The Ultimate Blog Podcast - 32. The Foundations of Blogging

Episode Date: July 26, 2022

Hey there! Today we are going to be talking with you about the foundations of blogging. The foundations of blogging are so important. When you first think about blogging, you may not think of these things so we want to be sure you know the importance of these foundations of blogging and we also share with you why these foundations are important when creating a blog. If you are thinking about starting a blog, be sure to tune in to make sure you have these foundations in place. All of these foundations are taught in the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp. If you aren’t quite ready to join the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp and need questions answered before you start your blog, check out The Blog Depot, an online course and membership community!Check out the show notes (link below) for links and resources mentioned in this episode!Thanks for listening! Connect with us on Instagram: @sparkmediaconceptsSHOW NOTES: www.sparkmediaconcepts.com/episode32

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast with Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper. We're on a mission to empower women who want to start or grow their own blog. This podcast is for women who want to learn blogging basics and who crave inspiration and encouragement. Whether you're just getting started or have been a blogger for years, we're excited to welcome you into this space where we are passionate about creating community over competition. We are bloggers who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success, and your own story. Join us for weekly episodes as we navigate blogging

and work from home life, all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. We are so excited to dive into the foundations of blogging with you today. This is an important piece truly that we feel is often overlooked when we talk about starting a blog. A lot of times we talk about what blogging looks like and it's so much fun and we love it. But if we really peel back the layers of this onion, there is a foundational piece here that is important. And today we're going to focus on that. And Jennifer's here with me today, obviously, and we are just going to hopefully give you some really great ideas that you need to think about when you want to think about the foundations of blogging. So Jennifer, let's kind of dive into the purpose

of a blog. And do you want to tell our listeners kind of more about that and what that looks like when you're trying to find the purpose of the blog that you want to start? Yeah. So I think there's two different categories that people can fall under in terms of why they want to start a blog, how they want to use it. So essentially the purpose of it. And the first one is there's people that just want to have a blog as sort of their online journal, essentially. They'd like to have a place where they have an outlet. They can go in and talk about their day, talk about issues that are important to them. Maybe it's just a creative outlet.

Maybe they are sharing some things, but it's really just a personal journal of sorts. And that is an amazing thing to do. And I think that anybody who wants to have sort of a personal blog, like, why not just go for it and see what happens. Yeah. And that's honestly how we both started.

Yeah. We both started on blogspot and I was sharing a health journey. Jennifer, you were sharing about your adoption journey, right? Yep. Yep. And so that's kind of how we both started too. And it, I guess, kind of created the desire for possibly something more. Yeah. I think it just kind of gives you that like, okay, here's what it's like to write blog posts and, you know, kind of here's the behind the scenes of how you do that. It just kind of gets your feet wet a little bit. I think we both use them essentially to stay in touch with friends and family. I think that's really common, especially if you have people all over the country or all over the world

and it's too hard to make a personal phone call to everybody to update them about your life. So having that blog is just an easy way to keep people posted. I know people use social media for that a little bit more nowadays than they did back then. So it may not be as common,. I know people use social media for that a little bit more nowadays than they did back then. So it may not be as common, but I know for sure there's still people who do that. Yeah, for sure. So it's definitely an option if that's what you want, but that's more like a personal blog. And today we want to dive into somebody who is looking to actually help people and add value by using their unique perspective and story. And so I know that my journey... My blogs are actually very similar, but I just had to change my mindset around it.

Yeah. So there's this other group of people that they know they have something they want to share, or maybe they're not sure what they want to share, but they know they want to be in the online space and they want to create something. They want to build a business or maybe it's just a side gig or whatever the case might be, but they're kind of at a different level when it comes to their blog. They want to take it a little more seriously. They want to invest a little bit more time, energy, money into it to really create something that can grow and reach more people. Maybe they have a story that they think would be helpful.

