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Writer's pictureSamantha Laycock

6 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Blogging

Today I am going to share with you 6 things I wish I knew when I started blogging. I think after we all do something for a while, we look back and think, “damn I wish I would have known that sooner.” So here is what I am sharing with you.

a while

WHEN I STARTED TO BLOG, I WISH I KNEW...


Network with other bloggers. Some say that you should stick within your niche but I think that creating a network of many bloggers across different niches is great. This allows you to get to know them, partner with them, and even bounce ideas off of each other. Having someone in your network that understands what you do, helps with feeling overwhelmed and gives you someone to talk to when you are struggling.


You need to have a schedule. This helps keep you on track. Whether you do this as a hobby or as a business, your readers will want to know when you are posting. This schedule isn’t only for your readers. It is to keep you on track as well. Having a schedule allows you to know what you are doing for that week and month. Being organized with a creative task is super important and will make it less tedious.


Writer’s block can be hard to break. There are days when ideas come easy to us. Where we can sit and write and get the thoughts out of our head clearly. Then there are the days when it is the complete opposite. When the thoughts are jumbled in our head or we just don’t have any thoughts worth putting on paper. There is no one size fits all for writer’s block. The same thing you did the last time might not work the next. Learn to go with the flow. If you are having writer’s block, walk away from your computer. Do something else. Learn to allow writer’s block to slow you down and focus on something else.


Blogging needs to be consistent. You will not keep readers or gain new ones if they don’t know when you are going to post. Being consistent means doing it on a schedule that works for you. Whether that is once a week, once a month, or more often. You pick your schedule and keep it consistent. Your readers will know when to find you.


Blogging doesn’t stop after you publish your post. We’d all love to think that once we hit publish, readers will come rushing in to read your words. BUT that is not the case. There is a lot of competition out there to gain your reader’s attention. You need to use your social media platforms to get the word out. That means that your work isn’t only in the blog post. Once you hit publish, you will need to share to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and so many other social media platforms.


That writing would help me in ways that I never imagined. I have been a writer for a long time. Since I was 10, I have been writing in some form. I knew how therapeutic it could be when my 5th-grade teacher introduced me to it at a deeper level. Words help me to make sense of all the thoughts going on in my head. They allow me to get everything out so I don’t replay the negativity that sometimes takes over. Having other women message me telling me that sharing my story has helped them heal. I will never forget those messages and the connections that I have made over the past 5 years by putting myself out there.


What is something that you have learned about blogging? If you don’t blog, what have I learned that surprises you the most? Thank you for being here. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. It truly means the world to me and I hope that you are walking away feeling less alone and with a bit more knowledge.

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