Six Blogging Myths and Fears, Dissected
Start a successful blog without fear
For every successful blogger living the dream, there is always someone questioning whether the journey is even worthwhile.
There are reasons why most blogs are ultimately abandoned, as our success is often hindered entirely by self-doubt and a lack of discipline.
In fact, do you remember a time when you accomplished something thanks to confidence alone? Whether this happened as a child or at some point in your career, you probably felt unstoppable without caring about the many roadblocks life had placed in your path.
Now let’s take that same attitude and apply it to your blogging or work-at-home dreams.
In order to do that, I’d like to examine common blogging fears and marketing myths that may be preventing you from reaching success. Once these are out of the way, you can effectively start a successful blog and slowly grow it beyond your wildest dreams.
Myth: I Have to Blog Every Day
Let me make something clear before going further: Blogging frequency is entirely subjective.
Some people enjoy publishing three times a week, while others do it every 4-5 weeks and still manage to stay relevant.
So, how does the latter group get away with it? It all boils down to multiple factors such as:
- Subject matter and industry
- The post’s usefulness
- The type of marketing and promotion implemented
Take SEO guru Brian Dean, for example. This guy’s articles are so thorough that it generally takes him several weeks to compose a new one.
He ensures that every single piece has everything the reader could possibly be looking for, including a wide range of statistics, A/B test results, and everything in between.
Other times a blog post may be much more casual in nature, but equally useful for the author’s target audience.
Simply put, blogging frequency is not as black & white as many would have you believe. Thus, the ability to start a successful blog does not necessarily depend on this alone.
Don’t let this common blogging fear stop you, even if it means publishing once per month depending on the overall approach.
Fear: I Don’t Know What to Talk About!
Unless your niche is unbelievably narrow, there will always be new things to discuss.
Let’s remember that you selected a blog niche based on experience (I hope). This immediately gives you access to a monumental amount of subjects from the get-go.
Ideas are all scrambled in your head until you finally sit and start taking notes. That’s when suddenly everything clears up and you become an unstoppable force.
I also suggest the following for developing new blog post ideas:
- Bookmark and visit other blogs in your niche. Read them on a regular basis.
- Read and participate in niche forums and social media groups. Reddit.com is split into thousands of groups (Subreddits). Pick one.
- Pay attention to your favorite TV shows, as they will often trigger an Aha! Moment when you least expect it.
- Pay attention to everyday conversations. People regularly reveal an ongoing problem or a nagging curiosity. Find a way to connect it to your chosen blog niche.
Even if your next blog topic doesn’t warrant a long and thorough article, go ahead and write something anyway. Why? Because length, too, is entirely subjective.
This now brings me to my next point…
Myth: I Don’t Have Time to Blog
I’ll just go ahead and call bullshit on this one… in most cases, at least.
Granted, there are people who genuinely don’t have the time required to blog. Take a single mom of three kids and two jobs, for example. Plus the fact that she may go to the gym whenever possible.
I get it…
Sadly, I have seen too many cases where “no time to blog” actually means “I choose to do something other than blogging.”
You see, it’s easy to confuse a lack of time with a lack of drive.
If you really, really think about it, most of us could use some help in the time management department. Here are some relatively painless things you should consider:
Do you normally watch four hours of TV per day? Let’s lower that to three hours – at least once per week.
Do you spend two hours playing Halo, Mario, or Zelda? Again, let’s sacrifice some time once or twice per week.
Do you enjoy sleeping in late? Me too, but I got in the habit of getting up 30-45 minutes earlier on some days.
Do you see a trend here? None of the above suggestions are asking you to sacrifice something to the fullest or every single day.
A little compromise goes a long, long way.
Prioritize
Prioriza
priorità
Unahin
Let me know if you need this translated into additional languages. But I’m sure you get the point…
That being said, I understand that everyone’s situation is different, so it’s not my intention to pretend that I know you or your personal struggles.
Needless to say, my point is for you to find a loophole in your life – no matter how small – and modify it accordingly.
That tiny amount of time could snowball to form real blogging success over time. Start a successful blog and feed it slowly, but surely.
Fear: I Don’t Have Anything Groundbreaking to Contribute
While you should always try to deliver great content, many people think they have to actually reinvent the wheel.
You don’t necessarily need to be the next sensation to make money from home. Just be helpful to your audience (you’ll instinctively know how).
And here’s something else, in case you haven’t yet noticed: The world revolves around rehashing ideas. It’s sad, but true.
Here’s a little exercise:
- Go to Google and type “Internet marketing”
- Inspect a handful of blogs thoroughly
I’m sure you will notice a lot of similar subjects. From getting more traffic to promoting your Instagram to building a bigger mailing list. The list goes on and on. We have all talked about these things at some point (myself included).
And yet, bloggers keep publishing away and their articles are actually pretty damn useful…
Do you know why? It’s because each article has a unique perspective. These posts carry the author’s unique signature, which allows them to teach from personal experience.
This means that people will usually learn something new even if you cover the same exact subject.
Myth: My Blog Niche is Saturated
The case of market saturation is highly debatable and bloggers are often divided. This is perhaps one of the biggest blogging fears among many of us.
On one hand, competing in a particularly rough arena is usually an uphill battle. On the other hand, you can still make a splash with the right combination of marketing and connections.
The problem with the latter is that it requires extensive, ongoing work.
Let’s say, for example, that you start connecting with relevant players in your niche. These guys happily link back to your blog after you follow some proper outreach guidelines.
You also have the money for monthly advertising through Google AdWords and/or other networks (this is helpful, but only optional).
While success may still take a while, you could still come out a winner within a reasonable amount of time.
After all, nobody said this would be easy – just doable.
Fear and Myth: Reaching Mass Success is Unlikely
Finding success with your blog is as hard as:
a) Landing a job at McDonald’s
b) Becoming the President of the United States
In other words: It depends.
Reaching your blogging goals will largely depend on everything already explained above, including outreach efforts and the strategies involved on a regular basis.
Now, the Question is…
Are you willing to experience that kind of pain?
Monetary rewards like this one and this one might be worth all the blood, sweat and tears. What do you think?
Remember, you don’t need to dominate your blog niche or live like a Kardashian to be declared successful…
You only need a very small piece of the pie.
Whenever someone discourages you, remember that earning even 1% of a million-dollar industry is just fine and dandy.
So find yourself a suitable work environment, get comfortable, and embrace a great future as a blogger.
Side notes: There are many other reasons why people abandon their blogs (technical difficulties, not developing a habit, and so on). But that discussion should be saved for a future post, as it gives way to the benefits of outsourcing and other methods.
Your Turn
What kind of blogging fears used to hold you back? Are you still struggling with certain aspects of blogging? What measures have you taken to start a successful blog and keep it going strong?