Maybe they have something to teach. There can be a million different reasons why they would want to start the blog, but their purpose for that blog is going to be to create something that will grow. And that's also for anybody listening who is on social media. So maybe you've built like a social media platform and you want to house your content in another area. That's really who we're speaking to today is to talk to the people who aren't really wanting a hobby blog, but you want to start a blog that you can actually make money doing. And it could potentially be a career change or just be a side income stream. But you're really wanting to take this

seriously, dive into the nitty gritty of what it takes to be a blogger and what you need to do in order to grow and be successful. So now the question is, well, if that's what you want to do, then how do we get started with that? Yeah, I think you can get so excited when you decide to start a blog. I know I did. We've talked to so many people and you have this enthusiasm and that is amazing. I think when you have that feeling, you have to go with it and you have to jump in. But when it comes to blogging, I think it's a fine balance between jumping in

with all that excitement, but also making sure that you're laying a solid foundation if you're wanting to create something that can be successful. Yeah. And ask yourself the important questions that honestly, you might not even know what those questions are, but maybe be excited and be all those things, but take a step back for just a moment and say, okay, now what do I need to learn before I just dive in? Because what we've run into is there are a lot of people who kind of just dive in and then they ask the questions later and they wish they would have asked them from the get-go. And so I know if you're listening, you're like, but what are those questions? And that's why you're listening today, because we're going to dive into all of that. So we're just going to share kind of some of those important foundations

of blogging. And some of these things are things that your audience may not ever really realize that you've taken the time to think about them quite honestly. And so it's not something like creating a logo or whatever. That's not really what we're talking about out of the gate. It's some of that behind the scenes stuff that is really important. So when you step out with your blog, you know exactly who you're serving and who you're talking to, which is only going to make it easier for you to create content. Yeah. I always find it funny.

I think one of the comments that we get when we're working with people is, wow, I had no idea what all goes into this. So I think it's always a surprise to people that there is so much behind the scenes stuff. And we don't say that to overwhelm or intimidate you. It's totally manageable. We promise you can do it. But just setting yourself up, like Amy said, with that mindset of knowing it's going to take some work. You're going to have to work through some of those foundational things if you want to create that solid foundation. Absolutely. And one of the biggest foundations that you need to create is mindset. I think mindset is huge whenever we are going into something that we've never done before or

something that's going to feel hard or difficult. And especially in blogging, we're putting ourselves out there and being vulnerable and a lot of times sharing our story or sharing something that is really important to us. So having the right mindset going in is a key component and a key foundation, in my opinion, to making sure that you are going to have a blog that is going to serve its purpose while also staying true to your heart. So one of the things with mindset is it's not a get rich quick scheme here. We're not promising you that you're going to make six figures in a year. If you know somebody who's promising you that, I would strongly suggest you run the other way because that's really unlikely to start a blog and be

making like six figures in a couple months. You're going to have to be doing a lot of other things besides just throwing up some blog posts, to be honest. So knowing that it's a long game and that it's going to take some time to grow and having patience is going to be key in learning how to pivot. We talk about pivoting all the time. I think with mindset too, the other thing is you have to really create those goals and make them realistic. So sit down and have a talk with yourself, maybe bounce your ideas off of a friend or somebody else that's a blogger, but be really specific about how much time you can invest, how much money you want to invest, what your short-term goals are over the next few weeks and months, and what your long-term goals are over the next year, or maybe even like three years. And get out a journal, or if you use

something, an app or whatever online, write those things down. This is going to be so important. You need to document, you need to write down your goals and your plans. They may change over time, but when you write that stuff down, that's a commitment that you're making to yourself and not just like, what are your goals, but like write down your why, why are you doing this? Who are you helping? Because there's going to be times when it's going to be hard. There's going to be times when you think, oh, maybe this is just too much. And you need to be able to come back to that and say, oh yes, I need to reignite that fire. I need to reignite that passion for why I'm doing this.

