Guest Post:
Blogging is difficult.
Any blogger who says otherwise either has friends in high places, isn’t trying to make a living with their work, or probably isn’t being terribly honest. Because of this inherent difficulty, many bloggers abandon their blogs within the first six months. Perhaps they are unhappy with the amount of unanticipated work, or disillusioned by the difficulty of turning a dollar with a blog.
But quitting early is a mistake, at least if you have what it takes to make it. If you can push your way past the mostly inescapable six-month slog, the real magic will eventually start to happen.
Hitting critical mass is perfectly reasonable, so long as you are constantly willing to grow. If after half a year you still find yourself struggling for a handful of visitors and no comments or links, there is a good chance you are doing something wrong and need to seriously reevaluate your methods. If however, things are going good but not great, keep doing what you’re doing, just do it a little better.
The first three months of starting your blog can be difficult. There’s a learning curve and you may have some difficulty finding your audience. The next three months can be even rougher. That’s about the time that the initial excitement of blogging is tempered by the reality that it’s not as easy as you thought it would be. The sixth month can feel devastating, as you become aware of both how difficult blogging can be and how far you are from the success you’d like.
This is the wall that separates successful blogs from all the others. And that wall can be daunting. Many people will cut their losses at this point and give up. If you haven’t attracted an audience and are still unsure how to do so, you might want to consider another blogging strategy (choosing another topic, hiring a ghostblogger or perhaps, both).
However, if you are generating some feedback and feel you are close, then by all means, stick it out. There is tremendous benefit in outlasting your competition, and many bloggers don’t have what it takes to get past this wall.
The longer you remain online, the more authority you will naturally have, both with readers and search engines. In many ways, blogging follows the rules of compound interest. You must invest for a while before you see a return. Only after you have paid your dues will you begin to see the dividends of your work.
Remember these 5 things when pushing through the six month slog.
- Be smart when you’re on Twitter. Don’t spend all day doing nothing and convincing yourself it’s work. It isn’t. Meet new people, network as much as you need to, but have a focus. If someone is making money simply by being on Twitter, it is because they have an established business set in place. Use your time wisely.
- Get personal. This doesn’t mean telling people how you call your cat Mr. Puffy Paws and he gives the bestest kisses in the whole wide world (well, unless you’re writing a humor blog or making a desperate cry for help). However, if you are having a difficult time, your blogging or business difficulties are perfectly acceptable topics to write about. You are human, so are your readers (save for Mr. Puffy Paws, of course). Chances are excellent they’ve felt many of the same things as you. Give them something they can relate to. Who knows? Maybe they will have some good advice to share.
- Give yourself space. It’s okay to back off. It is better to blog with a clear mind than under the gun of pressing deadlines and other pressures. Ideally, you want to write a few posts to schedule in your absence, but if you’re not feeling it, that’s okay too. If you lose a few readers before you return, think of it as strengthening the character of your remaining audience.
- Make sure your goals are clear and consistent. Everyone blogs for a different reason and there is no right or wrong. Whatever your reason for blogging, make sure you understand it. If you don’t, you can have no expectations that your readers will.
- Remember, you are not alone. Yes, there are countless abandoned blogs, but there are also countless booming blogs, run by authors who at one point felt exactly as you do today. Tap into your network, find someone who is going through the same thing and bond. It’s always easier to go through something together. Even better, find someone who is willing to listen, who has been in your place and can offer solutions.
The sixth and seventh months were by far the hardest for us. After that, things seemed to ease up. We were able to build from our earlier experiences and minimize the many mistakes we were making. Mistakes, by the way, are not the enemy. They are a necessary part of the process. Everyone blogging has made their mistakes. By learning from those mistakes and pushing ourselves forward, we become better bloggers and businesspeople in general.
We have both been blogging now for a little more than a year and are grateful for the difficulty of the six-month slog. Without it, we would not have pushed as hard, run as far, or felt the success we are feeling now. If you are approaching, in the middle of, or just emerging from the six months slog, keep your head up, remember the rules and remember – we’ve all been there.
The rewards are wonderful and will be yours soon.
David Wright and Sean Platt are direct response marketers and co-owners of the Collective Inkwell. They do Ink. Well.
