Complete Guide On Starting And Maintaining A Blog
Starting and maintaining a blog can be a lot of work. But if you’re here, chances are you’re passionate about it.
Let me assure you, absolutely you can and should continue with your blog.
Yes, it takes time and effort. But It’s worth it.
Take me for example!
My name is Bivu M and I have been blogging since couple of years. It’s a fun way for me to connect with others and share experiences through my blogs. Also quickly I saw there is potential to monetize and grow my audience. Since I have enough experience in SEO and social media marketing, I used those skills to create few different niche blogs that gained traction. Now, I’ve been blogging full time for 5 years and I’ve never looked back!
So I’m here to tell you that you can and should keep going with your blog.
One of the things that helped me tremendously was having blog post templates, so that when I go to write a new blog post I can ensure I’m writing it the most effectively.
I’ve been blogging since many years and in that process I’ve gone from fumbling around with learning how to start a blog, to perfecting a step-by-step writing process that brought my blogs over 300k readers last year alone.
And I did this without sticking to a specific, narrow niche, while exploring new places full time.
Bottom line, if I can do it, so can you.
What’s You Are Going To Learn In This post?
This post explores different styles of blog posts and provides practical tips for effective writing.
What You’ll Learn:
- Creating Impactful Conten:t Discover strategies to craft engaging and meaningful blog posts.
- Content People Want + SEO Tips: Understand the types of content that attract readers and how to optimize them for search engines.
- Turning Readers into Followers: Learn techniques to convert casual readers into loyal blog followers.
- Ready-to-Use Blog Post Templates: Access templates that make creating blog posts easier.
So let’s get started!
How to Create Content That Matters
It’s true, blogging can be intimidating. Staring at a blank, white screen can be daunting, especially if you’re starting from scratch. But don’t worry, I’ve created blog post templates to help you overcome writer’s block and increase your website visitors. All you need to do is fill in the blanks.
With these templates, you’ll never have to start the blogging process from scratch again. They provide a roadmap to help you succeed. However, before we can get there, we need to figure out how to grow our blogs, retain readers, and make a lasting impression.
Stay calm. By being here, you’ve already made the right choice.
Blog posts should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, just like a story. You wouldn’t leave someone hanging in the middle of a plot, nor would you leave them at the end without a resolution. However, blogs have one unique component: ACTION. We want readers to take action after reading our posts, right? Absolutely! By encouraging action, we help build a connection, turning casual readers into loyal followers.
So, blogging can be very frightening, right? Staring at a blank, white screen can be extremely frightening, especially if you’re beginning from scratch. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with some useful blog post templates to assist you overcome writer’s block and increase website traffic. Simply fill in the fields, and you’re ready to go.
With some templates, you won’t have to start blogging from scratch again. They give you a clear path to success. But before we get started, we need to find out how to expand our blogs, keep people coming back, and leave an impact.
Relax. You’re already on the right track simply by being here.
Think of your blog entries as a tale. They should have a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. You wouldn’t leave someone hanging in the middle of a story, and you certainly wouldn’t want to leave them without a satisfying conclusion. But here’s a twist, blogs require ACTION.
We want our readers to take action after they’ve read our blogs, right?
Exactly! By promoting action, we can convert casual readers into dedicated followers.
So keep this in mind when you write your blog content.
Almost every day, I get mails from some blogger friends, asking if their blog is ready to go. Most of the time, they want to know if they can use their blog to sell a product or service. And I always say, “Whoa, wait a minute.”
Here are some questions to consider:
- Are you getting consistent pageviews?
- Have you built an email list?
- Are your social media channels up to date?
- Is your blog or business branded?
- Most importantly, do you have foundational content?
Foundational content is the excellent, intriguing material that sets you apart from the rest. It’s informational, artistic, emotive, or a combination of these. When someone reads it, they’re moved to follow you, share your content, or read more of your writing.
Essentially, foundational content is what supports your blog. It makes people want to follow and share.
When I started my blogging journey, I didn’t plan to do this full-time. But as I progressed, I realized how much time, work, and enjoyment go into creating content. I used to think it was all about quantity when publishing blog posts. Fortunately, I was wrong. Quality is definitely the key.
I decided to write a business plan for my blog. I figured out what was working, what wasn’t, how to drive real traffic to my site, and how to monetize. I came up with blog post templates that helped me to literally triple my traffic, and I created an email list to keep readers engaged.
