7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Blogging

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Currently, Lately officially turned two yesterday, so today I thought I would do a post about several things I wish I had known before I started blogging. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers do posts like this before, and I always think it’s interesting to see what information they believe would have helped them in their very first stages of blogging.

Whether you’ve been blogging for five years or five days, here are some things I wish I had known prior to the beginning of Currently, Lately.

1. Everything is a lot more complicated than it looks. 

Blogging is by no means easy. Even the things that look simple are actually pretty complicated and time-consuming. As a blogger, not only do you have to write blog posts, you also have to act as your own photographer, editor, and social media promoter (all while keeping up with your other life responsibilities). It’s a lot of work. And while you eventually fall into a routine, that workload doesn’t get any lighter. Be prepared to put forth a lot of time and energy, but don’t let that scare you off. Though it may be a lot of work, blogging is definitely worth it.

2. Don’t define your blog by stats or numbers. 

This is probably the most important thing I wish I would have known, especially in the first few months of blogging. It can be difficult to look at your stats and numbers and not feel discouraged. You keep putting up posts that you feel really excited about, but nothing seems to happen.

3. Your blogging voice is going to keep changing and evolving.

You may set out with one specific goal in mind when you start blogging, but be prepared for that to change. Your blogging voice, as well as your topics of interest, are unlikely to stay the same forever. As you change and evolve, so will your blog. Don’t feel like you have to fight these changes or stick to just one topic.

4. Make content you enjoy, regardless of anything else. 

The content you create and put out for the world to see needs to be content that you enjoy writing. Period. It doesn’t matter if it would be easier to switch gears or if you could reach a larger audience doing something else. The only thing that is important is that you enjoy what you are doing. Simple as that.

If you allow numbers and statistics to dictate what you post on your blog, you’re going to enjoy blogging a lot less. Your blog won’t feel like a virtual representation of you; it will feel like a virtual representation of the version of you that your stats tell you people like best.

It will also make it hard for you to write authentically and engagingly if you don’t love what you’re working on. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Readers can sense insincerity from a million miles away. You have to be passionate about everything you do for the sake of both you and your readers. If you don’t like the content that you’re putting out, chances are your readers don’t either.

5. Being active on social media is a game changer. 

Being active on social media is just as important to being a blogger as putting up posts. Not only does having a social media presence allow you to promote your blog, it also helps you form better connections with other bloggers. There is a sense of laid-backness on social media that helps people get to know the person behind the blog. Find platforms you enjoy and start posting!

6. Inspiration will not always be there.

Inspiration is a fickle thing, and it won’t always be there when you want it to be. There will be a lot of times when you feel inspired and motivated to create, but there will also be a lot of times when you don’t feel inspired or motivated to create. You have to be prepared for these moments to occur and learn to work through them. Take advantage of the times when you do feel inspired and really push yourself to create. Having posts written in advance will make things a lot easier for you when you aren’t feeling inspired.

7. Always be willing to learn and adapt. 

Like many things in life, blogging is a learning experience.

In order to have success with it, you must be willing to learn and adapt. This means trying new things and pushing yourself to create different content until you are able to figure out what works for you as a blogger.

Having a willingness to learn will make things much easier for you in the long run. Don’t be afraid to try new things, even if that means doing things differently than you expected when you first decided to start a blog.

Anyway, those are just a few things I’ve learned during my time as a blogger! I hope you enjoyed reading, and that this post could be of some use to you. I would love to hear about your blogging experiences in the comments below!

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Bloggers, what are some things you wish you knew before you started blogging?

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60 thoughts on “7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Blogging”

  10. Thanks for sharing! Absolutely true! i’m approaching the 2 year mark in a few months and realize that numbers aren’t as important. But it does discourage you easily! Staying focused it key.! Also, social media!!! Interacting and reciprocating is a game changer and time consuming!

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  15. Happy 2nd Birthday to your blog! I completely agree with all your points here, making social medias to promote my blog really helped especially Twitter and blogging is definitely time consuming but so worth it!

    Jess // foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
    xx

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  16. Great post! I definitely wish I knew majority of this when I first started. It definitely looks like it’s much easier from an outside perspective, but when you start blogging – you realise how it’s no where near as easy as you would have thought! It definitely is worth the time and effort though when you see people enjoying the content you work hard on. Sometimes it can be hard if you have a break from social and come back and people seem to have forgotten about you, but got to try and remember the good times and get back into it. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Amy,
    https://creativenails.uk

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  23. This was a great read for me as I’m pretty new to the blogging world myself. Thank you for taking the time to put this together! Xx

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  25. Yay congrats on becoming 2!
    I have recently made a blog and these tips definitely help!
    I have only just started, but i totally get what you mean, its A LOT of work, but so worth it!

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  26. I definitely wish I knew how much time everything would take! To create a good blog post can take multiple days, especially with testing products. I always liked sharing my thoughts on products but actually explains why I think a product is good or bad can be challenging. Its so worth it though because I am creating content that I like, just like you said. Congrats again on the birthday and thanks for the tips!

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  28. I made so many mistakes when I set up my blog a few months ago. Wish I had done more research and read articles like this, but I was not even on Twitter at that point! Thank you.

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  29. Fantastic! Congratulations on your second anniversary. Having read this it’s good to know that I’m on the right lines and what I’m currently experiencing is ‘normal’ in the blogging world. Thank you.

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  30. I have always wanted to start a blog, and many times I did thinking, “Okay, this time I’ll stick to it and it’ll do and be great!” The whole “it will be great” was part of my problem though: I was more focused on stats than anything else. I’m still working to overcome that mindset, but it is definitely now easier. Great post, thank you for your honesty!

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  32. Great piece! I can definitely identify. Holy Cow… starting my blog was SO COMPLICATED! I had no clue what I was doing but that was also the most gratifying part. I built a little site on my own and I am growing each and every day. I think what I am enjoying most about this process is learning through the navigation of the blog community. There is so much out there, just waiting to be tapped into. I love it.

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  33. Great post . I launched my blog last week after prepping for about a year. I’m a little dismayed by how long it takes to do everything, but I’m getting better at writing down my workflow so I can just follow those steps each time. Somehow, I’ll figure it out!

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