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Today I am going to be sharing with you what 13 bloggers wish they knew before starting their blogs.
Before I started my blog earlier this year, I had no idea what to expect. There was so much that I had to learn and figure out, and I wish I had somebody tell me what I was getting myself into.
Today I can say that I have definitely learned some valuable lessons since starting my blog, and there are things I wish I had known before I embarked on this journey.
There is so much to know about this huge network we are all a part of. However, even though every blogger’s experience is different and we are all on a different journey, there is something to learn from each of us in the blogging world.
Today I am excited to share what myself and other bloggers have to say about what we wish we’d known before starting our blogs. If you are a new blogger or thinking about starting a blog and don’t know what to expect, I hope that these tips from bloggers will help you get a better understanding of this crazy but wonderful world of blogging.
Related:
What I’ve Learned From Blogging In 2 Months
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What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Blog
I wish I knew isn’t a get-rich-quick business
I don’t know about you, but I come across articles from other bloggers almost every single day about how they immediately started making money from blogging.
This hasn’t been the case for me, at all. In fact, the first time I made any money on my blog was 3 months into my blogging journey, which you can read all about here.
It takes time to get decent views, sign up for affiliates, get into advertising programs and create a product or service you can sell. These things don’t just happen overnight. Most importantly, people don’t really trust new bloggers enough to purchase from them. It definitely takes time to build an audience that trusts what we have to say.
I wish I knew that blogging coaches were a thing
If I had known that I could pay someone to walk me through some of the things I couldn’t figure out, I would have done so in a heartbeat.
I can’t even begin to explain how much time, effort and energy I put into my blog only because I didn’t know the first thing about it. I would have totally saved the money that I spent on my first crappy host and instead paid for a blogging coach.
There is so much information on blogging on the internet that it can be difficult to know what to do in regards to your own goals and vision. This is why I have started my own blog coaching business which you can read more about on my Services page.
I wish I knew that networking on Facebook was important
Facebook is definitely my least favorite social media platform. I deleted my personal account there years ago and have never felt better. A few months into blogging I started seeing other bloggers talk about Facebook groups and dismissed it pretty quickly.
That is until one day I was bored, made a new account, and joined some of these groups. You guys, blogging groups on Facebook are so good for networking and getting your content out there.
Now, a few weeks later, I have my own blogging support group on Facebook, Boss Babe Bloggers. It’s so much fun! We have grown into an awesome community of 60+ women in just over a week, and it’s a great place if you want support from other like-minded bloggers, as well as tips and tricks to make your blog grow.
What Other Bloggers Wish They’d Known Before Starting A Blog
A huge thank you to the bloggers who offered their advice! Some of the responses have been condensed in an effort to provide the most relevant information.
I wish I understood the importance of being patient with myself while trying to grow my blog, and the amount of time and effort is taken to maintain it. The first several months I was constantly checking my stats, obsessing over any and all issues, and how to make money. I eventually realized that running a blog is a process in which we constantly learn along the way, and it takes time to achieve our desired results. Rushing and being impatient will not change the outcomes, and only leads to burnout.
-Leslie, Up And Forward On Purpose
If you’re starting out and have plans to monetize your blog, don’t overlook the importance of your blog’s name. You’ll be shocked at how you can be turned down for advertizing or affiliate marketing programs because your name is not professional enough or has too much slang in it.
-Scott, Money And Bills
I wish I knew how time-consuming blogging is. I never thought that a blogger will need to invest so much time on promoting, sharing and creating content besides the blog posts.
-Amanda, Smart Girly Mindset
What I wish I knew before I started blogging is that you don’t have to fit into a niche. If you want to write for the fun of it then you can do that. You do not have to turn it into a business, you can simply keep it as a hobby if you would like. I also wish I knew how much fun Pinterest was. After a year of blogging, I’ve only recently learned how to use it and I’m addicted. I wish I started using it sooner because it really does bring a lot of traffic to your website!