I quit my job. That was five years ago, and I haven’t looked back since.
The point here? You need a plan. And that’s just what this blog post is here to help you with.
To create great content, you need to treat your blog like a business. Essentially, you are selling yourself to readers. Will they “buy” your content?
Seven psychological triggers that influence persuasion
To sell, you have to know what motivates people to buy. There are seven psychological triggers that influence persuasion:
- Avoiding pain: If you’re selling something that can alleviate stress, discomfort, or pain, emphasize that.
- Pursuit of pleasure: With as much stress as we deal with, anything that brings consumers joy or pleasure is bound to attract them.
- The power of “new”: Studies have shown that novelty boosts the release of dopamine, so if you’ve got something unique to offer, then people are likely to buy.
- The need to know why: Why should someone buy something? What will it do for them? Make sure you have copy that explains this, and use the word “because.”
- Social proof: If other people like it, it must be good. Having testimonials or reviews provides new customers with social proof and a better reason to buy.
- The desire to belong: People want what everyone else has because it makes them feel like they belong. This concept is great for promoting popular items on your site.
- The fear of missing out: People don’t want to miss out on a good thing, so when you’ve got a good sale going on, make it urgent. Since nobody wants to miss out on a good sale, they’re more likely to buy.
Don’t worry if you feel your writing doesn’t “fit” into these categories. The point is to create content that encourages people to read, which can come in many forms!
Your Unique Blogging Voice
To truly succeed in blogging, the first step is to find and share your unique voice. Let your passion and purpose shine in every post.
Rather than getting bogged down with niches, focus on being recognized for your distinct writing style. Your voice is what shapes how people see you and helps them understand what you care about.
Think of Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.” She desperately wanted her voice back because it was an essential part of her identity.
In the same way, your blogging voice is key to who you are. Don’t stress about fitting into a specific niche. Successful bloggers often cover a wide range of topics, but what makes them stand out is their unique voice.
They have a way of writing or speaking that makes their content instantly recognizable. This helps with building your brand and attracting meaningful traffic to your blog. The best way to stand out online is to develop your voice and let it be heard. Your unique blogging voice will carve out your space in the crowded online world.
With so many bloggers out there, figuring out what makes you unique can be challenging. However, when your blog posts are filled with your personality and individuality, you naturally stand out. If you’ve ever read a blog and thought, “I’d love to be friends with this person!” then you’ve experienced the power of a strong, authentic voice shining through.
Make sure your message is crystal clear
Grasp your message with such clarity that it becomes almost tedious to you. Delve deep into the essence of what you want to be recognized for and distill it into a succinct, unforgettable phrase that’s uniquely yours. Picture this: newcomers are constantly discovering you, unfamiliar with your story. Or perhaps others forget. Remind them frequently. I often emphasize that I relocated abroad and crafted a blog to sustain my lifestyle.
I’ve recounted my “blog story” countless times. And I’ll persist. It intrigues, explains who I am, and invites people to join my journey. My narrative is my why, and it needs to be unforgettable.
Recently, on my Instagram story, I raved about a candle I adore, detailing why it was my favorite and what it evoked for me. My followers christened it the “Helene candle” and flocked to Target to buy it, sharing their purchases on Instagram.
That’s invaluable advertising!
Every share has a story, one that can be memorable and engaging for your audience.
Identify what you’ll say about yourself. Find your unique phrase so people remember you.
Practice Practice & Practice
Avoid being a mere replica of someone else.
But how do you carve out a niche that’s entirely your own? These guiding questions will light the way:
- What do your ideal readers crave?
- What significant issue do they face that you believe you can resolve?
- What’s your unique approach to solving this issue?
- What topic can you discuss endlessly with passion?
Once you have your answers, the magic happens when you blend them together.
Here’s how you can do it:
- What do your ideal readers crave? They want to embrace life fully, create passion projects from their blogs and Instagram, and embark on adventures.
- What significant issue do they face that you believe you can resolve? Discovering their unique voice and attracting genuine followers.
- What’s your unique approach to solving this issue? By sharing research-backed strategies that I’ve successfully implemented with my clients and myself.
- What topic can you discuss endlessly with passion? Living life to the fullest.
When you fuse these elements, you create something distinctively yours.
WHAT IS A “BLOGGING VOICE?”
Ah, the elusive “blogging voice!” It’s your unique way of writing, the tone you set, the words you choose.
