Starting a blog is an amazing feeling. It's an opportunity to express yourself and expand in ways you never knew you could. However, just like starting a business, a lot of effort is required. You don't become successful in blogging by accident; you need to put in a lot of intention and work, even when you feel like quitting—actually, especially when you feel like quitting.
Hi everyone, I'm Jojola Buff, and I help women grow their blogs and work from home. Here are 14 harsh truths you'll learn in your first year of blogging. Please take these truths with a grain of salt; I say this with love.
1. No One Cares About You
No one knows who you are, and I say this with love. You're entering a sea of bloggers in a world where no one knows you. You need to make yourself stand out by asking yourself: What am I good at? What kind of advice do people seek from me? What am I passionate about? What can I talk about for hours? This is an opportunity to create your voice based on your strengths and interests, and use that to help people. Only then will people start noticing you.
2. You'll Be Blogging for Months with Little Recognition
You'll be creating amazing content for months, and not everyone is going to see it. It takes about 90 days for a blog post to rank on Google, assuming it's SEO-friendly (search engine optimized). This means using certain keywords to make it searchable on search engines like Google. So don't feel bad if your posts don't immediately get views. Assess each post 90 days after publication to determine if it's working.
3. Travel Bloggers, Beware
You'll spend most of your time on your computer, laptop, or phone—not actually traveling. Much of your time will be spent researching destinations, writing posts, learning to use creative programs, editing photos and videos, designing graphics, posting on social media, replying to messages and emails, and contacting brands.
4. Not Everyone Has the Mindset to Be a Blogger
You'll find out if you have the mindset to be a blogger or not. Many think they need to be good writers, photographers, or filmmakers, but these are skills you learn as you start blogging. What's hard is having the mindset to push through and persist, even when you don't feel like it. You have to be willing to be clumsy, messy, and embarrassed when starting something new.
5. Getting Your First 1,000 Subscribers Will Be Painstakingly Slow
It could take six months to get your first 1,000 subscribers or followers. This varies by platform and depends on how optimized your posts are for SEO and the value they provide. The more followers you have, the faster you'll grow. It just takes a while to get that initial 1,000. When I started, I cheated a bit by renaming my personal Instagram account to my blog name, but this wasn't the case for my email list, YouTube channel, Facebook, and Pinterest followings.
6. You'll Spend More Time Promoting Than Creating
You'll spend more time promoting your content than creating it. If no one sees your valuable content, why create it in the first place?
7. Followers Will Come and Go
You'll get followers and also lose them. Growing a following is never linear; it goes up and down. When your follower count drops, it means your following is becoming more loyal and stronger, which is more important than having a large number of disinterested followers.
8. You'll Compare Yourself to Other Bloggers
You'll compare yourself to other bloggers, but this isn't fair to them or to you. You can't compare your beginning to someone else's middle. If you find yourself doing this, mute their accounts or stop following them.
9. You'll Find Many Reasons to Quit
You'll find many reasons to quit, and it's up to you to not let those reasons stop you. Often, we get in our own way by thinking we're not good enough or capable. It's okay to have these thoughts, but remember that they are just thoughts and not truths. Push them aside and keep going.
10. These Harsh Truths Are Worth It
Confronting these harsh truths will be worth it because you'll meet amazing people who understand your struggles and help lift each other up. This community and the connections you make are invaluable.
11. You'll Be Admired for Your Generosity
You'll be admired for sharing your knowledge and experiences for free without expecting anything in return.
12. Your Dream Life Is Worth the Struggle
Your dream life is worth jumping through countless hoops for. Experiencing yourself as a powerful go-getter living the dream is priceless. Patience is key.
13. Nothing Is Instantly Gratified
Nothing about the blogging world is instantly gratified; it's all about long-term gratification. Ask yourself if you're willing to invest your own money and work long hours for no pay, sacrificing personal time and lifestyle for years. What's going to happen if this venture doesn't work out? Be patient and stay grounded.
14. Success Is Inevitable
Success is inevitable if you make a plan, show up with energy and intensity every day, and stay patient. Good things will happen.
There you have it—14 harsh truths you'll learn in your first year of blogging. This is relevant for bloggers of all niches. I hope you found this helpful. Let me know which harsh truth stuck with you.
If you're thinking of starting a blog but aren't sure how, I have a free PDF for you to download: the Bold Blogger Launch Checklist. It includes steps to build your brand, create your website, brainstorm and create content, and get it seen by people. It’s a checklist to start your blog with as little overwhelm as possible, including how much time each step takes.
Thank you so much for reading!
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