I know I'm in a hard season right now, but my mindset is that's okay. I can do this and I'm going to keep moving forward. I think really connecting to your why is huge because when you start blogging, likely many of you are not going to have a large audience who's finding your content right away. And so knowing that every person that you're speaking to, whether you have three readers or whatever, those people are valuable. You're adding value to their life. And don't sell yourself short. If you're talking to three people and they're opening your blog posts and reading them, those three people are just as important as if you had a million readers on your site. And so don't discount the impact that you can make

from the get-go. You don't have to have a full-time income and be working full-time on your blog to make an impact. So knowing that going in that whatever you choose to blog about, like that serves a purpose and be confident in that. And I think that that's just going to help you as you go through your blogging journey and as you grow. going to help you as you go through your blogging journey and as you grow. So once you figure out your why, you've got this mindset piece down. What does that really mean? I think that's the next question that we have to ask ourselves. How are you fitting blogging into your life? So now you know why you want to do it. You have a goal in mind, but what is it really going to look like on your day-to-day life?

And so I think the important thing to remember is that could look different for everyone. It looks different for Amy than it does for me. She's got little kids at home. So her blogging time is in the nooks and crannies of her day or in shorter increments of time, whereas I have kids in school or grown. And so I have more full days where I can work on blogging. So what's important to remember is no matter where you're at, no matter how much time you have, that's okay. That's perfect for you, where you're at in this particular season of life.

Just be realistic with that and then create your goals and dreams around what you're willing and able to invest at this point in your life. I like that you said be realistic because I think that's huge. I think a lot of times we bite off more than we can chew and we say, oh, I can do this. Like I, yeah, I can totally run a blog full-time and have my full-time job and take care of my family and make only home-cooked meals and all the things. And I think sometimes we really have to take a look at this and ask ourselves, but really what am I capable of doing? And so if you have a full-time job already, ask yourself, do I have five or 10 hours a week that I can commit to writing some blog posts?

That might mean that you might not watch your favorite Netflix show, or you might not be able to scroll social media as much. You might and you likely will need to make some sacrifices in order to grow a blog. And that's important to know from the start. If you want to grow a successful blog and turn it potentially into a business, it requires time and energy and effort. And that's not to detour anyone from it. That's to actually inspire you to know this is what I'm getting into when I do it. And when I started, I just started part-time and it's just grown more into a full-time position between my blog and also Spark Media. But I love it. That's the beauty of it. I absolutely love it. So the time that I spend

working doesn't feel the way it would if I was going and punching a time clock somewhere else. And so I actually texted Jennifer yesterday. My son was sick in the night and I was up and just did not sleep well. We had some calls yesterday, but I was literally able to throw on some sweatpants and just be at home. And I said to her, I'm so thankful I don't have to go into an office today. And so it's moments like that, that it's like, it does look different

for me. I don't work a typical nine to five, you know, and it, it does like be the next of my day, but I'm so thankful for what blogging is able to provide for me. So I think being able to be honest with yourself about what your time looks like, I think being able to be honest with yourself about what your time looks like, what you're able to give, and then knowing that it might take some creativity in regards to your time and then appreciating what that does for you. I could very easily have thrown a pity party for myself yesterday and been like, I don't want to do these calls. My son was sick last night and I can't believe I have to do this.

Instead, I chose to look at the bright side and say, I'm so thankful I get to be home and still get the work done I need. I didn't have to ask for time off and was able to be there for my family and also be there for the commitments I'd made to my blogging business. So I think being realistic with yourself and asking yourself how you can fit the blogging that you need to do into your schedule already and what might need to give in order to do so is a really important conversation that you need to have with yourself. And I think one of our best tips is to schedule on your calendar when you're going to work on your blog. Like yesterday, I had that set, like that schedule was set. There was no like pushing it off to another day. A lot of times we,

we use air table for our to-do list. And a lot of times, like all the time we have like a to-do list of when the date needs to, when it needs to be done. And we try to hold true to that because we have to keep each other on track too, which is a blessing that we have together. But I think setting those deadlines for yourself and setting appointments on your calendar is going to be really important when it comes to adding blogging into your schedule. I agree with that

