How to Start a Successful Blog and Grow an Audience
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase a product or service using one of the affiliate links within this post. I love all my affiliates and make sure they align with my brand before allowing them into my blog. Thanks for your support!
Before starting my blog, I did so many hours of research.
I wanted to make sure I knew every little detail about making my blog successful.
Some things that I learned were very, very helpful, and other things I decided to try and didn’t end up working.
I started my blog in early March 2024 and since then it has grown so much more than I expected.
Now that I have both the experience and knowledge of blogging, I want to share with you exactly what I have learned from my research and experience as a full-time blogger.
One of the best parts about blogging is that even though I do it full-time, that doesn't mean you have to.
You can do it as a hobby or as a part-time job that you work on when you can.
Whatever you decide to do, if you're interested in blogging, keep reading!
How to Start a Blog
I am going to structure this blog post as more of a step-by-step guide.
This way you will understand all of the parts that make my blog come to life.
Then I’ll bring everything together by walking you through what needs to be done before I can publish my blog posts.
So, please get out a pen and paper because I'm about to go over everything that I can think of to help you start a blog you love.
Your Blog Needs a Niche
The very first thing I would suggest you start with is an idea for your blog.
What are you going to talk about?
What is the topic that you want to write about for many years to come?
Right now you need to find a niche that allows you to write about something you enjoy that has the potential to make many different blog posts.
After all, you can’t have a blog but nothing to write about.
This doesn't mean you have a single topic either.
If you decide to have two or three, make sure you don’t have too many and that they don’t conflict.
For example, in my blog, my main topic is growing an online business.
However, I do have another niche that I use; travel.
I both live in Guatemala and am an online business owner so I can relate to the two of them.
And they fit together. One of the main reasons why I have my blog is to help people build and grow an online business so that they can travel the world and live abroad, just like I am.
How Often Do You Post?
The number of blog posts you decide to do can change as you become more comfortable being a blogger.
I would suggest you start with one or two blog posts a week to prevent overwhelm.
That being said you do need to stay relatively consistent.
Posting on the same days each week lets your audience know when your next post is going to come out.
Maybe down the line, you decide you want to add more blog posts to your week. Go for it!
But before you understand the ropes of being a blogger, start with one or two so that you can understand how it works before you add more in.
I posted every Monday and Thursday when I started and now because of my schedule, I recently changed it.
I'm still doing two a week but I post on Tuesday and Friday instead.
Bulk-Plan Your Blog Posts
This is something I don’t see talked about a lot, but it is extremely important to my writing process.
Once it’s done, you can sit back until the next time you need to do it.
After I decided to begin a blog the very first thing that I did was make a list of all of the blog post titles that I wanted to do.
I planned about 6 months ahead!
Since I wanted to have two blog posts a week that meant that usually I would have either eight or nine blog posts a month.
I suggest researching how to name a blog post because I won’t be covering that this time.
It is super important and was one of the things that I researched before starting my blog.
Once you understand the art of blog post naming I find that you don’t have to learn it again.
Other bloggers have done such a beautiful job explaining it so definitely go check that out!
Pinterest is Your New Best Friend!
Pinterest and blogging seem to go hand-in-hand no matter where I looked.
I knew that my Pinterest game had to be fantastic.
And now that I've been using it for a while, Pinterest sends the most amount of readers to my blog than anything else.
I have been steadily using Pinterest since the beginning of my blog and it has grown so much!
Let’s get into exactly what I do to promote my blog posts on Pinterest.
The amount of Pinterest graphics that you choose to create for each of your blog posts entirely depends on you.
I always make six different graphics per blog post.
Since I have two blog posts each week, that means I post 2 new pins every single day for six days and on the seventh day I promote one of my products.
Make sure that you make Pinterest boards that make sense to the different topics you talk about in your blog.
You want to add your pins to your boards so people can more easily find pins depending on the topic they’re looking for.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is such an important part of finding an audience that aligns with what you’re talking about in your blog.
I use keyword research for my blog post itself and for my Pinterest pins and their boards whenever I need to set up a new one.
The idea of keyword research is similar for both.
You just do them in different places.
First, let’s talk about where I search for each and then I’ll tell you about the technique I use to search for my keywords.
