Starting a blog might seem like a lot of work. You might have a lot of doubts and questions like:
- What am I going to write about?
- What content will I put up?
- Nobody is going to read my work.
- I am not a writer.
- I don’t know anything about setting up a website.
Initially, I had these doubts too. I had started a blog about music four years ago. I had written a few articles on the blog. Nobody really read them. Eventually, the website collapsed due to some security issues and I didn’t bother getting it back.
Even though my first blog was a massive failure, I learned a lot from it. I learned things like setting up a WordPress website, writing articles, marketing them, and a lot of other blog-related stuff.
Had I not started and failed at my first blog, I would have never been able to start this one.
Common Myths About Blogging
Before getting into the reasons to start a blog, let us first look into some of the most common myths about starting a blog.
Myth #1: You Have to Be a Writer To Start a Blog
Most people think that they have to know how to write great articles to start a blog. I used to think the same way. But, that’s not entirely true.
What is a blog? In simple terms, it a website where you share information, ideas, and thoughts with others. But it is important to share genuine and useful information with people. Your content must provide some value to them. And, to do so, you don’t have to be a professional writer.
But why blogging? That’s a good question.
We are living in the age of information. With the help of the internet, sharing information is easier than ever. The simple answer to the question, “Why blog?” is to share information. Everybody has things to share. Every single individual is unique. He or she has skills, interests, thoughts, feelings, ideas that can be shared with others and that could even help others.
There are plenty of niches you can blog about. Pick one that interests you. If you are not sure, then just write about whatever you want at first, just like I did. Slowly, you will know where your interest lies more and what kind of content your readers enjoy. Then, you can figure out what you will be writing about.
Myth #2: You Need Your Own Website
You don’t. There are plenty of online platforms to write on. For starters, you can begin with Blogger, WordPress, Medium, LinkedIn, Wix, etc. You only have to sign up and create your account on these platforms. Then, you can write as many articles as you want and share them with others.
But if you are seriously considering blogging, it is better to have a website. Building a website has become easier than ever. There are plenty of free lessons on YouTube on how you can create a website for your blog in less than 10 minutes using platforms like WordPress and Wix.
If you are just starting out, I would suggest you write on the above-mentioned platforms first. Once you are comfortable with writing articles and sharing them, you can transform them into a blog of your own later.
Myth #3: You Need Money
Just like you don’t need your own website, you don’t need money. The platforms mentioned in the previous point are all free. You can write as many articles as you want for free.
But, you will need money if you want to buy your personal domain name for the blog. A domain name is basically a name you would want to use in the URL address of your website/blog (for example, www.thisisyourdomainname.com).
You will also need money if you want to buy hosting for your domain. Domain and hosting are available at cheap prices these days. But as I said, it is not compulsory to spend money. You can easily use the free platforms to create a blog and share it with others. I would recommend you to use Medium.com, WordPress.com, or Blogger.com if you are looking for free platforms.
Myth #4: Blogging is Only About Writing Articles
A blog doesn’t necessarily have to be about writing articles. You can instead create a blog about photography, for example, where you share your photos. Similarly, you can use video content on your blog. Music blog is also popular these days. A cooking blog with recipes can also be a good idea. You can also build a portfolio of your work and convert it into a blog.
You only have to tap into your creative self to think beyond just writing articles. I’m sure you will come up with great content other than writing articles.
Reasons To Start A Blog
Now that some of the common myths about blogging have been cleared out, without further ado, let’s talk about the reasons you should start a blog.
1. To Share Information
As I said earlier, the number one reason you should start a blog is to share information. But remember, your information has to be genuine and useful to others. Also, don’t write about something you don’t know. Check your facts and do your research. Write about the things that you are interested in.
If you think you have good information about a particular topic, you should share it with others. It might help them in some way or the other.
2. To Help and Inspire Others
This was one of my main reasons to start a blog. Although, in the beginning, I wasn’t sure what I would write about, I know exactly what kind of articles I want to write. I write mostly about personal development, books, personal finance, and health. My goal now is to inspire others through my writing. I share my experiences that could help others in life.
I’m sure you have certain experiences in life that could inspire others. Or maybe, you read books that are inspiring and worth sharing. Many people love consuming content on motivational and inspirational stuff. You could start a blog on these topics.
3. To Improve Your Skills
Blogging requires a lot of skills like writing, building a website (if you need one), marketing your content, being creative with your content, so on and so forth.
