YAY!! So you’re finally taking the plunge. You know the benefits of a blog and have decided to start one of your own.
There are some things we have to consider before we get into the nitty gritty. I know that your head is probably spinning with all of the choices, but this is an important one.
When I first started my blog, I decided that it was going to be a beauty blog. I wrote about skincare products, makeup techniques, etc. It has since evolved. I started implementing style tips, fitness, and blogging topics.
I’m here to tell you:
It’s totally okay to change the direction of your blog after you’ve already started.
The important thing is to start, see where it takes you, and adjust things along the way.
Backstory:
Just a few months ago, I was frustrated with the way things were going with my blog. I felt like I had grown out of my previous content. It wasn’t lighting me up anymore, or at least enough for me to continue writing about it all of the time.
I didn’t want to start a new blog though. So, with the help of this course, I figured out a way to make all of the things I wanted to write about… WORK! I’m still tweaking a few things, but I’m loving the progress so far.
If you are considering a multi-topic blog or already have one, but don’t know how to make it all make sense, I highly suggest Lena’s “How to Successfully Organize a Blog with Multiple Topics” course.
What’s your blog about?
Okay so first, let’s figure out what your blog is going to be about.
It’s easiest to start with a general category of the topics on your blog.
Some common ones are beauty, fashion, fitness, food, travel, etc.
To narrow it down, or not?
People have mixed views on this.
As mentioned earlier, I was crazy frustrated with figuring out what the heck my blog is about and who it’s for. I’ve accepted that I am a multi-topic blog and have figured out a way to make it all work, thanks to Lena Gott’s ebook on having a successful multi-topic blog. Her ebook helped me tremendously when I was doing an overhaul on my blog.
But, if you are super brand new, it may be easier to start with a topic and niche it down further.
For instance, for beauty, you could do: nails, natural beauty, skincare, organic makeup, cruelty free products, luxury makeup, etc…
For fashion you could do: college style, budget style, mommy style, high end luxury style, shoes, lingerie, etc.
It’ll be easier for you to start off with a more focused sub- topic, as you will attract people who are into the same things as you.
You could start off more broad, ie. makeup in general, but this is a bit more difficult for new readers to “connect” and to become a die hard fan, because there are so many general topic blogs out there.
Who is your blog for?
Is it for busy moms? For career driven men in their 30s? For the millennial woman who wants to live out her dreams of being an opera singer?
There are actual entire activities on this, and I highly suggest you Google “ideal customer avatar activity” to figure out who you’re writing for.
What makes your blog special? What makes you, YOU?
Think about your daily life, your hobbies and interests, where you live, etc. You want people to find a connecting point.
For instance, if you’re a new mommy that wants to get her groove back, and sneaks away during baby’s nap time to play with makeup, do that! Other mommys will instantly connect and fall in love with you.
Are you a college student who has high end taste but with a Target budget? Play on that, and show others how you slay in your designer dupes.
You want people to look at your blog, and be able to know if they love you or not. This will also help brands see the value and potential in working with you once you start wanting to work with brands .
Picking a name
This is the exciting part, right? Picking your blog’s name!
The easiest thing is to go with your name or nickname. This way, if you change your mind about it later on, you still own the domain and you can use it as a portfolio or something in the future.
If you don’t want to do that, here are some tips:
-Use a thesaurus to get ideas for new words. You never know what you may discover!
-Use a translator to see if perhaps a phrase you like sounds better in a different language.
-Look at some of your favourite bloggers to see what inspiration you can pull from them.
-Are there any song lyrics that you love? Quotes? Maybe see what you can do with those. You’d have to be careful not to get into any trouble with copyright infringement.
-If you’re really stuck, try a name generator like this one
Homework
Write up a list of names you like. Save this list, we’ll be needing it for the next step 😉
