Let's face it.

Nowadays, every Tom, Dick or Ekaette has a blog.

They're everywhere on the internet, taking up space and clogging up the blogosphere.

And right now, it's almost nearly impossible to stand out as a blogger.

Nearly impossible, but not impossible.

If you decide to start a blog today, you'll quickly find out there's a lot you don't know and need to learn.

A few days back, I got a message from someone trying to figure out how to start a blog.

My first reaction was to say "Google it" lol.. nahh, I'm just kidding (or am I?)

Well, I "googled" it and there are a lot of resources on the topic. I mean the resources on the topic have resources.

It's like a traditional polygamous african family of resources out there.

So why am I writing this?

Why create content on a topic so many people have already written about?

Basically, because that topic is evergreen, and no matter how many years pass, as long as the internet exists, people will always want to figure out how to start a blog.

And like I said in this article- (http://500nairawriter..com.ng/2017/01/5-secrets-that-ugo-c-ugo-can-teach-you.html), evergreen content makes you appear like an expert in your niche, and improves your SEO.

So yeah, I'm writing this.

There's also something Gary Vaynerchuk once said: "Because you weren't the first doesn't mean that you can't be the best."

Wise Words to hustle by.

Before we go any further, I want to mention that not having all these things figured out is still not a reason to hold off on starting that blog. Starting is how you eventually get it done.

It reminds me of this quote from Zig Ziglar:

" You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great."

True that.

Now, let's talk about the things you should consider before starting a blog.

1. Why Do You Want To Start A Blog?

Yes, the unavoidable "Why" question.

There really is no getting around this question.

So many people get into blogging for the wrong reasons. They be like "Linda Ikeji got a house in Banana Island. I want to get a house in Banana too so lemme start blogging."

I know, it's all about the money and all, but trust me, you need to have some other reason apart from money for getting into blogging.

For me, it's being able to freely express myself while being creative. On the business side, though, it's part of a plan that will eventually help launch my other business and create the life of freedom from the regular 9-5 that I'm looking for.

What is it that makes you want to put your fingers to the keyboard?

Why do you want to start a blog?

And stop saying Money. Because News Flash: Blogging is not a short term cash generator, and you probably won't make "shi-gbain" in the first couple of months or even years.

So you really need to have a stronger "Why" than money or you won't be able to push through the times when it's hard and there's basically no "Ta-ta for yan-yan".


2. What is your niche?

I think I have over over-emphasized this in my review posts.

When you decide to start a blog, it means you have something to say about a definite topic.

RE-read that. A definite topic.

You're basically saying: "Hey, guys, this is what I think about x"

X, being the topic.

Now, there are no general topics for everybody. Check with whoever the authority on topics is.

The fact is, each individual person is different from the next. Yes, even identical twins are different from each other. So, each individual person has different interests and desires than the next individual.

There is no way to create a blog for everybody. You can't please everyone, but you can please some.

Seth Godin calls it creating a tribe.

A tribe is basically a group of people united by a certain interest. And that interest usually lies within a niche, that if you tap into and satisfy, can yield maximum returns both in traffic and $$$ for your blog.

I hear you thinking:

"But what of Linda Ikeji? She writes for everyone."

Nope. Even Linda Ikeji writes in a particular niche.

So yeah, this is definitely No.2 on this list.


3. Who is your audience?
[s]
It's easy to just come up with an article on any topic[/s]. Actually, Scratch that.

What I'm trying to say is this- Writing is the easy part.

Getting your content read is more difficult.

And the only way to get your content read is to write about the interests of your audience. But that won't work quite well if you don't know who your audience is.

Just as most men are less likely to read a blog about wedding dresses, women are less likely to read a blog about cars.

I'm not saying it's impossible; it's just less likely.

Also, you're more likely to push a camel through the eye of a needle, than you are likely to get a housewife to read a blog about Financial technology. (Brief shout out to www.macksonwakama.com for showing me such a term exists)

Figure out:

- How old your typical reader is.
- What they do/ want to do for work.
- What their wants are, what they desire.
- What they are afraid of.
- What they struggle with everyday.
- Where they hang out online.

And you'll be one step closer to creating a blog that won't suck monkey nuts.


4. What kind of value will you provide to your target audience?

This is basic in business. It's all an exchange of value. Time for money, time for knowledge, time for entertainment, etcetera.

With blogging, you're trading in attention and time. Your readers offer you your attention and time and in return, you have to give them something.

Something worthy of the attention and time they're giving to you.