But it’s so much more than that.
Understand this, not everyone will love your voice, and that’s perfectly okay! If we aimed to please everyone, we’d drown in the vast ocean of bloggers. Like contestants on The Bachelor, you must be in it for the right reasons.
- Ask yourself, why are you writing?
- What message are you conveying to your readers?
- WHY should they read this?
Your voice will evolve. It requires effort, but you’ll discover what resonates with you. Many perceive a voice as merely the words we use. While that’s part of it, it’s not the whole story.
For example, there’s a blogger whose cutesy phrases make me cringe, yet it works for her.
Many believe they must follow a script or adopt a specific tone.
I believe there are various approaches to finding your voice. Let’s dive in.
How To Find Your Blogging Voice
Passion
Before delving into specifics, identify what ignites your passion.
What infuriates you?
What excites you?
Understanding these will guide you in choosing topics to write about.
Whatever your passion or subject matter, infusing your personality is crucial. I love traveling. Even when not writing about it, my passion for travel is evident. I also adore EDM music, dogs, queso, lipstick. Blogger Sarah of Venus Trapped in Mars is known for her love of pizza. This aspect of her persona resonates with her audience.
Personality
How do friends and family describe you? Outgoing? Bold? Reserved? I’m bubbly, energetic, and often use superlatives. A friend once said I use superlatives more than anyone she knows. It’s true. I tend to have strong opinions.
Recently, in a book review, I wrote, “Anyone giving this five stars must have been paid or has a brain aneurysm.” The author personally reached out after reading my comments.
The key is to write about various subjects while showcasing your personality. Embrace your quirks. Happy to Wander excels at this. She writes about her travels in a way that makes you want to befriend her immediately. I literally emailed her saying, “Can we be friends?”
Tell a Story
Many bloggers stick to straightforward facts. That’s fine, but I want to know about YOU. The essence of a blog is to provide a unique perspective. One way to achieve this is through storytelling. This is my favorite method of infusing personality. If you struggle with words or phrases, don’t worry. Focus on crafting a relatable story.
Taylor of The Daily Tay is a master storyteller. Readers flock to her blog to see what she’ll write next.
Despite covering a range of topics – her life, t-shirt business, dogs, thoughts – people return for her unique voice.
Remember, your story doesn’t have to resonate with everyone.
Read
Reading is invaluable. When I find a book I love, I write in the margins, fold pages, circle passages. I recently did this with several books that spoke to me. I constantly draw inspiration from bloggers, authors, and podcasters. This helps me find my voice. It’s not copying. It’s recognizing nuances and how they align with your own style.
ESSENTIALS THINGS YOU NEED SET UP AT THE START
Hosting – The cornerstone of any website: a visually stunning platform that not only captivates but also ensures steadfast viewership. Yet amidst the digital labyrinth, glitches and downtimes lurk.
I’ve weathered my fair share of site hiccups over time, prompting a relentless pursuit of the ultimate blogging host.
Enter hostinger.com—my steadfast companion for years, vouched for and embraced.
Seamless Social Sharing – Picture stumbling upon an uproarious puppy salsa-dancing video. It elicits hearty laughter, prompting an urge to share this gem with friends.
But wait, the share button malfunctions! Faced with a dilemma, do you squander minutes seeking alternatives, resort to screenshots, or simply move on?
Time is precious; ease is paramount. Enter SumoMe—unobtrusive, omnipresent on my blog’s left flank, effortlessly trailing as you peruse posts. It’s streamlined, intuitive—a click, and your share is airborne.
Another standout is Social Warfare—a premium plugin streamlining social dissemination, amplifying your blog’s reach. Regardless of choice, empower readers with the share option—every moment counts.
YOU NEED TO CREATE GREAT CONTENT
Great content has a deep impact on its readers because it reminds them of how important they are, gives them hope or faith in bigger picture situations, tells interesting stories, shows authenticity, makes people feel things, surprises them (in a good or bad way), confirms assumptions, guides readers on life-changing journeys, challenges established beliefs, thoroughly entertains, and offers new points of view.
When we blog, we have the unique ability to go into great detail about things we love. But the most important thing is that our material fits with what our audience wants. When writing blog posts, it’s important to think about what your readers like best—the things they want to share, comment on, or follow.
Think about writing a few posts that will be the foundation of your blog. These pieces not only bring you regular visitors, but they also make you look like an expert, which opens up new growth opportunities. That’s what foundational material can do.