Connie, Earth To Connie
Before I started blogging I wish I knew that it isn’t as easy as advertised by some bloggers to make blogging your full-time job. It takes a lot of time, consistency and dedication. You have to love it! I dislike posts, pins or advertisements saying you can make thousands of pounds in a matter of weeks. It’s not that simple and if it was everyone would be doing it. We are all different and it makes you feel like you are achieving nothing even when you are because your expectations have been set too high.
-Alyssa, The Sacred Space AP
I wish I knew that you need to start your email list when you start your blog. You need an email list to increase traffic, build a relationship with your audience, and make money.
-Pat, Helpful Online Marketer
I wish I’d gone self-hosted straight away. I feel like I’ve got so much more freedom to operate my blog as I wish now but just wish I’d done it sooner!
-Hannah, Everyday Freebies And More
I wish I knew how important choosing the right theme is for your site. I love the theme I have now, but I wish I’d thought properly about integrating the theme with my site, niche and readership as a whole at the start. Another thing I wish I knew before starting my own blog was how to take a half-decent photo. I never realized just how much investing in a camera would elevate my photography. The better your photos, the more eye-catching your content will be to your readers! Something else that springs to mind is posting consistently. Having a consistent time of posting your content is important. It’s more engaging for your readership and for people that love your content, they’ll know when to tune in.
-Sarah, A Woman’s Confidence
I really wish I knew how to create good Pinterest pins from the beginning. Lol, now I need to go back to some older posts and redo those pins. I also wish I had a better understanding of SEO and keyword research from the beginning. It would’ve saved me lots of time!
-Tamra, Nurturing Tamra
Before I started writing I wish I knew what pressure it would be. I didn’t understand how much pressure people put on you to write a certain amount, a certain amount a week and post at certain times. Why can’t I just be ad-hoc? I always wish I knew how brutal the industry was. When I started I just wanted to be collaborative and share but there’s a lot of people that want money, and a lot of it. Can we not just help a friend out?
-Ryan, Noakes-Isms
The number one thing I wish I knew before I started blogging was how much work it is! When I first started blogging, I started it for fun and it quickly turned into a passion that I wanted to turn into a career. I had no idea it would be as much work as it is though! Writing, editing, photography, managing social media accounts, promoting/marketing, negotiating deals with brands, and creating products, plus so much more! Lots of early mornings and long nights, but it’s worth it. I love it, it’s my passion, and I love challenging myself and learning new things. But definitely something to keep in mind when you’re planning on starting a blog, it’s not as easy as it looks, but it is totally worth it.
-Ali, Alexandra Quinlann
Interaction is key… With your readers, other bloggers, via Twitter blog chats, at blogging events, an email list… just to name a few! When I started my blog, somehow I thought when I pressed ‘Publish’, everyone would see it. Wrong! I didn’t know where to start, so here’s my advice to 2015-Paris and new bloggers out there: Sign up to Twitter and Pinterest. Retweet accounts to discover new blogs and share your content; blogger chats to join and host; and pinning blog content on both your own and collaborative Pinterest boards. Blogging events are great for self-confidence and networking too.
-Paris, The Girl In Flat 26
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I love this! The information is so real, and I can relate to each one. I absolutely love my blog, but it can feel frustrating at times with everything that goes along with it as well as the “expectation vs. reality.” Thank you for helping see that we’re not alone in this process.
Absolutely! I think many bloggers, especially new bloggers, get discouraged pretty quickly because they’re not self-made millionaires 2 months after starting their blog. It takes a lot of time and effort! Thank you so much for your contribution to this post, Leslie!
What a useful post. There are so many things I still don’t know about blogging after doing it for 4 years.
There’s always something to learn, isn’t it? 🙂
Great article, there is so much to blogging! I wish I knew several things too before I started. I’m only doing it a few months now and have learned so much with so much more to learn. And yes even thou I’m not a Facebook person either, its something that you also need to do to start your traffic going!
There really is a lot to learn! Facebook is the bane of my existence haha but you gotta do what you gotta do!
