What The Heck Am I Doing?! First Month Blogging Lessons – Everything that I learned in my first month blogging; from someone who blogs full-time earning $8,000/month 14 months later!
What the Heck am I Doing?! Lessons from my First Month Blogging
It’s been a month since I started writing daily and made blogging into more of a job and less of a hobby. I’m still such a blogging newbie, but I’m picking things up as I go. It’s been really interesting, honestly! I’ve really learned a lot and I’m hoping to keep learning and growing.
My goal is that by this time next year, I’ll be making some kind of money. Whether that’s $100 a month or $10,000 a month, I don’t know! But I know that is my goal.
First, a little bit about me:
Last month, I thought that it was a joke to be a “full-time blogger.” And now here I am trying my hand at it!
If you only remember one thing about me, it’s that I’m not special. Not even close. I’m so average. I’m not a millionaire (far from it!). I don’t have the time to spend 24 hours a day working on my blog. I don’t have an English or journalism degree.
I do love to write and I love to help people. And I’m really good at cutting out spending and finding new ways to save money. Through my blog, I have a way to help people find answers to their questions about how to save money, live on a budget, and get in control of their finances.
By writing about what I love, I’m hoping to be able to provide my family with a second income, while getting to stay at home with my children.
*Update : In less than 1 year since I started getting serious about blogging, I made more than $8,300 in one month alone.
You can grab 15+ of the best blogging freebies from a 6-figure mega blogger here!
If you’re thinking about starting your blog for profit but don’t know where to start, this is a great step-by-step guide to get you started.
That said, here’s everything that I learned in my first real month of blogging as a job.
You can’t start a blog that makes money for free.
I wish you could start a money making blog for free, but that’s not how it works. You do in fact have to pay to start a blog if your goal is to get serious with it.
So if you know that you want to take it seriously, then you need to start by paying for your hosting. It’s not like it’s terribly expensive – you can get Bluehost for $2.95 a month. And the best news: that’s ALL you need to buy in the beginning!
Don’t buy upgraded hosting, just the basic plan is perfect. Don’t get the expensive things that they offer you in the beginning (the paid themes, the plug-ins, the tech support, etc.). You won’t need them!
Follow this step-by-step set up process to save even more money!
Social media presence starts in the first month blogging!
There are a few important things about social media that you should know early on:
- Make sure that you create your pages on all social channels with your blog name.
- If you have a personal Pinterest account that goes along with your blog niche, convert your personal page into a business account and change your name and handle. No one will notice and you will start you Pinterest with more than 0 followers! 🙂
- Don’t feel like you need to share everything to your own personal Facebook. Save that for the page of your blog on Facebook.
- You will need to have a personal Facebook in order to start a page.
- Don’t feel like you need to be everywhere 100% on social media! It’s just not possible.
- Pick 2-3 social media platforms where you personally hang out. If you like those channels, chances are good that your readers share your favorite channels.
- Don’t feel like you have to spend hours and hours working on Twitter if your people are on Instagram.
Post regularly in your first month of blogging
Do what works for you, but stick with it! If you’re posting daily, stick to posting daily. Every other day, stick to it! Don’t push yourself too far and publish bad content. But remember the beauty of blogging: you can always go back and edit!
Here’s what you need to know about writing in the first month blogging:
- It doesn’t need to be perfect, just get it out there.
- You can always edit your posts or delete them later on – don’t pressure yourself into making it perfect.
- Writing is your craft. You might not start your blog as the best writer. And that’s fine! Writing more and more will help you get better at it and then it’ll become second nature.
- Plan to post often. 2-3 times a week at least.
- The more often you post, the more content that you can get out there and the better the chances are to get your stuff seen. And traffic to your blog is awesome.
- No, you don’t need to start bugging your friends and family to check out your blog.
- You won’t “get big” overnight. It takes time! A LOT of time!
- When you first start blogging, the only people who are going to see your site is you, your mom and Russian hackers. So there’s no pressure to make it perfect right off the bat. It’s ok to be imperfect!
Related post: How to Start a Profitable Blog the Right Way
Don’t compare your start to someone else’s middle when you’re in your first month blogging!
The comparison game is a real thing and it is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you’re no good because someone else made $1,000 and you made nothing.
Remember that EVERY. SINGLE. BLOGGER. stated at 0. 0 pageviews. $0 dollars. 0 email subscriber. 0 Amazon sales.