Why should you put basic content creation first?
SOLVE A PROBLEM
To put it simply, it gets the most shares and comments. It’s what holds your blog together and shapes your web presence. For me, my core posts always do better than others, getting ten times as much traffic. Their success comes from how useful, unique, and interesting they are.
The main goal of your foundational material should be to help people solve problems. By solving a problem, you not only become a useful resource, but also an authority in your niche. Here are some examples to show what I mean:
- Tips for Beginning Photographers That You Need to Know
- Making beautiful handlettering with just one powerful method
- Starting Your Own Etsy Shop: A Full How-To Guide
- Choosing a Healthier Way of Life: Your Complete Guide
- Sharing a Budget-Friendly Way to Save $500 Every Month
- The Complete Guide to Running a Successful Business
- How to Clean Your Home Perfectly: The Whole Story
- How to Choose the Right Clothes: Three Important Rules
- How to Get Good at Photographing Client Pose
- 10 Effective Ways to Reduce Stress and Improve Health
- How to Paint Art for Your New Home: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Plan Your Romantic Honeymoon in France, Step by Step
Each blog post title has an educational purpose and gives the reader important information.
Also, all of these headlines have one thing in common: their names are very interesting. These names grab people’s attention, making them want to click and interact with your content instead of scrolling past.
Your blog posts should not only be informative, but they should also have interesting names that grab the reader’s attention right away.
It doesn’t matter how good your information is if your headline doesn’t get people to click on it. The lead needs to grab people’s attention and make them want to click through right away.
Great Examples of Extremely Engaging INTERACTIVE Headlines from Other People:
Example: When should you really work out, and how hard should you work out?
We’re all looking for that mysterious formula that will keep us healthy. This title gets right to the point of what the story is about.
Example: “Europe’s Best Kept Secrets” sounds interesting, doesn’t it?
Of course! We all want to find those secret gems.
Example: 20 Easy, Healthy Lunch Ideas You Can Make Ahead of Time –
Adding a number is a great idea that will lead to many more ideas.
Even though you have great content and an interesting headline, you’re still missing one important thing: a unique, branded picture.
Your fonts or personal pictures should be used in this picture. (You can still use stock pictures, though.)
Making foundational content is important for building your popularity and growing your blog.
This kind of material makes people want to interact with and share your posts.
These three things are necessary for great core content:
1.Content that is useful and interesting.
2. A Unique, Branded Voice and Image.
3. Put in your best effort when writing these posts.
Give your readers something new and useful that they can’t get anywhere else. It needs to be one-of-a-kind and unavailable elsewhere.
The most important thing is to write about things you’re interested in. Your excitement is what will keep you going.
That’s the main point, right?
WHY USE A TEMPLATE FOR A BLOG POST?
Templates work really well because they focus on two important metrics for Google (the best search engine!) and Pinterest: Time On Platform and Engagement.
You can use Google and Pinterest as search tools. When people are looking for information and find your content and stay on it for a while because it is useful, detailed, and relevant, that tells these sites, “YES, this is the right answer.” As a result, they keep promoting your material online.
On the other hand, if your content doesn’t provide value or meet user standards, and they quickly click away, Google and Pinterest will notice and make your content less visible.
Think about this situation:
“The best things to do in Corfu, Greece” is typed into Google. Your blog post is one of the first ones that come up. The reader will be interested for 5 minutes because it’s a complete guide with useful tips. For Google, this means, YES! Keep putting this post up because it’s useful. That’s pretty much what SEO is all about.
Search engines want to give users relevant results, and they are always making their algorithms better to figure out which content on the internet gives users the best, most useful, and correct information.
Position 1, 2, 3, etc., or page 1, 2, or 3 — that’s what the system does.
You can make your blog more visible and reach more people if you understand and use these concepts.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE SAYING “THE BEST PLACE TO HIDE A BODY IS ON PAGE 3 OF GOOGLE”?
It’s astonishingly true. You crave your content to be on the first page, ideally within the top couple of positions, to secure that immensely precious traffic.
Crafting a blog post that is not only well-written but also optimized for search engines (don’t fret, it’s easier than it seems!) can significantly boost your traffic and increase the chances of landing on Google’s first page. AND, it keeps readers engaged
When you develop foundational content, you can leverage this to gain followers and newsletter subscribers.