For my blog posts, I turn my browser to incognito mode and use the Google search bar there.
In Pinterest, I also go into incognito mode and go to Pinterest, then to explore and use the search bar.
As far as the technique goes, you want to start with long-tail keywords.
That way you’re attracting an audience who is looking specifically for what you are offering.
You want to type in a specific string of words or one word that allows more words to be added to the end of it.
Both Pinterest and Google will try to understand what you are looking up and will suggest the most frequently searched things relating to the word(s) you entered.
Let’s say I am writing a blog post about starting a blog (exactly like this one).
I would look up "how to start a blog" and then see what the browser brings up as a recommended ending to that search.
It might pull up things like "how to start a blog and make money" or "how to start a blog for beginners" so I will go through and use the ones that align best with both the audience I want and the blog post itself.
But how exactly do I use them?
In Pinterest, I will add them to my pin title or description. Board descriptions as well!
For Google, I would type it into the keyword section of my blog post.
Keyword research can seem quite difficult at first but it gets so much easier as you practice.
If you have questions or need some help you’re more than welcome to email me at hello@umbrellavs.com or DM me on Instagram.
Don’t be afraid to reach out because I am here to help you wherever you need it and I promise I don’t bite.
Outline And Edit Your Blog Post
Next, I outline and write my blog post.
Each blogger has their own writing process that works best for them.
For me, I write best by first talking (using dictation on my phone) about everything that is on my mind around the subject of my blog post.
Right now I’m using dictation to write this blog post!
Once I’m done I’ll clean it up using my laptop so it's more readable.
Bonus: How to Make Money Blogging
This is a little bonus section!
I know that this is about starting your blog and thereby growing your audience, but making money from your blog can be a huge perk to starting one.
That's why I love creating digital products!
Don't get me wrong, I do use affiliate marketing, but I don’t have as much control over other people’s products compared to my own.
There are so many different digital products you can choose from such as courses, planners, journals, and trainings, which can all have different price points and teach or help with different problems your audience may be facing.
You can even build your email list using your blog and a free digital product that you make into your freebie.
I made one for myself, which is a free course all about Instagram reels, but you can do whatever you feel most comfortable with and that aligns with your audience and your niche.
My To-Do List For My Blog Posts Before Hitting Publish
So now that we are about to close, I am going to walk through exactly what it looks like for me to make a blog post from start to finish, including all of the extra things that I need to do.
The first thing I do, which is already prepped for me because I did this quite a few months ago, is choose the topic/name of my blog post.
Then I go ahead and begin researching keywords for both my blog and my pin titles and descriptions. I lay all of these out on a chart because it helps me keep everything organized.
I create my six Pinterest graphics usually using Canva. They include pictures and different titles and colours.
Then I am done with the prep work and I go into the writing part of my blog post so, as I said before, dictating everything that comes to mind about the blog post topic that I am speaking about. I sometimes write a short list of the different things I want to talk about to help guide me as I speak, but other than that, I pretty much say everything that I can think of about the blog post's topic. Then I take all of that and put it into the platform I use for my blog and make it a lot cleaner to read. Then I spellcheck and it is done!
I finish my blog post by adding in all of my keywords which I had researched previously as well as everything else that needs to go in there like the URL and the title of the blog post itself. Then I either schedule it or post it depending on what needs to happen.
As time goes by, I will post my pins when they need to go out, once again using the graphics, descriptions, and titles that I created.
That just about sums up what it looks like for me to create a single blog post.
Change is Good!
To wrap everything up, I want to say one thing.
It is more than OK for your blog to change.
As you become more comfortable as a blogger there’s a chance that your blogging goals are going to change.
Maybe you'll run into something that doesn't work for you anymore.
You should strive to enjoy your job, otherwise you might begin to dread blogging.
This is a fun thing that should come from a place of love, so make changes when necessary!
Building a business that makes you feel excited when you wake up is a feeling like no other.
Are You Ready to Start Your Blogging Journey?
Thanks for reading this far!
You should be proud that you are putting in the effort and researching how to successfully start a blog.
If you want to chat about anything I mentioned in this blog post, I'd love it if you DM me on Instagram!
See you soon!