because I think it's something that you might be excited about, but it can be hard to prioritize over a full-time job, family obligations, things like that. So if you can find a way at least one day a week or two days a week to put that on your calendar and make it a priority, that's the only way it's really going to happen is if you can really make sure that you're consistent and working on it, because you go in with all this enthusiasm. So you may work on it for a little bit, but when life kind of takes over

and you're having a harder time finding the time, you sort of, like Amy said, you're going to have to make the time and you're going to have to get a priority. Absolutely. We are thrilled to share that we have been working on something special for you. We know you love the Ultimate Blog Podcast because you are listening to this episode. So what if we told you we have three private podcast episodes just for you? We recorded three episodes where we talk about all the things that we haven't talked about anywhere else, sharing a behind the scenes look at blogging, as well as our own personal valleys and triumphs. We created these episodes in an

effort to connect with you even more. And we hope you'll take a listen to gain access to the exclusive episodes. Visit the link in our show notes. Enter your name and email address and you'll receive a link in your inbox with instructions on how to access them. We want to let you know how much we appreciate you listening to our podcast. It's one of our favorite ways to connect with you are two big foundations of blogging, but there are some decisions that you're going to need to make as well when you decide to start your blog and how much time and money actually is an important decision that you're going to need to make. Do you want to learn how to do your blog all on your own? Do you want

to hire that out for somebody to do? We recommend that people actually don't hire out a web-based design from the get-go. That can be very expensive. You can spend several thousand dollars, like $10,000 to $15,000 for someone to create a website for you, which is the heart and soul behind the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp that we have is we teach you how to do it yourself on a WordPress.org site that is self-hosted. And so that's what we suggest, but you need to make ultimately that decision for yourself as to how much money you have and how much money you want to invest in regards to your website. I would just spend some

time doing some research about what kind of blog you want to have as well. We have some great podcast episodes about that. And we share that on our blog as well about being on a self-hosted site. Yeah. I think it really, when it comes down to what you're going to invest in your site, it's everything always comes down to time or money. You're going to put your time in, or you're going to have to put your money in. And while we love blogging because it is a fairly low cost entry into creating a business, there are some expenses that are absolutely going to be necessary. There's some that are going to be optional. And there's like Amy said, there's some that we would

not recommend for a beginner, unless you have investors or a ton of money to spend, because creating a custom website isn't really going to get you anywhere any faster. So it's really just thinking through all of those things in terms of how much time you want to spend and how much money you want to spend. And some of that comes down to your personality, too. Like, do you like to figure things out yourself? Do you like to have somebody that can help you? So those are some of the important things you'll need to think about and just consider so that you're not feeling like as you get into this, you're either spending way more time than you thought or way more money than you thought. We always tell our bootcamp students. So when they

decide to do the bootcamp, we always tell them to set aside like five to 10 hours a week, for instance, to work on their blog and get it set up. And we have a coaching call each week and things. And that's kind of like a segue into their blogging journey, quite honestly, because five to 10 hours is about the minimum that you're going to want to spend anyway on your blog. So if you don't have the five to 10 hours to create your website and do that, that's going to be a strong indicator. Like, do I have time to have a blog? And that's just being really honest with yourself.

And I think that a lot of this is you just needing to be really honest with yourself about what you can and can't do. Another important foundation is what you're going to blog about and who you're going to be talking to. And that's your niche. Your niche is going to be really important. I was actually listening to a podcast this morning that was talking about breaking down your niche even more like into like a micro niche.

So, you know, let's use the example of like being a, like a dairy free blogger. It's almost anymore. Like you need to even niche down farther than that because the blogging industry has grown so much. So it's not to say that you can't grow, but you need to have a really strong idea about who you're talking to and talk directly to that person when you are sitting down to write your content. So if you want to have a blog about dairy-free food, for instance, think about the person that's going to be on your blog and looking for that. Are they a mom? Are they not? Are they single? Are they younger or older? Are they feeding a family or are they empty nesters? Do they have a whole food-based diet or not. And think about how your content and how your specific

journey could help those people coming in. And while you might think like, well, that's going to really like narrow down who I'm able to speak to. I think we have to come to the realization that while we want to help everyone, what ends up happening is we don't help as many people when we don't know who we are and what we're talking to. Yeah. And again, I think it's just so important to write these things down as you're going through these steps, write down your budget, write down your niche, write down your ideal reader, really, really refine these things. This is quite, these are going to be the things that set you up for success. And while it's not necessarily fun to do this part, this is something that we highly recommend.

