I’m regularly asked by those yet to start a blog what is the best way to go about it? Should there be posts already up upon launch? How many? Do I need a Facebook page? Should I be collecting emails? What’s the best way to design my blog to keep readers on site? What should I invest in, and what can wait?
Starting a new blog can be a daunting, overwhelming experience, but it doesn’t need to be.
When Should You Launch Your New Blog?
To be honest, there isn’t one right answer to this question. Throughout all the questions I’m asked, there’s one common thread: how complete does a blog have to be before I can release it to the world? But everyone’s looking for different things.
Some people like to spend plenty of time and money in preparing their blog for launch, ensuring it’s perfect before an eye ever gets laid on it. Others launch on the fly, learn and tweak as they go, and just get stuck in, making connections and finding readers.
I’ve written plenty of things on the topic, even including a checklist of items to achieve before launch. But the reality is, that’s not going to work for everyone.
In this episode of the ProBlogger podcast, I discuss the difference between an ideal launch scenario and the reality you all find yourselves in. Some of you will take some of the advice, and the rest of you will take a different part. You can mix and match to suit your own pathway of creating a blog you’re proud of at launch time. You want to strike a balance between moving while you’re still in the exciting momentum phase and strategically planning it to death.
This is what I’d focus on:
In this section of the podcast I discuss all the technical stuff like which hosting I’d go for, what platform, etc, but also how to start writing posts and ensure I can keep going in that direction. I’ll talk about how many blog posts I think you should have published and in reserve, what kind of design you should have (paid or free), whether you should have a newsletter in the early days or not, what social media platforms to focus on, and what has worked for me every time I’ve launched a new blog (and what has gone wrong!).
If you’re thinking of starting a new blog and are unsure on a few sections, I hope my story gives you some direction and a renewed enthusiasm to get out there and give it a go!
If you have any questions I’d be happy to hear them – what is your biggest hurdle trying to get your blog launched?
You can find the show notes here.
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Further Reading:
- Bite the Bullet and Start Your Blog with this Seven-Point Checklist
- How I’d Promote My Blog If I Were Starting Out Today
- The 5 key elements your blog’s ‘Start Here’ page must have
- Kick-Start Your Blog With These Engaging Content Suggestions
- Home Bases and Outposts – How I use Social Media in My Blogging
