Ready to start a blog?
So…you have done the initial work to start a blog but you just can’t seem to stay motivated. You know you need to publish blog posts frequently in order to build a loyal tribe, but you’re sporadic at best. Or perhaps you’ve been blogging regularly, but you’re starting to run out of steam.
Here are 6 ways you can maintain your blogging motivation.
1. Remind Yourself Why Blogging Matters.
If you started a blog then you have some sense of the importance of blogging. Yet perhaps it’s been awhile since you‘ve thought back on why you started a blog in the first place, and what you hoped to accomplish with your blog.
Take some time to think back on your initial goals for your blog, and allow your enthusiasm to be rekindled.
2. Take A Look At How Your Blog Has Grown.
You may feel that not a whole lot of action is taking place at your blog, and perhaps that’s true. But my guess is that if you’ve been blogging consistently for any length of time, then your traffic, comments, and other things have improved to some degree. Sure, maybe you’re not quite as far along as you’d like to be in the blogosphere, but my guess is that you’re far beyond where you were when you first started your blog.
3. Announce Your Blogging Commitment To The World.
I’ve found that going public with my commitments makes a big difference in the odds of me sticking with something and doing it consistently. Making a commitment and then failing to keep it is a product of fear, in many cases. Though our primary motivation shouldn’t be pleasing others, there are times when not wanting to fail publicly is a form of peer pressure, particularly if our public commitments are things God has put on our hearts to do.
4. Be Accountable.
This is related to point #3, but is different in that accountability often involves a deeper relationship with a single person or a small group. Part of that accountability should include having to give an answer to people for how you’re doing with your blog, which can be rather motivating.
5. Use Social Media.
Blogging discouragement sometimes occurs as a result of not much happening on your blog. Social media (such as Twitter and Facebook) is a great way to get the word out about your blog posts and killer headlines (read this article and this article to learn how to create killer blog headlines that convert), which can bring new readers your way and increase not just the traffic, but the engagement on your blog.
6. Network With Other Bloggers.
Having a good relationship with other bloggers in your niche can help you to stay motivated. This is especially true since blogging is social in nature, and your blogging friends can help support you in your blogging efforts.
You can also learn a lot from other bloggers in your niche and you can serve as mutual encouragers to each other.
What Should You Do Next? Allow Me To Suggest Two Things:
- Please leave a brief comment or suggestion below and let me know what you think about this article, whether good, bad or otherwise.
- Look down. See those social sharers? Would you mind tweeting, sharing or “liking” it to your social media followers? (You’re awesome, by the way. Thanks!)
* Image credit: Rusty Wilson (Creation Swap)
[stextbox id=”info”]The content of this blog post was originally posted at one of my other blogs (GodlyWriters.com) by one of our contributing writers, Rebecca Livermore. You should check out her amazing blog content at Professional Content Creation or follow her on Twitter.[/stextbox]
What tips do you have for maintaining blogging motivation? Leave your comments below, so we can all learn from you!
Creating a flexible schedule. Having the schedule is helpful to hold me accountable. Yet the flexibility helps keep the spice. :o)
Getting a schedule in place is critical, I think. That is something I have thought about hundreds of times and just haven’t put into practice yet myself. But I do think I’m getting closer and closer to that “scheduling” goal.
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can… 😉
Thanks for stopping by, Dana!
It is. And you can. :o) You’re welcome. Have a great week.
I totally agree with the “scheduling” idea. Having a schedule of some sort really helps keep me accountable to my blog. But I also agree with Dana’s comment of flexibility. Having a rigid do-or-die schedule, at least for me, puts so much pressure on me that it feels too much like work and takes the joy out of it. And things happen that can throw a rigid schedule off sometimes. For myself, I try to post a blog entry once a week on Wednesdays. But if I’m ahead of the game and post it on Tuesday, or I’m running late and it doesn’t go up till Thursday or even Friday, I still count it a victory that I at least got an entry up for the week. Hopefully my readers won’t hate me for it. 😉
Of course they won’t hate you for it, Grace!
I personally don’t like schedules myself, but I also know that I tend to accomplish more when I make a to-do list and then start crossing out what I’ve completed. The to-do list keeps me focused and on track. The crossing out gives me a sense of accomplishment and a way of knowing what still needs to be done. Having no to-do list is the easier route but for me it also leads to slackerish behavior. (PS: Is “slackerish” acceptable vocabulary?) LOL.