And so the next thing we're going to have you do is sit down and write down those goals that we talked about. What's your goal in terms of when you would like to launch your blog? If you don't set a date, you might work on it for the next six months before you ever think about launching it. But that's really unnecessary. You don't have to have everything perfect. It's better to get it up, get it going, and get it out there and refine things as you go along. So set dates, set short-term goals in terms of when you're going to launch your blog, decide how many blog posts

are capable of writing each week consistently and write that down. And then it's okay to start dreaming at this point to say to yourself, you know, in two years, I want to be making this much money. I know that might be a little bit hard when you first get started to know what's realistic, but I think also in, to some extent, you kind of create what you dream. And so if you don't dream about replacing your full-time income, then it's probably not going to happen. You have to have some confidence. You have to have some belief in yourself that these things can happen. And if you don't write down and make your goals really specific, you will never be able to

achieve them. So that's why it's so important to us that you write these things down, write them out, paste them up where you can look at them every single day. You can record them on your phone and listen to them over and over again. That's what makes things happen is when you get really specific and you hold yourself accountable. We have two excellent podcast episodes with a mindset coach and a brand coach, Melissa Pepin and Lindsay Chambers. So we'll link those in the show notes. Those will be honestly, they are episodes I still go back to and listen because they're like pep talks. And we all need pep talks,

whether you're just thinking about starting a blog, have recently started a blog, or like Jennifer and I who have started our blog several years ago, we all need those pep talks. And once again, it goes back to mindset. Huge and important foundation when it comes to blogging. Kind of taking it more to the technical side now, some other things that you're going to want to think about is what platform you are going to build your blog on. And if you want to grow and you want to get organic traffic, we recommend being on a self-hosted platform. And that is what we teach and coach our students how to create. And there are some reasons that you could use more like a drag and drop type service

like Wix or Squarespace, but that's really if you have like a storefront or you're not wanting to drive organic traffic. And so that's something to consider. While that might be easier to set up on the front end, we know from personal experience, a lot of people who take that quote unquote easier route on the beginning, then when they want to grow, they're having to backtrack. And then they find us and then they do the bootcamp and then they have to fix what they started. And so we just want you to really think about that. And that goes back to your goals, thinking about what your goals are and what you want. And then knowing, okay, should I be on a self-hosted site? We're actually going to have a podcast episode coming up here soon about having

a self-hosted site. So keep your eyes peeled for that as it comes out. And that can answer some really important questions that you might have in regards to that. Your branding and design is also important in regards to your user experience. You want to make sure that your user who's coming to your site gets exactly what they need. So when they type something into Google and they find your site, that the user intent is easily matched with what they're finding on your site. Yeah. I think that's one of the things that's often overlooked by people when they go to start a blog. They get excited about setting it up, making it look pretty and creating something that they like. But what's more important is to take a step back,

go back to those goals, go back to that ideal reader, and you need to create something that they will like. So you want it to be something that is very user-friendly, easy to navigate, has clear categories, has a clear purpose. And that when somebody is Googling something and they come to your site, that you're matching what they are looking for because that is going to help both of you. The better user experience that you can create, the better long-term success your site can have because you're meeting the needs of people who are on the internet searching for something. So really think through and have maybe some other people look at your site as well and give you some feedback and make sure that you've designed a site that's easy to navigate, that's simple, that is appealing, that has all the information that they need right at

their fingertips and has a really clear starting point. A site that's less about you, quite honestly, and more about them. I know that often we start a blog thinking like, oh, I'm going to share my journey, but how can you turn your journey or your story or something that has been a pain point in your life and help others with it? And quite honestly, you can use your experience, but when you're writing content, you want to make sure that content is designed in such a way that it's serving them. Yeah. And then you're going to have to start thinking about how you're going to reach those people. So that essentially comes down to your marketing. And it feels kind of