Now, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty, the how-to of it all. Blogging can be daunting. Store your ideas. I capture and organize everything using Evernote. The best part? Evernote is FREE! Regardless of your chosen method of organization, ensure it’s simple. Simplicity increases the likelihood of follow-through.
Before diving into SEO, images, and all the other elements, I just WRITE using my templates. I utilize my blog for this. Then, I go back, edit, and add details.
Creating meaningful content allows you to share your knowledge while establishing yourself as an authority figure.
Consider the types of foundational content you can create. This content should inform and demonstrate (not merely tell) something new to your readers.
What topics do you love discussing on your blog? What questions do you receive from readers, or what questions did you have when you first started with {insert topic here}—be it Pilates, cooking, graphic designing?
Discovering Your Why
With a topic in mind, it’s time to ponder your WHY.
What is the purpose of your post (i.e., who does this help)?
How does writing this post benefit you? (This could be for gaining traffic, authority, establishing your online presence, acquiring newsletter or blog subscribers, followers, or creating relationships with key individuals to help you grow.)
Conduct your research. Examine similar posts online to identify how your content differs.
SEO – AND WHY IT’S GREAT
Imagine that every writer worked hard on their posts and longed for them to be read, liked, and praised. But wait, it’s not just making up stories and crossing your fingers, wishing for the best. It’s not about that. It’s about being responsible, making plans, and diving deep into the world of SEO.
Step 1: Share, share, share!
Give your information wings instead of just letting it sit there. Spread it around on social media, newsletters, and other channels to make sure it gets people who are ready to interact with it.
Step 2: Do a lot of research.
It’s very important to know how to get your material found. It can make a huge difference if you learn how to do SEO study for Google, Pinterest, and other search engines.
The Fear of SEO Is Not Real!
A lot of blogs get nervous just thinking about SEO. Let’s get rid of that fear right now, though. That thing under the bed isn’t there. Promise!
Long gone are the days when a few pictures and a few hundred words were enough. Things have changed for Google. It’s now about quality, depth, and need. I mean blog posts that are at least 1,000 words long and full of useful information.
Plans for my trips: The Outline
Take my trip plans as an example. They’re not just any posts; they’re 3,000-word monsters that were carefully written to:
Give Readers Unique Insights: Give readers information they can’t find anywhere else.
Beat the Competition: Being thorough is important. My posts are thorough and full of details.
Use keyword research: My best friends are tools like Keysearch.
Add visual aids. For trip posts, maps are a must.
Help People: Each piece is meant to answer specific questions from readers.
If you tick all of these boxes, you’ll be ready to succeed. Every post you make turns into a powerhouse that moves you up the ranks and puts your hard work where it belongs: in the spotlight.
Before you start your journey to rank for keywords, you need to do a lot of study.
Here is a plan:
Evaluating Difficulty: Is it possible for us to rank for this term, or is there too much competition?
Taking a Look at Search Volume: Is this term being searched for by enough people every month to make it worth it?
What if you found a term like “roach-themed birthday party”? It might be easy to rank for, but is anyone looking for it? Not likely.
We want to find keywords that get a lot of searches but aren’t too competitive. In order to do this, you need a dependable tool. KeySearch stands out as one of the best choices, and it’s also pretty cheap.
How to Use KeySearch
Type in a word or phrase you want to look up to use KeySearch. You can use the tool’s monthly search volume, keyword difficulty score, the top 10 competing URLs, and a list of similar keywords with their own metrics to help you decide if you want to write content around that keyword. Since it only costs $24 a month, it’s a good deal.
Getting the Most Out of KeySearch
Some things can make your use of KeySearch better:
Domain Authority, or DA, was created by Moz: DA is a number that tells you how likely it is that your site will rank based on things like your link profile, bounce rate, average time on page, link popularity, and the trustworthiness of the sites that link to you. Your DA may go up a lot if, say, Forbes or another high-authority site links to your material.
To be good at keyword study, you need to find the point where search volume and rankability are just right. KeySearch is a great tool that can help you with this because it gives you the information you need to make smart choices and move your content plan forward.
Let’s figure out how to do keyword research
It’s free of charge! This measure will show you how likely you are to rank highly.
Now, people whose names are less than three years old can expect their rank to change from 1 to 50.
Look over the search volume
The important thing is to make sure that a lot of people look for your keyword every month. A search number of at least 100 queries per month is usually a good standard. It’s simple: more searches mean more possible visitors.