Without something of value, your readers will be clicking the "Back" button faster than you can say bounce rate. And when majority of your readers spend a lot of time "back-clicking" from your site, you start losing that SEO love, and your site will fall so low in rankings that searching for it might almost be as difficult as digging for oil with a shovel.

Okay, Tomi, slow down with all the similes.

Now, just like with most content online, there's 3 basic forms of value a blog can provide:

- Entertainment: Basically make the readers laugh, intrigue them and make them want to congratulate you for a good show (if a blog was a concert)

- Information: Do this by telling of current events, or opening your reader's eyes to a new way of looking at things.

- Education: Teach your audience something they have always wanted to learn, or teach them how to deal with a problem they might be facing.

I currently don't think there are any other forms of value that can be derived from content, but feel free to let me know in your comments if you know any others.

So yeah, when your audience gives you their attention and time, you better have a worthy reward.


5. How to reach your audience.

While figuring out who your audience is, you should also have an idea of where they are most likely to hang out online.

Could be Facebook, or some weird forum that most people have never heard about.

Doesn't matter. Figure it out and once you find them, you need to come up with a strategy to better reach them.

An easy one (easy, because most people use Facebook) would be to create a Facebook page, and invite people to like, but most people (myself included) generally ignore "Page Like" requests on Facebook.

You could also create a community that revolves around your blog niche. That helps you better engage with your audience, as communities tend to help with the whole "creating a tribe" thing.

There's also using sponsored posts to get your page in front of more people likely to be interested in your niche. I personally haven't had much luck with that, and not for lack of trying.

Just because for some reason, despite putting my perfect account details in, the transaction failed every single time.

If anybody knows why that is happening or a way around that, please let me know.

Now, on to the next.


6. How you will generate traffic.

I once said wrote in a previous post: "Content is King, and Traffic is his army general".

Fact is, all the amazing content in the world won't mean sh*t if nobody reads it.

That's one of the most unbreakable rules of blogging.

A blog without an audience is like a choir coordinator without a choir, like a pastor without a church, like a government without the people.

A blog without an audience is not a blog.

Yes, you read that right.

Before starting out, figuring out how to get people to see your site will save you a lot of headache in the long run (and also help you get to the $$$ faster).

There are many methods you can use to generate traffic and I already wrote about some of them a bit in a previous post (which you can see here: https://www.nairaland.com/3568123/5-ridiculously-simple-tips-increase ) so we won't go into them now.

You absolutely need to figure this out though when you're starting a blog.


7. How you are going to make money from your blog.

Okay, maybe this one is a bit presumptuous. I mean, some people just blog for fun na. Abi?

Well, this post is not really for "funbloggers" ... I mean, of course I enjoy blogging for fun just as much as the next guy but I'm also hustling for that pay day too.

So, any "funbloggers" out there who think a blog should be kept pure and unspoiled by money making intentions, I offer my sincerest apologies (not) but this post is for people serious about making money online.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about this point.

Here's the thing.

Just like in any business, if you don't know how or can't figure out how a business is going to make money, it won't.

Plain simple.

And I know most of you reading this (just like me) are not into blogging just for the fun.

We all need money. It is what it is.

Now, there are various means to make money from your blog, and I will probably go into them in detail in a later post or you can just do a Google search (if you can't wait for me to post on it).

For now, here's a few ways:

- Affiliate marketing
- Selling a service
- Consulting services
- Selling a product
- Selling your blog

Keep your eyes peeled for my next post though. I'll go into more details about how you can make money from your blog.


There you have it, 7 important things to figure out before you start a blog. When you start a blog though, you might face the problem of not being able to come up with blog post ideas. You might feel like you have "Writer's block" or whatever they call it these days.

Here's a slightly not-so-politically-correct tip:

"Writer's block doesn't exist... unless you believe in it."

I don't. I have written a post on how I never really get Writer's block how I deal with Writer's block. You can check that out here:

http://500nairawriter..com.ng/2017/02/how-to-never-run-out-of-topics-for-your.html

Okay, hope this post helps, and I gotta get back to my day job.

Yes, my day job sometimes continues on the weekends.

Happy hustling. See you at the top.

Peace out.

** Drops pen and strolls over to 500nairawriter..com to do a bit of editing before heading back to the Hospital.***

I'm with you on this man. Please cc me in your posts always, don't forget. Thanks!

Thank you man and I will

ccffwx:
I'm with you on this man. Please cc me in your posts always, don't forget. Thanks!

This post deserve front page. Do u av any idea abt nairaland algorithm 4 frnt page?

No, I'm just working my way up slowly. Do you know how to make that happen?

babatee126:
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NO