El Valle de Anton, Panama
New bloggers need the gentle touch.
Overwhelm meets excitement.
Promise!
Hope!
Then, a sense of dread destroys the dreams.
My wife walked me off of the blogging ledge 17 years ago on day 2. I had bought my domain and hosting. I felt a surge of excitement. But my hope disappeared the moment I realized: I had no clue in hell what I was doing. I knew nothing about internet marketing. How would I learn and master these skills? I wanted to quit. But she convinced me that I was up to the task.
17 years later, here I am.
I intend to help new bloggers wrestling with a similar set of emotions as once navigates the spiritual jungle, the wild inner world.
Successful bloggers boast universal appeal. By that, I mean how pros write well for readers at every stage on their journey. From beginners to advanced folks, thriving bloggers use easy to understand concepts for practical application across the board. Beginners understand their posts. Pros understand their posts. Beginners practically use their posts for great personal benefit. That is the kicker. That is the gist of this post.
New bloggers need handling with some kid gloves here and there. Too much mental resistance to success kicks around in the average newbie blogger mind. Clear blog posts ease beginners through this devilish resistance unconsciously thought up to block their success, happiness and peace of mind.
I want to take a different approach for this post. My first 5 tips are for new bloggers and the second 5 tips are how to write for new bloggers.
Beginners need to master both before driving organic traffic consistently.
1: Choose One Blogging Niche
Select one blogging niche.
Be a specialist.
Master one trade versus being a jack of all trades. Do one thing. Do it well.
List your passions. Gauge reader demand through Google, Reddit, Quora and social media.
Choose one niche within your passion wheelhouse that solves a pressing problem.
2: Publish Long Form Posts to Solve Reader Problems
Write long form blog posts to address reader problems.
Establish credibility with thorough content.
Publish 1200-1500 words per post. Drive Google traffic. Lower your bounce rate. Keep readers planted onsite.
Share practical tips to step readers from problem to solution.
Make posts easy to scan. Use headers, paragraphs and bullet point lists for seamless reading.
3: Comment on other Blogs
No blog is an island.
Comment genuinely on blogs from your niche.
Build relationships.
Drive direct traffic through these no follow links.
Share 1-2 paragraphs – or more – per comment to make an impact.
Bonds established through authentic blog commenting amplify your beginner blogger success.
4: Build an Email List
Build an email list.
Drive traffic on demand.
Embed an opt-in form on your blog. Capture subscribers with an enticing call to action.
Email offers new bloggers a highly dependable traffic source.
Grow your list slowly but steadily.
Establish reader loyalty through your subscriber base.
5: Publish Content for Social Media
Access billions.
Publish targeted social media content for your ideal reader.
Share content to:
- X
- Threads
to migrate users to your blog.
Create text-only updates, videos and promote blog post links.
Contrast content types to appease the algorithm.
6: See the Journey through their Eyes
Before writing this post I imagined being a new blogger.
I did not know my blogging ass from my blogging elbow.
Good.
That was my starting point.
Now I see through this frame of mind which is perfect for writing this post.
See Yourself in their Shoes
Imagine yourself to be a new blogger. Feel their emotions. Weigh their worries. Drink up their wild excitement. Go ahead. Do it. Feel their perspective to write the ideal post for them.
7: Simplify Everything
I set up simple, clear outlines for newbie blogger posts.
Doing this ensures that I never stray into complex concepts.
Beginner bloggers need simple. Complex strategies scares these individuals. Difficult to grasp techniques turn them off. Intimidation reigns supreme at the outset. Why scare the hell out of delicate beginners who need coaxing and baby-stepping with basic ideas?
After writing a post, look closely at it. Can a little kid read it? Can a little kid at least kinda understand it?
Simplify concepts to connect with new bloggers.
Practical StepsÂ
- prune your blog of complex posts
- read your content out loud to see if a little kid can at least semi-embrace the concepts; hear the words to drill this point home
- trash the complex to leave the simple
8: Share Clear Steps
Look up. Look down.
I shared 5 clear steps to write for beginner bloggers. Anyone can see these steps to follow these steps. Anyone can clearly take these steps. If anything, sounding robotic helps on one level here because the end goal wins out over differentiating yourself. Blog from your heart. But use your head to baby step readers through processes.
Watch “How to” videos on YouTube. See how skilled vloggers step readers clearly, practically, with basic steps to go from problem to solution. Use their example as a framework for following this step. Look to these pros for inspiration. Feast on their example. Emulate their videos but in blog post form.
Practical Steps
- visualize the clearest way to explain a tip, step or technique
- capture that image with your blog post words
- practice this skill with consistent repetition
- watch “how to” YouTube videos for inspiration in this regard
9: Drill Down on Emotional Intelligence
OK; this step is the blogging money shot for newbies.
Drill down on emotional intelligence to empower beginners to navigate through the fears kicking around in their blogging dome.
Everyone feels overwhelmed at the outset (see below). Overcoming fear involves looking within to see the fears in mind projected onto the world. New bloggers rarely seem aware that the blogging fears in their mind ARE in fact IN their mind and NOT out there in the world. Sharing practical tips for honing emotional intelligence makes one aware of this reality, which, of course, sets you free to succeed peacefully.
Practical StepsÂ
- meditate for 5-10 minutes daily to become aware of your thoughts, feelings and actions
- leave your comfort zone consistently to trigger unconscious fears
- surround yourself with loving minds dripping with a high level of emotional intelligence
- beware mindlessly doing; try not to rush forward in wild excitement because mindless action lacks emotional intelligence and typically leads to struggles, failing and eventual quitting
10: Be thorough But Not Overwhelming
I decided to cap this post well below 1000 words to be thorough but not overwhelming.
Beginners can handle over 1000 words. But 5 practical tips seems to be the thoroughness both you and I need right now. Plus I am busy settling into the Netherlands. Time is a little scarce today.
Practical Steps
- find the proper word count to be helpful without blitzing new readers
- be highly practical then shed everything else
- blog for your readers not your ego
- aim for at least 800-1000 words but beware exceeding 1500 words (beginners need content to put into action now versus devoting too much time to consuming content)
Conclusion
Think like a new blogger to write for new bloggers.
Do the mental gymnastics.
Connect with a global audience.
Baby step beginners through their nascent blogging journey.
