The idea of launching a blog for your website sounds innocent enough. But why do you find yourself crippled with fear and anxiety every time you try to actually launch one and write a few words?
How to Push Past Your Blogging Anxiety
You aren’t the only one who has blogging anxiety. Thousands upon thousands of people are intimidated by the thought of stringing together sentences, attaching them to their brand’s identity, and sharing them for the world to see. If you want to push past these anxieties, then you have to put yourself in the right frame of mind. Specifically, heed the following tips:
- Understand Why You Blog
If you don’t understand the purpose of blogging and the value it affords your brand, then you won’t ever be able to move from idea to action. Speak to others who’ve made blogging a major part of their businesses and they’ll tell you why it matters.
“I attribute much of my success to blogging. I’ve been doing it for a decade. I’ve written thousands of articles and literally millions of words of content. It hasn’t been easy. But, it’s been rewarding,” entrepreneur Neil Patel explains. “Blogging is how I market my businesses, build my brand, sell products and help others thrive. It’s all about the blog.”
If someone like Patel believes it’s “all about the blog,” how can you justify not blogging? Remember that blogging is about much more than SEO and social media. It’s about building a brand that’s viewed as trustworthy and valuable.
- Develop an Editorial Calendar
If you have to sit at your desk every day and come up with a new idea for a blog post, you aren’t going to be very good at consistency. You’ll procrastinate, struggle, and eventually give up. The best piece of tangible advice you’ll ever hear in regards to being a successful blogger is to develop an editorial calendar.
“Creating an editorial calendar for your blog not only helps reduce the stress of coming up with a fresh idea on the spot, but it helps you think about your blogging efforts from a big picture standpoint,” copywriter Kaleigh Moore says.
It’s fairly easy to create an editorial calendar. It takes just a few hours to plan out a few months of content, which allows you to spend less time mining for topics and more time writing. You can create a calendar from scratch or use a tool like CoSchedule or Trello.
- Turn Off Comments
Are you afraid of being embarrassed or getting negative feedback from readers? While direct feedback is one of the primary benefits of blogging, you may consider turning off comment functions in the beginning stages. Without having to worry about what people are saying in the comment box, you can get comfortable and find a groove. Then, once you feel like you’re in a good place, turn commenting back on and start maximizing the full benefits of interacting with customers.
- Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Confidence comes from trying new things and reaching beyond your comfort zone. In terms of blogging, one way to become more confident in your abilities is by guest blogging on third-party sites. This will put your writing in front of more people and will allow you to work with talented editors who can assist you in refining your style.
Blogging Isn’t Easy
If anyone tells you that blogging is easy – or that there’s nothing to fear – politely end that conversation and make better use of your time. Blogging is hard – and even quite scary at times – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. When you make a commitment to consistent blogging, you’ll notice a huge difference in how customers interact with your brand.
It’s time to get started.