Starting is HARD. There’s so much to do and all you wanted to do when you started was just… write! Keep your head down and don’t let the success of others distract you. I know that can be hard, but try to remember to work on you and your stuff first.
Start getting into the mindset of using affiliates (or selling) from the first month blogging.
Get used to thinking about what products you can recommend to your readers. This will help you add affiliate links which will make you money as a blogger.
There are a lot of ways that bloggers can make money, but affiliate income is a great place to start in the beginning.
Here’s what you need to know really quickly about affiliate marketing in the first month:
- Don’t try to be an affiliate for everything. Only join affiliate programs that make sense for your niche.
- An affiliate link is a special link. You can’t just send people to amazon.com and expect to make money. You need to have that special link.
- I use ShareaSale and CJ.com to find affiliate programs to join.
- You can find affiliate programs for your favorite products right on their sites (usually) by scrolling all the way to the bottom of their website and looking for anything that says “affiliate,” “partner,” “work with us,” or “media.”
Don’t try to be everywhere all the time on social media.
While you NEED to make sure to claim your social media handles, don’t feel like you need to spend all day trying to be all over the internet.
There are some social channels that work better for certain niches. Find the ones where most people in your niche are already and start to build an idea of what you want to do on that channel.
My personal favorites are:
Write until you figure out the BIG THING you can’t shut up about – but don’t try to be the “blogging about EVERYTHING” blogger.
This is the big thing here! SO many bloggers start off their blog with the idea of “having a lifestyle blog” or “just blogging about what they feel like”… those are really just journals are likely going to be tough to monetize.
You need to have ONE single topic that you are going to talk about or cover on your blog. And if you start off super broad, that’s ok! But the more and more you write, you will start to see a pattern emerge in your writing. There will usually be one topic that you keep coming back to.
If you’re always talking about organizing inside of all of your posts even if they’re about an unrelated topic, then you might find that having a blog about organizing is your best bet. But find that common theme that you always bring up in your writing.
This will take some time and might not happen in your first month blogging. But the more specific you get with your theme, the better off your blog will be in the long run.
Find out some of the other BIG mistakes that bloggers make here!
Have a way to capture your ideas when they come to you.
This might sound silly, but it works: I text or email myself ideas. That way, I have them down in writing without worrying about losing a random piece of paper. Another way to do this is to use Google Docs to save ideas. Anything that will keep your ideas in one place and will help you capture the idea when you have it is a huge help!
Related post: How I Earn Money as a Stay-at-Home Mom
Set a schedule ahead of time in your first month blogging.
This is HUGE. It’s so easy to get sucked into trying to do everything in the first month blogging that you’ll end up spending 10 hours a day on the blog doing… nothing of great importance.
Set a schedule for yourself. Make a plan to write a post, make 1 Pinterest graphic, then brainstorm a freebie to make. Don’t just pop open the computer and see where the day takes you. Because let’s be real… you’re going to end up on Facebook trapped in an endless loop of Facebook group drama.
Have a list of half-fully written posts ready to go when writer’s block hits.
This is how I avoid writer’s block: I brainstorm all of my ideas and keep the titles or the subjects as a blog post. When I can’t think of anything to write about, I go back and add some to the post, and tada! Done post with writer’s block!
It’s always good to have some ideas on standby. If you can only make it halfway through a post without thinking of a good ending, save it for later. When you go back to it, you’ll have a fresh set of eyes and be able to finish it well and easily. I have about 15 half-written posts and 5 complete ones just waiting to be published.
Related post: 10+ Incredible FREE Blogging Resources
Respond to comments.
Both on your blog and on Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter, etc. It’s really nice, and truly shows people how much you care about your blog. You might get long-time readers from doing this. You want to make sure that you come off as friendly and approachable.
Go to link parties!
HO. LEE. COW. I never knew about these things until I found them in my second (or third… oops) week blogging. It’s a fantastic way to meet the bloggers, read some fantastic content, support each other, and see other bloggers’ processes.
You get to see what other bloggers pages look like, the kinds of pictures they use, and the kinds of content they have. It’s really great to be part of these groups! Not to mention you can find a TON of people to follow on all different social media outlets!
(Note: once you’ve grown your blog, link parties become less important. But starting off, they’re a lot of fun!)
Related post: How Many Pageviews Do You Need to Make a Full-Time Income Blogging
If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it!
If you disagree with someone else’s post, just don’t say anything. No one likes a troll. If you wouldn’t want someone to post something on your blog, don’t say it.
Picmonkey.com is your new best friend.