If you think that you have none of these skills then don’t worry. You don’t have to know them all at once. Your primary job is to create content, the rest you will figure out slowly. It takes time. Be patient and always be keen to learn these new skills. Again, there are plenty of videos for free on YouTube that will teach you each of these skills in detail.
4. To Build a Brand
You need to create content to build a brand. Blogging is one of the ways to create content. Content marketing has become very popular these days. It helps businesses and companies build their brands and reach out to their customers or potential customers.
Writing articles about your business and its products/services and promoting them on different platforms will help you create brand awareness for your targeted audience.
5. To Organize Thoughts and Ideas
Writing allows you to tap into your creative self. You need to organize your thoughts and turn them into a blog post. Whether you are writing about yourself or something else, you need to think about the subject and put them in place.
You might have a great idea on your mind that you want to share with others. In that case, you will again have to organize your idea into a good article. This is a skill you will learn as you go through the process. Sometimes, writing helps you think about your own thoughts. It becomes a good exercise for your brain as well.
6. To Create Opportunities
Blogging can bring different opportunities into your life. Whether you are looking for a job, clients, mentors, or collaborators, blogging can help you find them. Your online presence can help you reach out to a lot of people. Someone might like your work and offer you a job opportunity. Publications might approach you to write for them.
LinkedIn is one of the best platforms that can lead you to new opportunities. Make sure you be active on it. Publish your work there. Write articles on the LinkedIn platform as well. You can just copy the content from your blog to LinkedIn.
Always lookout for new opportunities and make sure you don’t miss one when it comes to you.
7. To Keep Track of Your Life
Some blogs are like a diary or journal. People take their daily life experiences and put them in a blog. Travel and lifestyle bloggers usually do this. If you are interested in it, you can do it as well.
Journaling is a great habit to have. It can help to learn from your past and create a better future. There are a lot of other benefits of journaling. Your blog can be an online journal for you. It is not necessary to share your blog with anyone if you plan on writing personal things. Just keep it to yourself. It will remain there forever, unlike physical journals that can get destroyed or lost.
8. To Grow Your Business
If you have a business, a blog can help you promote your products/services, find new customers, and increase revenue. As discussed previously, it can also help you create a brand for your business.
The more content you create online, the more people you can reach out to. Make sure you share and promote your content on different online platforms. A blog can also help you make some extra income for your business.
9. For Personal Growth
Besides the fact that you will be able to improve your skills and organize your thoughts, blogging will also help you become more creative. You will start looking at things differently. You will seek better experiences in life.
Blogging is a constant-learning task. There is no such thing as a perfect blogger. If you think someone is a perfect blogger, you are wrong. Why? Because everyone is constantly learning and improving. Some might be improving their websites, others might be adding new elements like podcasts to their blogs. So there’s really no end to blogging. You will become a constant learner.
Blogging will also allow you to seek new ways of creating content. If you are a writer, you will look for ways to find ideas for your articles. All the people you meet, the places you visit, the experiences you have will be possible content ideas for you. You will be in a sharp-lookout mode.
10. To Make Money
A blog can help you make money. It can be a good source of income for you. In fact, there are bloggers/writers who are making a full-time living just by doing what they do.
Ads, affiliate marketing, writing for publications/websites, writing for clients, content marketing, etc. are some of the ways to make money from blogging and writing.
But making money from a blog is easier said than done. It requires consistent hard work and patience. If you are just starting out, do not expect to make money right away. It can take you months, even years, to make your first income. But if you are persistent and hard-working enough, your blog can help you make good money.
11. To Have Fun
I just had to put this one out. Blogging is fun. No matter what your reason is to start a blog, you will have fun doing it. The very feeling of creating content and sharing it with your others is fun. Also, if you are inspiring others and making an impact through your blog, it surely will be fun.
Final Thought
Now that you know the reasons to start a blog, it’s your time to take action. The first thing to do is to pick a platform. I recommend you to choose either Blogger or WordPress. If you are thinking about just writing articles, you can go with Medium or LinkedIn as well.
Create your first content with a blog post. Use pictures, videos, quotes, etc. If you are not confident about sharing your first blog post with others, keep it to yourself. Write a few more blog posts. Once you feel like you know enough, share it with others on social media. Take feedbacks from friends. Learn from them. Don’t quit. Stay persistent.
You only have to start and the rest you will figure out as you keep going. Happy blogging!
