How to Start a Blog
By Jessica Brodie
I’ve been blogging consistently for many years, and one of the questions I often get is how someone can get started as a blogger.
Blogging looks different for everyone, and there’s not one perfectly correct way to do it. Experts are divided on whether a blog can generate income, but for me, that’s definitely not why I do it. I blog to keep up a dialogue with the world about things God puts on my heart. Blogging also grows my audience and helps me stay relevant in an ever-changing world. As long as I’m blogging every week, I’m adding to the global conversation about things that truly matter and I’m growing, as well as meeting new people. It blesses me greatly when someone reads what I’ve written and emails me directly. (I try always to email back!)
If blogging is on your heart, I encourage you to do it.
Here, I share the basic steps about how to start a blog. If I can answer any questions, feel free to email and ask. Remember: We grow together, helping each other every step of the way.
1. Establish a website
Your website doesn’t need to be fancy. Sometimes, the simplest is best. Your website can be a free one (such as through Wordpress) or a stepped-up website that you design or pay for someone to design through a service like Squarespace (which I personally use).
There are downfalls to the free websites, and there are also varying levels of “free.” Wordpress.org or similar sites are entirely free, or you can buy your own special domain name (e.g. www.yourname.com). When I started, I paid for hosting and a domain name, but used a free service—Wordpress.com. But I also got hacked, even though I had plenty of protective measures, and when updates occurred or my website theme got older and I didn’t make time to update it, certain features stopped working. Since I switched to Squarespace, I have had zero problems, and it’s been incredibly easy.
Do what suits your budget, but don’t feel like you need to spend a lot to make this happen.
2. Set up an email list
An email list is basically a mechanism that allows you to collect email addresses from people who read your work and agree to give you their email so they can stay in touch with you and get notified when you write something new. (This is called “subscribing,” and people can also “unsubscribe” if they change their mind and don’t want to read your work anymore.) An email list is an important and extremely helpful tool, as you are able to grow an “audience” of readers who already like what you write and will be more likely to read it again.
There are a number of services you can use to establish your mailing list. These will give you a special code you can embed somewhere on your website that serves as a “signup form.” (You can take a look at mine here to see what this looks like.) I personally use Mailchimp, which charges me a monthly fee based on how many people are on my email list, also called my “subscribers.” I then use Mailchimp to email my blog to my subscribers every week. It’s very easy.
You don’t need to use Mailchimp, though—there are a number of other email services out there.
3. Entice people to join your email list
Some people will want to sign up to be on your email list because they already know and like you, or they love your writing and are eager to hear what you say. But many others do so because you offer them something helpful they can use. I created a free ebook that I give away to everyone who signs up for my email list (you can check it out here). Some people sign up to get the ebook, then decide what I write on my blog each week isn’t for them, so they unsubscribe. But the vast majority stay on and continue to get my blog week after week. So it becomes a win-win situation.
4. Establish a basic blogging routine and stick to it
It’s important to pick a blogging schedule and then keep it. I picked every Monday, and I’ve stuck to that. I share my blog to go live very early Monday morning, and I schedule my email service to share that blog an hour later to my email list.
You should craft your blogging routine based on what you can commit to. It can be once a week, once every other week, or once a month—whatever is best for you and your readers.
5. Pick your topic and your “brand.”
It sounds corny to think of yourself as a brand, but it can help to think of it that way. Really, though, what this is about is understanding who you are, why you write, what you typically write about, and who you are writing for. This latter one, the audience, is very specific: not just God, or your community, but specifically, which people do you envision wanting or needing to read your work).
For me, my “why” is “inspiring Christians with redemption stories that point to Jesus.” My audience is typically people who are already Christians or heading that way, and I write about everything from my personal (imperfect!) life to my identity in Christ to mental illness to striving to be a better disciple.
6. Write!
Then, write. And keep at it. Write when you need to, and when you have to be out of town, plan for it. Schedule blog posts in advance. Stay consistent.
7. Share
Finally, share your work every time it comes out. You can do this through your email list and also through social media. Every Monday and throughout the week, I also share my blog on social media so others outside my audience can see it, too.
If you need some tips on how to share and grow on social media, check out my article here on How to Get Started with Your Writing Platform.
8. Seek outside help if needed
There are professionals who can help you with social media, website building, and more, and fees vary.
Overall, blogging is fun and it can be a great way to share your thoughts and perspective with the world. It can also be a good way to help other people without ever leaving your home.
WANT TO HELP SPONSOR JESSICA BRODIE’S WRITING MINISTRY BY BECOMING A PATRON? CLICK HERE.
THANKS TO MY SPONSORS: MATT BRODIE, EMILY DODD, KATHLEEN PATELLA, BILLY ROBINSON, AND LANNY TURNER.
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