Isabella
How to Start a Successful Blog and Grow an Audience
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase a product or service using one of the affiliate links within this post. I love all my affiliates and make sure they align with my brand before allowing them into my blog. Thanks for your support!
Before starting my blog, I did so many hours of research.
I wanted to make sure I knew every little detail about making my blog successful.
Some things that I learned were very, very helpful, and other things I decided to try and didn’t end up working.
I started my blog in early March 2024 and since then it has grown so much more than I expected.
Now that I have both the experience and knowledge of blogging, I want to share with you exactly what I have learned from my research and experience as a full-time blogger.
One of the best parts about blogging is that even though I do it full-time, that doesn't mean you have to.
You can do it as a hobby or as a part-time job that you work on when you can.
Whatever you decide to do, if you're interested in blogging, keep reading!
How to Start a Blog
I am going to structure this blog post as more of a step-by-step guide.
This way you will understand all of the parts that make my blog come to life.
Then I’ll bring everything together by walking you through what needs to be done before I can publish my blog posts.
So, please get out a pen and paper because I'm about to go over everything that I can think of to help you start a blog you love.
Your Blog Needs a Niche
The very first thing I would suggest you start with is an idea for your blog.
What are you going to talk about?
What is the topic that you want to write about for many years to come?
Right now you need to find a niche that allows you to write about something you enjoy that has the potential to make many different blog posts.
After all, you can’t have a blog but nothing to write about.
This doesn't mean you have a single topic either.
If you decide to have two or three, make sure you don’t have too many and that they don’t conflict.
For example, in my blog, my main topic is growing an online business.
However, I do have another niche that I use; travel.
I both live in Guatemala and am an online business owner so I can relate to the two of them.
And they fit together. One of the main reasons why I have my blog is to help people build and grow an online business so that they can travel the world and live abroad, just like I am.
How Often Do You Post?
The number of blog posts you decide to do can change as you become more comfortable being a blogger.
I would suggest you start with one or two blog posts a week to prevent overwhelm.
That being said you do need to stay relatively consistent.
Posting on the same days each week lets your audience know when your next post is going to come out.
Maybe down the line, you decide you want to add more blog posts to your week. Go for it!
But before you understand the ropes of being a blogger, start with one or two so that you can understand how it works before you add more in.
I posted every Monday and Thursday when I started and now because of my schedule, I recently changed it.
I'm still doing two a week but I post on Tuesday and Friday instead.
Bulk-Plan Your Blog Posts
This is something I don’t see talked about a lot, but it is extremely important to my writing process.
Once it’s done, you can sit back until the next time you need to do it.
After I decided to begin a blog the very first thing that I did was make a list of all of the blog post titles that I wanted to do.
I planned about 6 months ahead!
Since I wanted to have two blog posts a week that meant that usually I would have either eight or nine blog posts a month.
I suggest researching how to name a blog post because I won’t be covering that this time.
It is super important and was one of the things that I researched before starting my blog.
Once you understand the art of blog post naming I find that you don’t have to learn it again.
Other bloggers have done such a beautiful job explaining it so definitely go check that out!
Pinterest is Your New Best Friend!
Pinterest and blogging seem to go hand-in-hand no matter where I looked.
I knew that my Pinterest game had to be fantastic.
And now that I've been using it for a while, Pinterest sends the most amount of readers to my blog than anything else.
I have been steadily using Pinterest since the beginning of my blog and it has grown so much!
Let’s get into exactly what I do to promote my blog posts on Pinterest.
The amount of Pinterest graphics that you choose to create for each of your blog posts entirely depends on you.
I always make six different graphics per blog post.
Since I have two blog posts each week, that means I post 2 new pins every single day for six days and on the seventh day I promote one of my products.
Make sure that you make Pinterest boards that make sense to the different topics you talk about in your blog.
You want to add your pins to your boards so people can more easily find pins depending on the topic they’re looking for.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is such an important part of finding an audience that aligns with what you’re talking about in your blog.
I use keyword research for my blog post itself and for my Pinterest pins and their boards whenever I need to set up a new one.
The idea of keyword research is similar for both.
You just do them in different places.
First, let’s talk about where I search for each and then I’ll tell you about the technique I use to search for my keywords.
For my blog posts, I turn my browser to incognito mode and use the Google search bar there.
