure is that your audience will grow as they begin to connect with your words, your thoughts and your journey.

Consistency

Be consistent with your work. As I write these words, I am laughing to myself. I am consistently inconsistent with my blog posts.  The wonderful people who follow BreakFree can rest on the surety that they never know when I will publish my next post.  Trust me, for a person who wishes to make their living by writing; this is not a good thing.  Provide a framework for your audience as to when they should expect to hear from you.  If you plan on publishing a post once a week, then stick to it.  Even if your deadline approaches and you have yet to finish your work, send a quick post out to your network. Let them know what is going on.

With regards to a personal website that chronicles your life, thoughts and blah, blah blah, you have a bit more leeway. But, do not take your audience for granted. Each person who decides to follow your blog deserves respect. If you write a few stellar posts, then suddenly decide to go underground for the next four months; do not expect that your audience will be waiting for you upon your return. You should present a guideline of how often you will post on your site.  In BreakFree’s infancy I wrote up to 3 – 4 posts per month. It was downhill from there. I sauntered to once a month, then meandered to once every other month, let’s stop there. Late in 2010 I began to pick it up, and take my work seriously. I once again found the fun in writing, and that alone saved this website. Here is a simple truth if you are not having fun writing for your website, you will find it difficult to publish and grow your audience base.

If you keep purpose, content and consistency at the core of your website/blog, you will find the hurdle of getting started a little easier to conquer. Good Luck!