God I started blogging so long ago (6+ years!) and things have changed SO much since that I don’t think anything I wish I knew back then would even apply to me now! When I first started, I was totally happy just writing book reviews as a hobby and I had no idea about anything else! x
That’s so cool that you’ve been blogging for this long! I wonder how much the blogging industry will change in the next 6 years!
I’m glad I’m not the only one that didn’t expect so much work! It doesn’t feel like work because I love doing it, but I’ve noticed I spend an awful lot of time on my blog nowadays! Makes me wonder what I was doing with all that time before I started it. I know it will be worth it in the end though – I just wish others would understand how serious and challenging writing a blog actually is.
I can completely relate! Especially when people as me if I’m “still” working on my blog. Like, yeah, it’s not going to run itself now is it? Haha.
It was so interesting to see what everyone else had to say in this post and there are some really useful pointers in this post. Thank you so much for including me – this was a fab post idea!
Thank you for making this post so much fun to write, Sarah! 🙂
I can relate to everything on this post and what each blogger has written!
This is a fantastic and reassuring read for new and old bloggers.
Thank you for including me!
Alyssa
thesacredspaceap.com
Thank you so much for contributing to this post, Alyssa!
These are very helpful, especially to bloggers who are just starting off. I know it’s not a get rich quickly, but I do know that I have potential for growth which is why I’m working so hard to keep it going. Thank you for sharing.
You have such a great blog, Nyxie and work so hard! You’ll get there in no time. 🙂
I keep asking myself why everyone thinks that blogging is easy, when clearly is not. There are lots of experiences that I can relate to, thank you so much for sharing, and including me on this beautiful post.
Thank you so much for contributing, Amanda!
So much insight in this post! I find Facebook groups so helpful for engagement and it’s also my least loved platform so I’m glad you included that!
Cara
http://www.caratigerlilli.com
I’m glad you found this helpful! Yeah Facebook sucks haha!
This was a great post. I’m a fairly new blogger & I need all the help that I can get. So thanks for sharing what you learned when it comes to blogging.
My pleasure! I’m glad you found this helpful 🙂
I’m a new blogger and this information is so helpful ! Thanks for sharing !
I’m so happy you think so!
This is a great article! I loved all of the input from other bloggers. Blogging is definitely hard work and I wish a lot of people understood that. It’s especially hard when you hit roadblocks like having your Facebook links blocked. You learn to improvise though and that’s what makes bloggers awesome! Keep up the great work!
I still don’t understand why they would block your links and not explain why! Until you figure it out, maybe try converting your links into bit.ly links and see if those will go through?
I’ve done that and they won’t allow it either. My only resolve right now is the post my link tree or to post the pin for the post
That’s so messed up! 🙁
That’s such useful information! I’m newish to blogging and haven’t had much success. Thanks for the tips. I also requested to join your FB group. Thanks
We’ve all been there! Keep going. Happy to have you in the group! 🙂
I wish I’d known how helpful facebook groups were from the start, so far most of my traffic has been from there and I expect it’ll be that way until SEO kicks in on google. I just hate facebook though haha.
Haha I understand you 100% 🤣
Such an insightful post, I can really relate with this and there is so much to learn. Facebook has been helpful in groups – I want to tackle Pinterest next. Thank you for sharing!
– Kristen Bucy
https://kristenbucy.com/
I’m glad you found this helpful! Pinterest is definitely worth all the hype 🙂
I agree with everyone above. For me it was definitely the Facebook groups. I became a member of my first group after 7 months of blogging. I really wish I’d known where to look sooner. Even though the technical side of blogging can be a huge pain I have quite enjoyed the learning curve. Thanks for sharing.
Yess Facebook groups help so much and I also didn’t join my first one until almost half a year after starting my blog. Thank you so much for reading!
Great tips! Such good ideas and it’s nice to see a community where there’s ways to improve and grow!
The blogging community is the absolute best!
Achieving blogging success takes time and persistence, you learn on your journey, glad to learn about other bloggers experiences.