In Pinterest, I also go into incognito mode and go to Pinterest, then to explore and use the search bar.
As far as the technique goes, you want to start with long-tail keywords.
That way you’re attracting an audience who is looking specifically for what you are offering.
You want to type in a specific string of words or one word that allows more words to be added to the end of it.
Both Pinterest and Google will try to understand what you are looking up and will suggest the most frequently searched things relating to the word(s) you entered.
Let’s say I am writing a blog post about starting a blog (exactly like this one).
I would look up "how to start a blog" and then see what the browser brings up as a recommended ending to that search.
It might pull up things like "how to start a blog and make money" or "how to start a blog for beginners" so I will go through and use the ones that align best with both the audience I want and the blog post itself.
But how exactly do I use them?
In Pinterest, I will add them to my pin title or description. Board descriptions as well!
For Google, I would type it into the keyword section of my blog post.
Keyword research can seem quite difficult at first but it gets so much easier as you practice.
If you have questions or need some help you’re more than welcome to email me at hello@umbrellavs.com or DM me on Instagram.
Don’t be afraid to reach out because I am here to help you wherever you need it and I promise I don’t bite.
Outline And Edit Your Blog Post
Next, I outline and write my blog post.
Each blogger has their own writing process that works best for them.
For me, I write best by first talking (using dictation on my phone) about everything that is on my mind around the subject of my blog post.
Right now I’m using dictation to write this blog post!
Once I’m done I’ll clean it up using my laptop so it's more readable.
Bonus: How to Make Money Blogging
This is a little bonus section!
I know that this is about starting your blog and thereby growing your audience, but making money from your blog can be a huge perk to starting one.
That's why I love creating digital products!
Don't get me wrong, I do use affiliate marketing, but I don’t have as much control over other people’s products compared to my own.
There are so many different digital products you can choose from such as courses, planners, journals, and trainings, which can all have different price points and teach or help with different problems your audience may be facing.
You can even build your email list using your blog and a free digital product that you make into your freebie.
I made one for myself, which is a free course all about Instagram reels, but you can do whatever you feel most comfortable with and that aligns with your audience and your niche.
My To-Do List For My Blog Posts Before Hitting Publish
So now that we are about to close, I am going to walk through exactly what it looks like for me to make a blog post from start to finish, including all of the extra things that I need to do.
The first thing I do, which is already prepped for me because I did this quite a few months ago, is choose the topic/name of my blog post.
Then I go ahead and begin researching keywords for both my blog and my pin titles and descriptions. I lay all of these out on a chart because it helps me keep everything organized.
I create my six Pinterest graphics usually using Canva. They include pictures and different titles and colours.
Then I am done with the prep work and I go into the writing part of my blog post so, as I said before, dictating everything that comes to mind about the blog post topic that I am speaking about. I sometimes write a short list of the different things I want to talk about to help guide me as I speak, but other than that, I pretty much say everything that I can think of about the blog post's topic. Then I take all of that and put it into the platform I use for my blog and make it a lot cleaner to read. Then I spellcheck and it is done!
I finish my blog post by adding in all of my keywords which I had researched previously as well as everything else that needs to go in there like the URL and the title of the blog post itself. Then I either schedule it or post it depending on what needs to happen.
As time goes by, I will post my pins when they need to go out, once again using the graphics, descriptions, and titles that I created.
That just about sums up what it looks like for me to create a single blog post.
Change is Good!
To wrap everything up, I want to say one thing.
It is more than OK for your blog to change.
As you become more comfortable as a blogger there’s a chance that your blogging goals are going to change.
Maybe you'll run into something that doesn't work for you anymore.
You should strive to enjoy your job, otherwise you might begin to dread blogging.
This is a fun thing that should come from a place of love, so make changes when necessary!
Building a business that makes you feel excited when you wake up is a feeling like no other.
Are You Ready to Start Your Blogging Journey?
Thanks for reading this far!
You should be proud that you are putting in the effort and researching how to successfully start a blog.
If you want to chat about anything I mentioned in this blog post, I'd love it if you DM me on Instagram!
See you soon!
Isabella
I'm Bella!
A 20 year old Canadian living in Guatemala with her own business... and I adore it! This blog is for anyone who wants to learn how to grow an online business from their passions.
Enjoy!
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