5 Things Nobody Tells You About When You Start Blogging
There are over 152 million blogs online. Indeed, as a blogger, you need to be prepared to face the competition. With two-thirds of all blog articles written in English, and over 34% of bloggers being new to the sector, it’s fair to say that you’ll have a tough job getting noticed.
However, you launched your blog with the knowledge that it would unlikely be a success overnight. Being prepared to learn new digital techniques and create regular content can help you achieve your goal. However, sometimes things can feel incredibly harsh, despite your best efforts. Here are 5 emotional and mental challenges that no blogger was prepared for:
#1. Hate comments
Social media platforms are essential to your promotion. As a blogger, you will need to build your presence on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or even Instagram. Unfortunately, being active online could expose you to unpleasant behaviour, such as hateful comments. Nobody wants to read threats and hurtful words in their feeds, and you can report these comments to the platform to remove the individuals. Remind yourself not to take their words to heart. Hate comments may feel personal, but they are not.
#2. Feeling that nobody reads your posts
Many bloggers work hard to build a personal presence but still struggle to achieve good rankings online. There is no secret: Blogs need readers. So, if your readers can’t find your blog, you could try and go where the audience is. Pitching articles on different platforms can help you make money online while blogging and reaching out to your audience. It can be a great way to promote your content to new readers. By positioning yourself as an expert in your area, you can build your readership and even convince people to subscribe to your blog!
#3. Doing your therapy in public
Being an honest blogger who shares openly about their thoughts, mood, emotions, and life experiences is no easy task. Bloggers must be willing to make themselves vulnerable under the scrutinising eye of their readers. It isn’t always a pleasant experience, but it is one that creates authenticity. So, if you are concerned about managing your own demons, it may be valuable to build your inner strength first with therapy from experts such as Three Seas Psychology Group, for example. The process of blogging should be liberating, so that’s why bloggers must ensure their mental health is strong.
#4. Being willing to try out new things
You can only blog about what you know — or at least, it’s the only way to write popular and impactful content. However, your readers also want to read something new every time they visit your blog. Therefore, bloggers must be open to new experiences. Nobody wants to read the same stuff over and over again.
#5. Facing your friends and relatives
Will the people who know you personally read your blog? The answer is yes. Not all of them may become regular readers. However, if you’ve written an article ranting about your latest weekend with your parents, and a few days later your mother reads it, don’t be surprised if she gets mad at you! In other words, don’t write things you don’t want your loved ones to see.
Whether you can make it a profitable venture or not, being a blogger is all about inviting people to discover your intimate thoughts. It takes courage and strength to bare it all in front of strangers. There will be good and bad days, but be emotionally prepared for your blogging journey.
I love this post! This is very true and I’ve been blogging for several years now. It’s funny how you mentioned friends and family, too. I didn’t know my family was reading my blog until I wrote about my experience moving out west – it was fairly personal but I didn’t think my parents actually read my blog. It turns out they did and they were a little offended. I’ve learned it’s best to protect the people in my life by never mentioning them by name and never mentioning negative things about them. There’s a lot of great people in the blogosphere.
I hope you enjoy your blogging journey. <3