Yes, yes and yes! You’re completely right.
Networking on any social media platform truly does work! Love this post, keep writing x
It’s one of my favorite parts about blogging! Thank you so much! 🙂
I very much appreciate this post, I know there are a lot of aspiring bloggers out there and had NO idea coaching was a thing
It’s not as advertised as it should be! With so many bloggers coming into the game every year you’d think it was more well-known.
This really is so helpful! Honestly, I did not realize how much work blogging really is. It has been totally worth it though!
Yeah, I think most of us got into this thinking that it was easy to manage from what I’m reading in the comments!
I love this! I can relate to so many of these! And some of them I am going to take more time to look into!
Rosie
Glad you liked the post! 🙂
This is a great article. I just started blogging in April of this year to share my challenges of motherhood. When I started to think about blogging people made it seem so easy, but it’s a TON of work and it for sure isn’t a “get rich quick” thing. Thanks for sharing this article
You’re right! Best of luck in your blogging journey! 🙂
Loved seeing what other bloggers wish they had known starting out. Hopefully, they have learned from their mistakes and, as they have shared them, we can learn from them to!
That was exactly my intention behind this post! Thank you for reading!
This was really helpful! I’ve been blogging for a while but my views have stayed pretty much the same for several years. I’m going to join your Facebook group!
I’ll be happy to have you there! 🙂
Wonderful advice, and so true! Thank you for sharing
My pleasure! 🙂
Made my blog a few months ago and it takes a lot of time writing one post alone but it’s fun and I really appreciate it when someone interacts with me because of it. That was the main purpose of my blog anyways
That’s a great reason for starting a blog and I’m happy to hear that you’re having fun with it 🙂
I was going to say that I wish I’d known how much work it is, but actually, if I had I’m not sure I’d have even bother starting it haha. Don’t get me wrong, I love blogging, but there’s so much to it! It doesn’t help that other people don’t realise that either – they think you just type a few words and that’s it. I wish!
Beth x Adventure & Anxiety
Haha yeah if only that was all that was there to blogging! It definitely is a labor of love!
Great job on this post–so motivating! I loathe Facebook, too, but you’re right about networking. I just joined the group 🙂
Happy to have you there! 🙂
Such a great post! I think we can all relate to some of them! Blogging definitely is hard work, but I’m trying to find a medium between having fun and also having some money-making goals. Thanks for putting this together x
My pleasure! Having that balance will help you so much! 🙂
Investing in a decent camera – spot on advice! Pictures and words together are what make a great blog. It took a while, but I just recently invested in a new camera and can’ t wait to start posting better images.
That’s so exciting! I’m not much of a photographer so stock photos it is for me!
Thank you, just thank you! It helps to see that many of the feelings I’ve had over the past one month of my first blogging journey is the same as others! This gave me some much needed relief and inspiration to keep at it!
It definitely isn’t easy and we’re all in the same boat! I’m glad this could help 🙂
Thanks so much for including me in this! There are some really key points and I wish I’d seen something like this when I first started as well 😉
Hannah | https://everydayfreebiesandmore.co.uk
Thank you for contributing! This was so much fun to write. 🙂
This is really great advice. I think its important that people realize that blogging is not an overnight instant success – get rich quick thing. That it takes patience, and dedication and passion. Also I wish as one of the other bloggers had mentioned that I had done a self hosted site. I did not realize how much more flexibility I had when I moved from wordpress.com to wordpress.org! 🙂
Oh yeah, self-hosted is the way to go even in the beginning stages of blogging! 🙂
I think there are a lot of misconceptions of blogging until you actually start doing it! This was such an interesting post to read, thanks for sharing x
Kayleigh Zara 🌿 http://www.kayleighzaraa.com
There definitely is! Thank you for reading! 🙂
This is such a great post! I wish I’d known all of this when I first started blogging–would have made my life so much easier! But I’m trying to look at this whole process as a learning experience and being content with increasing my blogging knowledge little by little.
This is really nice and inspiring! Thanks, love you!💖