Deep Dive into Five Things to Do Before Starting a Blog in 2021

When it comes to starting a blog, there are five things to do before starting a blog that many new bloggers don’t think about and I am here to help!

Deciding to Start a Blog in 2021

Are you thinking about starting your blog and you’re wondering where to start? I get tons of questions about the blogging side of things over on Instagram.  Most of you know I started my blog about two years ago and never stayed consistent with it. Keeping up with the blog got a little hard because my pregnancy with Aaliyah was hard, I had a toddler, and I had just started grad school. This year I decided that I would focus more on the blogging + youtube side of my business. Youtube has been successful since I got consistent. I post 2-3 times a week over on youtube, and I have seen progress on analytics here also since I started writing more.

I do research everyday about blogging its definitely an industry where there is something to learn all the time & there is absolutely NOTHING easy about it. It needs your attention 100000% for you to see your success. Put it this way you HAVE to treat it as a full-time job. You HAVE to make time for it. You can’t just think about it, and never act on it. You’ll have late nights and early morning but if you want it, you have to do it. I pretty much started from scratch this year but have reached one of my analytics goals because I started putting in the time. I wish I would have taken it seriously sooner. So here we go 5 things to do before you start a blog; prioritize, content strategize, set up a content calendar, choose a host, batch write a couple of posts, & social media strategize (ok, 6). These are all things I have learned + implemented this year that have helped me.

Five Things To do Before you Start a Blog

1. Prioritize

One of the things to do before you start a blog is… Prioritize. Prioritize your blog, your writing, your brand, your business. You have to prioritize writing and blogging into your every day or weekly schedule. Like I mentioned earlier you have to treat it like a job, doesn’t necessarily have to be a full-time job but definitely a part-time job. In your full-time job to be able to move to the top you have to put in the work, you have to prove yourself, you have to get SHIT done. Think of it exactly that way. Blogging isn’t easy and to be honest, I do Youtube + even though youtube isn’t easy I find it easier than blogging. There is so much that goes into blogging.

2. Content Strategize

Plan what you would like to write about (Your Niche) and get familiar with the SEO on that topic. This is definitely one of the most important things you need to do before you start a blog. SEO is SO important in the blogging industry because it’s how Google knows how to organize your content on when they should recommend it to others, and prioritize it on their search engine. Pinterest SEO is also important because Pinterest is also a search engine and works pretty similar to google. You can search for keywords for your blog post on sites like keysearch + on Pinterest you can search what’s trending in your niche by searching things on Pinterest.

When you choose your niche it also allows you to know who you are writing too and who your target audience is. It actually makes writing easier because you know what your audience whats to read and know. You open up your creativity to others who are interested in things you are passionate about. A couple of other things you need to before you start a blog while content strategizing are:

• Decide how many blog posts you want to write a week. This way you have a schedule on the amount of blog post your audience can expect weekly and can prioritize your time management to get writing done. Knowing the number of blog posts also allows you to come up with blog post ideas you want to write + and not constantly have to search.
• Organize the total post by the number of categories you plan to have. For example, my niche is Motherhood + Lifestyle and my categories are:
  • Motherhood, Lifestyle, Travel, Education, + Blogging

3. Content Calendar

Of ALL the things to do before you start a blog, this one is life-changing. At least for me, it has been. A couple of months ago I started a content calendar, this can look different for everyone. Some people plan months in advance and others plan on a weekly basis. You can have a handheld planer or something on your computer. My content calendar is planned two weeks at a time with the exception of any sponsored post. Sponsored posts are usually scheduled and planned for a month in advance, and I usually plan my weeks are the amount of sponsored content I may have that month.

I usually sit down on Sunday nights pull out my happy planner and fill it out for two weeks, I plan youtube videos, Instagram posts, and now I am incorporating blog posts I want to put out. Once it’s in my happy planner, I type everything out on the calendar on my computer, and color code it. This way I also have it on my phone and know exactly what needs to be put on a daily/weekly basis.

4. Batch Write

Batch writing is one of the things to do before starting a blog, I wish I did. I am currently still hoping to get one batch writing schedule. It makes all the difference when it comes to putting out blog posts. When you batch write your time is cut in half because the writing is also already done. Once you are ready to set the blog post live all you have to do is worry about correcting the post SEO and creating pins for Pinterest. Definitely recommend batch writing, I should recommend it to myself also LOL. I don’t always do it but when I have it makes things easier.

5. Social Media Strategize

When it comes to starting a blog you need to have a strategy. You want to come up with a way of how you’re going to get your blog post out to the world. Where is your audience coming from? How often are you going to promote your post? Where are you going to promote them? and set goals to how you’re going to incorporate everything to be as successful as it can be.

6. Choosing a Host.

When you start your blog you want to choose a host for your blog. I currently a wordpress hosted through siteground, I switched over from another host last year, and I am so glad I did. There tech support is absolutely amazing and have helped me at anytime of the day with anything I have ever needed. Seriously the best hosting site you could choose. Siteground has three different plans you can choose from StartUp, GrowBig & Go Geek with different prices for your needs. Do your research on the any host you’re thinking about going with, and go with the one you feel the less anxious about. Choosing a host and starting a blog is an investment but if its a dream, and you’re able to do it, I think you should go for it. I definitely recommend siteground.

Thats all for my things to do before starting a blog! As I come up with more things you should do I will share.  I hope this blog post has helped those of you interested in starting your own blog, and always feel free to comment down below or ask mw questions on instagram. I’m going to leave some more blogging/ influencer related post down below for you to check out that might interest you!

Related post for you to read:

• Influencer Networks for Bloggers 
• The Best Apps for Bloggers in 2020