I’m so sad I’ve only had a relationship with Picmonkey.com for a month! I could’ve used this site for SO much! I love it! And you can download new fonts onto your computer and use them if you want! Love it, and I use it every single day.
All of the graphics made on my site are made from Picmonkey.com. I’m not a graphic designer and I don’t have money to hire one, but Picmonkey lets me make amazing looking images!
Related post: 6 Steps to Take To Become A Full-Time Blogger
Go out on a limb.
I was really hesitant to publish my page on Facebook. That would mean that everyone that I KNOW will see what I’ve been working on each day! That was a big deal for me. I didn’t know what they would think.
What if they think I’m a loser? Or just a bored housewife? Maybe that I need to get a REAL job? I’m sure there were some who thought that, but no one outright SAID it to me! Putting myself out there brought me new followers and a personal way to see who connects with my content.
Don’t lose yourself.
It’s hard not to lose yourself blogging. There’s a fine line between being yourself and trying to emulate someone else who is more successful in hopes of getting to their level.
Related post: Can You Make Money Blogging in One Year?
Decide if you want to blog just to chit-chat or if you’d like to try to make some money off of it.
I like to socialize and write, so it’s just a bonus for me that I can potentially get paid for doing so!
Now, don’t get crazy and think that you can make a ton of money in your first month! I’ve probably logged the same amount of time into blogging as I would have into a full-time job and I’ve made $.30 doing some sponsored tweets, $4.53 off of Google Adsense, and have yet to make anything off of affiliate income.
Find out how to boost your blog income overnight (even if you’re a brand new blogger!)
Don’t go overboard trying to promote your blog in the first month blogging!
I’ll be honest… this one was tough. I honeslty started my blog expecting hoards of people to come to my site the very second I published my first post… but that’s not what happened.
In fact, I found out that almost all of the 100 pageviews I got were from myself, my mom, and Russian hackers. Yes, you read that right.
But believe it or not… this is actually a GOOD thing! This means that you can start and grow your blog almost completely anonymously. Sure, it’s not like you’re going to be making money if no one sees your stuff, but you want to be able to spend time in your first month blogging working on the most important thing: your writing and your message.
If you don’t know what it is you want to talk about, then no one will know what to expect when they come to your blog. So you need to really dig into what it is that you want to talk about and how you want to write those posts.
You don’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize Winning author to be a good blogger. But you do have to understand what people want to see from a blog. That’s all. 🙂
Have fun!
I enjoy writing, and getting to know people, and looking at recipes for delicious cupcakes that I can’t eat. So this has been a lot of fun for me. Once it becomes tedious or I just lose interest, I’ll stop doing it. But for now, I’m having a lot of fun!
It’s really been a wild ride! And I can’t wait to see what next month has in store for me!!
Related posts:
- How to Start a Profitable Blog the Right Way
- Blogging Freebies!
- 5 Signs Blogging Isn’t for You (& 1 Sign You Should Start Today!)
- Surefire Ways to Promote Your Blog and Grow Your Audience
- How to Start Using Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers
- The Blogging Class that Made Me a Full Time Blogger
- Best Blogging Podcasts to Follow
- How I Made a Full-Time Income From My 9 Month Old Blog
- The Best Blog Hosting Sites for Making Money
- Best Tips for a New Blogger From a Blogging Pro
- Free Blog Resource Guide
- How Bloggers Make Money
Get your free copy of all of my resources to get started blogging here:
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Hello There. I discovered your weblog using msn. That is an extremely neatly written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to learn extra of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.
Love these suggestions. I’ve been blogging for a few years, but I definitely could use these ideas! Thanks for linking up!
Thanks, Moriah!
These are great tips! Especially staying true to yourself and joining link parties!
Jill
Doused In Pink
Thanks, Jill! That one has been the most important to me.
I’m also new to blogging, and loved reading your insights! I found you through the #antiprocrastinationtuesday link party and agree, linkys are awesome!
I’m jealous that you have the time to write everyday. I have 3 jobs plus blogging and that’s just not possible for me without never spending time with my fiancé! Do you ever find you get sucked into the black hole of blogging and spend hours working on what seems to amount to nothing? I feel I’m spending too much time on promotion on social media, but I want to keep increasing my traffic! Such a conundrum.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the post. Have a great day!
Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride)
I get caught in the Pinterest black hole a lot, for sure! I try to make it productive and use them for inspiration for future posts or to gather posts for “the 10 best (something)” or something like that. But I totally get what you’re saying! It’s really hard when you’re making nothing (or next to nothing) off of your blog but you have to keep doing it if you want to make any money! Not that that’s a primary reason to blog, but it’s an incentive for sure!