weird to say that you're just this person here with a blog. You have to have like a marketing plan, but you kind of do. And there's so many different social media channels out there. There's so many different ways that you can try to share your content. There's Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook. You can have an email list. You can target people organically through Google. But again, you're just one person. You're going to have to think about what's the most important channel to you. So in terms of making a marketing plan, think about where, first and foremost, where are your readers going to be hanging out? And then also think about where you enjoy

spending time. Because if you pick something that you hate, you're probably not going to be very successful because those feelings come through. So find the balance between that and pick just a couple things. We are always going to recommend an email marketing strategy. So collecting readers' email addresses. and those are something that you're going to own and you can create a really good relationship with those people. And then focus to start with on one other platform, whether that's Instagram or Pinterest or whatever. And that way you won't overwhelm yourself. You can stay focused in a couple of different areas. And then that way you can create a really solid

strategy. Once you have that and it's working for you and it's easier and it's quicker, then you can think about growing it even more. Just a reminder here that we recognize that you are one person and one person only. And when you're starting your blog, you do have to kind of decide what you're going to do and what you're going to get help with and what you're not. We in no way, shape, or form expect anybody to be doing all the things out of the gate. We expect you to kind of take it slow and master each thing and then move on. And then you'll get to a point that you can ask yourself the question, okay, do I enjoy this piece of blogging or not?

And there are so many people who can help you with so many different things with your blog. It's how I started and it's how Jennifer and I became so close and how we created Spark Media, quite honestly, because I became her virtual assistant. And look what that's blossomed into. I mean, when I started as her virtual assistant, I had no idea I would end up having my blog and then teaching other people how to blog. So there's so much opportunity here in the online space that we want you to think about this more, more than just sitting down and writing on a website. Who knows the opportunities are absolutely endless here. There's so many things that you can do with this, with your story and with your passion. And then you can decide what you want

to do and where your heart lies and potentially someday what you'll get help with. You can find a ton of free information online. Our podcast, I hope always serves as a great resource for you. And our blog know that we do have courses available to you as well. That can help you. If you want to grow these foundations and then maybe you've already kind of done all this and you're like, I'm ready and I want to do that. And we have the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp for you as well. But something to keep in mind is you are exchanging money for time.

And so think about that as you're making some of those decisions with what you want to get help with and what you don't and what is worth it to you. You can absolutely figure some of these things out, but it's always nice to have somebody who you can look to as a resource, as a confidant, as somebody who's going to help you grow your community

and be there to be a champion for you. So I hope that you have learned a lot today about the foundations of blogging. That's our goal. We hope that when you push play on these episodes, that you leave learning something new and feel inspired and ready to tackle something different with your blog, or maybe start the blog that you've always wanted. Yeah. If you're sitting here and you're excited,

you're scared, you're nervous, you have questions, no matter what you're feeling right now, if you want to chat about this, if you have questions about this, what you're feeling right now. If you want to chat about this, if you have questions about this, if you're wondering where do I even start, please reach out to us. We are here. We want to be a resource for you. You can reach out to us on our Instagram. You can send us an email. We'd love to answer any questions that you have. We love building this community and we thank you so much for listening to our podcast each week, whether this is your first time listening or you're a weekly listener. Thank you so much for being here. If you'll take just a moment and leave a rating or review, it would mean so much to Jennifer and myself as we grow. We are just really wanting

to grow and help other people who are navigating this important decision. So if you would take just a moment to do that, we would thank you so much. Have a great week and thanks for being here today. Thanks. Thanks so much for tuning in today. If you'd like to continue the conversation about blogging with us, please find us on Instagram at Spark Media Concepts. You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter where we share blogging tips and inspiration. You can sign up by finding the link in the show notes. For those of you who are ready for the next step and want to start your own blog, join the waitlist for the ultimate blog

bootcamp. The link to join the waitlist is also in the show notes. Go out and make today a great day.