Check How Hard It Is to Find Keywords
It is very important to figure out how hard it is to rank for a phrase. Let’s say I want to rank for “Best European places to visit in October.” I get a thorough report that tells me how tough the competition is when I put this into KeySearch.
You can carefully place your content to quickly move up the search engine ranks if you know about these factors: domain authority, search volume, and keyword difficulty.
Here’s a sign of success in the sea of search queries, 320 searches per month. Not bad at all! With a value of 42, the complexity score is a soft yellow that suggests potential. It’s neither too hard nor too easy.
Keysearch is a world where challenge comes in different shades. Green means easy, yellow and orange mean hard, and red means Herculean. We now move on to the “SERP Analysis.” Our job is to find the current giants of these keywords. If the ranks were made up of only blogs, we might win. But if huge sites like CNTraveler or US News take over, there’s more to discover.
These huge things are on either side of the term we are looking at. CNTraveler and US News are so big that it looks like we won’t be able to get noticed. In this way, our attention moves to similar words. It comes out as “Places to Visit in Europe in October,” which looks like a good candidate for this complicated dance of finding.
If someone is brave enough to go after tough keywords, they might get traffic, but if they want a safer road, they should go after keywords with less competition.
Okay, let’s learn how to use our chosen keyword in a blog post without making it stand out. But be careful—we don’t want to make the text too busy with it. We want to keep a voice that sounds natural and real. This is how you should do on-page SEO:
Title: Make sure it stands out and has lots of keywords.
First Paragraph: Add it without any problems.
URL: Something like www.example.com/places-europe-october.
Meta Description: Write an interesting snippet.
Images: Give your items smart names.
Subheadings: Make good use of the H2 and H3 tags.
Let’s see how this works out in real life. This is what I’ll call my blog post:
“The Best Places to Visit in Europe in October”
This is how I’ll start:
“Ah, October in Europe then.” It’s just the best. There are festivals, treats with pumpkin flavour, and a bite in the air. Having lived in Europe for three years, I’ve picked out the best places to visit in October. Get your favourite thick jumper ready, and let’s go!”
Take a look at how the term is tucked in there.
This is what the subheadings say:
The best places to visit in Europe in October
In October, the weather is best in Europe.
Italy’s best October festivals
In October, there are many cheap places to visit in Europe.
France’s best beaches in October
Top European Places to Visit in the Autumn
How did I pick these out? By using KeySearch to look into similar keywords. To rank for these subtopics as well as the main keyword, you need to cast a larger net.
Think of H2 tags as parts of a book. Each one takes the reader through a different part of the post, which makes it easier to read and better for SEO. It also helps people find the information they need.
Now that our blog has a lot of readers (yay!), we want to keep them interested. We want them to look at all of our posts, follow us on Instagram, and yes, buy our goods in the end.
How to Convert Readers into Followers
Crafting an Email List and Offering Incentives
YOU PROBABLY KNOW THIS, BUT IT BEARS REPEATING: WE DON’T JUST WANT PEOPLE TO READ OUR BLOGS. NOPE, WE WANT THEM TO TAKE ACTION. WE WANT FOLLOWERS.
We crave engagement, a deeper connection, an active response. Whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for services, or any other goal you have in mind when they land on your site. It’s all about turning passive readers into active followers.
Why Followers Matter
A true follower doesn’t just read one post and vanish; they keep coming back for more. They stick around, engage, and become part of your community. We need to entice people, give them a compelling reason to follow us, to subscribe to our newsletter.
The Power of an Email List
Why go through the hassle of creating an email list? What’s the point, really? When you craft a newsletter, you own it. It’s your direct line to your audience, a personalized channel to communicate and connect. There’s an old saying: “the money’s in the list.” And it’s true. A massive list isn’t necessary to make an impact.
When I launched my first course, Instagram for Beginners, my email subscriber count was under 1,000. Yep, fewer than 1,000. But that didn’t stop me. It shouldn’t stop you either. Start now, even if you’re at zero.
Just begin from here, kit.com offers a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, so you have nothing to lose!
Making money from your blog while keeping readers coming back
Building and Leveraging an Email List for Your Blog
Creating an email list is one of the best strategies to monetize your blog and maintain an engaged audience. By having a list of emails, you establish a direct line to your readers, building trust and keeping them informed with exclusive content, freebies, and special offers.
