I began to ask myself a set of questions when I decided to start blogging. If you want to establish a blog and join the club, while their popularity does ease some of the stresses other mediums could produce, you need also think about some of these questions. Before you go on your blogging adventure, here are a few important questions you should address first; which by the way, are not in any particular order.
motivation
The first question is why - why are you starting a blog? what is the motivation behind doing the blog? For me, it has been to develop the muscle of writing and find my voice in doing so, so that eventually, I can publish my book.
TOPIC
That brings me to the second question, what am I going to write about? For over 10 years I've been working in leadership and leadership training, so I'm going to write about that! On my blog, I write about strategies, leadership, growth mindset, personal growth, and much more.
Location
The next question I had to answer was where am I going to host this blog? For me, starting a website was something I always wanted to do. I had tried free websites but did not like that they had their name attached to them, like when I tried using JIMDO. The website still up so I'll leave a link attached if you wanted to see what that looks like and some of the early blogs that I produced
there. But creating a website for me was important, and that's where I host my blogs. However, I also take advantage of some free sources such as MEDIUM. In my case, I don't post all my articles there but some are, I'll leave a link so you can
check it out.
So I addressed the why, and topic, and the where. The next question would be when.
TIME
When will I publish these blogs? I think this is more of a personal preference. Only you know your schedule and what works for you. For me, Tuesdays just fit perfectly. So, every Tuesday I post a new article on my blog post which is hosted on my website about leadership, well faith, and leadership.
Identity
What is the name of your blog? Mine is Faith and leadership. I named it this because I want to still bring in the element of faith and in some articles, it's more heavy-handed than others, but I still incorporate an element or teaching of the faith.
Another pace of the identity puzzle is how are you going to let people know about your blog? Getting it in-front of your audience or desired audience is important. One easy way to start is by texting people within your contact list, or sending messages to your social media friends, or creating a post on IG - but you've got to let it be known.
Format
I've tinkered around with the format I use. Initially, my goal was to try to write 500 words consistently. Then, a thousand words consistently. And just recently I tried to hone in on the format. The format that I've been using for the last couple of articles is establishing a point, finding a quote that backs up that point, and then elaborating further on that point. I think this creates a nice balance of showing that my thoughts are not singularly mine, but an idea that is part of the niche that I am part of. But there is no right or wrong format! This is about finding your voice and bringing forth your message to your audience, your niche!
Audience
Who are you writing for? In my case, I write for those who are in leadership and looking to grow as a person, in faith, in authority; all the while accomplishing their goals.
I suppose, this question should be the first one, but then again these questions are not necessarily in order.
Final thought
If you decide to blog I would recommend checking out a few writers, bloggers that are in the same niche as you, not to copy or plagiarize but to get inspiration or an idea of a format you may like. In the end, remember that transparency wins. So imitating someone else's style isn't going to gain you points, but you can at the very least gain inspiration and study how they have written their articles such as Kobe studied Jordan's game; there's only one Air Jordan and they'll never be another Black Mamba; just as there will never be another you.
Final two cents
Someone out there will only get it when you talk about it. your style, your words, your transparency will be what turns that light bulb for someone. Therefore, for the love of that person, don't stay quiet.
