Are You Facing Any of These 5 Fears of New Bloggers?
While there are many benefits to blogging, when you're just getting started it can seem like a journey full of risk and uncertainty. Whether it's a personal project, or a way to expand your business, blogging can quickly stir up fears surrounding things like lack of expertise or too much competition.
Fortunately, many fears related to blogging aren't as bad as they initially seem. Moreover, even some of the most debilitating fears that might be stopping you from taking the plunge – such as lack of time and low traffic volumes – can be overcome when you take the necessary steps.
In this post, we’ll introduce you to five of the most common fears of new bloggers. Then, you’ll learn how to overcome each one so you can start blogging successfully. Let’s get started!
1. You're Afraid You Lack Blogging Expertise
When you’re just starting out, you may feel as if you’re a bit too big for your boots. After all, who are you and why would anyone look to you for advice or knowledge?
The simple truth is, lack of expertise doesn’t matter. That is, as long as you dedicate the time necessary to create high-quality content.
Of course, even if you have all the time in the world, you may still feel like you can't possibly measure up to more experienced bloggers. Here are a couple of tips for overcoming this fear:
- Remember that all industry experts started at the beginning. Even if it seems that other bloggers have been experts from the beginning, that simply isn't true. There's always a learning curve.
- Use your lack of expertise as an asset. As a professional, it can be difficult to put yourself in the shoes of your readers. However, as a beginner, you have the unique ability to do just that.
As your blog grows, so will your level of expertise. But there’s nothing wrong with starting from scratch.
2. You're Scared Because You Have Very Little Traffic
For many bloggers, site traffic is a key indicator of success. Without said traffic, you may feel as if you’re a failure, unable to continue with your journey.
While site traffic statistics can certainly guide you in your endeavor, they shouldn’t be the only focus when determining your success. This is especially true if you’re just starting out.
To overcome this fear and give your traffic a boost, implement these two tips:
- Optimize your content for search engines. Building organic traffic through SEO can take a bit of time, but your efforts will soon pay off.
- Promote your site with social media. A strong social media presence can itself be an excellent source of quality traffic. See how other bloggers are navigating platforms like Facebook and Pinterest to grow their blogs.
While it might be tempting to spend a ton of time optimizing and promoting your content, remember that quality is key. If your content is good enough, others will start promoting it for you.
3. You Aren't Sure You Have Enough Ideas
Content ideation is difficult for even the most experienced bloggers, but that doesn’t stop them from blogging. It shouldn’t stop you, either.
This is actually one of the easier fears to overcome, as there are a number of tried and tested methods you can use to come up with ideas. For example, you can try the following:
- Explore popular niche blogs. Digging through the archives of your favorite niche blogs can provide inspiration.
- Use Google Keyword Planner for keyword ideas. With a bit of maneuvering, you can come up with an endless array of post ideas for your blog.
- Start with the headline. It may seem odd to build a post around a headline rather than an idea, but when you’re stuck, some clever headline templates can get you going.
The above three tips can get you started, but you'll soon be coming up with ideas in your sleep. The more you create, the more the ideas will flow.
4. You Don't Think You Can Standout in Your Niche
Completely new ideas and concepts might be hard to come by. However, as an individual like no other, you likely see things differently than those around you. This makes it possible to create a niche blog that’s all your own.
For example, lifestyle blogs are all the rage, but the blogger behind XO Mia found a way to combine her love of cosplay and fashion, and added her own ‘geeky' twist. As a result of her unique angle, she was able to carve out a spot for herself within the popular but saturated lifestyle niche.
So, if you’re worried about there already being too much competition, what can you do?
- Focus on creating authentic content. Your content, more than anything, will set you apart from other blogs in your niche. Incorporate personal experiences and give it that one-of-a-kind angle.
- Listen to your audience. Even if you don’t have much of an actual audience, you can take a few cues from your ideal audience. What community would you most like to serve, and which niche angle will enable you to do so?
With a bit of creativity, there’s lots you can do to make a name for yourself – even in the most saturated niches.
5. You Might Not Have Enough Time
While it’s important to spend time on your blog – producing quality content and engaging regularly with your readers – you can spend as little or as much time as you have available.
Time doesn’t matter as much as intent does. If you intend to build a successful blog, you’ll find a way. How?
- Make time for what matters most. You might have lots of great ideas, but you don't have to follow through with all of them. Prioritize the topics and content forms that you enjoy working on and that bring the most value to your readers.
- Stick to a consistent blogging schedule. Life can get hectic – that’s why a blogging schedule is vital if you’re serious about this endeavor.
- Hold yourself publicly accountable. Essentially ‘forcing’ you to stick to your schedule, posting a blogging schedule to your blog or social media platforms can help to keep you on track.
As the old adage goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Keep this in mind, and lack of time will no longer seem like an acceptable excuse.
Conclusion
You may always find a reason not to start a blog, including not having enough time or lacking expertise. These fears of new bloggers are common. However, if blogging is truly an endeavor you would like to undertake, then there are ways to get around some of the most common fears.
In the above post, we outlined five fears that tend to plague new bloggers, as well as how you can overcome them. To recap, they include:
- You lack expertise. Use this as an asset by answering questions and providing solutions to those in a similar situation.
- Your site has few visitors. Keep creating quality content, take some time to optimize it, and use social media to drive traffic.
- You don’t have enough ideas. Look to popular blogs in your niche, and utilize keyword research tools and other resources.
- There are already too many niche blogs. Focus on creating content with a one-of-a-kind and valuable angle.
- You don’t have enough time. Stick to a consistent blogging schedule, and hold yourself publicly accountable.
What's Next?
Are you still struggling with some of the fears of new bloggers face when it comes to starting your own blog? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Let us help you get started! By joining the 30 Day Blog Challenge for free we will help you get over those fears and become the blogger you have always wanted to be.
Image credit: Pixabay.
Tania Barnes says
I have a blog and as I type this response I realise I am coming up with reasons why I have my issues. eg I do not post a blog consistently enough, why? because I also have a youtube channel and trying to start my own art print business. Each of these things are connected. I need to get traffic to my website to put my work in front of potential customers. I am trying to increase my social media presence to gain a larger following so I can build an art career. I then end up spending so much time building social media I find I am not arting as often. To be honest, I pretty much know what I should be doing. I am just curious about your response to this.