Benefits of an Email List
- Direct Communication: An email list provides a direct connection to your audience, enhancing engagement and trust.
- Exclusive Content: Subscribers can access material and deals that aren’t available on your blog, adding value to their subscription.
- Targeted Messaging: You can segment your list to send tailored messages to specific groups, which is more precise than social media targeting.
- Increased Traffic and Sales: Newsletters drive repeat visits to your site and can significantly increase conversions, whether it’s selling products or services.
Differentiating Email Subscriptions
To clarify, we’re not talking about an “RSS Email Subscription,” where subscribers receive an email every time you post with the post’s content. Instead, we mean a real email subscription with custom-written emails sent to your list independently of your blog posts.
Key Points to Cover
1. Why Create an Email List?
- Build Relationships: Consistent communication with your audience helps build strong relationships.
- Drive Engagement: Exclusive offers and content keep your audience engaged and coming back.
- Monetization: An engaged email list can be a significant revenue stream through sales, affiliate marketing, or services.
2. Types of Email Messages
- Newsletters: Regular updates with curated content, announcements, and personal messages.
- Promotional Emails: Special offers, discounts, or sales announcements.
- Educational Emails: Valuable content, tips, and resources that solve your audience’s problems.
- Automated Sequences: A series of pre-written emails that are sent automatically to subscribers over time.
3. Steps to Create an Email List from Scratch
- Choose an Email Marketing Service: For example, ConvertKit is highly recommended due to its user-friendly interface and powerful features.
- Create a Signup Form: Design an attractive form to capture emails. Place it prominently on your blog.
- Offer an Incentive: Give away a freebie like an eBook, checklist, or exclusive content to encourage sign-ups.
- Promote Your List: Use social media, guest posts, and collaborations to promote your email list.
- Engage and Nurture: Send regular, valuable emails to your subscribers to keep them engaged and interested.
By carefully selecting who to send emails to and how people opt-in, you can achieve a level of precision that social media can’t match. It’s well-documented that newsletters bring readers back to your site and increase the likelihood of them taking you up on your offers, like buying your products or signing up for your services.
Recommended Tool
- Kit.com: It’s a powerful email marketing service that’s perfect for bloggers. It offers easy-to-use features for creating and managing your email list, automations, and more.
By following these steps, you can build a successful email list that not only drives traffic but also increases revenue from your blog.
Let me tell you about the email service that has caught my eye more than any other. The name of it is Kit.com, and I’m totally stoked about it. It’s clear that this site was made by bloggers for bloggers. The design is flawless and easy to use, making the whole experience smooth. It does everything that MailChimp does, but it has a little something extra that makes it stand out.
The way I manage my email list has changed a lot since I started using Kit.com. It gives me the tools I need to make precise, targeted email campaigns based on a lot of different things. This skill is very important to me because it lets me tailor my messages to the likes and behaviors of my audience.
Think about it, you signed up for my newsletter because you want to get my “Instagram Guide.” You will receive an email that is specifically made for that reason. Suppose your interest changes to my “Instagram For Success” eCourse. You will then get a totally different email that is tailored to your new interest. For me, this ability has changed everything. Kit.com makes it easier to send custom emails in a way that works amazingly well and quickly.
Now, ConvertKit is giving away a free plan! Wow, this is huge!
You have to make the most of this opportunity.
To create a newsletter, a few essentials are essential:
- You should start with a blog or website.
- A reliable email service like Kit or MailChimp is highly suggested.
- An easy way for people to join, which is very important.
- An email stating that you have subscribed, which seals the deal.
But pay attention to what I say and stress thrid bullet point the most. Instead of just coming up with a way to subscribe, come up with a strong REASON for people to subscribe.
Come up with a tempting free opt-in to get them to sign up.
For example, I already told you about my free Instagram help. Also, at the very top of my blog is a treasure trove of free tools.
These kinds of offers attract people like a magnet, making them want to join and get access to my resources page.
As soon as they put their information, they get an email with their login information and the resources page’s treasures.
LET’S DIVE INTO THE JOURNEY OF CRAFTING YOUR OWN NEWSLETTER, SHALL WE?
First things first, you need to get yourself a ConvertKit account. Easy peasy, right?
Create a Landing Page/Form:
Once you’re in, head over to the “forms” section. This is where the magic happens. Click on “create form” at the top right. You’ll get a sneak peek of your form’s appearance. Now, click on “Settings” to tweak the content to your heart’s desire.
