7 of Your Biggest Blogging Questions—Answered
“Ugh, I haven’t written a blog post in ages.”
“I know a blog will be good for my business, but I just can’t find the time.”
“How many blog posts do I need to publish my blog?”
I get asked questions about blogging a lot. I started my first blog back in 2012 — a plant-based food and lifestyle blog that also talked about minimalism and living with less.
I’ve been blogging since then, at least twice a month and sometimes weekly or multiple times a week. You won’t find the recipes on this blog anymore, though. I had long since unpublished them when I shifted to copywriting.
But I’ve learned a whole lot about blogging having been writing online for more than a decade. I also ghostwrite blogs and articles for clients. If you’re just starting out or if you’re looking for a gentle nudge or a kick in the pants to get back to blogging, here are my answers to the questions people ask me all the time about blogging.
1. How many blog posts do I need to publish or share my blog?
One. You just need one blog. Sometimes people seem to feel embarrassed that they only have one blog on their website. We all started with one. The more important thing to consider is consistency. When I first started blogging, I published every day for a few weeks, this got me in the habit, and also built up a good starting point for my body of work.
2. What do I blog about?
Write about what you know to position yourself as THE natural answer and authority on what you coach on or what you sell. What do you know more about than most people? What experiences have you had that can help people learn something? What makes you compassionately angry (a term coined by author Todd Henry)? (Note that this is different from steam coming out of your ear’s anger.) For example, jargon, slimy tactics, and overly fussy language make me compassionately angry. Start with what you know.
3. How do I know what to write about each week?
There are a bunch of different ways you can approach this. You could choose a theme for each month, then write about topics that fit into your monthly theme. You could plan your blog around product or service launches, leading up to when you announce your latest project. You could write about whatever’s on your mind from week to week. I like to keep a big long list of topics (the list is at 57 topics right now), and every week, when I sit down to blog, I look through the list and write about just one—picking the one that I’m most excited to write about. In the past, I tried assigning a topic to each week in my calendar, but then I’d feel bored with that topic and would end up writing something different instead. Find the best way to work for you.
4. It’s all been said before.
But not in your way with your unique experiences and perspective behind it. The precise way you write about something could be totally different than someone else and could hit the right chord with someone who needs to hear your words in the exact way you say them.
5. I don’t have time to blog.
Do you want to keep positioning yourself as an expert and show your followers you’re here to help them? Find the time. Here are some ways to make the most of your blogging hours:
Blog in batches - block a few hours, choose a handful of topics and write a surrendered first draft of each. Each week, you’ll just open one of your drafts, edit, and post.
If you don't like writing, record a quick audio instead and write a brief introduction paragraph.
Talk it out. I spend a lot of hours staring at a computer screen, and some weeks, I want to get my blog done as quickly as possible. Or, I have so many thoughts that I can’t focus and get them all out. I use the talk-to-text feature on my phone, then edit the transcript.
If you don’t have the desire or time to blog, you can hire a ghostwriter. I’ve been doing this for clients ranging from entrepreneurs to corporate executives for a decade. You can work with me privately, too.
6. How do I find my blogging voice?
If you’ve been reading other blogs from people in your industry — stop it. I don’t read the blogs of any writers in my industry. Instead, look to other industries and see if you can apply it to yours. When you’re writing, pretend every time that you’re sitting down to write an email to a friend. A friend asked you a question, and you’re simply replying to them. The more you practice, the less you’ll feel like you’re “finding your voice,” and you’ll be able just to write and enjoy the process. I suggest creating your voice instead. Here are some prompts to help you.
7. I haven’t blogged in months!
That’s okay! Just start again. Chances are, no one will notice anyway, you can also remove the date stamp on your blog posts if you’re consistently inconsistent. No need to apologize to your audience either.
If you start to feel like you're talking more about your blog than actually doing the work, it's time to buckle in and just start. It's not going to be perfect, and that's okay. I say that as a recovering perfectionist. Also, when you're just starting out, it's the best time to get dirty, play, make a mess—because chances are no one will notice.
For more inspiration, check these out:
Batch blogging - the smartest way to keep fresh content on your blog
10 free (or cheap) things to do when you've run out of inspiration
And if you need someone to kick your butt to get you writing, you might love the writing community.