The way I see it, you’re doing pretty good for a newby!
YES to pic monkey, link parties, and social media!
Yes to all of it, really. You’ve got a great handle on what’s up.
And also yes to – you will be overwhelmed.
A schedule is wonderful for that – because no matter how much you do – you could always do more in this bloggy-techno world!
Keep up the good work, and good luck!
Saw you on Tuesday Talk and your title grabbed me from the get-go and made me chuckle (and btw, headlines are important too – and you nailed it)!
Thanks so much, Ruthie! That’s what I was going for!
Great tips! I’ve only been promoting my blog for 2 months now, so I am collecting all of the blogging tips I can find. I really like your idea of having blog posts ready for those days when you just need something to post. Found you on the Wednesday Showcase Party.
Thanks, Jamie! That’s been a real life saver for me to have blog posts ready when I don’t have a full day to get the whole blog wheels turning.
I need to be better at having some drafts ready to go! I find myself rushing to get things done on time sometimes. But these are some great tips. I would love for you to come share with us at the Wednesday Showcase party.
Thanks, Kati! I absolutely will stop by!
I’ve been blogging a long time, but these hints still help me. I only started to schedule this year and it made a big difference!
Thanks, Kristy! And having a schedule has really helped me a lot more than I really thought it would!
Such a great post!! I’m glad I found you, coming over from the wednesday showcase. This list is fabulous. I’m always trying to think of ways to remind myself of what ideas I had because my brain comes up with them and then they are almost immediately gone. TEXT MYSELF! Brilliant.. 🙂 I agree with link parties, they are the best!
Thanks, Faith! I was so happy I came across that tip, too!
You’ve learned a lot! Great lessons. Having half-written posts is a huge life saver for me when I fall behind on my posting schedule 🙂
I’m the same way, Sagan!
This is such a great list! I love all of these tips, especially the back up list in case of writers block 🙂 I always have a couple recipes to go just in case I don’t feel like blogging about cookies today, it’s SUCH saver and helps preserve your ‘voice’. Thanks for sharing with the Wednesday Showcase! (Link-ups are the BEST!)
That’s saved my butt quite a few times, Cristina! Thanks!
What the heck AM I doing? Funny and helpful post! Thank you.
Ok, why didn’t I think to text myself. Gonna start doing that and I love picmonkey.
I always wondered how bloggers got such great pictures and fonts! So glad I found picmonkey!
Ha! I love that you said: “What if they think I’m a loser?” I thought the exact same thing. I have been blogging almost a year and I still sometimes think that. 🙂
I’m so glad I’m not the only one! It’s weird to tell people “I blog” when they ask what I do (on top of being a stay at home mom, homeschool teacher, and housewife… like that alone isn’t enough of an answer!), but I’m hoping that once I’m able to actually make some manner of money, I’ll be more comfortable with it!
Great post! Very encouraging… and to see how God has blessed your blog so much considering you’ve only been doing it daily for 1 month! God is good! Anyway, I found your blog through this linky party: http://justagirlandherblog.com/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-89/ Will you be starting a link party of your own? Would love to participate if you do!
Blessings,
JD – altamontefamily.com
Thank you! Not too sure if I’ll ever host a link party, but it’s totally something I’m open to!
Love this post! I, too, am a new blogger and I have yet to create a Facebook page for my blog because I don’t want people that I actually know reading it! WHY do we all think that way?? Glad I’m not the only one, though!
I’m so glad someone else felt the same way, Lindsay!
Hi Caroline. Where were you 7 months ago. I could have used this list back then. I stared in a void andhad nothing except my desire to work on projects. You are doing great for a newbie!
Oh my gosh thank you! That gives me such hope!
Hi, Caroline!
I’m a new blogger (like this week new) and I know I will be using all of your tips! I still have a full time job, and I’m a part-time student…and now a blogger (I must be crazy!). So far I’m really enjoying blogging and can’t wait to start making connections. I will definitely be back to learn more from you!
Thank you for sharing!
Nicole
Currency & Calories
Thanks, Nicole! I wish I had real advice to give! But there are so many other bloggers out there who have so much knowledge! Good luck!
You know, I don’t have a Blog schedule, but I did make a list of topics I want to blog about. My blogging is so sporadic – I need to up my game. Great post!
Thank you! Hoping to try to stick to a schedule more as I go!
