You know… I would write much more if I hadn’t spent hours trying to overthink and over-research each topic I picked. I have so many intriguing ideas, but writing lengthy texts often prevents me from writing more…
That’s going to change though as I am introducing ✨mini blog posts✨ that will be low-effort and written in an hour.
This article started as a response on Reddit. I was trying to give my perspective to a person who posted a rant about not being able to start blogging.
As someone who has tried to start a blog maybe 10 times before finally sticking to it and reaching a few thousand reads each month, I am sharing some tips that worked for me, especially at the beginning.
1. Find out if you really want to write
If you just want to run a blog because you run a company and “every company has a blog” or because you want to get a “passive income”, think twice.
I think some people are naturally better at writing, and some at talking.
For example, I have been writing “books”, poems, and my diary since I was a child and I kind of suck at talking, so for me, a blog is a better match than a podcast, TikTok, or YouTube channel.
It's important for each person to consider what type of content creation suits them best. If you disliked submitting essays at school, writing may not be the right fit for you.
2. Start small
If you only have time after work or after school to write, just do something small first. It can be very short articles. It's more important to overcome the first insecurities and get into the habit.
Done is better than perfect.
For example, if you are making Tweets or posting on social media already, you can take your interesting post and just polish it for your blog.
3. Blog for passion, not for results
You should be blogging because you love it, not because you want to see results or want to monetize it.
When you start, you don’t have to even care if anyone at all reads the articles. Have zero expectations at the beginning; just do it for fun and the rest will come.
4. Pick your topic
It is indeed good to start with a niche you already enjoy, but you don’t have to have a long-term strategy for future topics, so don’t stress too much.
For example, my first posts were about Math because I studied Math (and because no one wants to talk about it, haha). Then I finished my degree, started a new job, then changed jobs, and my blog became AI and software-related too. Sometimes a personal life, a new hobby, or an interesting article a friend just sent me reflects in my blogging.
Tips for picking your topic:
Something you can’t stop thinking about.
Something you feel comfortable talking about.
Something exceptional about you (statistically) - e.g., for me, these can be enjoying Math, being a woman in STEM, or funny f*ckups in my life.
Just pick something.
5. It’s okay to keep it simple
If you feel like it, I think it’s okay to use simple language.
There's no need to sound overly sophisticated just for the sake of it. I was so insecure about using plain style, which I thought didn’t sound professional. Surprisingly, many people explicitly mentioned to me that they liked my writing style. Things people have pointed out:
Using a language that you would normally talk to feels very natural and effortless to read
The simplicity and ease of communicating a complicated topic indicate the author’s understanding of it
In the age of AI-generated texts, people started to be even allergic to the fancy, corporate-vibe writing style.
6. Stay authentic
Similar to the point above, just don’t pretend to be someone you are not comfortable being. Find your style.
If you like charts, memes, diagrams, numbered lists, quotes… Add whatever is you.
Also, share with the audience why the topic you chose is particularly interesting or personal to you.
I think many people are so overwhelmed by content (especially the type trying to make money) that people start subconsciously searching for something very real and unfiltered. Gen Z especially is craving authenticity over all types of media and channels.
7. Delete things a lot
When writing, it's not just about what you put in, but also what you leave out. Take a critical look at your blog posts and consider how to enhance the engaging and humorous elements you're sharing. You might realize that certain paragraphs contribute very little. It can be tough to delete them, but it's worth it.
8. Use Grammarly
I am quite strongly against generating writing with AI, but what I respect a lot is the Grammarly AI extension. I used it to check typos and misspellings in my writing. I think when you are very stuck, occasionally it’s not a sin to use it also to paraphrase a sentence or two.
I also use Saga as a notebook where I can put my notes and it doesn’t have any distractions or complicated UI while it also checks grammar and paraphrases text for you.
9. Write in iterations
I find it helpful to write in iterations. I can't seem to do it linearly from start to finish. (Maybe it’s just my bad focus though).
First, I jot down rough drafts of my thoughts. I enjoy drawing the article’s structure in my notebook a lot.
Then, I revisit the draft many times, essentially trying to give it formatting, which is what takes my energy the most. I am adding visuals, reviewing the content with a clear head, and making further additions.
10. Be strict about resources and fact-checking
Supporting your facts with sources is a great practice. Not only does it lend credibility to your writing, but it takes some weight off your shoulders too. For example, when you are discussing a topic outside of your expertise, you can provide some information and then direct readers to quality resources to learn more about the subject.
11. Get feedback from strangers
In the beginning, I was extremely insecure about my writing, and I still am. I am uncomfortable when I know someone has read my blog post (or worse, starts reading it in front of me!)
Hence, it was easy to start my blog without telling my friend group or family. An advantage of this is that the feedback you get is more honest.
How to get feedback from strangers though?
After various attempts with services like blogger.com, I finally started on Medium, a platform for bloggers. It was beneficial in having an immediate audience because Medium works a bit like a social network, e.g., it shows your articles to relevant people.
People can also discover your articles through search, like them, comment on them, and add them to their lists.
I slowly built my first audience there, then moved to Substack, because it provides more advanced analytics.
12. Scale your blog
If you already started and want to grow your blog, it all goes down to marketing.
I recommend having one or two other channels where you have a decent following and promote your content there (e.g., Twitter and Instagram).
You can do all the dirty tricks, like sharing your articles occasionally on relevant subreddits and Facebook groups or giving a follow to people who might be relevant and like your content. It’s good to nudge your readers to support you.
There is a tradeoff between a very intriguing and niche article and the broadness of the audience. What I mean is a blog post about “Top 10 AI tools to try”, will probably get more attention than “Top 10 examples of molecular symmetries”. Even if you want to write about the latter, you can occasionally boost your audience with something more “basic”. The disadvantages of “basic” are that everyone is writing about it (or worse, generating it with AI) and in my opinion, it won’t help you create your personal brand.
How to scale your blog is just doing what you do, but more. This is enough to cover in a separate blog post.
13. Join a community
I think it’s all about people in life. With blogging and writing, a community doesn’t come naturally, because you usually don’t meet people while you are sitting, being in the zone, and typing something on your computer.
So I went to Meetup.com, looked for writing and blogging events, and discovered numerous cool meetups where people join a video call and write their content together in silence. I attended a Happy Writing: Munic, the people were friendly and we motivated each other a bit. We chatted for a few minutes at the beginning and end of the session.
If you have heard about a good blogging community (in San Francisco, Prague, or online), any tips are greatly appreciated.
Hope these helped someone, and please share your tips too!