Yesterday I stumbled upon a very good, straightforward post on how to start a blog. In “Tips for Starting a Blog,” Gini Dietrich makes it as simple and as practical as it’s going to get without skipping the important parts, such as writing about something you can write about.
I most like the complete connection between the logistics (she recommends WordPress or Blogger) and the importance of actually having content. I particularly like her suggestion to get 30 topics listed before you start:
Write a list of 30 topics you can write about–just headlines. For instance, I write about social media, the PR industry and what it’s like to grow a company. Under those three topics, I have 30 bullet points of different headlines. Under social media, I know tomorrow I’m going to write about how to attract readers to your blog, because it follows today’s topic.
And also this one:
Be prepared to publish at least three times each week. And keep your drafts full–have five to 10 ready to publish at any time. This is hard to do, but trust me when I say that it makes life A LOT easier when you’re overly busy and something else has taken over your hour to blog.
I like the fact that she’s looking past just getting a blog started–writing, as well, about how to keep a blog going.
Lots of experts are recommending getting that blog up. I’ve recommended that many times. Here’s how to do it.
Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and Bplans.com. Follow him on Twitter @Timberry.