Excellent blog you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find excellent writing like yours nowadays. I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
Such a great post! Although I have been blogging for a year, I just started my new site, Drops of Learning, about a month ago and have really been consistent and have already seen more action that my year old blog. I have a weekly schedule of different posts for different days, so it helps me to stay on track and have something to write about. I also set reminders and notes in my phone when I think of an idea!!!
And I totally agree with not compromising yourself. If you take money for something you don’t believe in, you will lose credibility with your readers. I am so glad that I found this post and a new blog to follow!
It’s so true. That’s one area that I just won’t compromise on. It’s particularly hard as a hippie; I just won’t agree to support certain companies, but they’re the only ones offering paid ads.
These are fantastic tips. I found you through a link party, so obviously that’s working for you. 😉 I recently made the transition from one or two link parties a week to several a day, and the difference is very noticeable.
It’s true, Jessica! I probably visit 5 or more in the morning and usually around 4 at night.
If I may ask, is that daily? The link parties? I’m asking because I’m struggling a bit so any tips to increase traffic would be so appreciated! 😉 I read somewhere not to join so many linkys. The 4-5 a week is enough. And since I’m trying every tip I read, {well almost} I stopped joining a bunch of them. But if it brings more traffic, I’m game! 🙂 At the time I had only been blogging a month or so and had just learned about link parties. Should have got second opinion. 😉 Live and Learn!
I really like the link parties. I link up to probably 5 or more a day. The goal is to get featured on the link parties. That gets a great amount of traffic for me. Also look up Facebook groups for bloggers. They’re great! They’re not only great for networking, but also for asking for help. Totally look them up!
Go out on a limb- Can so relate to that, about pressing publish. I still have not announced my blog on my regular FB page, basically it’s my family & 1/2 of my graduating class . So I started a new FB page. That seems to be common among bloggers and their first post. Great tips, thank you!
#AnythingGoes is great because of you! Thank you for continuing to support this Link Party with your talent and creativity.
Lovely post! I just came across your blog and fell in love with it! I’m also a fairly new blogger and although I’m not making money off of it as of now (I just started it as a hobby) I can relate with your post so much. 🙂
As a newbie, this is great! I have learned so much in the past few months, now I just need to focus on monetizing it!
I’m still in the researching phase of future blogging and I certainly relate to being nervous about linking my blog to my Facebook page! While they are my Facebook “friends” whom I share pictures and laughs I feel almost like sharing my blog is too personal!
Great post and suggestions. Had my blog for a while but never put much time into it. your post was very helpful and gave me more encouragement to take it to the next level. thanks
Thanks for the encouragement! I’m hesitating over pulling the trigger and actually STARTING my blog – I’m nervous to shell out the $70 to get it all started and of what people will think, etc. So it’s good to hear that someone has the same worries as I do 🙂
This post is super helpful to blogger newbies like me! This might be a dumb question but where do you find linky parties and how do you join them?
Really love this. I’m broke and unemployed and about to move back in with my parents because I can’t even afford to move in with my boyfriend and pay rent split between 5 roommates. I’ve accepted that i just need a part-time, no experience, hairnet job until my luck changes. But I really want to try blogging while I’m not working full-time and see if I can turn it into a full time job. So I’m going to save up and try the Pinterest Strategy Guide. Even if I only make a third of what you make I’ll still be able to move out haha! Thanks for sharing!
Really brilliant article, very helpful for new starts like me!
http://www.plumpandpeculiar.com
Hi there, I just wanted to thank you for putting together this post as I am a complete newbie when it oomes to blogging! Your post was very encouraging and I appreciate all the tips you were able to give!
This was a really helpful post. Thanks so much for the the tips it really helps new bloggers like myself.
The first month of blogging is normally the hardest. Some are full of procrastination while others are full of fear that they will make mistakes. However, making mistakes is part of learning.
The first month of blogging is normally the hardest. Some are full of procrastination while others are full of fear that they will make mistakes. However, making mistakes is part of learning.
Very encouraging. Very informative tips as other posts. Hardest things in blogging to stick with your blog with patience.
Thank you very much for your insights and lessons.
For new bloggers like me these posts are very encouraging and helpful!
Thanks for this, you are so down to earth! I have been getting really down seeing my lack of views, but like you say, in some ways it is better to be invisible while I build up some content! I hope your blog is thriving now!
I really love blogging but I’m not working full-time. I appreciate your good work. You have a Lovely blog! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am taking your feeds also. Have great luck!