Give your form a name, and then customize what message greets your subscribers once they hit submit. Think of this as your virtual high-five or thank-you page.
Create an Incentive:
Next, find “Incentive Email” on the left side. This feature is a gem. Want to gift your subscribers with a guide, ebook, or any downloadable treasure? You can upload it directly in Kit.com.
You have options! Embed the form on your blog for easy access or use the Kit.com WordPress plugin to slot it seamlessly into your site. Not feeling the incentive vibe? No worries. Simply uncheck “send incentive/double opt-in email to confirm new subscribers.” This way, you’ll just gather email addresses without sending any additional emails.
Feel free to revisit and refine the style and details of your form whenever inspiration strikes. Organize your subscribers effortlessly by creating a tag. Click “Subscribers” at the top, then “add a tag.”
Create a Tag:
Tags are lifesavers. Categorize your subscribers based on how they signed up. For instance, if you have a form for a “Media Kit Template,” you’ll also have a corresponding “media kit tag.”
With this approach, you’ll maintain an organized and efficient newsletter system, ensuring each subscriber gets the content they’re interested in. Ready to launch? You’ve got this!
Automations:
When you conjure a tag into existence, venture forth to the “Automations” realm to summon a rule.
Picture this: a new soul signs up for a form. What we desire is to invoke a rule that bestows a tag upon this eager participant, contingent upon their sign-up. Behold the visage of the rule when someone enrolls to acquire my media kit templates:
In the labyrinth of “history,” you can even verify the magic at play, ensuring the automation is indeed triggered.
Dispatch an Email to Your Subscribers:
Having constructed this intricate setup, your next quest is to dispatch an email! To beam your message to subscribers after the previous incantations are complete, simply ascend to “Broadcasts” at the apex. Then, on the right flank, strike “new broadcast.”
Select your intended recipients for the newsletter.
Then, with a decisive motion, hit “Send Broadcast.”
Peruse the report to unravel how your missive fared—open rate, unsubscribes, clicks—all revealed within each broadcast’s confines. Alternatively, you can schedule the broadcast to materialize at a predetermined hour. Should you wish to weave a sequence, simply click on Sequence and fabricate a string of emails, dictating the intervals between each dispatch.
Enlist for a Complimentary Kit Account Here.
Why does this sorcery hold significance?? Allow me to elucidate.
The legion of subscribers you command is intricately linked to:
- Your prowess in channeling highly-targeted throngs to your blog.
- Your skill in transforming that influx into DEVOUTLY LOYAL subscribers.
- Your knack for inciting your readers to evangelize and refer you to their comrades.
Next, we craft a blog post that doubles as a newsletter, complete with an irresistible incentive.
WHAT READERS WANT
Building an audience? Stop obsessing over blogs that mimic your niche. Shift focus, who do you envision reading your site?
Target those readers. Simply going to similar blogs is a lazy strategy. Identify your current audience and find more individuals with those exact traits.
Seek out those who will benefit from your content. Then, reach out to them with precision.
How to pinpoint the right people?
YOU ASK!
Regularly engage on Instagram Stories, Facebook, TikTok, or any platform where you have active engagement. Ask what are your struggles? What do you want to know?
I do this often. On Instagram, I’ll post a poll to see what content my followers want next. This not only helps gauge their interests but also boosts their engagement with my story.
A double win!
TIPS FOR CRAFTING YOUR POST:
- Generate a compelling blog post topic.
- Define your WHY – who benefits from this post?
- Identify the key takeaways for the reader.
- Conduct thorough research and find relevant examples.
- Distinguish your post from others.
- Reflect on how writing this post benefits you. Write extensively. EDIT!
- Clarify the main objective of your post (this should be explicit in the content).
- Create an engaging headline and hook to draw readers in. Incorporate images/graphics.
- Optimize your post for SEO with targeted keywords.
Each post should aim to keep the reader engaged until the end, savoring every word and feeling satisfied they invested their time in your content.
Remember, the more readers who thoroughly enjoy your content, the higher the chances of building meaningful connections. This translates to more likes, comments, and followers. You get the picture.
Finally I hope this post brings enough inspiration for you to start your own blog, earn money from it and maintain it properly, also explore other insightful post at blogginghero.pro , catch you up in my other post and wishing you a succesful blogging journey.
Thank You For Reading This Post
Bivu M